After not getting into the Challenge Tour event in Belgium I decided to add Austria to my schedule and play the week following La Gomera.
I was fortunate enough to have my good friend Mike Ockenden travel out to the event with me and caddy for the week. He has been on the bag a few times over the years and does a great job!
We flew from Stansted direct to Salzburg and drove two hours straight to the Golf Course in Klagenfurt to practise and walk the course.
Austria is a beautiful place and the golf course was spectacular. It was manicured to perfection, the greens were exceptional, the rough was thick and we knew the scoring would be good!
In round one I played some really nice stuff, I knew may game had come a long way from the previous week, and I started to feel better over the ball. I got a good score going and was very disappointed to finish the way I did.
I had a 15ft eagle putt to go to -4 on my 16th hole (par 5, 7th) which I raced 3ft passed the hole missing the return. I think I kind of let that blip get to me and rushed my next tee shot to the island green par 3 next, landing it in the water.
I took a triple bogey six there, somehow managed to par the last and ended up shooting 73 (+1) That really did hurt but I knew my game was improving and hopefully I could shoot 3/4 under Friday to make the cut.
In round two I gave myself some good chances at making the cut, again playing some decent stuff! But a couple of bad swings cost me and I added another 73 to the scoreboard.
The cut fell at -2 so I missed by 4 shots, but I felt quite upbeat compared to last week, as I know my game is now heading in the right direction.
As we missed the cut it was time to pack up and try to get home early. We did, thanks to some great driving from Mike. Nearly 4 hours later we arrived at Munich airport and caught a quick flight back to Stansted. I managed to get back home for about 3.00am Saturday morning.
I now have a week off due to not getting into the co-sanctioned event in France – so I can get some quality practice done, sneak in a lesson with my coach Mark Pearson and get set for hopefully a great week in Scotland.
And it will be a great week, as Laura and little Jess are coming with me. We’ve rented a house in Aviemore, which is an amazing part of Scotland and the venue is spectacular. I’ve played the course a few times and loved it, so can’t wait to get going again!
I hope to report back with another positive blog in a few weeks as I really feel a good week is around the corner again!
Thank you all for the support, and once again a massive thanks to Mike for the week!
Happy golfing 🙂
Chris