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May 2001
Tuesday May 1- Florida
May 1st already...where is the year going? After a great deal
of thought I have withdrawn from the New Orleans event. I
am really, really tired after 4 weeks on the road and have
decided to take a week off and rest. I am disappointed to
be missing a week, especially as I hear that New Orleans is
such a fun town. However, I just can't keep on playing each
week without some time off. I plan on being down here in Jupiter
and may get to the course later in the week( if it ever stops
raining!). Sorry to give you this news and my apologies for
withdrawing to the folks at the event....I 'll catch up with
you later in the week..Per
Saturday May 5 - Jupiter, Florida
I have had a relaxing week down here in Florida. Unfortunatly,
the weather hasn't been up to the usual Floridian standards
and so I have had plenty of time to catch up with my administration
indoors watching the rain! I am ready to go next week to Texas
and plan on leaving on Monday morning for the GTE Byron Nelson
Classic. This is an event with a great history and it will
be my first time there. In the next couple of weeks I am going
to start a competition to give you the chance to win a one
of my limited edition hats that I have had made. Details will
be on my site and also that of Golfalot.com
(if you haven't been there yet I recommend it as a great place
to get all sorts of golf news, tips and information). These
are the people who created my site (and many others) and Nick
and Martin, the owner of golfalot.com are coming up with some
suitable questions for those of you who would like to enter.
I hope you like the new site pictures. Have a wander around
the site, there are a several which we shot when I signed
with Callaway. Look forward to giving you all the news from
Texas...Per
Monday May 7 - On the way to Texas!
I'm writing this from Jesper's plane! I was planning to catch
a commercial flight earlier today to get to Texas, but Jesper
offered me a lift on his plane. Who was I to say no even though
it left a little earlier. The plan was that we would catch
up as we could land nearer to our eventual destination. Well,
guess what, even private planes are late and as I write this
I will have to miss the Monday Pro-Am that I was asked to
play in. Problems with air traffic control! I would have been
better flying commercial but it wouldn't have been as much
fun. I am currently still reserve for the GTE Byron Nelson,
but I decided to travel anyway and hope for the best. I need
a very playing opportunity and after a much needed break last
week I am ready to play. The next few weeks are taking shape
and I should make it in to most events with the exception
of the Memorial ( I am hoping for an invite, but that is a
tough one). I plan on playing the qualifier for the US Open
on June 4 or 5. Last year I made it through and it would be
great to do it again…..catch up with you all from Irving,
Texas…Per
Tuesday May 8 - Verizon Byron Nelson Classic
I made it in...last man in the field. Let's hope it's a good
sign. You know I will be trying my very best as this unexpected
opportunity has come my way....Off to practice...Per
Wednesday May 9 - Irving Texas, Verizon Byron Nelson Classic
I have once again to get acclimatised to two courses this
week. I will be playing round one at Cottonwood Valley. I
tee off at 1030am from the first. I'm playing with a Texan,
Tim Hobby and Brent Schwarzrock. Day two I am at TPC - Las
Colinas and starting from the 10th I tee off at 1240. Jesper
is the holder here this week after winning an exciting play-off
with Davis Love and Phil Mickelson. Watch out for the live
scores on PGATOUR.com…Bye for now…Per
Thursday May 10 - Verizon Byron Nelson Classic 72 (+2)
Talk about a game of 2 halves. I don't think I have ever had
a 10 shot difference between the front and back nines. But
today I achieved this extraordinary feat. I was out in 3 under
31 with 3 birdies and then turned for home and after a pair
of 6s on the par 5s and another 6 on a par 4 came back in
41 to shoot a 72. After a fast start this was most unexpected
and I need to play well tomorrow to be around for the weekend.
I had such a mixed day of fortune and after the front nine
thought my game was finally beginnng to show scoring results
even though my ball striking has been relatively good all
year. The back nine saw to that!....After the round I went
straight to the range to try and recapture the front nine
feeling. Off later in the day tomorrow and hope to report
some good news to you all.....Thanks for coming to p-uj.com....Per
Friday May 11 - Verizon Byron Nelson Classic 71 (+1)
Another one of those days I 'm afraid. I shot 71 after the
worst possible start. I made bogeys on 1 and 2. I guess I
was just pushing too hard, too soon to make up for those dropped
shots yesterday. Things settled down after that and I made
a string for pars before making bogey on the 15th. I finished
well with birdies on 16 and 18 to take something away for
next week. The cut fell at -1 so my 143 total was a few too
many this week. I shall hang around and use the range here
before heading over to Fort Worth for the Mastercard Colonial.
The event has given me an invite, so I shall play the Monday
Pro-Am and also in the Charity Shoot Out on Tuesday , which
will be fun...Off for dinner with Jesper who had a great 64
to shoot up the board...Bye for now...Per
Monday May 14 - still in Texas!
I moved on last night to Fort Worth for the MasterCard Colonial.
The event has kindly offered me a spot this week. I played
in the pro-am earlier today and had a fun time on the tournament
course. It was a good opportunity to get an early look at
it, as I will not have the chance on Wednesday because of
the regular pro-am. On Tuesday I will play in the charity
shoot-out. It's in aid of the Cook's Children's Medical Center.
It will be the first time I have played in a shoot - out in
the US and I'm looking forward to giving something back to
the event (and the children) for giving me a spot this week.
Catch up with you later....Per
Tuesday May 15 - MasterCard Colonial, Fort Worth, Texas
The tee times are announced in this restricted field of 114.
I am playing at 09.30 from the 10th tee on Thursday and 14.00
from the 1st tee on Friday. My playing partners are a local
guy from Fort Worth, Brian Wilson and also Kaneme Yokoo from
Japan.
Wednesday May 16 - MasterCard Colonial, Fort Worth, Texas
The Shoot-Out was terrific fun and my partner and I, Briny
Baird came so close to winning. We played 9 holes in alternate
shot format (what we call foursomes in Europe) and made it
to the last hole. Briny nailed one down the middle of 18 and
I wedged to a foot! Would you believe that Kirk Triplett (playing
with Billy Andrade) also hit it to a foot from 140 yards.
So we both made birdie and then they proceeded to beat us
in a chip off - so close and yet so far. Still, it was all
for charity and we had a great time. Briny is from Jupiter,
Florida and plays at The Medalist. Our games slotted together
well and he was a great guy to play with. Looking forward
to relaxing for the rest of the day, before my morning tee
time tomorrow. Check out the scores on PGATOUR.com....Thats
all for now...Per
Thursday May 17 - MasterCard Colonial, Fort Worth, Texas
-69 (-1)
Jesper, Mia and I went out for yet another great dinner last
night. This seems to be an excellent town for food. The hotel,
The Worthington is also the best place to be staying with
a terrific gym and big rooms! Today's round was more like
the kind of golf I need to be playing. I shot 69, which is
1 under. Teeing off from the 10th I birdied the 16th, a 168
yard par three. Out in 34 and feeling good. A few more ups
and downs on the back nine with three birdies, three, pars
and three bogeys to come back in level par 35. This will put
me in the top half of the field and looking forward to another
solid performance to move up the board. Thanks for all the
emails. Since my monthly diary appeared on PGATOUR.com I have
been inundated. I appreciate it very much. It's great to know
I have so much support out there…Per
Friday May 18 - MasterCard Colonial, Fort Worth, Texas
-68 (-2)
Another solid day. Shooting a 2 under par 68 moves me up to
tied 14th and challenging for the weekend, which is where
I would like to be. I played well and my lessons over the
last couple of weeks with David Leadbetter seem to have given
me a new focus on certain aspects of my swing. Playing from
the 1st, I made a couple of birdies early on and and going
to the turn I was 1 under, 34. I bogeyed the 12th but recouped
it with a great birdie to finish off the day at 18. In the
evenings, it's great being able to watch the play-offs. I
am a big hockey fan and I can quite easily watch the hockey
all night! With Pittsburgh, New Jersey, St.Louis and 'my team',
Colorado in the final four I'm spoilt for choice. I'll keep
you posted over the weekend,(it's been a while since I could
say that!!) so check in to p-uj.com in the morning….Off for
dinner with Jesper..Bye for now…Per
Saturday May 19 - MasterCard Colonial, Fort Worth, Texas
-68 (-2)
Another good day and a small move up the leaderboard from
14th to 12th. That will give me 10 minutes more in bed in
the morning! I played well again today and it feels great
to be competing and seeing my name on the leaderboard - it's
been too long! I was out in 34 (1-under) with birdies on 1
and 7 and a single bogey on 3. I also came back in 34 with
a disappointing bogey on 16 after making birdie on 12 and
14. Still. I'm in good shape for tomorrow. It was fun to play
with my friend, Fred Funk today. He has been very kind to
me as I have made my way on Tour and he and I finished on
5 under at the end of the day. Who knows, maybe we will be
paired again on Sunday. If I carry on playing solidly who
knows what could happen on the final day f the putter gets
hot. Look forward to telling you about after the round…Per
Sunday May 20 - MasterCard Colonial, Fort Worth, Texas
-69 (-1)
It's the end of an exciting week. It's always a thrill to
break 70 on each day and today I played really solid golf
and shot 69 to finish at -6 for the tournament and (as I write
this) in a tie for 9th place. I did end up being paired with
Fred Funk- he's great to play with! The week has gone really
well and arriving early, playing in the pre event Shoot-Out,
staying at a good hotel, eating well have all contributed
to my best week on TOUR this year. Once again thank you to
the people at the MasterCard Colonial for giving me this playing
opportunity through an exemption. In particular thanks to
Phil Thomas, the Tournament Chairman and Dennis Roberson,
the Tournament Manager. I had a great week and look forward
to coming back to Fort Worth and The Colonial Country Club.
As I said, my golf was steady all day and I made just one
bogey and two birdies in my 69. Tonight I'm flying up to Washington
DC for the next event on TOUR, encouraged by this weeks performance.
I don't know how much I will win and that is really secondary
to my performance. Check out the PGA TOUR statistics section
and you will see the impact it has on my ranking….Bye from
Texas…Per
Monday May 21 - Washington DC
Well, having checked the results this morning I ended up in
a tie for 11th, not 9th. Regardless, I was pleased with my
play. The cheque moved me up about 50 places on the money
list and I hope this is the start of a run of form. After
the golf I hitched a ride on Fred Funk's plane (thanks Fred).
Unfortunately, we got delayed and I ended up getting to Dulles
airport at 3am (it was a long day and Fred must be sick of
the sight of me after playing together for 2 days and then
on a plane for 5 hours!). Jill arrived from Sweden and she
and I have had a great day relaxing (in the rain) in Georgetown.
We are staying out in Bethesda and I plan on going over to
the TPC Avenel course tomorrow to start practicing. Nick,
my manager's relatives are coming out to support me later
in the week and I'm looking forward to seeing some familiar
faces in the crowd. I had a call from PGATOUR.com today and
I am doing a live webchat on their site on Wednesday night
(23rd) at 7pm eastern time. If you have a question for me
please feel free to join in - it should be fun...Off to the
mall! Catch you later...Per.
Tuesday May 22 - Kemper Insurance Open, Potomac, Maryland
The course this week is the TPC at Avenel. It's a par 71 with
a huge par 5. At 622 yards I think it is the longest par 5
on Tour (if you know different let me know!). This weeks defending
champ is Tom Scherrer and with the course in excellent shape
his winning score of 271 could be in jeopardy - hopefully
by me! Remember, tomorrow at 7pm (Eastern time) I am doing
a web chat live on PGATOUR.com. Come and join in and ask me
a question - it should be fun...Off to hit balls...Per
Wednesday May 23 - Kemper Insurance Open, Potomac, Maryland
The tee times are out and I have resumed my normal position
of last off the 10th tee in the afternoon on Day one. I'm
playing with Michael Muehr from Washington DC (I always seem
to play with the local guy) and Anthony Painter from Australia.
We are off the 1st at 9.03 on Friday.
I've just finished my on line chat with PGATOUR.com. If you
would like to read the transcript, please click
here. It was fun to do. I'm now ready for my dinner
and Jill and I are going somewhere local in Bethesda...Speak
to you after my round on Thursday...If you came to the chat
thanks for participating...Per
PS: The BIG news in case you didn't see the online chat is
that I had my eyes fixed with LASIK. Thanks to Dr. Whitten.
They feel good and the plan from now on is no more contacts
(amen to that!)
Thursday May 24 - Kemper Insurance Open, Potomac, Maryland
68 (-3)
I knew it was going to be an interesting day, because this
was my first competitive round with my 'new eyes'. I am using
eye drops and Oakley sunglasses by way of protection and it
feels great not to be wearing contact lenses for the first
time in my playing career. I played well today and with two
halves of 34 a round of 68 has put me in good shape for the
rest of the tournament. Starting from the 10th, I made an
early bogey on 11, but hit back with birdies on 13 and 14.
Another couple of birdies on the 4th and 7th followed. I didn't
birdie any of the par 5s (there are 3) so I have an opportunity
there tomorrow. I was in the last group, but we still had
some loyal fans walking with us to the end which was great.
The course is in terrific shape and Jill and I are really
enjoying the DC area. I'm off early on Friday and hopefully
another 68 will keep me moving in the right direction...No
time to practice when your last off so it's dinner and bed...Speak
to you Friday...Per
Friday May 25 - Kemper Insurance Open, Potomac, Maryland
- 69 (-2)
Another good day - it sure feels good to be breaking 70 and
my 69 today has moved me up a few spots and I should end the
day in the top 20 and in great shape for a push on 'move day'
as we call it (day 3 of the tournament). I started at the
1st today and birdied the 8th swiftly followed by a bogey
four on the short 9th. I managed to birdie the same two holes
as yesterday, 13 and 14 before giving one back at 15 - and
then there was no better way to finish the day than a birdie
on the 18th! I plan on hitting some balls and then relaxing
with Jill, maybe a little shopping. I will have a later tee
time tomorrow, so we can take it easy for the rest of the
evening and not have to worry about that early morning alarm
call. Another fantastic week for the site, possibly our best
ever. I'll know that on Sunday! Looking forward to the weekend.
The eyes feel good - thanks to all of you who have been asking...Per
Saturday May 26 - Kemper Insurance Open, Potomac, Maryland
Well, I never did get out to play any golf today! Still, I
was probably on of the lucky ones. A couple of the guys were
up at 6 am and eventually teed off 8 hours later for 2 holes.
Now that is a long day. We are planning to play 36 holes tomorrow
and I am off at 7.27am from the 1st tee with Tim Herron and
Brad Elder. Because of the weather only 50th and ties made
the cut instead of the usual 70 and ties. I'm currently in
21st spot and ready for a solid day and a challenge for the
top spot. I am only 4 shots out of the lead...Off to an early
bed...Per
Saturday May 26 - Kemper Insurance Open, Potomac, Maryland
Stuck in the room watching the rain come down!! I have just
called the PGA TOUR office out at the course and I heard that
play won't start again until at least 2pm eastern. That should
at least get me on the course for a few holes, but I don't
think we will finish round 3 today...just thought you would
like to know...Per
Sunday May 27 - Kemper Insurance Open, Potomac, Maryland
66 (-5)
It has been a very long day. I teed off at 0730 and 12 hours
later and we have still not finished the final round. That
said, it was a good day and in the morning I shot 66 to move
up into contention in 4th place. I managed three birdie 2s
which always smartens the card up. In addition I eagled the
13th, to complete a good looking card! After a 30 minute turnaround
we were off again in the same groups as the morning, so the
leaders are scattered all over the course. I made slow start
and following a birdie on 5 I bogeyed 6 and 7 to slip back.
The rain and storm delays were coming thick and fast at this
point and in the end we had three to contend with. After the
second one I found me game and before coming off a 6.50pm
I made birdies on 13 and 15 to move back into a tie for 4th.
The plan now is to start back at 9am. I am half way down 16
and if I can make another birdie or two could move up a spot
or two. I need to eat and sleep…..its been the longest day
of my playing career!…catch up with after the round. ….Per
Monday May 28 - Kemper Insurance Open, Potomac, Maryland -
71 (Level)
We finally got finished (on another wet day). I unfortunately
dropped a shot at the last after making par at 16 and 17,
to finish at -10 for the event. I finished in a tie for 6th.
Overall a good week and great to be in contention. The cheque
will move me into the top 100 on the Money List and earn me
a few World Ranking points (last week I was in 128th position
in the US money list). So my most immediate goal of keeping
my card is moving in the right direction and I am looking
forward to my next tournament with renewed vigour. I now have
a week off before heading to Memphis early next week for the
US Open qualifier. That is on the Tuesday prior to the Fedex
event. I'll keep you posted this week with the final numbers
once the stats are annonouced. Off to Florida and hopefully
a little sunshine...I haven't seen it for a week....Thanks
for all the emails of support...Per
Tuesday May 29 - Back in Florida
I thought you might like the stats update. I ended up winning
$117,250 in tied 6th place. This moved me up 30 places in
the Money List to 98th. Another move in the right direction
and I will enjoy my week off in the sun!…Per
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