Kevin Carrigan Balances Sterling Amateur Golf With Career
November 14. 2014
by Alfie Lau, Inside Golf
By day, Kevin Carrigan is a mild-mannered full-time financial planner with Investors Group in Victoria.
But get him out on the golf course and he’s the sixth-ranked amateur in Canada and 334th in the world, according to Golf Canada’s most recent amateur rankings.
Carrigan is different from most of the amateurs on this list because while many of them are younger and playing college golf, Carrigan has to fit his competitive golf in between business meetings and obligations.
Not bad for the Royal Colwood club champion who has to use most of his vacation time to play in worldwide golf tournaments.
For example, he finished fifth in the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championships in mid-September at the Barrie Country Club in Ontario. Carrigan’s rounds of 71, 76, 71 and 72 had him just behind eventual winner Garrett Rank. Two weeks earlier, at the USGA Mid-Amateur at Saucon Valley in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Carrigan had his challenges.
Carrigan wrote about those obstacles on his blog.
Here are some snippets that highlight his thoughts, often humorous, about his game.
“I played the worst round of golf I've played all year (on Sept. 6). Unfortunately, my timing couldn't have been worse. I struggled from the opening tee shot, a 40-yard slice on the first hole into the right fairway bunker, to my final putt of the round (where I) missed a five-footer for birdie after hitting two of the best shots the 18th hole had seen so far on the day.”
“I would like to say that the Old Course at Saucon is arguably one of the best 'tests' of golf I've ever played. The fairways are tight, the rough is long, the greens are small, and the bunkers are penal. It is a golf course that never lets up. Although I'm extremely disappointed in my score, I can't say I was too disappointed with how I played. I hit a number of good shots, made a handful of putts, and am proud to say that even after a horrendous start, I never gave up.”
“I was 5-over after 7 holes and pretty well behind the 8 ball. I didn’t hit all that many bad shots from there on, but when you're playing a course that even par is a fantastic score, it's tough to get out of the hole. I fought, clawed, and grinded my way through the rest of the round, but had one of those days that us golfers know all too well."
"Long story short, I took about 45 minutes after my round to reflect on all of the good shots and bad shots of my round and to be honest, it seemed like a typical round of mine, some good, some bad, and some stupid.”
“After my reflection time, I went to the range to tighten up my swing, and honestly, I felt like I hit it great! As every golfer knows, it comes and it goes in an instant. . . .If you get nothing else from this blog, just know, I'm not on suicide watch!”