TG Blog: My first Major as a Senior

The US Senior PGA Championship 2011

Having had quite a break from the game in the last couple of months, I’m ready for the almighty task of the USPGA Championship at Valhalla.

I’ve waited a while since the last event on the Senior Tour I am certainly ready to do battle with what will be a long and firm course. I am, however, a little apprehensive given the fact that I have played very little competitive golf since the beginning of March. This is a very unique situation to be in as you don’t often go into a Major off the back of no golf.

My priority is to continue playing well on the European Senior Tour and accumulating enough top ten finishes to win the Rookie of the Year as well as finishing well in the Order of Merit, so hopefully I will arrive in America and find some of the form I had just before and after Christmas.

Valhalla is a tough course; it is set up to test the best. With it being very long it might not suit my game, but this has been a challenge throughout my career so I will just have to make sure that I am hitting the ball as far as I can.

The field looks tough, so perhaps there will not be too much expected of me, which often helps me to concentrate on my game and not worry what others are thinking about me.

For me, a strong contender has to be Barry Lane, as he is doing very well on the European Senior Tour at the moment. The long course will also suit Roger Chapman. It all depends on how firm the fairways and greens are.

There is a strong chance that the winner will be American. With a lot of the European players in action in Spain just before, factors including jetlag and tiredness could come in to play; we aren’t getting any younger!

The last time I played competitively in the States was at the US Open in 2008 and for me it doesn’t hold the greatest of memories so perhaps this time I can give myself a week to remember. It will be hard work but like with any event I have to believe that I can win it.

A True Golfing Hero

The passing of one of the men I admired most in the game of golf, Seve Ballesteros, was very sad for me. I was lucky enough to meet Seve and play a practice round with him at the Scottish Open in 1992 and he was a genuinely nice man and one of the finest players to ever grace the greens. His appetite and desire was an inspiration for me.

Alongside Tony Jacklin he is the man that helped to transform the way golf is played in Europe and on the Tour. Europe’s success in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor last year was certainly a product of Seve’s hard work to ensure that we could compete with the USA.

Totally unassuming and down to earth, he will be sadly missed by all but remembered as one of the greats of the game.