Playing the KLM Dutch Open last week, I ended up finishing 43rd in a spell where I was getting back to full fitness after withdrawing from the previous tournament with a back spasm.

I had two lots of physio each day, before and after I played, heat packs on and painkillers to get me through the first few days before it started to settle down on its own.

On a much more interesting note, the golf course we played in Holland was one of the best of the year. Hivershum, just outside Amsterdam, is like a classic English course. Think of Sunningdale and Wentworth combined.

The last two years the Dutch Open has been played there, but the weather has been so bad that... MORE »

As some of you may know if you follow my Twitter or saw on the European Tour website, I was forced to withdraw from the Omega European Masters in Switzerland last week.

I had a tough side of the draw, playing about 30 out of the first 36 holes in iced rain and some wind on Friday afternoon. It was four degrees and sleety rain Friday afternoon and I made the cut on the mark of level par. Not a bad effort as eight under par was leading the tournament at that point.

Saturday morning I warmed up and went to the range to hit balls, as I do before every round I play, and tee'd off. After playing the first hole... MORE »

It is on to Switzerland this week for the Omega European Masters, which takes place at the most picturesque golf course we visit all season.

Crans-sur-Sierre is a popular ski-resort in the Alps during winter time, but when there isn't any snow, it's a golf course.

Six thousand feet up, there are stunning views and, at that sort of altitude, the ball can really start to travel. Before, when it has been warm – generally in the afternoons – I've hit tee shots up to 400 yards and reduced a couple of the par-fives to just a driver and an eight-iron.

It is also the place where Seve Ballesteros hit his famous shot over the swimming pool at the 18th, where there is... MORE »

Another week off has already flown by and I'm off to Gleneagles for this week’s Johnnie Walker Championship.

Having got back from Thailand last Monday afternoon, I went up to see Phil Kenyon at Formby Hall on Tuesday night for a Wednesday morning putting session.

In theory, this was a good idea, but it eventually proved too much for both me and my jet lag to take. It was either that or the two hours I spent being dragged around the Trafford Centre with my girlfriend on the way home. I can't decide.

Anyway, I struggled all last week; didn’t have much energy at all. A couple of gym sessions with Andy Wadsworth had to be cut short as I was just exhausted.... MORE »

So it's finally happened for me. My first win as a pro came at the Thailand Open last week.

Firstly, I have to thank my manager Chubby Chandler and all at International Sports Management for getting me out there along with David Howell, Dave Horsey and Richard Finch. Without Chubby sorting a place for us I wouldn't be coming home with the trophy.

I've said in my weekly blog for a long time now that I've been playing the golf worthy of winning tournaments, but it just wasn’t happening for me. I've been giving myself chances on what feels like nearly every hole without converting them.

Last week, though, I think I finally turned a corner with my putting. I've found a drill... MORE »