Parker and Kristy's Blog

2010-07-08T07:39:00.001-07:00

Hilton Head, SC

2010-04-17T06:09:00.001-07:00

this is the photo I captured on friday! didn't want to get to close to the water :-)

Courage Awards

2010-04-01T11:22:00.000-07:00

Parker and I had the incredible honor of attending the 17th Annual Courage Awards with our good friend DJ Gregory! Parker was invited as the presenter for DJ's 2010 Courage Award. The award is presented by the Tempe Sports Authority Foundation to courageous Athletes who inspire people across the nation. The night was filled with wonderful people, all with inspiring stories of courage. It was a fabulous evening and we thank the Tempe Sports Authority Foundation and DJ for including us!

Parker introducing DJ

Presenting DJ with the 2010 Courage Award

Sun Valley Trip

2010-03-31T12:46:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a fabulous get away in Sun Valley. It was a perfect relaxing weekend to recharge the batteries for a demanding golf season ahead. We love that town and enjoyed a wonderful vacation with great friends! Here are some highlights...

Just about to Land in Sun Valley

Thank you Tempus Jets for the memorable ride into Sun Valley

All the boys at the local hockey game! Go Suns!

Ready to hit the slopes!

Last Meal .... Grumpy's - Best burgers in town!!

West Coast Swing 2010

2010-03-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

It always seems like I upload the photos from the West Coast Swing around end of March! It is such a crazy and fun time that it just flies by before we have a chance to share it all! Here are some of the highlights from our journey!

Sony Open, Honolulu Hawaii

*** DJ Gregory sharing his story with the La Pietra Varsity & JV Girls Basketball Teams, (organized by Parker's Mom, Beth McLachlin - Teacher at La Pietra)

Blessing in a Backpack Program in Hawaii

The PGA TOUR Wives Association partnered with Blessings in Backpack and Friends of Hawaii Charities (Charity sponsor of the Sony Open) to feed Hawaii's underprivileged school children. The program provides undernourished school children food for the weekends. Participating schools have seen dramatic increases in test scores, reduced number of school nurse visits on Monday, increased attention/focus in the classrooms! To learn more about how to get involved... visit http://www.blessingsinabackpack.org/

Parker Paddle boarding
Unfortunately Parker missed the cut at the Sony but we spent our weekend enjoying the water and trying out Paddle Boarding!

Sunset View
last evening before we had to leave

Waste Management Open - Phoenix, AZ

***

Blessings in Backpack Program in Phoenix
The PGA TOUR Wives Association partnered with the Thunderbirds to enable children from 7 different schools to now benefit from the Blessings in a Backpack program! It was wonderful to see this program expand in Arizona and make a difference for the children in our own community.

Sunday Afternoon at the Phoenix Open
Our great friend Andrew caddied for Parker at the Phoenix Open!

2010

2010-01-08T16:29:00.000-08:00

Parker and I are loving being back in Hawaii. Its been a full year since he has been back home. We've spent this week catching up with family friends, and of course fitting some beach time and practice time in.

We had a great off season spending most of the time at home. We were able to get in a great routine and enjoy getting settled into our new place. Our highlight was probably hosting our very first Thanksgiving at our home. It was so much fun and hope will be a tradition for many years to come!

Right now Parker is on the Big Island hosting his junior clinic at Waikoloa! It is always such a treat to be back there and spend some time with the kids.

Parker has continued to put in a lot of hard work on his swing and has been focused on developing his strength and conditioning during this off season... or "pre season" as we like to call it. Now that we have arrived in Hawaii, we are truly excited to embark on the new season ahead.

Looking forward to kicking it all off at Sony next week!

Happy 2010!

Kristy & Parker

Wrapping up 2009

2009-11-19T20:56:00.000-08:00

Its hard to believe that the season has now officially come to an end. We had a great last PGA TOUR event of 2009 in Florida. We stayed with Parker's coach, Sean Foley, and his family. We had so much fun getting to spend time with them, especially their 19mo. old. Fun dinners at the house and happy hour on their patio. We also spent a few of the nights with Stephen Ames and his son. Sean is Stephen's coach as well so we had some great "Team Foley" get togethers.

Parker and Stephen were paired together during the first two rounds of the tournament which was a great experience for Parker. Even though Parker didn't make the cut I think he was able to take away some great things from the golf course that week. On Sunday we offered to babysit so the Foley's could go out and watch Stephen and Justin Rose (another one of Sean's students) in the final round. Both were playing well that week and had a chance to win. Parker and I watched it on TV and it was a blast to see Stephen go home with the trophy!

Now we are at the Callaway Invitational in Pebble Beach. It is so beautiful here, words can not describe. It is easily one of our favorite weeks of the year. Parker has had the chance to play Monterey Penisula Golf Club, the new addition to the Pebble Beach Invitational Tournament and Cypress with his 2009 Playing Partner Doug MacKenzie. Scott Simpson and Parker's Dad joined them for an epic day out on the golf course.

Today he played Pebble Beach and we couldn't have asked for more perfect weather. He had a great group of playing partners and is off to Del Monte tomorrow for day 2.

I love this tournament because you get to really appreciate the beauty of these golf courses. there are no spectators, grandstands, ropes, etc like in a regular PGA TOUR event. Just the guys on the course.

Viking Cancelled

2009-11-09T08:46:00.000-08:00

I still can't believe the Viking Classic was cancelled.

The tournament week basically went like this....

Thursday - alarm went off at 5 am... Parker and Ricky Barnes left for the course... txt messages from the Tour followed with 1/2 hr rain delay... 1 hr rain delay... 3 hr rain delay... day cancelled.... then practically the entire TOUR went to the nearby movie theater... We saw Michael Jackson's Movie (it was amazing!)

Friday - alarm went off at 5 am... Parker and Ricky left for the course... txt messages with 1/2 rain delay... 1 hr rain delay... 3 hr rain delay... day cancelled... once again - everyone went to the nearby movie theater... we saw Couples Retreat

Saturday - practice facilities were closed and we awaited news from the Tour.

Finally just before noon, it was announced that the event was cancelled - we hopped on a plane and headed home to phoenix :( I was so sad for all of the people at the tournament who worked so hard all year to put this event on. It was a shame that the weather just didn't allow this tournament to happen. It was especially a bummer since Parker seemed very ready to play that week.

Off the course we had a great time getting to stay with the parents of one of our very best friends. Ricky stayed there as well which made it a blast. We loved our time and Jackson and have to thank Tim and Jean for showing us such a great time. It was fun to connect with all of our extended friends there as well!

I was extra bummed that the tournament got cancelled because I was soooo looking forward to seeing one of my favorite chef's Tyler Florence do a cooking demonstration at the tournament on Saturday. We missed it because we ended up flying home that day. Once we got back to phoenix we turned on the golf channel and since there was no tournament to show they were airing the Tyler Florence Cooking segment. I was sad to have missed it but it was cool that they were still able to put it on and share it on the golf channel. We were inspired to cook that week at home!

Now we are in Orlando, Florida staying at Parker's coaches house. It is so nice to be able to be able to hang with him and his family. We are looking forward to a fun week! Last PGA TOUR event of the season... lets make it a great one!

Fall Series Kick Off

2009-10-28T12:45:00.001-07:00

After our break during the playoffs we are now back into the full swing of things. Turning Stone was so beautiful (and still very cold) but we loved it anyway! It felt like fall with the leaves changing color and the chill in the air. Parker had a great week but feel just short of the cut line. It was pretty heart breaking. I think it was actually the most bummed I had seen him all year. He has been so patient with his swing changes and has put in so much hard work this year. Now that he is getting so close to being able to convert his hard work to success on the golf course, his expectations are higher and higher. I know its coming.

The fall weather didn't last too long because after Turning Stone we headed back out to Vegas. Since an entire week on the Strip can be a bit overwhelming, I took full advantage of getting to explore a different part of Las Vegas with my girlfriend Sybi Kuchar. We went on a hike in Red Rock Canyon and it was an amazing getaway. I had no idea that Las Vegas could be so beautiful.

For the second year in a row the highlight of the Vegas tournament was when Justin Timberlake's mother put on an amazing luncheon for all of the girls!!! It was a blast and was topped off by a fun visit from Justin himself!!! Here is the picture that we captured, poor guy - you can barely see him in this mob of women!

On the course, Parker had a great week in Vegas, scoring really well the first couple of days and then not getting as much as he wanted to out of the round over the wekeend. All in all it was a great week with another incredible Justin Timberlake and Friends Concert.

After fun week at home for the Frys.com Open we have arrived in Jackson, MS for the Viking Classic. Parker had another solid week last week so hopefully he will have lots of momentum coming into this tournament. His swing defintiely seems to be coming together so it has been getting exciting to see how things will develop on the golf course.

Getting Ready for Fall

2009-09-08T21:42:00.000-07:00

Since Parker is not a part of the playoffs this year, he has had some great time to prepare for the fall. With a visit to Florida to see his coach, he has been able to get some great practice in and get into a consistent workout schedule. Although we would have loved to have been in the playoffs this year, being home has been a wonderful treat. We recently moved and have been using this time to work on some home projects! I think this break from a tournament schedule was just what we both needed to get ready for the fall series. We are looking forward to Turning Stone first, it is always one of our favorite events of the year. Hopefully it will be warmer than last year!!! I'm bringing my hat and gloves just in case!

Ready for more House Projects!

Defending Champion

2009-08-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

Returning to Reno has been one of the highlights of the year! Even though I missed out on the win last year, just being back to the course gave me goosebumps. Everyone was so wonderful. We had the whole family to support which made the week so much fun! Thanks to everyone who came out and walked with us. Especially the Andersons who graciously hosted Parker once again this year, baby Jason for making Reno his first golf tournament ever, and DJ Gregory who walked Reno for the first time (since he was at the Bridgestome Championship during his 2008 PGA Journey). It was such a special week - thank you!

Before Reno, we had a family reunion (on Parker's side) the week before the tournament. It was the greatest week! It was very relaxing but still kept us in the competitive spirit. Oh yes, there were family competitions in volleyball, bocce ball, and baggo. We even had a golf day with the whole family. It was my first time playing on a golf course ever! When Parker and I were first dating we went to the driving range a couple of times, but since golf has become such a large part of our lives, I just haven't really had the desire to play during our "down time." His Aunt let me borrow her clubs and we played a scramble! That is such a fun way to play golf, I had no idea it could be so fun.... a lot less pressure on my shots ;-)

Fort Worth

2009-05-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

Another week of great progress for Parker. Though it hasn't quite shown in his score yet, I know that he feels like he is so close to putting it all together on the golf course. Even when he ended his friday round with a Tin Cup like moment, he still managed to leave his mark at the Colonial... check out his best shot of the tournament!

Sports Center Top 10

"Walking with Friends"

2009-05-04T19:13:00.000-07:00

It was a great week in Charlotte, one of our favorite events of the year. I absolutely love the town and Parker loves the course. Works out well for everyone! Now we are in Ponte Vedra, Florida. We rented a condo on the beach this week...we have Parker's Dad, Coach, and Sports Psychologist staying with us. The whole team is here!

Another reason that this week is extra special is that tomorrow May 5th is the date of our good friend DJ Gregory's book release. If you are a fan of golf you have probably heard his inspirational story, but just in case...check out it out below:

In the past year DJ has become a great friend and we are so excited for the launch of his book Walking with Friends: An Inspirational Year on the PGA Tour . Hope you can check it out!

With DJ and his family, holding his very first copy of the book

2009-04-27T14:35:00.000-07:00

Sad to say our New Orleans stay has come to an end. This week has been full of amazing food and amazing people! We got in early on Sunday and had a chance to check out the French Quarter Festival with one of my best friends. We saw an awesome local band called Trombone Shorty and made our way through all of the food stands... sampling all the food that we had missed so much over the year...gumbo, po'boys, jambalaya.

Then the best surprise of the week was when Parker got paired with Chef Emeril Lagasse during the Wednesday Pro Am. They had a blast together and that night we were fortunate enough to attend a Zurich Classic party at his restaurant Emeril's. Later in the week we checked out NOLA, his more casual but equally as delicious restaurant.

Parker & I with his cousin Holly at the Players Party at Acme Oyster House

During the day on Wednesday I participated in arts and crafts day with the children of St Michael's School and also had the chance to meet the CNN Hero of the Year. Her name is Liz McCartney, Director and Co-Founder of an amazing program called the St. Bernard Project. Their mission is to help rebuild the lives of the Katrina survivors. With the help of volunteers and donated materials, they rebuild the homes in the St. Bernard Parish so that families can return home. I hope to come back next year and volunteer with her organization http://www.stbernardproject.org/

On the course Parker made huge progress this week. Everything really came together for him during the first 2 days and it seemed like golf almost looked effortless. Unfortunately he had some back pains on Saturday which didn't allow him to get into any kind of rhythm on the course. Sunday he felt much better and was able to find some positive progress in his swing once again. Excited to be in Charlotte now, this is always one of Parker's favorite tournaments!

2009-03-15T21:59:00.000-07:00

This blog is especially dedicated to all the American Idol fans!

Today was a great reunion for Parker and his Pebble Beach Pro Am partner, Doug, and also a day where we had the chance to make a personal connection with one of the American Idol Finalist.

Parker, Doug, and friends had an awesome day of golf out at Whisper Rock and then we all met up for dinner out in Scottsdale at a restaurant called NoRTH. Through family ties, we were joined by the father of American Idol Finalist, Scott MacIntyre. What a wonderful guy. We are so thrilled for their whole family and will be rooting Scott on the rest of the way! Don't forget to vote on Tuesday. :-)

Marissa, Andrew, Doug, Parker, Kristy, Doug MacIntyre, & Jim at NoRTH in Scottsdale, AZ

Phil Mickelson, Charles Schawb, Doug MacKenzie, & Parker at the Pebble Beach Pro Am In February

Spring Training in Scottsdale

2009-03-14T22:08:00.000-07:00

This weekend Parker and I had the chance to check out a Spring Training Game in Scottsdale. Ever year we seem to be traveling at this time and always miss out on this huge attraction in AZ. It was such an awesome day for a baseball game. We got to watch the Giants vs. the Padres and of course were rooting for my old home team the Giants. Thanks to our friends at the Giants for such an awesome day!!!

2009-03-11T16:40:00.000-07:00

We just got back from an amazing long weekend in Sun Valley, ID. It was a great escape from the golf course and just what we needed to recharge for the next road trip. Special thanks to Cubby for helping us organize such an awesome weekend!

Parker in his new Oakley goggles - Thanks Oakley!

Parker & I on top of "Mt. Baldy"

West Coast Highlights

2009-02-24T19:27:00.000-08:00

So once again, the West Coast swing has gone by in a blink of an eye! I can't believe that it is already over...It is our favorite part of the year, but also the busiest. Here are some of the highlights!

Pre Tournament week ~ Hawaii

It all started with a basketball game with the President Elect, Barack Obama

Security was high

I guess word travels fast when the future President is in town

Mercedes-Benz Championship ~ Maui

Friends and Family joined us in the Mercedes Celebration

Parker's best friend Max proposed to his girlfriend Margaux

Sony Open ~ Oahu

This is what you do when you don't get to play on the weekend at the Sony Open...
Bocce Ball

& Canoeing at Sunset!!!

FBR Open ~ Phoenix

To jump start the week, Parker and I hosted a wine tasting on Monday of the FBR with Destination Cellars and Duckhorn Winery

Dave, one of Parker's best friend's, caddied for him at the FBR and helped him earn the first Top 20 finish of the year!

Buick Invitational ~ San Diego

I can't believe I made the February issue of InStyle Magazine! My head is the size of a pencil dot but its there!!! (I am just one of the 50 women surrounding Justin Timberlake during the Las Vegas Tournament in the bottom left photo!)

AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am ~ Pebble Beach

This is where we host our version of the Clambake!

And after getting paired with Phil Mickelson for the first 3 rounds of the AT&T, Phil graciously invited our group out for dinner (and our good friend even captured a quick pic with him!)

Northern Trust Open ~ Los Angeles

Only in LA would we get the opportunity to meet Bradley Bayou, a fashion designer to the stars and author of The Science of Sexy

Parker and UCLA Alumni including Kevin Chappel, Brandt Jobe, Scott McCarron, & Tom Pernice were introduced at half time during the Thursday night UCLA Basketball game against Washington

My grandparents even had the chance to enjoy their very first PGA TOUR Golf Tournament!

Finally, the weekend provided us with a little time off to go support Parker's brother Spencer in his Stanford Volleyball match against Northridge

***

Those are just some snapshots of our "off course" adventures! It has been a great West Coast swing! Thanks to everyone who made the effort to be there to share in these moments with us. It makes this journey truly incredible when we can share it with family and friends! See you in Florida!

Parker's First Mercedes Benz Championship

2009-01-13T19:46:00.001-08:00

I am actually writing this from San Diego... so its a little overdue. But I wanted to share these pictures from the Mercedes! It was such a wonderful week. I now know why all of the veterans on TOUR say this is their favorite tournament. There were so many things that made this week so special! Celebrating Parker's first Mercedes-Benz Championship in his home state could not have been more amazing! We would love to back here again in the near future!

Happy New Year

2008-12-29T20:18:00.000-08:00

Arriving in Hawaii at the end of December is our cue that the new season is about to begin. We can't think of anything better than being with family and friends in Hawaii to bring in the New Year.

This year was the first "off season" that Parker has experienced since he turned professional.

We kept pretty busy catching up on things at home and Parker dedicated himself to training and practicing. We also took a wonderful trip to Italy in early December. It is important to us to end the year with some time away where we can turn off all communication - no phones and no computers. Its amazing how cleansing and freeing it can be to just put down that Blackberry. It allowed us to reflect on the previous year and prepare for new season right around the corner. Ironically, the exact time of our trip to Italy was the week of 3rd stage of Q-School. This was Parker's first year to not have to return to Q-School, so we toasted with great appreciation of all of his hard work.

Ponte Vecchio Bridge in Florence

Tenute Silvio Nardi Winery in Montalcino

With our friends Andrew & Marissa at Altesino Winery in Montalcino

The most exciting event surrounding the New Year was the opportunity we had to meet President Elect, Barack Obama. Parker's father, Chris McLachlin, was Obama's varsity basketball coach at Punahou. We have all followed the extensive media coverage of Obama's love for the game, and anxiously awaited the reunion between player and coach.

While he was here vacationing on the island, the President Elect gathered some former teammates and headed to the gym for a pick up game at his old high school. The game just wouldn't have been complete without their coach and the night before ....Chris, Parker, and his brother Spencer received the invitation to join him for a game.

So on their very first meeting, Parker guarded Obama, and Obama guarded Parker!

After the game, the rest of the family was permitted to gather in the athletic office for a short get together with the basketball gang. To our surprise the future President of the United States said...how about a family picture...

Time to Exhale

2008-10-11T09:32:00.000-07:00

Its hard to believe that Parker's second season on the PGA TOUR has finally come to an end. As long as the year has been, it has all flown by so incredibly fast. (I know...I think I say that every year!) The end of the golf season seemed to come at perfect timing. I could tell Parker was running on fumes and I myself was ready for a break from the "golf world" for a bit. :-) We had to take a few weeks at home before we could reflect on the season and appreciate all of the special memories on the road and all of the great accomplishments Parker has made this year.

The home stretch was a memorable few weeks on the West Coast. We had a chance to see lots of family and friends as the tour moved back West for the Fall Series.

The Valero Texas Open was an extra special week for me because the PGA TOUR Wives Association http://www.pgatourwives.org/index.php partnered with the Valero Foundation to host a luncheon for the Women of Operation Homefront. Operation Homefront is an amazing organization that was started by two wives of soldiers after 9/11. http://www.operationhomefront.net/ This organization supports troops, families left behind, and the wounded soldiers and their families. Our event with Operation Homefront was a day to honor the the women and families of the wounded soldiers being treated at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio and to thank them for all they have given to our country. I had the honor of meeting so many incredibly strong women that day, it was a truly moving and humbling experience to hear the real life stories of the families that serve this country so unselfishly.

As a follow up to our event with Operation Homefront we had the chance to put together care packages for the soldiers serving abroad. It was a great day as we packed boxes with lots of goodies, supplies, and signed photos with messages from the players.

The next tournament brought us to Las Vegas! The whole week was so much fun!!! This year the tournament had a new sponsor, Shriners Hospital for Children, and and a new host.... JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE. To be honsest, this tournament had been causing quite a buzz around the TOUR for the few months leading up to the event. Earlier in the summer we learned that Justin Timerlake's mother/manager was going to be hosting a luncheon for all of the wives during the week of the tournament... with a surprise guest at the luncheon! I think every wife begged their husband to play in the tournament, for that reason only... the chance to possibly meet Justin!!!

The luncheon was a huge success and an absolute treat. And just when we thought that there was no way we were going to get to see him, he walked in the door when we were least expecting! I wish I could say I have pictures to show, but the moment when 50 women realized that Justin Timberlake was here to see them was priceless, the place went wild!

Later in the week Justin hosted a charity concert "Justin Timberlake and Friends" at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. He and his "Friends" including The Jonas Brothers, Leona Lewis, Boyz II Men, Adam Levine of Maroon 5, Rihanna, 50 Cent, Will.i.am, and Lionel Richie played until after 1:00 am in the morning! It was one of the most memorable nights of the year!

This year Parker was able to end his season at home! It was a goal for Scottsdale to be his last tournament of the year and this year he was able to do just that. Thursday's round was a bit of an indication that he didn't have much left in him. I think that fact that he was so close to the end of his season and that he could see his finish line...started to get to him on the golf course. I would have completely understood if he would have had another similar round on Friday, but instead he came back and played one of the low rounds of the tournament to only barely miss the cut. Although it would have been nice to end on the weekend, he pushed himself and gave it everything he had left to end his season. It was an admirable ending to a great year!

Thank you to everyone who gave him so much support this year! It has meant so much to both of us! See you in 2009!

Turning Stone

2008-10-06T20:06:00.000-07:00

A very cold Thursday morning

This week was our official introduction to Fall! Parker and I often joke that we have a full year of Summer, one because we reside in Arizona and two because the PGA Tour basically follows the warm weather. This week, however, was an exception to the rule. The Turning Stone Resort Championship fell a few weeks later than last year and if you live in New York ... apparently a few weeks can make a world of difference when it comes to weather. Instead of the normal 75+ degree golf days that we are used to, the temperature was down into the 40-50s. Everyone on the golf course was dressed more for a North Eastern football game than for a golf tournament. It was the coldest we had been in a long time.

Even though this was a week where hand warmers were an absolute must and player dinning looked more like ski lodge, I actually loved the change of pace. Last year everyone kept telling us that we were just a few days too early to see the fall colors of central New York. This year we were right on time. The colors were amazing and apparently within a few more weeks they only get better.

Enjoying the Fall colors

The cold and the rain were elements that Parker had to battle on the golf course. I know that he was so excited to get back here because we had such fond memories of this tournament from last year. Thursday and Friday were a grueling couple of days, it even hailed before his Friday tee time. Thankfully, Parker finished just before the round was called because of darkness and made a 20ft putt on #17 to make the cut on the number on Friday evening. Then on Saturday he had another cut to make, draining a 7ft putt on #9 to play again on Sunday. Needless to say he was keeping it exciting for our friends from New York who came out and toughed it out through the cold with me. They kept telling me ...this is just a typical day in Central New York!

The sun finally comes out (the geese are even flying south for the winter!)

Right now we are on the plane headed to the next tournament and the pilot just said that it is 86 degrees down in San Antonio. Even though I loved getting my first glimpse of the Fall season, it will be nice to get back to some warm weather ... San Antonio, Las Vegas, then Scottsdale. (this 4 week stretch was sure hard to pack for ... shorts, t-shirts, beanies, and gloves?!? Ahhh, life on the road!)

Back to the Islands

2008-09-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

Having the last two Fed Ex events off gave us a little extra time to squeeze in a trip back to Hawaii! It was perfect timing to get some much needed R&R and for Parker to visit back home.

While we were there Parker visited Waikoloa on the Big Island where he conducted a Junior Golf Clinic at Waikoloa Kings' Course. He had a great turn out and had a chance to spend some quality time with the junior golfers of Hawaii.

Also while he was home, Parker took on a new role as community Ambassador for the Friends Club. www.friendsofhawaii.org. As the Ambassador of the membership group behind the Friends of Hawaii Charities, Parker will help raise awareness for the great efforts this group is making to help those in need in the state of Hawaii. Parker and the Friend Club hope to increase the club's membership as well as increase the charity dollars that are going to the Friends of Hawaii Charities, which is the driving force behind the Sony Open in Hawaii.

Golf Clinic at Waikoloa Kings' Course

Parker with University of Hawaii, Hilo Golf Team

Parker with Juniors at Waikoloa Golf Clinic

Deutsche Bank

2008-09-29T09:08:00.000-07:00

Its now been a few weeks since we left Boston, but it took us both a bit to recover from the disappointing outcome. Coming into this tournament we had high hopes, with Parker hitting the ball more consistently then he had in a long time. He had a solid first round and his second round was looking very positive as well. I was walking the golf course with a close friend of mine from high school (who now lives in Boston) and after a string of birdies we found ourselves planning to watch a weekend full of golf.

Parker made a bogey on one hole coming in (I think it was #6) and after that we realized that he he might have to make another birdie, but most likely he was fine just were he was (right at the cut line). Then we got to the last hole. He hit his drive into the right rough and hit a beautiful shot onto the green. He had two putts for par.

Right behind the green they had one of the large electronic scoreboards, with the "projected" fed ex point numbers. Ironically as Parker got up to the ball to make his putt for par, I saw behind him, a picture of him with the number 69th right next to him... this meant that if he just made the cut, that would be good enough to qualify him into the BWM (Top 70 Qualified)which would have then given him a chance at the Tour Championship. As soon as that thought came into my head, I realized...I shouldn't have even looked.

As the 6ft putt lipped out, it was heartbreaking. In a matter of seconds, he went from playing on the weekend and playing the following week in St. Louis, to packing the bags to go home. We couldn't believe it. Sure you miss cuts here and there throughout the year, but I have to say this one was the hardest to swallow.

The car ride back to the hotel was a difficult one. After we had a moment to try to digest what had just happened we made the decision to get out and get our minds off a golf for a bit. We had tickets to Fenway Park that we just couldn't pass up. It was our first time to this historic site and we loved every minute of it... It was the perfect remedy. :-)

Parker with Friends from Hawaii... can you see Dean Wilson in the background!

Playoffs

2008-08-26T13:37:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that the playoffs are already here! As much as it seems like we have been on the road forever, it also seems like this year is flying by. Last year Parker was outside the top 144 going into this part of the season so he didn't get into any of these events. This year we were very excited to come to New Jersey for the Barclays.

Each player had their own parking spot

Everyone got BMWs to drive for the week! - Players parking looked like a BMW Dealership

It has been a crazy couple of weeks since the win, but we have been truly enjoying every minute. This week Parker did play well, it just seemed like he was trying to get back into his grove.

Even though he missed the cut, we definitely still made the most of the week. Parker's Aunt and Uncle joined us and we had a great time with them off the golf course. We went into NYC on a couple different days and actually drove in the city! That was quite the experience by itself. Early in the week we went to see the Jersey Boys on Broadway (which is one of our favorites) and were seated in the very front row. That night we also ate dinner in the www.meatpacking-district.com which is a trendy little part of the city with cobblestone streets, great restaurants, and fun boutiques. On the weekend we went to window shop. We ate lunch in Little Italy and walked around SoHo and visited Greenwich Village! It was a perfect New York Day.

Another highlight of the week was visiting Harriman State Park. Surprisingly we were actually staying very close to a beautiful open space area. After the long days of golf we went driving along Seven Lakes Drive and stopped at a lake for happy hour and to just hang out. It was an awesome get away.

We have since arrived in Providence, RI which is where we are staying for the Deutsche Bank Championship. This is another first for us so we are looking foward to the week.