Fort Worth, TX came as a surprise to us. I think we were expecting a bigger city like Dallas, but we were pleasantly surprised with a small downtown with lots of character. It felt like we were truly in Texas. It seemed like everyone drove huge trucks, and it was very common to share the elevator with people their wrangler jeans, cowboy hat, and boots. We loved it! Not far from where we were staying were the Stockyards. On one of the first nights we headed over there and went to a place called Billy Bobs, it is apparently the world's largest Honky Tonk. I am still not really sure what that truly means, but it was this huge indoor facility with music, food, bull riding,and more. That night we saw Travis Tritt in concert and tried some local food (and were even served calf fries)... I didn't eat it and neither did Parker. We will try pretty much anything, but that went beyond our limits!
Later that week we went to dinner with some friends at a place called Lonesome Dove. www.lonesomedovebistro.com. It was an awesome experience. They had quite a bit of game on their menu which was a little intimidating at first but we decided to try it out and had appetizers which included kangaroo nachos! The food was phenomenal! The chef and owner Tim Love, was actually a winner on Iron Chef America. He is know for his signature desert...Warm Ancho Chile Chocolate Cake. WOW it was amazing!
This was the first year that Parker had the privilege of playing at the Colonial. I know that it was a special tournament for him because of the history with Ben Hogan. Looking back, we called this week his Cruise Control week. I think that both his body and mind were pretty exhausted after the excitement from Atlanta. Yet, he managed to play well enough to successfully play all 4 days. I am sure that the heat didn't help with the energy level. It was close to 95 degrees with humidity!!!! (Which made it nearly unbearable to walk the course, and I am sure even more difficult to play.)
We have already made it to Dublin, OH. Parker snuck into this tournament just before the cut off. You had to be top 70 after the week of Atlanta and because of his great play there, Parker was 69th on the Fed Ex List. This morning Parker had the privilege of meeting Jack Nicklaus. Parker saw him when he was at the course registering for the tournament. Parker was in his street clothes because we had sent his luggage through the luggage transporting service (to avoid all of these extra charges & hassle at the airlines). Well Parker introduced himself to Mr. Nicklaus and thanked him for the invitation this week. Parker told me that Mr. Nicklaus shook his hand and politely said "Your welcome, thank you for being here"... with this extremely blank stare on his face. I am sure he thought... now who is this???? Parker and I got a little laugh because we thought, with some more hard work on the golf course, maybe one day soon Mr. Nicklaus might get the chance to know who this guy from Hawaii really is.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
It Must Have Been the Pants!
If you can believe it, only a few hours after Parker finished on 18 at the AT&T Classic in Atlanta, we were already on a plane in two middle seats (one right in front of the other) on our way to the next tournament in Fort Worth, TX! WHAT A DAY! On the plane was where I did most of my reflecting on one of the most exciting days we have ever experienced on the golf course!
When Parker got ready Sunday morning I saw him starting to iron his pants... oh yes, the wild ones. I looked at him and said... "REALLY!?!" Normally he only wears these pants during practice rounds? But we looked at his alternative outfit and he wasn't really into wearing the more classic khaki and blue that day, so we said... "Go For It!" Little did we know that this would be the most media coverage Parker has ever had on the PGA TOUR. After dropping him off I went back to the hotel, packed up and checked out (my usual Sunday routine). I met up with Curt who has been his long time sponsor through his company Tee Time. Curt came in from the Nationwide Tour BMW Charity Pro Am in SC where he had been playing in the pro am the last 3 days. Curt and I caught up with Parker at the 7th green. We saw his 2nd shot land about a foot away from the hole, at that time he was already 3 under for the day. Parker continued to make another birdie at the 9th hole and I knew this was going to be a very special day.
As Parker approached the 12th green, I saw my first glimpse of the leaderboard and I had to stop for a quiet moment and take it in. For the first time on the PGA TOUR I saw Parker's name T1 at the very top! It was an amazing feeling. I knew that there were a few other guys tied at that point so I didn't know how long it would last - but it is a moment I will keep with me forever. That very same hole, Parker birdied again and he was in sole first place. Then came 13, I was disappointed that the ball landed in the bunker there because from our view it looked like he hit an incredible drive. You could barely see Parker in the bunker because it was so deep. When that shot went in, I could barely believe what I was seeing. I even saw on pgatour.com that it made the #1 shot of the week! From that point on Curt and I just tried to stay as calm as possible and take everything one hole at a time. It was unfortunate to see him not able to save par on 14 & 16... and almost made birdie on 15 & 17 for that matter. The 18th hole wasn't what any of us were hoping for, but looking back, Parker would have had to make eagle to even get in a playoff. I still know that he wouldn't have changed his decision to lay up. I don't know where that wind came from, but it just wasn't meant to be. I just keep reminding myself, that he shot 5 under par to even end up were he was, and on any Sunday that is an incredible score.
On the plane, I was still processing it all, as he was too, I am sure. Wow, he really had a chance to win! I know that we can look back and see a shot here and a shot there...and how it could have added up in his favor. But more than anything, he now has the experience of playing in the lead on under his belt (both on Thursday and on Sunday), and I know that this is just an indication of greater things to come.
Right after the round I ran into Kenny Perry's wife in the clubhouse. She has been a great friend to me during our first two years on tour and we had a chance to catch up about both of our husband's dramatic rounds of golf. After I was telling her about Parker's day she said to me... "Oh, this is your first time in the lead!" She was so excited for us that this was our very first experience in this situation. It really made me think... because to me, today felt like this was "IT"...like everything came down to this one day, this one 18th hole. When you right there in the moment, I think it is only natural to have those emotions. But what I realized after talking to my friend, was that Kenny Perry has been in this situation, many many times in his career, and so will Parker. It is all part of the process and his development as a successful PGA TOUR Professional (and for me as his supporter & teammate, I am always developing and learning too!)
Besides all of the excitement on the course, we had a great week in Atlanta. We celebrated both of our birthdays at an awesome restaurant called Canoe. We had the opportunity to get together with Parker's management group, Career Sports, who is also based in Atlanta. (They had a very busy week since they also represent Ryuji Imada who won the tournament). We had the chance to go to an incredible Thai food Restaurant called NAN...(twice) www.nanfinedining.com! This was actually the restaurant that catered Vijay Singh's Champions Dinner at the Masters.
I also had the opportunity to be a part of Golf In the Garden which was a day of fun for the children at Children's Heathcare of Atlanta. It was a very special day where we got to hang out with the kids and give them something to smile about during this difficult time in there lives.
This week in Atlanta was a very memorable one. It is hard to believe that we have already moved on to the next tournament. Another great thing about Parker's T5 finish last week is that it moved him up to 69th on the FedEx list. Top 70 get into the Memorial in Ohio so we are very excited to be a part of that tournament as well.
Thank you to everyone for all of your phone calls, e-mails, and txt messages! I can't believe how many people were watching! It means so much to know that so many people are behind him. It is just a matter of time before it all comes together!
When Parker got ready Sunday morning I saw him starting to iron his pants... oh yes, the wild ones. I looked at him and said... "REALLY!?!" Normally he only wears these pants during practice rounds? But we looked at his alternative outfit and he wasn't really into wearing the more classic khaki and blue that day, so we said... "Go For It!" Little did we know that this would be the most media coverage Parker has ever had on the PGA TOUR. After dropping him off I went back to the hotel, packed up and checked out (my usual Sunday routine). I met up with Curt who has been his long time sponsor through his company Tee Time. Curt came in from the Nationwide Tour BMW Charity Pro Am in SC where he had been playing in the pro am the last 3 days. Curt and I caught up with Parker at the 7th green. We saw his 2nd shot land about a foot away from the hole, at that time he was already 3 under for the day. Parker continued to make another birdie at the 9th hole and I knew this was going to be a very special day.
As Parker approached the 12th green, I saw my first glimpse of the leaderboard and I had to stop for a quiet moment and take it in. For the first time on the PGA TOUR I saw Parker's name T1 at the very top! It was an amazing feeling. I knew that there were a few other guys tied at that point so I didn't know how long it would last - but it is a moment I will keep with me forever. That very same hole, Parker birdied again and he was in sole first place. Then came 13, I was disappointed that the ball landed in the bunker there because from our view it looked like he hit an incredible drive. You could barely see Parker in the bunker because it was so deep. When that shot went in, I could barely believe what I was seeing. I even saw on pgatour.com that it made the #1 shot of the week! From that point on Curt and I just tried to stay as calm as possible and take everything one hole at a time. It was unfortunate to see him not able to save par on 14 & 16... and almost made birdie on 15 & 17 for that matter. The 18th hole wasn't what any of us were hoping for, but looking back, Parker would have had to make eagle to even get in a playoff. I still know that he wouldn't have changed his decision to lay up. I don't know where that wind came from, but it just wasn't meant to be. I just keep reminding myself, that he shot 5 under par to even end up were he was, and on any Sunday that is an incredible score.
On the plane, I was still processing it all, as he was too, I am sure. Wow, he really had a chance to win! I know that we can look back and see a shot here and a shot there...and how it could have added up in his favor. But more than anything, he now has the experience of playing in the lead on under his belt (both on Thursday and on Sunday), and I know that this is just an indication of greater things to come.
Right after the round I ran into Kenny Perry's wife in the clubhouse. She has been a great friend to me during our first two years on tour and we had a chance to catch up about both of our husband's dramatic rounds of golf. After I was telling her about Parker's day she said to me... "Oh, this is your first time in the lead!" She was so excited for us that this was our very first experience in this situation. It really made me think... because to me, today felt like this was "IT"...like everything came down to this one day, this one 18th hole. When you right there in the moment, I think it is only natural to have those emotions. But what I realized after talking to my friend, was that Kenny Perry has been in this situation, many many times in his career, and so will Parker. It is all part of the process and his development as a successful PGA TOUR Professional (and for me as his supporter & teammate, I am always developing and learning too!)
Birthday Dinner at Canoe
Besides all of the excitement on the course, we had a great week in Atlanta. We celebrated both of our birthdays at an awesome restaurant called Canoe. We had the opportunity to get together with Parker's management group, Career Sports, who is also based in Atlanta. (They had a very busy week since they also represent Ryuji Imada who won the tournament). We had the chance to go to an incredible Thai food Restaurant called NAN...(twice) www.nanfinedining.com! This was actually the restaurant that catered Vijay Singh's Champions Dinner at the Masters.
I also had the opportunity to be a part of Golf In the Garden which was a day of fun for the children at Children's Heathcare of Atlanta. It was a very special day where we got to hang out with the kids and give them something to smile about during this difficult time in there lives.
This week in Atlanta was a very memorable one. It is hard to believe that we have already moved on to the next tournament. Another great thing about Parker's T5 finish last week is that it moved him up to 69th on the FedEx list. Top 70 get into the Memorial in Ohio so we are very excited to be a part of that tournament as well.
Thank you to everyone for all of your phone calls, e-mails, and txt messages! I can't believe how many people were watching! It means so much to know that so many people are behind him. It is just a matter of time before it all comes together!
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