December 17th, 2008

I am still in celebrating mode… Plus, Christmas is coming up and then, it will be 2009 before I know it! Now that our tour schedule is out, I can already start planning. My season will start in Hawaii in February. More specifically, my first tournament will be in Oahu at the Turtle Bay resort! I’m really looking forward to going back where I had my amazing Big Break V: Hawaii experience a few years ago! It will bring back great memories!

My off-season has been so busy so far. I’m enjoying being home with my husband, Brian and not traveling. I just came back from a short trip to Sarasota to spend time with my sponsor, Universal North America. I played golf at the Ritz-Carlton with the president, Rick Espino. That same evening, I attended Universal’s Holiday party, which was a beautiful event at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Sarasota. It was great to see the whole Universal family, as I feel like I’m part of it!

Since I got back home, I’ve been working hard on my game with my teacher, Carl Rabito. My swing mechanics are looking better and better each day! I’m extremely motivated to do what it takes to be ready for next year! I even did a photo shoot yesterday. I’ve done quite a few shoots before but this time I had to coordinate everything myself… Believe me, it’s lot of work and very time-consuming. But it was so much fun to play “model” for half a day. I’ve also been cooking almost every night- something I don’t get to do much on the road. I really believe that cooking is be a small passion of mine. Coming from France and being brought up by my Korean parents, I take the joy of eating and food to the next level. I love all kinds of flavors and try to create unique recipes. More importantly, I like to know what is in what I’m eating. It’s safe to say that eating out is not the healthiest alternative… Brian and I are spending the rest of the year at home and I am VERY happy about it!!!

Finally, I’ll leave you with the quote of the week: “IF is a dirty word” by Jason Ferrario, LPGA tour caddie.

Until next time,

JCH

December 8th, 2008

There isn’t a better feeling than setting a difficult goal for yourself, and accomplish it… Finally!!! I will get to experience what it’s REALLY like to be an LPGA tour player. No more monday qualifyings, booking flights the night before a tournament, having to explain to everybody how you’re on tour but you don’t really get to play every week… As soon as the Q-school was over, I got so many phone calls, texts, and emails from friends. I never knew how many friends and fans I had until yesterday!!! It makes success even sweeter when people pull for you. Brian, Oui and I got some champagne and went out for sushi to celebrate!!!

2008 was a roller-coaster year… or rather a boring roller coaster for those afraid of heights… I know 2009 will be different. I can truly say that I worked my tail off these past couple of months for LPGA q-school. I had to start from scratch whether it was mentally with my attitude, physically with my fitness regimen or technically with my swing mechanics. I thought starting over was the best way to approach my preparation. Believe me, it was tough. I had to step out of my comfort zone in every area of my life, which is hard to do because of my stubbornness. Not being 100% guaranteed that it would pay off, I had complete faith in my plan. My new teacher Carl Rabito played a huge role in my preparation. He put his heart into my game, led me the right way and more importantly, he really believed in me. We worked on each area of my game and everything peaked at the right time! I gotta thank Universal for being so supportive and patient with me. Universal is the best kind of sponsor I could ever get!!!

Earning your card is one thing. It is an opportunity. It is actually only the beginning. I am motivated to keep working hard to play well during the season.  Thanks for all your posts in my guest book! I appreciate every one of your encouraging messages!!!

I’ll write again soon,

Jeanne