Shell Houston Open

Isleworth got a good old thrashing from Lake Nona in the Tavistock Cup. It was the fourth year the event has been played and Isleworth had previously won twice and tied one, so Lake Nona has balanced the record book a bit. The first day 4 ball matches were a white wash with five matches to nil and 10 points to the Lake Nona team. The highlight was Henrick Stenson and Chris Dimarco beating Tiger and John Cook by 8 shots with a 15 under par 57. In the singles on day 2 we managed only 8 points to Lake Nona's 12 and ended up losing 22 to 8. Stuart Appleby beat Ian Poulter 69 to 71 and tied Henrick Stenson 69 a piece. My caddying skills were under pressure , but I think I came through with the goods. Tiger won the individual with a 64 after 7 straight birdies through the middle of his round and picked up 2 points by beating Els in one match and Goosen in the other. The winning team receive $1,000,000 divided into $100,000 each to donate to the charity of their choosing. Stuart Appleby is defending the Houston Open this week in it's new date the week before the Masters. Stuart would be the first player to win the event 3 times if he is successful. The Houston Open has been a good event for the Aussies over the years and I think it has a lot to do with the Texas climate being similar to Australia with drier and windier conditions. Bruce Crampton, David Graeme, Bruce Devlin, Steve Elkington, Rob Allenby and Stuart Appleby are all Aussie winners of this event.

WGC Miami & Tavistock Cup

Tiger was to good for the rest of the world again with his 2 shot victory at Doral today. It was a tough week with strong winds blowing across the course on all four days. The shot makers come to the for in tough conditions and on a good golf course, so it was no suprise that Tiger finished on top. The Aussies played exceptional golf as well with Rob Allenby and Geoff Ogilvy finishing tied 3rd with Sergio and Nick Ohern and Aaron Badderly tied for 6th. The Aussies are used to windy and difficult courses from their experience growing up in Australia. This was Rob Allenby's 6th top 10 finish this year and surely he will break through for his first US Tour win since 2001 soon. Stuart Appleby played better each day after a terrible 79 start and finshed 35th after a 71,71 weekend. Monday and Tuesday this week we are playing the Tavistock Cup at Lake Nona for the 4th year. The Tavistock Cup is a 2 day interclub event between the Lake Nona Team and Isleworth. This doesn't sound like much more than a local pennant match until you see the teams. Lake Nona headed by Ernie Els with Retief Goosen, Sergio Garcia, Trevor Immelman, Ian Poulter and Isleworth with Tiger Woods, Charles Howell, Stuart Appleby, Rob Allenby, Mark Omeara. I am caddying again for Stuart for the two days, which gives me a great opportunity to get close when he is competing and fine tune any adjustments we need to make leading up to the Masters.

WGC Doral Miami

I arrived in Miami on Monday night from Australia after a 26 hour trip. One day they are going to have to find a shortcut!!! Today I worked with Stuart Appleby. Stuart played 18 holes, putted for 2 hours and hit balls for another 2 hours. He looks to be close to good form and is hitting the ball solid. Golf is a funny game and often great confidence is only a couple of shots away. I am sure in the next few weeks, Stuart will be back to his best.