G'Day All!

Well I am back sitting on my couch at home in Florida after getting back from Calgary yesterday. Its really great to be home after being on the road for nearly 3 weeks. It also makes it easier to be taking this week off, after having another good finish last week. Priddis Greens really did treat me well again. Not quite as good in '99 but almost!

Arriving at the course on Tuesday, I really thought I would remember more holes than I did. I am usually pretty good at remembering courses that I have played on, especially ones that I have won on! So it was a bit strange to only remember 4 or 5 holes....must be old age setting in!! :) Anyway, my prep for the week went fairly well but after have missed the cut in Portland the week before, I still went into the tournament not really sure how things were going to go. I think the golf fans of Calgary really helped give me a boost because they really treated me like a defending champion and always gave me great applause througout my rounds. I progressed nicely throughout the first 3 rounds, getting to 8 under by Saturday afternoon and a spot in the final group on Sunday. Suzanne Pettersen had set herself apart from the rest of us by getting to 14 under before the final round. Going into the last round I was 6 shots behind Suzanne, so I knew that I had to have a really good round to even have a chance. Being in the last group was always a good thing if I could get off to a quick start, as I knew that it would put a bit of pressure on Suzanne. As it turned out that's exactly what happened with me pegging back 3 shots to only be 3 behind after 8. The ninth hole was probably the biggest turning point of the day. I had about a 10 footer for birdie and Suzanne had a 6 footer for par. If mine had gone in I would have only been 2 behind with nine to play and possibly only 1 back if she had missed her par putt. It obviously wasn't meant to be for me as I missed and she made hers to make the turn with a 3 shot lead. Suzanne then went on to birdie the first 3 holes of the back nine to really rule out any chance I had left. So a big win for Suzanne and another 2nd for me. It was great to bounce back from a disappointing tournament the week before and have a good chance to win another one this year. Ultimately, I would always rather win when I have the chance but giving myself the opportunity is all I can ask for. The more I do that, the more chance I will have of closing out a few more wins.

The biggest highlight of my week was that my sister Katie gave birth to her second child, a little girl! Mum and baby are both doing well and made it home from hospital by the end of the week. Proud Aunty Karrie now has 3 nieces and a nephew to spoil when I'm home in Australia.

So like I said, I'm back home in Florida for the week. I don't have too much planned for the week. I am excited about football season starting on Thursday! The NFL is probably my favorite American sport to watch. I am a Miami Dolphins fan and have had season tickets for about 10 years now. I definitely have gone on some ups and downs with the Fins over the years but they had a great comeback season last year, so I am hoping they can build on that this year. They have a tough schedule so we will see how they go.

Also I love watching the tennis, so I will be watching to see how the US Open pans out this week.  A good friend of mine, Renae Stubbs has made it to the quarter finals with Sam Stosur in the Women's Doubles. They made it to the final of Wimbledon only lose to the Williams sisters, so hopefully they can go all the way this week. Hopefully some of their matches will be on TV somewhere, otherwise I will be keeping check online.

The only other activity I would like to fit into my off week schedule this week, is to get out on my boat. Maybe even go fishing one morning. Its been awhile since I have been out so hopefully the weather is good and plenty of fish find the boat!!

Have a great week!

Karrie