In 2018, Ashton Poole hit clean shots onto the fairway that resulted in multiple birdies, it was just that kind of day for him.
This year, it hasn’t been quite the same, as Poole, a recent graduate of the University of Virginia, finished the first round of the 2019 Dogwood Invitational with a 3-over-par 75, placing him deep down the leaderboard.
“Today was disappointing,” Poole said. “I kind of underestimated how far the ball was travelling down here in Atlanta, especially with the heat.”
Poole’s day got started in a rough way, as he shot a 4 over on hole 4. From then on, it was playing catch up, which he admitted his putter saved him in a few situations. He finished the first nine with a 2-over 39 even with the mishap on 4. His back nine improved, specifically with a string of birdies on 15, 16 and 17, respectively.
But the end left a bad taste in his mouth, as he bogeyed on 18.
“I mean, bad days happen,” Poole said. “You fail more than you succeed in this game, it’s just about playing well at the right time.”
Poole was able to indicate what went wrong on this bad day, however. He pinpointed distance control, specifically where he put himself in the fairway on long-distance holes consistently in 2018, he was veering away from it today, setting up difficult shots to make it near the pin.
As he left the scorer’s table, Poole indicated he was planning on talking to his swing coach, John Tattersall, on the phone about his next move. His close relationship with two-time Dogwood champion Vinny Giles is documented, and he mentioned he talked to him sometime prior to the round.
He calculated what he would need to shoot in Thursday’s 36-hole round to have a chance – 12 under par. Now, at least the way he looks at it, the only thing to do is approach the day as an opportunity to move up.
“I’m just going to give it the best I can tomorrow,” Poole said. “If it’s good enough to get me back in the mix then good, if not then, you know, It’s been a great time here in Atlanta, I’ve always loved this golf course and I’ve always loved coming back. It’s just go on to the next event.”
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