Out on Tour with Hampshire: Lesson learned in Mexico

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Stan Badz/PGA TOUR

Hampshire is still seeking his first win on Tour. His best finish so far is a T4 at the BMW Charity Pro-Am.

Editor's note: Each week during the season one of our Nationwide Tour bloggers will check in with a quick note about how their season is going and what life is like out on the road with the Nationwide Tour. This week's player blog is written by Travis Hampshire, who earned his Tour card through q-school.

It's been a while since my last blog. We are just starting an eight week stretch now and I've got plenty to share.

Let's start with the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open, where it was windy and warm. I wasn't sure what to expect going into Wichita since I had missed my previous two cuts. I flew home to my parent's house the weekend of Raleigh to see one of my instructors Kerry Baumgartner and to play in the Mad Anthonys Charity Classic near my hometown of Garrett, Indiana. Kerry watched me hit balls and noticed a couple things that needed attention. I took his advice to Wichita with me and had a great ball striking week in the wind. I played a steady bogey-free 67 in the last round to finish tied for 20th.

Just a side note about Wichita...they have the coolest lighting storms I've ever seen. It's like something you would see on the Discovery Channel. The storms are so interesting that the local radio stations stop playing music and just talk about the lightning.

After Wichita, we were off to Leon, Mexico for the Mexico Open. When I arrived at the course I noticed everything looked a little dry. That's because it hadn't rained there since September!! The water hazards were dried up and the golf course was breen (a combo of brown and green). But there is a reason farmers love us...we bring the rain!

As soon as the tournament started, so did the storms. Delay, after delay, after delay. I ate so much food while sitting around wondering if we were ever going to get this thing in. You know what they say about "drinking the water"? Well, it's true! After Mexico, I spent the next two weeks melting the paint off my bathroom walls, if you know what I mean. Thank god for Imodium A-D!

Hope that wasn't too much information. I'm much better now, thanks for asking.

The two weeks off after Mexico I spent at home in Tampa, Fla. I enjoy doing yard work and in the summertime in Florida there is plenty of yard work to be done. I practiced at TPC Tampa Bay and played in a couple West Florida Golf Tour events to get ready for the Ohio swing. The first WFGT event I didn't play very well, but I was still battling the Mexico ordeal. The second event I played really well and shot 66 to win by three shots over a solid field. I struck the ball well and saw some putts fall. This gave me a much needed boost of confidence heading to Cincinnati.

The next two events I was really excited about because they were close to home in the midwest. The first stop was Cincinnati for the Chiquita Classic at TPC Birdie Fest (River's Bend). Again, my ball striking was pretty solid, I just couldn't find the bottom of the hole with the flat stick. Ate plenty of bananas though! Did you know that in North America there are 6.2 billion bananas sold a year? That's BANANAS!! I guessed 1 billion by the way.

Next stop Columbus. Columbus is one of my favorite cities. My aunt and uncle live there, and I've got great memories from 2009 when I got to caddie for my friend Chris Wilson (@TheRealCWilson) at the Memorial. We had so much fun that week; I can't begin to describe it.

I played nine holes on Monday with another Tampa guy, Bob Heintz. Bobby and his caddy Jeff and I have gotten to know each other pretty well this year and try to play practice rounds whenever our schedules permit. I enjoy picking Bobby's brain about course management and his experiences out on Tour. The best part is listening to his caddie Jeffrey tell stories while smoking a big fat cigar. He's a good ol' boy and probably the most laid-back individual I've ever met.

The Scarlet course at OSU was in fantastic shape and very demanding. My strategy was to be a little more conservative than usual and really try to stay extra patient. Patience isn't my strong suit and I'm constantly working on improving it. I knew I couldn't get down on myself this week because the golf course was very difficult and bogeys were going to happen if you missed fairways or greens.

Looking at my stats, they fell right in line with the previous few events. Ball striking was very good, but couldn't seem to make any putts. I was rolling the ball well and burning edges, but that's the way golf works sometimes. I played well the first three days before stumbling on Sunday. A few errant shots and a bulky putter led to a disappointing final-round 74. But I got to spend time with friends and family so the week was a success.

I am writing this blog on the flight to Salt Lake City for the Utah Championship presented by Utah Sports Commission. This is the third event of an eight week stretch. My flight arrives at 12:12 p.m.and I am teeing it up in the pro-am at 2. No rest for the weary!

Hope you enjoyed a look into the past few weeks on Tour. You can follow me or send questions on twitter @TravisHampshire.