Originally Published on October 06, 2010 by ranchomurieta.com

Diaries written by: Don Thames

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DAY #2:

October 03, 2010: On to match play, where I will play my own game

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Lake Nona, FL – Update: Don Thames' one-under weekend total left him in a tie for fourth place and easily qualified him for this week's match play.  Gary Ramsden had a rough second round and missed the cut at 13 over par.

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At this writing, half of the field has completed two rounds in the qualifying for match play. I came in with a score of 143, which currently sits atop the leader board. I do not feel that this score will hold up for medalist honors, but I am assured of qualifying for match play. Gary went out in 40 in the afternoon and seems to be on the bubble. I think he will need to shoot even or one over on his final nine to get in. My fingers are crossed for him. Other Norcal guys who made match play are Jim Knoll, Dan Bieber and most likely Jeff Burda.

Carole did an outstanding job with yardages and green reading. She was sophisticated enough to help me plan my approach shots by reading the slope and grain from the fairway. This was a great edge for me to have such a professional grade caddy.

Leaderboard: For a time, Don Thames was tied for the lead in the clubhouse.  

The golf course is very fair and allows players to hit driver on most holes. There are two short par fours and only one of them requires less than a driver. Two of the par fours measure 450 and 464 yards respectively. The greens are Bermuda and require a bit of imagination to read. As Californians we see greens like these only when on vacation in the South or Hawaii. The speed of the greens are 11 to 11.5 on the stimp and are not the fastest ever but require great touch when going up and into the grain when the hole is cut over the slope and then down grain. We just don’t get putts like that in California, so I am trying to learn this quickly.

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The players' dinner on Friday night was interesting, as we had Gio Valiante as the keynote speaker. Gio has a PhD and is a sports psychologist for several tour players. Gio calls his players every Monday after tour events and asks them what they learned. He believes that over time, if they can learn one or two things per week that they will improve. He also asks them to play for a purpose and to find gratitude. He thinks that if they can actively work against entitlement, which is the anti-performance, that his players can be free and play better golf.

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So far this week my key has been consistent iron play and solid putting. I came here needing a new grip on the old putter but did not do so for one reason or another. While practice putting on Friday afternoon I met a player from Tennessee who had one of those big fat grips on his putter. I tried it and liked it. The next thing I knew, Carole was driving across town to buy one. The golf pro at Lake Nona slipped it on and I loved it immediately. It seems to let me grip the putter lightly and just let the thing swing. It seems to produce good feel and results.

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So now that the first part of the mission has been accomplished, I will go into match play. Oftentimes, the tendency for me is to play the man and not the course. I will be trying to temper that a bit and focus on playing my own game. From here on, luck of the draw and timing are important. If I draw a guy who shoots 68, then that is the day I better shoot 67 or go home. Alternatively, the guy could shoot 77 and I could cruise to a win. I am going to strive to be consistent and play my best, it is that simple.

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For those interested, you may visit usga.org to follow the tournament.

Carole and I would like to thank all who have supported us and followed this with interest.

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