My Portmarnock priorities

IT was a very frustrating Open Championship for me. I didn’t bring my A game to Royal St George’s and I told the press lads that, but the general feeling still was it would be all right on the day.

I suppose I hoped for the same but deep down I knew things didn't work like that on such a severe and difficult golf course and in such a big event. I knew the mistakes would come, and they did, so I never got into the hunt at all.

Can I cure what's wrong between the Open and the start of the Nissan Irish Open at Portmarnock on Thursday? Difficult, very difficult. I know where the problems lie. I'm just not swinging the club the way I want, but there's always hope, there really is, and I could yet have a few good days at Portmarnock, a course I shouldn't like because I lost an Irish Close final there to David Higgins at the 20th on what was my last competitive outing there. That was one of the worst experiences I've ever had in golf.