They say golfers reach their prime in their thirties. Today I’ve reached the epicenter (I’m turning 35 years old) and the truth is that I had something else in mind. I never thought that my American adventure would come to a halt and an end in the Web.com Tour, but I suppose that along the way, many times we encounter obstacles. Obstacles that force you to grow and mature as a golfer and as a person.
It’s been a difficult year on the course. Better said, very difficult. Things never turned out quite right, especially in the first half of the season, when I missed 13 out of the first 18 cuts of the year, something that has never happened to me before in my entire 10 years as a professional golfer. The lowest moment was probably when I finished with a triple bogey on the 9th hole at Hartford, missing the cut by just one shot. The disqualification for not signing the card in Columbus, Ohio wasn’t easy to digest either. I remember both of those moments vividly: alone in the locker room, sitting in front of my locker, thinking that the long run of bad scores would never let up, that the American dream was coming to an end.
And the things is that all golfers at one point in time in their professional careers go through difficult phases. Various golf legends come to mind, but I would rather not name them so no one can criticize me in saying that I’m comparing myself to them. By no means. I’m only saying, each at their own level of course, that all golfers, without exception, go through a tough spell at some point in their career. It’s how you confront those difficult moments and how you attempt to overcome them that is truly what defines you as a golfer.
There are surely many people who think I should go back to Europe, return to the European Tour and try to get my game back and, more importantly, my confidence. It would be a lie to say that thought didn’t cross my mind throughout this year, but I think that would be the ‘easy’ way out. Things would have been difficult for me in Europe as well the way I’ve been playing lately. I truly believe I have a high enough level of golf to be able to compete in the PGA Tour, although unfortunately I haven’t been able to show it properly since I moved to the US almost two years ago. America has turned into a challenge for me and I’m ready and willing to go up against it once again.
