My 2020 season is underway, starting with the desert swing in the Middle East
I’m three events into my 2020 season and I have to say it has been a disappointing start.
I began a four-event stretch by making the cut in the South African Open, but finished well down the field after a poor weekend. I then did what every professional despises doing – I bogeyed the last hole of the second round to miss the cut by one shot in Abu Dhabi. It is not the first time I have done it, and it won’t be the last, but it still stings when it happens.
The following week in Dubai was quite simply, rubbish! The course was set up extremely tough, the rough was the thickest I have ever played from and the greens were rock hard. I was not striking it anywhere near well enough to handle such a tough set up. I missed the cut by seven shots, which was even less fun than missing by one the previous week!
I am currently on my way to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for the final event of my four-week stretch. It is never nice to miss cuts and I still find myself getting down about it, but through experience I have learned to take the rough with the smooth. You learn that everyone has ups and downs throughout a season. Sometimes you start badly, sometimes you finish badly, but no matter what, you have to keep plugging away and let the good times come. The more you force things, the longer they take to come good. I will work hard over the coming days and I’m confident my game will click into place . If it doesn’t, then I get to fly home and see my girls early.
Being away from Keri and Ella has been tough. For the past few years, Keri has travelled with me and Ella began traveling when she was three months old. This is the longest stretch that I have been away and it has been a little harder than I expected it to be. I am sure its not helped by the fact that I haven’t been playing particularly well. Last year when I came off the course, they were there to take my mind off a bad round. I now find myself stewing in my own thoughts.
My journey on tour has been a constant learning curve and being away from my family is just another thing I have to learn to handle better. It is tough being away, but I love the constant challenges golf throws at you. I am well up for this season and determined to make this time away from my girls worthwhile.
