After missing much of the excitement of Andy’s brilliant opening 64 — typical, no charge in the phone when he decides to produce an eagle and nine birdies! — I finally managed to catch up with both Andy and Ella. I sent Andy a quick message congratulating him on a terrific start and telling him to keep it going. His reply was short and very much to the point: “Thx” I was interested to know how he was feeling after such a good round, particularly as the putter had clearly been behaving itself. Ella confirmed just that: “Yeah he’s happy. Much happier with his putting. Will just have to see how we go tomorrow x” And the statistics certainly told the story — just 26 putts in that opening 64. Twenty-four hours later, however, golf decided to remind Andy just how frustrating this game can be! He followed his 64 with another under-par round, a 71 containing two birdies and just one bogey. Once again, his ball striking was excellent. Andy hit an impressive 17 greens, and felt that 13 of those gave him realistic chances. Unfortunately, this time the putter didn't play its part. Andy needed 35 putts — nine more than the previous day. His message afterwards probably tells the story better than I can: “17 greens today close enough 13 out of the 17 chances… 35 putts ??????. Yesterday 26 putts. Stupid game!!! Try again tmw” That's golf in a nutshell. One day everything drops and you shoot 64; the next you hit 17 greens, create chance after chance, and somehow walk away wondering what might have been. But the part of Andy's message I liked most was the final three words: “Try again tomorrow.” A little frustrated? I'm sure he was. But that's the professional sportsman in Andy. Today's round is finished, and tomorrow brings another opportunity. Keep striking it like that, Andy, and hopefully the putter will decide to join in again! Good luck tomorrow — come on Andy! Steve Beckham On Tour with Andy