Day 8 in Pendleton: The Putt That Changed Everything
Round two in Pendleton was all about making a move.
After shooting -1 in the first round, I knew I needed to climb the leaderboard and give myself a chance to play the weekend. All day, I had a number in my head: -6.
I knew there was a good chance the cut could fall around -6, which meant I was looking for at least a 5-under round.
So the mindset was simple: keep firing.
I felt completely different today. I was way more comfortable over the ball, I wasn’t nearly as nervous as I had been in round one 🤦🏽♀️, and I felt like I could actually settle into my game and compete.
I was cruising.
I was doing everything I could to make birdies when the opportunities were there, while continuing to put myself in good positions. I executed a lot of really good golf, and more importantly, I felt like I was trusting myself.
Coming down the stretch, I knew every shot mattered.
Then I got to 18.
By that point, I knew -5 was going to be the cut line. I was already inside it. I had done enough to put myself on the right side of the number.
And then I was sitting on the 18th green with an easy two-putt par.
There was no reason to force anything.
My thought was basically, Just give it a good try. If it goes in, great. If it doesn’t, take the two-putt and move on.
So I gave it a chance.
And somehow… it fell in. 🫣
Birdie.
That little putt moved me to -6 and gave me exactly what I had been chasing all day.
The funny thing about golf is that sometimes the biggest moments don’t feel like they should be the biggest moments. It was just a little putt on the 18th green. I wasn’t trying to make some crazy move or force something to happen. I was simply giving myself permission to make it.
And it went in.
After the nerves of round one, being able to come back the next day and feel more comfortable, execute, and put myself in position to make the cut was something I’m really proud of.
Now I get another round.
And that’s all I wanted.
One more round. Let’s go. ⛳️
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