Yet again, my week off at home has flown by. Having played four tournaments on the spin, I was ready for a week in my own bed. But it wasn’t all rest; I really worked hard in the gym with Andy and on my game with Mitch. 

I've been getting tired at competitions this season, much more than ever before. This is mainly down to the work we’ve have had to do to my back to get me playing week, in week out without problems. But now it’s stable we are upping the cardio work, starting from last week.

It involved lots of running up and down steps around Clifton with bits of interval training in between. The first couple of days this was enough to finish me off, but after six days in a row I could feel my fitness coming back. Now I just have to keep it up when I'm on tour.

I worked a lot on my short game last week, too, which everyone always needs to practice. And after talking with the guy who does my stats, I’m hitting my shots around the greens, on average, a foot closer than I was at the beginning of the season. That might not sound a lot, but according to him, it's starting to verge on world-class. It’s good to know I'm heading in the right direction.

It was pretty hard watching the Open last week. Having missed out by a shot three years ago, I always feel I can contend. Sadly, the last two years I haven't played and it's horrible.

I love the links courses; the shots you have to play around the greens, the crowds and the fact that my family are with me in a house for the week. It doesn't get any better than the Open.

Eventually, the championship turned into a very exciting finish. I watched the last seven holes on Sunday and when Adam Scott birdied the 14th, I think everyone thought it was his. He played so well in all the bits I saw. The way he swung the club was so pure.

But when someone plays the last ten holes at Lytham five under par, they are going to make up an awful lot of ground. And that's exactly what Ernie Els did. To hole a putt on the last like he did was just awesome. He now has two Opens, his first being at Muirfield ten years ago in a play-off against the guy I’m sitting next to as I write this, Thomas Levet.

I heard someone say on the radio that Adam Scott must feel a bit like Rory McIlroy did after the Masters last year. And look how he responded! I don’t usually have a clue when people ask me who to have a bet on in the majors, but if I were to have a flutter, my money will be on Scott for the USPGA.

I tee off in Austria on Wednesday, where, hopefully, all the good things I’ve worked on recently will translate into my competitive game. I’ll be sure to let you all know next week.

Chris' blog also appears in the Bristol Evening Post and can be read HERE.