And so, we have finally found ourselves back playing on European soil again this week for the first time since the Tour travelled to Cyprus in October last year!

The Austrian Open has been a regular event on the schedule for a while now, however, this is actually the first time it has been played so early in the calendar year and there will be a number of implications of this –  the main one being that we have had to pack our wooly gloves, hats and scarves this time round!

‘The weather forecast is definitely the main topic of conversation on site this week!’

I am a big fan of the Golf Course here at Diamond Country Club. In actual fact, the last hosting of this event was the first tournament that appeared on our revised ‘2020 schedule’ following the initial strike of the pandemic. We are just west of Vienna city centre here and the course is a traditional Parkland layout with an abundance of various hazards – the majority of which are water traps that feature on half of the holes out there!

The fairways are relatively flat and exposed but in addition, the greens are small so hitting shots in off the fairways will definitely be an advantage. This means accuracy off the tee will always be hugely helpful tool.

Our weather forecast is definitely the main topic of conversation on site this week since the earlier staging of this event on our calendars has definitely brought a shift in conditions! Overnight temperatures are set to fall below freezing and there is a risk of snow and sleet showers over all four days too! This undoubtedly sets us up for a tougher test than we have previously experienced here with the heavier air making the track play longer as well as softening up the fairways too.

Having already racked up some great memories from playing this event last year, I am excited to get this week under way now. Off at 8.30am tomorrow for the first round…lets get this thing going!