This month’s column writing position is a little different – I’m sitting in the Hilton Garden Inn, Charlotte, North Carolina on the Tuesday of the Wells Fargo PGA Tour event. I’m here thanks to finishing in the top five in the Zurich Classic alongside Tommy Fleetwood. Golf really is a crazy game!
There were two obvious highlights from my week with Tommy – my hole-in-one on Friday for a start, then our 72nd hole on Sunday. We were really struggling as a team on Friday, lingering around the cut mark at five over-par for the day. To say we needed a boost was an understatement! I hit a perfect held up fade five iron into a right to left wind from 220 yards, it landed well short of the pin on the firm greens and found its way into the hole. We couldn’t see it go in but the crowd went nuts and so did we. Not as nuts as we got on Sunday though!
We played really well in the final round and were sitting in the top 10 playing the 18th hole. I knew that a top-five finish would get me into the following week and a birdie on 18 might do the job. After a good drive from me and a perfect three wood by Tommy, I had a 47-yard pitch. Tommy said as I walked to the ball “I’ll leave the putter in the bag mate, I won’t need it”. There were thousands of people in the grandstands, I had some family and friends there. I played the perfect shot and it dropped in!
It was the first time I have ever lost control on the course, I went crazy and so did Tommy. We jumped around like idiots and he even gave me a peck on the cheek! I’ve had some special moments on the course this year but that was the most pumped up I have ever been. It made us a lot more money and got me into the Wells Fargo, but most of all it was such a buzz. It’s something you see other golfers do and hope you get to do something like it one day.
This season has been full of incredible highlights and it’s only May. I am loving my time on the course and I am just going to keep working hard and riding the wave for as long as I can.
