I arrived last night (Sunday) without too much hassle which is nice because sometimes it can be tricky with the language barrier. We touched down right on time and a smooth exit through immigration and customs meant we were able to get to the early bus saving us an hour long wait at the airport. I am travelling with Ryan Haller this week, a long time friend who has been playing up here on the main tour all year. I always enjoy Ryan's company and having someone to travel with certainly makes the time seem to pass by a little quicker!!
I was woken this morning, somewhat traditionally by a customary earthquake here in Mito. Soundly sleeping and then all of a sudden the bed is shaking and the room rattling. Although I have been through plenty of them up here now, it is still a little nerve wracking each time as you wait to see if it is getting worse or stopping. Fortunately this one stopped fairly quickly and I went back to sleep. It was a 5.4 on the richter scale which is solid. Hopefully that is it for the week!!!
The course for the week is Sunny Fields. I played it today with Ryan, Nick Cullen and Stephen Leaney. It was nice to play in a solid group today as those guys can all really play and I think that was good for my game this week. On a side note, Ryan and I gave the other two a touch up for the Qlders. Stephen has been around for a long time so it was good to pick his brain a little on a few things golf wise.
The course itself is a fairly long and stern test. There aren't too many wedges into greens this week so your iron play will have to be up to scratch. Due the length of the place, your driving of the ball is going to have to be rock solid too as any misses will result in much longer clubs into the greens. The par 3's are quite special with plenty of water around the greens and the par 5's present probably the best chances of making a few birdies this week. The condition of the course is superb, great fairways and beautiful greens to putt on. I only wish I could take these greens back to Indooroopilly, and all Qld courses for that matter. Putting on greens of this quality is fantastic for your putting game.
So the preparation is done and I feel like I am ready to go. I am looking forward to the challenges that this week will present over the next four days and hopefully I am in the top 25 or however many spots are up for grabs this week to progress through to finals. Don't forget to check out some of the photos of the course from today!!