I finished in a tie for tenth at the Emirates GC which seems like a pretty steady effort and yet I came away from the tournament with some mixed feelings.
The first two days I played okay and just made the cut - it was nothing special. Because I was down the field I got to play early on the Saturday morning. My game was in much better nick and we had some calm conditions, but I missed opportunities to go really low and was disappointed with a two-under-par 70.
Chris in action in Dubai.And yet, because the wind got up later in the day, that score was still good enough to move me up the leaderboard so I got a late-ish start on Sunday. I made a great start with two birdies on the first and second holes, but then I got stuck playing par golf.
The back nine changed all that: I had three birdies in four holes from the tenth. Stood on the 14th tee I was one shot off the lead and I nailed my drive.
Unfortunately, that tee shot is slightly blind and I had nailed it even more than I thought I had - the ball ran right through the fairway, into water and I made bogey. It was pretty annoying to flush it and get a hard bounce. It affected me - I bogied the 15th straight afterwards and that was my race run really; I parred my way home for the top ten finish
Finding myself with this four week spell in England is a bit frustrating really - it almost feels like we've played a mini-season in the Middle East and will have to start again. Looking on the bright side it gives me the chance to hone those skills (you know I love to practise!) and get down the gym.
That gym-work is slowly starting to turn the state of my back around. It wasn't too good in Abu Dhabi (despite finishing 23rd). There were times when I just couldn't hit the ball as hard as I would like. It began to affect my yardages so my short game saved my skin a bit.
The gym work is not only designed to prevent any further problems with the back but, in making me stronger, I am hitting the ball further when I am fit (there was a difference of about 30 yards between Abu Dhabi and Dubai). I quite like the simple feeling of being stronger too - I can feel my new muscles even doing normal day-to-day activities!
The other news is that when I start back on tour I will have a new caddie. I've been with Dave Neilly for about 20 months and we've had a great time together. You simply can't stay with someone that long unless you're A) doing a good job together; and B) enjoying each other's company.
But sometimes these partnerships need freshening up and that's how it felt. Dave's a brilliant caddie - I know he's helped my game improve over our time together - and he won't be short of a bag for long.
Meanwhile I am going to join up with Matt Harbour who until recently was with Ross McGowan - it's like pass the partner! Matt was on Ross' bag when he won the Madrid Masters and also finished second in the first Dubai World Championship so he's another caddie with great experience.
A few people ask me questions about what I look for and expect in a caddie so now seems a good time to answer them. One thing the caddies don't do is carry bags between tournaments. A lot of people think they do but that's our job - although maybe it shouldn't be!
Ultimately what I really like in a caddie is someone who is willing to put in the same amount of effort into their job as I do in mine. That gives me confidence in them and allows me to be relaxed and settled on the course.
I also want to feel relaxed in their company. Just think how much time I spent with Dave - I think I've seen more of him that I have of my girlfriend in the last 20 months!
The other question I am often asked is about caddies offering advice on putting. I prefer to take responsibility on the greens but there is no doubt that first impressions are often correct on the greens and sometimes it is hard to get a good initial idea. In those circumstances I will turn to my caddie and see if they've seen something.
Hopefully Matt and myself will form a good relationship. I'll keep you posted!
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