Having a two week break from competition
has it pros and cons. It was enjoyable
to spend a couple of weeks with my
family, but I missed two tournaments
(the Colonial and the Memorial) I would
have liked to play in. Both of the
aforementioned tournaments were
invitational competitions. Based on my
reshuffle number I didn’t get in either
nor was I extended an invite to play.
During my two week hiatus my family and
I traveled to New England to celebrate
my son’s first birthday and spend some
time with my parents and brother. While
we were home PH Horgan and I teamed up
with seven local professionals to play
with twenty-eight junior golfers in the
Spinal Technology Pro Junior Classic at
Swansea Short Course.
The
tournament was coordinated by my brother
Dave, who oversees the Challenge Cup
Junior Golf Foundation. The Challenge
Cup offers junior golfers from the
Northeast some tremendous
opportunities. My dad and a couple of
his friends started the program (in
1983) when I was a junior golfer and my
brother has taken it to another level.
The event was a fun-filled competition.
PH and I were assigned to two holes on
the course, thus each of the juniors had
an opportunity to play with two PGA Tour
professionals. It was nice to meet some
of my biggest fans, as I have been told
that a fair amount of the juniors (and
parents) read my blog and follow me on
real-time scoring and TV. PH and I had
a ball. We signed a bunch of autographs
and witnessed some great shot-making.
It was nice to give back to the kids and
a program which has done so much for New
England junior golfers.
A day
later we celebrated my son Nicholas’
first birthday….party hats and all. It
was a nice day. The party was hosted at
my in-laws house (Tim & Mary Branco).
They and my parents have made life on
Tour a lot easier for my wife and me.
It has been a great comfort knowing my
wife has the resource of my parents and
her’s while I am away.
After
two weeks off it felt good to be back in
a competitive environment. My caddie
Tim Duffy and I got to the tournament
site early and we spent a couple of days
fine tuning my game. I was confident I
would be having a big week.
For
the second consecutive tournament though
and third in four events my ability to
play on the weekend came down to the
final few holes. After a two-putt
birdie at the par-5 16th hole
I was right on the number. I knew two
pars would get me to the weekend…..and
considering how difficult the conditions
had been, I felt like I could make a big
move on the weekend. The first two days
it was extremely windy (sustained 20mph
winds and 30mph gusts). Unfortunately,
an errant drive at the 17th
and a bad break after a decent recovery
shot led to a double-bogey and another
short week.
Over
the past six weeks, since I have come
back from some health issues I have been
struggling to revisit my early season
success. While it is somewhat
frustrating, I know that I am pretty
close to breaking through. I am
confident when every facet of my game
clicks I can win out here. I just need
to stay patient and stay committed to
practicing hard.
This
upcoming weekend is another one of those
pro, con weekends. I missed the
sectional qualifier for the US Open last
week, thus I will not be playing for one
of golf’s most prestigious championships
at a course (Torrey Pines) I love. I am
excited for fellow New Englanders Brett
Quigley, Pat Sheehan and Kevin Silva,
who will be playing. Good luck guys.
Obviously, I am disappointed I will not
be playing, but I will now be able to
attend an awards ceremony at Doral for
my dad, who has been named Father of the
Year by Golfweek. He is truly deserving
of this award. He has been a father
figure to so many young men and women.
My brother (Dave) tells me he often runs
into his former students and players
from his days as a high school teacher
and hockey coach at Johnston HS. Upon
talking with those people, virtually all
of them speak fondly of my father’s
positive influence on their lives.
Currently my father continues to mold
our future leaders at Johnson & Wales
University in Miami, Florida. He has
spent a lifetime being a father to all
of us.
The
following week I will be in New England
to play in the Travelers Championship at
the TPC Cromwell. I am hopeful I will
see a great deal of you there. Coming
home is always special.
Hopefully by the time I post my next
blog the Celtics will be world champs.
Go Green!
Cheers,
Brad
Adamonis
