MyGolfingGoals Academy players Andrew O’Leary and Owen Murphy took 1st & 2nd place in the 2010 New England Junior Open Championship last week. O’Leary shot his career low round to take home the title, which was his first ever tournament win.
“Andrew and Owen have been working incredibly hard on their games this summer and it is paying off.” said coach Bill McInerney. “They really enjoy practicing and competing. They are wonderful to work with, and I am very proud of both of them!”
Andrew O'Leary... 2010 New England Junior Open Champion
MyGolfingGoals Academy would like to congratulate 14 year old Katharine Fortin for winning the Callaway NEPGA Junior Campbells Scottish Highlands Championship, the girls 14-18 year old division. Katharine racked up four birdies for the day, which included birdies on her final two holes - AWESOME finish! This was Katharine’s first ever tournament win! We are all very proud of you Katharine… keep up the great work!
Earlier this year I interviewed Justin Peters before he had even tee’d it up in a Nationwide event this year. He was basically waiting for the reshuffle and his chance to play. Justin’s journey to this point in his career has been a long one, but just like his ringtone “Don’t stop believing”, he hasn’t. Justin is starting to see some great success on the Nationwide Tour and has made 4 of 7 cuts. His best finish coming at the Melwood Prince George’s County Open where he finished T12.
You seem to be playing with a lot of confidence right now. Is there anything that you could point to as a reason you are starting to see so much more success?
Justin Peters: I would say I am starting to see more success because of the mental training I have been doing over the last couple of years. Working with my coach Bill McInerney and utilizing www.MyGolfingGoals.com has made a huge improvement on following the map to reach my goals.
You’re making a lot of great progress, making 4 of 7 cuts so far this year. After struggling to get to this level for so many years, how good does it feel to be out there, especially being in the final group over both days on the weekend in Maryland?
Justin Peters: It makes all the struggles worth it. There have been many people who thought I was crazy for sticking with it and taking so many financial risks, but I never stopped believing that I could do it. Even though I still have a long way to go to get to where I want to be, I am now a lot closer. Being able to experience the final group for two days in a row was awesome. We all work our butts off to try and get into the final group to be in position to win. I know I didn’t win this time, but as long as I keep putting myself in contention, the wins will come.
MyGolfingGoals Academy player, James Imai, clinched another victory at the US Kids Hartford Spring Tour Championship. James had a challenging start to his day, but stayed patient, persevered, and played the last 3 holes at 2 under par after holing out a 25 yard pitch shot for an eagle.
This was James’ third win of the season on the Hartford Spring Tour. With this win, James captured Player of The Year honors - along with getting him a special invitation into the US Kids World Championships, which will be held at Pinehurst Resort in early August.
MyGolfingGoals Academy at McGolf is pleased to announce that our Director of Golf and Player Development, Bill McInerney, has been ranked #1 on the New England Golf Monthly’s Top 25 Best Instructors list for 2010. NEGM’s Top 25 in New England Golf Awards are voted on by the golfer, the media and the industry.
The ranking of the list can be found in copies of New England Golf Monthly Magazine, or by visiting the New England Golf Monthly website.
McInerney was also recently named to the Honorable Mention list of the U.S. Kids Golf Top 50 Best Kids Teachers in America, for overall excellence and commitment to serving youth.
Congratulations to 9 Year Old James Imai for taking home his first victory of 2010. Yesterday, James sank an 8 foot putt for birdie on the final hole to win the US Kids, Hartford Spring Tours first event. Way to kick off the season James!!!
Some of you may recognize Justin Peters from the very first season of The Big Break challenge on The Golf Channel in 2003. Justin was the inaugural champion and ever since has been hard at work on his game to try and get to that next level. I actually first met Justin almost 18 years ago while playing junior golf tournaments in Massachusetts. Orignally from Pembroke, MA he was 15 years old and myself about a year older. Watching his game, he made an immediate impression on me, and even more so when he told me it was only his second season playing golf and was already a 1 handicap. He obviously had an unbelievable natural talent for the game. Justin and I would go on to meet each other again occassionally in high school matches, where unfortunately I always fared on the losing end.
Peters made it to the final stage of Q-school this past December for the first time in 11 attempts. Like many mini-tour veterans, taking on the extreme financial burden of bankrolling themselves to try and fulfill their dream of one day making it to the PGA Tour, Justin has often contemplated giving up his PGA Tour aspirations. Making it to the final stage for the first time has given him new hope, as well as the confidence of knowing he’s possibly one step closer to that prestigious moniker of “PGA Tour player”.
You currently have conditional status on the Nationwide Tour this year. Can you clarify what that actually means, to give us an idea of some possible tournaments to keep an eye out for you at this year?
Justin Peters: To be a full member of the Nationwide tour you need to finish 26-60 on last years money list. Also, at Q-school top 25 and ties get PGA tour cards and the next number nearest 50 after that get full Nationwide status. The conditional members are the ones that finished from 61-100 on last years money list and everyone else that was at final stage of Q-school. After 7 events there will be a reshuffle according to money earned and that will determine who gets into the next 5 events. There will be a reshuffle after every 5 events. My best chance of getting into an event is probably the 9th event in South Carolina. I will attempt to monday qualify for the events before that. My first qualifying attempt will be March 22nd in Louisiana.
You’ve made 11 trips to Q-school and this past year you made it to the final stage for the first time. Talk a little bit about the confidence you gained from that experience and what you took away from it.
Justin Peters: It feels amazing to finally have made it to the finals of Q-school. Financially I should have probably quit about 5 years ago. I have never stopped believing I can do it and that I belong on the PGA tour. This year at second stage was the most internal pressure I have ever felt. I knew that if I didn’t make it through I was going to be forced to quit pursuing the dream. I gained a lot of confidence from performing the way I did under that pressure. I have shown improvement every year. I truly enjoy the journey of getting better. I have many friends on the Nationwide and PGA tours. I feel comfotable out there and I am looking forward to the upcoming years.
How do you feel about where your game is right now? Are there any aspects of it that you aren’t happy with and feel you need more work on?
Justin Peters: I feel very good about my game right now. I have been working with Bill McInerney Jr. for the last couple of years. I have seen great progress. He made it very clear to me some of the changes I needed to make. I would say only about 20% were physical changes. He helped me understand the importance of organizing goals and creating action plans to reach those goals. He also helped me understand how to focus only on the things you have control of. He has made an amazing website to help everyone with these sort of things. The website iswww.mygolfinggoals.com. I feel I don’t have any weak parts of my game right now, but I feel I have room for improvement in every area.
Currently you’re playing with no sponsorships, taking on all the financial burden yourself of trying fulfill your dream. Does that give you an added level of stress when playing or attempting to play your way in to tournaments? Or are you able to mentally block that aspect out of the equation?
Justin Peters: For ten years of playing professional I have had to deal with money issues almost every year. I was fortunate enough to play two of those years with a full sponsor and that is when I played my best golf. I was only trying to win trophies. I used to have a very hard time dealing with the fact that I needed to make a check to pay bills. I have gotten much better over the years with dealing with that adversity. Even though I have been winning a lot of tournaments in the last couple of years, I have not been able to break even financially. I have been relying on my friends at Chase and Capital One for their support. Lucky for me they only charge 10% interest!
A congratulations goes out to MyGolfingGoals Academy student, Justin Peters, for moving on to the PGA Tour’s Final Qualifying stage. After a 5th place finish at first stage, Justin went on to fire rounds of 68-67-72-67 in second stage - at the very difficult Hombre Golf Club, in Panama City, Florida.
The final stage of PGA Tour qualifying will be held December 2-7 at Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. This grueling event will be contested over 6 rounds (108 holes) and only the low 25 scores and ties will earn their PGA Tour cards for the 2010 season. The rest of the field will have some degree of status on the Nationwide Tour. The purse for the event is $1,012,500 with $50,000 going to the champion.
Watch live on The Golf Channel. Here are the TV Times:
Dec. 5th 1pm-4pm
Dec. 6th 1pm-4pm
Dec. 7th 12:30pm-4pm
For the third consecutive year, Bill McInerney was recognized by Golf Range Magazine as one of the Top 50 Best Golf Instructors in North America working at golf ranges, academies, and learning centers.
