Chris Killmer (right) has got his 2012 season off to a respectable start with a tie for tenth at the first Gateway Tour event of the year, played on the Pine Course at McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale, Ariz. Killmer, who actually moved to the Phoenix area in October last year, shot rounds of 72 on Tuesday and 71 yesterday over the 7,187-yard Desmond Muirhead-designed layout to complete the 36 holes on one-under 143 - six shots behind winner Darren Angel who beat Michael Derminio in a playoff.
Killmer says he was pleased with the performance and that it was great to be playing tournament golf again. "I definitely got a good feel for what needs to be cleaned up so I can begin contending for the top spot," he says. "I let a lot of good opportunities out there get away, but I hit the ball pretty well and was happy to see that some of the things I worked on during the short off-season came through."
As for his move to Phoenix, Killmer is loving the good weather, huge number of courses, and abundance of quality players in close proximity. "I truly believe that living here will help me become a better player," he says. "Phoenix is full of good players like my former UW teammate Richard Lee (who plays his first PGA Tour event this week at the Sony Open in Hawaii). It has been great to spend some time practicing with him the last couple of weeks. It was really useful to be with a guy that has made it to the level where I want to be."
Results here.
