McLachlin blog: The feeling you get from your first win

text size

Aug. 7, 2008

Aloha from the PGA Championship in Detroit!

Here is a postcard I have been waiting to write for the last year-and-a-half. It's funny to look back on last week because I almost didn't play in Reno. As I mentioned in last week's postcard, I made the last-minute decision to head there.

Morse/Getty Images

Parker McLachlin earned his first TOUR win at 18 under for the week.

More: Citi Mentor homepage

One of the reasons it was hard to leave for Reno was that I had just traveled back to Scottsdale with Kristy. The great people at JN Audi had provided me with a brand new Audi A7, and I was having so much fun driving it last Tuesday. But at the same time, I had been playing well and creating shots, so I just knew I had to keep the good vibes going. Low and behold, I went out in Reno and shot rounds of 68 and 62.

Truthfully, shooting 62 isn't that much different than shooting a 67 or 68. You just seem to have a few more little things go your way, I hit some perfect yardages right into the pins and hit some great drives with my 9-iron. The numbers all seemed to work out right, and I left myself with some pretty easy putts to birdie. Mainly, the ball just bounced closer to the hole than usual. It was the little things -- nothing crazy, but just a good day. It was truly one of the smoothest and easiest rounds of golf I've played in my life. To do it on a tournament day really made me feel like all of my hard work had paid off.

Friday, my parents came into town. Since they got there that night, they didn't get to see my 62, but it was great for them to be there period. We had a nice quiet dinner and really had a good time.

Then the weekend came around, and I had my first-ever 36-hole lead on the PGA TOUR. I woke up Saturday really nervous and felt out of place having the lead. I reminded myself of why I came to Reno in the first place, and that was to have fun! After calming myself and relaxing, I created some great golf shots.

It helped that I was playing with a great group of young guys in John Merrick, with whom I played college golf, and Nick Flanagan, a laid back Australian. That made me feel a lot more comfortable.

The first three holes, I was very nervous, but I made a great swing with a 5-iron on No. 4, a par 5 for a 220 yards to within 6 feet of the hole. I missed the eagle putt, but my great swing on that hole gave me my confidence back.

The next hole was a 300-plus-yard par 4. I hit my drive four yards from the hold and stretched my lead to six shots. After that, I never looked back.

Those two holes really calmed me down. I had a nice rhythm the rest of the day and played some really great golf Saturday. I shot the best score in the afternoon wave by a couple of shots. To come back and shoot 66 on Saturday following two solid rounds made me really proud. It also felt great to hear that my 54-hole score of 20-under par was a course record.

After I finished playing Saturday, I was in such an incredible mind frame. In fact, I was so focused that I walked right off the course and by my parents without even noticing them. I truly felt like I could play another solid 18 holes that very night. That spoke volumes about how good of a place I was in mentally after that round.

Instead of going out to dinner with my family Saturday night, I knew I needed to keep my focus. I knew I had a big lead, but I've had big leads before and let them go. So to remain mentally tough and focused, I stayed in. I knew I had to keep that momentum going for another 24 hours.

It's amazing how much your body chemistry and nerves can change in just 12 hours, because when I woke up Sunday morning, it was a completely different story...

But before I tell you about Sunday, I want to explain the conversation I had with my wife, Kristy. Because I hadn't originally planned on playing in Reno, Kristy was back in Scottsdale. I talked to her Saturday night and we discussed the idea of her coming up to Reno so she could be there for what would hopefully be my first career PGA TOUR win. Of course you want the love of your life to be there and share that experience with you; each time I pictured myself walking off that 18th green and hugging her, I got very, very emotional.

It was incredibly hard to ask her to stay home, but I knew that if I saw her watching from the gallery, I would get choked up. So I told her it might be better if she stayed in Scottsdale. She was so great and understanding about it. She said she wanted me to stay in the zone and not mess with my momentum.

So I went to bed on Saturday night and never really slept. I tossed and turned all night, and my mind continued to wander. It was really tough to calm down, and I didn't get much sleep. When I woke up Sunday I felt really low on energy.

I got to the course and tried to go through my normal routine. I listened to some music, ate only about a half of a bowl of cereal and tried to get fired up. There was a heavy wind, as well as tough greens and pin locations. Sunday was tough before I ever teed up. I knew that day was not going to be a walk in the park.

I teed off and tried to tell myself that if I could just hit that first shot on the fairway, I would be in good shape. Sure enough, I had a great swing and landed my shot in the fairway. It was one of my best swings all day.

The first nine holes were a challenge. It was windy, and I didn't have my legs under me to support my swing. I had to rely on my short game for eight out of my first nine holes, where I only hit one green. My short game was great, and I was making 4-10 foot putts for par like nobody's business!

Things stared getting tense on the back nine. I bogeyed No. 10, then Brian Davis holed out a greenside bunker shot on the 11th for birdie to cut the lead to four shots.

Then on No. 12, a par 3, I had a poor iron shot and had to set things up out of the trees. But I ended up making a 15-foot putt for par, and the outcome of the tournament was decided in the next three holes.

On No. 13, Brian had an 8-footer for birdie, and I had an 8-footer for par. He missed the birdie putt, and I made mine, and that helped carry my momentum. I two-putted from 15, and Brian ended up with a double bogey. At that point, I knew the tournament was over, and I just needed to stay focused for a few more holes. But I knew I could do it.

After a couple of sloppy holes on 16 and 17, I came into 18 determined to finish on a high note. I had a well-struck shot off the tee to the green. It was one of the best feelings I could ever have, walking to the green to a standing ovation. And I finished with a bang by focusing hard and making another 15-foot putt. I have a fist pump, a yell, and it was done. I had finally done it.

The feeling of winning my first PGA TOUR tournament was of pure excitement and an unbelievable sense of accomplishment. Everything I had worked for since I was 12 years old had finally come to fruition. I was just overjoyed and emotional. Part of me wanted to scream, and the other part just wanted to break down and cry. As a professional athlete, you work so hard and put in so much effort that lots of deep-down emotions come out when you finally succeed.

To have my family there with me to celebrate was amazing. Seeing my dad in tears and giving him a big bear hug as pretty emotional. I am so glad my parents were able to share in that experience with me.

People out there might be asking, "What does this mean for your career? How does this win change things?"

First of all, this victory secures a two-year exemption for me on the PGA TOUR through 2010 (no q-school for a while ... hooray!). Also, it gets me into the field at the Mercedes-Benz Championship next January in Maui. Unfortunately, because this event was played opposite the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, it doesn't get me into the Masters next season. But the points I earned from the win move me up to 47th in the PGA TOUR's FedExCup standings. If I finish the season in the top 30, I'll gain entry to the Masters. The win also granted me a spot in this week's PGA Championship.

When I finished the tournament in Reno, I didn't think I'd want to play in the PGA Championship because I was so exhausted from being on the road for five straight weeks. But after thinking long and hard about it, I knew I had to test my game in a major against some of the best players in golf in one of golf's premier settings. Now that I'm here in Michigan, I couldn't be happier about my decision.

I am really excited about playing in the PGA Championship this week. Yesterday I played a practice round with Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger. It was an absolute blast, and I was able to talk about the upcoming Ryder Cup.

Although it was an individual victory on paper, I couldn't have won the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open without the team of people who have stood behind me for so long. From my first teacher, Greg Nichols at KoOlina, to Scott Head and the entire team at Waikoloa, my home away from home. I owe a huge thank you to Don Greene, my sports psychologist and to my parents, who have always provided me with everything I've needed to excel and achieve my accomplishments in the game of golf. Of course, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my incredibly supportive wife Kristy who has been by my side both in person and in spirit for all of the ups and downs during my career. And I want to thank you, the people of Hawaii who have followed my career and have always believed in me on my journey to becoming a PGA TOUR winner. Thank you for your kind words and the Aloha you have shown me through the years.

Mahalo,

Parker