Ryan Gerard Earns Spot at This Week’s Puerto Rico Open via Fourth-Place Finish at PGA National2/28/2023
Alex Elias
A Monday Qualifier for last week's Honda Classic, Ryan Gerard recorded a solo fourth-place finish in his PGA Tour debut. Following the Final Round, Ryan Gerard said, "I'm thrilled with the finish. I'm thrilled with the opportunities that I get because of it." As for the opportunity mentioned, Gerard automatically gets into this week's Puerto Rico Open, a PGA Tour opposite-field event to the Arnold Palmer Invitational, by virtue of finishing in the Top 10.
The 23-year-old University of North Carolina alum closed The Honda Classic in 3-under 67 at 10 under, four strokes shy of the Chris Kirk-Eric Cole playoff, won by Kirk. Gerard ranked fifth in Strokes Gained: Approach to Green and seventh in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green.
Gerard said, "Really leaned on my caddie throughout the week, feel like we have good chemistry out there and keep things positive and lighthearted even in tough situations." Having played in the final group on Saturday, Gerard said, "Pressure was definitely a little higher on Saturday in the last group but as I got used to the atmosphere, I felt a lot more comfortable and relaxed. Just tried to have fun with everything and enjoy the moment because it was super cool." When Gerard was asked if his routine or mindset changed on Saturday or Sunday, Gerard responded, "I didn’t change anything routine wise. The most important thing is to treat each shot, day, tournament, etc. like it’s of importance and not try and overemphasize things." As Gerard quickly turns his attention to the Puerto Rico Open, Gerard said, "Biggest takeaway is that I feel confident and comfortable that I can compete on the PGA tour, that’s a big thing for me because it kind of reinforces that I belong out there and that I know I can be there soon. I’m just going to continue what I’ve been doing routine wise and trust it, but have fun and enjoy the ride."
0 Comments
Alex Elias  David Wilson serves as the PGA ExecuSearch Consultant for the Connecticut and New England PGA sections. Previously, Wilson served as the PGA Head Professional at the Hyannisport Club.
Quotes: "Every morning you have a choice to make. Evolve or repeat." In order for this quote to really take shape, you need to have discipline and self-awareness. You need to know yourself and you need to know your strengths and weaknesses. In golf, too often, we go to the range and next thing you know, we're hitting driver. That's repeating the same thing. Instead, we could be dialing in our short game. On the course to hit levels of success, you have to understand where you can make strides and how to act on that. Having that discipline and that self-awareness when you wake up in the morning is the combination to grow. "We dissect failure a lot more than we dissect success." - Matthew McConaughey It's human nature. We look at failure more than we look at success. When success happens, it is like the tip of the iceberg. We only see the tip of it. We don't think about everything that went on before that success occurred. It takes more energy to be positive than negative. In golf, your natural instinct is to look at things that went wrong. Players should not only look at the things that went right, but understand the why as to why things went right: club selection, paying attention to the lie, wind, etc. "Be brave. Take the hill. But first answer the question, 'What is my hill?'" - Matthew McConaughey Be brave. Take the shot, but before you take it make sure you know exactly what it is that you're going to do. Q&A: How much do expectations impact an amateur's round? Hugely. Look at putting. Amateurs expect to make everything. The reality is PGA Tour pros make roughly 50% of their 8 foot putts. If your expectations are set to a level of which you have not prepared for and you don't achieve, then you're going to be challenged. You need to understand what expectations are and what your level of success is. You can't allow other people to define those for you. It takes a really courageous person to say, 'Here's my list of expectations. This is what I want to achieve.' How could amateurs improve their mindset? It's an analogy that I think is so true, and it's, 'The windshield is a whole lot bigger than the rearview mirror for a reason.' You have be focused on what is ahead of you and not what is behind you. It's not the double bogey that derails your round, it's how you react to it. Alex Elias  Detailed in Renwick's Our Story, Founders Pippa and Sarah Renwick state, "We are the Renwick sisters. After working for 16 years in the corporate retail industry, we are following our dream and making clothing for women. We have always been frustrated with the void in the market for attractive, timeless apparel for women golfers. While our pieces are golf-inspired, they are perfect for all women who want versatile, classic pieces that look great and feel comfortable." Reflecting on their frustration with the void in the market, the Renwick sisters said, "We were very surprised there wasn't a cotton striped polo for women. We kept waiting and waiting for one of the big golf brands to make one. But they seemed focused on performance fabrics and super feminine details. It felt, to us, like males were designing women’s golf apparel as what they wanted women to wear golfing. No one had actually asked women golfers what they wanted. We loved the super soft pima polos that men had, in that fine stripe in fun preppy timeless colorways. Of course we wanted the same thing as men and this didn't seem like an outrageous idea to us." The Renwick sisters acknowledged the Summer of 2019 as monumental moment, saying, "In the Summer of 2019, we noticed a few women wearing their husbands oversized cotton washed out polo shirts and it was like 'OK, this idea has some merit.'" "I remember being in the dining room at Westhampton Country Club one August morning as we always bring our kids there for this great breakfast buffet that is family-friendly. There was a very cool mom of four wearing her husband's oversized cotton polo and Lululemon running shorts. It was a great look and functional for being an active mom." Made from Peruvian pima cotton, the Renwick sisters said, "Renwick has always been a lifestyle brand to us. The cotton polo is the centerpiece because of its versatility. We are busy Moms ourselves and we loved the idea that this one top could take you from a work Zoom, to a quick nine with friends, then to school pickup and the playground. It's comfortable and relaxed but looks somewhat polished. It functions for our lifestyle. These are things that are important to us, and you weren't going to find in the sleek polyester zipper polos from big brands. Of course there are plenty of women golfers that love trendy fashion and the loud prints and tight outfits and that is great, there's room for everyone! Our look is very New England, old-school prep and a lot of them seem to golf. I think the big brands were completely missing this audience." Once a dream, Renwick is now in Pro Shops across the country, including Seminole, Merion, Baltusrol and many other notable clubs. Pippa and Sarah said, "We've found the golf industry to be very unique. We come from a background in E-commerce and direct to consumer marketing, so some of the ingrained processes feel old fashioned to us. But the Pros have been incredibly kind and supportive. We initially emailed 10 clubs in 2021 (after googling their email addresses) and would never have imagined that we'd be sold in 200 clubs before our 2nd year anniversary. The void in the market was clear and it was rewarding to know we weren't the only ones that felt it. I remember cold-emailing Eden Foster at Maidstone and he actually wrote back! He said: "Very well done. You may be on to something here."  Alex Elias  What did playing in the SEC teach you most?
You’re playing against the best players in the world. You have to stay true to yourself and be authentic. You have to focus on your process and you can’t compare yourself to others because each one of us has our own journey. As the SEC is known to be one of, if not, the most competitive conferences, how did you deal with pressure/stay true to yourself? It’s easy to get ahead of yourself, but staying focus on where you came from, where you are and where you want to be has always been my motivation. My coach taught me to get to try and get 1% better every day. I never looked at golf that way before college. I learned how to focus on myself and stay in the moment without thinking too much into the future and what it holds. Reflecting on your time at Alabama, how would you describe your experience? I enjoyed college as much as I did because it was a team experience. It’s just so much more fun to experience it with other golfers that you call your teammates and best friends. My Freshman year we were in the Finals at Nationals and our team had some of the best players in the country. It’s challenging and you challenge yourself, but when you surround with yourself with better golfers, you’re motivated to play better. Alex Elias  Evan Schiller Stressing the immense importance of playing a round one shot at a time, Jake Pleczkowski, Head Golf Professional at Naples National, said, "A pre-shot routine is one of, if not the most important things in golf." Urging a pre-shot routine to be "business like", Pleczkowski said, "One's decisions shouldn't include any emotion. It should be, 'How far do I have? How far is it to cover?' Get your grip, take two steps in, take a practice swing, and pull the trigger."
Building on his advice, Pleczkowski acknowledged that many players get into trouble by thinking ahead during their pre-shot routine. As an example, Pleczkowski referenced a Par-5, saying, "One shouldn't be thinking, 'If I hit this good, then I can go for it.' Instead, the first priority should be to hit it solid down the center of the fairway and then you can decide about going for it." Subsequently, Pleczkowski attributed many players deviating from their pre-shot routine as a result of not trusting a specific aspect of their game. Pleczkowski said, "You’re setting yourself up for failure by avoiding an aspect of the game that makes you uncomfortable." Specifically, he said, "The guy that has a really good short game never really worries about missing the green, but the guy who never hits any greens, that can wear on them. Their whole game becomes centered around avoiding their weakness." "I can't tell you how many times I can't hit a green in regulation to save my life, but on two Par-5s, where I'm laying up, I hit two of the most perfect iron shots of my life. That's because the fear of missing a green and needing to trust your short game isn't there," said Pleczkowsi. When Pleczkowsi was asked about how one can overcome the obstacle of avoiding their weakness, Pleczkowski said, "Recognize the good shots and build on those thoughts." Specifically, in regard to his teaching, Pleczkowski said, "With the students that I see several times a season, it's thirty minutes on the range, at most, and thirty minutes on the course. Therefore, we can walk through every hole." Recalling a member who was struggling on his chipping, Pleczkowski said, "Instead of chipping on the chipping green, we went out to exact hole, found his divot, and we hit shots for fifteen minutes. Now, he knows how to hit that shot when that situation happens, instead of him knowing how to hit that shot if he can remember how he did it on the chipping green." |
