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  • FedExCup Points: 50,000
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Blog: Rollins on his constant search for the low round
 
Sep. 6, 2007

Editor's note: John Rollins, a two-time winner on the PGA TOUR, has been writing a blog periodically for PGATOUR.com. He took time out from his preparations for the BMW Championship, third event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup to file another edition. He came to Cog Hill ranked 21st in the FedExCup standings.

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John Rollins says he needs two wins if he is to win the FedExCup. (WireImage)
BLOG: BRANDT SNEDEKER
I'm a little disappointed with my play in the first two Playoff events, but I played well in the final round on Monday at the TPC Boston, so maybe things are starting to look up. 
• Complete blog,  click here

LEMONT, Ill. -- I need two wins, really, to win the FedExCup. Even if I won this week, I still wouldn't catch Phil Mickelson, and then obviously, he'll be back in Atlanta with Tiger Woods and all the rest of the guys. So I would say I need nothing short of two wins to have a chance, but stranger things have happened. It can be done. I've just got to make putts and give myself some better opportunities. I haven't been hitting the ball close enough to the hole and it's made it kind of tough. It seems like every day I'm grinding up the 18th fairway at even par and it's hard to compete out here when that's happening. So if I can get the ball a little closer, make a few early and try to get the rounds going maybe I can turn it into some low scores.

I just haven't been hitting my irons that great lately. The last couple of days they've shown some signs of coming back to what I like to see, though. My distances have been a little bit off but the biggest thing is that I haven't hit the ball close enough. A good shot is 25 away whereas before, a good shot would be inside 10 or 15 feet over and over again. You maybe do that 10, 11 times a round and that's how you shoot the low number. If I can do that and get the putts to fall, then I can go low. But I've just got to stay patient with it and let it come back to me.

My teacher, Todd Anderson, was out last week and he'll be in Atlanta, too. I think the biggest thing we've noticed is that lately my tendency is to be short and right. That happens when my left side comes up and out of the shot. So I'm just trying to really concentrate on keeping my left side in the shot longer and rotating more on the ball to compress it and get the distance I'm accustomed to having. When I do that, I hit good shots. So it's just a matter of hitting enough balls and getting that feel ingrained again so that I don't have to think about it. You want to be able to kind of set up, point and shoot. Here lately, I haven't been able to do that but we're battling through it. So maybe this week, I'll get it back again. I feel like I've hit the ball more solid than I have the last couple of months, so we'll see.

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With that Monday finish at the Deutsche Bank Championship, we've got a short week here at Cog Hill. In a way, it can be good, especially if you're playing well because you don't have to wait as long to keep your momentum going. We got in here Monday night. I had a light day on Tuesday. I played nine holes, hit some balls, putted a little and called it a day. So it's not like I was out here all day grinding over it. Then I played in the pro-am on Wednesday and all of a sudden, we're ready to go. So I actually think it's nice. You don't have to wait. Let's just get back at it and see what happens. Last week was a long week. I got to the TPC Boston on Tuesday, and we didn't start until Friday. It made a long week out of it, but it will make this week seem like it flies by -- and next thing you know, we'll be in Atlanta.

The BMW Championship is a little unique in that it doesn't have a cut, either. I think it's good to know that you've got the four rounds. It's not a deal where you have the pressure of trying to make a cut if you haven't been hitting it that great. You can just kind of freewheel it a little bit and try to put yourself in position. You just need to stay patient with it for four days and see what happens. I like this place, too. It's always nice to play somewhere you enjoy playing, and this is one of those golf courses. If you enjoy playing the golf course and you like it, then usually you'll find a way to play good. I'm hoping that happens this week.

I just need to find a way to shoot the low round. I've gotten off to some decent starts, and then I've kind of lost them. But I feel like if I can just get out there and shoot that one low number it could just completely open the gates and free me up to back it up with another good number. That's what we're hoping for, anyway. I'll just continue to swing and eventually something's got to go in and something's got to hit the green the right way and good things will happen.