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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, July 23, 2009

It's nice getting back into the swing of things


    By Parker McLachlin

     • Wie starts European swing with eye on Solheim Cup

    Join us as we travel on the PGA Tour with Parker McLachlin, a former Punahou athlete. McLachlin, Waikoloa's touring pro, will write his impressions on events that he has just completed and tournaments that are coming up on his calendar.

    Aloha from Ontario, Canada!

    We are north of the border this week for the RBC Canadian Open. Before talking a little bit more about this week, I want to take some time to elaborate on last week's tournament in Milwaukee.

    It was great week at the U.S. Bank Championship for a number of reasons, most notably because it was my first made cut in a while. I had been feeling good about my golf swing in previous weeks, but really felt like it all came together over the course of the tournament this past week. It was fun to play well and be able to see the ball go where I was anticipating it to go. It was fun playing the weekend, getting four competitive rounds in during the week, and fun to have meaningful putts on Sunday. I posted a solid number (66) on Sunday, allowing me to move up the leaderboard.

    I feel like I'm finally taking ownership of my golf swing and the results from last week surely give me confidence moving forward. In addition to some solid play, it was great fun playing with Jerry Kelly. Jerry, who is from Wisconsin and a former Badger, was clearly the crowd favorite out. He was exempt for the British Open, but decided to bypass the tournament to stay and play in Milwaukee.

    As for this week, we're in Canada for the 100th edition of the RBC Canadian Open. It's a very prestigious tournament and has an extremely impressive list of past champions, including Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, Byron Nelson and Sam Snead. This is my second time playing the event having played last year and I really enjoy the course. In addition, I have to say it's nice playing north of the border where the high temperatures are in the mid 70s, compared to the 100-plus in Arizona.

    I'm excited about this week with the confidence I've carried over from last week. I feel like I can get in a rhythm early and start thinking about contending on Thursday, instead of just thinking about playing the weekend. This event is also where I started having some great feelings last year leading up to my win at the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open. Hopefully those good feelings can come back again and really springboard me into the final third of the season. I'm really looking forward to heading back to Reno in a couple of weeks to defend, but excited about the opportunities I have right now.

    Thanks again for all your support. I'll check in with you again next week.