Lost Ball to Top 10

Bounced Back from a Lost Ball on Hole 1 — and Finished T10 at PGA Tour Americas

At the PGA Tour Americas event in Toronto, I put together a really solid week. Tee to green, my game was strong. I finished the week 17th in Driving Accuracy, 15th in GIR, and 9th in scrambling. I only recorded 4 bogey's on the week with no doubles thanks to playing the percentages. If a few more putts had dropped, I believe I could’ve contended for the win.

I’m thinking back to four or five makeable putts inside five feet that I missed. I lost by six shots, so I didn’t need much more to be in the mix. But overall, it was a great course for me — a true second-shot golf course, which fits my strength in iron play.

Smart Targets and Discipline

This week was a reminder to play to your strengths and trust math.

The greens were penal if you short-sided yourself, and I did a good job hitting it to the fat side. I hit my irons well, and even when I missed, I left myself in manageable places to get up and down evidence by being top 10 in scrambling for the week.

I shot -17, made plenty of birdies, and finished in a tie for 10th. Of course, I would’ve liked a few more, but I can’t be mad about top 10. More importantly, I practiced what I preach: Don’t force birdies and avoid bogeys. I am currently 54th on the tour in birdies made per round, but have the 7th best scoring average at 67.50.

Tournament Turnaround: From Lost Ball to Locked In

The biggest test came on Hole 1 of the tournament — and it could have derailed everything.

I lost a ball on a very gettable par 5. It landed maybe 20 yards from the spotter, but somehow it was never found. Even though it was going to be a tough lie, we should’ve found the ball. Instead, I had to play my provisional lying 3 in the fairway.

Coming off a missed cut the week before, I nearly let my mind spiral — “Here we go again.” But I caught it.

Instead of unraveling, I stopped. I immediately started to meditate , focusing on my breath to ground myself. When your mind is spiraling, the best tool is presence — and for me, that starts with breathing.

I hit the provisional, stuck it to 10 feet, and saved par on the first hole — even after losing a ball. The key point there is that I picked a good target 9 yards left of the tucked back right hole location and pushed it 10 yards to close range. I've seen many people in that same scenario press and aim directly at the pin with the same 4 iron feeling like they need to get it all back with that one swing. That is when you see someone hit the same push and find themselves in even more trouble short- sided. On this hole, short sided meant 3 foot tall unplayable grass which would have introduced triple or quadruple and truly ending your event before it even starts.

Final Thoughts

This week reinforced what I teach my players and try to live myself:

• Play smart, not perfect

• Golf is a game- most don't know how to leverage it

• Stick to good targets

• Your opponent is the golf course and it doesn't make mistakes.

• Your breath is your reset button

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T10 isn’t a win — but it’s proof the process works.

If you want to dive deeper into the course management strategies I use and coach,

check out Course of Action Golf or follow me on Instagram @chrispetefishgolf