:: February 11

22nd February 2011

I went into the week of the Northern Trust Open at Riviera, having had 2 weeks off where I worked hard on my fitness. That paid off as I felt really fresh and 'niggle' free. I think I have put a good foundation in place on which to maintain and build upon during the year.

I also knew that Riviera was a course I liked and had played well on in the past but never managed to put 4 rounds together. I've had everything from a 64 to a 77 I think. My week this year was in complete contrast! I did manage to put 4 solid rounds together shooting 69, 69, 70, 70 to finish T9th. My best result to date at Riviera. It really is one of my favourite courses but I'm yet to see it play firm and fast as we always get rain at this event which is a shame! The course was the best I'd ever seen it on Tuesday before we started to get rain which softens the greens, takes some of the run offs out of play and make the greens more bumpy because of heel prints.

Despite the greens being soft and a little bumpy I actually holed out really well. I saved par a lot of times from 10ft in, which is why I was able to not score higher than 70. I probably played my best golf of the week on Sunday but missed a few shortish putts which cost me a really high finish but pretty much everyone in the field could say the same thing.

I'm excited about where my game and body are going into this 4 week run. I'm on route to Tucson right now after spending the day with Leo on his 2nd birthday. He had a fun day. We hung out on the beach in Santa Monica where some little buddies joined him to run riot!

The matchplay is next which is a bit of an unknown. Form doesn't count for much so it's all about getting the right intensity going into each game and being able to raise your level if needed in a tough match. I haven't played matchplay golf for a while so I look forward to getting out there and playing some one on one!!

Thanks for following....

Justin

14th February 2011

After 2 weeks off tournament golf I'm excited to get going again, and as I write this I'm in the car (not driving!!) to the airport for a flight to LA for the Northern Trust Open at Riviera.

It has been 2 weeks of hard work actually. Weeks off is where the real "work" is done. My trainer Justin Buckthorp came over from England for 10 days intense training to really get me back up to speed and build a base on which I can now improve upon during the rest of the year. It's really hard to start new programs during tournaments as feeling fresh is the priority. And due to the little shoulder I had during the off season I wasn't happy with where my fitness was at. I am now, and I'm very motivated to keep it going! Once you see some gains you get encouraged to keep it going and almost start to enjoy it!!

I had a few hours with my coach Sean Foley over the weekend and my swing is looking and feeling good. I also spent a lot of time on the putting green as that is what has kept me from being in contention recently. I have a clear idea of what I'm working on which always makes practice that much easier and more effective.

Riviera is a great course and one I've played well at in the past. I've shot some great rounds there and probably had one of my top 3 rounds last year in relentless rain during the 2nd round. I shot 67. Hopefully I can draw on those memories as I think there is some rain on the forecast!

Talk to you after a great week....

Justin