European amateur

Estonia was the destination for the European amateur, before I went my long game probably felt the worst it had it had been this year leading up to a tournament. The days off recovering from food poisoning had obviously thrown my golf off track so when I got to Estonia I spent the practice day trying to find a way of getting it round. Onto the course and it was extremely soft with shortish par 4’s but unreachable par 5’s, the greens were bumpy and soft making it hard to roll the ball.

I started on 10 and it quickly became a story of not taking advantage of my wedges, hitting 7/8 out of 9 greens but not having a putt inside 12/15 ft. This meant I went out in 9 straight pars. I chipped and putted the par 5 1st for birdie which relieved some pressure knowing that birdies would be plentiful this week. More pars followed until I reached the 5th where thunder stopped play for an hour or so. This should perhaps happen more often as I managed to roll in a 40 ft putt for birdie when play restarted. A good 12 footer on 6 maintained momentum until unfortunately I made my first bogey on 8. I managed to reply well with a closing birdie for a 70(-2). It didn’t feel great but I hit a lot of greens and kept it in play which I was pleased about.

The 2nd round started with a par, then on 2 I made a very lucky birdie after a wild drive found a good lie and a swing amongst bushes and trees. It could and probably should have been a 5/6. I then made a good birdie on the 4th, the hardest hole on the course. However, on 5 I hit it to 25 ft rammed that 4ft by. I went on to miss that and stupidly rushed my tap in and missed that. Something I’ve done a few times this year, not out of anger but carelessness and not taking my time. A few bad long putts followed for 40-60ft which led to a bogey on 7 and scraping pars on 8&9. I finally gave myself a chance on 12 from 10ft but missed that then hit it in the water on 13 from my drive. I got up and down for bogey to go +2. Another bad drive meant I had 50 yards for my 3rd on 14, admittedly I got a bit lucky with my pitch which ran out to 4 ft and saved par. At this point I was just trying to scramble a score and managed to get up and down from 70 yards on the par 5 15th for birdie. I played the last few solid enough but no decent chances meant I finished with a 73(+1). A round where I felt I didn’t do anything well apart from hang in.

The round 3 cut was looking like -1 which was my tournament total. I started on 10 again and a good 12ft putt on 12 for birdie got things going after a solid 2 holes. A big hook on 15 into the water led to a scrappy bogey in the end and increased the pressure. My most important birdie probably came at 16 as I hit it to 4ft from 110 in the rough to regain momentum and positivity. I got up&down on 17 and a bad chip meant I didn’t birdie 18 to be out in -1. I got up and down from the rough on 1&3 from around 98 yards on both holes for birdies to give me a nice cushion. I then hit it close from 132 on 6 to go -4 for the round. A wild 3 wood on 7 into the trees led to a chip out and a bogey. I negotiated 8 and then closed out with a birdie on 9 again hitting it to 2ft from 116 for a round of 68(-4) and a 5 under total. This positioned me at T16 giving me an opportunity for a good finish. The reason I shot this score instead of somewhere around level wasn’t due to my driving because I hit 4 fairways but how many times I hit it close from the rough with a wedge.

Looking to finish well I started off with a couple of steady pars until a Sunday carve, that being an under-exaggeration, meant I lost my ball and resulted in a double bogey. Somehow my outside birdie chances on 4,5 and 7 all lipped out from 20-30 ft when they looked in all the way. A wild 4 iron on the par 3 8th led to a bogey and a round that was getting away from me fast. A bad wedge shot on 9 led to a par and a front 9 of +3. I kept hitting good putts but nothing wanted to go in on 10&11. I got away with a bad 3 wood on 12 but hit 1 of my first bad putts from 15ft to remain +3. A bad drive and second on 13 was saved by a great 30 yard bunker shot to 7ft. It was a bit like the 2nd round where I kept trying and hoped a birdie would come soon. My first real chance came on 15 from 8ft but a bad putt left me frustrated knowing I had make them count. However on the very next I rolled in a 15ft putt for a birdie at last and all of a sudden another chance arose from 12ft on 17 which I converted for back to back birdies. A closing par led to a 73(+1) and a -4 total. This left me in a tie for 35th. Not what I was looking for but based on the way I played and finished it wasn’t a disaster.

Yes it was one of those weeks where it didn’t click however I’m happy that I was able to shoot some good scores. With the leaders finishing at -16 it was unlikely the way I felt all week I was going to challenge. It’s probably the best field I’ll play in all year so to play badly and finish alright is a positive in my eyes. I have just 1 competition left in a couple of months time, unfortunately it all quietens down then, hopefully I can regroup and finish the season off well.

 

 

 

English amateur

This year the English amateur was at Ganton and Scarborough south cliff golf clubs. Two completely contrasting courses in difficulty. Ganton being extremely narrow with gorse lining the fairways, long and firm and Scarborough being wider with reachable par 5’s and 4’s.

I started at Scarborough in windy conditions, its only big defence, with steady pars but no real chances. I then 3 putted from 30ft on the par 5 5th due to a bit of complacency on the first putt. I got up and down on 6 and then on 7 courtesy of a good 12ft putt. I got up and down out the bunker for my first birdie on the par 5 8th. I had a couple of decent chances on 9&10 from 15&10 ft but couldn’t convert. I got away with a bad drive on 11 and made par however I wasn’t as fortunate on 12 when I hit a similar drive behind a bush all by itself, I chipped out pitched that to 6ft and missed for my first bogey. An ok par on 13 followed before a 3 putt from 40/50 ft on 14 sent me over par. A really good lag putt on 15 saved par from 50 ft and left it short in the middle on 16 from around 20 ft for birdie. A good 5 iron on the hard par 3 17th went to 20ft and I rolled that in to get back to level. Another poor drive on the par 5 18th nearly went into someone’s garden, fortunately it stayed in bounds by a few yards and I only had 9 iron in. I hit that to the fringe and 2 putted for birdie and a round of 71(-1). A decent score in the considering how I drove the ball and how I putted.

Annoyingly this would be my last golf of the tournament as 30 minutes after my evening meal I started to get really bad stomach cramps. I went to bed in pain thinking it might be trapped wind. I didn’t sleep and at 3am I was sick , this re-occurred throughout the night and I had no chance of making it onto the tee for 7am, I had no option but to withdraw. I was gutted obviously but nothing I could do. I just had to take it on the chin and recover in time for the European amateur in Estonia next week.

Dutch U21’s

As most of you know I had been asked to represent England for the first time in the Dutch Junior Open. It was one of the best weeks I’ve had this year.

It all started being picked up in a courtesy range rover from the airport and driven to the golf club on Monday. I played in an am-am on Tuesday with the format being texas-scramble, creating a relaxed atmosphere before Wednesday and the competition. Wednesday came and so did a good start. A couple of simple up and downs with solid play lead to a 3 under par front 9 with no mistakes in constant rain. This rain however increased into a torrential downpour leading to a bad drive on 10. Inevitably play was suspended for flooding but we were kept out on the course, 45/50 mins passed and finally we were back underway. I chipped out then completely duffed my 6 iron as I lost my rhythm, this led to a 6 and then I missed the green with my 9 iron by 15 yards leading to a bogey and all my good work gone. I dug deep and bounced back with a birdie on 12, I got up and down on 13 for a par and made a seve style par on 14 from being everywhere. A terrible shot on 15 led to a bogey and an up&down on 16 continued a scrappy back 9. Fortunately 2 good shots to the par 17 and a good approach to 18 gave me a birdie-birdie finish for 70(-2), a deserved score in the end after being unlucky with the suspension and losing my rhythm of the round.

I was lying 2nd but still 6 behind so a good round was in order. I hit the first 7 greens with with a couple going in but a few good putts lipping out to be -2. I held a good 12ft put on 8 for par and a good 2 putt on 9 for another bogey free front 9. Then the putter started to warm up as I held a 30ft putt on 10, got up&down on 12, 8ft putt on 14 for par, then I held back to back 25ft putts, 1 for birdie on 15 and 1 for par on 16. Unfortunately my bogey free round stopped at 17 with a bad drive leading to a bogey and a round of 69(-3) putting me tied leader.

The wind picked up in round 3 but I started well again hitting good putts on 2&3 but missing then birdying 4&5. A bad 3 iron on 7 meant a chip out and a bogey. Don’t know how my putt missed on 8 and parred 9 to be out -1. A Good chip and 5ft putt on 10, 2 putt from 70ft on 11 and an 8ft putt for par on 12 kept my round going until I mis-judged the swirling wind on the par 3, 13. A huge drive on 14 gave me an 8 iron in to a par 5 resulting in a birdie then I hit it to 5ft from 121 yards for back to back birdies. Up&downs on 16 and 17 stopped a bad finish leading to a 70(-2). This put me T1 at 7 under with 1 other guy and next place being -2. So really it was a two horse race and gave it a matchplay feel.

I went into round 4 with the attitude of just focusing on me and not on what he does and doesn’t do. However I bogeyed the 1st missing my 1st putt inside 8ft in the week. An awful 2nd on 2 cancelled out a great drive only leading to a par on the par 5. My opponent started birdie-birdie so I was 3 behind after 2. I didn’t panic and settled down playing 3&4 well. I then held a 30ft putt and chipped in on 6 for back to back birdies. He bogeyed 7 and I birdied 8 to be 1 infront. My first 3 putt for the week came on 9 from an almost impossible position, he unfortunately birdied it to go 1 behind. However I chipped in again on 10 which he bogeyed for another 2 shot swing. 3 pars followed after 3 good 2 putts. I made another seve par on 14 again after hitting it to 9ft from 77 yards and holing that. My opponent though held a 30ft putt for birdie to be level with 4 to play. A hooked 3 wood on 15 led to a chip out and a bogey, my opponent then held another 25/30ft putt for birdie. We both parred 16 after he held a clutch 10ft putt. I got up and down on 17 for birdie but it wasn’t enough, he then held a 30/35ft putt for eagle to end my hopes. I managed to birdie 18 for a 69(-3) and a 10 under total which I thought would’ve been enough at the start of the day.

I must admit it was great to be involved in such a match, close all the way with around 100 people watching and swings at every corner. I’m also proud of how well I did considering the type of course it was, taken me a long time to know how to play such a tree lined parkland course but I’ve shown myself I can. The experience is one I wont forget but no way am I saying I’m happy with the result as I wanted to win so there’s still a few things I need to work on before the English and European amateur. My world amateur ranking has also reduced to 475.

 

 

The Amateur Championship

This years amateur was at Royal Porthcawl and Pyle & Kenfig, probably the biggest tournament I was going to play in with certainly the biggest prize along with a great field to test myself in.

I started at Pyle & Kenfig with a few steady pars until the 6th whereby I left myself in position ZYX but played the best chip of my year to 4ft to save par. I parred 7 and hit it into a fairway bunker on 8, got it out, pitched it to 15 ft and knocked it in for 8 straight pars in a row. A terrible tee shot on 9 led to a lost ball but I managed to make a birdie with my 2nd ball and as it was a par 5 I was out in 1 over. I hit it to 8ft on 10 and chipped to 6ft on 11 for back to back birdies. 12 was playing 210 yards into wind with a really tough pin so I bogeyed that. I also bogeyed 13 from a bad wedge shot and a terrible 1st putt from 40ft. I then hit it to 6ft on 14 to get back to level and carry on an action packed back 9. I got up&down on 15 before another bad wedge shot put me on the wrong side leading to a bogey. However I managed to hole a 10ft putt on 18 for birdie to give me a boost and shoot level.

The 2nd round was brutal, rain with a very strong wind. I parred the 1st and got up and down for bogey 2 until 3 which went well… I went 50 yards right by another fairway, then 40 yards right pin high in some weeds… Guess what happened next! Thankfully the card has no pictures as I held  this pitch shot somehow. A 20ft putt dropped on 4 for birdie with 3 pars following. It was all going to plan before 8 where I hit it into a gorse bush, took a drop then made a big mistake by misjudging the lie and ended up hitting it into cross bunkers 90 yards from the green. Got it out, duffed my pitched and 3 putted from 90ft leading to a stupid 8. Under the cosh I just made sure I settled back down parring 9&10 before birdying 11 by hitting it to 10ft. Then on the par 5 12th I hit another into the gorse, this time it was lost. I was a bit unlucky with my second ball which meant I made another 8. I thought it was over but I got up and down from 70 yards on 13 and got told the cut was +4 ( I was 1 off at this point ). I then bogeyed 15 and was on the 17th tee before I got told the cut moved to +5. I birdied the easy par 5 17th and got up and down on 18 to make it on the mark even with 2 8’s. Stressful day in the end!

I ended up drawing Ivan Cantero who is 5th in the amateur ranking. I won the 3rd before he made 3 birdies in a row, winning 2 of them and I messed up 7&8 to be 3 down. He let me in on 9 so I won that before I held a 20 ft putt whilst he missed an 8 ft putt on 10. The same thing happened on 11 and I got it back to all square. Halved 12 and it all changed on 13. I hit my bunker shot to 10ft, as I got out I realised if he hits his putt too hard from off the green it could hit my ball. I didn’t mark it as he was in his pre-shot routine but as soon as he hit his putt I knew he’d hit it too far therefore ran over quickly and marked it. His ball sailed past the hole and over my marker. I froze once he said “you cant do that can you”. A Ref came over and it resulted in loss of hole from a point where I was probably going to win. This changed the whole match. He had a bounce in his step and it showed in his golf coming in. I lost 3&2 by putting myself under unnecessary pressure’ I was only thinking about him gaining an advantage and trying to stop that. This was another big learning curve for me in only my second year of amateur golf. Onwards and upwards to the open regional qualifier.

 

Scottish amateur

Gullane no.1 was the venue for the Scottish amateur this week. A course that hosted the Scottish open last year.

Round 1, I was literally first off at 7:00 and 1st on the tee. It was cold with horrid fine rain but this didn’t stop a good start with birdies at 1 & 3. A bad tee shot on 6 and being unlucky on 9 lead to being out in level. However a great drive and a 6 iron to 3ft on 11 got some momentum back, I then birdied the easy par 5 12th. The rain was still constant and becoming even more of a nuisance. A bad drive on 14 put me back to -1 but a terrific 4 iron on 16 to 10ft cancelled that out to finish with a 69 (-2). A good score considering the weather which then typically subsided just after I finished to no wind or rain.

Round 2 started differently with a silly 3 putt of the 1st and a terrible wedge shot and a missed 5 ft. putt on 2 leading to bogeys putting me right under the cosh early on. I birdied 3 and kept on hitting it close front 9 but wasn’t knocking them in to be out in +1. Thankfully a 20ft putt on 10 dropped for birdie, I birdied 12 again before putting myself in an awkward spot on 13 and 3 putting that. It really was an up and down back 9 as I then canned a 50 footer on 14 and got up in 2 on the 580 yard uphill par 5 to get to -2. A lack of concentration led to a horrendous shot on 16 and a bogey. I drove into the bunker on 18 but got up and down from 85 yards to make dinner taste a bit sweeter for a 70 (-1). The cut ended up being -1 which is a credit to the standard of golf and I was 4 off the lead.

Round 3 started with a birdie and a few good putts to save my score on 2 & 4 for par and 5 for bogey. A missed 3ft putt threw me off slightly on 8 to be out in +1. It was a day of frustration though as most of the field was under par and I felt like I had to make birdies. Frustration grew and I 3 putted 12 from nowhere for par. I managed to birdie 15 with chances on 16 and 17 going by for a 71 (level). I wasn’t too pleased with this as I lost quite a bit of ground going from T13 to T23.

Determined to at least get top 20 I got off to a great start birdying 1,2 and 3 through a couple of good 12/15 footers. I bogeyed 5 again after a bad drive and a second shot flyer left me with an impossible 2 putt for par. Steady pars followed until I birdied 12 and a great shot on 13 meant I went back to back. But I 3 putted 14 from 40ft which really got to me and my momentum. The worst drive of the week on 15 led to another bogey, this was a reaction from the  14th which I should’ve put behind me. Thankfully I bounced back with a birdie on 17. A missed 7ft putt on 18 was annoying and meant a final round of 69 (-2). This gave me a total of -5 and a finish of T17.

Another solid week and finish. I made the cut easily again in a very good field, just marginal errors put me 3 to 4 shots back from the leaders. This was the first week in a while where I felt like my putting let me down and I lost a bit of confidence. A bit of practice now will have me ready for my biggest event of the year next week, the amateur championship at Royal Porthcawl.

 

Welsh amateur

Harlech was the venue for the Welsh amateur. A great course that I thought I could do well on. This proved to be the case apart from slipping up on the last round.

Round 1 commenced with a good par, birdie start. I bogeyed the difficult 3rd before consecutive birdies on the only 2 par 5’s 7&8 to get to 2 under for the round. Then on the par 3 9th I pulled my tee shot which kicked left and finished up against a spiky bush, I could only move it 5 yards and then didn’t get up and down for a double bogey. A bit unlucky in my opinion however this was levelled out on 16 when after 4 minutes of looking I found my ball in the rough after an errant tee shot, this was topped off when I got up and down from 73 yards for birdie. This meant I went round in 69 (level) as a bogey on the 227 yard par 3 14th was also included in my round.

Round 2 started badly with a bogey on the 1st then sprung into life with a 25ft putt, 8ft putt, 25ft putt, chip in and then an up and down all for birdie on holes 3-7 for 5 in a row. I also birdied 9 to be out in 5 under. Then a stretch of bogey par birdie kept me at that score until 3 consecutive bogeys followed on 13,14,15 from bad shots off the tee. A final birdie on 16 saw me round in 66(-3). Being a perfectionist I was more disappointed in all the mistakes instead of the 8 birdies. Just a lack in consistency prevented a really good score. However saying this I was off 3rd to last 2 behind the leader. A good position to be in.

Round 3 was a story of just not firing on all cylinders. I got up and down from 50 yards on 7 for birdie but not hitting fairways and therefore not close enough to the pin prevented any other good chances on the front 9. A bit of bad luck with my lie just off the green on 11 led to my first bogey. Again more standard pars followed before finally my first 30ft putt dropped on 17 for a round of 68(-1). This put me T5 going into the afternoon 4 back from the lead. A round where I was pleased with my patience and how I kept going.

Round 4 just didn’t work out for me, I started well tee to green front 9 but missed 3 makeable birdie putts from 5-10ft along with a bogey on 7 after driving it into a fairway bunker. This meant I was out in 1 over. Maybe my adrenaline buzz or patience went and I started to play badly back 9 with a bogey on 10&12 after bad drives and not getting up&down. Then a disgraceful 5 iron that went 30 yards left into jungle resulted in a double bogey. Thrown off by this stretch of playing I scraped in with 3 up&downs and 5 pars for a round of 74(+5). Not what I wanted as I was confident I could win this time round but I’ll learn from it and go again.

Taking away the positives I finished inside the top 20 (18th) and was in the 3rd to last group again. If I keep giving myself chances to win I’m sure it’ll happen soon.

Irish amateur

I flew out to Ireland this week to Royal Dublin Golf Club. I had played in this last year so I settled into the competition a bit earlier this time round and it showed as I was really happy with my scores, finish and the way I bounced back after last week. Probably my best tournament up to date so far.

In the first round my first birdie came thanks to a great chip at the easy par 5 2nd. A few pars followed including a 12ft putt for par on the 4th and a few outside chances for birdie not dropping. I was a bit heavy handed with an easy chip on 7 to 4ft which I missed. I couldn’t really blame my short game as it saved my round somewhat starting with a chip in on 8. Up and downs followed on 9,10,11 (for birdie) and 12 to get me to -2. My round sprung into life with my best shot of the week, 265 yards left into a left to right wind which I hit to 20ft on the par 5 14th, I holed that for eagle. A fairly bad chip on 15 and putting it in to no mans land on 18 (a hole almost identical to the 1st at Hoylake) led to 2 bogeys and a round of 70(-2). I struggled all day hitting only 10 greens so I wasn’t completely disappointed with the finish, 27 putts was a more pleasing stat however.

Round 2 carried on where I left off with fairly easy up&downs on 1&2. A stiff breeze was blowing which left the front 9 playing straight into. A bad lie off the tee shot forced a lay up on the difficult 5th and I completely messed up the 6th leading to bogeys. Again I saved my round at the turn with a 15ft, 7ft and a 5ft putt for pars on 7, 8 and 9 to be out in +1. A 20/25ft putt on 10 dropped, I chipped dead on 11 and hit it stiff from 114 yards on 13 which lead to 3 birdies in 4 holes. Another birdie came at the driveable 16th, however my first 3 putt of the week came at 17 to finish with another 70. I hit 2 out of 14 fairways, I guess for a Jordan that’s still quite good! But all joking aside after lunch it was straight to the range.

I felt nervous going into round 3, all the top names were up there and I was only 4 off the lead. A late tee time didn’t help but I embraced it. My work on the range paid off as I hit every green on the front 9. However, its never that simple as I kept hitting good putt after good putt but they didn’t want to go in. Putts dropped on 3 and 7 from 20/25ft but it should have happened on the other 5 or 6 holes. On the 10th I left it an inch short from around 22ft and shaved the edge on 11 from 15 ft. I missed the greens on 12 and 13, played 2 decent chips but the ball didn’t react how I thought it would, leaving me with a 12ft putt on 12 which again finished an inch short and my first bad putt on 13 from 8ft put me back to level. I was slightly frustrated but stayed patient. A 25 ft putt on 15 eventually dropped and I got really lucky on 17 avoiding a ditch by a foot. I got up & down there along with a sand save on 18 to finish with 71. On another day it could’ve been 66, even though the leaders were at -14 I kept my patience knowing I was in 7th place.

I went into round 4 less nervous mainly due to the fact I knew I probably couldn’t win. A bogey at the 1st, 3 putting from 70ft was probably the best thing to happen to me, it kicked me into gear and made me realise its not that easy. I then birdied the 2nd, 3rd and 4th,  I steadily went about my day with a great 8 iron into 8 leading to another birdie amongst stress free pars. An up and down at 11 got me to -4. I had 66/65 in my sights at this point but didn’t really hit it close enough and left myself in a couple of awkward spots coming in. I finished with 7 straight pars for a round of 68(-4) to finish with a total of 9 under and in a tie for 4th.

A very pleasing tournament for me as every round was under par, I was never in danger of making worse than a bogey (longest bogey putt was probably 1ft). My putting is stronger,  hopefully I can maintain this. My chipping still needs work but that has improved over the past week or so too. Those are the important fundamentals for me so I hope to build on the improvements I’ve made to become more consistent and put myself in contention in future competitions. I’m back to around +3.9 and my world ranking has come down to 700.

For those who enjoy the stats:

Round 1 – 6 fairways, 10 greens and 27 putts…     Round 2 – 2 fairways, 11 greens, 27 putts…     Round 3 – 7 fairways, 14 greens and 31 putts…     Round 4 – 9 fairways, 16 greens and 31 putts.

Lytham Trophy

The Lytham trophy is certainly ranked in the top 3 biggest amateur events I’ll play in this year. A lot of practice before hand and a couple of events under my belt meant I was ready to do well.

However as any links player will know the draw can play a fairly big part in scoring. This was to be the case as I set off at 9:50 in horrid conditions. Some very strange shots meant I was +2 thru 6 hitting only 1 green. A par at 7 before a poor 3 iron on 8 led to me being 5 yards off the green in 3, I was unable to get down in 2 from here leading to a 6. I then drove into the fairway bunker on 10, one I didn’t think I could reach being 260+ straight into a strong wind. At this point I felt the round was starting to get away from me so I had to really dig deep and salvage what I had. Up and downs at 11&12 with a good 2 putt on 13 steadied the score. My final bogey came at 14 which was playing tremendously difficult for those of you who know Lytham, I struggled to reach it with a drive and a 3 iron. An up and down on 15&18 along with a couple of chances for birdie resulting in stress free pars on 16&17 meant 76. I didn’t play that well but how can you in tough conditions, was just happy I didn’t play myself out of it. However, the wind died and it showed as a couple of 70’s and a 67 came in.

With less wind and more playable conditions in the 2nd round I was confident I could get myself back up the leader board. However I started off badly again missing the first 4 greens resulting in being +1 thru 4. From the 5th onwards something clicked and I started to play like I should. A tap in birdie on 6 with hitting every green up to 10 with and an up and down on 11 meant I was comfortable. However what happened next was a complete shock. A rifled 4 iron into a left to right wind from 200 yards went just long but into the back of a bunker leaving me with no shot, I got it out to 5oft, left that 7ft short, rammed that 4ft by and missed that. Again complete shock, I never felt out of control or under pressure yet after holing out so well, that occurred. Really determined for that not to be the downfall of my round I bounced back with a 20ft putt for birdie on 13 and pars on 14&15. Normal service looked like it had resumed when I stuck it to 7ft on 16. I missed that putt and a poor drive that got lucky on 17 was followed by short siding myself in a awkward spot, I putt that to 6/7 ft and missed it. On 18 I went left again to avoid the bunkers, a slight flyer put me to 50 ft. I eventually 3 putted that after a poor 1st putt which meant I finished bogey bogey for a 74 and missed the cut by 1. I’m still as I write this absolutely gutted, I’ve run 12, 17 and 18 through my head about 100 times and thought ‘if only’. I’d holed out really well up until the last 3 holes and on 12 but I think it was my long putting that let me down, not my short putting. A par, par finish would’ve put me into a tie for 20th and with a lot more golf to give. But its all done now and I guess after the jubilation of 2 weeks ago I’ve still got some learning to do. I’m off to Ireland on Wednesday to play in the Irish amateur so it’s important for me to put this behind me and gain some momentum again.

 

Hampshire Salver (Selbourne salver & Hampshire Hog)

The Hampshire salver is a 72 hole world ranking event that is made up of 2 individual 36 hole events. The Selbourne salver at Blackmoor golf club and the Hampshire Hog at North Hants golf club.

The first was the Selbourne salver at Blackmoor, a par 69 narrow heathland course. A birdie on the first was a great start however, a bogey at the 5th and a small putt missed on 9 meant I was out in +1. A plugged ball in the bunker which I couldn’t move on 11 led to a good bogey in the end. I bounced back with birdies on 12 & 13 to get back on track. 1 more bogey followed for a 70 (+1). A round where a couple of silly mistakes were matched with some good shots. -2 was leading after round 1 so I still had a good chance going into the 2nd round.

I don’t know what I ate at lunch time but nothing seemed to work in the afternoon! Starting on the 10th a combination of bad approach shots and poor shots around the greens including long putts led to bogeys on 10,11 and 17 to be out in +3. At this point I really was struggling to get any momentum and confidence. This continued with bogeys at 3 & 4 and the 72 overall event was starting to get away from me. I then reached the par 5, 8th, with 3 iron in hand. I thought if I could birdie this and par the last it wouldn’t be a complete disaster. But golfs not like that, it was preferred lies and as I put my ball down I didn’t like the lie so I picked it back up with my tee still in the ground and moved it. This, however, to my amazement is a penalty as you’re only allowed to put it down once even with the tee still down. Something I will learn from and never do again. This led to a sorry 7 and a round of 76 (+7) I have to say I never saw that coming and didn’t think was in me.

After some harsh reviewing I was motivated to prove to myself and others that the 76 was a one off. North Hants golf club is a par 70 which is longer but slightly more forgiving. Starting at the 10th my play had not got any better but somehow I was keeping myself in there. 3 good approach shots all led to birdies whilst some wild carves led to 3 bogeys to be out in level. A 30ft putt dropped on the 1st for birdie and a Seve-esk par on 2 was embarrassingly great. Walking off that green I found something in my swing, a 3 wood and 5 iron to 4ft led to an eagle on the par 5 3rd. I found a fairway bunker on 5 leading to a bogey and a 20/25ft putt on 6 for birdie saw me in with 67 (-3) putting me tied 1st.

I wanted to back this up in the afternoon and started out a lot more consistent. I birdied the 3rd with stress-free pars either side of this to be -1 thru 5. A bad 3 wood on 6 started a calamity of errors on that hole with a chip out from a horrible lie coming to rest by a tree root therefore I couldn’t move it very far, a semi-thinned pitch put me in more trouble leading to a triple bogey 7. I knew I was playing well so I just had to stay patient and keep going. A couple of holeable birdie putts went by and I was out in 2 over. A 25ft putt on 10 got one back and started one of the best back nines I’ve ever played. I putt it to 6ft on 13, 3ft on 15 and held a 20 footer on 17 contributing to 3 birdies along with making a satisfying 10ft putt on 16 for par. I was back in 31(-4) hitting 17 greens leading to a round of 68 (-2).

This saw me win the Hampshire Hog by 4 shots with a total of 135 (-5) and join a list of winners which include Michael Bonallack, Sandy Lyle and Justin Rose. When the score cards go through I should be off +4 which I’ve never been before and hopefully my world ranking will go down after finishing around 3rd in the overall. I knew it was in me and I’m glad to now show in a competition that I can do it.

I have 10 days now to prepare for Lytham, a tournament I love, and to prove that my performance this weekend is not a fluke. I’ve set an expectation level for myself therefore I need to work harder to maintain it. I’ve had a lot of well done messages from everyone so I just want to say thank you very much for all your support.

 

 

Duncan Putter

Southerndown Golf Club is the venue for the Duncan putter. A par 70 that is quite exposed to the elements with a lot of gorse lining the fairways on several holes. The format being 36 holes Saturday, a cut, then 36 holes Sunday. I started the first round at 7:24 with a birdie at the first. Cold Heavy showers then rolled in making the front 9 tough. A couple of errant chips and some battling led me out in level. The rain then subsided and a 20ft putt for birdie on 10 dropped in putting me at 1 under. This would be the last bit of action however as 8 straight pars followed leading to a 69(-1). This was due to keeping it in play however not hitting it anywhere close enough to give myself any decent opportunities. I Hit 7 out the last 8 greens but my closest effort was around 15ft, everything else was 20ft plus on greens with indifferent growth which is to be expected at this time of year.

The 2nd round however started differently, a couple of 4ft and 8ft putts for par avoided a bad start. Thru 5 I was +1. The wind had now picked up making it difficult with the gorse becoming forever more in play. A really good up and down on 7 for par along with my first 3 putt on 9 meant I was out in 2 over. A couple more ups and downs on 11 and 12 kept momentum going. A lip out for eagle on 13 got 1 back however the theme continued putts wise with 2 on 15&16 stopping millimetres short of the hole from around 20/25ft. A bogey on the difficult last saw me round in 72(+2), a score I was content with considering the weather, how close I hit it and it put me in contention going into the next day.

However, there was no tomorrow. I played 1 hole before strong winds suspended and then cancelled play. It was made into a 36 hole event with me finishing T6, the position I was overnight. I’m more disappointed than anything else as I really felt I had a chance to go on and win. My bad round was out of the way and I felt there was a lot left in me. I cant be too disappointed with that finish, I hadn’t got anything going yet and was still right in the mix. My next competition is the Hampshire Hog next weekend and hopefully I can put myself in a similar situation then.

For those who would like the stats, round 1 I hit 10 fairways, 15 greens and had 33 putts. Round 2 I hit 10 fairways again, 10 greens and had 31 putts. The putting is a bit of a false stat in my opinion, I reiterate that I kept giving myself 25/30/40 ft putts when I hit a green. So with that being said only 3 putting once was more pleasing.