Dallas

I was sure that I was going to wait another week before I could express my thoughts about our week in Dallas, but already this Monday, we have moved forward and can reflect back on the last few days with a smile.

I would consider myself a pretty relaxed spectator. I can take both bogeys and birdies in stride, and know that 18 holes is a lot of golf and 72 holes is even more. A lot can happen in that time frame so I try to never get too high or low when I am watching. When people gasp when these guys hit it in the sand, I barely flinch. I have seen Parker get it up and down so many times now that I am pretty confident when the ball goes a little off the target he can make a great recovery. In fact, I think that is why people say "these guys are good" - because they can and do "recover"! All of that said, it doesn't mean that I don't let my emotions get involved when I am watching.

Again we were able to experience Parker's name at the top of the leader board for the second week in a row. With just some consistent play he managed to be at T3 going into the weekend. It was unfortunate to not see his game materialize the way he wanted on Saturday and Sunday. He had a stretch on Saturday of 7 birdie putts that just did not go in. Then a a couple bogeys... and boom, he was over par like "that." (Doesn't it aways seems to add up a lot faster when it is going in the wrong direction) At the end of the day, I felt deflated. Trying to keep my head up for Parker was hard when it seemed like everything was so in his reach. It just seems like when you are there in the moment, it can get so emotional.

Now a day later, already in a new city, I look back, it all seems like part of a greater learning experience. This has been the first time in a few years where Parker has been consistently getting off to a really great start. Before he often seemed to be putting himself behind the 8 ball on Thursday and Friday, and his top finishes came from the weekend rounds. So now is he on the other side of the spectrum. Now more that ever I am so confident that all of this experience is helping him develop into a stronger player. He is getting experience playing in the last few groups on the weekend and that is invaluable.

Off the course we had a great week. The Byron Nelson is a fabulous tournament that gives so much back to charity. The PGA TOUR Wives Association was also able to donate money to a local charity to help sponsor students to go to college. The Salesmanship Club (those guys in the "red pants") were so generous and accommodating the whole week. Plus we had access to a great gym this week, which is one of those little things that make such a difference!





Also since we were in Dallas we were able to attend a playoff game (Mavericks vs. Hornets). We went to the game with our great friends, the Allreds (who also play on TOUR). Fun story... Parker and I met at their wedding!


*You might not know that Parker has another quite unique talent...arcade basketball! They have an basketball game at the movie theater close by and last year Parker posted a record score. This year we went to that same movie theater...and his score still held!

We are already looking forward to this week in Charlotte. This was Parker's favorite tournament last year and I know he is excited to be back.
-Kristy

A New Favorite

This year's Hilton Head experience could not have been more different from last year. In 2007, Parker was an alternate for the Verizon Heritage in Hilton Head, SC. After a few people backed out of the tournament it was looking like Parker's number was going to get in. He flew on a last minute flight that arrived Wed at midnight. After catching a cab from Savannah to Hilton Head, he finally got to bed around 3am... needless to say, he had a rough 2 days to follow. Living off very little sleep, no practice rounds, and practically no energy, it wasn't the best combination for a successful tournament.

This year he was fully exempt into the tournament and we arrived with plenty of preparation time. My first thought after checking into our hotel (which overlooked the water) was... how could I have missed this one last year!!! What a special place. Everywhere you look people are riding their bikes, enjoying the beach, and basically making the most of being outside.

On the Wednesday before the tournament Parker and I joined our friends Matt and Sybi Kutchar on Daufuskie Island. Matt and Parker played golf while Sybi and I took a golf cart around the island with their 6 mo. old baby. After golf we found this little restaurant (below) on the opposite side of the island where we ate dinner and enjoyed the sunset. It was a great way to get out and explore a bit.


Thursday Parker played great, after 8 holes he was even tied for the lead. I took a peak at the leader board and I saw his name at the top of the list... this was the first time he had been in the lead on the PGA TOUR!!!!! Even though it lasted just for a hole, it is definitely something that i could get used to seeing more often. :-)

Parker had a great round both Thursday and Friday but struggled a bit on the weekend. It just goes to show you that 4 rounds of golf is a long time. I am not going lie... watching a rough round can be heartbreaking. Its just that you know the potential and know that that he is so capable ... you are just always hoping for the best. At the same time, after we leave the golf course (as one of my girlfriends out on tour said)...you never want it to show if it was a great round or one that you would rather forget, at the end of the day, it is still just the two of us and thats truly all that matters. Even though Parker didn't finish as high as he hoped, I still believe that he was able to take a lot of positives from this tournament, and its going to happen for him one of these weeks.

For me it was probably one of my favorite spectating tournaments of the year. Even though I was completely on the other side of the country, the feel of the community reminded me so much of where I grew up in Northern California. There was just something about it that I connected with. Each hole was lined by beautiful tall trees and every home on the course seemed to blend in perfectly with its environment. Nothing too overpowering, it just looked like a great place to live. Not only was the tournament beautiful, but it was quite the social gathering. I won't go as far as saying it was the FBR or anything, but it was definitely the place to be in South Carolina. Every home was having some sort of get together on their back patio, as the golfers played through. There were thousands of people out watching...the men in their collared shirts and their plaid shorts and the women in their most fashionable sun dresses. I think that they even had a contest for the best Tartan on Saturday! I just loved that!


-Kristy

March Madness

Parker and I are home now enjoying the Masters on TV. It is the one time of year that when I wake up in the morning, I know that Parker is already out in the living room on the couch with the Masters on.

We had a blast the last two weeks on the road, but even before that we had a great getaway during the week of Puerto Rico/Doral. Parker chose to skip Puerto Rico because we knew that we had a pretty intense schedule coming up. Instead we decided to take a trip up to Montana with friends and escape the golf atmosphere for a bit. We skied Whitefish Mountain the first day, went fly fishing in the freezing cold the second day, then skied again the third day. It was such a great opportunity to be up in the mountains and breathe that fresh air.





It proved to be a great trip because the next week he came back well rested and ready to play. We loved our time in New Orleans once again. I was able to see one of my best friends from college who now lives in the city. That is probably one of the most special parts about all of this travel...all of the great friends and family that we get to see on the road! One of the highlights of the week for me was the luncheon that we had with Emeril Lagasse. We joined with the Fore Kids Foundation and were treated to a demonstration by Emeril himself and then got to enjoy his delicious cooking. Parker and I also enjoyed the annual dinner at Acme Oyster House hosted by the tournament. By our measurements it is one of the most highly attended events by all of the players! Plus March Madness was on tv, you can't get much better than Charbroiled Oysters and basketball. Overall New Orleans was a great week both on and off the golf course, with Parker gaining another Top 15 finish under his belt!



In Houston last week we were faced with some crazy weather. Friday was one of those days where I was following Parker and thinking to myself...what are we still doing out here!!! Finally it got too dark to play (not to mention freezing and wet) and Parker had to come back in the morning to finish his round. Unfortunately his score was not a good indication of how he was playing. I thought he was hitting the ball even better than the week before, it was just one of those weeks where the birdies didn't add up. After a disappointing finish on the 18th hole, we took some time to digest it all and then realized that San Antonio was only 2 1/2 hrs away. We were fortunate enough to get our hands on some tickets to the Final Four (thanks to Parker's amazing agent) and decided to jump in the car and turn our day around! We had a blast and got to watch both games Saturday night. We wished that UCLA would have won but I guess it just wasn't a good sports day all around for us. It was a very special treat to be there none the less!



Now we are home, enjoying some down time before we get on the road again! With the Masters on 24/7 in this house, it just might be a that source of inspiration he needs for our upcoming weeks on the road!
-Kristy