Chris reflects on a fortnight in Asia, the class of Martin Kaymer and looks ahead to Race to Dubai finale.
Englishman looking forward to Race to Dubai climax
Hello everyone from Dubai's Earth Course - otherwise known as the finishing straight of the Race to Dubai!
I've spent the last two weeks travelling in Asia with mixed results on the course.
Singapore was first up and it was a better result for me. I still didn't play my best but it was a grinding week and I was really pleased with the way I kept it going to finish in tenth place.
Looking back on the week, day one witnessed a nice low one from me: an eight-under-par 63 to lie in second place.
We played on two courses at the Sentosa club and they were very different in difficulty so it was nice to start the week on the scoring course.
To give you a clue about why we could go so low, there were par-fives on which you could be hitting 3-wood off the tee and then 6-iron into the green. That's where the birdies could be made!
Tougher
I played the other course in the 2nd round and it was a much windier day so it played a lot tougher and I couldn't make a birdie at all! I had 16 pars and two bogeys playing okay golf - I just couldn't score.
The pins seemed to be tucked right at the back of the greens as well. Time after time I had 150 yards to the front and about 190 yards to the pin. I think it would have been a good day to play the other course!
It is my third time in Asia and I think I am starting to get used to it. The heat is the biggest factor because you just can't describe how hot it is.
You have to drink so much - in fact you can't drink enough fluids. I was downing an entire bottle of water every hole and also had get a load of electrolytes in me as well to prevent dehydration!
One thing of interest about my third round was that I played with the PGA Championship winner Martin Kaymer.
I've got to say that after just four holes (he birdied the second and eagled the fourth) I was impressed!
I love the way he hits the ball with a slight left-to-right shape and gets into a real strong position coming into the ball.
In the end he only beat me by one shot that day and I was far from my best but I love playing with players that are that high up the world rankings.
Pressure
I asked him about the Ryder Cup and he said he had felt he almost couldn't play his own game because of the pressure.
I can understand that - being a rookie in the Ryder Cup you really don't want to feel like you will make any mistakes especially when Lee Westwood is your partner.
Singapore itself surprised me because it is much more western and modern than I expected it to be. There are some great bars and everyone speaks English so you sort of feel quite at home!
After the delayed end to the Singapore Open (we had terrible weather) we all moved to Hong Kong where I thought the course really suited me but I missed the cut by one shot which is always gutting.
I am hitting the ball really well at the moment but things are not quite coming together.
The good news about the missed cut is that I can get to Dubai a day early and get some extra practice in.
I've also got my parents and my girlfriend flying out to Dubai for the week so it will be great to see them!
I love playing golf here and the Dubai World Championship was a great event last year - all the players are really looking forward to it!
Follow my progress and let's hope for a great week!
