In 100℉ temperatures J.R. had to adjust quickly in order to navigate his way around Ironwood CC (South Course) in Palm Desert, CA during this weeks SCGA Mid Amateur Championship. A drastic change from the usual 60°F-70°F pacific ocean temperatures he is accustomed to practicing and playing in near Monterey, CA. The ball was flying farther through the air than usual and the dry and firm fairways were acting as springboards which is a drastic difference from the damp and sticky coastal California fairways. Fortunately he could draw from past experience in these types of conditions and it did not take him long to get comfortable in the desert.
The opening two rounds were contested on Monday and J.R. opened the tournament with rounds of 69, 74 (-1) which placed him T-12 heading into Tuesdays final round. He was pleased with his opening day total because he wasn't 100% healthy entering the event. The two days prior to the tournament he was experiencing tightness in his neck and was having a difficult time looking down his target line in the manner in which he is accustomed to. This caused him to put added emphasis on his intermediate target and from there he could only make 3/4 swings, hitting the ball much lower than usual. Luckily for him his neck loosened up a bit during the first round of competition and he was able to execute fairly well for most of the day.
J.R.'s opening day total of -1 paired him with SCGA legend Tim Hogarth and former SDSU teammate Mark Warman for the final round of competition. This pairing was very good for J.R. as he loves to compete along side great players because it usually brings out the best of his game and in this instance, there was no exception. He felt very calm and focused as the round began and that feeling stayed with him throughout the day. He got off to a great start, birding four of the first eight holes before carding his only blemish, a bogey on hole nine. Making the turn at three under par, he was very pleased and in great position to play a solid back nine and finish the tournament with his best score of the week.
He began the second nine of the final round just as he was hoping by making a bounce back birdie on the par-5 tenth hole, swinging the momentum back in his favor and it would continue on from there. Only missing one green in regulation, he birdied two more holes along with five pars and carded a final round 66 (-6) shooting the low round of the day for the field. This catapulted him into a T-2 finish and earned him his second runner-up in this event in as many starts. J.R. was very pleased to earn the runner-up plate considering how is body felt leading up to the event and he was very proud of the way he carried himself throughout the proceedings.
He is very grateful for the opportunity to compete at the sport he loves and he will take the experience gained from this week into his next event, US Open Local Qualifying at The Preserve Club in Carmel Valley, CA on May 16th. Wish him luck as he attempts to reach sectional qualifying at Big Canyon CC & Newport Beach CC, in Newport Beach, CA on June 5th!
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