September 2001

30 September, PGA of Austria Masters, 4th Round 71 (Level)
Played well again today and the putting stroke was better, but the score did not happen. I three putted the 1st and 8th, but balanced it with birdies at 3 and 7. I had a double at 9 which was poor as I had only a wedge to the green for my second shot! The only excitement coming home was a 2 at the 13th. Overall another solid week with a tied 27th finish, making it four cheques out of four starts. However the big ones are the Tour Qualifying Schools in Australia next month and Spain in November. I am on my way home now to rest up for a couple of days and get some pracice in (if it stops raining). Thanks for all your emails of support. David

29 September, PGA of Austria Masters, 3rd Round 69 (-2)
Played much better today and hit 17 greens in regulation, with only one bad shot at the 18th which I bogeyed. However despite all this accuracy my putting was poor and I only made three birdies at 7,8 and 15. I seemed to be missing all my putts to the right, so I am either going to have to sort it out for tomorrow or start aiming left! I have the afternoon off so I am going to explore some of the local sites. I am tied 24th at the moment and only 2 shots off a top ten place, so I will be aiming for that tomorrow. Bye for now, David.

28 September, PGA of Austria Masters, 2nd Round 70 (-1)
Well I made the cut by a shot or two (tied 36th) and there is plenty of scope for a move up the leader board as there are 20 players two shots better than me. Much more steady today with 3 birdies and two bogeys. I played better, but my wedge play was really bad (that will show the boys at Mortonhall that I have off days!) and the putting was not much better. That's what it is all about on Tour though, not making mistakes and having a good short game, so I got some good practice in this afternoon so hopefully things will change for me over the weekend. David

27 September, PGA of Austria Masters, 1st Round 70 (-1)
I am absolutely furious with myself after today's round - I missed 3 greens and dropped five shots! Starting at the 10th, I birdied 12, 13, 15 and 17, bogeyed 18 and then birdied the 1st. I had a 3foot putt to go 5 under on the 11th and missed it and then 3 putted the last for a double bogey - very careless. Despite being under par I am tied 45th, so with only 50 making the cut, I am going to have to iron out the silly errors tomorrow. Harumph, David

20 September, European Tour School Stage One, 2nd Round 70 (-1), 3rd Round (65 (-5)
The weather was much better when I went back out to the 16th (my 7th) to complete my round early this morning. I played very steady and got back the shots I lost yesterday and despite a three-putt on the back nine shot a very reasonable 70. In my third round I got an early birdie (starting from the 10th again), then doubled the 5th and birdied the 6th to get back to level. However things really improved on the last nine with 5 birdies for a homeward 30 and the outright lead overnight. There are still a lot of people to finish their third rounds, so hopefully I may still be there tomorrow when I tee off around 11am. There is some money on offer for the top 3 places, but my aim is to make it through to the next stage of the Tour School. Off for a quiet beer tonight - think I deserve one! David

19 September, European Tour School Stage One, Carden Park, 2nd Round
Only managed to get 6 holes in today before the course was flooded by torrential rain. Unfortunately I am a couple over par for the day, despite my game feeling really good. Hopefully I can put that right when play starts tomorrow. Everyone who started in the morning made it round in the dry, so I have been on the wrong side of the draw weather wise so far. Off to dry out, David.

18 September, European Tour School Stage One, Carden Park, 1st Round 67 (-4)
Off to a good start in a very damp part of Cheshire. There has been heavy rain lately and two holes have been reduced in length because of waterlogged fairways, so the par of 71 is one less than normal and very tough. It was hard work today and I holed out well (apart from a three jab at 17). After turning in 1 under par, I birdied 10, 11 and 12 to get to four under before the 17th. However I am happy to post 67 as it leaves me very close to the lead in this four round tournament. Let's hope I can keep it going tomorrow. David

7 September, Muermans Real Estate Challenge, 3rd Round, 70 (Level)
Played solid today, but two bad shots on par-5s cost me 3 shots. Starting at the 10th, I was 2 over for the day at the turn, but then birdied 3,5 and 9 and bogeyed 8 for a 70. I mised four short putts, all to the right, so I am off to the putting green to sort that out now. Hopefully report back tomorrow with a good score. Cheers, David

6 September, Muermans Real Estate Challenge, 2nd Round, 69 (-1)
Played a little better today, but did not take my chances when they came along. There was a four hour rain delay before I teed off and I started well with a couple of pars and a birdie at the par-5 third. However I promptly dropped a shot at the par-3 next, got a 2 at the 8th, bogeyed the ninth and then steadied the ship with pars until a birdie 4 at the 18th saw me round in 69. The second round is still to be compeleted and I am 30th, so I should make it 2 out of 2 cuts, so I am very proud of that, especially as only the top 50 make it. Let's hope I can make a good move tomorrow to challenge on Sunday - if the rain stays off that is! David

5 September, Muermans Real Estate Challenge, 1st Round, 68 (-2)
Arrived here yesterday to find the course saturated after heavy rain. There was not much point in playing as we weren't allowed to hit irons on the course! I therefore did some short game practice and headed for the gym. Hit the ball terribly today, but managed to get it round in a good score. I guess that is the secret to being a pro! I started badly with bogeys at 10 and 11, but then birdied 14, 17, 2,3 and 8, less a bogey at the 5th for a top 20 place at the end of day one. Hopefully I can learn something from last week and put a good second round together tomorrow to stay in the hunt. Cheers for now, David.

2 September, Formby Hall Challenge, 4th Round, 79 (+7)
Nightmare last round and my worst score for a long time. I got off to a poor start with bogeys at 2 and 3 and failed to take my chances at then next few holes. I then played a very iffy back nine, where every mistake was magnified - I had three sixes and failed to birdie any of the three par-5s. I finished in a tie for 49th at 6 over and looking back, I really enjoyed the experience. I am pleased I earned some cash in my first tournament, but I must improve next week in Holland. I am heading there on Monday, so I will report back when I can. Bye for now, David.

1 September, Formby Hall Challenge, 3rd Round, 72 (Level)
It was one of those days when I played well, hit 15 greens in regulation, but nothing sparked off a low score. Got off to a slow start with a bogey at the 1st and then three-putted the third for another dropped shot. However I hit the par-5 seventh in two for an easy birdie and followed it up with other birdies at 15 and 17 for level par. This has seen me drop back a little to 32nd at 1-under, but a good sub 70 round should see me climb back up. Certainly it is days like today that I will have to turn par into sub-par in the future to stay in touch. I have managed to get a bed for tonight at short notice, as my previous B&B was full tonight. Just settling down to watch the footy with a beer. The glamour of being on Tour!! Cheers, David.

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