On Sunday, he finished the Veritex Bank Championship with another round in the 60s (64, 68, 68, 65) and finished tied for 16th overall. He thus took another step back towards the top. At the moment, the Norwegian is number 13 on the Korn Ferry tour’s points list, where the top 30 get the PGA Tour card for next season.
– I try not to care about the points. If I stay focused on what I have to do, I am sure that the result will be good in the end. Keeping an eye on points and results doesn’t work for me. I’ve had those worries before. I have learned the hard way, says Christopher Ventura in interview with the Korn Ferry tour.
Took a big risk
Sunday’s bogey-free 65, six under par, was further proof that the former Oklahoma State student is on the right track.
Ventura has always been a birdie machine. In 2019, he had his big breakthrough on the Korn Ferry tour, winning the Utah Championship and the Pinnacle Bank Championship – and qualifying for the PGA tour together with his good friend, Viktor Hovland.
But then there were more bogeys than birdies.
– It started as a turning problem, which then became a mental problem. And when you can’t control where the ball goes, it’s tough to compete, explains the 29-year-old.
Almost three years have passed since he lost his top-level card. And the fall just continued.
– I decided to make a change in the swing and it has paid off. It was a big risk to take because I didn’t know if it would work or not.
– But I had to take a chance, make a major change or not play golf anymore, he says honestly.
A long process
He wasn’t comfortable out on the field when he didn’t know where the ball was going.
– I just tried to stick to the chosen changes. In the drills I practice, the routines off the pitch. Eventually I also managed to implement the changes in the tournament, which is always an extra pressure. It obviously helped with self-confidence, he continues.
Such changes obviously take time. In the first tournament of the year in the Bahamas in January, he missed the cut.
– It was tough to control the ball in the wind there, especially when I was in the middle of a swing change, so I didn’t attach too much importance to that result. But I managed the cut the following week and got a usable placement then. I built on that, and I will continue to do so for the rest of the season, says Ventura.
With the exception of a miss in the Astara Chile Classic in March, the 29-year-old has made the cut in all eight starts after the premiere in the Bahamas. After a 2nd place in Argentina the week before, he has been stable within the top 30 for the last two months.
– It’s better than last year, that’s for sure. So I’m just happy to see the positive development in my game, says Kristoffer Ventura.
