Well we made it through to the top flight finishing 5th. A 72 for myself, 70 for Ollie, 77 for Pughy, 73 for Al, 75 for Ben and a 78 for Reen! I finished 4th overall in the individual which is great, really pleased with that for my 1st Europeans.
Scoring wasn't easy today though there was a 66 from Nino Bertasio from Italy who won the individual score on -10! Wind was much stronger than yesterday straight from the off basically and really increased as the day went on.
We play Spain tomorrow. Me and Ollie the one foursome and the 2 Rhys's being the other. 5 singles in the afternoon then which will be Ben, myself, Alastair, Reen and Ollie. Will be a tough match but we've all showed signs of good play this week so if we can produce anywhere near what we have these 1st 2 days then we should have a great chance!!
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
A steady start for the boys in Sweden!
1st day of the European Team Championships in Sweden started today. The team of myself, Rhys Enoch, Oliver Farr, Alastair Jones, Rhys Pugh and Ben Westgate made the line up.
Osterakers Golf Club is the venue. A very tricky course but scoreable as long as you play well and stick to your game plan. Par 72 layout at just over 7,000 yards. The 17th, a 190 yard par 3 over water and a 610 yard par 5 18th, with a huge 2 tier sloping green proves a tough finish.
Scores of 70, 73, 73, 75, 72 and 74 respectivley leaves us on +2 for the day and 5th overall. The top 5 scores out of 6 for each day count towards the overall score. The top 8 teams after the 2 qualifying rounds go through to the top flight to compete for the championship.
I said it was time for change and thankfully it has. Stuck to my game plan all day which was really good for me as this is the one thing that I have been really struggling with. I played with a lot of confidence but also a lot of concentration. All the par 3's here are tough so I just set a yardage, middle of the green, on each hole to hit to. Not looking at the flag which made the tee shot a lot easier. I played the par 5's smartly and took my chances when they came. Everything apart from 2 missed 5 foot putts went to plan.
8.30 the tee time tomorrow. Looking forward to getting out there again and playing some more and then supporting the boys for the rest of their round. I've noticed that playing more conservatve and with a game plan relaxes me a lot more than when I play aggressive. The highs and lows can really tire you out!!
Will get some pictures up soon. Weather is great here and looks like a scorcher for tomorrow. 28*, awesome!!
http://www.golfdata.se//liveeuroteam/lag_lbo.asp?Lang=ENG&tk=AM1027X&tour=AM
Osterakers Golf Club is the venue. A very tricky course but scoreable as long as you play well and stick to your game plan. Par 72 layout at just over 7,000 yards. The 17th, a 190 yard par 3 over water and a 610 yard par 5 18th, with a huge 2 tier sloping green proves a tough finish.
Scores of 70, 73, 73, 75, 72 and 74 respectivley leaves us on +2 for the day and 5th overall. The top 5 scores out of 6 for each day count towards the overall score. The top 8 teams after the 2 qualifying rounds go through to the top flight to compete for the championship.
I said it was time for change and thankfully it has. Stuck to my game plan all day which was really good for me as this is the one thing that I have been really struggling with. I played with a lot of confidence but also a lot of concentration. All the par 3's here are tough so I just set a yardage, middle of the green, on each hole to hit to. Not looking at the flag which made the tee shot a lot easier. I played the par 5's smartly and took my chances when they came. Everything apart from 2 missed 5 foot putts went to plan.
8.30 the tee time tomorrow. Looking forward to getting out there again and playing some more and then supporting the boys for the rest of their round. I've noticed that playing more conservatve and with a game plan relaxes me a lot more than when I play aggressive. The highs and lows can really tire you out!!
Will get some pictures up soon. Weather is great here and looks like a scorcher for tomorrow. 28*, awesome!!
http://www.golfdata.se//liveeuroteam/lag_lbo.asp?Lang=ENG&tk=AM1027X&tour=AM
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
Time for things to change!
A few weeks back at the St Andrews Links Trophy I rediscovered my putting touch. I holed everything! I thought that this was going to be the start of good things to come as I had the British Amateur the week after and then Brabazon Trophy after that.
I finished T-19th, three under for the four rounds. But I had made 17 birdies and an eagle in that and only finished three under. My driving was very poor for this week and although I did hit some good drives, a lot of my mistakes came from not being able to be precise with my shot into the greens as a result of a poor drive. So I made sure I looked at this with Neil when I got home so that I was confident when I stepped onto the tee ready for the Amateur.
Muirfield, what a place. I had played here in 2008 in the Home Internationals and it was great, one of the best courses I have played so I was very much looking forward to going back here. After a three over 74 1st round it left me some work to do at North Berwick if I was to make the top 64 that gets through to the matchplay. Another three over 74 here meant I was going home and reaching the heights I got to in 2008 would have to wait atleast for another year.
Onwards to Royal Liverpool and the Brabazon Trophy. Although I missed the cut at the Amateur I was very confident with my game coming into this event. Things I had been working on my swing were really starting to set in. I had a good practice round, spending some time chipping and putting around each green. The four of us played for some cash which I like doing in a practice round as I find it gets me into a competitive mode right before the tournament. I think its very easy to hit good shots in practice when there's no pressure.
1st round four over 76 wasn't the start I was looking for but after the end of days play I was two shots inside the cut. From the tee I was very poor again. An hour spent on the range later on and got the feeling back I needed.
One under through ten holes in round two and things were looking good. I was hitting it well and I was playing pretty steady. I could have been a couple shots better! Three bogies on the bounce followed and I hadn't done a whole lot wrong to get them. Two six foot putts missed on 11 and 12 before missing the par three 13th in a bunker with no chance of going at the flag. Missed birdie chance on 14, another bogey on 15 was followed by a double bogey seven on 16 before finally bogeying the last for a 2nd round six over 78. 154 the total and again I was off home. I struggled to describe what had happened because it came as a complete shock. I was playing so nicely and then just leaked shots for fun over the last 8 holes.
Now I've had a few days to reflect on what happened over the last 8 holes of round two my course stratergy and decision making costs me those shots. I was attacking where I shouldn't have and not quite taking into account how hard and bouncy the greens had become compared to the practice round. This is the one part of my game that is costing me to miss cuts, not my ability to hit shots.
Sweden on saturday for the European Team Championships and I am really looking forward to getting out there with the guys and playing for our team. We've got a great team this year and I expect us to do really well. If we stay positive and keep the enjoyment levels high then this could be our year!!
I finished T-19th, three under for the four rounds. But I had made 17 birdies and an eagle in that and only finished three under. My driving was very poor for this week and although I did hit some good drives, a lot of my mistakes came from not being able to be precise with my shot into the greens as a result of a poor drive. So I made sure I looked at this with Neil when I got home so that I was confident when I stepped onto the tee ready for the Amateur.
Muirfield, what a place. I had played here in 2008 in the Home Internationals and it was great, one of the best courses I have played so I was very much looking forward to going back here. After a three over 74 1st round it left me some work to do at North Berwick if I was to make the top 64 that gets through to the matchplay. Another three over 74 here meant I was going home and reaching the heights I got to in 2008 would have to wait atleast for another year.
Onwards to Royal Liverpool and the Brabazon Trophy. Although I missed the cut at the Amateur I was very confident with my game coming into this event. Things I had been working on my swing were really starting to set in. I had a good practice round, spending some time chipping and putting around each green. The four of us played for some cash which I like doing in a practice round as I find it gets me into a competitive mode right before the tournament. I think its very easy to hit good shots in practice when there's no pressure.
1st round four over 76 wasn't the start I was looking for but after the end of days play I was two shots inside the cut. From the tee I was very poor again. An hour spent on the range later on and got the feeling back I needed.
One under through ten holes in round two and things were looking good. I was hitting it well and I was playing pretty steady. I could have been a couple shots better! Three bogies on the bounce followed and I hadn't done a whole lot wrong to get them. Two six foot putts missed on 11 and 12 before missing the par three 13th in a bunker with no chance of going at the flag. Missed birdie chance on 14, another bogey on 15 was followed by a double bogey seven on 16 before finally bogeying the last for a 2nd round six over 78. 154 the total and again I was off home. I struggled to describe what had happened because it came as a complete shock. I was playing so nicely and then just leaked shots for fun over the last 8 holes.
Now I've had a few days to reflect on what happened over the last 8 holes of round two my course stratergy and decision making costs me those shots. I was attacking where I shouldn't have and not quite taking into account how hard and bouncy the greens had become compared to the practice round. This is the one part of my game that is costing me to miss cuts, not my ability to hit shots.
Sweden on saturday for the European Team Championships and I am really looking forward to getting out there with the guys and playing for our team. We've got a great team this year and I expect us to do really well. If we stay positive and keep the enjoyment levels high then this could be our year!!
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