Gove fighting down the stretch to keep full status

For Jeff Gove, it doesn't get much more intense than this.

Currently No. 60 on the Web.com Tour money list, Gove finds himself squarely on the bubble as he plays this week's Winn-Dixie Jacksonville Open at Dye's Valley Course. As if that wasn't enough, Gove is currently on the bubble to make the cut, playing the 11th hole Friday at 3-over for the week. The cut line is currently 2-over and should be safe there, but may move to 3-over depending on how players finish up their second rounds.

It's been an interesting season for gove, who has done well just to give himself a chance to keep full status without needing a good performance at Q-School. After suffering through a stretch of eight missed cuts in nine weeks during the summer, Gove has rejuventated his game down the fall stretch, notching seven consecutive top-30 finishes before last week's missed cut in Miami.

But the midseason slump forced Gove into rally mode, and his efforts could be for naught if he fails to close strong here at Dye's Valley. It is safe to say that if Gove fails to make the cut, someone will pass him on the money list, and he will packing his bags for the second stage of Q-School next month with his full status on the line.

After opening the week with a 2-over 72 at the testy Dye track, Gove birdied the par-5 1st on Friday to slide inside the cut line, which was 1-over at the time. The challenge has stiffened as the afternoon progresses, and Gove has made no birdies and two bogeys since the birdie at 1.

If he makes the cut, it's no sure thing that he will keep his spot in the top 60. The verdict would depend on the play of many players around the bubble over the weekend. But if he can close strong Friday and stick around for the weekend, he will have a very realistic chance to maintain his spot.

A few months ago, he couldn't have asked for much more.

Johnson on last legs

After finishing in the middle of the pack at last week's Neediest Kids Championship, Kevin Johnson knew he had some serious ground to make up in the last two events of the year, if he wanted to assure keeping his job.

In Thursday's first round in Miami, Johnson made things more difficult for himself. He started off slow with two early bogeys, battled back to get to 1-over on the round with two holes to play, and gave it away with bogeys on the last two holes.

It all added up to an opening 74. With the lead at 64, not good.

Now Johnson faces a challenge if he wants to make the cut, and missing cuts isn't really an option at this point. The cut has just moved from even to 1-over, and it looks like 1-over should be safe to make the cut, considering the upward trend of scores today.

So, he needs a 69 this afternoon. Teeing off at 1:10 p.m., with winds slated to gust above 20 mph this afternoon, Johnson will not have an easy time of it. Neither will the field.

Making the cut would be a start, but Johnson would need to continue the push on the weekend if he wants to put himself in a better position going into next week's full-field season finale.

But for now, making the cut is the pressing concern. And that itself carries plenty of s challenge.

Notes:

-When I talked to Jason Allred in Wichita, it seemed like the journeyman pro has gained a fresh perspective about the game. He told me how having kids has loosened him up on the course, making him realize the relative unimportance of one's golf ability.

The season's final stretch has been a mixed bag for Allred, successful top-15 finishes sprinkled together with many missed cuts.

So far this week, Allred is looking like a safe bet to make the cut, and maybe more. Allred fired an opening 64 to take the day-one lead in Miami, using a torrid stretch of five birdies in a six-hole run to vault up the leaderboard.

Currently No. 78 on the money list, Allred needs he knows a special week or two to keep his full status for next year. After three consecutive seasons of limited eligibility coming into 2012, it would surely mean a lot.

-So far on Friday, Kevin Tway is experiencing a harsh reality check of the rigors of professional golf. The former Oklahoma State standout with the decorated amateur career has failed to make a cut this season in four appearances split between the PGA and Web.com Tours, and is in jeopardy of missing another in Miami.

After Thursday's round, that didn't seem to be the case at all. Tway opened the proceedings with a 4-under 67, moving into the top 10 with a six-birdie, two-bogey effort.

But today, it's crashing down in a hurry. Tway has opened with five bogeys and five pars in his first ten holes, putting him perilously on the cut line with eight holes to play.

If he hopes to finally play the weekend this year, he needs to stop the bleeding fast.

Full circle

On our crew's drive back to Syracuse from Washington, D.C., I had a sudden epiphany.

I turned around and shared my realization with Jack.

"You drove with me to my first event for this project," I said. "And now you're driving back with me from my last."

Jack's eyes lit up, and he uttered the only response that could possibly be appropriate at that point.

"Wow."

Five months after I started my journey through the enigma known as minor-league golf, it has come to the end. I've been to Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, South Carolina, and Washington, D.C. I've interviewed countless players, watched thousands of holes of golf played, and added plenty of miles to various cars. I've slept in my car, gone to events on no sleep, ate too many dollar-menu chicken sandwiches, and listened to too many top-40 radio songs.

I'm all the better for it, I think. Either way, I rolled back into Syracuse last night with Jack (among others) in the car. Just as I left Syracuse for Greenville with Jack in the car, five months ago.

Before this project started, I had a disjointed vision. I knew I wanted to gain a sense of what life in the minors really is, but I wasn't sure how to go about it. My plan was to watch as much golf as I could, talk to players as much as I could, and replicate their travel experiences as much as I could.

Along the way, I gained varied insights into different areas of the Web.com Tour life, with the graciousness and generosity of the players and media officials who gave me their time and support. I got to know players, befriended players - and in the pinnacle of my journalistic (and right up there in my personal) life, caddied for Kevin Johnson in Springfield.

So what did I ultimately learn? To put it concisely, I still don't really know. I now feel that to truly put together a great project on life in Triple-A golf, I need more time. I need to talk to players over the course of a few years, attend tournaments over that span as well. Right now, I have a snapshot of the Tour, which is perfectly fine for a good project.

To make it great may take a while.

But I'm here, with my first year of the experience completed, and I'm still alive. I did it, somehow. Who knows how.

I do know that these players are good, that the line between the big-boy tour and these guys is incredibly fine. A couple putts here, an untimely hook there.

I know these guys don't live rich. Renting cars to drive from place to place, staying in budget motels, sometimes traveling together. It's a traveling fraternity. Many of them could do better financially if they went into other lines of work.

But they love what they do, and that's good enough.

And I know these guys are normal people. They don't have egos. They aren't famous enough to have egos. They happen to play a game for a living where you can track their results on a website - and besides that, they're just like you and me.

Just the fact that I was allowed to caddy should say plenty about that.

So here I am, back in Syracuse, ready to jump into the heart of my senior year of college. Where does time go?

It doesn't seem that much long ago that I was sitting on my old porch at 501 Clarendon St., planning the South Carolina trip with Jack. The trip was his idea, which led to my project becoming a reality in Greenville, which led to plenty of summer memories in far-flung places like Wichita and Springfield.

Which led to Jack returning with me from D.C., to complete the circle. Jack didn't come home with me from Greenville (he took a plane back to Cleveland for his birthday) and he didn't come with me to D.C. (he had an interview on Friday morning, and he caught a bus to Washington to meet up).

But the trip definitively began with Jack, and it ended with him. Completely unplanned, but absolutely no surprise regardless.

The root of the entire golf adventure took hold in London, when I truly learned the value and importance of spontaneity, not being afraid to do things that you want to do. Sounds easy, but it seems to me like a trait that needs to be learned.

I learned it abroad, while traveling with Jack and the gang through places I had never expected to actually see - places like the Vatican, the Eiffel Tower, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Amsterdam Red Light District, and so on. I could go on for days.

So it's fitting, then, that one of my London roommates - Jack - helped to begin and end my golf sojourn. Without the willingness to take a risk and try to get access to a professional golf tour, the experience would have never happened. I would never have fulfilled a personal bucket list item of caddying in professional golf, or a professional dream of interviewing dozens of pro golfers.

Be bold. Be brave. Take risks.

Don't fear failure. Fear the possibility of never having the opportunity to fail.

Generic truths, but statements that served me well in my adventure. Thanks to everyone who played a part in making it happen.

As Dave Matthews would say, "And here, we will rest in peace."

Scattered notes from the weekend

After a weekend spent following Kevin Johnson do battle at TPC Potomac, some notes collected along the way...

-Sunday morning, I made it to TPC Potmoac (along with friends Brendan and Jack) just after KJ's tee time, and our crew caught up with him on the 10th fairway.

A lifetime Red Sox fan, KJ immediately appreciated Brendan's Boston hat, and smiled and tipped his cap in appreciation.

When considering the fact that we made it out to the course on a cold, rainy Sunday morning, the appreciation morphed into mild confusion.

"Why are you guys here?," KJ asked.

-Considering the weather, KJ's question was well-deserved. The rain alternated with mist, and the cold temperatures made matters even worse. With heat approaching 80 just a day or two prior, the sudden change was a shock to the system.

Luckily, the rain subsided after a few holes. Otherwise, who knows if we would have made it through the entire 18. After all, it was an NFL Sunday.

-After KJ hit a brilliant approach to inside 5 feet on the 15th, leading to a birdie, KJ caught up with me to make sure I made a note of it for my blog. I told him that I would, indeed.

"Best shot I ever hit," KJ said.

-After a break, we caught back up with KJ on the 3rd hole (his 12th), where he was hovering at 2-over on the event and 7-over on the week. Well outside the top 25 on the leaderboard, KJ was not exactly making a significant impact with his play. With only seven holes to play, the status of his week was essentially stamped as mediocre.

Which led him to the following question.

"Why are you guys still here?," KJ again asked. "Don't you have anything better to do? Isn't there a bar open somewhere?"

I told him that indeed, we would probably be going to a bar after his round, to watch some football.

"Good," he said. "Maybe I'll come with you."

-After KJ completed his round, my friends and I had lunch with his caddy Smiley.

Smiley said that he will be caddying for KJ's longtime friend Fran Quinn at second stage of Q-School next month, as KJ will be having another friend caddying for the week.

KJ will take his chances at Hombre Golf Club in Panama City, assuming he fails to make a significant surge in the last two weeks that would allow him to circumvent second stage.

Smiley recounted a story from Friday, when he went to the bathroom by the 4th tee after handing KJ his driver and a ball. The 4th is a demanding par-4, with water down the left side of the fairway and a narrow green.

When Smiley returned, KJ had already teed off. Smiley was greeted with a look of disgust, which he interpreted as meaning that KJ had driven his ball into the water. Immediately, Smiley reached to the bag for another ball.

But then, KJ intervened.

"I'm just kidding, Smiles," KJ said. "We're right in the middle of the fairway."

-On the 14th green Sunday, while looking through his clubs, KJ suddenly looked at Smiley and gave a nod over to me.

"Better get ready, Kev," he said, joking that I would be called in to caddy soon enough.

Other notes from the tournament proper...

-It wasn't a good Sunday for Fargo, ND. In an occurrence that may have never happened before, the final group included two golfers from the North Dakota city, Monday qualifier Josh Persons and Tour player Tom Hoge.

Starting the day occupying the top two spots on the leaderboard at 8-under and 7-under repsectively, Persons and Hoge looked poised to do battle on Sunday afternoon.

It wasn't meant to be. Persons struggled to a 77, Hoge turned in a 76, and both finished T8.

-For plenty of other players, Sunday was also quite misfortunate. There were many scores well over par on the leaderboard, including Fabian Gomez's 81 and Jason Gore's 80.

It was a sharp decline this week for Gore, who confidently opened with a 63 and stated that he felt surprised whenever he missed a putt.

Sunday, Gore took 32 putts. Coupled with 12 missed greens, it was a recipe for disaster. Gore finished near the bottom of the leaderboard at T57.

-For others, it was not as bad. Soon-to-be PGA Tour rookie Paul Haley posted a 2-under 68, moving from 51st to 25th. Haley was seen in a good mood walking off the 16th green Sunday, smiling and wearing a winter hat.

-For David Lingmerth, it was just perfect. The Swede came away with a remarkable Sunday 66, on a day when only 11 players managed to score under par.

Lingmerth finished at 8-under, and left Washington with the victory.

Johnson finishes T46, more work to do to keep job

After finishing up his week in Washington with a bogey on the par-3 9th at TPC Potomac, Kevin Johnson headed for the scorer's tent to sign for his final-round 74.

And with the 74, a four-day total of 9-over and another middle-of-the-pack finish, this time T46. The result earned him just over $2,000, and allowed him to maintain his position at No. 85 on the Web.com Tour money list. Nothing more.

Johnson put it simply after his round.

"Not good enough."

Johnson is running out of time to ensure himself of keeping his job for next year, and he knows it. Although the week in D.C. marked his fourth made cut in five events, he has only notched one top-40 finish over the stretch, a T9 last week in Charlotte.

Without high finishes, Johnson is finding it hard to make a move up the money list. At a course like TPC Potomac, the problem was length - Johnson averaged 260.4 yards for the week off the tee on measured driving holes, 58th of the 66 players who made the cut.

When a course plays long due to wet conditions, combined with a series of long and demanding par-4's, the situation hurts a player like Johnson. Forced to hit long-iron approaches time and time again, he found it hard to avoid bogeys, or to make enough birdies to counter the bogeys.

So the result was another mediocre finish, which simply isn't good enough at this point in the season. Johnson played well at times throughout the event - like when he grinded to make the cut by making eight pars on his final nine Friday - and hit a number of good shots, like his long-iron approach to inside 5 feet on the demanding par-4 15th on Sunday.

But in the end, his lack of length caught up to him.

Johnson would have needed to chip and putt nearly flawlessly to finish under par for the week, and all things considered he performed just fine around the greens. But as his caddy Smiley said on Friday, the course 'wears him out'.

By Sunday, the conditions were enough to wear anyone out, with morning temperatures hovering around 50 degrees and a steady combination of mist and rain. With an 8:33 tee time, Johnson was faced with the challenge of playing in the heart of the cruel conditions. Not a promising prospect for anyone, much less someone who is struggling to generate distance.

Johnson hung in there as well as he could, birdieing his 5th and 6th holes of the day (his 14th and 15th) to fight back to even on the day, 5-over on the event. But from there, he failed to make another birdie - or even give himself a promising look at birdie - and steadily drifted down the board with four bogeys the rest of the way.

The final verdict wasn't for lack of effort, or lack of enthusiasm. Johnson maintained a positive outlook the whole week, joking with his caddy and the gallery (when there was one). It was just a difficult situation.

Johnson made the best of it. But considering the context of his situation, it wasn't enough.

He has two more events to make enough money to secure a position in the top 60. He likely needs two top-10 finishes, with maybe even a top-5 sprinkled in.

We'll see what he's got.

Damron flustered, Uresti flummoxed, more from Round 2

After making his swing on the tee of the par-3 9th at Potomac, seeing the ball sail left of target, Robert Damron could do nothing but shake his head and kick his club in disgust.

After his chip shot from the left greenside bunker hit the green and rolled 25 feet past the hole, Damron quickly escaped the sand trap and hurried to his ball. At this point, it appeared that he wanted nothing more to do with the hole.

Damron missed the putt, tapped in for his bogey, and hurried off the green looking clearly bothered. This completed a disappointing front nine of 5-over 40 for Damron, putting the veteran well outside the cut line at 9-over par.

This was not an isolated example on Friday at TPC Potomac. All day long, the difficult course setup and series of demanding par-4's has caused scores to sail, in sharp contrast to the typical score dispersion seen at a Web.com event.

Take Omar Uresti, for instance. The short-hitting Texan opened the event in 74, knowing a solid round of 2- or 3-under would be necessary if he wanted to stick around for the weekend. After six holes on Friday, Uresti was even on the day, still in position to make a run with a few birdies.

After a double bogey on the par-4 16th, Uresti was suddenly in panic mode. Despite a nice up-and-down from 30 yards for par on 18, the veteran found himself four shots outside the cut line with nine holes to play. This made another missed cut - and further drift down the money list - seem all but inevitable.

Despite a birdie on the par-5 2nd, Uresti will need to go 3-under over his last six to stick around.

Former Ryder Cupper Woody Austin opened the day in a tie for 6th at 4-under, but triple-bogeyed the 4th and turned in 41 to make a missed cut a very tangible reality. Former PGA Tour member Ryan Armour birdied the 1st (his 10th) to get to 1-over on the event, safely inside the current cut line of 2-over, but promptly doubled the 3rd to fall outside the line.

The list goes on and on.

Potomac is eating plenty of veterans alive, while lesser-knowns like Tom Hoge and Monday qualifiers like Josh Persons find themselves on the first page of the leaderboard. Makes you question the perception that tough setups favor experienced players. And so it goes.

More notes:

-Saw Jimmy Jones on the 18th green, who caddied for Ryan Armour in a practice round with KJ in Springfield. When he saw me, Jones ran over to me and gave me a high-five, asking how I was doing. In an ironic twist, Jones is caddying this week for Wes Short - in the same group as Ryan Armour, his former employer. Wonder how those conversations are going.

-Forgot to mention this earlier, but Steve Allan has some interesting body language while watching his shots. Allan played in the same group as KJ, and was constantly observed shaking his head in disbelief and muttering harsh words to himself when the ball didn't head in the desired direction. Allan hung in there for most of the round, but missed a few makeable putts late in the round to finish at 4-over on the event, outside the cut line.

-Asked Fabian Gomez (who shot 70 for a two-day total of 2-under) for an interview after his round. He respectfully declined. The reason?

"He doesn't speak English," his caddie told me.

Gomez was followed by a friend of his caddie, the only other person to follow the group (KJ, Gomez, and Allan) besides me. I had figured that being close to D.C., this tournament had potential to attract a well-sized crowd. Not Friday, but we'll see how things turn out on the weekend.

Then again, it's an exciting time for Washington sports. The Nationals in the playoffs, RG3 taking the NFL by storm.

Who needs the Caps?

Johnson posts 71, feels he will miss cut

After bogeying the 8th hole on Friday at TPC Potomac (his 17th), Kevin Johnson figured that he needed to birdie his final hole to stick around for the weekend.

When he ran his 25-footer for birdie on 9 a couple feet past the hole, he figured he was likely done.

"I was hoping it could maybe be even," Johnson said after his round. "Maybe. There's just no wind today, and the greens are soft."

Little did Johnson know that Friday's morning scoring average was over a stroke higher than Thursday's average, and that his efforts actually improved his position on the leaderboard upon completion of his round.

Johnson posted a Friday 71 to back up his Thursday 70, moving from T46 after the first round to T43 currently, in an anomaly on a tour that consistently yields low rounds and cut lines well under par.

So by the looks of it, Johnson will be around for the weekend. Even if he didn't want to hear any of that after finishing his round.

"I'm going to stick around," Johnson said. "But it's not like I have any other choice (regarding travel arrangements)."

Johnson's round exemplified his struggles finding adequate driving distance to make low scores possible, a problem that surfaced earlier this summer in Springfield. At Highland Springs CC, a relatively flat course that lacks significant length, Johnson could survive with below-avergae drives.

Not at TPC Potomac. When it was suggested that he was driving the ball 250 on Friday, Johnson remarked, 'if that.' With an abundance of long par-4's, Johnson found himself hitting long irons and hybrids into greens on nearly every hole, keeping him from giving himself realistic birdie looks.

"You saw it out there," Johnson said. "I had sixty-footers all day."

But he made do, with his lone three-putt coming on his 9th hole of the day (the 18th) when he missed a 4-footer, and he plodded along with a series of par saves. The most notable came at the 4th hole, when he missed the green left but chipped up and rolled in an 8-footer.

After opening up in an all-over-the-place fashion by alternating birdies and bogeys through his first five holes, Johnson settled down and made par on 11 of his final 13 holes. Aside from the three-putt bogey on 18, he found another bogey on the 8th after driving into a bunker left of the fairway, laying up short right of the green, and missing a 12-footer for par.

In those final three holes, Johnson had only two realistic birdie looks - a 15-footer on the par-5 2nd, and a 20-footer on the par-4 5th.

"I just didn't play good today," Johnson said.

But he didn't play bad. At the difficult Potomac track, not bad should be good enough for a Saturday tee time.

Notes:

-KJ immediately greeted me when I caught up with his group on the 12th green, walking down the hill from the green to say hello and briefly catching up. Throughout the round, we discussed the firing of Bobby Valentine ("that just never was going to work out"), his trip to Atlantis last month ("it was a blast, the girls loved it"), and the difficulty of the course ("this is a PGA Tour-level test").

Despite his struggles on the course, KJ kept his spirits up and was in a joking manner throughout the round. Of course, he was pleasant with his caddy Smiley, just like he always is.

-I got to talk with Smiley as well on a forecaddying hole, who reflected on his boss's recent lack of driving distance. However, Smiley maintained a positive light on the situation, maintaining that KJ can still contend when he putts well.

"When he putts good, my man can beat anyone out here," Smiley said. "Anyone. Doesn't matter how far we hit it, or where we hit it. Just need to putt good."

Smiley was prophetic on Friday - KJ didn't hit the ball anywhere near well, but putted decently enough to get in position to make a Sunday paycheck.

-After the round, I had a fun run-in with KJ, Smiley, and Joe Chemcyz in the media room. Seeing me typing on the way to the locker room, KJ and Smiley stopped by my workspace and checked out what I was doing.

We informed KJ of the positive outlook regarding his chances to make the cut, and he still didn't seem to think that he had a chance.

KJ joked to Joe about how I was the only one in the media room, saying, "that's some press corps you've got, huh?"

He went on, "Seems like you guys really don't have security here. He can just stroll in and plug his computer in."

"It's like he thinks he's a professional journalist," Joe replied.

"Yeah, and Smiley's a professional caddy," KJ retorted.

Then KJ paused and issued another remark, pointed in my direction. "Guess you can say you're a professional caddy, too."

-I stated my confusion to Joe about how KJ really didn't think he was going to make the cut, even though the leaderboard trend seems to clearly show that he will make it.

"Well, you're just the veteran here now, aren't you?," Joe replied.

-I asked KJ about his plans for the offseason, if he fails to make the top 60 and keep full status. He said he will soldier on to Q-School, going to second stage in Panama City in an attempt to make it to finals, and then back to the big Tour. And remember, this is the last year of traditional Q-School, before the new structural changes make it necessary to go through the Web.com Tour in order to make it to the Show.

But hey, you never know. He could post a couple 62s this weekend, win by a bunch, and get himself in position to make the top 25 and head back to the PGA Tour that way.

He just needs to figure out the issue of distance.

Early Notes from Round 1

Tidbits early, with help from Shaun May, media relations contact for the Neediest Kids Championship...

-It hasn't been an easy few weeks for Will Wilcox. While suffering through a stretch of nine straight tournaments without making a cut (eight missed cuts and one withdrawal) earlier this year, Wilcox has dealt with a bout of pneumonia, his grandfather's death - with his dad suffering a heart attack on top of it.

Wilcox has righted the ship a bit in the last two weeks, posting back-to-back made cuts in Midland, TX and Charlotte. At Charlotte's Chiquita Classic, he opened strong with a 6-under 66 before fading to a 55th-place finish.

Now here in Washington, Wilcox has gotten off to another solid start, posting a 5-under 65 on Thursday to open the week in a tie for second. In Friday's second round, which has surprisingly proven more difficult than round one so far, Wilcox held steady with a 71 and is currently tied for 6th.

The weekend is a whole different animal, but Wilcox is in position to make a big check with a couple of solid rounds. He needs them, too, currently at 83rd on the money list.

-In another example that blurs the distinction between professional caddy and complete novice (see: Prise, Springfield, 2012), Ewan Porter has a former pro football player on the bag this week. The lucky man is Mark Rypien, former Redskins signal-caller, who led Washington to a 1991 Super Bowl win over Buffalo - the Bills' second loss of the infamous four-Super Bowl losing streak.

Porter and Rypien met a few years ago, and the relationship developed to the point where Porter extended the caddying gig for this year's D.C. event.

The results so far aren't as nice. Porter opened with a 8-over 78, and will need to go low Friday afternoon if he wants to give Rypien the weekend experience inside the ropes.

-With Friday's scoring average currently two strokes higher than Thursday's, the simple question is why. Morning conditions tend to be more receptive to scoring, with softer fairways and greens, and this week's averages so far indicate a discrepancy against the norm.

One possible explanation is the fact that TPC Potomac plays plenty long, with only two par-5's (one that isn't realistically reachable), and several long par-4's that require hybrid approach shots for the shorter hitters.

Another was raised by Lee Janzen, speaking with Tour media official Joe Chemcyz after posting his 1-under 69, compared to a Thursday 71.

And the possibility borders on psychological.

"People went out yesterday and realized how hard this course was," Janzen said.

Could be true. We'll see what the afternoon's results bring.

Cutdown Day at TPC Potomac

Back in the media center, and it's good to be here. Coming to you from TPC Potomac just outside Washington D.C., where wet and damp conditions greeted the Web.com Tour crew early this Friday morning.

When I first arrived at the course, I wondered if a frost delay would be in order. Temperatures are currently in the mid-50's, and the wetness on the course could be seen from a passing glance.

No worries though, and play is underway early this morning. Jason Gore is the overnight leader after opening with a 7-under 63, a sudden and pronounced turnaround from his opening 78 at last week's Chiquita Classic.

As of now, the cut line is at 1-over, which is currently T59. Depending on conditions, it is reasonable to think that the cut will fall at 1- or 2-over. Even par is currently T46, and should be safe to make the cut barring the course playing significantly easier today. Thursday's scoring average was 71.194 on the par-70 track.

Kevin Johnson opened at even par after his 70, making three bogeys but quickly responding with a birdie each time. KJ was on the range with his caddy Smiley about a half hour before his Friday tee time, in preparation to make an attempt at a Friday morning move up the leaderboard.

At the very least, KJ needs to make sure he plays smart enough to make the cut. At 85th on the money list with three full-field events to play, he needs to make cuts to give himself a chance for weekend moves up the leaderboard. He did so last week - entering the weekend T40 and going 66-69 to finish inside the top 10 - and can do so again. He just needs to get to Saturday.

As for Jeff Gove and Omar Uresti, their recent trends continued on Thursday. Gove opened with a steady 1-under 69, heading into Friday in a tie for 34th after closing his opening round with eight pars and a birdie on his back nine. After a lost summer, Gove has shown impressive consistency of late, and it was no different on Thursday.

For Uresti, it was more of the same regarding his play of late - a struggle. The Texan opened with three bogeys in his first four holes and never really recovered, posting a 4-over 74 that will require a near-flawless Friday if he hopes to stick around for the weekend.

Around the leaderboard, former Presidents Cupper Woody Austin opened in 4-under 66, putting him in good position to get in contention with a solid Friday. Former Ryder Cupper Brett Wetterich opened strong as well, with a 67 that included four birdies in his final eight holes.

Last year's D.C. event was played at the University of Maryland's course, and saw Steve Wheatcroft blitz the track for a winning score of 29-under. So far at TPC Potomac, a par-70 layout that measures over 7,000 yards, that same low result doesn't seem possible.

Gore shot 63 on Thursday, sure, but it's unlikely that anyone can keep up that pace for 72 holes. With only two par-5's and a number of long par-4's, the abundance of scoring opportunities doesn't appear to be there.

Then again, I haven't walked the course yet. I will now. I could be wrong.

Off and away to D.C.

Here I am, sitting in a computer lab on a Wednesday night, in beautiful Syracuse, NY.

Where else would I be?

After hours of working on a five-page write-up for one of my business classes, I'm getting ready to do some writing that I enjoy much more - my final event coverage of the year on the Web.com Tour.

After a couple months off since my last adventure caddying for Kevin Johnson in Springfield, MO, it's time to hit the road again - this time for the Neediest Kids Championship in Washington, D.C.

Each trip I've embarked on this summer has been different, in destination and travel companions. Let's take a quick look at my stops along the way:

-Mid-May: Left Syracuse for Greenville, SC, with brother Nick and friend Jack in tow.

Returned by myself, after Nick and Jack flew home mid-week

-Late June: Left Buffalo for two-week swing through Wichita, KS and Evansville, IN

Brother Alex and his friend Chris in tow (although his friend David was supposed to come at first, but his mom decided not to let him come at the last minute - I don't blame her).

Returned early July, with all of us alive. Good stuff.

-Mid-August: Left Buffalo for adventure to Atlantic City for friend Ryan's birthday and Coldplay concert in New Jersey with Jack.

Adventure continues directly from New Jersey to Springfield, MO (nearly 20-hour driving escapade) by myself. Wow.

Week spent caddying for Kevin Johnson - I may have cost him a chance to make the cut (even though he would never say that).

Another endless drive home, returning in one piece, after many stops for huge cheap sodas at gas stations to keep me from falling asleep at the wheel.

-And so it goes.

From there, I finished up the last few days of summer and headed back to school. Now I'm headed from Syracuse to D.C. for a much-needed weekend off. After all, covering golf is far from work - especially the type of work expected in business school.

Why exactly am I in business school, anyway? Oh, yeah, I didn't want to take French. Sounds about right.

Anyway, this trip is getting set to be the culmination of this summer journey through minor league golf. This time, I won't be by myself - I'll be with a crew of multiple other hounds, as we make the cruise down to D.C.

My friends Kellie, Jenna, Lindsay, and Craig are all joining for the sojourn. The girls will be staying with our friend Shelby from London, while Craig will be with his brother - who goes to Georgetown.

The unpredictable Jack is taking a bus to D.C. on Friday afternoon (he has an interview Friday morning) and will join us for the weekend. I'll be hosted by my friend Brendan from home, and if all goes to plan, the whole crew will meet up for a giant circus through the D.C. streets on Friday and Saturday nights.

But when does anything ever go to plan? Who said anything about planning, anyway?

Gonna try to recruit the crew to come watch the event, but I know I shouldn't expect much. I'll be getting up early (allegedly), probably too early for anyone who makes a reasnable effort at a night out in D.C.

But we'll see. As for the event, there are plenty of storylines to tie together as I close my coverage. Among them:

-Can Kevin Johnson keep a positive directory after last week's top-ten finish, and continue a late-season run at making the top 60 and keeping his job?

-After a lost summer, Jeff Gove has turned it around with some consistent fall play. Can he keep it up and hold onto his well-earned spot inside the top 60, or even make a break for the top 25?

What's up with Omar Uresti? The PGA Tour veteran is finding high finsihes and good paychecks hard to come by on the minor-league level, and has fallen into the money list abyss. Is Uresti's career on shaky ground, or does he remain confident moving forward?

And so it goes. The attempt to combine covering an event and having fun out in D.C. may prove futile, but I'm going to give it a go. Why not?

D.C., here we come. As Jenna would say, "Hounds, assemble."