I'm off to America tomorrow for two very good reasons.  First it will give me time enough to recover from jet lag ahead of next week's US Open and second it gives me the opportunity to play Pine Valley again.

I'm the guest of my good friend Dougie Heather, who runs the Darren Clarke Foundation, and I know we'll have a great time on what is normally top of everybody's best-course-in-the-world list.  It really is fantastic and although I've played there a few times, not for the last three years so I'm particularly looking forward to it. 

Hopefully it will put me in the right frame of mind to compete at Bethpage given that I've been having too many weekends off for my liking this season.   I hit the ball well enough in practice, but things aren't happening for me on the course.  It's not for the want of trying that I'm not getting the scores, but I mustn't get too frustrated.

Off the course, I had a very enjoyable evening in the company of Barclays Capital last week when I was able to renew acquaintance with Freddie Flintoff.  I've become more used to cricket since watching Tyrone and Conor playing at school and hopefully I'll get the chance to see Freddie in action against the Aussies this summer.