Plenty to talk about this week, not least Charl Schwartzel's wonderful win in Madrid. I had a long conversation with his father, a friend of long standing, a few weeks ago and I just sensed that something big and good was ready to happen.  I have a similar feeling about Louis Oosthuizen so watch his progress in the next couple of months. Charl celebrated his success in true Spanish style and even accompanied some new friends on a partridge shoot in the mountains the following day.

Congratulations too to Robert Rock, a player I had the pleasure of accompanying for a couple of days at our Challenge Tour event earlier in the season.  His fourth place at the Madrid Masters put him in a good position to secure his playing privileges for next season. I got to know him pretty well at the Oceanico Group Pro-Am Challenge - well enough to feel confident enough to say to him that I thought he must be brain dead given how well he played the game so and yet was plying his trade more regularly on the Challenge Tour. Robert took my advice about concentrating on his short game, accepted my invitation to play in the Quinn Insurance British Masters and now looks likely to tee up permanently with the big boys again.  I think he'll stay the course this time.

Only time will tell if the same can be said of the true golfing colossus Seve Ballesteros, who this week endured a 12-hour operation on a brain tumour.  It's a very sad day for golf that Seve should find himself in such a position after a sad five years which has seen him not only retire from the game, but become vulnerable to such an awful disease. I only ever had one thing in common with Seve on the golf course.   We both made our debuts on the European Tour at the 1974 Italian Open in Venice.   We set off on the same date and headed in entirely different directions. The Tour and the Ryder Cup would not be what they are today without him and our thoughts are with the great man and his family.    We all wish him the speediest of recoveries.

Further afield, Jeev Milkha Singh closed the gap at the top of the Asian Order of Merit, headed by our latest client Mark Brown, with a tie for fourth at the Hero Honda Indian Open.

But my biggest pat on the back this week goes to Stephen Tiley, currently learning his trade on the Asian Tour and a top 10 finisher in India.   He is a fantastic example to all young professionals setting out on a career.  He's learning at a rapid rate and looks capable of a top 60 finish on their tour which would be a wonderful achievement.

Now I'm in Portugal for the always exciting Masters at the Oceanico course in Vilamoura.   I'm sure plenty of our players will acquit themselves with distinction.