After nearly two months away from tournament golf, it felt great to be back in the mix at the Volvo World Match Play Championship last week.

I lost in the quarter-finals – and it was probably the lack of competitive action that cost me in the end.

​I just didn't hole the right putt at the right time and I couldn't pitch or chip it close enough in and around the greens. In my opinion, that costs you more in match play than it does in regular stroke play.

Momentum is a massive factor in match play and I never really felt like I got any, but after the long break I can't be too disappointed with my performance on the whole.

If you... MORE »

It feels great to be back in action on the European Tour this week.

And what a place to return – Thracian Cliffs Golf & Beach resort in Bulgaria for the Volvo World Match Play Championship.

The course is on the cliff tops, with the beaches and clear blue sea below. It is a stunning venue, as I'm sure a lot of you will see on television once the tournament gets under way.

But while that all sounds very glamorous, the journey here was anything but.

After a 4am start to drive from Bristol to Heathrow Airport, we boarded the first flight to Sofia, Bulgaria's capital. So far, so good.

From there, however, we endured a seven-hour wait for our transfer flight to Varna, which... MORE »

I've just spent a few days in Mallorca, where I've been playing, practising and training at Son Gual Golf Club.

It has been a really good few days. The place, which is just outside Palma, is immaculate, while the course is similar to the ones we play on tour.

Being away again, as opposed to being at my home club or somewhere else that is familiar, has also made a pleasant change.

I've been put through my paces by my trainer, Andy Wadsworth. I've been in the gym and doing all my exercises and stretches at the course to help keep me playing and practising for as long as I possibly can.

Now I'm home in Bristol and fine-tuning my preparations for the Volvo... MORE »

I'm never quite sure what to discuss in my weekly column when I've been away from the golf course for an extended period of time.

Not being able to compete because of an injury is one of the most frustrating things as a professional sportsman, so I try to avoid spending week after week explaining why I'm off.

I imagine it doesn't bring a great deal of excitement for the reader and it is not much fun for me to write, either!

I've been doing this blog for around 18 months now and, apart from a month or so at the end of the 2012 season, I don't think I've missed a week.

I'm not massively into reading and stuff like that, so I... MORE »

I'm going to make this week's column about football seeing as I'm not playing golf at the moment.

Since my last entry, one of the teams I follow have been crowned the champions of England for a 20th time, while the other have been relegated to the third tier of domestic football.

The highs and lows of sport, eh?

I can relate to this at the moment. A couple of months ago, I was winning the Qatar Masters, getting my season off to a great start and feeling full of confidence.

Now I'm off unable to compete thanks to a niggling injury that won't go away.

It will be seven weeks without any competitive action by the time I tee up again at the Volvo... MORE »