Joey D is back in South Florida with thoughts on Ontario

The RBC Canadian Open is in the books, after five long tournament days. Congrats to Nathan Green. Taking down Retief Goosen in a playoff is never easy and kudos to both guys for doing what they did in those conditions. The weather in Ontario never let up and negotiating that course became a very difficult task as the week went on. It makes for some very inconsistent golf, which has some guys folding while others rise to the challenge.

All in all, my guys Jason Dufner and Pat Perez both put together solid weeks and reeled in very respectable finishes -- T3rd for Jason and T24th for Pat. Both guys were in contention, Pat leading early on and Jason hanging on to a lead over the weekend. Finding yourself a top the leaderboard at the end of the weekend; you have to be so mentally focused to actually close out and win the tournament.

I'm not downplaying the excitement that comes with a third place finish. I'm disappointed that Jason couldn't close it out, yet I'm again thrilled that he had another huge week out there. This has turned into a banner year for him and as I've said in past blogs, watching him play for love of the game instead of being motivated by the fear of losing his card - it's a welcomed site. His game is mature, he's in touch with his body and Jason is doing things this year that were unimaginable at this time last season. Jason will eventually get that first win. It comes with time and this is no time to get frustrated.

How many times did we see Mr. Perez coming close over the years, but not closing it out? It took Double P over seven years out here to secure that first victory and it took an incredible week, as well as the collapse of top man on the FedExCup leaderboard (Steve Stricker) to makes the dream a reality. The rest of the team missed the cut and unfortunately, that's part of the game. Everyone is giving it their all, but there have been some bumps in the road for everyone.

We're three-quarters through the 2009 season and there's a lot of golf left to be played. A good week could come for any of the boys at any given time. Stay tuned for The Playoffs and another mini west coast swing. I have some guys inside the top 125 who are safe and a few others who need to crank it up a notch if they're going to earn a spot.

I'm back in South Florida this week - not on the road, but not 'off' either as there's tons to do at D1 Athletics. I spent some time this morning working with a nephew who's a pro surfer and we're running through a slew of core-related exercises that are going to help him in his quest to be the next Kelly Slater. As I've mentioned in the past, D1 is ready for every type of athlete out there. This isn't just a golf facility. We have the tools and know-how to help different athletes.

The mission statement remains - using all GolfGym's equipment and tools, combined with my coaching, teaching and methodology - D1 is here for anyone who wants to get on board. From professional to amateurs, we'll get you dialed in. This is going to be a really busy and exciting off-season and it's already started as each off-week between now and season's end will be spent working with different types of athletes. More to come this week from South Florida and then off to Reno next week.

Joey D.