I take on Open Qualifying (I FINALLY DID IT!)

I take on Open Qualifying (I FINALLY DID IT!)

[Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] hey everyone welcome down and thank you so much for supporting the quest for the open this year In this video you are going to see me take on regional qualifying a stage which I’ve never managed to get past before Let’s see how we get on [Music] [Music] [Music] Very nerve-wracking Nervewracking [Music] I I don’t think I’ve ever felt more disappointed disappointed disappointed [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] a mental issue So however far I think I’ve come technically with my game and however far I think I’ve progressed with the mental side of things it’s obviously not enough You know those structures weren’t strong enough to hold up under that amount of strain Brain Brain [Music] on the team Peter Pinch request golf [Applause] And we’re off and running on regional qualifying for the Open I must admit I planned thoroughly for this round I was more prepared and more committed to this than possibly ever before And every single bit of my planning went out of the window within the first 5 minutes because it was blowing 40 mph which was nice I was due to hit hybrid off the first and I ended up hitting a mini driver finding the fairway and I cutting this six iron back into the breeze My whole real plan at cold because it is a difficult course and in this wind if we kind of show the rest of the scores at any point during this video as well you will just see how tough it was So all I wanted to do is find fairways find greens and take the big numbers off the scorecard And that was the real key to trying to have a successful round Now I’ve recently had a lesson with Phil Kenyon the world’s best putting coach and we’ve changed a lot within the stroke A lot of it was to do with pace putting which is not a strength of mine by any stretch of the imagination And this put on the first from like about 30 foot to get it stone dead it was a great start It was a real confidence builder because my hands were shaking I am very nervous at this point but I managed to keep it together stroke it really nice down to the hole and I thought okay that’s one of the hardest holes on the course out the way Not because of the the difficulty because of the situation You know we’ve got about 200 people watching this It’s obviously open qualifying It means a lot So I was confident stepping onto the second T Uh and I snap hooked it about 30 yards left of the green which isn’t ideal So the ball here to the side of the green is in a bit of a cuped lie and it’s a difficult shot I’m hitting onto a fast green and then it’s straight onto a down slope here I didn’t actually get it going over with enough pace to get it really close to the hole I left myself with about 12 ft This was a massive put early in the round I don’t want to drop a shot I know something around level par is going to be a fantastic score in these conditions So these types of putts absolutely crucial Went through my routine hit it right out the middle perfect pace and in you go I even added in a little bit of a pimp step there which I don’t normally do Confidence flowing through my veins Classic example of how things change from the practice round So on this hole I hit a mini driver cutting it back into the wind and it went about 240 in my practice round Uh this is a hybrid and it went about 330 yards How do you plan for that This is one thing when you play in wind and how it’s so difficult to predict what’s going on You I don’t hit a hybrid 350 yard but because of the conditions today I did And I found one of the deepest divots on the golf course It made me kind of put the ball in the back of my stance and hit like a low little chippy shot in towards the green The wind just got hold of it spun it and pushed it left into the greenside bunker However as part of my plan I wanted to miss in certain places Now this bunker it’s a hazard It’s not ideal However I’m hitting this bunker shot back into wind which means I can be aggressive and I managed to hit a really nice shot I went beyond the pin which means I’m going to be putting down wind which means this put is going to be a lot faster than it normally would be But again great put right in the middle walking after it early And this is something I never do [Music] Check this shot out A chip and run from about 100 yards Because ultimately from this distance into this wind like what do I hit wedge-wise It’s not going to be controllable So actually keeping the ball on the ground and hitting this little chip and run was the right choice and using my imagination a little bit more and trusting my imagination a bit more is going to be absolutely crucial if I want to play well in these types of conditions I left myself about 35 ft here for the birdie which on a short par four you know it’s not ideal but again finding fairways finding greens giving myself chances even if they’re on the outside [Applause] an actual fist bump I never fist bump Like I I never fist bump like in videos in competitions I generally try and keep things under wraps I try and keep my emotions in check But during this round you’re going to see it a little bit like an actual proper fist bump I’m just going to pause the video here for a moment So the fifth hole Um we’ve got out of bounds left and the wind is hard into off the left hand side So I’ve got a choice here I can send it out left over the hazard out over the the estie and bring you back in on the wind Now you might think that’s the plan However to the right hand side where those peoples are gathered to the right of the marker post there there’s a water hazard and bushes So it’s actually a really narrow area to land this drive on a par five It’s a shot which has been giving me not exactly nightmares but I’ve been anxious about this drive ever since I said I was going to do the video at Coli And it stems from Rick when he did open qualifying here last year and he sprayed his T-shot into the hazard on the right I’ve not been able to get that image out of my head So I set up to this ball and I just said to myself a low draw back into wind Find the fairway You’ve got this If you’ve practiced this shot you have the ability to be able to play it [Applause] Honestly so proud of that T-shot and I found myself relaxed a touch after that It felt like there was a bit of pressure being lifted This approach into the par five I was trying to lay up um laying up on a par five for me for some reason is so difficult Again I just tried to hit a low hook back into the wind I overdid it a little bit and it kind of scampered into the roof near the out of bounds but it was never going to be going out of bounds I was I was quite happy quite comfortable with that Left myself a bit of a tricky lie straight back into wind 100 yards Couldn’t run it up purely because of the bunker there So I chose a little nine and it kind of knuckled out of this lie So zero spin bored through the wind pitched at the back of the green and then carried on through I did have a chipping lesson a few weeks ago though and I was feeling pretty confident [Music] Be so good Be so good Be so good Oh [Music] So that’s a part I am one under going into statistically the hardest hole on the course I tried to play that little low draw Just overdid it A little bit of a kind of a snapper down the left hand side of the fairway Honestly absolutely fine I didn’t want to go in those fairway bunkers You cannot get anywhere near the green from there Five iron here going back into the wind Kind of got ahead of it a touch and flared it out to the right hand side A bit of a bail out Bit of a safe shot with the out of bounds to the left and it left him with just a pitch kind of straight into the wind over this gully Not an easy shot by any means and the lie again wasn’t great So I knew he was going to release a little bit It’s always difficult to judge though hitting back into wind because the strength of this wind it was it was so hard to explain like 30 40 mph is so hard to control your ball in Uh this was a really good solid putt I just over hit it Too much pace went through the brake and left me with like a little twitchy two-footer here [Music] par five downwind and a chance to actually unleash So it’s out of bounds all down the left hand side Wind is off our right shoulder here pushing the ball towards the out of bounds So I’m aiming here about 20 Rs to the right of that target line because the roof to the right of this hole again is quite sparse So I knew that I could absolutely smash it and still have a chance of getting to the green if it didn’t find the fairway Fortunately it did It hit the right hand side and it kicked on lovely And I have to look at the stats but I think that went about 370 yards and with the wind it left me a sand wedge into a par five Now you might think you might say Pete well that’s that’s easy You should be looking at an eagle here If you’ve ever hit a sand wedge 160 yards um look how high it goes It cuz I’ve got to go over a water hazard here as well So it’s not like I can run it in I’m hitting it up into the air and I’m just hoping that it’s pitching in and around the green and it stays where I want it to It ran off to the left hand side I got a little bit of an unlucky bounce to go up this hill as well So I took the putter out and all I wanted to do was have a two put birdie Just look at that flag Look how much it is whipping I hit a decent put here Um probably my first little bit of routine which wasn’t perfect I didn’t quite judge the the second the first half of this put when it got on the green was downhill Um so a little bit of a lapse of concentration left myself a put up the hill right to left However the wind is pushing it a little bit to the right So it ended up being quite a straight read Again great routine really good looking setup if I say so myself Lovely pace to that stroke And because the pace was good it just dropped in the right hand side Back to one under par The secret for me in this round is just trying to get through the front nine level part Most of the competitors in open qualifying if they didn’t get through they lost their scores on the front nine I over hit this T-OT but I wanted to be long rather than short I didn’t want to be in that front bunker hitting downwind Um this lie was again a little bit awkward Like quite a bit of grass behind the ball and I just didn’t accelerate through enough hitting into wind to get it down towards the hole So I left myself at an 18 footer of the for par But I am putting well I’m feeling so much more confident on the greens now And it’s an invaluable weapon to have because if you don’t play great if you don’t strike it well you can still have a good round if your putting is on point And today it was this was a great put It was just outside left It just didn’t turn It stayed dead dead straight But pace wise you can see the ball rolling end over end Really nice stroke [Music] [Music] Oh the mini driver What a club What an absolute weapon to have in the arsenal I drilled this straight over the corner Great drive Actually ran out of fairway This perhaps was one of my favorite shots of the day So my two playing partners uh were further towards the fairway They hit pretty good approaches but because of the wind because of the firmness of the course the balls bounced through It ended up in the hazard to the left of this green So what I thought is I’m going to aim right I’m going to pitch this on the front right of the green and I’m going to trust that the wind and the bounce will take it all the way to the left and leave me an uphill put And that is exactly what happened Honestly I think that was my most disciplined shot of the day Really really happy with it Leaves me this uphill put for a birdie as this put dribble past the hole Maybe the first time the crowd actually made me feel nervous because everyone’s been really happy really supportive clapping pretty much every shot There wasn’t a murmur after this put because it left me that little 3ft awkward distance and nobody wants to have these when the pressure is on But I do have a little bit of a newfound confidence My setup my routine everything was pretty much bang on It’s just a great stroke straight back up the hill into the heart of the hole And that takes me around nine holes in level par I know deep down that at this point I’m in a good spot I can keep this going I can do this Um a bit of belief actually started to kind of flow through my system but I remember backing off from this T-shot because I wasn’t quite going through my routine And then I went through my routine hit a draw back into the wind with a five and then let the wind push it to the right and onto the green for potentially my best iron shot of the day to about 12T [Applause] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Music] I believe the saying is fell in love with the line So I left it right in the jaws of the hole Just short Oh it looked so good I knew the line Oh man I was still a bit disappointed at that but it was a tough hole A par three and onto a par five And let me just talk you through this So this was the first time that I almost changed out my strategy On the par fives what I wanted to do was be aggressive I wanted to go for birdies because there’s so many hard holes out here at Coli that I am going to need some underpar holes There’s no way I’m going to go bogey free on a day like today’s Almost impossible in many respects Now on this hole it’s a dog leg left to right Now to carry the out of bounds and the green keeper shed on the right hand side it’s about 320 yards which I can’t do in normal conditions However it was straight downwind So I knew I had the power I knew I had the potential to get over this right hand side So driver was the play And this will come uh up again a little bit later in the round having confidence in my preparation knowing my carry distances knowing the holes and ultimately I actually struck this fantastic Went through my routine but I just didn’t quite commit There was something in my mind that just wouldn’t let me hit it that far right So I just pulled it just a touch to the left hand side And my heart was in my mouth a little bit cuz there’s a few bushes down here But I hit this ball so bloody hard that it went through our fairway went over the roof and actually went onto the 14th T And it left me obviously with a good light A little bit tricky cuz I’ve got to get over these trees Can’t quite see the pin but it’s only a wedge coming into this par five And I’ve landed it perfect Just short the green Use the wind Use the bounce to carry it up onto the right hand side I’ve got an eagle chance This is a massive point in the round [Music] [Music] How good did that look How good did that put look It was in all the way And of look at that fist bump Jeez I I I think you can probably tell how amped up I was and how I was feeling it Look at that breath Oh god In all fairness that breathing I was doing that throughout the entire round Just trying to keep myself without sounding too um meditative about it Trying to keep myself centered Trying to keep myself in control Trying to go through my process Go through my routine Um another good T- shot here It was a difficult hole out bounce to the right hand side This might be my best shot of the day into wind down the hill about 220 yards and I wanted to land it short and then run it onto the green So effectively a massive chip and run And I used my forearm just hit this low little draw The crowd loved it I loved it It just carried on going It just didn’t stop And then it ended up over the back of the green And even though on a chip shot normally you’re thinking “Oh let’s just get it close.” This was actually a little bit of course management So I hit this chip with more power than it needed because if I wanted to get it really close to this hole I’d have had to land it just on the green and potentially leave a shot where I don’t reach So leaving myself 15t past for a par I was actually quite confident and comfortable knowing that even if I didn’t haul this I’d still be under par after the eagle And I’ve got a stretch of holes coming up where I can make more birdies So just a bogey there was fine It didn’t worry me It didn’t affect me It calmed me if anything [Music] 350 yards on this par fourall I just hit a little fade back into the wind allowing it to be held and then push forwards because I know from my course prep that there is a bank to the left hand side which should kick the ball out to the right hand side and I almost almost hey Carly kept it on the green It just rolled off the backside Um for me a putter from here was the obvious choice It wasn’t my best put Again putting off the green is something which I’ve struggled with a touch this year mostly because of pace control This port was actually pretty good for me It’s downhill once it gets on the surface but into wind So judging that balance is tricky especially like I said with the strength of what was going on Now I had this port on the right edge The read was good Everything was comfortable I was happy with what was happening but then I just didn’t quite hit it with the pace it needed and it just dribbled off to the left hand side So a par on a drivable par 4 not ideal but again I’m one on par open qualifying I know that level is an exceptional score Now the reason I say that is because when we got to the golf course there had been about maybe seven or eight groups which had actually come in and I’m not exaggerating when I say I think maybe only two players out of all those very very good golfers had shot in the 70s Everyone else was in the 80s So I knew looking at that snapshot early on and the wind was pretty similar all day that if I had a level pass score I wouldn’t be guaranteed to get in but it’d be pretty hard to keep me out of those automatic spots to get through to final qualifying if I did It was a bit of a pull on this T-shot and absolutely clattered into middle stump and it kicked it all the way out into the middle of the fairway just like I planned in all my pre-round prep So got away with one got away with one on that T-shot and I left myself again a hard shot It’s uphill The green is raised into wind off the left hand side So I just wanted to hit like a little draw nine back towards the flag On this occasion I just overdid it You can see me here looking at the wind trying to judge what is going on because we’re a little bit sheltered with the trees But as soon as that ball gets above the level of those branches it’s going to get absolutely battered This one I just started out that little bit too far left Just a slight overdraw and it kicks off the bank here to the left of the flag and shoots off the green Tricky two [Music] Oh man this was a this was a hard point Pressure was on here Nerves were jangling Got a lot of strength What a ball That is a great angle to see that as well Get 15th hole We are closing in on what could be a fantastic round Still underpar Short little tricky hole here Just an iron off the tea Wind off the right hand side and down All the fairways sloping off to the right hand side But it’s just like some light rough down here Actually missing this fairway isn’t the end of the world And it left me only 100 yards to the pin Again following the practice rounds and following all my pre-planning all I wanted to do here was land it short of the green and let it roll up And I did that really well leaving myself an 18footer straight up the hill [Music] [Music] 400 yard par4 and I think I can get close to the green I hit a really good shot but I just missed my landing point In fact I didn’t I thought there was something weird after I hit the shot So this hole it’s pretty straight It’s pretty much straight down wind off the right hand side And the fairway just feeds very gently after the bunkers on the right hand side towards the green The green it’s raised at the front and then it goes pretty steeply downhill and then there’s like a McKenzie halfway So if you get it cresting the front of the green it’ll roll down and then it’ll be slowed by the McKenzie and the pin was on the back center of the surface So I knew if I got a good driveway even though it’s 400 yards I could probably breach the front of the green and actually roll it down towards the pin Sounds crazy but you know it’s a it’s a good good chance for an eagle on this hole even though it’s so long And I’m just looking at this T-shot and I thought I’d hit a really good ball and I had This was really good It left me with one of the most difficult short game shots I faced in a while To get this ball close to the pin and I can’t even go straight at the pin here I have to land it just over the bunker on the right in like a little hollow So there’s a dead bounce and it will release on because it is downwind Now I’m aiming here to finish the ball to the right of the pin and leave myself a little uphill put So again the discipline to be able to not go for the hole from this type of distance was lacking in the last few years My mental approach and my decision making was just so much better this round and I hit my spot perfectly Leave myself a little little pill put left to right That’s it What a great ball that was So happy And what that does it puts me two under par with two to play Both 17 and 18 are dangerous holes You know we can make big numbers here if we don’t concentrate So I managed to snap my attention back pretty much straight away Beyond this pin is a bunker Short is water So I erred on the side of caution struck a lovely pitching wedge I don’t want it to get knocked down because it’s downwind And actually hit a decent shot It only just crept into the bunker but this lie Oh my god We zoom Have we zoomed in on this at any point mate
I can do
Honestly it’s semiplugged with all the sand behind the ball So I knew that I could hit this relatively hard It’s back into wind I’m going to try and get as much elevation as possible And if it finishes past the hole absolutely fine People getting nervous Yeah So that’s water down there It’s fine I don’t I still don’t know why everyone was getting so antsy about that I had full control There was no problems All I need to do is leave myself an uphill put here A little two put Again actually lacking in pace So there’s a few instances in this round where again my pace putting wasn’t quite up to scratch where I left the ball short of the hole However having said that I would rather be leaving it that far short than hitting it 6 foot past which has been the problem One on the par last hole par five out of bounds all the way down the right hand side thick trees in a water hazard to the left We’re at this point where open qualification getting through regionals is something which I’ve always struggled with has always been a huge mental hurdle I’ve always believed that I’ve had the ability to get through this point You know I’ve been playing well enough in the last few years to give myself that confidence but the crippling amount of kind of anxiety that I felt during open qualification in the past has really just put me in a shell that I’ve been unable to get out of So on this last T I have a choice Do I hit a four iron or an iron to the left and play this hole as like a pure par five really try and take the big number out of the equation or do I stick to my process Do I stick to my plan because I know exactly how far I can hit this driver and on what line to carry all the trouble and pitch it on the fairway and give myself a short iron into this green And I am so proud no matter what happens that I stuck to my plan and I had the courage and I had the coahones to actually hit this shot [Music] [Music] I I cannot I can honestly say that over those over those first 14 holes I didn’t have a clue where that ball was going Not not a clue
Yeah Which is not ideal
I just didn’t I couldn’t feel anything So annoying And the question is really do we continue And is it worth it [Music] I’d be happy to hit the ball as well as Pete hit it today So it’s not a physical thing it’s a mental thing So he needs a better attitude So he can’t be disappointed with less than perfection Very first thing that was very noticeable was the weight of expectation that he placed on himself [Music] This is a process It’s a process It’s a process Okay [Music] Heat Heat [Music] Heat Heat [Music] [Music] [Applause] Come [Music] on [Music] Nice [Music] tough Right
Yeah I need a drink
Mistakes in the car Do one sec [Music] I’ll uh back this up I was going to dump this stuff in the car A moment of meself Cheers bud Thank you So as you can see from the leaderboard I qualified and I actually was joined first place in open qualifying which is unbelievable And I’m so happy and I’m so proud that I’ve managed to get through this regional stage which honestly has just been a a massive mental book and a massive mental hurdle and the work that I’ve been putting in this year on that side of the game Um just yeah really happy that I managed to get through this point and it was a little bit a little bit emotional after the round Um managed to keep myself in check which is nice just managed to keep my stiff upper lip firmly intact
I am British and I will not show emotion
cuz I am a man
But even though this is a great achievement for me and it validates a lot of work that we’ve done this is ultimately the first stage I have two more rounds now on the same day at Dund links that is taking place on Tuesday and I’m going to be playing with two European tour pros The field is stacked We have Lee Westwood playing We have Adrien playing We have my swing hero Alex Noran playing It’s going to be quite the day It’s going to be quite the experience And ultimately 36 holes away from being at the open [Music] Let’s see how we go

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