Keeno's Tour Blog

European Tour Qualifying School - Stage Two

2009-11-25T09:25:00.003Z

Last week I headed down to southern Spain for the European Tour Qualifying school stage two held at the Arcos Gardens Hotel and golf resort. For a mini tour player like me, stage two is an opportunity to progress away from the mini tours and win a ticket to compete on golf's centre stage.

The field was made up of 77 players from over a dozen countries all from different backgrounds. Some have fallen down from the main European Tour this season, most have played a part on the Challenge Tour and some have made it through first stage of qualifying (like me) from the mini tours. We were playing for 19 spots and the difference between qualifying or not for me is a either a chance to qualify for the European Tour at next weeks finals and a guaranteed place on the Challenge Tour next season or back to square one on the Europro Tour.

Despite this obvious pressure, I really enjoyed my week in Andalucia. I worked hard with my caddy, DVD John (caddies all have nicknames, the Ferret, the Elbow, the Lip, the Seagull to name just a few) from the European Tour during my practice days and my game was in good shape. I feel I learnt a lot from how John went about his business, especially with the grain map he did to help me read the grainy greens.

Round one went to plan with 16 pars and 2 birdies for a round of 70 and I matched that on day 2 with another 70 in stronger winds. At the halfway stage I was in 10th position.

Day 3 was another good ball striking day and all areas of my game were in good shape. I stood on the 17th tee again, at -2 for the day only to hit a poor shot that lead to a double bogey. A bogey at the last for a round of 73 left me in 12th place going into the final day. No real damage done but I put myself in a more 'pressurised' position with that bad finish.

I'll be honest, I didn't get much sleep the night before the final round, I had to work hard to flush away negative thoughts and concentrate on the day ahead. The hardest part was not thinking about the consequences and concentrating on the task in hand. This had been easy whilst I was 'cruising' through the first 52 holes of the tournament but became more difficult during the final round.

I shot a gigantic 78 in the final round and didn't really give myself a chance. After 4 pars to start the round I bogied 5 and 6 then made a double at the 8th from nowhere. Suddenly, I was +4 for the round and +1 for the tournament. Given that qualifying would fall around the -3 mark, I needed to cover the final 10 holes in -4 to have any chance. This was a bridge too far. I pushed hard but had no gas left in the tank.

Looking back, that bad finish on day 3 that left no room for error on the final day. Had I managed to limit round 3's bad finish to just one dropped shot, I may have been able to have relaxed a little more and churned out a better round. It all seemed to happen so quickly, one minute I was strolling around the golf course making pars and birdies, the next minute I got on the bogey train calling at all stations...

Just 10 holes after being -6 for the tournament with a chance to win stage 2, I had dropped 7 shots and played my way out of the tournament.

So, it's another year back on the mini tours for me. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I have made a great deal of progress this year and feel I have made up ground on my peers but I obviously still have some improvement to do if I am to step up to the European Tour. I plan to work harder than ever to reach my potential and a place amongst the best players on the European Tour.

Egyptian open - Mirage City GC, Cairo

2009-11-10T13:42:00.003Z

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

2009-10-29T21:55:00.003Z

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!

2009-10-14T16:13:00.000+01:00

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

2009-10-12T15:00:00.002+01:00

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

2009-10-09T06:55:00.001+01:00

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

http://twitter.com/KeenoGolf

North region Championships

2009-09-30T20:34:00.004+01:00

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

2009-09-19T03:09:00.005+01:00

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

2009-08-28T22:12:00.004+01:00

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

2009-08-23T13:23:00.004+01:00

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

2009-08-13T21:51:00.003+01:00

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

2009-08-06T22:55:00.005+01:00

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

2009-08-03T22:34:00.000+01:00

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

2009-07-23T20:00:00.002+01:00

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

2009-07-17T14:23:00.003+01:00

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

2009-07-07T21:01:00.008+01:00

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

2009-07-06T21:55:00.002+01:00

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

2009-07-03T10:49:00.003+01:00

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

2009-06-24T22:54:00.006+01:00

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

2009-06-24T22:04:00.011+01:00

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

2009-06-12T13:32:00.008+01:00

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!

Players Tour - Royal St.Davids

2009-05-29T18:42:00.002+01:00

More frustration I'm afraid. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I have once again left said venue without a cheque despite feeling like I am playing some pretty good golf at the moment. Harlech is one of my favourite courses but rounds of 71 and 74 left me in 25th position.

The problem lies with my financial situation. In an effort to win money so I can continue playing in tournaments, I feel that, on reflection, maybe my game plan is a little too aggressive. I'm hitting lots of really good shots and maybe the frustration of missed opportunities compounded with the fact that I really need a big cheque leads to me attacking holes that require some respect and this is leading to more dropped shots.

I feel like a drunk in a casino who keeps chasing his losses. The more he loses the more he chases and so on.

Where do I go from here? Unless I win something soon (preferably the lottery) I will be forced to walk away from a game and career that I have dedicated my life to due to a lack of cash. This would be a lot easier if I didn't feel like I had the game to move up to the next (far more lucrative) level.

It's a tough time and I appreciate the support of my family, friends and Royal Liverpool members and when people offer encouragement and tell me to stay patient, I know it's the right advice but at some point soon, if things don't change, I really will be up shit creek without even a sniff of a paddle.

Players Tour - Caldy

2009-05-21T12:17:00.005+01:00

Caldy is a course I really enjoy playing and living only 5 minutes down the road, it is a course that I know really well. I was really looking forward to this event and I was looking to kick start my season with a good round and deposit some well needed funds into the bank account.

Sadly, nothing could have prepared me for the weather that greeted me as I stood on the 1st tee for my 7.38am tee time. A storm came in whilst my playing partner Barry Taylor and I waited to hit our first tee shots and the strong winds and heavy rain stayed with us until the par 3 8th hole. The first 6 of those holes played directly into the eye of the storm.

Almost instantly, when we turned down wind the rain stopped, the wind died and the sun came out to form, what then became a beautiful day. By this time, I was soaked through to my underpants, every grip in the bag was soaked and my scorecard was awash with bogies.

Needless to say, I was out of the tournament through no fault of my own and I left Caldy before the later starters had even finished applying their sunscreen.

The weather draw is an occupational hazard that either goes for you or against you and I have to take this one on the chin but the timing couldn't have been worse. If I don't find a way to win some money soon, my career is in serious jeopardy.

US Open Qualifying - Sarasota, Florida

2009-05-19T13:05:00.010+01:00

After a couple of hours sleep, a quick pack of the suitcase and a precious hour or two with my boy Archie, Steve Capper (who I seem to be spending more time with at the moment than my wife!) and I travelled to Manchester airport and boarded the Virgin flight to Orlando.

US Open qualifying is something I have wanted to do since I turned pro 14 years ago. Fortunately, Steve's sponsor Dave Rodrigues encouraged us to enter and very generously took care of some of my expenses.

US Open qualifying works in a similar way to the British Open qualifying. The local qualifying is played over 18 holes and the qualifiers then progress to final qualifying which is played over 36 holes for a place in the US Open.

Our itinerary was quite the whistle stop tour. Fly out on Saturday, practice day on Sunday, play on Monday and fly home on Tuesday.

After a great flight over the Atlantic (made more pleasurable by exit seats, hospitable Virgin stewardesses and a couple of relaxing beers) we made our way to Dave's house in the Disney area via the Outback steakhouse for dinner where, for less than the price of a McDonalds in Ireland, we enjoyed a big steak!

Sunday morning arrived and at 6am we set off and made the hour and a half journey South West of Orlando to the Ritz Carlton Members Club of Sarasota.

What a stunning venue. Immaculate doesn't do this place justice. Steve and I were the first players to arrive and we made use of the fantastic facilities on offer before making our way to the first tee where I was joined by my caddy for the event, Bob Ostenson.

Bob makes caddying his full time job and 'loops' in Florida in the Winter and the Hamptons in Summer making some tidy 'Jing' as he puts it, along the way. He is a great guy and looked a lot like Tigers caddy Steve Williams and I enjoyed having him on the bag.

We spent a lot of time around the greens playing to likely pin placements before traveling back to Orlando.

Stevie/ Bob and I during practice

Monday morning and the fantastic weather of Sunday was replaced by torrential rain making the course play every inch of it's 7400 yards.

Despite the weather I started off in excellent form playing the first 8 holes in -1 before a bad run coinciding with the worst of the weather and 4 dropped shots in 5 holes from the 9th. A late birdie was too little, too late and I signed for a round of +2, 74.

I finished in 12th place out of the 80 or so who started but outside one of the all important 5 qualifying spots. What was disappointing is I finished only 3 strokes off the winning score of 71!

Still, I knew it was a gamble and it nearly paid off but I left the US with thoughts of what could have been.

My golf is so nearly there. Individually, the components of my game are where I want them to be but I can't seem to put the package together at the moment. This happens to every golfer at some point and I feel like it's ready to click together at any time soon.

Thursday at Caldy for the Players Tour will be as good a time as any to get my season going.

Making use of the fantastic practice facilities at the Ritz Carlton

Europro Tour - Faithlegg

2009-05-16T12:31:00.001+01:00

Faithlegg was the venue for this weeks Europro Tour event. Set in beautiful country side just outside of Waterford in Ireland, Faithlegg is one of my favourite venues on the Europro Tour.

After a 9 hour journey that included the 3 hour Holyhead ferry crossing (which proved to be very profitable due to a couple of 'lucky' hands at poker. Sorry Caps!) we arrived at the course and found it to be in excellent condition.

My golf was average in parts and very good in parts but I failed to gain any momentum and despite the perfect greens, my touch wasn't up to scratch. I did however, make the cut with rounds of 73 and 71 on the par 72 course and a final round of 71 moved me up into 30th place and a cheque for a whopping £285.

For anyone who doesn't know how the Europro Tour works, it's quite simple. 156-168 financially restricted, aspiring professionals each stump up £285 which forms the £40K prize fund. The venues then pay between £10K - £20K to 'host' the event and Barry Hearn and his team at Matchroom market the tour as the 'best developmental tour in the World' and get even richer by selling sponsorship, pro am packages and TV rights!!

On top of the entry fees, we pay all our own expenses and for this one week in ireland (which isn't exactly the cheapest place you could visit at the moment!) the best part of £800 was added to my overdraft! Not exactly great business but the £10,000 first prize is the dangled carrot that we are all chasing and at some point I expect to be in a position to pick up one or two of those so I'll just have to stay patient and wait my turn.

My roomate, Steve Capper was one of those in such a position but a 'shopping spree' over the final few holes cost him a couple of dropped shots and a few thousand pounds in prize money. Steve finished a credible 12th with winnings of a little over £500 but it won't be long before he is contending again.

We made the journey back home that took over 10 hours and arrived home just before 3am and had just a few hours at home before our next trip.

Europro Tour - Collingtree Park

2009-05-08T20:50:00.010+01:00

A view of the scoreboard from the clubhouse

The 18th green

Having played in this event at Collingtree Park in 2007 and 2008, I was really looking forward to the lush parkland layout and was keen to get my 2009 season off to a good start.

Sadly, the recent dry spell had dried the course out making it nearly impossible to control your golf ball. I am sure course designer Johnny Miller designed the water featured holes with a 'soft' terrain in mind and not with greens as firm as the fast lane on the M1.

I find this sort of golf really difficult as a lot of the skill involved is taken away and luck plays a much bigger part than usual. Patience is perhaps a golfers biggest asset in these conditions and I seemed to have lost mine somewhere on the journey down.

Starting at the 10th tee in the first round, I had a bad start and was out in a +6 42. From there, I played really well over the next 27 holes and clawed my way back to +4 and I was pleased to make the cut with a shot to spare. Today's final round was a nightmare. I started well but I failed to deal with some really bad breaks and I let the course and conditions get the better of me. I finished with a 9 at the 18th and signed off for a gigantic 85 that had me in last place after the cut and a wooden spoon/ cheque for £170.

Barely enough for my bus fare home!

It wasn't just me who found going tough. Just one player, Steve Surrey, finished the tournament in red figures and walked away with the £10,000 first prize compared to winning totals of -10 in 2007 and -11 in 2008.

A view from our bedroom window over the farm

Despite my troubles on the course, it was an enjoyable week off the course. My room mate Steve Capper and I stayed in a beautiful farmhouse bed and breakfast (www.potcote.co.uk). Set in 1500 acres of Northamptonshire farmland, it was a wonderful place to spend a few nights. Many thanks to lady of the house Helena Brown for her wonderful hospitality.

Potcote farmhouse

If I am to reach my potential as a professional golfer, I will need to deal with these situations a little better. It is easy to become frustrated but the really good players remain calm and find a way to shoot the best score possible on the day.

I left Collingtree feeling disappointed but there are many more events left this season and I guess everybody is entitled to a bad day in the office every now and again.

Next weeks tournament is at Faithlegg in Ireland where I am looking forward to getting 'back on the horse' in a tournament that I came close to winning last season.

Players Tour - Leasowe

2009-04-28T16:39:00.002+01:00

Tied for 31st place was not what I was looking for at Leasowe but I only have myself to blame.

I have made some great progress with my mental game and putting stroke over the last few months but I missed a string of putts over the two days and ended up with a +4, two round total that finished way out of the money.

Although the greens at Leasowe had recently been hollow tined and that can account for some of my misses, I can't blame the greens for all of my missed putts! I will have to be stronger mentally and not let a few early missed putts lead to a bad putting tournament like I did this week.

Still, I hit some great shots and my long game stats were pretty good so nothing to worry about there. I will put in a few extra hours on the putting green this week and expect to be back holing putts in time for the start of the Europro Tour season next week at Collingtree Park.

Players Tour - Vale of Llangollen

2009-04-21T19:28:00.002+01:00

Summer arrived at Llangollen this week with temperatures into the 70's and a well manicured course for us to compete on. The scoring matched the conditions on the first day with 13 players breaking 70 against the par of 72.

I scored a first round of 70 that was a mix of some good play and a few too many mistakes.

The course was protected on the second day due to swirling winds and my 73 left me in a tie for 13th place and a small profit. The event was won by former European Tour player James Hepworth who beat current European Tour player Phil Archer in a playoff after both players tied on -6.

On the plus side, my pace putting was excellent this week and my continued improvement with my mental game helped me to 'grind out' a reasonable result when it would have been easier to have become frustrated. Next week it's the Players Tour event at Leasowe.

Midland Pro Tour - Little Aston

2009-04-14T21:26:00.004+01:00

I traveled down to the Midlands today and had a 'punt' on an 18 hole event at Little Aston on the newly founded Midland Pro Tour.

Playing in an enjoyable three ball with Matt McGuire and 8 time World Cup player Mark Mouland, my ball striking wasn't at it's best. However, I managed to keep the ball in play and my tidy short game helped me round in a -1 71.

Hollow tined greens prevented low scores and I finished tied 2nd, 1 stroke behind Chris Clarke. Not a bad days work and it was pleasing to get 'back on the horse' after last week's disappointment at Conwy. Next week it's Vale of Llangollen on the Player's tour.

Players Tour - Conwy

2009-04-07T20:25:00.004+01:00

Conwy played host to this weeks 36 hole Players Tour event and today I had a day that I want to forget about.

Despite playing well through the first 28 holes to get myself in contention, I finished in an ambulance dropping 9 strokes over the remaining 8 holes to 'free fall' out of the money. I made a few bad swings and paid a couple of visits to the gorse that led to a pair of triple bogies and a double bogey! Apart from that I actually had a good ball striking round in testing conditions so it wasn't all doom and gloom.

I'm not too worried because I hit a lot of quality shots and my temperament was excellent so I have a lot of positives to take away from North Wales.

I plan to take a couple of days off before getting back to some practice over the Easter weekend.

Mansell Finishes Pro Am- West Lancs

2009-04-02T20:02:00.007+01:00

In sharp contrast to last Friday's Players Tour event at West Lancs, the weather today couldn't have been nicer. Warm temperatures and little wind replaced the gale force winds of last Friday and the scoring improved to match.

I started at the 10th tee and had a pretty poor outward 9 of 39, 3 over par. From there, I played some really good golf, covering my back nine holes in -4 for a -1 total.

My 71 was good enough for 7th place, just 2 shots behind the tie for 1st place.

I left West Lancs disappointed not to have won but pretty pleased with the good comeback I made.

Players Tour - Wild West Lancs!

2009-03-27T18:26:00.006Z

West Lancashire is widely viewed as one of the toughest courses in the country and today proved no exception. With winds gusting at around 40 mph, it was, quite simply, one of the most difficult days on a golf course than I can remember.

This was reflected in the scoring. My birdie at the 18th helped me to a 79 (+7) that left me in a tie for 13th out of the 92 players in the field. 75 won!

With 18 players receiving a pay cheque, it was nice to win some money back but the real pleasure was the £20 I took from Players Tour director Jon Cheetham after he failed to beat my 79! Better luck at Conwy Jockey!!

Mansell Finishes Pro Am- A win to report!

2009-03-23T20:45:00.004Z

Hillside was the venue for this week's Mansell Finishes pro am and despite the dreadful weather, I managed to put in a good performance and record my first win of the season.

My short game was very good today and that kept up the momentum and I finished the round in style by chipping in from just over the last green for a birdie.

My round of -2, 70 was good enough for a 3 shot victory in the field of 54 North region pros.

The cheque of £400 won't concern the bank manager too much but every little helps especially at this time of the year and a 'win is a win' as they say!

Players Tour - Prestatyn Golf Club

2009-03-14T21:49:00.006Z

The Players Tour event at Prestatyn marks the start of the mini tour season in the UK for me. Prestatyn was in great nick for the time of year and despite strong winds on the first day, the weather was pretty fair also.

The highlight of my first round was playing alongside former European number one and TV pundit Ronan Rafferty who is warming up for the seniors tour in a few years time. Ronan has a wealth of experience under his belt and his comments and kind words of advice were very much appreciated.

In strong winds my solid golf was undone with a triple bogey 7 at the 9th (my first triple of the season, probably best to get them out of the way early!!) but I rallied well covering the more difficult (statistically speaking anyway!) closing 9 holes in a -2, 33 to be round in a +1, 73. With European Tour players Roger Chapman and Ben Mason leading the way on -3, my comeback had kept me in the tournament and I left North Wales feeling happy with my days work.

The weather eased up a little for the second round and scores improved. I was round in a steady -2, 70 to move me up the leaderboard into 9th place just 3 strokes behind the playoff at -4 that was eventually won by Roger Chapman.

My putting is really improving and I holed a number of good putts over the two days. It's nice to see the benefit of the changes that I have made.

Next week is a week off where I will continue to work on my game and fitness ahead of a busy schedule through April.

Pre Season Training

2009-03-08T21:33:00.000Z

Fortunately, I was able to get away from the 'Big Freeze' in the UK and benefit from a month in Florida in February! The weather and facilities were perfect and along with fellow pros, Steve Capper from Caldy, Paul Dwyer from Clitheroe and Adam Frayne from Cornwall, I played in a couple of mini tour events and spent some valuable time working on my game.

One of my primary goals in 2009 is to improve my putting and I took advantage of a lesson by Matt Woods at Jonathon Yarwood's Academy at the Concession Country Club in Sarasota. Using the latest SAM putting technology we were able to identify a few key areas for me to improve and I was hard at work putting these changes into practice.

On the tournament side, I played in three events. The first two formed part of the Hooters Winter series and the third event was the Wildwood Open on the Florida Professional Tour.

My Golf improved as the trip went on. I was a little rusty early on, missing the cut in the first two events but the hard practice paid off in the Wildwood Open where I scored two rounds of 68 (-4) for a two round total of -8 that left me in a tie for 3rd place.

Being away from my wife Emma and 15 month old son Archie for a month was tough going but I left Orlando feeling happy with my game and happy with my plan to improve my game during the 2009 season.

Many thanks to Dave Rodrigues for allowing us 'untidy' golfers to stay in his stunning Florida villa and to Jonathon Yarwood and Matt Woods at Jonathon's Golf Academy (www.jygolfacademy.com) for a great day's tuition in Sarasota.

Asian Tour Q School

2009-01-20T20:18:00.000Z

New years Eve isn’t my favourite night of the year and flights tend to be a little cheaper on this day so I took full advantage and boarded my flight to Bangkok (via Dubai) at Manchester’s Terminal 2 at lunchtime. The airport had been really quiet with no queues to speak of. The perfect time to fly!

I landed at Dubai’s fabulous new terminal 3 shortly after midnight and spent some time browsing to shops before settling on a McDonald’s for dinner!

The enormous new Terminal will service only Emirates flights and is very efficient. On checking in to my flight to Bangkok, the gentleman at the desk ripped up my boarding pass and uttered the most beautiful words. Mr Keenan, you have been upgraded to business class, please enjoy your flight……

I couldn’t keep the smile from my face (whilst obviously playing it cool!!) and seat 1B didn’t take too much finding either!! The second best seat on the plane!

Just minutes after scoffing down a couple of cheese burgers and some chicken nuggets, I was sipping on some Champagne on a reclining bed pretending that it was a daily occurence!!

The arrival in Bangkok went to plan and after a 3 hour taxi journey (two hours journey time and an hour haggling over the price…) I had arrived at my digs for the week. The hotel was on site at the St.Andrews 2000 Golf Club, venue for this years qualifying school. The Asian Tour received over 600 entries for this years qualifying and I was to play at this course along with 145 others with the top 29 players making it through to the finals.

The hotel itself was desperate. I am not very fussy when it comes to hotels but my patience was tested with this hotel. A bed that was as hard as the stone floor and really noisy air conditioning made sleep very difficult.

I arrived in time for a few practice rounds and my plan for these days was to work on my game and form a Game plan of how to play the course. The difference with this course is that it has 2 par 6’s! (although they would only use one of them in the tournament) I’ve never known a course with one par 6 before so this would be a new challenge. I played my practice rounds with Caldy’s Steve Capper, Paul Dwyer from Clitheroe and Ally Mellor from London and my game was in good shape.

Unfortunately, what I couldn't prepare for was my health! The afternoon before the first round I started to feel a little under the weather with a cough developing and some ‘light headedness’ and decided to try to sleep it off.

The morning of the first round and I 'woke up' feeling awful. I didn’t seem to have slept a wink and went through stages of feeling very hot and then very cold. Fortunately, I had an afternoon tee time as I don’t think I would have been able to play in the morning. I did improve a little and whilst not feeling 100%, I was happy to give it a go and I went out to the course and gave it my best shot. I didn’t play too badly but felt very tired and dizzy. My distances had changed a substantial amount and I came up short of the green time after time. Still, I battled well and my 76 had me in a tie for 74th place after round one.

Round two and more of the same. Very little sleep and my cough had become quite uncomfortable. My score of 78 led to a missed cut and the chance of an Asian Tour card was gone for another year. Being ill had an enormous effect on me this week and it is very rare that I fall ill at all so the timing could have worked out better to say the least!!

The good news was that I managed to change flights and left straight away and I couldn’t wait to get home to some home comforts.

P.S. My seat on the way home was 50E, a middle seat sandwiched between a couple of ‘heavyweight wrestlers’ on the last row of the aircraft which couldn’t have been further from the ‘second best seat on the plane’

Welcome back to real World with a bang!