Randy Haag's Golf Blog

The weather in south Florida can change in a matter of minutes if  not seconds. The wind was blowing from the Southeast and suddenly the temperature dropped 10-15 degrees and the wind changed and blew like crazy from the Northeast. This is a VERY tough wind, and today was a very tough day for golf at the famed Seminole course in Juno Beach Florida.

Sometimes it hard for me to write these updates after shooting my worst competitive round in two years (81). I made mistakes right and left and threw away shots that only I am suffering over right now. I could describe each hole to you and give you the gory details, but whats the use, people only ask “what did you shoot”. Yesterday I was excited to say 72, and today disgusted to say 81.

I stated earlier that I am NOT a proficient bunker player, and today I had my ass exposed in many windblown bunkers that just just plain kicked my ass. I think ass is okay to use here…if you object to the language let me know?

My ass kicking started at #2 and ended on #18 where I had 74 yards to the pin for my second shot, and walked off with a double bogey 6. I do not like being in bunkers for many reasons, the main reason is sometime I dig the club into the sand and leave the ball in the bunker (a wasted shot) and then sometimes I skull the shot way long and do even worse damage to my score. I just plain don’t like bunkers. This WONDERFUL golf course has 180+ bunkers to deal with and if your OFF YOUR GAME…they will get you, and beat you, like they did to me today.

Despite perfect tee shots on 8-18 I was unable to get into a proper groove other than the birdie, par, birdie start to the back nine. That wonderful start was quickly derailed with a bunker shot on 13 that I left in the bunker and made a double bogey 5. Double bogeys RUIN rounds, and I suffered through 4 of them (enough for three months). The wind from the North was strong and relentless. Well out of the tournament and looking for redemption in round 3, I hope to play well tomorrow and finish in the top 10. I will need a good score, probably close to par. The weather again calls for wind and possible thunder and lightning, with temperatures in the mid 80’s

I did have the pleasure of playing with Wesley Pate and Kelly Miller. Kelly has perhaps the best bunker game I’ve ever seen, I think we counted 6 out of 7 up and ins along with a hole out from the back bunker on the 5th hole. He makes the shot look so easy, he keeps his lower body very still and judges his distances beautifully. Even not hitting the ball as good as he usually does, Kelly shot a very solid 74 today and stands in 4th place after 2 rounds.

MID AM SCORES

1 John Engler 65-75–140

2 Tim Jackson 75-68–143

3 Mike McCoy 69-75–144

4 Kelly Miller 73-74–147

5 Jon Veneziano 73-75–148

6 Robert Gregorski 77-72–149

Michael Barbosa 74-75–149

8 Gene Elliott 76-74–150

Wesley Pate 73-77–150

10 Eoghan O’Connell 72-79–151

11 Bryan Norton 79-73–152

John McClure 78-74–152

Skip Berkmeyer 77-75–152

Kris Mikkelsen 77-75–152

15 Roger Newsom 76-77–153

R.J. Nakashian 75-78–153

Tim Hume 76-77–153

Stephen Anderson 74-79–153

Randy Haag 72-81–153

20 Trent Brown 79-75–154

Scott Harvey 78-76–154

Steve Harwell 77-77–154

Grady Brame 77-77–154

24 Gary Nicklaus 79-76–155

Tripp Davis 78-77–155

David Abell 77-78–155

Christopher Reeves 76-79-155

28 Trip Kuehne 80-76–156

Steve White, Jr. 80-76–156

Jamie Neher 78-78–156

Craig Doell 74-82–156

32 Robert Gerwin II 77-80–157

33 Roger Hoit 75-83–158

34 Bert Atkinson 82-77–159

35 Patrick Duffy 77-83–160

36 Tommy Brennan 82-79–161

Pete Williams 80-81–161

Mark Knecht 78-83–161

Justin Schulte 78-83–161

David Nelson 78-83–161

41 Stephen Summers 84-78–162

42 Adrian Reed 80-84–164

43 Arnold Cutrell 85-82–167

Nathaniel Crosby 86-81–167

Dennis Kavelman 76-91–167

46 John Fulkerson 87-81–168

47 Greg Rohlf 84-85–169

48 Tom Nolan 80-91–171

49 John Pinkham 88-87–175

50 Bill Hadden, III 88-93–181