Connecticut and New York Tournaments Recap
Inaugural Hartford Health Championship
Last week was the first ever Hartford Health Championship Epson event at Great River Golf Course in Milford, Connecticut. I traveled on the red eye Monday night. When I landed Tuesday morning, I headed straight to the course.
The golf course was in great shape despite having lots of rain the week before arriving. The holes were stunning, with waterfalls, river views and lots of trees surrounding. My first reaction was how difficult a stretch of the back nine was and many other players agreed. After volunteering at a women’s golf clinic, multiple player meetings and my three 9-hole practice rounds I felt prepared and ready for the event.
The morning of round one, I headed to the course, warmed up and was just about to walk to the tee box when the horn sounded for lightning in the area. The whole morning wave rounded up and headed inside where we sat for almost three hours. The course got some rain, but mostly thunderstorms. I eventually was able to tee off at 11:30am and finished 18 holes. Many of the afternoon players did not even come close to finishing which required them to come back and restart round one the following morning. My afternoon tee time was pushed back a couple of hours, but fortunately everyone finished 36 holes by Saturday evening.
Like I said, the back nine was tough. I struggled with feeling comfortable on a few of the tee shots and approaches due to the intimidation of water, bunkers, OB etc. I played the front nine well both days, but when I got to those holes, my brain shut down. I lost my confidence and did not commit to the shots that I should have. Since then, I have been reflecting and I know that I let thoughts creep into my mind that I shouldn’t. My goal for this next tournament is to commit to every shot. Now, that doesn’t mean I am going to hit every shot perfectly, but if I am 100% committed, I will know I did everything in my capability to perform.
Silver linings
Despite missing the cut by one stroke, there were lots of positives to take away from the event in Connecticut. One of those was having my 4th ever hole-in-one on the beautiful par 3 11th hole.
This hole was 147 yards, and I flew my 7 iron into the hole- slam dunk style. It was awesome! My former teammate, Olivia was in the group in front of me watching my shot and both my playing opponents gave me high fives and we all celebrated.
Another positive was my amazing host family, the Venditti’s. This was my first host family to have small children and if you know me, you know I love that. Fiona, 4 and Castin, 2 were my best friends for the week. After practice rounds and long days at the course, I enjoyed playing blocks, hide and go seek and dancing in the living room with them.
At the end of the week, Steve and Virginia asked to become a supporter of my golf career! Next season I will be representing their logo on my shirt.
You can learn more about their company and my newest sponsor: Sparc. In addition to the fact that this was incredibly kind and generous of the Vendittis, “Sparkie” is my family nickname, so it just feels like it was meant to be!
Twin Bridges Championship
After a week in Connecticut, I headed to upstate New York for the Twin Bridges Championship in Albany. The course we played, Pinehaven Country Club in Guilderland, was another tricky golf course nestled within some beautiful trees. I was able to get in one 18 hole practice round and two 9-hole practice rounds which gave me great insight on the course. The par 4’s and 3’s were playing extra difficult due to the length and small greens.
I was unfortunately put in the last group of the day for my first round on Friday. This meant I was teeing off at 2:30pm. I am not a fan of late tee times, but I understand it’s all part of the rotation on tour. We lucked out a lot with weather on Friday because the forecast called for over an inch of rain and the golf course only saw about 0.3 inches that day. This was a wonderful surprise considering our previous tournaments have almost all experienced delays and crazy weather.
Round 1
My first round was a grind. I started off with some bogeys and struggled to get myself in the right places on my first nine holes. I was able to get back to basics and focus on fairways and greens which gained me a few shots back on my second nine. I shot 74 the first round and knew that a good round the following day would be needed to keep playing.
Round 2
Round two was also difficult. I struggled again hitting greens, which left me with a lot of tough short-sided shots from deep rough. The course was wet which made the rough the wrong place to be. It was frustrating to put myself in these positions, but I continued to fight. I gave myself a few birdie chances in the final few holes but the putts did not drop. I ended up shooting 76 and missed the cut by 3 shots.
This pattern has been extremely frustrating, and each cut I have missed I have felt my confidence drop. I never imagined that in 9 tournaments I would be in this situation, but I am. And all I can do is keep grinding and continue to believe in myself. I know that everyone’s rookie year is hard, but I am determined to turn it around before this season is over.
Home to Oregon
I have a couple weeks where I am able to work hard, practice and get prepared for my next event, which is in Oregon! Yay! Finally, a “home” tournament. I will be playing at Wildhorse Golf Resort in Pendleton August 18-20. I am excited to be heading to my home state and I am going into it with the goal of playing my absolute best and enjoying time with my family.
Thank you all for your continuous love and support. I wouldn’t be here and doing what I love without all of you so I appreciate everything!
