January 2002

Wednesday January 9
We had a question last night about our activities over Christmas. Here are a few of the things we got up to. All of my family came out to stay and as some of them have never been to the US we did all sorts of fun things. We spent a day at DisneyWorld,,went to Miami Beach. Perhaps our best day was when I took all the boys to the NHL game. Florida against Montreal. I organized a limo to drive us to Fort Lauderdale and all the kids were in Heaven. Jill took all the girls to the Breaker's for a nice Spa day and also had a great time. Every thing was so new for them since they never been in the US before, - even the American breakfast was exciting. Hawaii is just great, we are staying at a great hotel by the course. We have a lagoon with dolphins right outside our room. Cool! Today I am playing with Jesper, Sergio and Chris DiMarco? My game feels great so let's hope for a good start to my 2002 campaign. We ate dinner at a great restaurant last night. "Hoku's"- it's at the hotel and I have a feeling we will eat there a lot this week. Catch up with you tomorrow, Per

Wednesday January 9
My first tee times of the year are out. I am playing from the 10th tee in the afternoon on day one at 1203 with Russ Cochran and Jay Don Blake. Day two I am off at 0738 from the 1st. I'm looking forward to getting going with a solid start, Bye for now, Per

Thursday January 10 -Sony Open in Hawaii, 1st Round, 73 (+3)
I started the day with my new trainer Joe. He used to be Bruce Springsteen's trainer, which has to be a pretty cool job. We just did some stretching to get me loose for the day It was so windy today and the scoring was high. I played reasonably well and shot a 73 , which is three over par. Starting from the 10th I made an early birdie on 13, but gave it back at 15 to be out in level par. The wind really kicked up on my back nine and I was back in 38 to put me in a tie for 95th and in need of a good score on Friday. I tee off early so hopefully the wind will be calmer then. We plan on a room service dinner tonight as I have to be up at 5am. I had a question from Scotland enquiring if I speak any other languages apart from Swedish and English. Well, I can speak some Spanish, as I have my home there. When playing the European Tour, Spain is my base and after several years I have learned enough to feel comfortable in the restaurants and stores. I really enjoy languages and have an aptitude to pick up the sounds of a country. Thanks to the Camerons for asking. Catch up with you after Friday's round, Per

Friday January 11- Sony Open in Hawaii, 2nd Round, 68 (-2)
I played particularly well on the front nine today but a 68 was one shot too many and unfortunately I missed the cut. I was three under for the day coming into the 15th, but hit my second shot into the greenside bunker. With the pin cut so tight I couldn't get up and down and made a bogey. I was hoping to birdie one of the last two but it was not to be. I'm obviously disappointed missing the first cut of the year, but I'm playing well and will take some positive vibes into next week in California. We will now leave for Palm Springs on Saturday so I can practice at all the three courses before the Bob Hope tournament starts next week. I had question this week from Ulf in Sweden about the fine tuning of my golf clubs. Fortunately as a Callaway player I get fantastic support every week from the Callaway Service Unit that is at every event. Led by Mike Biviano they can make me up a new set of clubs quickly or alter my clubs if I feel they need it to suit a particular course. I am mainly trying different shafts in the clubs, rather than different heads. At present I am using the X14 Pro Series with a tiny amount shaved off the toe and also a tiny amount taken off the bottom of the sole. They just feel better to me that way, although there is no technical reason for it. I have a very tight spec for my grips and it’s a good job that the guys in the Unit are patient because it is a lengthy process to put one of my grips on. Thanks for the question, Catch up with you in California, Per

Sunday January 13 - California
We arrived here in California today after the 5 hour journey from Hawaii. This week is always a bit different with the event being played over three courses. I remember last year rushing around trying to play all three prior to the event, so at least this year I know the courses and can take my time at each one. This week is a 90 hole event and so we begin on Wednesday instead of the usual Thursday. I will give you a update on the courses later in the week. I had a question from Jude who wanted to know what I was working on in the short break over Christmas. Well, it really was a short break and with my family over I spent some quality time with them as well as popping over to The Medalist to hit some balls. I work on my fitness on a daily basis and even over Christmas kept up the regime. One day I drove up to Champions Gate in Orlando and worked with my swing coach, David Leadbetter. David has a fantastic eye for the swing and he noticed a couple of things which needed some work. After a few hours on the range with him my swing and the ball flight looked terrific. He really is a genius. Keep the questions coming, Bye for now, Per

Tuesday January 15 - La Quinta, Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
I have been here before! Jill and I have so many great memories from this place since we were here for Q-school in 2000. Jesper also has good memories - last time he was here he won the Bob Hope(in 2000) My tee time for Wednesday is 09.30 at PGA West, Arnold Palmer Private Course. The format is to play in fourballs, three of whom are amateur and celebrity players. It is a fun format, but can be hard to concentrate - that really is the key this week. It's so nice here at La Quinta. There is a great gym and several pools and jacuzzi's. Joey, my trainer really worked hard with Jill and Mia (Parnevik) this morning. They are going be so sore in the morning! I played 36 holes practice yesterday and was exhausted after it, but I had a good nights sleep and will be ready for a good week. Thanks for all the emails of support for the beginning of the season, I really appreciate it, Bye for now, Per

Wednesday January 16 - Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, 1st Round, 68 (-4)
I played really well today and despite the fact that it was really slow I kept my focus really well. We had a particularly long wait on the second and it was the only hole I didn't play well today. It was a par five and despite hitting my second shot into a tough spot and putting birdie out of the question I still managed a par. Starting from the 10th I played the other par fives well and birdied three of them, the 11th, 18th and 6th. With a birdie two on twelve and no bogies it was a very satisfactory day. Needless to say if the putter had got hot I could have gone really low because I hit 90% of the fairways and most of the greens (hopefully later in the week!) It was cold when we teed off this morning but once the sun came up it was proved to be great golf weather. After warming down Jill went to pick up some take out Thai food. We were both starving. We had a question from Paul in Minnesota asking how many events I plan on playing this year. Well, as a full member on the PGA TOUR I now have some choices as to which events I will play in. Last year as a rookie I had to run around and really try and play everything. I am now eligible for most events, although there is the occasional event that I am hoping for an invitation (the Memorial for example). The schedule page on the site will have my plan, but when I have a particularly good week, this may change. The bottom line is to play less this year than last. Like most of the guys on TOUR I play better by being more focussed on fewer events. Good question Paul! Catch up tomorrow, Per

Thursday January 17 - Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, 2nd Round, 69 (-3)
We just got back from the course. It was so cold over the last few holes at Indian Wells because of the big mountain that covers the sun as it goes down over the last few holes. As you probably know it gets really cold at night in the desert. Thank goodness we have a fireplace in our room! Jesper and I worked out with Joey in the morning before our tee time. We have the same tee times this week - just on a different course. That doesn't happen at any other event I have ever played in anywhere in the world. I didn't play as well today and was +1 on 5th tee when Jill arrived. This obviously spurred me on because from there on I started playing better and finished at three under for the day. Birdies at 8, 12,14 and 17 made a god end to the day. The back nine certainly felt better and I made a few good putts. I am in the top 50 and there is a cut here on Saturday night for the final day. With the scoring so god I need to kep the pressure on. Talk to you on Friday, Per Friday

Friday January 18 - Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, 3rd Round, 65 (-7)
I equalled my best score on the PGA TOUR with a 65 today at Tamarisk. That is 7 under the card of 72. It's moved me up the leaderboard and I need to keep the pressure on and the scoring low for the next two days. I started from the 10th and got a off to a hot start with three birdies in the first four holes. A bogey (only my second of the week) was also in there. From then on it was par or birdie all the way with red numbers on 16, 18, 4, 7 and 8. I actually didn't play perfectly but scored really well and putted a lot better, as you need to do if you are to go low. All of the golf courses this week are playing short (which is why the scoring is so good) so the key is the short irons and they worked a little better today. I also had three great guys to play with today, Robert, Jeffrey and Jack. They all played well and seeing Jack, who is 82 years old, hit the ball was very impressive. The guy never missed a shot!!! I had an interesting question from Dale in San Francisco. He wanted to know how we cope with starting from the 10th one day and the 1st the next in regular PGA TOUR events. Firstly, we don't have a choice, so you just have to get on with it! And secondly its worth remembering that these are not our home courses, so we are not used to playing them a certain way. In practice we will often tee off on the 10th tee, even to the point when at some courses if we were not looking at the tee box we wouldn't know which was the 1st and which was the 10th! I'm looking forward to the weekend and I'll catch up with you later.

Saturday January 19 - Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, 4th Round, 68 (-4)
Another good round under par, but it could have been so much better. I really played and it was disappointing that I didn't score much better. The greens at Bermuda Dunes were a lot slower than yesterday at Tamarisk and that didn't help me at all. I hit the ball close on all the opening holes but only made one of the putts on the 4th. It was an important one to make because I could feel my self getting frustrated having missed a series of short birdie putts. After 9 holes I was out in 33, but should have been much lower. I was back in one under with birdies on 13 and 18 and my only bogey of the day on 14. That gave me a 68 and maintained my position on the leaderboard in the top 25. Let's hope my putting is better on Sunday because the scoring is going to be low! Both of us are feeling a little sick after being out in the fluctuating temperatures, but a 65 will make us feel a whole lot better. It been a long week and a five round tournament really takes it out of you (especially alongside all the practice rounds). Keep your eye on PGATOUR.com for the scoring updates on Sunday. By for now, Per

Tuesday January 22 - Phoenix, Arizona
It's great to be back at the Phoenix Open. This week has more people in the crowd than any other event on TOUR and they start showing up early. I played in the Monday pro-am and there were so many people about. The atmosphere during play is amazing. Do you remember Tiger holing in one at the 16th in, I think, 1999 and the lid coming off the whole place? The course this week is a par 71, 7089 yard desert course designed by the great partnership of Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish. It only has three par fives, rather than the traditional four. I had a question regarding how many Callaway clubs I carry. Well, I often have an Odyssey putter in my bag in addition to the Callaway irons and metalwoods, so there have been occasions when I have had 14 Callaway clubs.(Callaway own Odyssey in case you didn't know) Some of the time I put in an old wedge or two from my collection in the garage to make up the fourteen. One thing's for sure - I always count them to make sure I have the right number! Good question. Catch up with you later in the week, Per

Wednesday January 23 - Phoenix Open, Arizona
What a great place this is! We love Phoenix! The hotel is fabulous, with great service, gym and the golf course is right outside the door. We do lead a fortunate life. It's wonderful to be back after so many years away. Many things have changed in the 7 years since I was last here, particularly the new highways and shopping malls. When I lived here in College it was always a dream to play the Phoenix Open. I did qualify one year and then he played it again in 95. But this year I have earned my place and it feels good. In the Pro Am yesterday I had a great time. The course was great and I made another eagle, this time on a par 4! Jill played golf today in the annual wives and girlfriends tournament and I will let you know how she got on later in the week. It's a great idea and the girls raise something like $80.000 for charity which is just fantastic. She and Mia sure sounded like they were going to have fun. Off to dinner so by for now, Per

Thursday January 24 - Phoenix Open, 1st Round, -3 after 14 holes
Sorry for such a short entry today. It's been a long day with a frost delay and then only finishing 14 holes. I will be up early on Friday to finish off my round. I played well today and am -3 with those few holes to go. Got to run...off for dinner and an early night, Per

Friday January 25 - Phoenix Open, 1st Round- 67 (-4), 2nd Round 68 (-3)
Two scores to report today as I finished the first round from Thursday and played the whole of my second round. In total I played 22 holes today. After finishing with a birdie on my last hole of round 1 and signing for a 67 I hade a 10 minute turnaround before I was off again in round two. Once again I played well and with four birdies, on the 1st, 10th, 11th, and 15th and an eagle on 13 I shot 68 to end the day in a tie for 11th position. Unfortunately there were a few bogeys thrown in there (unlike round one). The one on 18 was particularly annoying after I hit my tee shot in the rough. Overall I was happy with my performance and am in contention, only 5 shots back going into the weekend. After play Jill and I went for dinner with Charles Howell and Jesper and their respective 'better halves'. I'm so glad that we can get back to regular tee times tomorrow. It will give me a little time in the morning to enjoy the hotel and its facilities. I meant to tell you about Jill's golf the other day. Jill and Mia had a great time and her team did well, especially as Nicky Stricker was on the team (Steve's wife)and I believe she is a really good player. I'll catch up with you all later and thanks for the emails this week. There have been loads!, Per

Monday January 28 - Phoenix Open, 3rd Round, 65 (-6), 4th Round, 71 (Level)
Apologies for the delay with the update - modem problems!(I think) It was a good weekend, particularly on Saturday shooting 65 and moving up the board. I really played well and getting it back in 31 with birdies on 10, 12, 13, 14 and 17 pushed me in to 5th place. The draw on Sunday put me with John Daly and we had a terrific time out there in front of a huge crowd. I later heard that there were over 500,000 people at the tournament through the week. It certainly sounded like it! I got a fantastic reception from ASU fans out there...thanks very much. It really helped me. Sunday was ultimately disapppointing because with a 67 I could have won the event. However, I take positive thoughts from it and a 7th place finish and a cheque for $134,000 moves me up to 26th place in the money list. Straight after the tournament, Jill and I headed back to Florida. We have just bought a new house and are looking forward to spending some time in it. Thanks for all the emails today. I got 73 congratulations notes and other emails asking questions which I will get around to answering on the site as soon as possible. One question I had was regarding my hat. The new ones are in production right now and I will be wearing one at the Buick Invitational in two weeks. I'll catch up with you later in the week, Per

Thursday January 31 - West Palm Beach
We have just returned from a fun day out in Miami. Nick, my manager, has been here and Jill and I had the opportunity to show him around the sites of South Beach. The weather down here has been fabulous and I have thoroughly enjoyed my week off after Phoenix. Tomorrow, we are planning on playing at the Medalist, the Greg Norman course where I am a new member. It was great to arrive home after dinner at the CheeseCake Factory (there are some big portions in there!) and see the scores from the AT and T with Jesper up near the top of the leaderboard. He has struggled a little in the first few events this year and he has been working hard to get his game back in shape. Watch out for him this week after this good start. He played with Clint Eastwood today which must have been fun. I fly out to San Diego on Monday for the Buick event and as I will be near Carlsbad this is the perfect opportunity to visit the Callaway factory and test center. It is truly amazing and will give me the chance to test diiferent lofts of the fantastic new C4 Driver and monitor the flight and spin rate using an unbelievable piece of technology. I'm looking forward to it and the guys at Callaway always make me feel right at home. Catch up with you on the weekend, bye for now, Per

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