Pressel blog: Rochester is new favorite tour spot

• Madison Pressel, a second-year pro golfer, is the younger sister of LPGA star Morgan Pressel.
• Madison posted one Symetra Tour win last year as a rookie and was 22nd on the money list.
• Madison Pressel was a standout at the University of Texas.

Editor's note: Madison Pressel, a second-year pro on the Symetra Tour and younger sister of LPGA star Morgan Pressel, is writing a blog for the Democrat and Chronicle. The 24-year-old former University of Texas standout is scheduled to play in the Toyota Danielle Downey Classic, the first-year Symetra tournament at Brook-Lea Country Club in Gates named after the Spencerport native and former pro golfer who died in a 2014 car crash.

Madison's fourth entry: July 19

Over nine months of work on the inaugural Toyota Danielle Downey Classic came to a close Sunday, and it could not have been more perfect. Symetra Tour rookie Annie Park and former LPGA and Solheim Cup member Vicky Hurst battled it out on the back nine for an exciting finish! It came down to the last hole with Vicky Hurst having a birdie putt to send it to a playoff that just missed, sending Annie to the winner's circle with her first professional win!

While all that was going on, I was on the front nine battling it out as well with myself. I struggled with my ball striking all tournament and continued to leave myself in bad spots. So clearly I know what I need to work on! That is one of my favorite things about golf; I post all my stats to a golf stats app and immediately know where my weaknesses are. It also allows me to step back from the emotions of the round and look at it from a rational standpoint. Many times I come out with a much brighter view on my game because I can see the positives and the progress that I make from week to week.

I know I speak for many of the girls on tour when I say we have found a new favorite stop on tour. Not only was the Brook-Lea Country Club course in amazing shape, but the hospitality was unmatched. The fairways drained so well after all the rain we got and the greens are some of the best we play all year! I can totally understand why the membership wanted to show it off to the community. I will definitely be back to play the course before we are back for the event next year!

Before I sign off, I wanted to thank all of the sponsors who made this amazing week possible. Also, thank you to (organizers) Mike Vadala, Alex Carroll, Julie Allen and their committee who spent the last nine months making sure this was great not just for the players but also for the fans. Finally, thank you so much to the volunteers, Brook-Lea, and all the fans who came out to watch! I loved hearing the roar of the crowds when I made birdies on the final hole of my first and final rounds, and cannot wait to be back in that environment!

Rochester, you were such a great community to call "home" for a week, and I cannot thank you enough for that. See you next year!!!

Madison's third entry: July 16

Well, one round down and hopefully three more to go!

Hi again, everybody. I'm back with another blog from the Toyota Danielle Downey Classic at Brook-Lea Country Club! Thursday was my first competitive round since mid-May as I've been sidelined with a wrist injury. I am happy to report that while my round wasn't 100 percent pain free, it wasn't due to a slew of bogeys! I shot a 1-over-par 73 with four bogeys and three birdies. That included rolling in an 18-foot birdie putt from the fringe on No. 18. It was awesome to hear the gallery gathered around the green give me such a great round of applause!

Making birdie on your last hole is always what you want, especially after bogeying the previous hole! That birdie puts a little extra bounce in your step headed to the next round, especially going into cut day. I went off early on Thursday — 7:52 a.m. — so I'll start my second round on Friday at 12:42 p.m.

I actually prefer morning tee times, although getting up stinks. But once I'm up, I don't care. I grew up in Florida, so I was used to getting out really early or teeing off really late because of the weather. It would rain in the middle of the day and be so hot and humid. No problem with that Thursday; the weather here was absolutely gorgeous!

I was kind of sloppy with my play. I wasn't hitting great shots, but I was scrambling really, really well. That is something that you can lose pretty quickly when you get out of the groove of playing, so I was pleased to be able to get up and down from a lot of different places. I was hitting all my spots on my chips, which was key after hitting only nine greens in regulation.

Friday looks like another gorgeous day. Maybe you'll leave work early and come see how I'm doing in the afternoon? I hope the weather stays like this! Obviously, I want to make the cut, so I'll have to play another solid round. Hope to see you Friday and over the weekend, too!

But for me, I'm off to the range ...

Madison's second entry: July 14

Wow, Rochester, only two days in and you are already amazing me!

The 9th annual Future of Women's Golf Pro-Am was Monday, and it was even better than when I played last year. This Pro-Am is set up differently than any other one I have ever played. Twenty-seven local female high school golfers got the chance to play with a Symetra Tour professional and three other amateurs. Danielle Downey started this event to give the girls an opportunity to meet a professional, something she never got to do when she was their age, and it has grown into something quite amazing. I played with Emily Doell for the second year in a row and had an absolute blast. She is going to be a senior at Aquinas, and she is in the process of deciding where she will play in college. I remember what an exciting time that was for me and it was fun to hear about her journey!

Tuesday was a "practice on your own" day. I'm recovering from a wrist injury, so it was a very light (and early!) day for me. I went around the back nine with two of my good friends and just chipped and putted around the greens. As many of you have probably heard before, drive for show and putt for dough! That could not be more true, especially when playing on a Donald Ross course. These greens can be tricky, so getting a good feel for the breaks is crucial.

Tuesday night is the Pro-Am pairings party where I will meet my playing partners for the more "traditional" Pro-am on Wednesday. Prior to the party is the finals for the Summit Cup Putting Challenge, where one person will be crowned the No. 1 putter in Rochester!

Make sure to follow @TheSummitFCU on Periscope via Twitter as Sara Brown of Golf Channel, pro player Catherine O'Donnell and I will go live with the contest at 6 p.m.!

So long for now!

Madison's first entry: July 11

Hey Rochester! My name is Madison Pressel and I am a member of the LPGA Symetra Tour. Beginning on Thursday, I will be one of 144 women competing for the $22,500 first-prize check at the Danielle Downey Classic at Brook-Lea. For me, it's about way more than the check at the end of the week. It's about making sure Rochester doesn't go a year without seeing professional women's golf.

My sister, Morgan, always told me about the golf culture and incredible atmosphere at the Wegmans LPGA Championship, and she was so sad to see the tournament come to an end in the Rochester area. Every year, she stayed at the same host family's house and I am excited to carry on the tradition of having a Pressel sister in their house for a week, so thanks to the Gorsline family of Pittsford!

Over the past few months, I have been battling a wrist injury that has given me the opportunity to visit Rochester and help with the tournament in ways that I never had before. I have seen firsthand how hard everyone is working to make this event possible, and I know it is going to be an incredible week!

Monday starts the jam-packed week with the "Future of Women's Golf Pro-Am," an event that Danielle started nine years ago to ensure that local female high school golfers got the chance to play with a pro. I'll be playing with the same high school player (Emily Doell of Aquinas) that I played with last year and I can't wait to see how much she has improved.

There are great players out here, many of which you have seen in LPGA events before. You will love the golf, and we will love playing in Rochester! I'll be updating you throughout the week on how the events are going. Hope to see you all out at Brook-Lea!!

Toyota Danielle Downey Classic

What: The 2015 Toyota Danielle Downey Classic is a women's golf tournament on the Symetra Tour, a minor league to the LPGA.

When: Thursday through Sunday.

Where: Brook-Lea Country Club, 891 Pixley Road, Gates.

Field: 144 players.

Purse/winner's share: $150,000/$22,500.

Parking: Free shuttles at Rochester Tech Park (five minutes from course).

Tickets: Available at Wegmans locations and online. Ground passes are $10 on Monday through Wednesday, $20 Thursday-Sunday. Kids 12-and-under are free.

Website:www.DanielleDowneyClassic.com.