All is well in England. The fish and chips are tasty and the golf course is in great shape. Despite forecasts for heavy rain the last two days, we got some last night but beautiful sunshine today. Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club is a very fair test with bunkers peering at you from the tees and heavy rough beside them. The greens are holding quite nicely right now but the winds of today will probably dry them out quickly.

My practice rounds have been fun as I have a new nickname from my Korean friends, Wil Son Mark. Monday I played with K.J. Choi and Sang-Moon Bae; then Kevin Na passed us on a hole and thought of that nickname. Tuesday I have to applaud my caddie, Chris, for going the extra lengths to contact Tom Watson’s caddie to see if we could have a game. Sure enough, Tom was game and we pegged it at 11am. It was fun seeing a five time Open champion navigate his way around the course and figure out his strategy for the week on each hole. Wednesday I played with my Japanese friends, Bikke, who I was paired with at the U.S. Open, Ryo Ishikawa and Toru Taniguchi. I admire the seriousness that the Japanese players take during their preparation along with their playful nature in between shots.

My Dad and I are enjoying some quality time together and even spent Tuesday with a relative we had never met who lives here in England. My father’s family hails from here, by the way.

Enjoy the Open Championship, golf’s oldest event.