My next steps; Off to Phoenix for the Gateway Tour

As some of you may know, I am taking my golf game to the desert.  I have the very fortunate opportunity to go play golf for a couple years down in Arizona, as well as other golf-friendly locations.  I am very excited to start this phase of my life and my game, as it is an opportunity that I have hoped for since college.

I will be moving down to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area to begin this adventure by joining the Gateway Tour, and also potentially join other tours as well as do some Monday qualifiers for the Nationwide Tour. I will continue to update this blog with my tournament information, results, future plans, etc.  Thank you to everyone that has made this opportunity possible, as well as all my friends and family for the endless support.

DB

Final Results from Second Stage of Q School

Derek just got off the golf course, so I wanted to update everyone since the tournament site doesn't yet have his score posted.  He went out today and shot -5! Sadly, this won't get him in the top 21 to move on to the final stage.  However it is a great round, especially under pressure, and makes for a much better note to end on as the season comes to an end. 

Derek said that he hit the ball much better than yesterday, however couldn't get his putter rolling.  His final round of -5 today put his 4 round tournament total to -4 (284).  For more tournament information, go here.

Thank you again for all the support from everyone!  Derek will be heading back to WA tomorrow, just in time for the snow that is suppose to show up!

Candice

Second Stage Q School - Round 2

Today it was really windy, especially at the end of the day.   I shot -2, with only one bogey on #8.  On #8 I didn't hit a great drive which cost me the bogey. I birdied #5, #9 and #18.  On #9 I hit a 40 yard bunker shot to about two feet and made the putt and on #18 I made an 8-10 footer.   More tournament information can be found here.

Thank you all for the support and encouragement.

D

PGA National Assistants Championship & Off to 2nd Stage PGA Tour Q School

Couple items to cover:
1)  PGA National Assistants Championship final results
2)  PGA Tour Q School - Stage 2

As a follow up from the PGA National Assistants Championship down in Port St. Lucie, FL Derek shot -1 in the final round, putting him with a four round total of 288 (even par).  He finished T15th which was only 5 shots off the winning score of -5.  With a bit of a bitter end to the tournament Derek bogeyed the final hole in round 4. However the tournament as a whole was a great experience, and beneficial to be in competitive play the week before heading off to the second stage of PGA Tour Q School.  Final results from this tournament are found here.

After spending a few days in Orlando practicing, which included a round at Isleworth G&CC, Derek headed to McKinney, TX (near Dallas) for the second stage of PGA Tour Q School.  Today was the first round of the second stage. Derek shot -1 today in a colorful round that included 4 birdies and 3 bogeys.  Tournament results can be found here.

Thanks everyone for all your support!

Round 3 PGA National Assistant's Championship

Today I swung the club better than yesterday, however I still had a miss that cost me two strokes.  On #18 (9th hole of the day) I hit my second shot into the water finishing the hole with a double bogey.  On the second nine, I managed to get three birdies and one bogey.  One of the birdies included an 80 foot putt on the par 3 hole #4.  Tomorrow is the final round, and I tee off at 7:57 am.  To follow along you can go here:  http://publicscoring.pgalinks.net/leaderboards/lobby.cfm?eventid=5021

The scoring is updated real-time (only about a 2 minute delay), since there is a score keeper following each group.  Thanks for all the support.

Derek

Round 2 PGA National Assistants

Today's round was a bit rough, with a +2 finish (74).  I didn't hit the ball as well I planned, and also missed a few key putts.  After two rounds I am at 146 (+2).  As of right now, the projected cut is +3, but with the winds blowing very strongly, odds are it will go up. 

Tournament results are found here: http://publicscoring.pgalinks.net/leaderboards/lobby.cfm

PGA National Assistants Championship - Round 1

Round one is underway, I shot a even par 72 today.  I didn't feel totally comfortable hitting the ball until about half way through my round.  I didn't putt well at all today, so hopefully tomorrow I can go out and drop some putts.  Tomorrow I tee off at 8:27am. 

Tournament results can be found here: http://publicscoring.pgalinks.net/leaderboards/lobby.cfm 

I will update more tomorrow.

Derek

Q School Stage 1 Complete, Moving on to Stage 2

Despite the nerves that stuck around most of the day, I played another solid round today.  I hit 17 greens in regulation for the second day in a row. I birdied #3 and #6, had a bogey on the par 4 hole #9 to turn at -1.  I got one more birdie on #13 to finish with a 70 (-2).  Thank you again for everyone who was supporting me, including my Grandpa who made it out to watch my final round. 

Full Stage 1 results can be found here.

Q School Stage 1 - Round 3

I hit the ball better today, hitting 17 of 18 greens.  I had 4 birdies and no bogeys, finishing with a 68 (-4).  I felt a little bit more comfortable out there today and I hope I can go out and shoot another good round tomorrow.  I tee off round 4 at 10:40 am tomorrow.

Tournament info can be found here.

Q School Stage 1 - Rounds 1 & 2

I am half way through stage 1 of Q School.  Thank you to everyone who has been following me online and your words of encouragement. Round 1 was a bit of a roller coaster, with 6 birdies, 4 bogeys and 2 doubles, finishing at +2.  In round 2 I teed off from hole #10 and got off to a hot start with 5 birdies on my first 9 holes.  I was putting well, which obviously contributed to my birdies.  I finished the round with 3 solid pars coming in, to finish the round at 67 (-5). 

Tournament results can be found here.

2011 PGA Tour Qualifying School

PGA Tour Qualifying School for 2011 is underway!  Derek is down in Carson City, NV where he was assigned to the Dayton Valley CC location for stage 1.  The tournament is a 4 round stroke-play event.  The tournament started today and Derek teed off at 9:40.  He will be updating the blog with the results shortly, so stay tuned!

For more tournament information, click here.

Northwest Open Invitational begins today

The Northwest Open Invitational officially started today. The pro am portion of the event was over the weekend, and today through Wednesday is the championship portion.

The three round tournament is being held at Wine Valley Golf Course this year. Derek's first round began at12:30 this afternoon, and tomorrow he tees off at 7:30 am. As an amateur, Derek won The Northwest Open twice (2005, 2006).

Tournament information, tee times, and results can be found here.

Suncadia Prospector - 2011 Western WA Chapter PGA Pro-Am

After an exciting win at the PNW PGA Assistant Championship down in Tualatin, Oregon on Monday 8/8, Derek played in an 18 hole Pro-Am over at Suncadia Prospector GC the next day (8/9).

Individually Derek finished 2nd with a 70. Although only a one day event, it is still a round of competitive golf which is where Derek's passion is. He enjoyed playing with the gentlemen on his team (Greg Naaco, Ken Devones, and Mark Kammerer), despite a T10 finish (135).

Results from the Pro Am are available here.

Success at the Callaway PGA Assistant Championship

Yesterday down at Tualatin Country Club Derek took the "W" at the Callaway PGA Assistant Championship!

The tournament was a one day, 36 hole format with the top 2 finishers moving on to the National PGA Assistant Championship in Florida in November. Derek shot 69 in the morning, and 70 in the afternoon to finish first at 139 (-5).

Derek will be heading off to Port St. Lucie to represent the PNW section at the 2011 Callaway Golf PGA Assistant National Championship in November.

The results from the tournament can be viewed here.

Derek and Josh in lead at Callaway PGA Assistant Championship

Today Derek is down in Tualatin, Oregon playing in the 36 hole Callaway PGA Assistant Championship.

The one day tournament is being played at Tualatin Country Club, and Derek tees off at 7:30 am and 12:45 pm.

Results can be found here. After the first round Derek is tied with Josh Immordino at 69. More tournament information can be found on the PNW PGA site.

Derek finished 4th in the Rosauers Open Invitational

The PNW PGA event Rosauers Open Invitational concluded yesterday over in Spokane, WA. The tournament was held at Indian Canyon G.C. from July 15th-17th.

The first round Derek shot one under (70), but came in strong after the second round with an eight under 63! The final round he shot a 67, putting his three round total to 200 (-13 total), securing 4th place. Hats off to Corey Prugh for the win with a 194.

More tournament information can be found here.

Tournament results are here.

Derek Playing at the Oregon Open

Yesterday kicked off Oregon Open Invitational down in Bend at Awbrey Glen GC.

Derek started off hot, with -3 through the first 6 holes, finishing with a 71 (-1). Today he shot a 69 (-3) to take a tie for the lead at 140 (-4). Today's results can be found here.

Tomorrow is the third and final round of the Oregon Open. Derek tees off in the final group of the day at 11:30 off tee #1. More tournament information can be found here.

Washington Open Invitational

After a rough day on the course, derek shot a +4 to finish -3 for the tournament. This put him in a dissappointing tied for 7th place. His swing needs some work, and thankfully his putter helped him score the first two rounds. Unfortunately yesterday he couldn't get the rock to roll as well as the first two rounds.

Despite the dissappointing finish, Derek's friends and family were very excited to watch him in his debut as a professional. It definitely gave me chills at the first tee when they announced him as "Professional Derek Berg". And that is what he is, a professional. There are days when you make it look easy and days when you don't. Although yesterday was a day that was more of a grind, the season has just started and there are more tournaments around the corner.

Final results from the 2011 Washington State Open can be found here.

The tournament raised half a million dollars for Camp Korey, which is the official charity of the tournament. For more info about this charity, please go to www.campkorey.org

Thank you for all the support!

-Candice

Derek tied for 2nd going into final round of WA State Open

After another great round of -3 par (68) today at Glendale CC, Derek is at a tournament total 136(-6) after two rounds.

Going into the final round tomorrow Derek is tied for 2nd, and tees off at 11:30 from tee #1.

For more information you can view the tournament results, as well as the final round tee times.

The tournament is open to the public, so we'll see you out there!

US Open Local Qualifier

Derek played in the 18 hole US Open Qualifier last Thursday 5/12/11 at Tumble Creek Club in Cle Elum.

118 guys were trying to qualify for 8 spots. Derek shot an even par 71, and was in a 5 man playoff for 4 spots. He got a par on the first two playoff spots to make it in. The next step is the US Open Sectional Qualifier at Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton at the end of May.

Local Qualifier results can be viewed here.

Round One - WA State Open

After his first round as a professional golfer, Derek came into the clubhouse with a 3 under 68. It was a bit of a dissappointing 68, as he got a bogey on the last hole (No. 9) and missed an 8 foot birdie putt on the second to last hole (No. 8).

Nonetheless, the first round is under the belt. Tomorrow he tees off at 9:20 on hole #1. After tomorrow's round, there will be a cut and then tee times for Wednesday will be announced.

Results from today can be found here.

WA State Open as a Professional

Today kicks off the Washington State Open at Glendale CC in Bellevue. This will be Derek's first time playing in this event as a professional!

Yes, you heard me correct, I said "professional"! It has been a long time coming, and Derek has decided to play golf as an apprentice in the PNW PGA.

You can follow along with the tournament on their website found here. Is is a three round tournament, with a cut made after round two. Derek tees off today at 2:20 from the 10th tee. See you out there!

Neat Article found here.

-Candice

Derek and Paul win Western Washington PGA 2011 PING Champions Pro-Am

Well if you are reading this, you are a true fan and therefore get to hear the news.....(drum roll)

Derek officially turned pro! Derek is going through the PNW PGA apprentice program and is therefore now an assistant golf professional.

Derek and his good friend Paul played in the Western WA PGA Ping Champions Pro-Am on April 11th. The came in with a 64 for the team gross best ball, putting them in first place. This was just a one day pro-am, but a very relieving and exciting day for me! Just thought I would share the news with any of you other fans out there. :)

Results can be found here.