Monday, April 28, 2008

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

Monday, April 21, 2008

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

Thursday, April 10, 2008

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

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Arnold Palmer Invitational

Right now I am enjoying this Sunday back at home, with the exciting final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational on TV in the background. We FINALLY had HD installed, and WOW, does it makes a world of difference! I know...totally behind on that one. :-)

Parker on the other hand is back out at the golf course in Scottsdale getting a round in with some of his friends, before he heads to the practice range with his coach this week.

Unfortunately, it was a disappointing end to the week, missing the cut at the Bay Hill just by a shot. It was one of those courses that you had to hit it in the fairway and hit greens, otherwise you were penalized. But even though we weren't there on the weekend, it was a special week for both of us. I had the opportunity to visit the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies. We were given the tour of the absolutely amazing facility by the head doctor himself. I know that it was also really special for Parker to be a part of such a prestigious tournament.

(they even assigned your name to a parking spot here!) Another special part of the week was when Arnold Palmer came to say hello during Parker's Monday Pro Am.

On Friday afternoon we watched the cut line closely (with many people thinking it might go to +3), and as it turned out, Parker missed the cut only by one player. So that night we laid low, found a great little Indian Restaurant not to far from our hotel and enjoyed some quality time together... and somehow a quiet night with great food seemed to lift our spirits!

We also changed our flight from Sunday afternoon to Saturday afternoon. Changing flights is something that you just have to deal with out on tour, sometimes you are changing it to accommodate a later tee time, sometimes you are changing it because of a missed cut, and occasionally you get it just right! It is just all part of the travel that we are getting very used to. Thankfully the PGA Tour has an amazing travel agency that is always available (even when you have to call them from the golf course!)

We had Saturday to pack and had a little extra time to spare so we decided to go play miniature golf. Funny enough, Parker and I had never played miniature golf together!!! Not even when we were dating, how ironic! I was pretty proud of myself because I actually held my own. And even beat Parker on one hole! I think it might be all of the "watching" I do! On the score card, I also had a hole in one, but it really shouldn't have counted as a 1, because it actually went in the "yellow" hole, and I was definitely aiming for the "red" hole ;-). We had a great time and I think it helped Parker to relax and have some fun after a long demanding week of golf!




Now we are looking forward to our upcoming travel to New Orleans and Houston, two of our favorite tour spots from last year!
-Kristy

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Buenos Dias Amigos!

We just arrived home from Mexico and we are already missing that amazingly blue water, those fish tacos, and our friends in Playa Del Carmen. This was one of our favorite weeks of the year during Parker's rookie season, and we had a amazing time again this year. It's definitely not a bad place to be as an alternative to Tucson (if you are not "yet" in the top 60 in the world). In Mexico, the Tour does a great job of making different activities available during the tournament week so you can really make the most of your trip and appreciate where you are! (sometimes with all of the travel it is easy to just go back and forth to the golf course, and not even know what city you are in?). But not this week...this week we were definitely making the effort to enjoy everything Playa Del Carmen had to offer.


At the beginning of the week we had the opportunity to visit an underground river called "Rio Secreto" or "Secret River." Not knowing exactly what to expect, we took a wild ride in a 4x4 jeep out to the middle of the jungle to the entrance to the river. We went on an hour&1/2 walk and swim through this underground cave. The most unique part of the excursion was when we were about mid way through the cave and our guide asked us all to turn our headlights (on our helmets) off. There was absolutely no difference with your eyes open or shut, and all you could hear were the sounds of the water dripping from the various geological formations surrounding you. It was incredible.


The next day Parker played in the Pro Am and I had the opportunity to swim with the dolphins. This was an amazing experience and something that I have always wanted to do. What surprised me the most was how strong they were. When I looked at the dorsal fin I was almost afraid to grab on to it, but as you can see, I had to hold on like crazy because they swim so fast and are so powerful.

The rest of the week was filled with enjoying our time with our family friends that we stayed with, jumping in the water everyday, and eating amazing food. Our friends have had a home in Playa Del Carmen for 16 years now so they know every local restaurant possible. I think that is what we love the most, finding those hole in the wall places that we would never find without a "local" guiding us. We ate the best shrimp tacos, guacamole, and arrachera all week long. We enjoyed happy hour every night and cribbage games after sunset.


The only downside to the trip was getting "Tourista" or "Montezuma's Revenge." Whatever you want to call it, it was no fun :-(. Ironically, I am the careful one out of the bunch. I am the only one to brush my teeth with bottled water, and I am always conscious of what I am eating, but what can you do? I couldn't seem to pin point what caused it either, I even ate at the golf course that day? I am just glad that Parker steered clear of it. Plus the only thing I missed was a few days of golf...and to be honest, I watch a lot of golf all year long. ;-)

All in All it was an amazing trip! We are excited about being at home for a week and then heading out to Florida for the next few.
Hasta Luego!
-Kristy

Thursday, February 14, 2008

West Coast Swing



I was hoping to get the chance to write after the Sony, then after Torrey Pines, and now I am realizing that 3 tournaments have already gone by in a blink of an eye. To sum it up, it has been a very busy, yet extremely fun filled last month.

The Sony Open had to have been one of our most memorable tournament weeks thus far. We had a great support group of family who came from the mainland and local friends & family who came out to cheer on Parker. Thanks to Waikoloa, we all sported the "Go Parker" Waikoloa hats for the week. After coming close the cut line, Parker battled through the weekend and finished T10 at the first tournament of the year. Not only did he have a great finish, but I have never seen him play in front of such a big crowd. Between his local following and the Shigeki Maruyama fans, hole to hole, that was the most people Parker has ever played in front of.

The "Beers for Birdies" Group at The Sony Open


Parker unfortunately has been battling a flu/cold for a while now and had to take off the Bob Hope. The turn around from Sony to the 5 day tournament in Palm Desert was going to be too much to handle. So instead we had a nice week at home and he prepared for The Buick in San Diego.

San Diego was also a special week. We had a large group of family and friends from Southern California come down to support him. We got to stay at my sister's house which was very nearby the golf course. Parker played great finishing at T29, even though I know that he had a lot on his mind that week. His dad had suffered a stroke the weekend before up in Northern California. After being with his Dad and knowing that he was going to make a full recovery, Parker was able to remain in the tournament. Thanks to the support of all of his family he was able to play.

From San Diego we headed back home to Phoenix. It would have taken a top ten at the Buick for Parker to get into the FBR. Either way we were going to be at home, which is always nice. The FBR week in Phoenix was crazy... because it was also the week of the Super Bowl. Since Parker wasn't playing this week, he actually had the opportunity to go! He and one of his best friends got to watch the game from amazing 50 yard line seats. One of my best girlfriends also came into town for the Super Bowl. Her husband and a friend went to the game and all of the wives enjoyed an very nice and relaxing afternoon watching it at home. We got to be in sweats, had some great Super Bowl food, all from the comfort of our living room couches. The guys called us about once a quarter telling us how amazing the whole experience was!



The next day after the Super Bowl, we got on a plane to go to Pebble Beach. One of the great things about the AT&T Tournament is getting to stay with our friends Genny & Dan at their beautiful home on the Monterey Peninsula Country Club. We always have such a great time with them. Even though we are not from the area, we consider this tournament to be one of our home tournaments. We have spent a lot of great time at Pebble and it happens to be close enough for the Southern California friends and family and close enough for the Northern California friends and family to all come and watch! We had close to 75 people out there! Parker and his partner Jim Rohr gave us quiet a show. After the second day of play they were leading in the team scores! Jim chipped in and dropped some long putts for birdie. Even making a few natural birdies for eagle! In the end Jim and Parker ended up placing 3rd in the team scores, and Parker played great on Sunday to sneak up to T14th! One of the other highlights of the week was getting to meet one of my favorites... comedian/actor, Kevin James (who was just as great in person as he is in his show). The most special part of the week for us was having Chris, Parker's Dad a part of all of the festivities. He walked the golf course each day (including part of the wed. practice round) and amazed us all with his strength and positive energy.



Now that the West Coast Swing is winding down we wanted to thank everyone who made the effort to be at these tournaments with us! It is our favorite time of the year! Now we are enjoying a bit of down time at home and look forward to our upcoming trip to Mexico for the Mayakoba Classic!

Kristy

Friday, January 4, 2008

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! I can't believe that the 2008 season has come around already. With the intense fall finish and Q-school, our "off season" consisted of only few weeks in December. But even though it was short, Parker and I definitley made the most of it. We took a week and went on an nice get away, with no cell phones, no computers, and most of all no golf clubs! It was great for the mind, body, and soul to relax and enjoy our surroundings and each other.

Once we got home, for me it was Christmas central... getting situated for the holidays. For Parker, he got back into a practice routine to prepare for the 2008 season. He had consistent workouts with his coach and trainer in Arizona. Then we spent the holidays with family and friends. It was a nice little break from golf and just what we needed.

On New Year's Eve we took a flight to Hawaii to bring in the New Year with the McLachlins. As we approached Oahu, the island looked almost like a rock concert... there were flashes everywhere and spectacular fireworks. It was such an amazing view from the plane. I was almost positive we had missed the New Year's count down but Parker assured me, that Hawaii likes to celebrate big... and that I would know when it was midnight! Of course he was right...just as we were about to touch down, all of Waikiki exploded with fireworks and we landed at 12:00 on the dot! It was a great way to see the New Year's celebration.

Parker is enjoying being back at home, frequenting his favorite spots...the Outrigger and Andy's Sandwiches. We are looking forward to new adventures, new challenges, and new opportunities this year and we are especially excited about kicking off the 2008 PGA Tour Season in his home town.

Hope to see you out at the Sony!
-Kristy

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Looking forward to 2008!

YEAH!!! He did it. It is about 1 something in the morning right now and I am running totally on adrenaline to stay awake and pick Parker up from the airport at 2am! I wanted to thank everyone for their e-mails, text messages, and phone calls this week. We truly appreciate all of the support. I know that all of your positive thoughts were with him throughout the tournament. We couldn't be more excited about looking at his 2008 schedule with Full PGA Tour Status!

I could finally breathe for the first time in a week when I got the first text message today the he did it! I hadn't looked at the scores on the internet or TV so I could remain calm and neutral each time I talked to Parker on the phone. We decided that I was going to stay home this year and Parker was going to go and just be in his "game time" mode! And it worked. Each time we chatted on the phone there was very little golf talk...more about Christmas shopping, Christmas cards, etc... I knew his approach to Q-School from being with him for the last 2 years and I wanted to stay as consistent to that as possible on my end. I know that I could have looked at the scores today, but my nerves were racing and I thought that I would just rather know when it was all done! Each day I got the vibes from him that he was playing well, so going into the last day I knew he had a great chance. I am just so proud of him for finishing strong and securing full status for next year. I really feel that his game is so ready to take on the PGA Tour again in January.

Thank you all for all of your support and encouragement this year. It has been a crazy journey and we are so thankful for the opportunity to do it all again! Wishing everyone a wonderful Holiday Season!
Kristy

Monday, November 12, 2007

2007 Commonly Asked Questions

This being my first year out on tour, I have been asked some very original and unique questions by curious spectators. Now that the 2007 Season has ended I thought it might be fun to share some of the more frequently asked questions with all of you. As you will see, some might be more appropriately answered by Parker... but since I am the one outside the ropes, they get the answers from my perspective :-). Here are some that I thought you might enjoy.
-Kristy


What was your favorite tournament?

We have definitely had a few favorite tournaments of the year, but if I had to pick one, I would say Turning Stone. It was a great event and the tournament thought of everything to make our stay so enjoyable. Plus Parker had his best finish there! :-)

Does Parker usually hit the ball that low?

Normally I would not be able to answer this one, but since I have been asked this question a few times throughout the year... I am going to go ahead and say "Yes!"

How far does he hit the ball?

Honestly... I wouldn't be much help here either. I am not so sure about yardages...I tend to focus more on ... is it in the fairway :-)

Do you travel with him full time?

Yes, this year is my first year traveling with Parker. It has been so great to be on the road together. The alternative is not seeing each other very much, so we chose to do it now because we felt like this was a great time in our lives to take advantage of this opportunity.

Do you hang out with the other wives, are they nice?

Yes, all of the wives/significant others have been so amazingly welcoming and supportive. Usually a group of us will get together early in the week to do something fun in the area. I am also a member of the PGA Tour Wives Association - it is a not-for-profit organization that fundraises to give back to the community that is hosting the tournament. You can look out for our projects on the golf course too... like the "Chip In for Recycling" initiative.

Have you met Tiger's wife?

No I have not meet Tiger's wife. There have only been a few tournaments where Parker and Tiger have been in the same field, and I would imagine she tries to lay low with all of the craziness that surrounds him.

What was your favorite city that you visited?

We absolutely loved our time in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. It was such a special week. We stayed with family friends and really got experience the city from a local's perspective.

Where does Parker practice?

All over the USA! But when we are at home, he mainly practices at TPC Scottsdale.

Do you guys have a jet?

Um... no, not quite yet. Parker and I travel on commercial airlines... in coach...trying our hardest to not sit by the bathroom or in front of the exit row where the seats don't recline! We usually frequent Southwest or US Airways because they have the most flights out of Phoenix. We are always looking for the cheapest direct flight that we can find!

Is that Parker's regular caddy?

Parker's regular caddy is Rusty Uresti (Omar Uresti's brother). Everyone calls him "Hoss." He has also had a few other great caddies this year including Cubby (who used to caddy for Davis Love).

Can I caddy for him?

Sure! But that bag is even heavier than it looks!

Who does Parker hang out with on tour?

Parker hangs out with lots of the guys from his rookie class as well as some of the guys who have been on tour before like Matt Kutchar, Rich Barcelo, and Notah Begay. I know that Parker also tries to get out and play practice rounds with as many different guys as possible so that he can continue to learn from some of the more seasoned players.

So how close was that alligator...?

We have heard this one a lot lately, those of you who saw it on TV know what I am talking about. The funny thing is, Parker didn't even look to see what was behind him! Thankfully it was just a little creative editing from the Golf Channel.

Monday, November 5, 2007

The Florida Finish

Parker and I just arrived home in Scottsdale last night. We are so excited to be back and reflect on our adventures on the 2007 PGA Tour. As you may have seen, Parker finished 137 on this year's money list. Most of you might think that he missed getting his card by just a few, and well that may be true, another way to see it is that he finished inside the top 150 which means he is still a member of the PGA Tour next year and he is exempt to the 3rd Stage of Q-School where if successful, he can improve his status for 2008. It sounds complicated, but in summary, we are so thrilled with his accomplishments in his rookie season and by many pro's standards, finishing in the top 150 your first year is something to be very proud of.

It was great to finish off the season on a high note in Florida. After a series of missed cuts, Parker went by himself to the Ginn sur Mer Classic. We felt that it was probably best for him to get out there with no distractions and just focus on his game. He was just playing too well to continue to miss chances to compete on the weekend. Everything seemed to click and our theory proved to be correct - that week Parker played great and finished T-12 to move up the money list and give himself a little bit of cushion inside that top 150 money list number.

The next week I flew out to Orlando to meet him for the last tournament of the year. Growing up in California I had been with my family to Disneyland, but had never had the opportunity to see what Disney World was all about. I was shocked! It is practically its own city! Parker wasn't much for going to the parks that week...the crowds, lines, and roller coasters were not exactly how he wanted to prepare for the tournament. But early in the week I did get to go to Magic Kingdom (equivalent to Disneyland in CA ) with some of my girlfriends on tour. On Wednesday Parker and I made our way to another park, Epcot, for dinner. We walked around and visited all of the countries and ended up in Japan where we had a amazing teppanyaki meal!


At Epcot, Walt Disney World

This week was unique because it was a pro am format. Parker had the chance to play with MacKinzie Kline (15 yrs old) and Kelly Allen (14 yrs old)...definitely look out for both of these names in the future on the LPGA and PGA Tours!

Parker also had the chance to play with Tad Fujikawa as his professional pairing. It was a great opportunity for both of them, since they hadn't really had the chance to spend too much time together, though being from the same island. What fascinated me the most was that they played right behind Daniel Chopra who was the champion from the previous week's PGA tournament. Yet no one seemed to be watching him... all of the cameras and spectators were intrigued by the 16 year old from Hawaii who had just turned pro earlier this year. Everyone seemed to want to catch a glimpse of this 5'1'' kid who grabbed the golf worlds attention when he made the cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January. I had the opportunity to walk with his management team and his family who were all such incredible people. It made me think, what would i have done in his situation, do you jump on the opportunity while the media is on your side, or do you take the more traditional approach and progress through the ranks of amateur and professional golf - mastering each level? I have to think that it must be hard to go home after a round and have to work on your algebra homework? I don't know that the guys on tour would be able to juggle both? But I guess when he turned pro he knew that his competition wouldn't have to spend any of their time working on school work. Well, I still don't know what I would have done in his shoes, but what I do know is that right now he is loved everywhere he goes, and I just hope that his golf comes together where he is at a level that he can be competitive on tour. Until then I am confident that he is surrounded by a great group of people, and that is definitely a solid foundation for future successes.

With Parker's T-26 finish at Disney I can't express enough how proud of him I am. You are only a rookie once, and I know that we will look back on this year with amazing memories. I realize that all of the drama is surrounding the 125 number, but the truth for us is that we both consider his rookie season a great success - it was learning year to say the least, together we learned how to live on the road, adjust to knew cities week to week, manage being at "work" together, and balancing the intensity of golf as well as the enjoyment of the travel. It was truly an adventure. I know that on the golf end, Parker considers this year as a huge learning year as well and is looking forward to tackling the tour again with a little more experience under his belt in 2008.

Now it is a little R&R before he gets into those clubs again. (I think that they are still in the travel bag right now). :-)

Kristy