With Challenge Tour player Chris Paisley
After my second-place finish in India, I’m excited about how I handled seeing my name back at the top of a leaderboard
Following the first four events of the Challenge Tour season in South Africa, I headed to India for back-to-back tournaments at Classic Golf & Country Club and Royal Calcutta.
Having had what I can only describe here as difficult experiences in India in the past, this is the place I fear playing golf the most. Fortunately, I avoided digestive issues this time, and picked up my best result of the season so far – a T2 finish in The Delhi Challenge. The following week, I narrowly missed the cut.
In terms of points earned, it was a successful trip and I climbed into the top-10 in the Race to Mallorca. I played fantastic golf over the final nine holes in Delhi while in contention, and felt a buzz I have not felt for a long time! To play so well under the gun was a big step forward. I made the turn at two under-par and saw I was tied for the lead. There was a significant jolt of adrenaline when I saw my name up there on the leaderboard as I hadn’t been in that position for a long time. I’d had some back-door high finishes, but I hadn’t had a genuine chance to win for several years.
For the first time in what seems forever, I was excited to have the opportunity to win. When you have been struggling and are low on belief, your mind automatically begins to worry about how you might mess up. The fear hijacks your focus, and your performance usually takes a plunge. For my game to elevate on that back nine confirmed that I am making progress, and it was great to see results when I was under pressure. I had no fear of messing up, I was just excited about the opportunity and curious to see how my game would hold up.
I have fallen back in love with the challenge that this game presents. I am no longer trying to protect my career, I simply want to see how good I can get. When things don’t go well, I look for the lessons. When they do go well, I appreciate them so much more than I used to because I know how hard this game can be.
I’ve had a positive start to the season in terms of results. I’ve been consistently working at the same things for a while now and it’s nice to see that work bearing fruit.
