We rallied to make a few birdies coming down the front nine to make the turn 5 shots ahead of Columbia. It was close until the 14th when Mike Green went birdie-birdie-birdie-par-birdie finish and Erik Flores also had three in a row. Mike finished today with 67, Erik shot 68, those two scores anchored us to a 12 shot victory. Funny coincidence to me that Gustavus won the NCAA tournament last year by 12 shots!

The guys played great golf all week, very consistent and made big putts and came through on big shots when needed. They had a closing ceremony at the golf course, where all the teams had to get in their team uniforms of coat and tie for the presentation. They played the Star Spangled Banner as we stood in front of the room, holding the Cup. It was a great feeling and we were extremely proud. Following the ceremony we had a press conference. The guys handled themselves with class. They were very humble in winning. Not only did we win, but last years team shot the tournament record of 25 under, we finished at 40 under par for four days. Erik Flores won the individual honor, shooting 20 under par, beating the previous record of 15 under.

It was a treat to be a part of the this tournament, and to represent the United States. I learned a lot about how good the best of the best can play. Throughout the week, 72 holes for 4 players, our team had 4 penalty strokes, that is it. The ball striking ability of this group is like none other. Some teams putt a lot better than us, but no one can touch our iron play. We had some great players on our team. I wish them the best of luck as they will all be successful players at their next level. They came into this tournament as individuals, and return as team champions!

I learned that the Japanese culture is on a strict time schedule. They are very clean, a city that is extremely large, had no visible garbage. They take great care of their surroundings. I learned quickly that their diet is much different than mine. I am thankful that I brought peanut butter and jelly and bread, and also some EL Fudge cookies. I am thankful for my queen size bed with a pillow mattress, my feet will no longer hang over the edge of the bed.

It was an unforgettable experience. I was thrilled to be here, but I will be equally excited to return home to my family.

Thank you for following my experience in Japan.

Nick led us off, playing a solid round, posting a 2 under par 70. I had predicted Michael was due for a good round, and he came through in a huge way. He hit it great, even missed a couple putts that could have fallen, and posted a 5 under par 67. Next up was Matthew Swan, he started with a bogey, then made 4 straight birdies, a par and then another birdie to get to 4 under. He birdied his last hole to finish at 5 under, as well. So now it comes to Erik who was leading by 3 shots coming into today. He missed a 4 footer on 3 for birdie, to keep him at even, then it was lights out. He birdied 4, eagled 7, birdied 9 and 10, then parred until 15 where he finished birdie, birdie, birdie, par to finish at 8 under, beating his course record he shot on the first day by one shot. So with that great finish, we fired an 18 under par, 198. The other teams we played with also played very well, England shot 11 under par, and Columbia shot 12 under, so we now have a 6 shot advantage over England and 8 over Columbia. Erik is leading the individuals by 6 shots.

We look forward to tomorrow, England will be a great challenge, as will Columbia.

We got off to a better start, I think we were a little more relaxed. Our first player Nick Smith got us off to a good start, which he needed, as did the team. We made the turn at 1 under par. Mike Green turned at 2 over, Matt Swan turned at 3 under and Erik Flores turned at even.

We played even better on the back nine, not giving much back to the field. Nick finished birdie-birdie to shoot 3 under par, Mike rallied back to fire even par 72. Matt missed a lot of chances, he hit the ball great, and also finished at 69. Erik Flores, who yesterday fired a 65, struggled to find the club face a little today, and ended up at 1 under par 71. It’s sad to say he couldn’t find the club face and still shot 1 under, but he’s that good. Erik is leading the individual tournament by 3 shots over 4 different guys.

The team shot a 7 under par, 209, finishing the day one behind England and 2 ahead of Columbia. We are happy with our position, they still think we can play a lot better, which is exciting. I think Mike is going to have a great round tomorrow, he is really close,and the others are on a roll. If the weather holds, I look for it to be pretty low tomorrow. We wanted to be in good position after today’s round, and we are, waiting for moving day tomorrow.

Tonight we have a coaches/captains meeting visiting about college opportunities in the states. All of these players are Division I players, but it will be fun to talk about Gustavus and the opportunity for Division III golfers. I don’t think any of these countries ever explore the option for student athletes if they are not offered scholarships.

Looking forward to tomorrow and day three of the tournament.

We started to play a little better on the back, made some good pars and a few birdies. The guys were starting to get a little confidence back and becoming a little more confident with their shots. We finished at 4 under par, tied for the lead with three other countries (England, Columbia and Argentina).

Our individual score were Nick Smith 75, Mike Green 74, Matt Swan 73 and Erik Flores birdied his last two to fire a 65! Erik’s round is a course record from the back tees. We were pleased with our position, but we also feel we can play better as a team tomorrow. Erik was awesome today he hit 14 greens in regulation, and was bogey free. We are excited for tomorrow, playing in the final group with the top teams will be nice.

Tonight we are going to an entertainment area that has billiards, bowling and karaoke, I think I will pass on the karaoke. Until tomorrow…

Monday night we had our opening ceremony. Each team, captain and coach got decked out in sport coats from their respective countries, and marched onto the stage and stayed on stage while their national anthem was played. It was neat hearing the 14 different National Anthems. At the end of the opening ceremony, there were 3 girls that performed a magnificent production on the drums, it was very powerful. Following this, there was a reception in the lobby. At this time, each player was given pins of their countries flag, from their captains. Each player, coach and captain exchanged pins with every country, and put the pins on their sport coats. This is a great tradition, the coats look great, very decorated, and it encourages the athletes to interract with eachother.

It is now Tuesday morning, and we are getting ready to load the bus for our first round. We will be competing with Belgium and India, should be a great day!

Tomorrow is our final practice round, tonight we found out we play with India and Belgium on day one. The guys are excited to get started. I also want to wish a Happy Fathers day to my father and all other fathers across the world!

We have not yet adjusted to the time change as most of us woke up around 400 am, Japan time. The good thing about that was that we were able to catche Live coverage of the US Open!

Today (Sat) was a great day. The weather was beautiful and we spent the morning at the World Expo in Nagoya. Over 130 countries had expos and exhibits. It was a great experience for the players and one I will always treasure. After the round was complete we went to get our first look at the golf course. The course is very well manicured and going to be a great test. The fairways are extremely demanding, and the greens are well bunkered.

The host hotel and the tournament staff have been very accomodating and friendly. We look forward to the Junior Amateur taking place tomorrow. One of our players is going to play with the US Ambassador.

We are still trying to adjust to the different foods, but we are making an attempt to try almost everything, almost.