A disappointing finish to the Malaysian Open, where I led the field after the opening round, was followed by a bigger let down in Dubai. This was where I made my debut as a pro last year. I was looking forward to playing the Emirates course again as I had made the cut a year ago and banked the first cheque of my career. Unfortunately it was not to be and a pair of 75s saw me miss the cut comfortably. I just never got going all week and was unable to recover from a bad start. It was even more disappointing as a number of friends and family had come out to support me. Maybe I was trying too hard to play well but it just didn't happen. For the first time in a while I'd got a little frustrated with my putting and was considering using a normal putter once again as I'd been using a belly putter for nearly a year. Although I feel I'm a good putter, I'm sure all pros occasionally get spells of being out of sorts on the greens and the danger is it can start affecting the rest of your game. Conversely, if you're not playing well, a few holed putts can do wonders for confidence and put your long game back on track. Another tournament in the Middle East beckoned the following week and I headed for Qatar, determined to make amends for only my second missed cut. I was staying with some friends of my mum's and was looking forward to not having to pay an expensive hotel bill again and also some home comforts. The week, however, continued in the same vein and I shot two 74s to just miss the cut. Even though I felt fine I was wondering whether all the travelling had caught up with me and it might be time for a rest. I had a long chat with Brendan Taylor, who looks after me at my management company IMG, and we decided that I'd travel to Singapore to play in the Caltex Masters the week after. I was glad I did because I started to play well again and also my putting had begun to feel a lot more comfortable. Although I didn't set the world alight, I made the halfway cut and about 4000 Euros, which helped with the expenses. This was the last tournament in the early part of the season to be played out of Europe and I was looking forward to playing nearer to home. The next tournament was in Madeira and was a co-sanctioned event with the Challenge Tour. Consequently the prize money is not so good and many players take the opportunity to have a week's rest. I decided to play as my game was feeling a lot better. I ended up finishing 25th and winning about 6000 Euros. The event was a real stop-start affair with the first two days finishing early due to fog. Play was suspended twice and on the last day most players had to complete their third rounds before starting their final round. It was incredibly windy and my 76 in the last round actually moved me up a place, despite a really annoying double bogey at the very last hole. I had come up just short in a bunker and unbeknownst to me, my ball had settled on a rock covered with only a dusting of sand. Consequently, my club bounced into the back of the ball and it ended up flying 30 yards over the green. A very frustrating way to end a tournament. Portugal was the next stop and a visit to Penina on the Algarve where my dad had spent his first two years as a professional being taught by Henry Cotton. The weather was fantastic and I really enjoyed the golf course. I only just made the cut after rounds of 73 and 70 but then moved nicely up the field with closing rounds of 69 and 68, which won me just over 10,000 Euros. It also moved me into the top 115 of the Order of Merit, which is the cut-off point for an automatic Tour card for next year. After a week off watching Phil Mickelson win a very exciting Masters, we headed for Seville in southern Spain. I was paired with my friend and fellow Midlander Tom Whitehouse in the first two rounds and while he played solidly to make the halfway cut, my horrendous opening 78 meant a short week as far as I was concerned. I've completed 11 tournaments so far and won nearly 27,000 Euros. This probably hasn't quite covered my expenses but there are a number of big tournaments shortly and also a few closer to home including the British Masters at the Forest of Arden. | 
