September 2002

Wednesday September 4 - Bell Canadian Open, Toronto
It was pro am today and I had fun out on the Angus Glen course. Jill and I are having a great time in Toronto. The course is in Markham, about 30 minutes from downtown. The tee times are out and I have an 'early,late'. I'm off at 07.30 from the tenth tee in round one and then 12.25 from the first tee in round two. My playing partners are Brent Geiberger and Glen Day. I had a reasonable event here last year and am looking to build on that and also last weeks performance and guarantee my card for 2003. Catch up with you after the round, Per

Thursday September 5 - Bell Canadian Open,1st Round, 66 (-6)
Golf can be so straightforward some days ( notice I didn't say easy!). I played really nicely today and hit all but one of the greens on the Angus Glen course. Starting from the 10th I was off to a good start with three birdies in the first six holes, at the 12th, 14th and par 5 15th. More birdies came as I moved on to the front nine( my back nine) at 3, 7 and 9. The last two were par fives and I hit 4 big shots to either be on the green or just short and to make the birdies as easy as possible. So, a great start to the week and I am in second place going into the second round. I'll keep you posted after my late start today, Per

Friday September 6 - Bell Canadian Open, 2nd Round, 71 (-1)
I played so well on the front nine today. It was possibly my best nine holes ever as a pro. I almost made an albatross (double eagle) on the par five 7th. It missed by a inch. The last time I made an albatross was in 1995 at the PGA Championship at Riviera. I also had a good eagle chance on nine but ended up with a easy birdie to be out in 32. I continued to play well on the back nine, although the score didn't reflect this and the putter cooled down a little. I missed a 2 footer on the last so I wasn't too happy straight after the round. Still, there are two more days to go and I still have a good chance to win. We are off now to eat with Mia and Jesper. I'll report after the round, Per

Saturday September 7 - Bell Canadian Open, 3rd Round, 72 (Level)
Well, nothing really happened today. I started with an early birdie on the 2nd hole. On the 4th and I hit my second shot over the green in to the rough and made a bogey. So I was back to level par and then I played really well from tee to green but didn't hit it close enough on the green. I went for the green on the par 5 9th and found a bad lie short of the green. The ball was in the rough but I had to stand in the bunker to hit it. With no green to work with, I hit a great shot but missed the 10 footer for birdie. I did manage to make a 10 footer on16 for birdie put but gave it back at 18, which was annoying. My game is still there, so let's hope for a good round tomorrow. Jill and I are going out to for dinner with The Howell's and the Parnevik's - well we going downstairs to the hotel restaurant! Hope to report a score in the 60's on Sunday for you, Per

Sunday September 8 - Bell Canadian Open, 4th Round, 69 (-3)
A good finish to the week after an average couple of days. I was particularly pleased with my back nine, although once again the 18th got me ( a silly bogey with an 8 iron in my hand for my second shot). I shot 69 going out in 36 and coming home in 33. An early birdie on the second was leveled with a bogey on 6. Then the fireworks started on 10 and 11 with birdies, a bogey on 12 and then three birdies in a row from 14. It was a shame to let one go at 18, but this 20th position moved me up 11 places in the money list to 103rd and probably guarantees my card for 2003. I can now focus on improving my position from 2001 and aiming for the top 70, which brings with it some additional exemptions for the year. I am now taking a week off back in West Palm. I can reflect on a couple of reasonably good weeks. If I can just make my putting that little bit more consistent I still have a chance of winning an event this year. Thanks for all the emails this week and don't forget to enter the new competition. Catch up later in the week, Per

Monday September 16 - West Palm Beach
I have had a busy week off here in West Palm. I've been practicing hard and have also played a few times at my home club, Medalist. I am back on the road this week and plan on an early start on Tuesday as I drive across the state for the Tampa Bay Classic. You may remember that this event was cancelled last year due to the terrorist attacks. I'm looking forward to gettiing out there again and hope to have a great finish to the season. I will play in 5 or 6 of the last 7 events. Thanks for all the competition entries this month - we have been inundated ! Catch up with you all from the Gulf Coast, Per

Wednesday September 18 - Tampa Bay Classic, Innisbrook
This is a super venue and would be a great place to come for a weekend. There are a number of courses and the Westin hotel is first class. I played in the pro-am today and really enjoyed the day. My game feels good and I am ready for my early morning tee time on Thursday. I am off the first tee at 0834 with Woody Austin and Matt Peterson. Friday , we have a late start at 1.24 from the tenth tee. Jill arrives into town today for the tournament, so it will be great to see her the other side of the ropes when I am on the course. Catch up after the round, Per

Thursday September 19 - Tampa Bay Classic, 1st Round, 73 (+2)
It was such a hot day today, up around the mid 90s at one point. I believe one or two of the caddies even fainted carrying our huge tour bags. My golf from tee to greeen was pretty good although my score of 73 didn't reflect that. I made a couple of birdies on the par five 9th and 14th. Unfortunately, I let four bogeys slip onto the card. I need to shoot in the 60's on Friday to make it through to the weekend. I'm feeling good and just have to focus on hitting good shots (and putts!) and the score will come. Catch up later, Per

Friday September 20 - Tampa Bay Classic, 2nd Round, -3 going up the 18th
It was another hot day in Tampa. 100% humidity but at least today we had a little bit of a breeze. Six caddies passed out yesterday and all the signboys and girls stopped working after 9 holes. I made an awesome eagle today on the first, my 10th. I missed the fairway, chipped out and then holed a nine-iron. It was just what I need to get my round going after being out in 1 under. Overall the game feels pretty good but this is a pretty tough course. Play was suspended because of thunderstorms when we were on our 18th hole. If we had played a little quicker we would have finished. We have a kitchen in our room here at Westin Hotel so we made pasta tonight. Jill and I really enjoy the opportunity to be able stay in and cook sometimes. We're going to watch 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' on the in-house movies, which friends tell us is hilarious. I have an early start to finish my last hole before they reset the pins and we do it all over again. Catch up later, Per

Saturday September 21 -Tampa Bay Classic, 3rd Round 74 (+3)
A poor day today and I was disappointed particularly with my finish. I was up early to complete my 18th hole, which I did with a par. We then had time for breakfast before I headed off to the tenth tee for my third round. I made an indifferent start and made a six at the par 5 11th. Pars followed to the turn before I made another 6 on a par 5 at the first. I got a couple back at 3 and 5 before the sixth hole undid me again ( that's my third bogey of the week there!). The bogey run continued at 7 and 8 to be back in 2 over and a 74. Not good and this moved me well down in to 60th spot and in need of a good round on Sunday. Tonight, Jill and I will probably make our own dinner in the room and relax. I will be off early on Sunday! By the way, My Big Fat Greek Wedding is great!, Catch up Sunday night before I head back home before flying to Texas, Per

Sunday September 22 - Tampa Bay Classic, 4th Round, 74 (+3)
Another average day here at Innisbrook and a disappointing week really. I made a single birdie all day at the par 5, 14th. A couple of bogeys and a double on the hole I didn't make par at all week, the 6th all contributed to another 74. In the heat and humidity this was a hard course and Mr. Choi's winning score was quite an achievement. Straight after the round, Jill and I headed East to our home and I will relax for a day before heading West again for the Texas Open and a fresh week and outlook. I dropped down a couple of spots on the money list and still believe I can have a strong finish to the year and break into the top 70. Catch up with you from the Lone Star State! Per

Wednesday September 25 - Valero Texas Open, San Antonio
Jill drove me to the airport at 6am on Tuesday for my flight to San Antonio, Texas. She is having a week away from the Tour this week. She has some things to do around the house and she is also starting a study course on the internet. The tee times are out and I am off at 08.20 from the tenth tee with Brandel Chamblee and Ben Crane. On Friday I start from the first at 100. Last year I finished tied 51st after tangling with the bermuda rough. So, I have something to shoot for and watch out for some low scoring this week - hopefully from me! Catch up after round one, Per

Friday September 27 - Valero Texas Open, 1st Round 71 (+1), 2nd Round 71 (+1)
Another average day at the office! A two round total of 142 was never going to be good enough around this course and unfortunately I missed the cut. I was off to a bad start from the 10th tee in round one and found myself "behind the 8 ball" from the beginning. Although I got it back to level par it was always a bit of a struggle. Well, I can now head home and have a weekend at home with Jill, get my thoughts together and look forward to the last few remaining events on the 02 schedule. I may even watch some Ryder Cup. I hope Jesper gets out there before the singles, although it is not looking good so far with him walking around rather than playing. He is such a good player in pressure situations and I'm surprised he hasn't played yet. Europe needs an in form Jesper to win. It will be a fascinating weekend at The Belfry. Catch up early in the week, Per

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