Jerry Chang and Golf without Professional Golf

Global Golf Post issued a nice article on alumnus Jerry Chang.  The article details his decision not to turn professional after graduating and how he has stayed involved in golf despite his decision.  Read the story here.

Stanford Men's Golf Alum, Eri Crum Makes Headlines in Speed Golf

Golf.com recently published an article on Stanford Men's Golf alum and world speed golf champion, Eri Crum.  Eri was a teammate of Tiger and recently began playing speed golf, where he has thrived.  Read the article here.

Andrew Yun - Life on the Road in May

Hello friends and family!

I hope the third update of the monthly newsletter finds everyone doing well! Summer is here, and so I pray that everybody is having a good start to the season of summer sunshine and barbecue! 

The month of May was a busy month, as it springboards into a stretch of golf where starting at the end of the month, we play for three straight weeks, one week off, four straight weeks, one week off, then five straight weeks.

We started off the month with the United Leasing Championship in Evansville, Indiana. That update was mentioned previously in the April update. After a week off, which was spent back at home in Phoenix, I made my way to Greenville, South Carolina for the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by Synnex Corporation. It was a unique format, where every professional teams up with an amateur. Therefore, there is a team leaderboard as well as the professional leaderboard. The first three days are played at three different courses throughout the Greenville area and then there is a cut, with the final round being played again at the host course, Thornblade Club. I was fortunate to have good company as I played with fellow professional Michael Hebert and his amateur partner Tim Sims. My partner was Terry O'Quinn who is an actor, most notably known for his prominent role as John Locke on the hit TV series Lost. We had a good time and although our team didn't make it to the final day, I played well enough to to sit in T-18th going into the last day.

My amateur partner Terry O'Quinn and I. 

I shot a two-under par 70 the first day at Green Valley. The wind was blowing a bit the first nine holes, which made it tough to get it close to the hole. But a good stretch in the middle of the round turned the ship around. A second round 68 at the host course Thornblade was highlighted by a birdie at the last. A funny little tidbit was that I was drug tested after the round. It took me about 15 mins and a bottle of water to produce a sample. There were some older guys who were there for a few hours before they could go so I considered myself lucky. The third round at Lake Keowee was my best round of the tournament, where I shot a 6-under par 66. I again got off to a slow start before making three birdies to finish the front nine that propelled a solid back nine. Maybe it was because I wasn't having as much fun the last day, but I shot an even par 72 to finish at T-34th. Maybe there also was some added pressure of playing on my birthday that last day. Overall, a very fun week in which I got to meet a lot of great people.

The 18th at Thornblade

We had a week off after that and I got to spend some time working on the game. I found a personal trainer in Scottsdale at Premier Fitness Systems with Brandon Harris. I want to do everything possible to perform to my highest abilities and after doing some research, I felt that this was the place where I could grow the most. I am excited to get my butt into shape, especially as the heavy stretch of tournament golf gets closer!

The next tournament was the Rex Hospital Open in Raleigh, North Carolina. The course. TPC Wakefield Plantation,  is a traditional layout with trees and heather lining the fairways and soft, but smooth greens. The birdies were there to be had, but fairways were a premium in order to attack the pins with the soft conditions. A solid first round two-under par 69 left me in a good position going into Friday. However, a second round six-over par 77 left me on the outside looking in. Nothing went well Friday, which was really strange. But I'm always finding ways to learn and grow and this was another one of those experiences. 

The second tournament was the Greater Dallas Open in Lewisville, Texas, just above Dallas. We were playing at the Lakes at Castle Hills. If you were following the weather, Dallas had major floods the weeks before. The golf course was literally under water just the previous week. Therefore, the conditions were super soft and the ball was being played lift, clean and place in the fairways. The greens were amazing though. The golf course is big and wide and combine that with soft conditions equals prime for good scoring. Rounds of 71-71 had me missing the cut. The cut was extremely low, coming in at 6 under par. Too many missed tee shots to the right cost me some shots. But more than that, I really believed that I learned the hard way of what letting go really entails. I know I have to make a commitment not after I make the shot, but before I even play the round to have fun and enjoy the walk on the golf course. It's so easy to be hard on yourself, but it's difficult to be your best friend when golf is your worst enemy. That is what a champion is made out of. I had the pleasure of playing with Patton Kizzire, the number one guy on the money list. I learned that a solid wedge game goes far, and I knew then that I have to tighten up my wedge game. 

This week we have the Cleveland Open in Cleveland, Ohio. Hopefully the weather is good and the golf is even better. Always learning, always growing, always believing. I may have had a rough stretch and it might get even rougher. But I am excited for this next opportunity and going to work hard to get better each and every day. Happy early Father's Day to all the fathers out there! God bless!

Andrew Yun - April Update from the Web.com Tour

The below letter is from Stanford Men's Golf 2013 Alum, Andrew Yun.  

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Hello friends and family!

Here is my second update of the the monthly newsletter. 

April was one of the slowest months for the Web.com Tour. We only had two events for the month, the first being in Leon, Mexico and the second in Evansville, Indiana. 

Leon was definitely an interesting place. On the drive to the hotel from the airport - about 45 minutes away - there was not much to see. But the clubhouse and the course was a another story. 

The golf course was big, being about 7,600 yards. Big bunkers were well placed around the landing area of your drives off the tee. The fairways were large, but if the ball found one of these bunkers, it would create quite the challenge to even reach the green. All of the greens are slightly raised, with large slopes that cuts the green into two or three smaller sections. There were a lot of collection areas and false fronts and with the greens being extremely soft, controlling the trajectory as well as spin was paramount. A good shot could easily end up in a deep bunker or even water hazard if the spin wasn't controlled. Another thing that was a huge factor was the altitude. I am not quite sure how many feet above sea level the golf course was, but the ball was going about 8% further than normal in the mornings and 10% in the afternoons. 

A good first round of 70 was followed by a sloppy 74 in the second round to make the cut on the number. I was the first to tee off in the morning on Saturday, about 15 minutes after sunrise. A solid round of 69 left me in the middle of the pack heading into Sunday. And Sunday, the putts started to drop. I did reach 8 under par before missing a short par putt on the 17th. But a round of 65 - the lowest of the day - gave me a backdoor T-8th finish. I hit the ball great all week just like I did in Bogota, another course with high altitude. 

A look off the 11th green at El Bosque GC.

The 18th hole at El Bosque, a risk reward par 5.

There was a week off before the next event in Evansville, Indiana. I spent a few days up in Seattle to see family and spend time with my grandma. I was looking forward to Evansville and getting to play Victoria National again. It was the site of the 2008 AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions in which I finished 3rd, even after making a 10 on a hole! My caddie and I got to stay with a host, the Cheema family. They were some of the nicest hosts I've ever had and I just wanted to say thank you so much again!

The course is one of my favorites I've ever played. If you're not on top of every aspect of your game, you won't be able to score out here. The course has many native grass areas, hazards, deep bunkers, and good length. The closing 5 hole stretch is one of the hardest we'll ever play. It is definitely one of the toughest courses we will play all year. To back that up, the cut after two rounds came in at 4 over par. Unfortunately, rounds of 77-76 had me on the outside looking in. Four bad drives into the hazard or native grass cost me 6 shots. And a balky putter didn't help the cause. I only made 3 birdies for the two days, one coming outside of 4 ft. Although many professionals do not like hearing this, my scores weren't a testament to how I played. I felt like I played well and made a lot of good swings. However, I didn't have much momentum for the good shots that I hit. The breezy wind made me uncomfortable at times with my shot selection, which is an area that I will work hard on. But many positives to build upon from the week. It was a really fun week and my sister made it out for the tournament which is always a blast! On and forward to the next one!

The 14th hole at Victoria National.

The 18th hole at Victoria National.

The 16th hole at Victoria National. 

The next tournament on the schedule is the BMW Charity Pro-Am in Greenville, SC from May 14-17. It's a pro-am format, so a professional teams up with an amateur for the week. We play three different courses in the area for the first three days before the cut. Then the players play the host course, Thornblade, again on Sunday. You can follow online at http://www.pgatour.com/webcom/tournaments/bmw-charity-pro-am-presented-by-synnex-corporation.html

I hope everybody has a great week and a happy Mother's Day to all of our beautiful and loving mothers!!

Wonderful Web.com Adventures with Andrew Yun

Friends and family, 

I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend and had fun with family and friends! 

This is the first of a monthly newsletter that I will be sending every first week of the month or so to update everyone on my progress. A former teammate of mine shared this idea with me and thought it would be a great way to let everybody know how things are going. It was a busy month in March, as I had four straight tournaments on the Web.com Tour, with the first three being in South America and the last in Louisiana. 

The first week we played was in Cartagena, Colombia for the Cartagena de Indias at Karibana Championship presented by Prebuild. The course, TPC Cartagena, was the first TPC to open in South America. The front nine plays inland and is framed by trees, whereas the back nine is situated next to the Caribbean Sea and is much more exposed to wind. Scores of 78-68-74-77=297 were good enough for t-53rd. Although it was not the best week, I felt my scores did not justify my play. I have never experienced playing in such ferocious wind. Wind wreaked havoc throughout the week, causing multiple delays. Putts were breaking UP the slope as the wind prevailed over gravity quite a few times. A positive I can take is the fact that I played my last 11 holes of the second round in 6 under par, including birdies on my 16th and 17th hole, to make the cut on the number. I have learned a lot from playing in that wind and hope to use that experience for future British Opens...

Here is a picture of the sun rising over the first hole as we warm up on Sunday.

The second week we were in Sao Paolo, Brazil for the Brasil Champions presented by HSBC. Sao Paolo looks like a busier, bigger version of New York with its abundance of high-rises and corporate buildings. The golf course is a beauty, with pink and orange and white flowered trees framing the fairways and greens. It was short in distance and soft because of the thunderstorms that frequent the summer afternoons that time of year. Therefore, guys were all taking dead aim at the pins in order to make as many birdies as they can. Scores of 71-67-74-71=283 were good enough for 68th. I struggled with my ballstriking all week, hitting a few in the water hazards and out of bounds. A positive I can take away is the fact that I birdied my last two holes of the second round to make the cut on the number once again, including a 30-footer at the last. 

Here is a picture of the 7th hole, a beautiful 185 yd par 3.

The third week we were in Santiago, Chile for the Chile Classic. The city was extremely clean and westernized, really not much different than an American city. The course we played is the only public golf course in the whole country! Club de Golf Mapocho is a very large course with extremely wide fairways and expansive, rolling greens. The weather could not have been any better, with highs reaching the high 80s every day and only a slight breeze. Scores of 67-71-71-68=277 were good enough for T-56th. I really played well all week, but just struggled a bit reading the subtle slopes on the massive greens. One of the highlights of the trip was going to a local diner called Fuente Alemana and eating the El Lomito. A picture of the massive sandwich oozing with avocado, slow roasted pork loin, melted cheese, tomato, and massive amounts of mayonnaise is below. It was featured in one of the episodes on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations show. 

The last stop of the month-long trip was back to good 'ole America in Lafayette, Louisiana for the Chitimacha Lousiana Open presented by NACHER. The city is known for its cajun cuisine and delicious eats, which I cannot disagree with. The course, Le Triomphe GC, is a classic course with small and quick, undulating greens and fairways guarded by well-positioned bunkers and water hazards. Scores of 70-74=144 had me missing the cut by a few shots. I played extremely well, probably the best I had played for the month of March. A negative attitude and a short fuse is all it takes to get sent home early. Sometimes, it takes making those mistakes in order to prevent yourself from making them again in the future. 

I learned a lot in the past month while traveling: what to do, what not to do, how to manage time, how to practice efficiently. It is a process and I am going to continue to focus on the process of getting better, each and every day.  I leave for the El Bosque Mexico Championship next Monday. Tournament starts on April 16 and goes till the 19th. 

Thanks for following and I hope everybody has a great week!! Remember, it is Masters week! 

Andrew Yun

Patrick Rodgers wins 1st on the Web.com Tour in Colombia. Andrew Yun finishes tied for 3rd.

Photo by Matthew Stockman & Web.com Tour

February 8, 2015 --- article below by Web.com Tour | Tournament Leaderboard

BOGOTA, Colombia – Rookie Patrick Rodgers of Indiana rolled in an eight-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to defeat Steve Marino and win the weather-delayed Colombia Championship presented by Claro.

Rodgers, who broke Tiger Woods’ all-time scoring record during three All-American seasons at Stanford, closed regulation play with an all-world birdie at the par-5 18th after hitting his tee shot into a hazard.

“I must have been amped up because that shot doesn’t normally go that far,” said Rodgers. “I had a really awkward stance in there and had to get the ball up quickly and still keep it under the trees.”

Rodgers chipped out sideways and then wedged his third shot to within three feet. He canned the birdie putt for a 6-under 65 that gave him the clubhouse lead at 17-under 269. Marino, the 54-hole leader, made a short birdie putt of his own on the final hole of regulation to force the playoff.

Following a pair of two-putt pars on the first extra hole, Rodgers stuffed a 7-iron from 198 yards inside of 10 feet to put the pressure on Marino, who wound up missing another lengthy birdie putt.

“This is huge,” said Rodgers, who earned the win in only his seventh Tour start. “I’ve already had so many ups and downs in my pro career. To be out here and win so early is a dream come true. I’m really excited for the rest of the season.”

Rodgers collected a check for $144,000 and moved to No. 1 on the Web.com Tour money list two weeks into the season.

The four-day schedule was turned into a game of catch-up thanks to a series of afternoon storms that forced several suspensions of play.

The field of 77 had to finish the third round early Sunday morning and barely had enough time to exhale before heading back out in the same threesomes for the fourth round.

“I didn’t even know if we’d get in 72 holes and that’s a huge credit to the entire tournament staff,” said the 22-year-old winner. “I loved this course from the start. It’s such a great test of golf.”

Rodgers finished off a 5-under 66 early Sunday to close out the third round but trailed Marino by four as he headed back to the first tee.

“I knew that it would be a birdie fest with the greens being soft,” he said. “I just tried to go out with the pedal to the metal and make as many as I could.”

Five birdies in his first 10 holes pushed put Rodgers into contention for the first time all week.

“I had to keep being patient and try to make birdie on every hole,” he said. “I think this course suits my game well. It allows me to put the ball in play and take advantage of my wedge game.”

Sunday’s closing round waited out another suspension in play but more than half the field finished, the tournament was locked in for 72 holes.

“It was a unique experience to be called off the course with three holes to go in the most intense moment of my career,” said Rodgers. “To have all that time to think about it and then to come out and birdie two of the last three is something I’m very proud of.”

Rodgers former Stanford teammate Andrew Yun (65) finished tied for third along with Chase Wright (69), two shots back while Tyler McCumber (69) of Jacksonville, Fla., was solo fifth, four off the pace.

Kemmer Update - Year in Europe

2009 Stanford Golf graduate, Dodge Kemmer, has been playing some great golf over in Europe the past few years.  Dodge has been splitting time between the European Tour and Challenge Tour, traveling all over the globe in the process.  Here is what Dodge had to say about this past year in Europe: 

"The end of yet another busy season: I played 25 tournaments in 21 countries, including 7 I had never been to (Turkey, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Azerbaijan, Norway, Finland, and China), and took over 80 flights which traveled over 160,000 miles. When I wasn't traveling, I was playing golf. 

Of the 25 tournaments, 19 were on the Challenge Tour, 4 were on the European Tour (two counted as both), and two were in Asia.  My best finish on the Challenge Tour was tied-5th in Kenya, and recorded another top 15 in Northern Ireland (tied-12th) and finished 88th on the order of merit on the Challenge Tour.  I shot in the 60's 17 times with my best round a 65 (6-under).  I saw significant improvement in my greens hit in regulation (12.30 GIR/round) and my putting (47% from 6 to 12 feet). 

I managed to earn status on the Challenge Tour for next season, which I hope to complement with privileges on the Asian Tour, in similar fashion to my 2013 season.  I am excited that I can confidently assert that I have made or am making significant and critical adjustments and improvements to my game and approach that will give me the best chance of success in 2015.  Namely, my mental game and attitude both on and off the course, and my ability to identify the causes of poor shots on the golf course and adjust accordingly within seconds -- rather than days.

Finally, I'm planning a return to regular updates on Facebook and Twitter.  

Thank you to everyone back home for your support. I enjoy hearing from you and knowing that you believe in me!

Have a wonderful holiday season and I'll be back at it in January."

Dodge was a member of the 2007 Stanford NCAA Championship as well as the 2008 NCAA runner-up teams. We wish him warm thoughts as we watch him compete on TV in the often times colder climates!