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My name is Andy Forsyth and I have been caddying for Paul for over two years now. I live in Lichfield, England and I travel wherever Paul plays whether that be in Europe, USA, Far East or Africa.

Post KLM Open

On Sunday evening I arrived home from Holland. It was nice to make the cut and play 4 days. The conditions and the course were right up Paul’s street, links and windy. He played an awful lot of good golf and had a reasonable finish but a couple of the rounds were spoilt by the odd bad shot. This is extremely frustrating for Paul and something he has to remedy if he wants to get back to where he should be. In my opinion Paul is a much better golfer than his current scoring indicates.

Monday was spent rushing around getting ready for Gleneagles whilst trying to spend time with the family. I’m not very good at multi-tasking and it wasn’t helped by the tumble dryer breaking down! Looking forward to next week.

Post SAS Masters

Missed the cut this week. Started OK on Thursday, had a bit of a wobble late on in the round for +2 and on Friday we got off to a really poor start +3 through 4 holes (+5 for the tournament). Trying to make the cut was going to be a tough ask after that but to Paul’s credit he got stuck in, gave himself chances but couldn’t get the putts to drop.

I stayed in the middle of Stockholm this week. What a great city but very expensive. I had every intention of doing the tourist bit but never got around to it. The hotel I stayed in had a great gym, which I made the most of but my priority on Sunday is to find a pub which is showing the Villas first game of the premier season against Man City. COME ON!

Post Open Championship

My theory about taking confidence from last week into The Open didn’t really stand up. Birkdale is a great test of golf and the conditions were extremely tough, both of which should have suited Paul. However from the off it was a struggle and finishing double bogey, bogey on Thursday for +7 meant we needed to shoot a good score in the second round to make the cut. Paul drove the ball well on Friday but was frustrated by his iron play, losing too many shots to the right. His short game was sharp and 73 was a decent score on a challenging day. We finished on +10 and needed the wind to really pick up in the afternoon to have a chance of playing the weekend but it never happened and we missed the cut by one.

It’s been a busy but enjoyable few weeks. I am now looking forward to some time at home.

Post Scottish Open

When the weather is good Loch Lomond is one of the most picturesque places we visit. It really is very special and other than rain on Thursday morning the weather was fine. There was enough breeze to toughen the course up, which suits Paul.

Paul played his best golf of the season and being in Scotland made it extra special. The Scots are great spectators and the atmosphere was excellent. This is a great time to be showing form with The Open next week and Birkdale is a course that Paul likes. Taking confidence into the biggest golf tournament in the world can only be a good thing.

Post French Open

If I had to draw up a list of my favourite golf courses Paris National would be way up there. I think it’s brilliant and would be a fantastic Ryder Cup venue. The last few holes have water in play and cause plenty of problems for Europe’s finest, quite often destroying good rounds.

I stayed in Versailles which is lovely and has loads of character. Paul played some great golf at times but a couple of the rounds were spoilt by one bad hole, which is frustrating but something we have to deal with (AND DEAL WITH IT WE SHALL !). It’s such a fine line between success and frustration and coping with it is all part of the beautiful game.

Post BMW

I think it was Lee Trevino who said “My worst round of golf was 65 on a Wednesday”, bearing in mind tournaments don’t start until Thursday’s. Well that was the case in the pro-am this week, Paul shot 64 and played exceptionally well. Unfortunately on Thursday and Friday we found scoring harder and it was disappointing to miss the cut by a couple of shots. The course in Munich was in very good condition and the weather was good for the first time in a few weeks. The scoring was not quite as good as previous years, not sure why because with the exception of a few holes there are loads of birdie chances.

Looking forward to next week. Paris National in my opinion is one of the best courses we play.

Post Austrian Open

I flew into Bratislava Airport, Slovakia and hired a car for the 1 1/2 hr drive to Baden a quaint old spa town just south of Vienna, where I stayed for the tournament. It just so happened that the Italian football team were also staying there for their warm-up for the Euro Championships.

I have never been to Fontana Course before and I have to say that it is a lovely course with some of the best conditioned greens we have played on. The only dampener on the week was the poor weather and the tournament was reduced to 54 holes.

After we finished on Sunday I had loads of time to kill before I flew home so me and a couple of my mates, (Ferret and Elbow)who were coming to Slovakia with me went on a sight-seeing trip. We drove into the centre of Vienna and soaked up some of the football atmosphere before Austria played Croatia, it was buzzing. We then drove into the centre of Bratislava and did a few tourist things but to be honest there wasn’t an awful lot to see.  I got home in the early hours Monday morning and I’ve the rest of this week off.

Post Wales Open

Played the new 2010 course at Celtic Manor, the venue for the Ryder Cup. When I walked the course on Tuesday I thought it was a really tough test of golf, plenty of length and a fair amount of water. I was extremely surprised by the scoring and I think -1 cut was very good, especially given the weather.

In the past Paul has played worse than he did this week and still made the cut. One bad shot at the wrong time meant that we missed.

Our schedule has always included playing next week in Austria however, Paul informed me on Friday afternoon that IMG hadn’t entered him (Panic stations) Fortunately the tournament had a couple of invites still to give out and sent one Paul’s way. It would be nice to take advantage of their generosity.

Post BMW PGA Championship

It’s Sunday evening and I have just arrived home from Wentworth. The drive took me twice as long as it should because of delays on the M40. I didn’t mind this too much because Paul had a good day on the golf course and I enjoyed listening to the sport on radio 5 in the car.

Wentworth is always one of the weeks I look forward to and after The Open it’s as big a tournament as we have in Europe. The course is a tough test of golf depending on the conditions and has had a few new tees and bunkers over the last couple of years. Some of the changes are good and a few unnecessary, not that my opinion is worth much!

Thursday was tricky and Paul was disappointed with the way he hit the ball so 72 was a good score. On Friday for 12 holes Paul hit it great and was -4 for the day with 5 to play. The last 5 holes were a struggle and we needed to par 18 to make the cut, which Paul did.

Saturday he played really good and carried that on into Sunday and after a bogey, bogey start on Sunday he shot -3 for a 22nd finish. It’s always nice to move forward on the weekend.

Paul’s work ethic has been really good this year and he’s working harder than at any time since I’ve worked for him. Let’s keep it going!

Post Irish Open

It’s good to be back in Europe and means I get to see my family between tournaments. The weather in Ireland was good, with only a club breeze the course was an extremely tough test of golf. Not to all of the players liking, but I think it makes a great change from needing to shoot -20 to win.

Paul continues to work really hard at his game and while he hit the ball great on the range it was another story on the course, we were never really competitive and didn’t make the cut. However his short game continues to show signs of improvement.

I managed to get home in time to join some of my mates to watch the FA cup final- great fun but paid for it on Sunday. Looking forward to Wentworth next week.

Post BMW Asian Open

Paul was pretty frustrated with the way he hit the ball these last two weeks, but I think there are plenty of positives to take out of the trip. Last year at this time I think he would have struggled to make either cut. He in my opinion now hits fewer destructive shots and his putting showed signs of continued improvement, which is great.

Shanghai has a bit more about it than Beijing for me and I had a good week. When we got off the train on Monday me and a couple of mates spent a good 3 hours looking for somewhere to stay. We managed to get a decent place a 10min walk from one of the players hotels, which had transport to the course. Although I was here two years ago I hag forgotten how good the course was, good design ,good length and good condition. Top marks.

On Sunday after we had finished I had loads of time to kill before my flight home. After packing the bag I made good use of the locker room spa facilities (Not sure they were for the caddies?) Then I did something I haven’t done for a long time I sat and watched the end of the golf( I love my job but when I’ve finished work I’ve no real interest in it) Well that could all change because I thought the last few holes on Sunday made brilliant viewing and congratulations must go to both Big D for winning and Robert for making it a wonderful contest.

I am typing this on the plane home and the captain has come on to say we land in 30mins. So time to stop and really looking forward to getting home.

Post Volvo China Open

The course in Beijing was new to me, so I flew out a couple of days before Paul, which gave me time to have a good look around. The course was a good design, it had plenty of length but the greens had too many slopes. I stayed in a hotel just a couple of hundred yards from the New Olympic Stadium(The Birds Nest), which was under construction when we were in Beijing two years ago., it looks very impressive.

The weather was in the mid twenties most of the week but I never saw the sun because of the smog. This is a big problem in Beijing and one they are trying to rectify before the Olympics, but I’m not sure how?

On Sunday the weather turned, it poured down all day. Paul shot +3 and moved up 10 spots, which gives you some idea what scoring was like. Oliver Wilson +7 and still finished 2^nd.

On Sunday evening me and a few caddy mates caught a train from Beijing to Shanghai. It was a great experience and reminded me of my early caddy days when we used to regularly travel around Europe by train.

Overall it was a good week and Paul scored well.

Post Andalucia

What a week. The course at Aloha is quite funky but in excellent condition and the weather although windy at times was fantastic. The week got off to a poor start because of bad weather back home Paul’s flight was delayed so he had to pull out of the pro-am. Now pro-ams serve a few purposes 1, It’s a pay back to the sponsor 2, At times you get to meet some interesting people 3, They make great practice rounds. />

Practice rounds are the times to make mistakes and on a course like this you need to have played it and know it, walking around taking notes isn’t enough and on Thursday that was evident, 78 was a poor score and there weren’t many, if any, positives to take out of the day. However a good nights sleep and that all changed. On Friday Paul was on fire, his ball striking, short game and putting were excellent and 66 was good enough to make the cut and the weekends play.(Great effort) On Saturday Paul carried on from where he had finished and after 12 holes on a tough scoring day he was -4 flying up the leader board and then the golf gods had other ideas and we played the last 6 holes in 5 over shooting +1 for the round, a bit disappointing but happy to be playing the weekend.

When we had finished for the day on Saturday I went back to my hotel in the Puerto Banus and had a shower before going to a bar to watch Villa play Man U. I slipped in the shower fell out of the bath bringing the shower curtain down with me and flooding the bathroom. Then I saw Man U give Villa a thumping. That was Saturday afternoon.

Sunday was good -4 holing a bunker shot for birdie on 17 then chipping in for par on 18 made up for a couple of missed opportunities. After a slow start it ended up being a decent week, let’s hope we can carry some of the form into China in two weeks.

Post Madeira

Hello it’s been a while but Paul didn’t receive the invites he was waiting for in America, so we took the time off, which brought me a step closer to the divorce courts!

The course in Madeira was in very good condition. However it’s a really hilly track and very demanding to caddy round. On Thursday Paul struck the ball extremely well but the art of scoring eluded him, which can often be the case after a long break. Paul had been complaining about a sore back all week and when trying to warm up on the range Friday morning it was obvious he was in pain. Withdrawing from the tournament was the right thing to do, aggravating his back any further would have been foolish.

I managed to change my flight home and arrived in time on Saturday to watch Villa lose to Sunderland. (MARVELLOUS) Wish I’d stayed in Madeira. here’s hoping for better things next week.

Post Dubai

It’s Sunday afternoon and I have just finished doing my washing and ironing from my three weeks away. I put Sky Sports on to see Tiger Woods win in Dubai. I thought he had blown his chance yesterday, but what do I know? Apparently he had 9 putts on the back 9 to shoot 65. Now the moral to this is that he is without question one of the best ball strikers in the world. But he is without doubt the BEST putter. Why don’t golfers practise their putting as much as their long game? (Answers on a postcard please.)

Now Paul hit the ball great for the three weeks we were away. A sure sign to me that the changes he and Neil have made have made him a more consistent ball striker. The aspect of his game that throughout his career he has been known for is his short game. Hence the nickname Chippie. This is the part of the game that is frustrating him at the moment and causing him concern. Personally I don’t think you turn into a poor chipper and putter overnight, this is not to say you are not going to have lean spells. I stick by what I have said in previous articles and when Paul hits it like he is, and chips and putts like he can he will win.

When we finished on Thursday Paul hit a few practise putts and thought he could feel a change in his putter grip. Perhaps caused by a fence post getting in the way of the putter as it was tossed with care towards the bag! He felt he should report it to the tournament referee to make sure he hadn’t breached any rules, like changing the clubs characteristics. Rather than a simple no they took the putter away and phoned the R&A for assistance. The longer this went on the more I thought this could be bad news. After 45mins Paul went to the Tour Office to find out what was going on. I stayed out of the way thinking it’s not really my place to say too much. Paul came out and told me to pack the bag “They’ve disqualified me” Well I stormed off to the locker room in a right huff, burst in and told everyone who was prepared to listen what I thought . Five minutes later Paul walked in and said “Lets go hit some putts, I was only joking” Very funny I had to go around apologizing for my outburst. Bet I get my own back!

Post Qatar

The weather in Doha was overcast most of the week. The occasional shower and stiff breeze made scoring a little tougher, but the general standard of golf was excellent. Paul hit the ball great and gave himself plenty of birdie chances. He putted well on Saturday and shot 66 with ease. Paul is playing different golf from last season and when he has a hot week on the greens he will go close to winning.

Other than work I had a pretty quite week and didn’t venture outside the hotel much. We move on to Dubai next week which is only a 45min flight away. A mate and I have rented an apartment by the Emirates Mall. It’s close to the course and has plenty of restaurants, a cinema and even an indoor ski slope to keep us occupied. This is a week I’m looking forward to.

Post Abu Dhabi

Happy New Year

It’s been a great break but now it’s time to gear up for the new season. I’ve been able to spend lots of time with my wife, son and extended family. I’ve also been able to get up to the gym regularly and have managed to see Villa a few times, which I have really enjoyed. However, for the sake of my marriage, it’s time to get the suitcase from the loft and get packed.

Paul had a good few weeks towards the end of last season and I know he has been working on his game over the winter , so I am feeling positive about the season ahead and I know that Paul has what it takes!

December

I had a call from Paul last week to see if I would like to go to Spain for a few days practise with him and his coach.  Under normal circumstances I would have gone with pleasure but it was last minute and I had a few things planned, so couldn't make it.  Paul was very understanding and by all accounts had a really productive time.  I don’t know what the weathers been like in Aberdeen but it's been freezing down here in the Midlands for a while now, so getting away to the sun made real sense.  I love being at home with my family but it's nice to get away from the cold in the New Year.  Paul gave me his schedule for the start of the season, three weeks in the Middle East.  It just so happens that I have accumulated enough air miles over the last few years to cover my flights for the trip (I've collected various air miles for years and never once used any.)  So I've booked my flights and will sort accommodation out nearer the time. Here's looking forward to a successful 2008! Seasons greetings… Andy and family.

Time Off

Post Mallorca Open

The weather this week was a bit mixed which caused delays in play and made it a long week.  Paul hit the ball well but was frustrated on the greens.  He hit a lot of good putts that didn't drop.The start of the season was slow with a number of missed cuts.  Paul chose to make some swing changes which made a big difference to his game.  I think we really started to see the results of these changes during the second half of the year and it's a pity the season has come to an end at a time when his hard work was starting to pay off. If Paul can take his current form into next season we should expect big things.As for me I have had a really enjoyable year and I am looking forward to some quality time at home with my family and watching the Villa.

Post Portuguese Masters

What a week.  Beautiful weather,a good course that will improve with time and a 10 on the par5 12th(ouch)  Paul hit the ball really well all week unfortunately he hit his poor shots one after the other on the same hole.(What a game.)  We go to Majorca this week knowing if Paul plays well he gets into The Volvo Masters the week after at Valderrama.  He is certainly hitting it well enough and it won't be through lack of effort.

Post Madrid Open

Paul said on the Sunday of St Andrews if he has a top five finish he would take the week of Madrid off.  For good reason,(good form) he changed his mind.  I think he was right to think he could come to Madrid and win.  However the golfing gods had other ideas and the week turned out to be frustrating.  When you make bogeys off your good shots you know you have your work cut out and we missed the cut by 2 shots. On a positive note if you were going to have a poor week in the few that remain you would choose this one.  The course was ok but not the best and the prize fund was a fraction of what's left on offer. So we dust ourselves off and look forward to Portugal next week.  I came out for two weeks and fly down from Madrid to Faro Sunday afternoon  So my job for Saturday is to find somewhere to watch  the football and rugby./>

Post Dunhill Championship

Villa beat West Ham, England beat Australia at rugby and Paul played some brilliant golf to finish 4th in the Dunhill.  What a great week, I got home from St Andrews at 11.30pm. Got to bed at 1.30am up at 5.30 am to drive to East Midlands airport for a 8.40am flight to Madrid. Tired but happy./>

Post British Masters

The course at the Belfry just gets better with age.  The condition of the course was excellent and the new 6th hole is a really good addition.  The event is run very well and the caddies get treated great, parking close to the course and excellent food.  A big thank's to all concerned.  Paul was a bit off his game this week which was unfortunate with his current run of form but that’s the nature of the game I guess.  I have a week off now before heading up to St Andrews for the Dunhill Links a huge tournament that Paul has won in the past.

Post Mercedes Benz Championship

Post JW Championship @ Gleneagles

On Saturday Paul took me to Kilmarnock to see his beloved Aberdeen play football and what an enjoyable few hours it was although I've never worn a shirt and tie to a football match before.   Paul's golf is still on the way up and he putted pretty well too.   However the highlight of the week was listening to the radio on the drive home on Sunday as Aston Villa beat Chelsea 2-0.   It was a good week and I am really looking forward to spending next week off with my family.

Post KLM Open

I stayed in the Dutch seaside resort of Zandvoort last week, which is a bit like the town time forgot.   Pleasant enough, ideal for the golf course but a bit dated.  (Kennemer is a really good links course)   Paul hit the ball great again, which was a really encouraging but a bit like Sweden he got frustrated on the greens and Sundays +3 was a bit disappointing.   Gleneagles this week is a course Paul likes and plays well on and there is no reason why his form shouldn't continue to improve.

This was my first trip back to Stockholm in a few years.  I stayed in the middle of the city and had a really enjoyable week.  It has a great feel to the place and there are plenty of good bars and restaurants.  The course was a good test of golf and the strong winds kept the scoring quite high.  These seem to be the testing conditions that Paul enjoys and he had in my opinion his best striking week of the year.  Never really off the fairway he gave himself plenty of birdie opportunities and on a good putting week he would have been close to winning.  Getting home Sunday evening was a problem for me so I am flying  on from Stockholm to Amsterdam(Dutch Open) Monday afternoon.  I like to get home for a night where possible but this week was just not practical. 

Post Deutsche Bank TPC of Europe

What a frustrating week this was for all concerned.   Paul hit the ball well for 27 holes and could not get the putts to drop.   With three 3 putts on Friday from pretty good positions meant this was going to be a battle and a lip out for birdie on our 35th hole sealed our fate and we missed the cut by a shot.   There are times you need good fortune as well as good golf and that was lacking.   I managed to get a flight to Birmingham on Saturday morning and we now have two weeks off.   Sometimes a break's not a bad thing and you can come back refocused and refreshed.   For me I plan a couple of days away with my family.

Post Open Championship

Carnoustie is a true championship course, as tough as they get and in great condition.   It must have brought back a lot of happy memories for Paul, the crowds were very vocal and supportive.   To be drawn out with Tiger was a delight, because he is the best in the world and also a really nice guy...a true champion who conducts himself so well.   Paul's ball striking continues to improve and in my mind Friday was his best of the season.   This however coupled with his most frustrating day on the greens, such is golf!   We are off to Hamburg next week and I feel there is a really good week just around the corner.

Post Scottish Open

When I arrived at Loch Lomond the course was much dryer than I had anticipated.   The heavy rain we had in Ireland the previous week had not had any effect.   It is a lovely course in beautiful surroundings and always a fair test of golf with a very strong last four holes.   Paul managed to get his name on the leader board after 27 holes and made the halfway cut comfortably.   It was however to be a frustrating weekend, the good golf Paul played on the first 12 holes was to be undone by the last 6 and I think it's fair to say these holes had the better of us over the weekend.   I just hope there are enough positives to take into the Open this week, which I think there should be.   Sunday after play I drove across to Dundee, where myself and a couple of pals rented an apartment for the week.   I am looking forward to the Open as it is without doubt the biggest tournament in the world.

Post European Open

The weather last week was really poor yet again  The organisers of the tournament moved a few tees up and made the par5 18th a par3 in an effort to get players round.  Fortunately the greens were able to take all the rain and they managed to get us through 72 holes. A job well done on their part.  Credit should be given to the green staff who have to work exceptionally hard on weeks like this.

Pauls' game still shows signs of improvement, which is great.  He was frustrated on the greens but his game is heading in the right direction.

A busy time  of the year I managed to see my sons' sports day Monday morning before driving up to Scotland for Loch Lomond and The Open at Carnoustie. Two courses Paul enjoys and plays well on.

Post French Open

The course at the Paris National is one of the best we play.   With water in play on the last few holes it makes it a tough finish and can reduce pros and caddies to gibbering wrecks.   Paul continues to hit the ball well and made the cut without having much luck on the greens.   An encouraging sign that he's heading in the right direction.   Alot of the caddies stay in Versailles this week, which is a 20 minute coach ride to the course.   With its good restaurants and bars it's the ideal location and a great place to relax in the evening.   Next week we are off to Dublin.

Post BMW International Open

A new bunker on the 16th and one or two subtle changes have really improved and toughened the Munich course.   As always the course was in top condition with the rough being quite thick.   Hitting fairways was a must.  Although Paul missed the cut there was as always alot of positives to take out of the week.  The first week back after a break is never Paul's strongest.   He hit two poor shots on Friday both of which were costly but that's golf!  BMW do a good job of looking after the caddies and should be thanked, it's nice to be treated well.  Another weather delay on Friday meant there was no way of getting home.  After packing the bag up ready for Paris next week I went back to the hotel and had a relaxing night with a few friends before flying back to Birmingham early Saturday morning.  You always want to do well but if things don't pan out it's nice to have a couple of unexpected days with the family.

Post Wales Open

The week got off to a bad start with the morning pro am being cancelled because of heavy rain.   However this didn't stop Paul and his team winning the afternoon pro am which was reduced to 12 holes.   Pauls performance this week was positive and he was competitive all week, which is really encouraging with some huge tournaments around the corner.   I now have two weeks off to catch up with things at home.

Post BMW Championship

The course at Wentworth was in lovely condition and having been lengthened and with the addition of some new bunkers it was quite a challenge. It was disappointing to miss the cut but after finding ourselves five over after four holes it was always going to be a struggle.  This is an important part of the season and Paul needs to stay focused and try to build up his confidence.  As tough as the game can appear fortunes can change very quickly.  I have never known the cut to be over par at Wentworth and it shows the difference the changes have made.   I stayed with friends close by and after our round on Thursday I returned to the house only to set off their burglar alarm.   It was really embarassing and I had to explain to all the neighbours I was a friend of the family and not an intruder!!

Post Irish Open

The weather played havoc again this week and the combination of a really tough course, thick rough and strong winds made scoring higher than normal. The course was in great condition and set up much like a US Open.  On Thursday evening I went with a couple of mates to the Limerick races, a good fun evening. The highlight for me though was a concert afterwards by Hothouse Flowers, a good group that I had seen some 15 years ago when caddying in Sydney.   It was a great evening and the Irish really know how to enjoy themselves. 

Post Italian Open

On Monday before Paul arrived in Milan I went down to the Sansiro with a couple of my mates who are also caddies.   We had a good look round and did the tour of the stadium.   Then on Wednesday evening I went to the Champions League match between AC Milan and Manchester United.   I have been lucky over the years and have had the opportunity to see some big matches but I don't think I have ever experienced an atmosphere like I did on Wednesday evening.

The weather was very poor for most of the week in Italy and unfortunately Paul missed the cut.   Paul stayed on in Italy as he was playing in a pro am on the Monday.  I hired a car for the week and brought my sat nav from home but I still managed to get lost after putting in the wrong address and headed in the wrong direction which added an hour onto my journey.   The pro am was really enjoyable and I had the pleasure of meeting Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Donadoni who are two of the biggest names in Italian football and nice guys to boot.  

I arrived home at 4am on Tuesday morning and I'll take the rest of the week off before heading to Ireland next week. 

Post Open de Espana

It was another tournament where the weather played havoc.   I have to say in the 20 years I have  caddied on the tour this certainly felt like the longest week ever.   The heavy rain we had early on in the week didn't affect the course as it was in great condition.   After 74 in the first round Paul played a lot of good golf and all his hard work and early mornings during his time off certainly showed.  

Post Estoril Open de Portugal

It was a really difficult week with high winds and the greens in poor condition. Paul worked hard all week and at times I would say it is the best I have seen him hit it from tee to green. In the last round today he played pretty solid until a couple of slack tee shots on the last two holes really hit us hard. It seems to be at the moment that when ever he hits a poor shot then he is penalised to the extreme. We were due to be at home this coming week (Masters week) and then off to China for 2 weeks, but he has decided to miss China but then play in the Spanish Open and Italian Open. I think this will be the first time I will have been at home with my family over Easter in a long time!  

Post Madeira Island Open

It is disappointing to miss the cut here and it may sound a little strange but we played pretty good this week but just didn't take his chances on the greens and when we got into trouble we seemed to get penalised the maximum possible. One good thing is his decision to stay out here over the weekend and practice and hopefully we will see the benefits next week in Portugal. The course next week has good memories for us as we had a chance to win a couple of years ago and ended up finishing 2nd. We will both be traveling on Sunday to Lisbon and then onto the course.

Madeira Island Open Week Starting 19th March

I arrived today (Sunday) and I must admit it is good to be back in Europe. We will be here at Madeira this week and then just a short hop for the Open de Portugal next week. The course this week is probably one of the hilliest we play all year and a lot of guys mention straight after the event is finished that they may not come back, but they do. They have also done a lot of improvements over the last few years to the course. It usually gets a reasonable strength of field as it is the first event back in Europe after all the international schedule events. I am staying about 10 minutes from the course in a place called Machico, which is a nice part of the island and quite interesting. I am looking forward to Paul getting back into some form over the next two weeks as his play up to now has shown some excellent form. If he can get four solid rounds together I don't think we will be far away!

Singapore Masters at Laguna National

Singapore is a fantastic place and a great stop on the tour. After last week we both felt that we were getting used to the heat but by the end of every day you are just shattered and when the humidity is high it feels almost impossible to avoid dehydration regardless of the amount of water you consume throughout the day. I can only presume it affects concentration as for large parts of the rounds in Singapore Paul was playing excellent but then he would have a bad 4 or 5 hole spell that eventually cost us. I managed to get my Visa for China renewed here, which seems a lot easier that doing it at home. It will be needed for April when we are currently due to be out in China for a couple of weeks. That will be the last of the International part of the European Tour and then after that it reverts back to mainland Europe. Next week will be a week at home and then back out on tour.

Post Johnnie Walker

It was obviously disappointing for us to miss the cut but hopefully Paul will start to feel more comfortable with the heat and also the grasses we are playing on out here and take that into next week at Singapore. I will meet up with Paul on Monday and I am going along to help out on the corporate client day with Aberdeen Asset. From Tuesday onwards it will be getting prepared for the tournament, which usually involves me walking the course quite a few times in between Paul playing and practicing. I am usually looking at the possible pin placements and also checking that the yardages we have been given are accuarate. There may also be a few yardages that are not included that I think might be needed during the week and I will try and address that during my walk round.  

Johnnie Walker Classic - Blue Canyon, Thailand

I left Birmingham on Sunday (25th) at lunchtime and I arrived in Phuket, Thailand at midnight on Monday night (26th). I flew via Dubai, Columbo and Singapore. I try and arrive at the course and have a look at it before Paul arrives and then when he plays the practice round I will have a made a few notes and an understanding of the course. I literally had just a few hours sleep and then I headed out to walk the course early Tuesday morning. The front nine holes are very long and also look really tough, with the back nine shorter but really interesting. The course in general is in excellent condition and my only real concern this week will be the weather as it is very hot and not exactly what we are all used to at the this time of year.