March 2002

Friday March 1 - Genuity Championship, 2nd Round, 75 (+3)
How can it be March already? The year is going so fast. I wish today had gone a little quicker! It was really tough out on the Blue Monster, who showed his teethe today. There was some high scoring on a cold and blustery day. I got off to a horrendous start with bogies on 3,4 and 5. I got one back on 7 before dropping another on 8 and then another on 11. This was not what I had planned! I finally made my first birdie on a par 5 all week at the twelfth and then finished well with a birdie on 15 and then three pars over the toughest stretch on the course. My total of 144, level par was just good enough to make it to the weekend. After the round I worked on his swing and drove home about 6pm. The traffic was bad so it took a good 2 hours. In the evening, Jill and Yvonne made a great dinner and some friends of ours, Mandy and Greg. came over. It might be two-tee start on Saturday because of the large group who made the cut. Check out the scores on PGATOUR.com - Let's hope for a better day on Saturday! Bye for now, Per

Saturday March 2 - Genuity Championship, 3rd Round, 75 (+3)
Another tough day at the office! My 75 was on another windy day, but that is no excuse…I just didn't play that well. My game felt uneven and it's never fun to finish like I did. On the par 5, 8th (my 17th), I was in the right greenside bunker in two and then I proceeded to hit it from the trap into the water. I chipped back and had a 10 feet putt for par but missed it. I hate to bogey a potential birdie hole. The wind was blowing very hard all day and I struggled out in two over with bogies on 14 and 15, before finally getting one back on the first. An up and down finish with bogey on 5, birdie on 7 and then bogey, bogey just about summed up the day! Let's hope for a better one tomorrow. I will have to be up early on Sunday for my tee time. I think Jill will wisely stay at home with her friend, rather than bundle up against the cold again. Hopefully better news to report on Sunday, By for now, Per.

Sunday March 3 - Genuity Championship, 4th Round 75 (+3)
The fact that I am writing this at home in West Palm and the tournament is still going on tells you all you need to know about this week! No excuse on the weather front today. It was 84 degrees and just a beautiful day. My golf was not quite as beautiful and for the third day in a row I shot the rather dismal score of 75. I tried hard, but every time I made a birdie I followed it with a bogey! My score read thus - Birdied 2, bogey at 3, Birdied 5, bogey at 6, Birdied 8, bogey at 9, Birdied 10, bogey at 11. It was unbelievable! I broke the mould with a horrible finish of three bogeys in the last five holes to sign for a 75. Not one of my best weeks and I already have it behind me and look forward to next weeks Honda Classic in Coral Springs. We have three new questions on the competition page for those of you who would like to have a go. Congratulations to Giovanni for winning the February competition. He sounds like he is from Italy but actually resides in Augusta, Georgia. I hope he can wear his new hat to The Masters this year. I'll catch up with you later in the week, Per

Tuesday March 5 - Honda Classic
I'm heading out of the door over to the TPC at Heron Bay. I'm playing a practice round with my good friend and defending champion, Jesper Parnevik. I played all four rounds at Heron last year shooting 71,71,69,69. Jesper played really well here last year and shot 18 under. There's certainly no one who knows the course any better than Jesper! The course is the same length as last year at 7268 yeards and plays to a par 72. I'll let you know how the course is playing after 18 holes today, Bye for now, Per Wednesday

March 6 - Honda Classic, TPC at Heron Bay
I'm leaving for the golf course to practice and have just been on PGATOUR.com to check out my tee times for Thursday and Friday. I'm off early on day one at 0718 with Brett Quigley from my adopted home town of Jupiter and also with Lee Porter from Greensboro, North Carolina. On Friday we have a more reasonable time of 1148. I had a question about my new Callaway C4 driver. A reader from Holland wanted to know what shaft and what length the driver is. Well, it is 45 inches and I am using the Callaway stiff shaft. Thanks for the question - keep them coming! I'll catch up with you after the round on Thursday, Per

Thursday March 7 - Honda Classic, 1st Round, 67 (-5)
A great start to the week with a 67. I ended up playing in the pro-am yesterday after all. I was on the way to the course to practice and received a call from the organisers telling me someone had withdrawn and that as the next alternate I was in. To be honest I had mixed feelings about playing because I had played on Tuesday in a 30 mile an hour wind and I really felt like I needed to hit some balls. In the end I had a good group and we had fun despite playing in another howling gale. Today's round started well with birdies on 2 and 3. Two more on 7 and 9 put me out in 32 and on track to go low. Unfortunately, the back nine was not quite as good and a 6 on the par-5 14th took some wind out of my sails. I bounced back (the PGA TOUR have a stat for this!) with a 2 at the next and came back in 35 to record a 67. It was good to go out early because as I write this there is a weather delay. My tee time may be put back an hour or more depending on how long the delay lasts. Thanks for all the emails this week, Bye for now, Per

Thursday March 7 - Honda Classic
Just got home from rainy Heron Bay. It's so great to be able to stay at home this week. It's only a 50 minutes drive to the course. Jesper turned 37 today and we had a little dinner party for him at his house. We had typical Swedish food including Meatballs and salmon. The party was early as Jesper only completed one hole and will have to up at 5am to finish his first round. He won't be alone. Almost half of the field didn't even get started. I will be able to get a good nights sleep and then drive up to the club for a tee time which I anticipate will be mid afternoon.

Saturday March 9 - Honda Classic, 2nd Round- 69 (-3), 3rd Round, +1
I got up at 04.00 this morning and drove out to the course. I started from the 14th , a par 5 after the starting horn went and promptly made a bogey 6. I made up for it two holes later with a great eagle at the 16th. After that I made par after par and finished with a 69 and good position for the final 36 holes. We had time for a bite to eat and some practice and then off we went again for the third round. I was playing with my old ASU playing partner, Phil Mickelson and once again with Brett Quigley. I lost the feeling a bit in the afternoon and missed a few fairways and struggled for pars. There was no wind so I can't blame it on the weather! After starting with a birdie at the opening hole (the 10th) and then going along quietly I made a hash of 16 with a bogey and then finished poorly with bogeys on 2 and 4 before the hooter went as darkness fell. It was a very disappointing finish when my game was feeling so good. Well, I have to pick myself up and I have another early start on Sunday to finish round three and play the final round. I have made a bit of a mess of some of the par 5s this week and I am working hard on that (thanks to all of you for pointing it out to me!!). Hopefully more positive news for you all on Sunday night. Off to bed early again tonight, Per

Sunday March 10 - Honda Classic, 3rd Round, 72 (Level), 4th Round, 70 (-2)
A nice sunny day at TPC Heron Bay with the wind picking up in the afternoon. I played a little better today than on Saturday, but it was an up and down day. After the redraw I started from the 10th with a bogey and then got it back at the par 5, 14th (where I had made two 6s this week). My second eagle of the week followed two holes later and I felt like I was back on the move. However, at the 18th I managed to hit it in the water twice. My drive finished in to the water to the right of the hole. I then dropped it and went for the pin and hit almost a perfect shot. The flag was on the right side with a slope that went down to the water. I hit the green and rolled down into the aqua again! From there, after another drop, I made the chip for a great bogey! After the turn I really began to feel tired and it actually felt like I was going to faint at one point. I managed somehow to keep it going and got it back in one under. This was a long week for all the players and I was ready to go home and rest. Before leaving we had a quick bite in the clubhouse and then Jill drove down to Miami airport to pick her sister's husband, Marcus. It was a shame my friend Brett Quigley bogeyed the last. It moved him down to 4th place. Congratulations to Matt Kuchar on a great win. I'm off to relax - I'll catch up with you from Orlando and the Bay Hill event. This week's cheque leaves me in 43rd position on the money list. Bye for now, Per.

Tuesday March 12 - Bay Hill Invitational, Orlando
I had a very enjoyable day at home on Monday relaxing after all of those early starts last week. The weather was great and we spent some time out by the pool working on a Florida tan! The pro-am takes place on Tuesday at Bay Hill (don't ask me why) and as I am not in it I will spend the day hitting some balls and practicing my short game. I thought you might like to know something about Bay Hill. The Bay Hill Club has hosted 22 annual PGA TOUR events and is owned by the King himself, Arnold Palmer. The par is 72 and the length is 7239 yards. Dick Wilson with Joe Lee in 1961, were the original architects and Arnold Palmer in1980 redesigned it. It should be a fun week up in Orlando. See you there!, Per Wednesday March 13 - Bay Hill Invitational The tee times are out and I am first off on Thursday with local, Brian Gay. We tee off from the 10th at 740am and then on Friday we are the first afternoon group at 12 midday. It's a good job because we are playing in a two ball - something I haven't done in a while in the opening rounds. I'll get back to you soon with news from the course, Bye for now, Per

Thursday March 14 - Bay Hill Invitational, 1st Round, 69 ( -3)
Another good start to an event with a 69 on a beautiful sunny Florida day. I started from the 10th playing a two ball with Brian Gay. I don't quite know why we were a two ball. It would seem to be sensible to invite another player to make it into a three ball. I appreciate it is an invitational event but I don’t get it! I really made a great start today and after 6 holes was 4 under with birdies on 12, 13, 15 and 16. I finally got some revenge on the par 5s toady with birdies on all four of them. It was the par threes that were my undoing today as I made bogey on three of the four. Believe me, they are not easy and all are demanding of a solid 3, 4 or 5 iron. With firm greens and tough bunkering they are no push over. It was nice to be out early and we finished 2 holes ahead of the group behind us (with their extra man!). After play I finished a television interview with SKY SPORTS in the UK. It will be shown in the next few days I believe. I then warmed down with a few shots before heading back to the hotel with Jill for dinner. I'm out just after lunch Friday, Bye for now, Per

Sunday March 17 - Bay Hill Invitational, Rounds 2,3,4: 72 (Level), 71 (-1), 77(+5)
Apologies for the delay in getting back to you. I didn't hook my computer up everyday in Orlando. Going back over the last couple of days I scored quite well and with scores of 72 and 71 had myself in a reasonable position going into the final round. Today was one of those days (you know the ones!) After a reasonable start I was one under going into the 9th. A silly dropped shot there after a dreadful pulled short iron was swiftly followed at the tenth by a double and then another bogey on 11. I holed a monster on the 16th to get one back but a short putt missed on 17 and then a three putt on the 18th left me with a 77. This put me down in 40th spot for the second week running, which after my start was disappointing. Straight after the game Jill, Nick and I headed back South for West Palm. We had a great pasta and chicken dinner and a swim. After that the world didn't quite seem as bad and I have learned something for next week at the TPC ( stay patient!). On Monday we have some business to do and then we can relax for a few hours before heading up to Jacksonville. I am up in to 42nd place on the Money List after winning $15,600. It should have been better and hopefully it will be in the "fifth major", See you there, Per

Monday March 18 - West Palm Beach
We had a relaxing day after yesterday's trauma! I ran some errands this morning before meeting up with friends after lunch and heading out on my boat down the intra-coastal. We headed South towards Miami, although we took it slowly and got down as far as Peanut Island, where we moored and had lunch. It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the mid 80s. We had a quiet night in and had curry before an early night. We plan on being up early for our drive to Jacksonville for the Players Championship. The prize fund is a massive $6 million this week and I plan on practicing on Tuesday and Wednesday (there is no pro-am this week) Catch up from Jax, Per

Wednesday March 20 - The Players Championship
Another beautiful day here in Ponte Vedra Beach. There is no pro-am this week and as a result less pressure to get out on the golf course on a Tuesday. I practiced on the course yesterday and did the same this morning. We are staying at a house near the course with the Quigleys which is fun. After play on the course which is playing really well I had a session with David Leadbetter and then headed back to the house. Joey, Nick and Michael joined us for dinner - Jill cooked us a fantastic turkey bolognese! I am off at 0700 on Thursday with Ed Fryatt and Chris Riley, both from Las Vegas. This is a big week and I am feeling ready to go! I'll up date you after the round, Bye for now, Per

Thursday March 21 - The Players Championship, 1st Round, 72 (Level)
We were up early again today. I teed off at 0700 from the first tee with Ed Fryatt and Chris Riley. I was a little up and down on the front nine and hung on well to be out in 2 over. This included a great save after being in 2 bunkers on the ninth hole. As we moved on to the back nine the weather deteriorated and standing on the par 3 13th a huge rain storm came through. I hit a great tee shot to about 25 feet in the worst of the weather and as we approached the green the hooter went signalling postponement of play. I marked my ball and we all piled into a mini bus back to the clubhouse for a 2 hour rest! When we resumed I holed the putt and then kept it going well to come back in 2 under. So, a score of level par 72 leaves me in a good position. We plan on dinner with Mia and Jesper Parnevik tonight and I'm looking forward to a lie in in the morning. My tee time on Friday will definitely get put back as the late starters today will not get finished. Catch up with you tomorrow, Per

Friday March 22 - The Players Championship, 2nd Round, 77 (+5)
What a very disappointing end to the week. It was a tough day out there, but that said my finish was miserable. Especially when three pars on 7, 8 and 9 would have put me into the weekend. Starting at the 10th today I made a bogey start, but got it back with a huge birdie putt on 13. Another followed at the tough 18th and I was out in 35. The back nine started badly and with bogeys on 1 and 4 I was back to plus one. And then it happened - a bogey, bogey, double finish to miss by three. The double at the last was a do or die effort knowing that I needed birdie to have a chance of making it. I was gutted at the finish and am now taking a week off as planned to re group before the next four weeks in a row from Bell South. As I said it was really hard out there with the wind playing havoc with the scoring, but I still should have made more of my good start. Next Time! I'll catch up with you later in the week, Bye for now, Per. Only a few more days if you want to enter the March competition.

Thursday March 28 - Spain
Jill and I made a surprise visit to Spain this week to wish my Dad a Happy Birthday! (It was a big one!) We came over on Tuesday morning and have had a relaxing few days here in the sunshine. We hope to get out and play some golf at Valderrama. As you may know I am the touring professional for Valderrama and always enjoy the opportunity to play at the number one course in Europe. The conditioning is second to none and playing there always brings back happy memories of Ryder Cup 97 and Europe's second win in a row. I will be back in action at Bell South in Atlanta next week and then a week off before 3 or 4 in a row. We wish you all a happy Easter and thanks for making this month our best month ever on the site. We had more readers and more competition entries than ever before. I really appreciate the support. Speak to you next week from Atlanta, Per

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