Egyptian open - Mirage City GC, Cairo

Fortunately for me, I managed to secure some well needed funding to play in the Egyptian Open last week at the stunning Mirage City GC in Cairo. The 2009 Egyptian Open sees the start of an association with the European Tour that will make the event a full Challenge Tour event in 2010 and 2011 with the possibility of it becoming a main tour event in 2012.

This years field was assembled from the top 60 available players from the 2009 Challenge Tour rankings as well as local players and notable invitations to players such as 2010 Ryder Cup captain, Colin Montgomerie.

It was a lavish affair with us players staying onsite at the JW Marriott hotel in the new resort of Mirage City. The golf course itself meanders around multi million dollar mansions and presents a good test with water playing a part in most of the holes and some of the fastest greens I have putted on all year.

My room mate Sandeep Grewal and I arrived in the early hours of Tuesday morning on the KLM flight from Liverpool via Amsterdam. This was a good way to fly and presented us with the added bonus of not connecting through the 'Bemuda Triangle of lost luggage', Heathrow airport.

I prefer 9 hole practice rounds as I seem to be able to take in more information that way and we played 9 holes on Tuesday lunchtime and found the course to be in excellent condition.

On Wednesday morning we played the back nine then made most of the tournament hosts invitation to a sight seeing tour of the Pyramids.

I'm not usually one for history but I was blown away by the size and beauty of these 4,600 year old structures.

Sandeep and I at the Pyramids

The tournament got under way on Thursday with sunshine and temperatures in the 30s. Perfect weather for golf. My game was solid and at the halfway stage I was in 12th place on -2 after a pair of 71's. I very nearly got to play with Monty on Saturday as he was at -3 but the great man was drawn in the game behind me. I have always been a big fan of Colin Montgomerie after meeting him at Hoylake before the Open and he was in good form when he joined us on one of the tees during a slight delay.

Sadly, my game wasn't the best on Saturday and I dropped down into 33rd place after a 76.

Sunday was better for me and despite strong winds I was round in a level par 72 that moved me up into 26th place.

I feel this was an important week as it showed me that I can handle golf at this level but also highlighted areas in which I need to make an improvement in order to compete at the top level.

I have a week or so to work on these things ahead of stage 2 at Arcos Gardens in Spain next week. Bye for now, Ian.

Europro Tour Championships

De Vere Slaley Hall in Northumberland played host to the top 60 players in the Europro Tour Championships this week.

Once again I found myself in a good position heading into the final days play. Rounds of 73 and 76 had me in 16th place.

As has been the case all too often this season, I fell away today and left Northumberland like a bear with a sore head after my round of 79 left me in 40th place.

My problem extends away from the golf course. In each of my last 5 Europro Tour events I have entered the final day inside the top 20 and within touching distance of the leaders, only to fall away on pay day.

This, I feel, reflects my financial situation. In an effort to move up the leaderboard and win a good cheque, I seem to push too hard and end up going backwards.

I need to learn to put aside the need to win a big cheque and concentrate on playing in professional golf tournaments. Without financial backing this is easier said than done.

On a positive note, I feel like I am close to making a breakthrough and I am enjoying my best year as a professional. On the Europro Tour you need to win an event to make any headway on the order of merit. In my 11 events played this year, I have been one of the tours most consistent players in making 11 out of 11 cuts and I have had a 2nd and 3rd place finish. It was just the win that has eluded me.

Next week I have been given a start in the Egyptian Open, a £200,000 tournament in Cairo that boasts a quality field led by Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie. It is exactly the sort of thing I should be doing ahead of European Tour qualifying later in November. Sadly, as it stands, I may have to sit this one out unless I can pull a rabbit out of the hat and find the money to pay for the trip.

Tour champs announcement - at last!

We have just been informed that this years Europro Tour championship will be played from October 27-29 at De Vere Slaley Hall in Northumberland.

Don't get me wrong, Slaley Hall is a great venue, I just can't help thinking we are a little too close to the North Pole for golf in late October...

Europro Tour - St.Andrews

St Andrews is one of my favourite places in the World and I really enjoyed last weeks event. My game was a little in and out but thanks to some good work on the greens I was able to make the cut and I entered the final day in a tie for 13th place.

The final round was played in windy conditions and players starting after 10am got the worst of the draw. My 10.52 starting time meant that my back 9 holes were played in the strongest of winds and I had little chance of moving up the leader board.

My final round of 80 left me in a tie for 35th place.

Whilst most players were free falling down the leader board, one player, my friend Sandeep Grewal had the day of his life. His morning round of -5 67 (that included a pair of holed 7 iron shots!!) was the best score on the day by a massive 5 shots. After a long wait in the clubhouse, he eventually beat Lloyd Saltman in a play-off for his maiden Europro Tour win. I am really happy for Sandeep and I am sure he will use this win as a springboard to bigger and better things.

I hope to join him in the winners circle at the next event, the Europro Tour championships. Unfortunately, I can't tell you where or when it will be played because I, like the rest of the top 60 players, haven't been told yet! The boys at Matchroom better get their act together and sort this out soon as it's supposed to be played in October!!!

Twitter

I've joined the Twitter revolution. If you'd like to follow me here is the link;

http://twitter.com/KeenoGolf

North region Championships

The PGA North Region Championships was held today and yesterday at a windy Hollins Hall. Hollins Hall sits on top of a hill in between Leeds and Bradford and despite the walk up to the first tee (where Oxygen was needed) we found the course to be in good condition.

I played OK, my first round of 71 was the best score of the afternoon due to the strengthening wind and that left me in 7th place overnight, just 3 shots off the lead.

Today's round was a little hit and miss. I made a few too many silly mistakes but fought back well with 2 birdies in my last 6 holes to finish with a +2, 73.

My +2 total left me in a tie for 11th place and coincidentally I also finished 11th in the final PGA North region order of merit.

Next up is the Fairmont St.Andrews next week.

European Tour Qualifying School - Stage One

I was one of 84 players to tee up at Dundonald Links on the Ayrshire coast for the first stage of qualifying for next years European Tour. The top 20 players and ties went through to the second stage in Spain in November and like most people who enter this event, this tournament can make or break your season.

The qualifying school is made up of three stages over 252 holes of golf where the fields are dwindled down to the top 30 players (from around 800 entries) at the final stage who gain their ticket to Europe's 'Big Show'

It's not usually the most pleasurable of weeks but I really enjoyed this week. My roomate Jamie Elson and I stayed in a guest house in Prestwick and enjoyed some of the fantastic restaurants that the area has to offer. I really like the Prestwick/Troon area and it's a tremendous area for golf which, with it's ties to the Open Championship, is stooped in history.

I played pretty well all week on the demanding course but seemed to make a couple of mistakes that I paid a high tarif for and after 3 days I was in 27th place with rounds of 74, 72 and 75 (+5).

The final day was a little tougher with a switch in the direction of the wind and I played a really steady round of level par 72 to leave me on +5.

As I was in the first group off at 8am, I would have around 3 hours before I would learn my fate. I didn't want to wait around the clubhouse nervously looking at the scoreboard and as there would be no playoff I decided to make my way home.

At around 2.30, I received the text to say that I had finished tied 20th! I was in, lucky boy!! If just one more person had beaten my score, I would be out of qualifying for another 12 months and back to the mini tours.

It really is a big relief to get through first stage and I have a couple of months to work on my game ahead of the next stage.

Europro Tour - Five Lakes

I'm afraid it was more of the same at Five Lakes this week. I got myself in contention after the first two rounds with scores of 73 and 69. Unfortunately, that was where my challenge ended!

The final round was contested in gale force winds and my score of 79 (+8) dropped me back 13 places to a tie for 23rd place.

This was my last event in a run of 5 in a row so I will welcome a break. I plan to take some time off without the clubs before my preparations begin for the European Tour Qualifying stage one in a fortnights time.

I have mixed feelings about my game right now. I am making great progress and have consistently put myself in a strong position to win an event but my final days play seems to have let me down a little. I don't feel like I do anything different but the score card seems to add up to a few more than in round 2! Maybe it's just a phase that I will grow out of.

Congratulations to Sean Whiffin on winning this week and Paul Dwyer (who opposed to me seems to be the King of the final rounds) for a gutsy performance that got him in the top 5 of the order of merit and with it, a place straight through to stage two of qualifying.

Europro Tour - Formby Hall

Another 'home game' this week as the tour moved North to the Formby Hall Hotel Resort & Spa. I've played at Formby Hall quite a bit with some good results so I was looking forward to this weeks event.

In blustery conditions, I made a good comeback in both the first two rounds with strong finishes on both days for a level par two round total of 144 (72 and 72).

During the final round, I was -2 after 14 holes after birdies at holes 4 and 7. After dropped shots at 15 and 16 (2 really tough holes) I found myself in the middle of the 18th fairway with a decision to make. With the second shot over the water, I could lay up, face a tough 3rd shot and try to make a safe par. Or, I could take a wood to carry the water leaving a pitch and putt for birdie.

I went with the latter and my Titleist was fish food costing me a double bogey!

I stand by my decision, it was a gamble that didn't come off. A birdie would have trebled my cheque (and gotten me a place in the top 10) whilst the double bogey didn't do too much damage and left me in a tie for 20th place.

Next week it's back on the road down to Essex for the Europro Tour event at Five Lakes. I'm looking forward to it!

Europro Tour - Wychwood Park

I've been spending a lot of time on the road lately and I welcomed the opportunity to stay at home for this weeks event at Wychwood Park in Crewe.

Wychwood Park is a course that has matured over the years and seems fit to attract some bigger tournaments in the near future.

I had a mixed week. A below average first round of 75 (+3) made way for a very good 68 that got me in another good position before the final round blues caught up with me and I scored a 77 to fall back in a tie for 29th place. Not a great result.

My schedule is very busy at the moment and I feel there is a danger of 'spreading myself thin' so I plan to take the next few days off. I'm looking forward to the U2 concert at Wembley at the weekend and I'll enjoy a few beers with the boys and some time with my family before returning to the tournament scene at Formby Hall next week.

Europro Tour - Tudor Park

The Marriott Tudor Park resort near Maidstone was the venue for this weeks Europro Tour event that was very kindly sponsored by Virgin Atlantic as part of their 25th anniversary celebrations.

After my 7 hour drive down from the Scottish highlands, I had just enough time to wash my socks, say hello and goodbye to the missus and I then set off for the journey down to Kent.

With the tournament starting on Tuesday this week, I didn't have time for a practice round so I walked the course on Monday afternoon (I had played at Tudor Park in 2003 and 2004) before dinner.

It was a funny week on the course. I didn't hit the ball half as well as I would have liked but a series of chip ins and some excellent work with the putter left me in sole possession of 2nd place and an extremely well needed cheque of just under £5,000. My rounds of 66, 63 (equalling the course record) and 67 for a -14 total left me 3 shots shy of Doncaster's Graeme Clark and I moved up to 12th place in the order of merit.

I'm obviously playing some good golf at the moment but I seem to be lacking a bit of 'killer instinct'. I'm a little bit like the guy in the bar who chats the pretty girl up all night, buying her drinks only for her to go home with somebody else...

I am putting myself in some good positions but I will need to convert one or two of these chances if I am to make my mark on the order of merit.

Next week I hope to go one better at Wychwood Park.

Scottish Hydro Challenge

It was a wonderful opportunity for me to get a start in the Scottish Hydro Challenge at the fantastic Spey Valley golf resort in Aviemore. The Challenge Tour is a step up from the Europro Tour and with prize money totaling €200,000 for this event, the winner could make a big dent in gaining his European Tour card for 2010.

For me, it was really good to catch up with a few old friends. The Challenge Tour is one of the most sociable tours in golf and there is a real family feel about it as players seem to look out for each other a lot more than on the main tour.

Every player is playing to a different agenda. Some are trying to consolidate a spot in the top 20 (that gain main tour cards for next year) others trying to keep their cards for next year and become exempt into second stage or even finals of the Q school and others, like me, are trying to finish in the top 10 in order to qualify for the next event.

My golf was very good at times in the tough conditions and for most of the week, I hung around the top 20 of the leaderboard. That was until disaster struck at the par 4 8th in the final round when I took a 9 to free fall out of contention. It was disappointing but these things happen in golf and I left Aviemore on Sunday afternoon with 7 hours of driving time to ponder my mistakes. For the record, I finished in 54th place winning almost enough to cover my costs with rounds of 71, 71, 73 and 78 against the par of 71.

The Europro Tour has some really good players coming through at the moment and that was in evidence in Scotland with three players (Steve Surrey, Scott Jamieson & James Ruebotham) finishing in the top 10 and gaining a place in the field for this weeks Finnish Open.

Spirotech Manchester Open

The Manchester Open is one of three order of merit events belonging to the PGA North region. Marriott Worsley Park was the venue for this 36 hole tournament and despite the heavy going underfoot the scoring was pretty good.

I got off to a shocking start on both days playing the first two holes in +2 on day one and the first three in +3 on day two! Despite this start, I was able to fight back to score a pair of 69's for a -4 total that left me in a share of 5th place and a well needed cheque for around £550.

Chris Hanson was the worthy winner after a superb two round total of -11.

Europro Tour - Players Club

The Players Club is another regular Europro Tour venue that seems to have improved over the years and there were a few new changes to contend with for the 2009 event.

A couple of new holes on the front 9 and a change of par from 72 to 70 is a positive step in the right direction and the condition of the greens for this years event was excellent.

My golf wasn't too far away but I had to settle for 43rd place after rounds of 71, 74 and 72. In fact, I very nearly missed the cut until a well needed birdie at my 35th hole helped me to sneak in on the number.

I am making some good progress with my mental game and I just need to stay patient over the next couple of weeks and I am sure the good results will come.

Open Championship - Final Qualifying

Final Qualifying for next weeks Open Championship at Turnberry was held on three Ayrshire courses; Glasgow Gailes, Western Gailes and Kilmarnock Barassie. 96 players teed up at each course playing for 4 spots in the championship.

I was drawn at Glasgow Gailes and I travelled up early on Saturday morning to get a few hours practice in before my practice round on Sunday. As I have mentioned in my previous posts, Nick Pugh (Pughy) has been on the bag for some of my recent events and I was keen to keep the partnership going in Scotland. The only problem was, Pughy was supposed to be in Belgium indulging in his hobby of drag racing his VW Beetle. 

Pughy very kindly agreed to fly back a day early in order to caddy for me and his flight from Brussels was due in at Prestwick airport (2 miles from Glasgow Gailes) on Sunday morning in plenty of time for my practice round. Sadly, Pughy missed said flight and with no other flights into Prestwick for the rest of the day, it looked like I would need to make alternative arrangements. 

I employed a local caddy thinking that Pughy wouldn't be able to make it but my man wouldn't let a little problem with his alarm clock come between him and a chance to caddy in the Open! Halfway round Sunday's practice round I recieved a voice message saying that he was flying into Manchester and renting a car to drive up to Scotland. Talk about loyalty. Some 9 hours behind schedule a tired and weary Pughy arrived in time for dinner and the partnership was restored. Whilst I found the whole saga very amusing, I will never forget his efforts in getting to Scotland in order to help me.

Monday afternoon and I teed off at 12.27. My golf wasn't as good as it needed to be. Although I was pleased with my play from the tee, my iron play was below par but thanks to a few key putts, I was round in a +1, 72 that kept my hopes alive.

Tuesday and an early start. Once again, I struggled to get the ball close with my irons that limited my birdie opportunities and I had to settle for a second 72 and a +2 total that fell 5 strokes short of a place in the Open.

Still, I have no regrets and I left Scotland looking forward to next weeks Europro Tour event at the Players Club in Bristol.

Congratulations to fellow Europro Tour players Elliot Saltman, Dan Gaunt, Tom Haylock, Steve Surry and Daniel Wardrop who all made it through. Good luck at Turnberry boys!

A chance to Challenge

Good news. I have received an invitation to compete in the €200,000 Scottish Hydro Challenge at the Macdonald Spey Valley golf Club in Aviemore from July 30 to August 2.

Europro Tour - Stoke by Nayland

Stoke by Nayland is a course that the Europro Tour has visited since 2003 and seems to have improved with each year. The clubhouse and hotel upgrade along with a few new tees has made the club a pleasure to visit and the course a strong test, although Tom Haylock didn't seem to think so! A phenomenal 3 round total of -16 was good enough for an 8 shot victory on this fast running course. Congrats Thomas!

I had an enjoyable week in the fabulous British sunshine with temperatures reaching 30 degrees. After a fighting level par opening round (where my short game saved me from big number) I caught fire early in the second round. 

Starting at the difficult 10th hole, I produced a birdie, par, birdie, birdie, eagle, par, birdie start to be -6 after just 7 holes!

I continued to play really good golf but the putts just seemed to dry up and I made just 1 further birdie against 2 bogies and I was round in 67, that had me in a tie for 12th entering the final day.

The final round didn't go to plan for me. I struggled a little with my touch on the greens which led to a few too many 'three jiggles' and ruined my 8 iron from playing off a pathway on number 10! A below average day in all departments led to me signing for a 76 and I finished in a tie for 21st place.

Nothing to worry about though, I'll spend a little time on my pace putting drills at the weekend ahead of next weeks final qualifying for the Open championships where I have been drawn to play at Glasgow Gailes. 

Open Championship Regional Qualifying

I believe Liverpool's John Lennon airport to be the World's most efficient airport and this was proven last night when I needed it most. My 21.50 (Paris time) flight home from Charles de Gaulle landed on safe ground at 21.55, some 20 minutes ahead of schedule and after a check of my passport (by friendly customs staff. no joke) I walked through baggage to find my bags out early (the fact that my clubs made the journey at all was a huge relief as I was due on the tee at Mere at 7.22 this morning) and made the 2 minute walk to my car and was on my way home at 22.10. A mere 15 minutes from touch down! Forget cheap fares etc, Easyjet should use that in their marketing. Don't forget me when you do Stelios, the Easyjet logo would look great on my golf bag!

After dropping Pughy off, I arrived home ahead of schedule and figured I had a good 6 hours of uninterupted sleep ahead of my 5am alarm clock. Wrong. Firstly, my boy Archie is struggling with his sleep and seeing me after 4 days away didn't help matters. He finally fell asleep around 1am much to my relief. I was down to 4 hours now. Wrong again. After just a few minutes of silence, a nearby house alarm went off for another half an hour before I finally drifted off at around 2am, just 5 hours before my tee time in Manchester!

At 7.22am, a very tired and weary Ian Keenan 'toe ended' a drive down the middle of the 1st and my quest for a place in this years Open Championship had begun.

I played very well from tee to green but struggled with my pace on greens that, after Chantilly, felt very slow. Still, I was rewarded for my patience and steady golf with a -2 round of 69 that left me in good shape for a place in the Final Qualifying.

In fact, I was surprised to finish in a tie for first place with S & A amateur James Robinson. A well needed bonus worth £700.

Next week I get back on the Europro train for the Stoke by Nayland event, a tournament that holds good memories for me after I finished 2nd in 2003.

French Open Qualifying

le Tower Eiffel

Pughy & I discuss game plan

Apart from the Open Championship, the only other European Tour event that offers unranked players an opportunity to gain a starting place through qualifying is the French Open.

I have entered the 36 hole qualifying on two previous occasions (2007 & 2008) and have thoroughly enjoyed my experience. The golf courses that the French federation use for qualifying are exceptional (in fact, my experience of golf in France is nothing short of first class) and this years venue, Chantilly Vineuil golf course is one of the best courses I have ever played.

Set in acres of forest around 30 minutes north of the capital lies this 36 holes complex that has hosted the French Open a record 10 times and I can see why. Strategic play rather than brute force was the order of the day on this immaculate golf course and after my practice round, I felt my game was in very good shape.

Trying to make friends with the clubhead!

My caddie Pughy and I shared a Gite with fellow pro Adam Frayne and Adam's girlfriend Sophie and the 'banter' off the course was in full flow. After a good practice session on Sunday, we took in the sights of Paris and Pughy and I even attempted to climb the Eiffel Tower. I say attempted because I decieded half way up (taking the stairs obviously) that the climb probably wasn't the best preperation and left my wingman to it.

Monday morning and after a 5am alarm call for my 7.10 tee time, I got off to a horror start. I made a double bogey at the first after a plugged lie in the green side bunker and despite rallying well, I posted a first round 76 (+5) that left me with a lot of work to do in round 2.

Round 2 went in a similar vein to round 1. I played some excellent golf but came a little unstuck on the 'bikini waxed' greens and had to settle for a two round total of 150 (+8). This total sounded worse than it was. In a field of 130 players, many of whom are main European Tour regulars, I finished in 25th place but 8 shots outside the coveted 5 qualifying places.

Still, I really enjoyed the experience and I left Paris on the 21.50 flight back to Liverpool feeling like my game is in tact and looking forward to Open Championship regional qualifying just a few hours later at Mere golf & country club.

Europro Tour - Princes GC

Good news to report. After a couple of frustrating weeks I was rewarded for my persistence with a 3rd place finish at this weeks Europro Tour event at Princes.

Princes, an Open championship venue in 1932 is a wonderful 27 hole complex which lies on the same stretch of Kent coastline as Royal St.Georges and Royal Cinque Ports. 

The course is set up as three 9 hole loops called Shore, Dunes and Himalayas. We contested the third event on this years Europro Tour schedule on the Shore and Dunes nines which we found to be in excellent condition.

The big difference for me this week was the help of my good mate (and PGA pro) Nick Pugh who kindly offered to caddy for me. We worked really well together and he helped keep my spirits up and we kept to an efficient game plan that served us well throughout the week. My game was really solid. Rounds of 68, 69 and 71 against the par of 72 in some testing conditions had me post an -8 total. This fell just one stroke shy of the playoff between Scottish duo Scott Jamieson and Elliott Saltman.

It just shows how quickly fortunes can change in this crazy game. This time last week I was struggling to scrape together enough money to go to Princes and now, the £2100 pay cheque will allow me to compete in the next few events in the schedule. It is early days in the season but I moved up into 9th place in the current order of merit where the top 5 players gain an exemption onto next years European Challenge Tour.

The emotional roller coaster of life as a professional golfer is tough at times but I must admit, nothing compares to the thrill of being in contention during the last round of a tournament. This is a good start to the rest of my season and surely, if I continue to manage my game in this manner, a win or two won't be too far away.

Finally, I would like to mention the following people, without who, I wouldn't have been able to compete at Princes. David Rodrigues, Paul Langford and Mike Stafford. Thank you for all of your help and from keeping me away from the job centre for at least a little while longer!