Good Golf at the Symetra Tour in Michigan (and in Vallda, Sweden)
30.06.2017 23:58
I am now all settled in the US and the jetlag is pretty much gone. I flew in Sunday night to Chicago where Ellinor picked me up. Lauren (Ellinor's friend with whoms family we stayed the first couple of days) had just arrived on another flight that same evening, so we timed each other pretty well. On Monday we played a great golf course, Makray Golf Club. It was a nearby course in excellent condition with speedy greens with lots of slopes and undulations. I actually did not play too bad, and finished -3 in my last 4 holes, still shooting 75. But I was happy with that in plenty of wind.
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One of the pretty par 3 holes at Makray
Later that evening we went close to downtown Chicago where we met up with Lauren's boyfriend who I have met once together with Lauren when they visited Sweden a few years back. They are both really great people and it was nice to catch up over some greek food.
On Tuesday we steered Ellinor's Volvo toward Canadian Lakes in Michigan for the Symetra Tour event at Tullymore. It is a magnificent course with plenty of pretty holes. And the conditions are of course excellent. We spent three days preparing for the tournament, including 36 holes of play, plenty of time on the practice greens and some range. We also went to the gym for some workout on Wednesday. Yesterday we walked through some stores after an early day at the course, and we finished the day with a movie and lights out at 21.00.
Gorgeous view over the 18th hole at Tullymore
Today was the first tournament day, and it was an early one. Ellinor's tee time was at 7.52, the third group off. It was expected to rain pretty heavily today, but we did not see a single drop of water coming from the sky all day, not even later on during the day. This was a pleasant surprise, and the weather turned out to be very comfortable for golf. Ellinor started off the day with a birdie on the first hole. After making bogey on number two, she made a few really good up and downs in a row, before making two birdies in a row, making the 9-hole turn at -2. She played very solid on the back, but unfortunately the birdie putts didn't fall. A few shots that ended up on the wrong side of the hole led to a few bogeys on the back, and she finished the day at even par. My job today has been heavily focused on green reading, but I have also been helping out with and discussing club selections, targets, wind and so on. It was a fun day, and tomorrow we are off for another 18 holes at 12.42.
Ellinor is not the only one playing good golf though. My brother, Marcus, is playing the Swedish Junior Championship in strokeplay at Vallda, and he is tied for the lead at -2 going in to the third round. He has been playing great golf lately and has finished 2nd in two straight junior events. Will tomorrow be "tredje gången gillt" (translates to "third time's a charm)? I think it will!
Marcus at the Swedish Junior Championship