Last week was the US Open at Pebble Beach, one of the most scenic places in the world. For me it was an incredible place, a fantastic golf course, and probably my favourite course in the world to have played. I would have to agree with those in support of it being the number one course in the world. The reason for that is it's a proper golf course. It's not stretched out to 7,500 yards; it's relatively short at about 7,000 yards, playing firm and fast with tiny greens. It's also a course you have to create angles. You have to constantly think about where you're approaching from. You have to attack the holes based on pin positions. Tee shots are based on where the pins are because if you're on the wrong side of the fairway you can't get close to the pins. In my opinion that rewards aggressiveness off the tee, taking it closer to the hazards and trouble, having to hit better tee shots. With the course's ranking in the world it proves that the long slogs are not great golf courses-it's easy options for people to stretch courses and make a bit of cash in the process.

I actually played good golf last week tee to green. My short game was decent, but I hit a lot of greens, which is key in a US Open. Unfortunately, I really suffered on the greens. I had far too many 3-putts and really struggled with distance putting. I believe I had four 3-putts the first day and a couple on the second day, which completely blew me out and put me under pressure to make the cut when realistically I played far too well to be even near the cut. I should have been around level par based on how I played. Disappointed with that but at the same time I feel as though I'm gaining ground all the time. My game is in very strong shape; I just need to figure the putting out, which hopefully getting back to Europe on softer and slower greens may help me to make more putts and gain some confidence. Obviously disappointed with the result but it's not all bad.

It was the end of an era this week, which for me was a big deal. It was my last week with my caddy, Rich. We've been together for five years and seven months, one of the longest relationships between a player and caddy on tour. It's been great times with many ups and downs. Unfortunately we didn't manage to win together but we did play the Ryder Cup, had nine-second place finishes and improved each year. It's been fantastic and hopefully we can get back together at some stage down the road to try and win some tournaments together. It was a mutual decision and I think at the moment we both need a little break. I now have to start the search for a new caddy. I have a few people in mind and hopefully I'll have that rectified for next week at the French Open.

I didn't manage to stay awake to watch the end of the US Open, which is a shame because when I fell asleep Gmac was leading by two and I fully expected him to take it on and win, but I wish now I had stayed awake to watch it because he's a good friend and it was a great performance to win like he did by one. He played fantastic golf all week. I watched him on Saturday night-he was so solid tee to green and looked probably more controlled than any player out there. It was a thoroughly deserved win and a great performance. It also great to see Havret up there for a European 1, 2 in the Majors. Fantastic stuff-what the media have been after and what we all work for. It's also a great inspiration for me to see someone like Gmac win because I regard us as being quite similar in game. A great week for European golf and really excited myself now to get to the French Open and see if I can convert that inspiration into my first win and getting my season back on track.

To view the main News page click here