March 2003

Monday March 3 - Doral, The Ford Championship
This week we are in Miami for the newly named Ford Championship, played at magnificent Doral. It's only a 90 minute drive from West Palm so I will travel to and from home until the event starts, when I will probably stay in a local hotel. Congratulations to Nina from San Diego who won last months competition. A navy hat is on the way to you Nina! The new competition is posted and the new look site is nearing completion also. I'll catch up with you later in the week. Bye for now, Per

Tuesday March 4 - Doral, The Ford Championship
I have decided to stay down here in Miami as the traffic is too difficult to predict. Those of you that know the area will know that I95 can be a like a car park sometimes. The tee times are out and I have an early/late. I'm off with Dudley Hart and the big hitting Argentinian, Angel Cabrera at 0803 from the first tee on Thursday and 1233 from the 10th tee on Friday. After a session with Lead I'm feeling good and looking forward to taking on the Blue Monster, which is in fabulous condition. Hope to see you out there, Per

Thursday March 6 - Ford Championship, 1st Round 69 (-3)
Started from the first today and I was off to a flyer! The first is a par 5, which I birdied. A par on 2 and then birdies at 3, 4 and 5. That put me four under after 5 and feeling great! With the par fives at 8 and 10 I was hoping to move the score forward - only to make a pair of 6s! and move back to -2. I hit back with birdies on 12 and 16th, but unfortunatley gave one back at 17. After my start I was really thinking I could go low, but I am in good position and following the work I put in last week at the Medalist, I could feel the dividends in my swing. Now, I just need to keep it going and put four good rounds together! Thanks for all the messages over the last few days. There are a couple of outstanding questions I will get to later in the week - keep them coming! Bye for now, Per

Friday March 7 - Ford Championship, 2nd Round 70 (-2)
A reasonable day on the course today, shooting a 70. A had lots of putts just stay out of the hole and once again I played the 8th hole badly again. The second day running I've made a bogey on the par 5. Still, I'm in good position at -5 going into the weekend. After the game, Jill and I joined a few other people for the NBA game between the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks. It was a lot of fun and the first NBA game I've ever been to. Dallas won 91-89 and it was so close at the end. Ford, who is the main sponsor of this tournament organized tickets for some of the players. A big thank you to them for arranging it. We really appreciated it. So, heading into the weekend, I am 5 off the pace, playing well and if I can make a few putts feel I can be right there come Sunday afternoon. Keep watching ! catch up later, Per. Ps My tee time is 11.39 am on Saturday.

Saturday March 8 - Ford Championship, 3rd Round 70 (-2)
Another solid day at Doral and I maintained my position in the field. I shot to two halves of 35 for a 70. I made good use of the par 5s today with birdies on 3 of the 4, at the 1st, 8th (finally!) and the 12th. Another birdie at the par 4, 11th gave me a birdie tally of 4. Off set against this were a pair of bogeys on 4 and 14. I am aiming to go low on Sunday - A 66 would do me a great deal of good and I'm playing well enough to do it. There are plenty of good scores out there, but you really need the putter to do its stuff. After play tonight I can head back to West Palm for next weeks event which is played just down the road from me. The Florida swing sure is convenient! Catch up later after the round, Per.

Sunday March 8 - Ford Championship, 4th Round 74 (+2)
A very disappointing day shooting 74 and dropping down into a tie for 54th place. I was off to a horrendous start with a triple bogey at the 3rd hole, a par 4. I did manage to make 3 birdies in the next 6 holes, but a bogey on 7 put me out in 37. On the last day, with the checks up for grabs, this was not the position I was looking to be in! I had played the par 5s around the turn much better the last 3 days but today I dropped shots on the par 4s at 11 and 13 and with pars on 10 and 12 my start on the back nine was poor. I hung in there and made one final birdie at the tough 18th, to a huge cheer from the crowd! It even made it on to the NBC broadcast, I believe. My Dad, Hans was here to watch, alongside Jesper's father, Bo, so I was disappointed not to put more of a show on for them. After the round, I packed up and headed north for a BBQ at Jesper's house with the Johansson and Parnevik families, which was great fun. I'll have a day off on Monday, before the Honda event, which is at a new venue just up the road from our house. Hope to see you there, Per

Tuesday March 11 - Mirasol, West Palm Beach
This week the Honda Classic has moved just up the road from our house in West Palm. How convenient! I had a good practice session there today and the course is in great shape. My tee times for rounds one and two are as follows. On Thursday I'm off the 1st tee at 1130a.m with Glen Day and Jonathan Kaye and then Friday from the 10th tee at 7a.m. It's great to be spending the week sleeping in my own bed instead of a hotel. After the golf today, Jill and I went to a player party at Jesper and Mia's house which is just up the road from us. Their new house is simply amazing and we had a cook out on their front lawn. Great fun! As I'm not in the pro-am on Wednesday I plan on taking it easy. I'm doing a shoot with European Tour Weekly, which you will be able to see later on in the week on Sky TV in the UK and the Golf Channel in the US. Catch up later in the week, gotta go! Per

Thursday March 13 - Honda Classic, 1st Round 68 (-4)
It's only a short drive to the Sunset course at Mirasol, which is great! I had a big Swedish crowd walking with me including my mum and dad, who are over for a holiday. I played very solid golf today with 6 birdies, all of which game on odd holes, 5, 7, 9, 13, 15 and 17. Out in 33 with no bogeys was a great start, but I had a slight dip at the end with bogeys on 16 and 18. Nevertheless, it was a solid day. My long game finally got back on track after a good lesson with Lead on Tuesday and that makes an enormous difference. The scores were very low in the morning as there was no wind. It did pick up in the afternoon. When we got home the weather really turned and as we went to sleep we could hear the sound of thunder and lightning. So, that may mean a delay in the morning but I still need to get there at 05.30am, just in case. Thanks for all the support out there today. Bye for now, Per

Friday March 14 Honda Classic, 2nd Round 70 (-2)
I played very solid golf again today, but with only a slight breeze the course was there for the taking. The cut is almost certain to be -6 and so in the end I am on the number. Can you believe that, -6! It's because the course plays relatively short by PGA TOUR standards and it's in great condition. It was unfortunate that after a good start I made a double to drop me back. I hit my tee shot in the water and despite hiting a great third shot I missed a 10 footer for bogey. I did hit alot of fairways and greens today but never really gave myself any easy birdie opportunities. You have to make a lot of putts on this course to be in contention - maybe the weekend the flat stick will do it's magic! It's very warm down here at the moment and Jill was telling me that 8 people passed out yesterday, (not players!). You really need to keep hydrated in this weather, whether you are watching or playing. Richard Johnson and Carl Petersson are coming over for dinner tonight with their girlfriends, which will be fun. catch up after the round on Saturday. Bye for now, Per Saturday

March 15 - Honda Classic, 3rd Round 68 (-4)
Back in the 60s again today and I moved up 10 spots or so. Starting on the back nine, I had 2 birdies (still on the odd numbered holes) to turn in 34. I added another at the first and with the weather looking ominous we were called in as a precaution against lightning. A one and a half hour break followed, before I was back out again to the 5th hole. I kept my concentration well and squeezed out two more birdies (and a bogey on 7!) to come back in 34 and shoot 68. My parents walked around again, before they head off back to Sweden on Sunday, It's been great having them here. Following the golf we all had dinner at our house. I need a really great round on Sunday to move up the board. The scoring is so low here and I hope it's my turn with the putter! I plan on heading up to Orlando for the Bay Hill, although at the moment I am 10th alternate to get in, because it's a smaller field than normal. (I really want to play so keep your fingers crossed). I'll update you after Sunday's 0915 tee time( from the 10th) Bye for now, Per

Sunday March 16 - Honda Classic, 4th Round 68 (-4)
Another 68 and a good birdie, birdie finish to put myself in a tie for 46th. I once again played well today and with just a couple of bogeys on 3 and 10 was out in 34 and back in 34. It's hard to believe how low the scoring, although compared with most venues it was relatively easy. The record set by Justin leonard will never be beaten because in 2004, the event will be played on the much tougher course next door to the "Sunset". I had six birdies to offset those couple of bogeys, but it wasn't really enough on a day when the average score seemd to be 67. Still, looking positively on the situation I am playing reasonably well and my game feels close to being really good and competing at the top end of the board. I will have to wait to see if I make it in to the Bay Hill event this week, but right now it doesn't look good. If I miss out I will add The BellSouth in Atlanta to my schedule. I'll be getting back to you with some outstanding reader questions this week so keep in touch with the site. Bye for now, Per

Monday March 24 - The Players Championship, Sawgrass
Jill and I got into Ponte Vedra last night after a four hour drive from West Palm Beach. It's alot colder here and it was down to 55F last night when we arrived. (It's been extremely hot down where we live, which has been great!) We are staying near the course in an apartment this year. It will be nice to be able to cook - let's hope we do a better job then Tiger seems to have done! He made Elin and himself both sick last week with his special pasta, although it didn't seem to hurt his game too much! I am planning an early morning start on Tuesday as I have a lesson with Lead at 8am on the range. I'm feeling good for this BIG week. Let's hope for a good one! Catch up later in the week, Per

Wednesday March 26 - The Players Championship, TPC,Sawgrass
A good day's practice today on a course that is feeling the effects of some bad weather. It has been raining hard here in the lead in to the event and the course is playing long. That said the conditions are superb. We're playing for and incredible $6.5 million this week, so it's a great week to pull it all together! The tee times are out and I have, unusually, a late, early. I'm off at 1.35 on Thursday and 0850 on Friday with Tim Clark and Rory Sabattini. On PGA TOUR.com you can watch the great 17th hole being played live and over at my web sponsor, www.golfalot.com you can even have a go at an island green hole by playing their golf game. Give it a go, but I warn you it's addictive! Jill and I are enjoying our time here in Ponte Vedra and especially our home cooking! See you out there, Per

Thursday March 27 - The Players Championship, 1st Round, +2 thru 10
Jill and I woke up at 6am to the sound of thunder and lightning and guessed that there would be a delay. In the end the delay was only half an hour due to the rain. We hung around at the apartment for the morning and I did some stretching before heading over to the range to warm up for my new 2.05 tee time. After hitting it pretty well in practice, my ball striking was bad today but my short game made up for it and I made a lot of good par putts.In the end I only finished 10 holes and with a bogey on 1 and another on 4 I am plus 2 standing on the 11th tee. Well, I'll be standing there at 0730, provided there is no more rain. Play was suspended at 5pm due to more lightning. Jill and I headed back" home" for dinner and some meditation and yoga with a friend of ours, Dada, who is visiting. I hope this will help me focus for the remainder of the round tomorrow, a short break and then back out for my second round. Catch up at the end of round 2, Per

Friday March 28 - The Players Championship, 1st Round 73 (+2), 2nd Round 70 (-1)
A long day today playing 26 holes. I was up early to get in position on the 11th hole of my first round. I made 2 quick birdies and dropped one at 18 with a short missed putt to finish at +2 for the first round. I then had about an hour to eat something and prepare for round 2. I played much better today than yesterday and shot 70 in the second round to move up the board. I made three 2s (including the infamous 17th) which always smartens up any card. I was particularly pleased with my birdie, birdie finish on 8 and 9. After play we headed back to the house and I had a great massage before dinner. There are still some guys to finish their second round, so I'm not sure of my tee time yet. It was a beautiful day at TPC yesterday and with a terrific crowd this is a wonderful event. Thanks for all the emails of support. Bye for now, Per

Saturday March 29 - The Players Championship, 3rd Round, 75 (+4)
I didn't have a good day today and shot 75, which was definitely not the plan. My main problem was the long game. Starting from the tenth tee I was off to a solid start and after 6 holes I was one under. However, I had a bad spell coming into the turn and bogied 16 and 18 and then doubled 1 to drop back. I missed alot of greens which most of the time led to a bogey. I will be trying my hardest tomorrow to pull myself up the board and with rain and cold due my early tee time might prove helpful? I will just focus on my own game and try to make amends for today. Catch up after the round. We will then head home to West Palm, before heading up north to Atlanta on Tuesday for the Bell South. Catch you later, Per

Sunday March 30 - The Players Championship, 4th Round 72 (+1)
A solid round of 72 today and this moved me up 15 spots from yesterday to tied 48th. I played well on a day when the scoring (with the odd exception) was quite high. I made 3 bogeys and 3 birdies, including my second of the week at the infamous 17th. I also made par at the tough 18th for the first time in the week! I moved up a couple of spots in the money list and moved through the $100,000 barrier. There is a long way to go and I would like to put a couple of larger cheques on my record in the coming weeks. Today was encouraging and hopefully sets me up well for next weeks Bell South. I don't have a good record there and I'm determined to change that this week. After the round, Jill and I headed home for a days rest before flying up to Atlanta on Tuesday. Hope to see some of you there, Bye for now, Per

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