March 2004

Tuesday 2 March - Ford Championship at Doral
I had a great practice round today at Doral on the famous Blue Monster. The course in in excellent shape and I was pleased with the way I hit it out there. The tee times are out and I have a late/early. I tee off with Stephen Ames and Marco Dawson from the 10th tee at 1148am in the first round and then 718am in round two from the 1st tee. I headed back home to West Palm Beach after the practice round. As I am not playing in the pro-am on Wednesday I am going to take it easy for a day and spend the day with Jill and Stella at home. I will then head off tonight and stay down in Miami for the week. You never know with the traffic down there so it's better to be near the course. My parents are in town from Sweden and so they will be out on the course supporting me. A big thank you to Tom Neville, the Tournament Director of The Ford Championship, who gave me an invitation this week to play. Once again, I need to make the most of the invite. Hope to see some of you out there at beautiful Doral. Bye for now, Per

Thursday 4 March - Ford Championship at Doral - 73 (+1)
This is a tough course, especially when the wind blows. It got up in the afternoon - when I heard Chris Smith was 10 under through 13 I thought he must be playing in a different County! Starting from the 10th, I was off to a birdie start on the par 5. Another followed on 15 before I hit the tough 17 and 18 stretch. A bogey and a double were the result after finding the water at the new look 18. There is no bailout there now and I believe many players did what I did and turned one over too much. I was back in level to shoot 73 and be a shot away from the cut line. A solid round on Friday and I will be the right side of the line. I am off bright and early and hopefully before the wind gets up. Catch up later, I'm late for dinner! Per

Friday 5 March - Ford Championship at Doral - 76 (+4)
A poor day today around the Blue Monster. It certainly lived up to its name for me! I was off to a solid start with birdie up the first before coming unstuck with bogeys on 3, 6 and 7 to be out on 38. I made my only other birdie of the day at the 10th and at this point was back to 2 over for the event. This is not a golf course that you really need to go low on the back nine to make a cut - it's long and tough. I played reasonably until the last 3 holes and finished with 3 bogeys to shoot a four over, 76. The cut ended up being at one over, so I would have really had to turn it on to make it. So, sadly the weekend off from golf, but the good news is that I can head down the road to West Palm and see my family. I will have a couple of days off before The Honda Classic starts in my home town. It's great to be able to stay at home and play a TOUR event! Catch up early in the week from the Country Club at Mirasol. Have a great weekend, Per

Tuesday 9 March - Honda Classic
Another gorgeous day here in West Palm Beach. I played a practice round with Jesper, Glan Day and Hunter Mahan. Hunter is only 21 ( he was runner up to Ricky Barnes in The US Amateur), but managed to make a ton of birdies and take the money from all three of us. The event is played on a new course this year at Mirasol, the Fazio designed Sunrise course. It's in great condition and is long at 7450 yards. There is some run on the course and with the greens as good as they are expect some low scores. It sure is a long walk around the course, as with most modern courses it is designed with home sites in mind. Last night we had a fun dinner at our house - an early birthday celebration for Jill. My parents and Jills parents along with my managers, Nick and Michael were there for a great dinner cooked by my Dad. I hope some of you can come out to this great course to see The Honda Classic. Bye for now, Per

Wednesday 10 March - The Honda Classic
My tee time gives a new meaning to early/late! I am off from the 10th tee on Thursday with Jay Williamson and Cameron Beckman at 6.59 am. I'm not sure I ever had a tee time that started with a 6! No complaints though, because the nice people at Honda gave me a spot this week, so I will do whatever I need too. In particular thanks to Cliff Danley, the Tournament Director for getting me into the event. I really appreciate it. On Friday, my late tee time is 1154 from the 1st. Hope to see you there. Bye for now, Per

Thursday 11 March - The Honda Classic - 74 (+2)
I played reasonably well today, but with the pins set near some big slopes, a green missed easily turned into a dropped shot. I started from the 10th and fought my way back from +2 after 7 holes with birdies on 17 and 5 before making a double at my 18th (the ninth). I had 161 yards to the pin and hit a 9 iron. The ball took a complete flyer from the right rough and went 30 yards over the green. I knew it was long as soon as it came off the clubface and from a tough lie I made a mess of the chip and then missed a four footer to make 6. What a way to finish! I then hit balls for 3 hours before driving the short distance home for dinner with my family. I am still in touch with 74, because all the players are learning to get to grips with this Fazio course. If I have a solid day on Friday and can eliminate a couple of silly mistakes I should be around for the weekend! Bye for now, Per

Friday 12 March - The Honda Classic - 70 (-2)
That was close! I made it into the weekend courtesy of a round of 70 today and a level par total of 140. Although that doesn't sound too spectacular, I did manage to make the shot of the day on the USA broadcast ( I found out
later) with an eagle at the par 5, 17th. More of that later. I started from the 1st in the late morning and was swiftly over par with a bogey on 2. I got it back on the 5th and moved to one under with a good birdie at the 9th. A bogey a few holes later and I stood on 15 tee thinking I needed to play the last 4 holes in at least 2 under to make the cut. These are hard holes and it's not a position that is ideal! However, after pars on 15 and 16, I had a slice of luck. The 17th is a par 5, so there is always a chance of something dramatic happening. After hitting my tee shot into trouble I was forced to lay up short of the green. I had about a 50 yard pitch, with the pin cut towards the back of the green. I hit a perfect pitch and the ball ran and ran.... and dropped in! Eagle and all of a sudden I was on what I though might be the number. A good solid par at the 18th and I was around to give myself the chance to make a move on the weekend. With my family and many local friends watching, it was great to make something happen when I needed to. You just never know in golf when you can catch a break. You just have to keep plugging away! I'm off at 906 am on Saturday and looking forward to a good score on "moving day". I hope to see many of you out there. Bye for now, Per

Saturday 13 March - The Honda Classic - 70 (-2)
A storming front nine of 32 really put me in good shape going into the back nine, but unfortunately I gave a couple back towards the end with bogeys on the 16th and 17th. On the way out I made my second eagle of the week at the 5th following a superb second shot to about 20 feet. This was my 6th eagle of the year and they sure do make a difference to the scorecard. Coming back in 2 over my disappointing, but I still managed to move up the leaderboard by 20 spots and I have put myself in a better position going into the final Sunday of Honda. I also had some good news. Following the closure of entries for the Bay Hill Invitational, I am in based on my 2004 ranking before the Honda. This is a tough ticket and with a limited field, its tough to play in Arnie¹s event. Hope to see some of you in Orlando.

Sunday 14 March - The Honda Classic - 77 (+5)
Ouch! A 77 was not was I was looking for and I dropped back to a tie for 55th at the end of the event. It¹s a tough golf course and it¹s easy for the shots to get away from you here. After fighting back to level with birdies on the two par 5s on 5 and 6, I made a mess of 7, 8 and 9 to be out in 40. The 8th, in particular was a nightmare. From just short of the par 3 in one I took four more to get down. That really knocked the wind out of my sails and it wasn¹t until the 17th that I managed another birdie. I just wasn¹t on today and my scoring shots, the driver and putter were both poor. Still, another check and I am thrilled to be playing in O Town at The Bay Hill Invitational. I have only played in the event once in the last 5 years and it is always special to play in Arnold Palmer¹s event. After todays play, I had a short drive home and was ready to take it easy for a few hours. Catch up with in Orlando. Bye for now, Per

Tuesday 16 March - Bay Hill Invitational Presented by MasterCard
I drove up to Orlando today from West Palm for a practice round and to check in ot my hotel. It's just a little too far to drive each day, so I am staying near the course. There is a limited field this week as the event is an Invitational. I qualified thorugh my 2004 ranking prior to the Honda and it is great to be playing in Mr. Palmer's event. The tee times are out and I have a great draw with my fellow Swede, Carl Pettersson and also Scott McCarron. We are off the 1st tee on Thursday at 1210pm and then at 740am on Friday from the 10th tee. I hope some of you can make it out here. Bye for now, Per

Thursday 18 March - Bay Hill Invitational Presented by MasterCard - 74 (+2)
Not too much to report after a disappointing day. Didn't play too badly, just not much happened on a day when the scoring was good on a beautiful day here in Orlando. I did salvage a 74 with a great birdie on the 18th, but didn't make use of any of the par 5s. I made par on all of them which is really giving the field a couple of shots. The 18th was my only birdie of the day and with 3 bogeys I have left myself some work to do tomorrow to make it to the weekend. I need to make a fast start, as the cut line is really only a couple of shots away. Catch up after my early morning round on Friday, Per

Friday 19 March - Bay Hill Invitational Presented by MasterCard - 78 (+6)
A tired round of golf today with nothing happening of any note. After needing to get off to a fast start, I got off to the worst possible start with bogeys on 10 and 11. After getting one back on 16, I made a mess of 17 and dropped two to be out in 39. The back nine continued pretty much the same way as I endeavoured to find some birdies. The result was back in 39 for a 78 and a missed cut. Well, I now have at least a week off whilst the Palayers Championship is played and I will find out next week if my ranking is enough to get me in the BellSouth the following week. Back in West Palm now, enjoying the sunshine and a rest - I have been on the go for several weeks and I'm in need of some r and r. Catch up later, bye for now, Per

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