The Graeme Storm Column

May 12 2008 by The Journal

Tour professional Graeme Storm continues his exclusive column for Golf North East

I was delighted with the way I played at the WGC-CA Championship in Florida last month. It was great to go into the last round at the Doral Golf Resort in Miami at the top of the leaderboard in such a high profile and prestigious event with all the world's best players in attendance.

I learned a lot about my game and how I stand up to pressure at the very highest level and it was a massive confidence boost.

It was slightly disappointing to finish in joint 6th place but I couldn't have played any better.

I was right in the mix with three or four holes to go. If one or two putts had dropped I think I really could have won.

Even so, it was great to compare my game with players like Vijay Singh and eventual winner Geoff Ogilvy.

My third round 63 was the joint lowest of the event, which is another massive boost for me.

All in all, it was a fantastic experience and it has really helped to boost my profile further in the US.

I've already been invited to play in the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village in Ohio in late May. That's a fantastic result for me and gives me another chance to test myself against the very best in the world on a first-class course.

The performance at Doral also helped me move into the top 30 of the European Order of Merit, which is exactly the place to be at this stage of the season.

Things really couldn't have gone better so far.

I'm feeling right on target and I'm where I want to be with my game.

Of course, I've had a few weeks off since the start of April and just missing the cut in Portugal (I shouldn't have played as I was tired after travelling back from Miami and I also picked up a cold).

My wife Sara and I are expecting our first child and that's clearly the biggest thing for me this season. It's meant that I've had to keep my schedule fairly fluid and I'm not sure exactly when I'll be back.

I've already decided to pull out of both the Spanish and Italian opens at the start of May and have penciled in the Irish Open at Adare Manor in mid-May. Failing that, it will probably be the PGA Championship at Wentworth on May 22.

That takes me up to the Memorial in the US and I'd like my game to be a great shape for that one!

In the meantime, I'll be trying to keep my game ticking over but it's great that I've got no real problems to work on at this stage.