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March 2001
Thursday March 1 - The Genuity Championship, Doral, Miami
It's the first of March already, where does the time go? I'm
sorry to report I had a dreadful day today, shooting 75. A
double bogey early on my front nine didn't help and with two
par 5s in the first three holes, I was hoping to get off to
a better start , rather than being level after three. In the
conditions and on this TOUR that is just poor and I have no
excuses to offer up. I tried my heart out all the way round.
I am working hard and know that my game will come around soon.
I am going to have to shoot the lights out tomorrow to make
the cut and you know I will be trying! I am in next weeks
Honda event and as both of these events are in Florida it
is great to stay up the road in West Palm Beach and only have
to drive for an hour, rather than catch yet another plane.
Keep the faith ..it will happen soon...Thanks for the support..Per
Friday March 2 - The Genuity Championship, Doral, Miami
- 72
I was fighting for some pride today after a really disappointing
Thursday. I got off to the best possible start with birdies
aon 1 and 2. Just when I thought I was making a move I gave
them both back at the 5th. The rest of the round was relatively
uneventful and with a birdie on 15 and bogey on 12 I ended
up shooting a level par 72. Obviously not good eneough to
make the cut , but a better day. Jill has been here for the
week and heads back to Sweden and then Nick arrives, so I
have some more company for a few days. Looking forward to
Honda and feeling better after a more solid day. Lots of work
to do yet and I'm off to the range again.....Thanks for reading...Per
Monday March 5 - The Honda Classic, Coral Springs, Florida
A windy day in Florida - a 3 club wind as we say in professional
golf. During my morning practice round I hit driver and then
sand wedge to the 440 yard par 4 eighteenth. Unfortunately
it wasnt good enough against Gabriel Hjertstedt's birdie and
he took a few dollars from Dave Stockton Jnr and I. I the
afternoon I practiced with some new clubs. I can't say more
than that now but keep watching the site for an announcement.
I'm really excited about the forthcoming change and will tell
you all about it shortly. I'm off to dinner with Gabes and
his wife and Nick. There are so many restaurants nearby but
as Nick is over from England no doubt we will be having meat
as I heard there is none left in his country!! Catch up with
you later...Per
Wednesday March 7 - The Honda Classic, Coral Springs, Florida
Up early this morning and started the day with a workout.
I am staying on site at the TPC course, which is always nice.
The wind has dropped a little from yesterday, but as the pro
am is on I won't be able to play today. I have a photo shoot
planned with a new sponsor this morning and will then have
some lunch and practice. The Tour sponsor IBM gives us a computer
and I am planning on seeing the TOUR computer wizz to sort
a couple of things out for me. It's great to able to go on
line at Tournaments directly from the room rather than going
to an internet coffee shop. The service we get out on the
PGA TOUR is just amazing and all of the players really appreciate
it. I'm looking forward to telling you about my new sponsors..
just a couple of days to go!! ...Bye for now...Per
Wednesday March 7 - The Honda Classic, Coral Springs, Florida
The tee times are announced and I have an early start on Thursday
at 0812 from the 10th tee. Friday sees me off at 1242 from
the 1st tee. I am playing with Hunter Haas from the US and
Paul Gow from Australia. Lets hope it a good week. I hit the
ball well in practice and the time has come for some good
things to happen!!..Per
Thursday March 8 - The Honda Classic, 71(-1)
A much better start and 71 against a par of 72 puts me in
the top half of the field. It was my first day with new clubs
and it was great to give them a workout. After the round I
headed for the trailer to have a few lofts and lies checked
and some minor modifications. The clubs I used are 99.9% the
same as the ones available in the shops and they felt great.
As I said the club announcement will be coming soon. Hopefully
I will work my way up the leaderboard and you will get a sneak
preview of what they are! Teed off at the 10th and birdied
both of the par 5 s to be 2 under on the way out. A quite
back nine with a single bogey on the 6th, but an encouraging
start. Headed to the range for the continuing quest for the
perfect golf shot. Jesper was leading with a number of guys
still on the course. It was his birthday yesterday so this
was a good present to himself!...That's all for now...Per
Friday March 9 - The Honda Classic, 71 (-1)
Well I certainly made it exciting but I'm pleased to report
that with my sec ond 71, I finished at two under for the 36
holes and made it through to the weekend. I played well all
day and got off to a great start with birdies on 2 and 3.
I also made my first eagle of the year at the 14th, a shortish
par 5. So standing on the last hole I was 4 under and comfortably
making the cut. Eighteen is the signature hole of TPC Heron
Bay and with water all down the right side it can be a treacherous
hole. I contrived to make a double bogey which was most unexpected
after my play for the first 17 holes. A few anxious moments
later I knew I would be around to report back to you on the
next 36 holes which feels good. This will hopefully prove
to be an important breakthrough after playing ok and missing
some cuts. I'm now able to work hard over the weekend and
try to catch Jesper who played brilliantly over the first
2 days to be leading at -12. Making cuts is not what my game
is all about - I want to win. But unless you get through the
first two days the opportunity to pick up the top cheque doesn’t
exist!…Lets hope this is the start of my TOUR season in earnest….Speak
to you soon…Per
Saturday March 10 - The Honda Classic, 69 (-3)
That was a bit more like it!..and it's always great to finish
with a birdie. Shooting 69 will give me a little more time
in bed in the morning as I won't be the first group off the
tee as I was this morning. The scoring was good today as the
wind had dropped considerably from earlier in the week. The
new clubs feel great and this has been my best score for a
little while, so I 'm excited about climbing up the leaderboard
again tomorrow. I only made one bogey today at the 4th ( a
par 5) and followed this up with birdies on 5, 11, 12 and
18. The rest were pars and any day you can only make one bogey
is a good day. Jesper continues to play well and still leads.
I hope he can do it...Thanks for all the emails this week...Off
for a good nights sleep...Per
Sunday March 11 - The Honda Classic, 69 (-3), Tied
57th
I got off to a great start in the final round with birdies
at the 1st, 3rd and 6th to get it to 8-under par and I really
felt I could get a bit of run up the leaderboard. However
a bad bogey at the par five 14th stopped me in my tracks a
bit. I managed to get the shot back at with a birdie at the
next par five (16th) for my best finish in the US this year.
I was pleased to put together 4 solid rounds and hopefully
this will be the start of a good run for me. Obviously I will
need to keep an eye on these teenagers, like Ty Tyron who
finished tied 39th here - a tremendous acheivement for a 16
year-old! I have a two week break now and I am going to have
a few sessions with my coach David Leadbetter. I'll let you
now how things progress..Per.
Saturday March 17 - West Palm Beach
I have had a terrific week off playing some golf, practicing
and catching up with some administration. Wasn't that a great
win for Jesper. I was delighted to be staying with the Parneviks
this week and celebrate with them his great victory. I had
the opportunity to visit with David Leadbetter at the new
Champions Gate facility in Orlando. The range and set up of
the whole place is first class and Greg Norman has designed
2 golf courses there which on first inspection are going to
be essential for any visitor to Orlando. Dvaid was happy with
my swing but as always gave me some interesting things to
work on. Pro golfers rarely stop working on some aspect of
their game and as amateurs you can learn from this. Why not
try one new shot or swing thought for each non-competitive
round you play? There was a good article about me in Golf
Digest this month - check it out. This has increased traffic
to the site and its amazing how these things impact our traffic.
Its great!! Another week off next week while the TPC is on
and then back on TOUR the following week. I'm currently doing
my monthly diary for PGATOUR.com and this will come out on
Tuesday if you get the chance to look it up. Catch up with
you later...Per
Monday March 19 - West Palm Beach
We had a great weekend at Jesper's house continuing to celebrate
his PGATOUR win. Sunday was St.Patrick's day and I cooked
two huge vegetable lasagnes to feed the masses. They looked
wonderful as they came out of the oven. Only one problem…on
the way to the table I dropped one, yes the whole thing. So
then we had one huge lasagne and one not so huge, slightly
worn lasagne. You can imagine how much grief I got but we
all laughed in the end - once we had cleaned the carpet!!
The weather down here has been horrible for the last few days
which has been very frustrating as I am keen to continue working
with my new clubs. I will play and practice with Gabriel this
week as Jesper is playing the TPC. We plan on going over to
The Medalist. They have one of the best Par 3 courses I have
ever played and it is excellent short game practice to go
around and around. It also makes a pleasant change from a
regular golf course( and less walking!) Thought for the day
( I'm feeling philosophical today) "Life is meant to be lived"
…speak to you all later in the week…Per
Friday March 23 - West Palm Beach BIG NEWS!
I can now confirm that I have a new club, bag, ball and glove
sponsor. As some of you may have noticed from the sponsor
listing on the left side of the screen, it is CALLAWAY. I
have been practising with the clubs and the Rule 35 balls
( both the Red and the Blue) and will put all of them in play
next week at The BellSouth Classic in Atlanta. The irons I
will be using are the Steelhead X-14 Pro Series. The guys
on the Callaway Tour facility have done an amazing job in
producing them for me. They are almost identical to the model
on sale in the shops. The only real difference is the lofts
and lies are to my specification. If you don't know your specifications
then I suggest you go to your local pro who can check this
out for you. It can make a huge difference to your game and
mentally knowing that your clubs fit is great for your confidence.
My woods are the Hawk Eye Titanium VFTs. I will carry the
Driver and 3 wood and alternate the 4 and 5 woods depending
on the golf course. I had the clubs in my bag for the Honda
Classic and shooting my best four round score of the year
at 8 under is very encouraging. I can't wait to get out there
again. Thanks to all the people at Callaway for making this
possible, particularly the 2 Mikes and of course, Mr Callaway….I'll
update you on my way to Atlanta…Bye for now…Per
Saturday March 24 - West Palm Beach
I thought you might like to know that my friends at Golfalot.com
(the company that built my site) have put in an archive section
on the left hand menu going back to October 2000. It makes
interesting reading, particularly for those of you who are
new to the site. Golalot.com is a great golf site and they
run a weekly newsletter which arrives on Monday morning with
all the golf news from around the world. I'm on the list,
because it's not always that easy to catch up on world golf
while I'm on the road...It definitely worth a look...A weekend
of practice ahead..Bye for now ...Per
Monday March 26 - Jacksonville
As you may know the PGA TOUR is based at Ponte Vedra near
Jacksonville and today I spent several hours at their offices.
I was there for my conclusion to introductory courses that
began the week after Q School. We were informed about various
aspects of the TOUR including finances, entry procedures,
public relations and much, much more. It was extremely interesting
and will help me know who to contact when I am out on TOUR
and need some help. I wish I had been able to attend in December,
but because of my bad hip I had to fly straight back to Sweden.
Unfortunately I couldn’t get a flight to Atlanta today so
I will practice at the TPC in Ponte Vedra and then travel
early in the morning to the BellSouth Classic. The clubs continue
to feel great and so far the "Blue" Rule 35 ball seems to
be the one for me. Great news today…Nick just called me to
confirm that I am in the WorldCom Classic - The Heritage of
Golf at Harbour Town after the Masters. The committee there
have very kindly given me an invitation. I had a good time
there last time and I'm looking forward to going back to Hilton
Head….I'll keep you updated this week on another TPC course,
this time at Sugarloaf…Thanks for the emails…keep them coming
. My new club specs are now listed on the Tour
Bag section of the site…Per
Tuesday March 27 - Atlanta
If its Tuesday - it must be Atlanta! Arrived this morning
and headed for the golf club for a practice round. On the
run now but will report back tomorrow about the golf course
and some other news...Per
Wednesday March 28 -BellSouth Classic, TPC at Sugarloaf, Duluth,
Georgia
The tee times are out and I have my now traditional spot of
last off the first tee in the first round at 1.29 p.m. On
Friday I am last off the 10th tee in the morning group at
0839 a.m. As always you can follow the scoring on the new
look PGATour.com.
I'm playing with Jeff Hart and Charles Howell, both from America.
The course here is another good one, this time designed by
Greg Norman. The greens are very fast and have some severe
slopes. You really need to be on the right side of the hole
to have a good chance of making a putt (and sometimes a par!).
Last years event was shortened to 54 holes with Phil Mickelson
coming out on top. Let's hope we get all 72 holes this year.
I'm feeling good and ready to make a dent in the $3.3 million
purse!...Speak to you all later...Per
Wednesday March 28 - BellSouth Classic, Georgia
I just got back from the golf course. I can't tell you what
a great job Greg Norman did on this course. It's really fantastic.
I can see why there are guys practising for The Masters next
week because the greens are very similar in speed and slope.
Wish I was there again with them!...next year...Off to dinner..Per
Thursday March 29 - BellSouth Classic
You probably heard the news by now that unfortunately we didn't
get out to play today. The rain was persistant through out
the day and a dozen or so players managed a maximum of two
holes. With the rain set for the day the PGA TOUR cancelled
the days play and we will all start again tomorrow. I am due
off late in the afternoon and really hope to get out there.
I feel sorry for all the tournament staff and volunteers because
they put so much work into the week. With the weather there
wasn't too much to do but stay at the hotel, watch CNBC and
CNN and flick through the channels and log on to AOL. Once
play was officially called off I planned on going to the movies
(I'll let you know what we get into). I also did an interview
with PGATour.com,
which you can read next Tuesday on their site. All in all
a frustrating day...I'll keep you posted and hopefully you
will have some scores to follow tomorrow...Per
Friday March 30 - BellSouth Classic 71 (-1)
A good day which leaves me in 31st position. With only 3 rounds
being played, Saturday will be move day in round 2 (traditionally
we think of this as round 3) Played solidly all day and although
I was out in 38 I felt like I was playing much better than
that. I pulled it together and with a pair of birdie 2s on
the back nine came back in 33 to shoot 71. The course is apparently
9 miles long and there are some long walks and cart rides
from greens to tees. The course was playing long today following
all the rain and I ready for good day Saturday and move up
the board. It was my first competitive round with the Callaway
Rule 35 (blue) ball and it felt great. I recommend you give
it a go...That all for now...Per
Saturday March 31 - BellSouth Classic 74 (+2)
It turned out to be one too many again as the cut was made
at even par. With a planned cut to 60 instead of the usual
70 because of 36 holes on Sunday , I was the wrong side of
the line. I've no excuses, I knew the reduced Sunday field
was in place and but for one hole I would have been there.
I got off to a good start teeing off from the 10th and made
birdie on 11 and 12. However, as I turned for home I made
my 2nd consecutive bogey on the first, then got it straight
back with a birdie on 2. Then disaster struck over the next
2 holes with a bogey and then a double on a birdie opportunity,
the par 5, 4th. A SEVEN! From there on in I was trying my
heart out to make birdie and the shot I thought I would need.
However, the putts refused to drop and my two round total
of 145 was one too many. A very disappointing day that offered
a great deal after my start. I was also looking forward to
36 holes tomorrow. My plans are now to return to Sweden to
see Jill and family for a few days before coming back for
the WorldCom Classic at Hilton Head…. I'm pleased to tell
you that March was another record on the site. Thanks for
visiting p-uj.com. We are in the process of putting a competition
in place with a truly unique prize. As soon as I know the
dates I will let you all know…Catch up with you from Sweden…Per
Next Month
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