I wanted to first thank everyone for their great phone calls and e-mails this past weekend! Unfortunately I can't say that I was there watching in person but I was glued to the TV and internet for 4 days straight.
The week before Parker called me after missing the cut in Greensboro, NC. He said that even though he missed the cut, he was just playing too well to come home and wanted to see what my thoughts were on playing in the Nationwide Tour event instead. We decided that he should of course keep playing if he was feeling on top of his game - so he drove out to West Virginia to catch up with the Nationwide Tour. He also told me before the tournament started that he was going to "play to win" this week...instead of playing just to make the cut, as he had felt he had been doing recently on the PGA Tour. I loved hearing that passion in his voice and was eagerly anticipating the week to come.
Thursday was amazing - I have seen the potential for this round, but to actually see it come to life on a scorecard was such an incredible feeling. I got the chance to see that last 30 ft. put drop on the 18th hole on the golf channel, and knew that it was going to be a special tournament. Since I am always watching the leaderboards on the internet, i know that statistically it is soooo difficult and rarely occurs to follow up a 9 under par with another solid round of golf. I can't tell you how many times I have seen the 1st round leader end up down the learderboard the very next day. So when parker ended with a solid 4 under par on Friday, I personally felt that this was one of the biggest accomplishments of the week.
Another 4 under par on Saturday was so much fun to watch. He made so many up and downs to save par - which I know are often more important than a putt for birdie. I have never had the opportunity to see him this much on TV before... what a treat. Afterwards, I was joking with him saying that I could really get used to this. Having the camera following each hole... each shot even ...all from the comfort of our living room! :-)
Sunday obviously was not what I was hoping for... I was in such shock that I even had to giggle a few times when things weren't going his way. How could this tournament have turned out this way???? At times I was wondering if it was harder to watch on TV than if I had been there walking with him...? It is funny how a rough day of work for most people can go relatively under the radar, but a rough day at work when its on TV seems so magnified.
However as Sunday progressed I realized that each round and each tournament are building blocks helping you learn how to succeed. Winning on Sunday may have earned him the trophy, but not winning on Sunday may have taught him things about himself and his golf game that could contribute to even greater successes down the road.
He called me after his round and was surprisingly in really great spirits! We realized what an amazing accomplishment it had been to lead a tournament for 3 days straight... and finally play to win!
-Kristy
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Week Off
Growing up, I lived in a neighborhood with a handful of extremely talented musicians who were constantly on tour. They would come home and then we wouldn't see them for days or even weeks at a time. I have since come to realize why they liked to be so secluded when they first came back. It hit me the other day when Parker came home after a 7 week stretch. The windows were closed, the house was dark and he didn't have any obligations to go anywhere or to do anything... he was just enjoying his moment of "hibernation."
After laying low for the first few days, we had a great week at home, relaxing, cooking, and catching up on the odds and ends that are left when we are gone for such a long period of time.
We had the chance to go to the Arizona Diamond Backs game, courtesy of my younger sister who is an intern for the team this summer. Later in the week we also went to see Paul Thorn in concert. He and his band are managed by a long time friend of ours who first introduced us to Paul's music earlier this year. He is such a great live entertainer - funny, witty, and a gifted artist. (he is the one in the Dbacks jersey)
I am hopeful that the relaxing week off gave Parker the opportunity to recharge and regain his strength and energy for the upcoming event in North Carolina!
-Kristy
After laying low for the first few days, we had a great week at home, relaxing, cooking, and catching up on the odds and ends that are left when we are gone for such a long period of time.
We had the chance to go to the Arizona Diamond Backs game, courtesy of my younger sister who is an intern for the team this summer. Later in the week we also went to see Paul Thorn in concert. He and his band are managed by a long time friend of ours who first introduced us to Paul's music earlier this year. He is such a great live entertainer - funny, witty, and a gifted artist. (he is the one in the Dbacks jersey)
I am hopeful that the relaxing week off gave Parker the opportunity to recharge and regain his strength and energy for the upcoming event in North Carolina!
-Kristy
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Change of Plans
Last week's Reno Tahoe Open was a very memorable week for us. It was extra special because we had about 20 family members and friends to share it with.
The week started out with a crazy flight experience on Sunday night before the tournament. After leaving Toronto 3 hrs late, missing our next connection at about midnight, then having to spend the night in Denver, and flying standby the next morning... Parker finally made it to the 12:00pm shot gun pro am on Monday at 11:50 am. He changed in the parking lot and then hopped in a golf cart and was off!
We are very thankful to have made it on the morning flight because this Monday pro am was a particularly special one. Parker was paired with a junior golfer who has become a close family friend of ours. They had such a fun time together and the whole family came out to watch them.
On Thursday Parker started the day, accumulating 4 quick bogeys which honestly just came out of no where. He was playing well and then you looked and he was 4 over? But he had such a great come back and played extremely solid the rest of the round to finish at even par.
The next day started out great and looked like the round was going to have potential to finish well under par. Then as the last 3 holes approached a few shots here and there resulted in bogeying 2 out of those last 3...deflating hopes of having a weekend of golf to look forward to. At that time we thought that the cut was going to be -2. (Parker at Even).
We took a while to leave the golf course, he packed up his locker then sadly said goodbye to everyone who had been out there cheering him on. Parker and I drove back to our friends home, talking about the day, when we were going to change our flight, etc. Then as we were driving we noticed it was quite windy outside and Parker and I jokingly said...keep blowing wind :-)?
When we got back to the house Parker took all of his frustration out on the family's poor Pacman machine for about an hr. Then we decided to look at the scores, just in case the wind was doing anything to the cut line. To our surprise, when we pulled up the tournament on the computer, the cut was EVEN! We were shocked. We couldn't believe that it had changed so much since we left. We had to wait quite a bit longer to see what the final result was going to be and then at the end of the day...the cut was officially Even par! We called all of our family and told them that there was more golf to be played on the weekend! It was amazing turn of events that gave Parker a whole new look at his week.
He had a great Sunday and moved up the leaderboard 23 spots to finish T37!
It was an amazing week to lead into his week off after 7 on the road.
-Kristy
The week started out with a crazy flight experience on Sunday night before the tournament. After leaving Toronto 3 hrs late, missing our next connection at about midnight, then having to spend the night in Denver, and flying standby the next morning... Parker finally made it to the 12:00pm shot gun pro am on Monday at 11:50 am. He changed in the parking lot and then hopped in a golf cart and was off!
We are very thankful to have made it on the morning flight because this Monday pro am was a particularly special one. Parker was paired with a junior golfer who has become a close family friend of ours. They had such a fun time together and the whole family came out to watch them.
On Thursday Parker started the day, accumulating 4 quick bogeys which honestly just came out of no where. He was playing well and then you looked and he was 4 over? But he had such a great come back and played extremely solid the rest of the round to finish at even par.
The next day started out great and looked like the round was going to have potential to finish well under par. Then as the last 3 holes approached a few shots here and there resulted in bogeying 2 out of those last 3...deflating hopes of having a weekend of golf to look forward to. At that time we thought that the cut was going to be -2. (Parker at Even).
We took a while to leave the golf course, he packed up his locker then sadly said goodbye to everyone who had been out there cheering him on. Parker and I drove back to our friends home, talking about the day, when we were going to change our flight, etc. Then as we were driving we noticed it was quite windy outside and Parker and I jokingly said...keep blowing wind :-)?
When we got back to the house Parker took all of his frustration out on the family's poor Pacman machine for about an hr. Then we decided to look at the scores, just in case the wind was doing anything to the cut line. To our surprise, when we pulled up the tournament on the computer, the cut was EVEN! We were shocked. We couldn't believe that it had changed so much since we left. We had to wait quite a bit longer to see what the final result was going to be and then at the end of the day...the cut was officially Even par! We called all of our family and told them that there was more golf to be played on the weekend! It was amazing turn of events that gave Parker a whole new look at his week.
He had a great Sunday and moved up the leaderboard 23 spots to finish T37!
It was an amazing week to lead into his week off after 7 on the road.
-Kristy
Monday, July 9, 2007
Plan B
As a rookie on tour many times we are faced with an "alternate situation" for some of the smaller field tour events. So far Parker has been fortunate to get in as the last alternate in both the Wachovia Championship and the Hilton Head event. It is a bit of a gamble because you just never know how many players, if any, are going to back out on the days leading up to the tournament. This week Parker was 7th alternate, however because it was 4th of July, I think that the other alternates in front of him decided not take the risk of being at the tournament and missing 4th of July with their families. It turned out that only Parker and one other player ahead of him to decided to come to the course and be "on call" in case a player from the field had to withdraw at the last minute. This week it didn't work out for us, but thankfully we were in a great city and realized the importance of having a "Plan B" just in case.
Our Plan B turned out to be a blast. Parker's parents had come into Washington DC to spend 4th of July with us. Instead of playing in the tournament the 4 of us toured around Washington DC - It was Parker's first time there. There is just so much to see and learn about in the city. On Friday we took a tour of the capital that Parker's Dad arranged with one of his former students who is now a staff member for Hawaii Senator Dan Inouye. Later that day we visited the Spy Museum and learned about the CIA and the history of international spying! We also went to go see the white house from afar.
The next day we took a tour of the city and saw all of the major monuments and visited museums. We also visited Georgetown and enjoyed dinner overlooking the Potomac River. It turned out to be a great 4th of July weekend and we look forward to coming back next year!
Funny Moment of the Week: The houses next to the course were charging people $40 to park cars in their front lawns... And people were actually parking there!
-Kristy
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Memphis Memories
Hi Ya'll, as they say here in Memphis. Parker and I arrived in Memphis after taking a 10 hr. all night flight from Hawaii to Atlanta and then had an additional flight from Atlanta to Memphis. It was quite a whirlwind and I had no clue what time it was for about 2 days. It was definitely worth the crazy time change because before coming here to Memphis we had a wonderful two weeks in Hawaii where we were able to see Parker's younger brother Spencer graduate from high school and also be a part of his dad's retirement celebration after 37 years at Punahou.
Our time here in Memphis has been wonderful thus far. Earlier this week Parker and I attended the annual BBQ at the Target House. This amazing facility supports the children and families that are undergoing long term treatment at St. Jude Children's Hospital. We met some wonderful children and were truly inspired by by their strength and courage. I think they even gave Parker some pointers on his golf game.
Another highlight off the golf course was our experience with the Fed Ex Flight Simulator! All I can say is "buckle up"! It felt so real. Parker and I were able to get into the simulators where they train the Fed Ex pilots. Parker and I both had the opportunity to fly the plane. I felt confident in my take off but had a very rough landing, I believe that my plane ended up off the runway in the grass. Parker was much better at the landing. We were able to program the simulator to take off and land in Paris and Honolulu! It was so much fun.
Our memories from Memphis would not be complete without including a little bit of BBQ! During our stay we tried two amazing BBQ spots including Corky's and Rendezvous. Both were outstanding, each with their own twist on the BBQ.
-Kristy
Our time here in Memphis has been wonderful thus far. Earlier this week Parker and I attended the annual BBQ at the Target House. This amazing facility supports the children and families that are undergoing long term treatment at St. Jude Children's Hospital. We met some wonderful children and were truly inspired by by their strength and courage. I think they even gave Parker some pointers on his golf game.
Another highlight off the golf course was our experience with the Fed Ex Flight Simulator! All I can say is "buckle up"! It felt so real. Parker and I were able to get into the simulators where they train the Fed Ex pilots. Parker and I both had the opportunity to fly the plane. I felt confident in my take off but had a very rough landing, I believe that my plane ended up off the runway in the grass. Parker was much better at the landing. We were able to program the simulator to take off and land in Paris and Honolulu! It was so much fun. Our memories from Memphis would not be complete without including a little bit of BBQ! During our stay we tried two amazing BBQ spots including Corky's and Rendezvous. Both were outstanding, each with their own twist on the BBQ.
-Kristy
Monday, May 28, 2007
Junior Clinic at Waikoloa
This past weekend I did a video and photo shoot for Waikoloa Beach and Golf Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii. It was not the main event though, a junior clinic with a putting contest was the main attraction for the weekend. It was a great first, of hopefully many, visits for me to some of the junior golfers on the Big Island. I was able to meet many of these young junior golfers and hopefully share some of the things that I have learned growing up in Hawaii and how I have made it onto the PGA Tour.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
New Orleans
Hello again from New Orleans! Our time here seems to be flying by. We have enjoyed etouffee multiple nights in a row now (which we were introduced to by one of our very best friends) It is this amazing combo of crawfish, rice, and vegetables, in a yummy Cajun sauce. Honestly I was intimidated by the crawfish at first, but now I am hooked - you will have to try it! We also had the opportunity to see Hootie and the Blowfish the other night - they are so great live!Today a group of us participated in a build for the Habitat for Humanity in the upper 9th Ward. I am still in awe of all the devastation that remains but more taken back by all of the people that are joining together to bring this community back on its feet.
The other highlight of the week was one of our all time favorite meals - at Acme Oyster House. We ordered the Charbroiled oysters that were amazing, so much so that we had to get a second round ;)
Aside from the many food highlights, we have truly enjoyed our New Orleans experience and look forward to making this an annual stop.
-Kristy
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Welcome!
Hi Everyone! Thanks for visiting the site. This is our very first entry!!! Keep in touch as Parker and I share our experiences from both "inside and outside" the ropes of the PGA Tour. - Kristy
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