WGC Accenture World Match Play - The Ritz Carlton GC at Dove Mountain, Arizona
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
This is something else! The nature here in Arizona is unbelievable. It is speechless. And in the middle of that Western scenery, a magnificent golfcourse surrounded by mountains and a forest of cactus. I'm quite impressed by the setting the PGA Tour can produce. For a sportman, being part of such events is something very special. This is where you want to be. A monster of a golfcourse in the middle of a beautiful natural site!
There is so much buzz here around that competition, it's really something else. Things you don't see normally: huge tents, buzz on television, police everywhere, press building stories, this is a real world golf championship!
Since Monday, we are working with Dave Stockton on the short game and we have played the course. Dave would like to made some changes on my chipping, he's quite persuasive, up to me now. With Mich, we are finetuning our tools to tackle that course. You know our strategy: make my long game the best it can be! My first match will be very intens, surely with Lee who's a master in ball striking. It's gonna be a big gun match!
This is the longest course played on the world tour: 7.800 yards designed by Jack Nicklaus. It's so long, even long for long hitters, so that shorter hitters with a brillant short game have a great chance to win like the Ogilvie's, Poulter or Luke Donald, winners of the three editions held here at Dove Mountain, Arizona. But on that course, there are a lot of strategic choices to be made from the tee, this is what we gonna decide before Wednesday teeoff, where taking some risks where not...
Brussels in between tournaments
Sunday, 19 Feb 2012
Zaventem! Tucson here I come. It seems that McIlroy will be the man. But the OWGR of Monday 20 Feb will be used, so Westwood might become No 3 again (Source PGATour News, thanks Jan)!
Just one communication: Michel organize a golf training course in Thailand at Brian'place (my caddie who will be there also). Stage from 15 till 24 March, for more info, go through the contact form of this website and you will receive more news. 4 places available. No special golflevel required, great golf experience guaranteed!
Friday, 17 Feb 2012
Yesterday was a long day. Meeting with the belgian media's from 10 AM to 6 PM where I also presented my new partner, the Anahita Resort in Mauritius. Then we invited my father for dinner for his 65th birthday and we made it even longer with a drink later ...
Monday, 13 Feb 2012
64 is the figure. I have my ticket to play the WGC Accenture Match Play. Tucson Arizona, here am I.... Also on the program: 3 days of work with Dave Stockton to check the putting, surely on my uphil putts. I putted brillantly in downhill in Dubai. Because the course is enormously long 7.800 yards!!! I'll take Mich with me to fix my long game like we did in Finca Cortesin. It's a match play championship and against the people I will face, I can't afford to be at 100% on my long game and putting.
The Dubai Desert Classic is a great tournament when the course is set up like it was with super fast and hard greens, immaculate fairways and a thick rough. They did a wonderful job there!
Dubai Desert Classic
Sunday, 12 Feb 2012
Needed a top 10 this week, that's done! Now will it be enough to be in the top 64? We have to wait Monday afternoon.
Just one regret, the birdie on 17 refused by the hole, like on 10th. My long game and my putting were great this week. Of course I gave a few strokes away, but that's golf. I had an unplayable ball on 8 and went too long on 12.
Well, back to cold Belgium tomorrow, for a week, after two top ten in a row in a good desert swing! Back on track next week-end then where I'll fly to the United States!
Saturday, 11 Feb 2012
Perfect start, birdies on 1-3-5. Bogey on 8. Mud on my ball on 10th for the second shot and couldn't reach the green in 2. Bogey 11. Then the break came at the 13th with that eagle. Goof finish also.
Great display of driving today. I pitched the 17th green with my drive!! Still missed a few opportunities on my uphill putts but birdies at 15 and 17 were quite nice.
I closed the gap a little bit, we will see what tomorrow brings!
Friday, 10 Feb 2012
One day is not the other. Great practice session. From the first green, I went short with my first putt, the story of my round. I'm not happy at all, I assume, even if 3 putts jumped today out of the hole. No excuses, I didn't play well.
A good meal, a good night and two good rounds to go.
Thursday, 9 Feb 2012
Very slow start this morning. I had a bad night, didn't sleep much. Came to the practice where Mich had a lot of work to make me swing in rythm with the right sequence and the good path. Birdie missed on 10 (my first hole), wrong club on 12 that caused a bogey, drive left in the bushes on 13, but I managed to stay patient. And it payed off with birdies on 15 and 16 and and an eagle on 9. At the turn, things looked suddenly better. The momentum was nicely build even if I did not have my A game. Birdied my 10th hole ... but the momentum stopped after I played the best shot of my round on the par 5 3rd hole. I hitted a beauty of a 3 wood (230 meters uphill), but my ball finished 5 meters from the pin in a salad in the rough. Approach and 2 putts for a par after a great 2nd shot! Mmmmmh
I had then 2 great putts on the 4th to get my par bedfore two difficult par 4's. Nearly holed in one the 7th, and ended with a nice birdie on 9. Even if I didn't touch my driver as well as I can, I managed to swing my irons with a lot of accuracy towards the pins. All in all, a good -6 to start the tournament.
I'm pretty amazed about the scores because the course is really challenging, greens are very fast and the rough is punishing. The overall length is nearly 6.700 meters long, not a gimmie...
Tomorrow is another day, I went to the physio for my back and I'll need a good long night of sleep. Time now for a little shopping ;o)
Great support today from my sponsor 2pm, Quentin. Other Belgians came over like Alban Lammens or "flight captain" Erwan. Thanks buddies.
Wednesday, 8 Feb 2012
Pro-Am day with a great team from DP World, sponsor of the Race to Dubai Final. Important people for the European Tour. Another fine tuning check. We checked also strategies on the course. This Majlis track is beautifully manicured, the best of the Desert track. Greens are slick and the rough is heavy. We had some work to do on the putting also, Stockton style. It's amazing how the technique is slipping bit by bit, day after day. I still need some coaching certainly when windy conditions tend to impact your posture and your swing.
On the coaching, you know that I'm in good hands, this was confirmed by Fred Couples, but with the speed I generate, everything needs to be pin point accurate.
Tomorrow with Branden Grace and Simon Dyson at 8.00, quite early for freezing Belgians. By the way, we have the same blue sky than in Northern Europe but with 25° above 0! Cheers.
Tuesday, 7 Feb 2012
What a great day thanks to Fred Couples and Midge Trammell, his caddye Girlfriend. Fred is a quite a nice person and the kind of sportman I like. I'm a big fan. He's a prince of the golfswing and a master of the rythm from 100 yards to the flag. I loved his stories and his advices. Tanks to Vince and Rolex for this opportunity!
Check my gallery for the pictures of the day!
Needed a serious up to date on my swing from Michel. The winds in Qatar have made a mess of it. Too quick from the top, some set up and routine work, those basis things, little fine tunings but with enormous consequences. I feel that I'm back in confidence, we'll see tomorrow the confirmation during the Pro-am...
Yesterday, interesting day with Eddy Merckx in the car following the bikers at 50 km/h into the wind. Had a nice chat with Tom Boonen and Philippe Gilbert, cool guys. It refreshed my mind and I must say that Belgians in sport are well known outside Belgium, Eddy Merckx being our King!
Commercial Bank Qatar at Doha
Sunday, 5 Feb 2012
I was going for birdies and hey didn't come! I was certainly too gready to shoot rapidly under par, and those two anti-climax bogeys arrived. 3 putts on the 9th. And two more birides to finish in the top 10. File closed.
Tomorrow, Eddy Merckx invites me in his car to follow the bicycle race. A great day ahead, good to forget that Sunday. Eddy is a king and the nicest person on earth!!!!!!
Friday, 3 Feb 2012
It was in the air. Second day has been stopped. It will resume tomorrow morning and the tournament will be reduced to 54 holes. Forecast is a little better tomorrow, but still it will be gusty. I'm off Saturday at 11.00!
Thursday, 2 Feb 2012
Not an easy day at all, surely for the second part of the round. If I'm hitting the ball very well, I'm not confortable with the greens. They are hard, bumpy, with a lot of sand (of course). I'm a rythmic putter not a hitter. On those greens, it seems that you need to be quite firm and that's not my kind of putting.
Huge winds today with a lot of sand everywhere. Even more wind is forecast for tomorrow. i don't know how Gonzalo and Jason played but they have scored quite well! Tomorrow I'll start in the middle of the storm... José and Monty had a tough day with that weather. Xema started very weel (-5) but did suffer on the back nine.
We have been working on our website taking into account some of your suggestions and I'm delighted that I can present you a new partner, Anahita. I won there the Afrasian Masters in 2010, and was "appointed" as Ambassador of Mauritian golf by the Minister of Tourism. And because I had so much pleasure to come at Anahita for my training this winter, we both decide to become partners. Anahita in Mauritius is my attachment now on the European Tour. We are also making a new golfbag at Anahita's colours. Don't hesitate to have a look at this resort (click here - or via the partners Page); you will see some pictures of that beautiful course designed by Ernie Els. All the practice facilities are beautifully constructed and manicured like you dream it to be !
Wednesday, 1 Feb 2012
Pro-am day, very slow because of a sandy wind. Reminds me the conditions of last year! The weather forecast is not exactly brillant. Gusting winds are forecast from Friday till the end of the tournament.
Tomorrow very early start at 7.00 with Monty and Xema (Tchema = Jose Maria Olazabal).
Tuesday, 31 Jan 2012
It's nice to work with a physical trainer that likes to see you go for a nap in the afternoon! But Richard told me that he prefers to work with strong bodies and fresh minds. Those two first weeks were pretty tiring. Certainly when you're on the lead with all the weight of the tournament on your shoulders. So, some crossfit workouts are ideal, they drains you and washes your brain...
Doha is a particular tournament, one of a kind! Wind plays a major role here and it comes from the side. So, it's quite special, surely for trajectories on long shots. Side wind is not good for swings, you need to work the ball on each shots. Hopefully Mich will fix me before playing Dubai...
Great trio tomorrow, playing with Olazabal and Montgomerie. Monty is a great personnality very useful for European golf. José is a wonderful person, quite and very perofessionnal. He still suffers from arthtritis and needs a very long warm-up to be able to swing the club like he wants to. They both have a lot of experience and I'm delighted to spend those next days with them. Don't think we are playing together because of the next Ryder Cup, no it's too far away, it's only for television matters. they need some nice games in the morning and in the afternoon.
HSBC Abu Dhabi
Monday, 29 Jan 2012- Emirates Invitational on Yaz Links
On the European Tour, we have a few charity events, and today it was on Yaz Island on the beautiful course designed by Kyle Philips: Yaz Links. At night, during the gala dinner each pro gave a "souvenir" for an auction. I brought the 64 glove from Fancourt.
Then tonight at midnight, I took a flight to Qatar and joined Richard Vanmeerbeek at the Hotel. His message was clear: tomorrow, early morning crossfit! Gosh, this is a 24h job!
Sunday, 28 January 2012
Good battle today, 68 is a nice way to end a tournament, even if in between, round 2 and 3 were not the ones I like. By the way, 68 is the lower score of the day!
Well played Rockie, this course is really tough under pressure. Woods and McIlroy were in attack mode and they couldn't find the proper momentum to beat you.
Tomorrow I'll play a charity Pro-Am in Abu Dhabi on the Yaz links before flying at midnight to Qatar in Doha. And do you know who will be waiting for me? Richard Vanmeerbeek of course for another physical session.
Friday, 27 January 2012
I don't like friday's! More seriously, I didn't play badly, but you know, it's one of these days where you're not totally in it. I had three bad drives, good for 3 bogeys and also, I get anoyed by a spectator, with those stupid "Ohhhhhh" after my 3rd attempt for birdie on the 4th hole. This course is a serious test of golf, you'll have a winner at -12. Just a reminder of last year winning score: -24! Tomorrow is another day, Jerome needs to leave already tomorrow night, thanks to the strike on Monday in Belgium! We are not all working for the Belgium flag!
Thursday, 26 January 2012
Well, well, well, -3 today and it could have been better, 4 or 5 putts had their chance to fall in the hole, like the nearly eagle on 18 (my 9th Hole). Good week so far, always nice to spend a tournament with Jérôme, he is great to distract me from the heat of the competition.
That course is tougher than the other years, it's longer, the fairways are narrower and the rough is really thick. Under the gun you need to be sharp to go for scores in the sixties! Yeah, some were surprised like Martin Kaymer who won this tournament with a record of -24 last year! Played with Joost Luiten en Henrik Stenson. Henrik went all over the place... 6 years ago he made the course record here in Abu Dhabi with 62!
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Arrived around 01:00 Tuesday morning and joined Jerôme Theunis who was waiting for me. We played 9 holes and had a nice practice session around the greens. We went both to the gym in the evening, and we celebrated my first appearance in a gym during a tournament.
Very strong field for this tournament, even Tiger is there. I did not see him, he played very early as usual!
Juniors, let me have a word about statistics. They are not important, surely not for the player himself. If they are useful, they are only interesting for the coaches. But a player may not think or play by the stats. His selfesteem, his confidence in certain part of his game may not be influenced by numbers. For example, in 2010, I had better stats in driving distance and was 4th in greens in regulation (now I'm 9th). The reason is that I'm using my 3 wood more often off the tee and this happened when the driving distance was measured on 2 different holes on each round. In reality, my driving is much longer than in 2010. So it's very difficult to have a pertinent judgement looking at stats. Junior have to learn to contact the ball, learn to score, develop their feeling and the variety of their golf shots. Juniors need to be "golf smart" not numbers smart. It's like machines, softwares, flightscopes, etc, twice a year max, good to check also your golfclubs, but nothing will replace the eye of a good coach!
Some statistics for 2011
Number of regular tournaments in 2011: 23
Scoring average: 70,69 (2010: 71,34)
Number of rounds under par: 43 on 77 rounds
Other Tournaments: 4 (World Cup, Vivendi Seve Trophy, Qualification US Open, Anahita Afrasian Masters)
Cuts missed: 5 on 23 tournaments
Best score: 65 (-7) and 64 (-8) qualification US Walton Heath
Number of birdies: more than 300 birdies nearly 4 birdies per round and 9 eagles
Top 10: 5
Win: 1
Top 20: 11
Best place in Race to Dubai: 8th
Best place in OWGR: 69th
The Volvo Champions at Fancourt
Sunday, Jan 22nd, 2012
Coming back to the club house, I asked for a Vodka tonic. Now the adrenaline has come down and the frustration also. Honestly, I'm happy with the tournament. A course record and a 4th place in between Major winners... My driving let me down from the 12 and I didn't found the key... On the 18th, I was burned out after walking so far left for my 3rd shot. That shot was a pure beauty, 3 wood followed by an even nice approach. Under the gun that approach was a high quality one. Quite proud of it. Coming to the putt, I had no clue after the putt of Branden, it swung so much to the left. I hit a bit too firmly and you all saw the bogey. But sincerely, no regrets as I did the best I could, the story might have been different if my drive was on the fairway... Let's capitalize on what I lived and learned this week.
Vince gave me some news from Belgium, that you were all hooked on the TV sets. It was my first tounament of the season, I hope for more vibrations in the near future.
Tomorrow I'l be flying from George to Johannesburg and then to Abu Dhabi arriving Tueday morning. Jérôme Theunis will be there waiting for me for that tournament with quite another strong field.
Saturday, Jan 21st, 2012
One day is not the other. Very tough day to play Fancourt, strong winds and rain. And when the conditions are difficult, I can display my links game with my low drives and stingers. 8 Major winners in the top 10 guarantee some spectacle and suspense tomorrow. The weather forecast is good, even if I prefer some wind, we will have an interesting afternoon.
Tonight, another dinner with The President (Raph Jacquelin) and Texas Tom (Thomas Levet).
By the way, I did enjoy the eagle on the last. Driver, 8 iron and one putt. I was happy and showed it, after two attempts so nearly missed on 17 and 13. Those 3 last holes are so important, everything can happen, they will play a major role for the victory of the Volvo Champions here at Fancourt.
Friday, Jan 20th, 2012
Ouch! It hurts to have two days so different ! Never really found my rythm today, I was not feeling the ball well and I lost my confidence on several shots to the green, especially a 9 iron from 156 meters that flew over the green.
Regain some rythm after 12 holes and finished honestly, good enough to look forward to the WE. Tomorrow a good game in sight with Thomas Björn at 11:35.
Thursday, Jan 19th, 2012
The Links in Fancourt and the landscape here are quite inspirational: -9 best score ever, best irons game in my life, best team of the world, best training camp ever, best caddy and a course record so near of the South Pole. This is really "classy": a course record at Fancourt during the Volvo Champions. Whatever happen on the next days, I know that what I done during the last weeks were pertinent: keeping working on my strength (my iron game), changing my state of mind on par 4 and par 3 using my strength with irons to go towards the flag, keeping confidence in Dave Stockton's putting, ...
The last thing to do is to underestimate that great course, it's as beautiful as tough it can get!
Thank you to begin the season together through this website, I wish you some emotions...
Tonight I went for dinner with the President (Raph Jacquelin), we drove the road on the Ocean. What a spectacle! Beautiful views, I called Vincent and Mich, because it was as nice as the clifss in san Diego, specially in Torrey Pines.
Saw the Twitter of Gary Player and smiled! Appreciate also the quote of Monty on the European Tour website.
Tomorrow, we play in three ball with an amateur, never an easy task in a real tournament, nor for him nor for us.
But it's just one round, I wish our amateur partner the best of luck in his competition!
Tuesday, Jan 17th, 2012
Fancourt and this part of Africa is really beautiful. George is between Cape Town and Port Elisabeth, we are here on The Garden Route. Even if we are inland, Gary Player designed the course as it would be on the sea shore. In fact, he called the 18 holes "The Links at Fancourt"! Enjoyable design settled in a magical surrounding, but with narrow landing zones. You will need to be quite straight off the tee here or you find trouble.
Nevertheless, I'm confident, Brian was surprised with my game, quite sharp. So now after one month stop, I'l need to recover some competitivity, scoring and rythm. Playing well is one thing, finding the birdies and avoiding the little mistakes is another task than playing well. But I'm quite happy that the season begins, I have now 4 tournaments to find some good roll to climb some places in the World Ranking. Yeah, there are some tournaments in the States that I would like to play this year but I need a better ranking. But this is not as important as the progress in my game that I started a few weeks ago, since Thaïland in preparation of the World Cup. Mich was quite happy last Sunday when we quit our training camp in Anahita and I share his feelings.
Being a better player and a better competitor, that's what all is about... 2012, here I come!
Training New season 2012
Tuesday, January 10th 2012
2 days now that I have 2 coaches built like bodyguards... OK, Rome was not built in one day but we are gently improving. We are also very lucky to work here in outstanding conditions and infrastructures. Ernie Els did a wonderful job in Four Season Anahita.
Mich was amazed by the standard of physical training that we achieved in this first week, it's quite promising for the future and the good news is that I will continue some training during the tournaments. This afternoon we went to the course only with our wedges and we played 18 holes from all over the places around the greens. I could tame them on the short game, because this morning my bodyguards overdrove me on the 2nd by 10 meters! Just a reminder: Rich was Belgian stroke play Junior champion, no wonder he also knows the secret of a long drive.
Thanks to internet, I can follow the golf worldwide. Fred Couples has announced his participation at the Dubai Desert Classic, I really would like to have the opportunity to meet the guy during a practice round. Who knows?
Paul Casey was unfortunate and dislocated his shoulder when snowboarding. I know only too well the situation and I send him my best wishes. I know people in Belgium who once again will laugh with this kind of accident. Paul is out for 3 months.
Like always early in the season South African golfers are quite hot. This is for historical reasons. Their season begins always around november. So, they are at their peak already in January. Schwartzel, Oosthuizen, Goosen and Aiken will be serious contenders in the coming weeks.
In Belgium, I remember that we peaked end of July till mid August, playing every day all junior competitions. Because it was end of June and we were not ready, we didn't succeed at the European Team Championship. On the other hand, we also didn't succeed during the International Juniors at Ravenstein, exhausted after having played too much before going back to school in september. These were the old times...
Wednesday, January 4th 2012
To start a new physical program with the european champion of Crossfit, I needed a nice and warm place. Anahita Four Season (Mauritius) was my choice, and it's a success because I'm surviving, even if my body tells me that I'm doing heavy stuff. People here in the resort think that Belgians have strange programs. We don't stay much in the gym, but Rich has prepared quite a lot of exercices ouside on the practice range. Near the putting green, lifting sandbags, doing squats and then directly concentrate on holing putts. Alternate burpees and pumps and chipping is quite demanding for the concentration, but that's what we are also looking for. Richard Vanmeerbeek is my trainer and is on my back till I'm done with all the program and taking care that I'm drinking and having plenty of food after the workouts. In between the program, hopefully we are relaxing on the beautiful golf course here in Anahita or on the beach.
in fact, in our swimsuit, it's quite easy to see who is the golfer and who is the physical trainer, Rich has dark brown short hair ... LoL.
Another member of my beach rescue squad is coming on Sunday. Mich is coming to start a technical program in between the physical sessions. Hopefully, I can find here some litchies, mango's and pineapples to bring me some sweetness... ;o)
Just for the fun: I'll play this Friday with Ernesto Bartarelli (Alinghi - double winner of the America Cup)!
In fact, I'll love those two weeks. Who wouldn't?
On the 15th, I must be ready to fly to South Africa and to play the Volvo Golf Champions in Fancourt. Oosthuuizen, Schwarzel, Goosen, Aiken, Casey and Karlsson are already as hot as the sand in Anahita at midday. The Volvo Golf champions will the first of 4 tournaments in a row.
Volvo China Open 2011
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