Rob Rashell is playing his first season on the PGA Tour. Throughout his rookie year, Rashell will provide a frequent glimpse of what it's like to break into the Tour.

LA QUINTA, Calif. — As I continue to learn about life on the PGA Tour, the most recent lesson revolved around the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, the first Pro-Am tournament of the year. I’ve played in many different countries on many different tours yet I’ve never played a competitive tournament with an amateur team. I knew it would be different and looked forward to the opportunity to meet and play with a variety of amateurs from all over the country. I was also excited to learn about the dynamics of the tournament and how I would perform in this laid-back setting.

For those of you who have had the chance to play golf in the greater Palm Springs area, you're familiar with the fantastic conditions for playing golf. I would have to compare the weather to the weather in the old Seattle Kingdome. It's sort of like throwing a bucket of balls down at home plate and hammering tee shots at the diamond vision screen. The only weather you feel would be from the air conditioner, or the hose they use to water down the dirt area around the bases. You get the idea.

Rookie on Tour Return to Q-School Family, friends, fun Learning from Tiger Taking time off Practicing patience   Major highs, lows Open a thrill It's the driver Alligator ... yum! Clubs, car ready Raindelay by a nose Alternate anxiety Rain, rain go away Pebble amazing Home, sweet home Pro-Am popular Club changes Happy in Hawaii

All of the pros play a round on each of the four courses, followed by one more round on the PGA West Palmer course for those that make the cut. The interesting twist for this tournament comes from playing with three different amateurs each day. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and playing with all of my amateur partners. To their credit, I think they were rooting harder for me than I was for myself. Each day my team was extremely encouraging and excited for me to play my best. I could get used to that support.

At a normal PGA Tour event we play with one or two playing partners and we're all creatures of habit. Once we shake hands on the first tee and say hi, we’re off in our own world doing everything we can to play well and have fun. A lot of times that doesn't include a ton of extra conversation with our playing partners. Each person has his own style and process during a tournament and for a lot of players that doesn’t include a ton of getting-to-know-you stuff.  Most weeks I think this process works fine, although the Bob Hope tournament format may not be the best for this sort of routine. As a player, I have to be able to balance the conversations and new friendships with playing the best golf I can. This is not a big deal, just something that takes a little bit of time to get used to. I know next year I will be much better off having played this time.

This week was also a lot of fun in regards to friends and family being able to come out and watch. Being from the Northwest originally, there are a lot of people who live in Seattle that have winter homes in the desert and enjoy coming down for a week or two of golf. I had a wide variety of people out this week to root me on and take in the tournament atmosphere at one time or another. A common question these people ask: “Does it bother you if we’re out there watching?” Well, my answer would be an emphatic NO. I am very appreciative of anyone who takes time out of their day to come out and watch me play. Having played around the world last year on the European Tour I think my fan count was between 4 and 8 for the year. So when I get phone calls and e-mails about tournament information, I’m excited to pass on tickets and share my experience with others.

After missing the cut this week I’m off to Phoenix and a well needed week at home. I’ll have a lot of friends out to watch me play this week and have always enjoyed the atmosphere that only the FBR (formerly Phoenix) Open can provide. I’m having a great time and look forward to playing some great golf very soon!

2005 results     How Rob Rashell stacked up on the PGA Tour this year. He made six of 25 cuts and earned $84,391. — 11/3-11/6: Southern Farm Bureau Classic (70-70-69-69—278, -10, 44th-tie, $9,070) — 9/22-9/25: Texas Open (67-73—140, Even, cut) — 9/15-9/18: 84 Lumber Classic (71-76—147, +3, cut) — 9/8-9/11: Canadian Open (72-73—145, +5, cut) — 9/2-9/5: Deutsche Bank Championship (75-73—148, +6, cut) — 8/25-8/28: Buick Championship (73-69—142, +2, cut) — 8/18-8/21: Reno-Tahoe Open (77-77—154, +10, cut) — 7/21-7/24: U.S. Bank Championship (71-72—143, +3, cut) — 7/14-7/17: B.C. Open (74-70—144, Even, cut) — 7/7-7/10: John Deere Classic (72-72—144, +2, cut) — 6/30-7/3: Western Open (72-72—144, +2, cut) — 6/23-6/26: Barclays Classic (75-73—148, +6, cut) — 6/16-6/19: U.S. Open (74-72-73-74—293, +13, 42th-tie, $26,223) — 5/26-5/29: St. Jude Classic (73-68-69-71—281, +1, 39th-tie, $20,090) — 4/28-5/1: Zurich Classic (74-73—147, +3, cut) — 4/21-24: Houston Open (78-73—151, +7, cut) — 3/31-4/3: BellSouth Classic (79-73—152, +8, cut) — 3/10-3/13: Honda Classic (73-68-76-70—287, -1, 58th-tie, $12,100) — 2/24-2/27: Chrysler Classic (71-68-71-75—285, -3, 64th-tie, $6,300) — 2/17-2/20: Nissan Open (73-72—145, +3, cut) — 2/10-2/13: Pebble Beach Pro-Am (72-75-73—220, +4, cut) — 2/3-2/6: FBR Open (77-74—151, +9, cut) — 1/26-1/30: Bob Hope Classic (66-76-73-72—287, -1, cut) — 1/20-1/23: Buick Invitational (73-72—145, +1, cut) — 1/13-1/16: Sony Open (73-67-74-69—283, +3, 56th-tie, $10,608)

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