She reflected on her brother's great year in 2006, when he won on the big tour, made over $3 million in earnings, and played in the Ryder Cup. She wondered aloud how he could be content with that, wishing that he would strive for more.
She referred to the phrase 'fire in the belly' in regard to her brother's game, thinking that maybe he doesn't have the motivation required to sustain success at the highest level. With such a fine line between the greatest of all-time and the career minor leaguers, it is no surprise that a player's level of success can decrease so quickly. It's simple: if you don't work hard, it's just tough to keep it up.
And according to his sister, that's just what happened with Wetterich. In 11 starts between the PGA Tour and Web.com Tours this year, the Cincinnati native has yet to post a top-60 finish, and has earned just over $21,000. That's a far cry from his $3 million year in 2006.
As we were talking, Wetterich missed the green with his tee shot on the par-3 5th, leading to a bogey. After starting on 10 and getting to 4-under thru 11 holes, Wetterich hit into a hazard on the par-5 3rd, made double, and never recovered. The Florida resident finished up with a 1-under 71, failing to capitalize on his hot start. Currently T28, he still has a good chance to make the cut tomorrow, but will need to go low to get back into contention.
Still, it's a start. But maybe if he decided to start practicing more, he could make it back to the PGA Tour full-time someday.
More notes from morning wave:
-After bogeying the 6th hole to fall back to even par, Jeff Cuzzort was still in a good place mentally. He knew the course was no picnic, and that any score around par would be respectable.
"I knew it was going to play difficult," Cuzzort said. "You've just got to strike the ball well, and get off the tee well. You need to get in play."
But Cuzzort wasn't going to settle for just respectable. At 148th on the money list, the Michigan native knows he needs to string some good finishes together if he wants to maintain status on tour.
After finishing his round with birdies on 7, 8, and 9, he made sure that a solid start to the week was in the cards.
Cuzzort finished up with a two-putt birdie on the reachable par-5 9th, and was pleased with his finish despite missing a make-able eagle putt at the last. Knowing that the course is sure to play hard throughout the week, the 27-year old was not in any position to complain about his round of 3-under 69.
"It was a grind out there, obviously," Cuzzort said. "But I finished strong, hit some good shots. I'm happy, obviously."
Cuzzort knows it's time to make a midseason run if he wants to have a shot to keep his job without returning to Q-School. Thursday, it showed.
"I practiced really hard the last few days," Cuzzort said. "I'm trying to get the ball in play off the tee, and trying to work on my ball-striking. It definitely paid off."
Friday, we'll see if it continues.
- The temperature is currently 105 degrees, and it feels like 104, according to weather.com. Thank God for that degree saved.
Talked to a local sometime on the front nine, and he told me that this recent heat doesn't bode well for the upcoming dog days of summer. That's not good. The humidity is already making the course feel like a sauna, and I had no choice but to take a break after my opening 18 - even with the generosity of a volunteer who kindly gave me a water bottle. Without the water, I may have died of heat exhaustion.
So here I am, avoiding the heat until I pick up Kevin Johnson's group (most likely) for the back nine. Some hard-working journalist I am, huh.
And Ohio Valley residents, you have my sympathy. Nobody deserves this type of weather. But at least you have a great water park (Holiday World and Splashin' Safari) in your backyard.
-Tees were moved up Thursday on the par-3 5th and 16th, making these normally long holes play under 200 yards. Piller said he was even able to hit 9-iron and the 16th, but noted that the hole was playing downwind.
-Alex Aragon got off to a rough start, to say the least - going 10-over through his first 8 holes. T.R. Marritt's (Jeff Gove's friend and semi-instructor) words ring true, as Marritt (in Wichita) described Aragon's game as 'all offense and no defense.' Considering Aragon did indeed win on the Web.com Tour earlier this year, that sounds about right.
Aragon's female companion came up to him on the 9th fairway, offering words of encouragement and a pat on the back. The interaction may have sparked Aragon for a while, as he went on to birdie the par-5 9th and 10th.
Aragon finished his round at 11-over, and will need a near-miracle Friday to make the cut.
-Cool to see Piller and Uresti up high on the leaderboard, considering the bet they made last month. In Greenville, Uresti had to use a Texas A&M headcover (in honor of Piller's alma mater) after A&M defeated Texas in the collegiate golf national championship. If Texas had won, Piller would have used a Texas headcover.
Maybe if the two keep up their strong play and get paired together on the weekend, we will see another sort of bet - and at the very least, some camaraderie between the two.
-Talked to a patron who seemed upset about the exclusivity of Victoria National. The man told me that he tried to enter the clubhouse to go to the bathroom, only to be denied. He seemed bitter about it, and pocketed a Pro V1 from rough off the 15th fairway in response.
In jest, he claimed he lost the Pro V1 last year.
And when asked if he has played the course before, his response?
"No," he said, in a frustrated tone. "You need to know someone to get on."
No offense, man, but come on. It's a private club, and the rules are probably the same as most other private clubs across the country. What else would you expect?
-Lee Janzen is currently 5-under par thru 8, having started on the 10th hole. With a few birdie chances looming on the front nine, Janzen is in position to catch and surpass Uresti with a strong finish. But of course, a few errant shots could get him going the other way in a hurry.
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