Looking back...

After looking back, I'm very proud of my year out on tour. I exceeded my expectations of myself and could not be more excited for the future. I had 4 top 10s this year including a 2nd, 4th, and two 6th places. I finished 12th on the money list and got a by-pass to final stage of LPGA Q-School. I just got back from that week. It didn't work out how I wanted it to but I learned a lot. I finished at 15 over and had 13 3-putts. I really struggled with distance control and know that this is something that I will definitely be working on this off season! It was a 5 day event and after 4 days, they cut half of the field. I ended up birding my last hole on the 4th day to make the cut on the dot. So regardless of the outcome, I'm proud of myself for hanging in there and fighting back. Of course I would have liked to get my card but another year on the Futures Tour will only help me to reach my goal of the LPGA next year! I'll be setting my goals high this year and expect great things! For now, I'm working at Golf Roundup a few days a week primarily selling women's clubs. So if your in the area come see me! I also will be out at Pointe West practicing, playing, giving lessons, and working a few dinner parties here and there. The schedule comes out in January and I'll be sure to keep up with my blog more often this off season! Thank you to all of you who have encouraged and supported me this year. Its been the best one yet and I couldn't have done it without your help!! Also, I got a new email so if you need to contact me its: jackiebgolfin@gmail.com Check out some of my favorite pictures at the end of my season:

Much needed week home

I went home from July 4th to July 12th for a much needed break! I was really excited to see my family and of course my boyfriend Travis. My brother, Andy's birthday was July 4th and so we all got together in Orlando to celebrate that afternoon. He just moved to California so it was good to see him one last time before he moves. We all went and played putt-putt (I thought I wouldn't pick up a club my first day home! HA) Don't mind my youngest brother in his lovely 4th of July outfit.

During the week I was able to sleep in, relax, and work on my game with Travis. I also was in my childhood friend, Jessa's wedding. I was very busy during the weekend for her big day but it was a lot of fun! This week was a well deserved break home and I definitely felt rejuvenated for 5 more weeks in the Northeast.

Travis and I with the Vero sunset at The Moorings Club

I don't think Harry wanted me to leave again! :)

Crown Point, Indiana

This was my 5th week in a row playing in tournament play and boy was I feeling it! On Tuesday, I played in a Junior Pro-am with a few girls from the local First Tee Program. They were really fun to play with and will be future stars and probably my future competitors :)

That night all of the girls on tour loaded on top of fire trucks and we took a parade into the town! It was really fun and neat. It was a great welcome by the city of Crown Point!

During the first day, I played really well and made the turn at 1 under. Then the lovely par 5 number 11 hit me and after a few shots in tall weeds and an unplayable lie, I walked away with a 9. I was really frustrated but tried to put it behind me but struggled down the last few holes and walked away with a 78. Once again a big number got me and I was really upset with my round. The next day I came back and played 5 holes before a huge storm came in. I was even through 5. I knew if I shot 1 or 2 under I would make the cut so I was happy with my start. We didn't get to play the rest of the day and it rained so much that we had to restart the following day. I started with a 3 putt bogey and that sucked out my confidence in putting. I did okay up until my 6th hole which is an island green only 20 paces from front to back. I preceded to hit one short in the water and then my 2nd long. Standing over my 5th shot all I could think about was DON"T HIT IT IN THE WATER!!! So I got it on the green made my 2 putt and walked away with a 7. Another hole where I was 4 over in one hole! I finished with a 77. What a disappointing weekend but looking back, I was 8 over on those 2 holes and 3 over on the other 34. So I can't get too upset with my play just need to learn not to get big numbers!!! I was ready for a week off after this tournament!

Island Resort Championship

Hey everyone. Sorry for the delay but I'll update you on these past few weeks on each tournament! During the week of June 20th I experienced my first trip up to the "UP" of Michigan. The course was in Harris at a casino. It was an awesome course and was in great condition. Unfortunately, the weather was not in great condition. On Tuesday, I got to play 5 holes then a monsoon of rain came and didn't stop raining until the next afternoon. On Wednesday, I went out with some friends to walk the course since we couldn't play. It was so foggy and so cold.

I played in the Pro-Am on Thursday and I was fortunate enough to get paired with the News Channel 5 guys from Greenbay. We had a great time! They filmed a bunch and I'm hoping one of them will still send me the footage :)

On the first day of the tournament, I really struggled. I felt like I couldn't breath and was rushing to play. On a par 3 island green I walked away with a 6. Its very comparable to TPC Sawgrass' 17 except its about 150 yards. Here's a picture of the green from the tee box.

It was a very frustrating day which resulted in an 81. I knew I was way out of the cut line so the next day I went out and forgot about the day before and just tried to take one shot at a time. Sure enough, I shot 71 and improved. I think I missed the cut by 1 or 2 but I proved to myself that I can bounce back from a bad round. It was still a fun week especially since I had awesome housing hosts!

Tate and Lyle Championship

Last week we had the LPGA Futures Tour Championship. Its our only major and its our only 4 day event. It was located in Decatur, Illinois right near a soybean factory. Let me tell you, the smell is definitely different than what I'm used to! Although everyone around there says "its the smell of money". Since this is our major, Travis came up to caddie. I was excited to see him and spend 4 days with him since I'm traveling all summer. His family is from Southern Illinois so they got to come watch too so it was fun to hang out with them all week.
I think the rain stayed with us from Ohio because before we even stepped foot on the golf course for a practice round on Tuesday, a storm blew through and we had yet another rain delay. Last year this happened and the course completely flooded. Fortunately, this year it wasn't that bad. It was still wet but playable. I played with a great group of ladies in the Pro-Am on Wednesday.

The tournament started on Thursday and I couldn't get much going. I had 2 boggies (both 3 putts on par 5's) and 2 birdies. Well, this carried throughout the week. I couldn't make any birdie putts! Most of my birdie putts I had hit to less than 6 feet. I think I over analyzed the first 2 rounds and then it was stuck in my head that I couldn't make putts. I skimmed the cup on almost all of my putts but none of them would fall. I hit roughly 12-14 greens a day and had over 30 putts each day. It was really frustrating because the scores were so low but I just kept staying patient. I knew if I got ahead of myself, I wouldn't have made the cut. I shot 72-73-74-74 and finished in 60th place. Not my best week but I took several positives away from the week. I'm hitting the ball great and if I keep that up the putts will drop. My putting stroke was fine I just was misreading the greens. Travis decided I over analyze my putts and that whatever I read the first time, go with that and put a good stroke on the ball. It was nice to have him there to help me with what I can improve. Playing week to week, you start loosing concentration on your mechanics and routines. It was great for him to be there with me and keep me positive. I made some money and that's the important part to the end of the year money list. I dropped down to 11th but just barely out of the top 10. That's my goal and we are almost half way through the season so there is plenty of golf left! I'm taking the positives out of this week (it could have quickly gone the other way) and hopefully the results will show through in these next few tournaments.

Of course Travis and I wore matching Loudmouth on the last day! We got so many comments :)

This is my traveling buddy Alex! There is an article written about her on the LPGA Futures Tour website playing as an amateur so check it out: http://lpgafuturestour.com/content_1.aspx?pid=28634&mid=2

Happy Father's Day

I wrote a Father's Day blog on the LPGA Futures Tour website. Check it out :)http://www.lpgafuturestour.com/content_1.aspx?pid=28582&mid=2

Teva Championship

What a week!! We had crazy weather here in Mason, Ohio (just outside of Cincinnati). On the first day of the tournament, we had 3 rain delays. It never rained but lightning threatened enough to pull us off. It took 8 hours to play 18 holes! I started out shaky with 2 boggies in 5 holes but bounced back with 4 more birdies and shot a 2 under 69 (the course was a par 71). The next day I shot 68 with 7 birdies! It was such an up and down day. It was definitely a round of what could have been with all of the birdies I had! There were so many delays that not everyone finished their round so the 2nd round was concluded early Sunday morning. After the results came in, I was in the final group on Sunday and 1 shot back. On my 2nd hole par 3, I pulled my tee shot into water and had to drop in a 40 yard drop zone. However, I got up and down for boggie and definitely had another shaky start. I bounced back with 2 birdies on 4 and 6 and took the lead. Didn't take long until horrible bunker play put me with a triple on the par 3 #8. The next hole was a reachable par 5 and I shook off my last hole and hit my 2nd shot to 20 feet. Just barely missed my eagle and bounced back to 2 over on the turn. The back 9 wasn't too exciting with many chances at birdie but only 1 fell in. Unfortunately on the last hole my tee shot went into a hazard and I boggied the last hole to finish with a 3 over 74 and a tied for 6th finish. I felt defeated with my play but considering the 2 penalties due to hazards and the triple on the par 3, I was proud of myself for hanging in there through the day. I could have easily given up and instead, I pulled it together and had another top 10 finish. I also moved from 11th to 7th on the important money list! The top 10 at the end of the year get their LPGA card so I'm definitely heading in the right direction!! This picture is taken at one of our practice rounds with my travel buddy, Alex and our friend Christina :)

Next week is our championship in Decatur, Illinois and it is a mandatory caddie event. Travis is flying in on Wednesday for a Thursday start to the tournament. I'm so excited because I play really well with him on the bag and I have great momentum after this week. His family is also going to come up because they live in Illinois so we should have a fun week!! I'll keep everyone updated on my facebook fan page and you can also follow on lpgafuturestour.com with live scoring. Thank you to everyone who has sent me messages, emails, and calls. I have such a great support system and I can't thank you all enough!

Ohio Charity

I got to visit Hospice of Cincinnati this week in Mason, Ohio. This is the charity benefiting from our tournament. Here is an article about this very enlightening experience:


http://www.lpgafuturestour.com/content_1.aspx?pid=28472&mid=1

Iowa

On Sunday, June 29th I made my way to Iowa from South Florida. I met my travel buddy, Alex in Jacksonville and stopped in Atlanta to stay with my good friend Katie who recently got married. On Monday, we drove around 14 hours to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was the two longest days of my life driving in a car!! But its worth it to have my own car and it helps save money.

Our housing was absolutely wonderful and took us under their wings like we were their own children. On Thursday, I played in the Pro-Am and it rained for the first 9 holes but we had a great and fun team! Played pretty well too! Here we are in front of a giant tire. Titan Tire was the sponsor for the week so there were tons of tires and tractors by the practice facilities. Unfortunately, the wind came on Friday afternoon when I teed off and could not control my ball. I kept it together on the front 9 shooting 38 but had a disappointing 44 on the back to shoot 82. I collected myself though and the next day came to the course with a positive attitude and shot 73. I still had some issues with my swing but managed to shoot a decent score and only miss the cut by 2. Its nice when you play bad and still just barely miss the cut. I fell out of the top 10 on the money list since the first tournament, however this gives me a lot of motivation going into this week in Ohio to get back up at the top!!

Windy Texas

Hey everyone. A few weeks ago I played a Futures event in San Antonio, Texas. I had the pleasure of playing in a pro-am with Tom Bittner and Buddy Neumaier who were both associated with the primary sponsor, Symetra. We had an awesome time and I want to thank them both for coming to Texas to help support us girls trying to "make it" out on tour! I had a blast with you guys!

Fortunately, my Mom's spring break was that week and I have family in Texas so I had a girls weekend intertwined with the tournament! My cousins Brandi and Jodi, and my Aunts Ami and Nancy all came down for a fun weekend of golf, girls, and fun! They didn't know anything about golf so my Mom taught them a few things out there. My Mom always fists pumps after I make a birdie so they knew when to make that sign. Here's all of us making a birdie pump...

The course was very difficult and very windy so those birdie fist pumps were few and far in between. That week, the Royal wedding was happening and my family commented on how they had to walk down the isle with their hands high up in the air so it turned into a joke. Since the course, was so difficult, they thought pars were worthy of a sign so here it goes....It definitely made me laugh and other people in the gallery caught on and joined them! At least my family knows what a par and a birdie look like now :) I shot 76-74-78 to finish in a tie for 51st. It was a struggle in the wind and the greens were lightning fast with crazy breaks! The course is called The Dominion and some of the Spurs players have houses in there along with George Straight. So you can imagine how nice this course is! Its definitely one of my favorites but also one of the hardest! On the last day, I was even with 5 holes to play and unfortunately finished 6 over. They were all dead into the wind and I had a hard time judging how much club to take. Its hard when your standing over the ball and your hat flies off from so much wind! I was just glad to finish and enjoy some time with my family. We got to go to the Riverwalk and see the Alamo.














After the Symetra Classic, I went to Dallas for a few days to see my cousins' sweet children! I've spend the last few weeks sharpening up my game and getting ready for 5 weeks in the Midwest. I leave for Iowa on Sunday and have a 22 hour drive!! Hoping that the storms stay away while I'm driving and I get there safely! I'll try to update everyone weekly. Thanks for following and happy golfing :)

Daytona Beach Invitational

This past week I played in the 2nd LPGA Futures tournament at the LPGA Champions course in Daytona Beach. I finished in a tie for 16th at even par for the week (74-70-72) On the first and third days, I really felt like my game was off so I was pleased to shoot those scores. My goal is to make my "bad" days into even par days. In other words, try to recover myself quickly rather than make a bogey into a double or so forth. I added another $1017 to my winnings and am ranked 4th on the money list but there is plenty of golf left! Just got to keep winning money and getting top 10 finishes to stay in that top 10 to earn my LPGA card at the end of the season. My Grandparents and Aunt surprised me on Saturday and came to watch, as well as my brother, Andy.

Then on Sunday, Justin and his sweet girlfriend Allie drove from Gainesville to come watch.

I am missing my only tournament of the season this week. I'll pick up again in San Antonio in 3 weeks. So until then I'll be working on my game and playing a lot. I'm getting new wedges this weekend which I'm really excited about! I only had a 54 and 58 degree and now I'll be getting a 52, 56, and 60 degree. I think it will really help with the gap I have in between my pitching wedge and 54 degree (so right in that 100 to 90 yard shot) which is so important! I'll be taking out my 5 wood from my bag which I never use anyway so it works out great.

I had awesome housing for the week! :)

I set several goals this year for my season and one of them is my par 5 average to be under par. Last year it was over par and that is just absolutely silly!! So I made a deal with myself that if I was within 220 yards I would hit a 3 wood and go for the green but if any more than that, I would lay up to 100 yards. (Key to getting the right club for that yardage). I just feel more comfortable with a full shot in rather than an awkward 30 yard shot with no green to work with or bunkers in front. So far, my plan is paying off well. My average is still better on par 3s and par 4s but I'm still working on these par 5s. For instance, in Winter Haven, my average par 5 for the week was even par. EVEN PAR!!! and I was only 1 shot from winning...you do the math! Those are the money holes. So if I can birdie more par 5s I can definitely be in contention more! So my Dad made a deal with me. For every par 5 I birdie, he will give me a dollar and every par 5 I bogey, I owe him a dollar. I think this will keep me focused on each shot on par 5s and have that extra pressure. This past week I was 3 under for par 5s so I'll take that as an improvement from Winter Haven. Check out the stats for the season here: www.lpgafuturestour.com/Stats/Statsleaders.asp I'm on most of those stats and I hope to stay on there all year long! :)

2nd Place start to a great season!

What a week! I just finished up at the first tournament of the LPGA Futures Tour season with a 2nd place finish. I am so stoked! After finishing 2nd at the same course at Q-School in November, I had good vibes going in to the week but little did I know how great it was going to be!! The week started out great with a fun practice round with my friends Carrie Riordan and Nikki Hadd. Then I got to visit friends in Lakeland where I went to college. On Thursday, I played in my first Pro-Am. My dad and his company sponsored a team and we finished in a tie for 2nd! It was a fun day and I was happy to play with them for my first Pro-Am on the Futures Tour. Friday was the first round of the tournament and my boyfriend, Travis was on the bag caddying. I played great and had 5 birdies and was 5 under going into my 18th hole. It was a par 5 and after missing the green well short, I hit a horrible chip and preceded to 3 putt to settle for a 69. It was a disappointing ending to a great day but Travis reminded me, you can't win it on the first day. This sets you up to be in the leader groups. Sure enough I was tied for 4th and 2 shots back. On Saturday, I had another steady round and had 6 birdies to shoot a 68. On my first hole, I almost knocked it in from 110 yards!! It was great to start with a birdie. I finished 1 shot back from the leader and would be in the final group on Sunday.

Travis and I decided to match on Sundays whenever he caddies :)

Sunday was the final day and what an exciting day it was!!! It was pretty windy and I had to stay patient to determine where the wind was blowing because it kept switching. I made 8 solid pars with a good birdie on #3 to take a 2 shot lead going into the back 9. Then things got real exciting and intense!! We had a great gallery with my parents and a lot of people from Lakeland that I knew or were rooting for the "local" girl since I went to college 20 minutes away from the tournament site. On #10, I 3 putted and parred the short par 5 #11 to loose my lead and go into a tie with Tzu-Chi Lin. On #12 I knocked it to about 20 feet. After seeing Lin knock her putt I knew I had to make mine. Sure enough, I rolled it in to stay tied for the lead. #13 was another good par 5 and Lin had knocked her approach shot to 6 inches. I preceded to knock mine to 1 foot to solidify my birdie. The next hole, Lin birdied and I parred so I was 1 down. We both boggied the next which leads us to #16. #16 is a dog-leg left around trees. I hit what I thought was a perfect drive but it barely knicked a tree and kicked dead left into trees. My stance was up against a tree and I had to punch out to the fairway. As I was walking out of the trees frustrated, one of the gallery members said "don't give up, you got this, you can do this!" So after pacing off 83 yards, I knew a solid 54 degree wedge was a good shot to set up a par chance. It landed on the green and I sighed a relief when I saw it near the hole and thought, great I've got my par save! 2 seconds later, Travis yelled, "one time!" and sure enough I made it for birdie!!!!!!!!!!! What a birdie!!!! The gallery was cheering so loudly and the other 2 girls and caddies gave me high fives. That birdie put me back in the tie for the lead!!!! After calming down, I hit a great 5 iron to 20 feet on a par 3 and missed the putt for birdie. Tied for the lead with Lin going into the last hole. I decided to stick to my game plan, hit a 3 wood left (its a dog-leg right), hit to 100 yards and then hit a wedge up to set up a birdie try. Lin decided to go for it in 2 and it paid off. (It was a very small green guarded with water in front and a bunker in the back of the green) I just missed my 20 ft birdie putt and she 2 putted for the win. She deserved the win though with 5 birdies on the back side. I was happy I kept up with her! I'm so stoked about my finish and am so excited for the rest of the year. I cashed $11,000 and am 2nd on the money list. Top 10 get their LPGA card next year and so far, I'm looking good :) Thanks to everyone who sent me messages, calls, and texts. Thanks to those people who came out to watch, especially my parents who were there all 3 days and helped me celebrate my accomplishment. And of course to Travis, my caddie/boyfriend. He was such a great support system and helped me stay calm and stick to my game plan all week. Keep watching for the rest of the year because I know this won't be the last time I'm in contention on a Sunday! Tomorrow I'm heading off to Daytona for the 2nd tournament of the year at the LPGA Champions Course. On Thursday I have a Big Break Audition. Hopefully my 2nd place at Q-School and this past week will help me earn a spot on the show :)

(These last 3 photos were taken by The Ledger)

Florida Women's Open

Hey everyone! I played in the Florida Women's Open Monday-Wednesday of this week. It was a great start to my season. I have't played in a tournament since Q-School in November so I was definitely a little rusty. On Monday, I started off with 3 boggies in my first 4 holes but finished out even for the rest of the day so I shot 75. The Next day I played great and shot 69! Moved into a tie for 8th out of 60. Wednesday was the final day and I started off great having 2 birdies in a row to be 2 under going into #6, a short par 5 that is a very easy birde hole. Well I must have had a brain fart because after hitting in the trees and having to chip out I managed to hit 2 balls in to the water and then 2 putt for a 10! A 10!!!! I can't believe it. I haven't had a double digit on a hole in a very long time! All I could do was laugh it off and hit my next shot to 9 feet and make a birdie. I managed to make 2 more birdies and shot even par 72. Not too many people can say that had a 10 and shoot even par! Haha. The unfortunate part was that 5 under won the tournament so if I had just parred that hole...you get the picture! But after not playing in a tournament since November, I feel pleased with my effort and excited for the Futures Tour season to start in 2 weeks in Winter Haven, Florida!!

On another note, thank you to everyone who came out to support me in my Chasing the Dream fundrasier last Saturday, March 5th. It was a huge success and I raised enough to enter every tournament this season! I'll put pictures up on my facebook page so be sure to check them out :) Also, I'm in the process of updating my webpage so keep an eye out for that as well.

Fundraiser

I am having another fundraiser to afford another season on the LPGA Futures Tour. It costs $500 to enter each tournament plus travel, living, and equipment costs. You can check out the schedule on www.lpgafuturestour.com and see how I'll be traveling all over the country this summer for the quest of my LPGA card.

On March 5th, I am holding a fundraiser at The Club at Pointe West. It is a scramble format at 8:30. It is $75 a person and includes golf, lunch, prizes, and a live auction! Tee signs are also available for a price of $75.

Last year, I couldn't have played without this fundraiser. I know that every penny helps me reach my dream of playing on the LPGA. Thank you for the support! Contact me with any questions or if you want to play or help: jackie@jackiebgolf.com