Well, what can I say. This season has been absolutely brilliant in some ways and completely exceeded my own expectations with my results and EDGA European Tour Order Of Merit win.
My year got off to a great start with a trip to sunny Florida as part of the MySp team, to show the American market what the MySP training aid is all about. This gave me a great opportunity to meet some big names in the golfing world and enabled me to secure some really important sponsorship agreements that have been invaluable to me this year.
My first competitive match of the year was a pro event in Manchester on the NW Pro Tour which was really just to see how my winter training was helping and it was a great experience. What was good was really good but it definately showed up a deficiency in my short game that I really had to work on.
And work on it I did. I must of hit thousands on wedge shots and little bump and runs and such and slowly I could feel some touch coming back and with it a new confidence in my game.
My next golfing trip was for the England team in a Ryder cup type event against France at the amazing St Omer Golf Club. The match play event was right up my street as I love to play matchplay. After two hard fought days it all came down to the 18th green and me needing to get up and down from greenside to win my point and in turn the whole match for England. Boy was I glad that I had been working so hard on the short game and as the ball rolled to about 12" from the cup, the feeling of elation and pride for my team and country was enormous, knowing that shot had won it.
My first EDGA event of the year was the Balasa British Champs at Belton Woods Golf Club in Lincolnshire. After a pretty poor first round and a shocking start to my second round ( +6 thru 4 ) I then was able to find my game and finished the round really strong, shooting -3 on the last 13 holes and in the end, only missing out on top spot by 2 strokes. It was a massive case of what could have been but I had to take the positives from the tournament and try to build on them ready for the next event in the Czech Republic, where I was hoping to defend my title.
The Czech open was a great tournament for me, not only did I manage to defend my title and become Czech Masters Champion for another year, I was actually playing really solid golf and that was what was pleasing me the most. It felt good to feel confident on the course and feel that I could play the shot when needed.
After riding high from the Czech Masters it was swiftly off to the great Burg Golf resort in purmerend in Northern Holland in preparation for the AMRO Dutch Open, a tournament that I came so close to winning in 2012, only to lose in a playoff to the amazingly talented Manuel De Los Santos. This year I wanted revenge :-)
After a solid first round I was in contention with a nice solid lead and on day 2, playing with Manuel I was able to extend my lead and by the 17th tee I had an 8 shot lead and the last two holes didn't even register. I missed an absolutely stupid little putt on 18 from about 18" but it didn't matter and the title was mine !
Two wins in a row and I was at the top of my game. Just Finland to go for Order of Merit points and with 2 wins and a 3rd place I was in the lead and only needed any kind of decent result to secure my OoM title for the second year. But before Finland, I was off to Sweden and the city of malmo for the world championships. And to Scotland for the team World Cup event organised by the brilliant SDGP.
Off to Scotland I went and to the wonderful westerwood course near Glasgow.
It was to be a four day event but due to inclement weather, it was reduced to 3 days but fun was had by all !! on the whole the event was great fun and as usual , Jim, Stevie and the rest of the crazy scots organised a cracking event. I was playing for the social golfer team with big Ian Halliwell as team captain, alongside the crazy Roger Hurcome, the greatly talented one armed golfer daz Grey and myself. We didn't have a great event and finished mid table but we still had a great time and massive thanks to Ian Halliwell for inviting me to play for his team :-)
Next it was off to rainy Sweden for the world champs.
The competition in Sweden was supremely tough with the best disabled golfers from all over the globe competing for the title. I eventually managed a top 10 place and the eventual winner was South African Wonder Kid, Daniel Slabbert who destroyed the course in what I believe was some of the finest disabled golf I have ever had the pleasure to witness.
So after a quick trip home and change of clothes, it was time to head to the gorgeous Helsinki and off to the Finnish open.
The tournament was to be played alongside the European disabled deaf golf championships and it was really great to meet the deaf England golfers and we have made some great new friendships.
Unfortunately it wasn't to be my Finnish title and after 36 hard fought holes it needed 3 extra sudden death playoff holes to finally separate myself and the Danish superstar Mads Likke Nielsen, with Mads taking the title with a solid 4 foot right to left putt.
Not the end I was looking for but nevertheless, with a tie for first in the tournament it meant I was indeed the 2013 EDGA OoM Champion !!! It certainly made the bitter taste of defeat easier to handle.
After the end of my EDGA Season I have had a few games at some wonderful courses courtesy of the South African Disabled Golf association, Stewart from Gripeeze and most recently I played at Princes Golf Club and I got to sample a proper links course baring its teeth with high winds and stupid amounts of rain !!!! It was great fun. Also with a possible link with the South African golf association with regards to a team world championship next year, I am excited for next year !
There are so many people that I need to thank for their support this year and their continued belief. I will no doubt miss people and if you are one of them, I apologise, it is not intentional.
All my amazing members of #TeamMonk Thank you
MySp golf. My secret weapon
Loudmouth Keeping me looking the mutts nuts :-)
Gripeeze. For financial support and making me my own gloves :-)
Bicester golf club. For providing me with access to the best course in Oxfordshire
To all my equipment providers, thanks for giving me the best tools for the job :-)
I would never have said that I would have had the results I have had this year, but I am certainly glad I did ! It goes to show that hard work does pay off and I can't wait for next season to start already :-)
The rest of this year will be taken up by the start of my winter training and a few other opportunities that may be on the horizon with a view of retaining my titles next year and pushing for 3 OoM wins in a row, but that is going to be tough, especially with the wealth of talent that is starting to come through, but if it wasn't tough, it wouldn't be worth it would it ?
I'm also very interested in doing some coaching with disabled/blind/deaf golfers and in spreading the word of disabled golf to the younger generation and disabled schools/clubs etc, can you imagine the amount of possibly hugely talented disabled golfers that are out there, that have never had the chance to try the game ?
Thanks for reading my blog, and again, to all you that message me and all those who have supported me and guided me to this point, without you, my journey means nothing.
From the bottom of my heart, thanks
Monk out.
For now ;-)