It has been a while since my last column in December and a lot has changed! My world ranking has improved by more than 200 spots to 79th, I won the South African Open, and played my first WGC! You’ve heard all about those so I’ll not bore you with the details again.
Since my last event in Mexico the schedule in Europe has been quite quiet so I am currently in Orlando preparing for the summer. My next event will hopefully be the Valero Texas Open, which I am trying to get a sponsor invite into. Failing that, I am playing the Zurich Classic with Tommy Fleetwood. It is a pairs event on the PGA Tour and Tommy was kind enough to ask me to play with him. It should be an amazing week and I love the idea of having Tommy on my team rather than competing against him! We both expected to be paired with each other in the Walker Cup in 2009 but weren’t so this is our chance nine years later! After those events I will be heading back to Europe for the summer. I will most likely play the Belgian knockout then head to Wentworth for the PGA Championship.
While I have some time in Orlando I am working hard on my game, in the gym, and on my Big Green Egg barbecue. It is certainly a case of more of the same. I feel like I have a good recipe at present. I have a lot of clarity throughout my game. I know where I can make small improvements technically but I am continuing my ‘punishment’ practice which served me so well at the start of the season. My coach Andrew Nicholson just spent six days here with me and he seems happy with where my game is at. I also just joined Lake Nona Country Club which is only a few miles from our house and has possibly the best facilities I have ever seen. The idea is that the facilities, and being around some of the top players in the world, will help elevate my game even further. It’s also a delight to have a five minute drive to practice rather than 35 minutes!
I hope the weather has improved for you guys by the time this goes out. It has been a long winter in the North East!
