PINEHURST, N.C. - 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.

My ball was just on the down slope of the bunker. I had hit two shots into the greenside bunker of the 10th hole Sunday afternoon and faced a tough up and down for birdie. I told my caddie that the lie probably was a good thing, because once the ball landed on the green it would run out a lot easier. After picking out a spot to land my bunker shot on the green, I pulled the trigger and the shot came out perfectly. After landing on the green and bounding forward, my ball checked a little bit and started to climb the ridge about 15 feet short of the hole. 

As the ball got to the top of the ridge it was on a perfect line and I started to raise my wedge hoping it would go in and plunk, my ball disappeared in the hole for eagle. A huge roar went up around the 10th green, and I think I was pumping my fist or giving a high five to my caddie, looking like the rookie I am. I couldn’t help it, I was pretty excited and I had just made a 30-yard bunker shot Sunday afternoon in the U.S. Open -- what a great experience.

My first U.S. Open was an incredible experience, one I hope to make a tradition year after year. The history and tradition that surround the Pinehurst golf complex and the small village where the complex resides are both unique. I can’t imagine another venue that could offer a better test to the world’s best players. The USGA did a fabulous job of setting up the golf course, creating a fair and extremely difficult golf course that never let up.

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

I played solidly during the week and finished in a tie for 42nd with rounds of 74-72-73-74. I was excited to make the cut and play the weekend in my first major, although I felt like I could have played a lot better. The U.S. Open seemed more about saving shots than trying to get them back by making birdies. I learned very quickly that in a lot of instances, a bogey was a good score. Without any water or out-of-bounds on the course, there was really no excuse for making anything worse than a bogey on any hole.

With that said, I made two double bogeys during the week and both came from trying to attack a pin with a chip shot, not an approach shot. On the last day, I had a tough bunker shot on the third hole. If I played the shot at the hole and didn’t hit perfectly, I was heading back into the same bunker I was playing from. I didn’t have enough discipline to play my 10-yard bunker shot 10 feet away from the hole, and I got what we call “room service:” a ball that rolls up on the green to the crest of a hill, then trickles back down the hill to your feet. I finished the 320-yard hole with a double-bogey six; it was one of a couple of times during the week that I got “U.S. Opened.”

This tournament was a great learning experience for me in many different ways. I think this golf course was the ultimate test in course management and patience. I don’t remember more than two or three pins out of 72 holes that my caddie and I decided to play right at. I am aware that my mental skills are good, yet they need to evolve and improve along with my golf swing and short game.

I truly enjoy the challenge of the U.S. Open and find myself missing the opportunity to play the golf course the last couple of days. Very few golf courses challenge a player in a way that Pinehurst No. 2 can. I’m excited to take the lessons I’ve learned with me to New York for the Barclays Classic this week and throughout the remainder of the year.

As all of you know, the tournament finished on Father’s Day and I just want to tell you how much I enjoyed sharing the week with my mom and dad. I’ll never forget the week we shared and all that both of them have given to me as a person and a player.

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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