Happy 4th!

Hi all.

It's been a while since I've last posted- life as I know it has been pretty busy with golf, golf and some more golf.
There are no complaints and I'm happy to report that my game is getting better and that my scoring has come down nicely over the past few months.

I've been playing on the Peach State Tour and have started seeing some solid rounds being put together. My last two outings have been 12th(-4) and 17th(-6).
I'll be playing this tour all the way to Q school and will also be adding some Nationwide Monday qualifiers to the mix once the tour returns a bit closer to the South East.
My coach Mark Immelman and I have been putting in a lot of work and my ball striking is getting better and I'm also feeling more comfortable over the ball. The other addition that I've added to the "Ries" team is Dr. Morris Pickens out of Sea Island Ga. He is a sports psychologist that is currently working with several PGA Tour players and Majoy champs. I spent Saturday afternoon working with him and am excited to report that there is ample room for growth in that department and that only means that there is room for lower scores and better golf!! Exciting stuff!

I've got this week and the 4th off and then I'm back for four weeks in a row. I'll be keeping you all posted on my results as they happen.

Have a fantastic 4th of July and be safe while you celebrate the independence of one great country!

Thanks again for all the support.

God Bless.

Christian Ries

Masters Champ!

What a Sunday finish to this years MASTERS!!!

I don't know about y'all but with the final group standing on the 12th tee, it was still anybodies tournament to win or loose. What an exciting finish!
We had a little bit of everything mixed in the bowl for the final nine.... two past Masters Champs in Cabrera and Woods, US Open Champ Ogilvy making five straight birdies to come from nowhere, add the jinxed Luke Donald striking the pin on 18 twice, Bo van Pelts two eagles on 13 and 15... wow!
But it has to be said that this was all outdone by the majestic ball striking and putting of a very under the radar Charl Schwartzel! He showed us that he is mature beyond his years and that he could control his nerves right to the end, fitting that all so mighty-full green jacket on with ease:)
I just can't believe that two of my team mates that I won the World Junior Team Champs with are now Major Champions!! That is truly a remarkable feat.

I don't think any 'normal' golfer outside the professional realms can grasp how difficult it really is to win out there... Rory had it in the bag but as we know, there is more to winning Major Championships that just hitting the golf ball. You need to be able to manage your game, emotions, focus, mind and have a few lucky breaks.
That's the exact recipe that Charl used and now he's going to bed wearing his Green Jacket!!

I've got allot of work ahead of me if I want to challenge the likes of Oosthuizen and Schwartzel.. but as we all know, everyone runs their own race and God has timing like none other! So I'll keep on working, focusing and getting better and with a bit of luck get my mind and game to the level where I can contend week in and week out.

I'm leaving South Africa for good come April 24th. I'll be competing on the Peach State Tour in Georgia and am planning on doing a few Monday qualifiers on the Nationwide Tour. The goal is to get my game ready so that I can be firing on all cylinders come October and the PGA Tour Q school.
South Africa has been great and I feel like my game has got allot better but I know that I am a lot more comfortable on the fairways in America and I'll be narrowing my focus on one geographical area:)

I'll also be blogging more often so keep your eyes on this space because I know 2011 is the year for continued hard work and great golf!

God Bless!

Christian

Comeback!

Good day on a Masters Sunday!

What a Sunday this is shaping up to be... as long as we don't see a horrific downfall by our leader, Mcllroy should be our newest Major Champion and a well deserved one!! He is a rare and amazing talent with a head of maturity beyond his years. 2011 has seen some amazing golf thus far and it seems to be the "young guns" that are coming through in leaps and bounds- I'm happy to switch on the sports channel and see the names of Kirk, Woodland, Simpson and Vegas doing well! I played allot of amateur and professional golf with these guys and know they have the talent to keep doing well and stay out there. Having mentioned that I must mention that it has also made me even more dedicated to my own personal goals of being on the PGA TOUR.
It has been a slow start for me to the 2011 season here on the Sunshine Tour, my game has been in somewhat of a dismal form with not much being put together at once.. I did start to see some flashes of greatness at the Telkom PGA as my name appeared on the leader board for a day or so... but the weekend and the constant missed shots took its toll and I slipped a little down that leader board ending at -7.
Hindsight is always the best educator and looking back I should have made my comeback after my shoulder surgery a good few months later instead of the 18weeks that I gave it to heal...
I'm only now (6months later) starting to get my feel back and my distance... add those two together and my good short game and I'm excited for a good season ahead in America.

I wanted to give you all a quick update and I'll post again after tonight's Sunday Masters Golf with some comments and a full schedule up of my own golf for the next few months.

Take care and don't forget the popcorn!!!

God Bless.

Christian

Joburg Open

Hi.
A very Happy New year to everyone- I hope it will be a good year for y'all with loads of success and all your goals accomplished.
2011 has started off with a lot of work and I'm starting to see the results I want in practice and am now starting to see it come through during tournament competitiveness.

This week is the 2nd European Tour event of our Sunshine Tour/European Tour season- The Joburg Open.
I shot 72 yesterday on the tougher East course and have my work cut out this afternoon on the easier West course here at Royal Johannesburg GC.
This week has been another cool experience and I'm more motivated than ever to reach my goals during this year.

I'll be blogging during my off week, next week before the Zimbabwe Open in Harare.

Thanks for the support.

God Bless.

Christian

Nashua Masters & BMG Classic

After a short lived week last week at the Wild Coast its back to the grind and I’m teeing it up at Glendower Golf Club in Johannesburg tomorrow.
The course is in great condition and playing rather long for a course that’s two thousand feet above sea level but this won’t be stopping me from making lots of birdies because the greens are running at around twelve and I’m putting rather nicely. (Nice and FAST!)
I can’t wait for the day when my shoulder is no longer a problem but it’s running at about 95% at the moment and I must admit that it gets a bit tired during those last few holes but I’m grinding it out and trying to learn from this whole ordeal. It feels better every week so I’m excited to see how it holds up this week.

For those of you who are new to my blogs I try add a funny story every other week or whenever they decide to appear.

As I mentioned earlier I missed the cut last week and was asked to play in a Pro-am in Joburg on Saturday morning. After finding out I’d get paid to play I confirmed my participation without thinking about too many travel arrangements. (Was thinking there’d be shuttles from the main hotel to the airport two hours away…) Mental note to self: Don't think.
I got off the course at 6pm and the last shuttle did in fact leave while I assume I was busy playing the 11th hole… So... No transport, 10:30 flight (two hours away), zero lift to the airport and a hefty fine from the Tour if I miss the Pro-am… I made my flight by one minute after paying a caddie on the Tour to drive me the 2 and ½ hours to the airport!!!! (the ½ hour was added after we drove to the old “Durban International” completely not knowing about the new King Shaka International thirty minutes away… brutal… one minute!!)


Please follow me this week at www.sunshinetour.com

1st round start is 6:50am tomorrow!

Cheers and God Bless.

Christian

Success!

Hi.

It's been ten days since the surgery and I'm super excited to report that the surgery was such a huge success that I was able to take my arm out of the sling yesterday.
The Dr. reported that he took out a substantial amount of calcium and that there were NO torn tendons or damaged muscles either. The pain going down my arm has since disappeared as well as the numbing feeling that I was experiencing in my fingers... YAY to a successful surgery!

THANKS FOR ALL THE PRAYERS!

If you can sense that I'm getting excited to get out there you should know that the golf bug is pulling towards the course and that I'll be starting my come back on Wednesday with a few hours of short game!!! Don't worry... I won't over do it and do too much... haha

On a side note: I offered my time to a awesome charity called the Tembaletu School Project which is in Guguletu (for those that don't know the area: poor shacks, no running water, electricity etc.) It is one of the Hillsong Africa Foundation projects which promotes equal access to a high standard of education and life skills development for children with disabilities. It also creates a safe environment, free from predatory behaviour and dangerous elements and provides dignity, love, confidence and will enrich the lives of children from these disadvantaged communities.

It's a awesome cause and I'm looking forward to hanging out with these kids tomorrow at the first fundraiser in Guguletu.

I'm very confident that I'll be back playing full time on the Sunshine Tour in mid October!!!

I'll blog again in a couple weeks to keep you updated on the progress of my game.

Have a good week and chat soon.

God bless.

Christian

Surgery

Hi.

I'm writing my blog from the rather coldish South Africa!

It's always good to be home and I'm enjoying the odd bit of sunlight we get from time to time here in Cape Town.
I'm being taken under the knife on Friday morning to have this calcium removed from my shoulder- I've tried the rehab and both shoulder specialists I've seen have recommended that I have it surgically removed.

I've never thought that I'd be this excited to be put to sleep (for an hour or so) but I can't wait to get back into golf without any distractions or hiccups! The latest with my recovery period, and we will know more after the surgery, is between two to six weeks. If nothing is too damaged and they don't have to do any repair work on the shoulder other that the removal of the calcium then I can get back to full mobility within two weeks and should then be teeing it up middle to end of October.

I'll keep you all updated and I will know more once they get in there and have a look!

There aren't many funny stories from my traveling at the moment but I'm sure they'll be streaming in once I get back out on the road and join the guys on the tour!!

Thanks for all the constant well wishes! They are truly appreciated.

Have a good day and God Bless.


Christian