So I arrived in Purmerend ready for the Dutch open, the game was feeling quite good and I was feeling in a good position to defend my title. On the first day I went out for the pro am. And had a really solid round shooting 75 and was feeling nice and confident ready for the start of the first round.
The course is very tough with water on 16 of 18 holes and very challenging highly undulating greens.
My first round started very well with a birdie on number one,then with an up and down rest of the front nine meant that I turned in +4, my luck didn't seem to get any better on the back nine, I was striking the ball well but I certainly wasn't in the rubber the green all the bounces are I managed to struggle round a record a final score of +10. Certainly not what I wanted to be. But again, I certainly wasn't out of the tournament with only three shots separating me and top spot. It was certainly all to play for in the second round, and I was ready to fight hard, and see where are I finished.
My second round was starting at 9:10 AM, and I was to be playing with two fantastic golfers, they were Cedric from Belgium, and Juan from Spain, both very accomplished scratch golfers. It was certainly going to be a tough match but a highly enjoyable one.
I started reasonably well, I dropped a couple of silly shots on the first seven holes but made a fantastic birdie on eight with a 25 foot right-to-left breaking putt dropping straight in the middle of the cup.
I got to the 9th hole, the tough par-5 dogleg left, and hit a nice drive to the middle of fairway , unfortunately I decided to put my second shot into the fairway bunker on the left hand side, I had to play my third shot to the right of the green to leave myself a way to go to try and get up and down to save my par. Unfortunatelythe strike was not what I needed and the ball dropped a couple of yard short and left me a very difficult position in the Greenside Bunker, my Ball was against the lip nearest the hole, and it was sat down about 3 inches. To be honest, it wasn't the hardest bunker shot that I could've been faced with but as I came to strike the ball, the sand underneath was very very firm and it wrenched the club and I felt my left wrist make a popping sensation followed by a sharp jolt of pain and then tingling in my hand. I tried to play the rest of the hole out but unfortunately I could not grip the golf club.
So, that seemed to be the end of my title defence of the Dutch open. I had to withdraw without finishing the ninth hole and as I am writing this, I am sat in my room, with my wrist being supported by a brace watching the rest of the guys playing the course, and to be honest with you, I'm devastated. I feel like my heart is being ripped out, not being able to complete the second round is a massive kick in the teeth. It would've been unfair on my playing companions to try to continue as I was really struggling to pick upand hold the golf club in any usable way. So the Dutch open gets a new winner for 2014, I wish the rest of the competitors the best of luck in the world, I hope they go low and I know that the winner will be very deserving. For me it's going to be a case of relax today before having to drive home tomorrow. I will get my wrist checked out by a medical professional
, To try and stop the silly wrist injuries from happening if possible. it all feels likea bit of a bad dream at the moment, but I won't get home, regroup, get back to my training and push forward ready for the next tournament which is in Sweden before I head off to the United States and then hopefully Japan and then the big track, Everest!!.
Again I would like to thank my wonderful sponsors and everyone that supports me and helps me get these tournaments and try to perform to my best ability, without them there is no way I could do what I do so to all of you thank you, thank you so much.
So that's it from me from Holland for this year, not the results of wanted from my first two events with a second and withdraw, but I'll come back better, hungrier, and with a lot more fight ready for my next event so for now,
Monk out
Xx
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November 2014
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