Monty and Progress

I'm off to Silvermere Golf Club in Cobham tomorrow to watch Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomery give a clinic. Having digested his recent wildcard picks and rumours regarding his personal life the braveheart inside me is tempted to ask him about both. The pragmatic in me recognises that an ejection by security will not be pretty and it's probably wiser to keep my counsel.

I have to say I agree with two of his picks in Molinari and Harrington. I think Molinari was always going to get in after his performance in Scotland over the weekend. Harrington despite a modest (shocking actually) record in the Ryder Cup is still a master of the short game. Given that it's matchplay and so he can afford to have the odd bad hole I think he'll get right under the Americans skin with his gritty perseverance. For the other pick, I'd have taken Justin Rose, a two time winner in America this year and in my mind a perfect foil for Ian Poulter. I'm not sure of the schedule tomorrow and whether it is a full clinic, short game session or an instructional clinic for the Yonex competition winners. Either way I'm sure it'll be interesting. It usually is when Monty is around. Mind you I'll be having words. There I was on Sunday, mobile switched on and waiting, the home phone plugged in and the PC ready to receive e-mails. Everything was set. Did he call? Did he offer me a wildcard based on my fighting round on Sunday morning. No. Spurned again!

I was out on the practice ground tonight working on my pitching, bunker play and chipping. I had a bit of a lightbulb moment after watching an old Golf Monthly instructional CD and have recognised a few basic errors creeping back into the chipping in particular. The section on bunker play has also helped and I was starting to see some real progress. I have been chipping a little better of late but there are still the odd fat, chunky duff or the thinned scuttler through the green lurking in there. It is all a bit nervy still especially in a competition and nothing feels natural and flowing.

I'm off for lunch with the wife tomorrow but think I'll try and sneak a cheeky range session in tomorrow morning just to keep the long game going as it was much improved on Sunday. Then it's just a slow drive back down the A3 to watch Monty do his thing. Life in Homer's golfing world is pretty good right now.