Haydn Porteous says he is looking to fine-tune his game at the Four Seasons Golf Club in Anahita for the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, ahead of a packed 2016/17 schedule.
Porteous has had a busy start to his European Tour career after a schedule-altering win at the Joburg Open, and a tournament like the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open provides an opportunity to work on the game and relax at the same time.
‘Yeah obviously it’s been a long few weeks and coming into Mauritius – obviously I’m here to do a job – you know when you’re not on the golf course it’s a nice time to relax and take it easy. So it’s good,’ he said.
The Joburg Open triumph has allowed Porteous exemption into Europe’s biggest tournaments and Porteous has set himself lofty goals heading into the remainder of the year.
‘There are a few goals at the moment like getting into Race to Dubai and getting into the top 100 in the world. I think 2017, there will be similar goals obviously with the Race to Dubai and another win would be nice. Obviously then try and get into two out of the four majors –that would be pretty awesome – and obviously the African major or the Nedbank Golf Challenge, that would also be quite cool,’ he said.
Next week Porteous will travel to The K Club in Ireland for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted by the Rory Foundation, and the following week, a trip to Wentworth will see Porteous tee it up at the BMW PGA Championship. Amongst others, Porteous is hopeful of qualifying for the US Open, which will be held at the famed Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania.
‘I’ve got the Irish Open coming up now and then Wentworth the next week and then the US Open qualifier, so I need to get into that one – let’s hope so – but there are a few others, obviously the Dunhill in Scotland, and I need to get my game ready for those big tournaments and hopefully make enough money to get into that Race to Dubai,’ he said.
A morning on the pristine driving range at the Four Season Golf Club was focused on short-game drills, and Porteous says it’s that part of the game he is focusing hardest on, in order to compete week-in week-out.
‘The game is feeling alright, I haven’t really been doing that much in terms of swing changes. I’m just trying to get the short-game to a place where I can feel comfortable with my game anywhere around the world. You know if you get a good ball-striking week then that’s obviously the week that you’re going to be in contention. If you don’t hit the ball as well as you’d like to you should be able to rely on the short game to get you through the cut and still try and make some sort of profit,’ he said.
With many weeks spent away from home, Porteous is taking it as it comes and thoroughly enjoying the experiences that come with playing in the world’s biggest events.
‘To be able to change your whole schedule to fit in tournaments that you’ve only dreamt of playing as a kid, like the Wentwoth, Irish Open and the Dunhill, it’s fantastic. To get there on merit is awesome and it’s good for the confidence. Right now I’m on cloud nine, but I need to try and keep my feet on the ground and do the right things, eat well and practice hard and hopefully I can get a few more result like the Joburg Open.’
From sunshinetour.com
