I arrived at the hotel and settled into my room. My fellow LPGA player and college golf friend, Ashley Hoagland, was again my roomie for the week. She arrived Saturday afternoon. Ashley had taken a direct flight to Mexico City, and for some reason, the most important piece of luggage had not made it. Yes, her golf clubs! It is the fear professional golfers live with every time they travel. Will my clubs be there when I get off the plane? But the next morning Ashley's golf clubs arrived and Ashley, Mollie and I headed to the golf course.
Transportation shuttles to and from the Bosque Real Country Club were set up to begin running on Monday, the beginning of tournament week. I had first ventured to the course on Saturday but was not permitted to play a round of golf. Exempt players could not play until Monday so we were not able to practice on the course, only putt on the greens. The Sunday afternoon practice rounds were reserved for those practicing for the Monday qualifier. Non-exempt LPGA tour players have the chance to gain entrance to the tournament held later in the week by competing for two spots and as a result the Monday qualifiers are highly competitive. For this week's MasterCard Classic, Sarah Huarte shot a 68 and Jin Young Pak came in second with a 70.
Mollie, Ashley, and I ended up hitting balls at the driving range and cruising out onto the course to just putt on the greens on Sunday. The course at the Bosque Real Country Club is in great shape and I am eager to play it. In Hawaii, players had warned me about how hilly and long the Bosque Real Country Club course is. The distance between the putting green and the next tee box is great, so for this week each player and caddie will be using a golf cart for the entire round. I admit that a couple of holes are quite hilly and using a cart will help us stay on time. LPGA players are allotted a certain amount of time for each hole, or as the officials term it, a "time par." The time to play each hole and the entire golf course depends on the length of the course, how it is playing, the weather and what the LPGA Rules Officials determine for that week.
During my stay in Mexico City this week, I have been reminded to not drink the tap water and to be careful not to eat anything not fully cooked, including vegetables. I have been brushing my teeth using bottled water and all my drinks have been without ice. Being a salad lover, it has been quite difficult resisting the temptation to order a fresh green salad. I do want to share that the Bosque Real Country Club has taken very good care of us and is providing LPGA players and staff wonderful breakfasts and lunches during our week here. It really is a lovely place and the course is in great shape. It is a thinker's course, requiring players to play target golf.
It's Wednesday, two days before the tournament starts, as I write this, and I continue to work on my Spanglish. This is my first visit to Mexico City and it has been quite an experience so far. I am loving every minute of it! Hasta Luego!
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