Near miss in Wales

David started with an opening round of 75 (+3) on the testing 2010 layout at Celtic Manor, Newport. Not ideal, but with the cut looking like it would go to +2, a reasonable second round would see in the weekend.

Day two (starting on the 11th tee) and birdies on the two opening holes would have the travelling fans from Enmore Park Golf Club cheering early on in the round. Five more birdies would follow over the next 16 holes, however a handful of bogies would lead to a round of level par, very respectable, but in the end an agonising one short of the cut mark which would go out to +3.

The confidence is returning, the fabulous new Mizuno MP630 Fast Track driver is in the bag and roll on the second half of 2010. David's next tournament is the Open de St Omer, the scene of his maiden victory on the European Tour in 2008.

See Davids swing in Slow Motion

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A good start in Joburg would see David play a bogey free opening round and not drop a shot until his 25th hole, however a bad run from there in would see a missed cut.

Two good opening rounds in Abu Dhabi would see the cut made comfortably, however after getting to -5 for the tournament after 47 holes, a slide down the leaderboard would ensue and the remainder of the tournament would be an uphill struggle for David.

Windy conditions in Qatar and Dubai led to two final missed cuts. January definitely a month to forget for David and all of his supporters.

There is light at the end of the tunnel however; immediately after returning to the UK, David has set to work with Mizuno in testing a new shaft setup which will now be tested over the next four weeks.

David’s next tournament will take him to Morocco on March 15th 2010.

15th November 2009 – UBS Hong Kong Open

 
Coming in to the tournament placed 114 in the rankings, David was 5 places inside the mark, however two tournaments were taking place this week, with players battling for their playing rights for 2010, nothing was guaranteed at this point. David had prepared well and was feeling confident in practise about his play and was comfortable with how he would approach the job in hand. Davids’ supporters waking up on Thursday morning were all given a real treat; a total of 64 and a tie for second place was showing against the name of D Dixon, fantastic!! After an absolutely ideal start, an equally good consolidating round of 69 would follow on Friday. Saturday would see a superb recovery from David, having dropped 3 shots on the front nine, he would cover the back 9 in a total of 4 under and post a second consecutive 69. Tied for 10th place going in to the final round, David would get off to an explosive start on Sunday with 5 birdies in the first 8 holes, jumping to a tie for 3rd and sensing a chance to perhaps challenge the leaders. However a couple of dropped shots on nine and ten would thwart any chance of winning; but playing the final few holes in level par, a final round of 67 for a tied 9th place would cap a fantastic week in Hong Kong. The card is now 100% secure and a 3rd consecutive full season on the European Tour now awaits David in 2010.

25 October 2009 – Castello Masters, Castellon, Spain

The Club de Campo del Mediterráneo situated high above the city of Castellon was the venue for the 2009 Castello Masters. Having not played the tournament in 2008, this would be Davids’ first visit to the course. Realising that this may be only his second last chance to secure his card for 2010 the pressure was now mounting and a change of schedule to visit Spain was not ideal preparation. However, David got away to a good start on Thursday getting to -3 before high winds stopped play on the 16th green. Waiting for just over 3 hours for the restart, David would drop a shot and close with two pars for a respectable opening score of 69. Friday was a real off day for David and a round of 76 would mean a misses cut and a nervous wait over the weekend for news on Singapore.
On Monday David would get the call to inform him of first reserve status for Singapore, so it was off to Heathrow that night for a last minute flight to then Far East. After travelling so far, and also so desperately needing the tournament entry to boost his position in The Race to Dubai, David would end up travelling home on Friday, all attention now focussed on Hong Kong.

18 October 2009 – Portugal Masters, Vilamoura, Portugal

After a great run of results over the previous few tournaments, it was a very disappointed David who signed for an opening day 74. This would leave a great deal of work to be done on day two. One of the later starters on Friday, David battled hard, but ultimately a respectable round of 70 for a 36 hole total of 144, would mean a weekend off and an early return to Bristol on Saturday. As if to add insult to injury, it also now looked likely that David might not make the starting field in Singapore, two weeks ahead. Singapore had been the original schedule, however a late change of plans was now needed to bring in the Castello Masters the following week.

4 October 2009 – Dunhill Links Championship, Scotland

After a week back at home it was a long drive from Bristol to St Andrews on the Sunday afternoon pre tournament. Played over three courses, the Dunhill Links is one of the premier events of the 2009 calendar and David was looking to make up for the disappointment of missing the cut here in 2008. Playing Kingsbarns on day one and opening with a 4 under round of 68 was an excellent start. Day two and off to the famous links of Carnoustie, another great round of 5 under this time, leaves David well positioned on 9 under going in to Saturday. Strong wind lead to the cancellation of any play on Saturday, and it would be a long wait till Sunday to play the third round at St Andrews. A wobbly start over the back nine (David’s front 9) led to three dropped shots and hitting the turn on 6 under, however a good recovery on the front nine led to a final total of 73 and making the cut comfortably on -8 with one round to play. After a superb start on Monday, 3 under through 5, the old course won the day and David had to settle for a final round of 69 and a four round total of 11 under. Finishing in a tie for 19th place, this was the fourth top twenty in a row for David, not to mention a healthy pay cheque!

20 September 2009 – Austrian Golf Open, Vienna

The Fontana Golf Club in Vienna is renowned as one of the best tournament golf courses on the circuit, and this particular year would prove to be no exception. Finding the course to his liking, David opened with superb rounds of 68 and 67 respectfully and would head in to the weekend well in contention on -7. Saturday did not go as planned however, and a disappointing round of 71 would leave much work to be done on Sunday. Never one to admit defeat, David destroyed the front nine with five birdies and moved in to a tie for fourth place. A great final round of 66 would follow 9 straight pars on the back nine, the resulting tie for 10th place being the third top ten finish of the season, and the third top twenty in the last three tournaments.


6 September 2009 – Omega European Masters, Crans Sur Sierre

If the truth be known, David was not particularly looking forward to this week and the tournament was not included on his planned schedule for 2009. After much deliberation the decision was taken to travel and it proved to be a wise move. Starting with two solid rounds of 69, David made the cut quite easily on -4. On Saturday nothing was really happening and it looked like the prospect of a good finish to the tournament was slipping away, this would all change on the 14th where a majestic eagle followed by a birdie on 15 would catapult David back in to the top 20. A frustrating back nine on Sunday, lead to a closing round of 70 to finish on creditable -8 for the week and the second top twenty finish in as many weeks.

30 August 2009 - The Johnnie Walker Championship, Gleneagles, Scotland

What a fantastic location to play golf and with superb facilities close to hand, Gleneagles is always a favourite destination to visit. The course was suffering from recent heavy rainfall which made for some difficult lies and testing greens. Starting on Thursday on the back 9 David got away to a good start with two birdies and two bogies to the turn, however at this point the weather changed and the battle commenced. The first five holes at Gleneagles can play exceptionally tough when the weather is bad and unfortunately for David, and the rest of the late back 9 starters, the last three hours of play would prove to be very testing. A lost ball on seven, some 5 yards from the fairway, led to a double and spoiled an otherwise respectable card. Not to be beaten David dug deep on Friday and produced an exceptional round of 68, with some superb golf, making the cut on the mark at level par. A mid morning start on Saturday in windy conditions would result in a round of 74, without doing an awful lot wrong. Sunday and the gauntlet was laid down by Laurence (caddie), David had to make the top 30 or dinner was on him next week in Crans-Sur-Sierre. Well Laurence, get your wallet out, as the closing 67 secured a tie for 19th place and more importantly put a firm line underneath an excellent four days of play.

23 August 2009 - KLM Open, Netherlands

After a somewhat lean spell it was great to see David make the cut in Holland with the highlight being a fine 66 on Friday. Over the weekend a few missed fairways and some rather smelly lies on Sauturday put pay to any realistic change of a good finish on Sunday. Finishing with a respectable 70 on Sunday, it was a cut made and a confidence builder for the coming week in Scotland.

2 August 2009 - Czech Open

Another disappointing week where good scoring deserted David and an early return from a tournament. This was also the last week that Shaun would be working with David as his caddie, time for a fresh start and a re-focus ready for the KLM Open in two weeks time.

31 May 2009 – The European Open, The London Club

A big hitter’s course and good weather conditions made for another great tournament week. After opening with a disappointing round of 73, David needed to shoot at least two under on Friday to make the weekend. Unfortunately two dropped shots early on made the task even more difficult, despite bouncing back with a nice eagle on the par 5 fifth hole. David would close with a round of 76 and end up missing the mark by 4 strokes.

24 May 2009 – BMW PGA Championship, The Wentworth Club

The BMW PGA Championship is the flagship tournament on the European Tour calendar and this would be Davids debut in the event. Great weather and big crowds made for an exciting week. Getting off to an awful start on day one and dropping four shots in the opening three holes, David would open with a 77 and not the start he had dreamt of making. A much improved performance on Friday left David needing to make eagle on the 18th to make the cut, however driving in the fairway bunker ruled out reaching the green in two and an eventual par meant missing out again on another big week, finishing the tournament on +4.

17 May 2009 – 3 Irish Open, County Lough GC

After two weeks back in the UK The Irish Open would see a return to links golf for David. This was one of those weeks where, like many fellow competitors the draw would not favour David. Playing most of round one in wind and rain during the afternoon, an opening round of 72 was a story of several missed opportunities to get well under par. Friday morning, and again strong wind and rain through the front nine made scoring difficult early on in the round. A good back nine and an eventual 69 would see David safely in for the weekend by a couple of shots on -3, or so everybody thought. During the afternoon the weather front moved away, the sun shone and the wind disappeared, rendering the already foreshortened course defenceless against the afternoon starters. Having finished his round in a tie for 33rd, David would suffer the agony of watching the cut mark move to -4 and missing out by one stroke.

26 April 2009 – Ballantines Championship, Jeju Island, South Korea

Following a long delay due to high winds David flew in to Jeju Island from China ready for the Ballantines Championship. This would be Davids first visit to South Korea and the course looked like it would suit him. A mixed bag on day one left David mid table on +1, a respectable performance given the high winds that dominated this tournament. Friday would prove to be a tough day, getting away to a good start and shooting one under on the front nine, David was now one inside the cut line. However four dropped shots on the poor back nine put pay to hopes of another strong performance this week and a weekend off was not part of the plan.

19 April 2009 – Volvo China Open

Following a superb showing two weeks previously in Portugal, David flew to Beijing with high hopes for this week. Played over the CBD International Course, this venue was to prove a tough test and low scoring was likely to be at a premium. Opening rounds of 72 and 73 saw David comfortably in to the weekend on a total of +1. Saturday is moving day and what a great move David made, 15 greens hit, 7 birdies and 28 putts added up to a total of 67 and a climb up the leader board from 17th to a tie for 5th going in to the final round. Playing alongside eventual winner Scott Strange in one of the final groups, David shared the lead with the back nine to play. Creating some great opportunities over the closing holes the putts just would not drop and a final round 71 resulted in a tie for 6th place, the second top ten of the season and a move to 62nd spot in the Race to Dubai. Turning to the stats over the four days it was also extremely encouraging to see David leading the Greens in Regulation category with 75% of greens hit in 72 holes.

5 April 2009 - Estoril Open de Portugal

Having played well in the 2008 tournament at Oitovas Dunes, David was confident coming in to this week. Well what a start, three birdies in the first three holes and round one was off to a cracking start, an opening 69 in windy conditions was a good performance. Day two saw windier conditions, and despite starting and finishing with two bogies, a 73 was not bad. A very steady 3 under 68 on Saturday placed David well going in to the final round. Another unbelievable start, this time holing his second shot on the first for an eagle, quickly followed bogies on 2 and 3, and then another eagle at 7 to finish the front 9 on 5 under and a tie for the lead with several others. Throughout the back 9 David had a number of opportunities shave the hole, finally a birdie on 16 saw him one off the lead with 2 to go, now -6. A severe bounce off the back of 17 led to an unplayable lie and David's hopes of another victory were dashed. Finishing in a tie for 12th was no reflection on a great tournament, and the new partnership of David and Shaun was off and running - again!

29 March 2009 - Open de Andalucia

After a two month break from competition, getting married to partner Dawn in the Caribbean, David had been looking forward to playing again. Unfortunately the grooves had become a little rusty during the break and it took 27 holes before David started playing again, far too late to make the cut, but a weekend off to practice for the week ahead in Portugal.

19 February 2008 - A new recruit

Back in 2001 in his final tournament as an amateur, David won the silver medal at the Open Championship, Royal Lytham and St Annes. On his bag at the time was the man mountain, that is ex american footballer, Shaun Harris. As fate would have it, that partnership has now been renewed, and "Big Shaun or Tugboat" as he is affectionately known, is now back. Looking forward to his first outing in Seville at the Open de Andalucia we wish Shaun every success in the role.

This was an extremely difficult decision to make and is no reflection on a good job having been undertaken by Mark Crane, we wish Mark the very best for the future and thank him for his hard work and dedication.

15 January 2008 - Desert Swing

David made a good start to the desert swing, making the cut in Abu Dhabi, however the weekend didn't quite go as planned, and a tie for 58th spot was rather an anti climax. On to Qatar and a steady opening round of 70 got proceedings underway in a very positive fashion, round two started poorly with heavy rain for the first 7 holes proving to put a dampner (literally) on the scorecard during the scoring section of the golf course. However David battled well and still had a 15 foot birdie putt on the 9th (his 18th) to make the cut on level par, Unfortunately the ball lipped out and the return miss was insignificant.

The final leg of the desert swing moved on to Dubai and the Emirates Course, a poor opening round and some rather tired play left it all to do on Friday. Again a battling round and another situation of coming so close to being in for the weekend, missing out by one stroke yet again. Not the result we were all looking for, but looking forward to returning to Europe in 7 weeks time now after a run of 6 tournaments in 8 weeks.

11 January 2008 - Joburg Open, Royal Johannesburg and Kensington GC

Fully revitalised after the Christmas break and back to South Africa, this time to Johannesburg and the Joburg Open. A rather average round of 68 on the West course on Thursday was followed up by a more credible round of 69 on the East Course making the cut on -5. Saturday's round was brought alive by a great eagle on the 8th hole and an eventual 68 took him to -8 going in to Sunday. Out in the fifth from last group David grapped the attention of the television cameras following a majestic eagle on the 8th hole again. The round got really exciting with back to back birdies on 13 and 14. David was now at -12 a couple off the lead held by Anders Hansen a couple of holes behind. Standing on the 18th tee knowing that a three here was possible with a good solid drive, splitting the fairway David stood over the long iron approach knowing that an eagle here could well force a playoff. The crowd of a few thousand also appreciating the excitement, as well as the millions viewing live on television. A pulled approach left of the trap resulted in an almost impossible up and down from a wicked lie. A resultant bogie was a bitter blow and cost David several places on the leaderboard, however an eventual tie for 7th on -11 was an extremely good weeks work and moved David to 24th place in the Race to Dubai.

21 December 2008 - South African Open Championship, Pearl Valley

Heat exhaustion got the better of David this week and a missed cut was not the Christmas present he was looking to bring home.

14 December 2008 – Alfred Dunhill Championship, Leopard Creek GC, SA

A return to the scene of a great performance in 2007 when David finished in a tie for 6th place on his first outing of the 2008 season. Two solid opening rounds of 70 and David made the cut easily on -4. With the course playing easier than in previous years due to recent rainfall it was going to take some good scoring to produce a good finish over the weekend. An eagle three on the second got Saturday’s round underway with all guns blazing and there followed a round that produced many chances for birdie and a 67 to move to -9 was not enough for David to keep pace with the leaders, who were now on -18. Sunday and another world class 15 greens in reg produced a 70 to finish the tournament on -11 in a tie for 16th place.

23 November 2008 – UBS Hong Kong Open

David got off to a great start with an opening round of 68 on this very tight course, hitting 15 greens in reg and getting up and down from the 3 he missed. Round two was a similar story with a 69 posted and making the cut quite comfortably on -3 in a tie for 22nd place. The weekend didn’t produce the aggressive scoring that David needed in order to keep place with the leaders and three shots dropped over the two days finishing the tournament on level par and tied 70th, this despite hitting 14 greens in reg on Sunday!

9 November 2008 - HSBC Champions, Shanghai, China

Rain, Rain and more Rain. What a start to the Race to Dubai, more like the swim to Dubai!!

The HSBC marked the start of the inaugural Race to Dubai and David was keen to get away to a fast start to the 2009 season and after the win in St Omer gained his ticket to the tournament, he had been looking forward to the event for several months. The rain that disrupted the tournament and led to no play on Friday would not distract David from the job in hand. Over the five days David was priveleged to play alongside the world number 7 Camillo Villegas and also the world number 15 KJ Choi. Playing some stunning golf and finishing in the top ten for driving accuracy and distance along with greens in reg, David put in a superb performance. Tied 24th in a world class field featuring the likes of Mickelson, Garcia and Harrington, was a fantastic result and a brilliant start to the 2009 season. Starting the season in 20th position in the Race to Dubai and an ever improving world ranking will see a lot more people taking note of what David is doing and is capable of achieving over the coming seasons.