Matt Wallace column: I was trying to be the best golfer in the world every week

It’s amazing how much impact one phone call can have.

After missing the cut at the Travelers Championship last month, I had a call from European Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington. I’m not sure if he realised quite how much that meant to me.

And already I’ve been playing better from that one phone call as shown by my fourth place at my last event, Memorial. Plus, the fact the event’s been delayed by a year gives me a chance to play myself into contention.

My caddie Dave McNeill caddied for Padraig for a long time and thinks he’ll make a really good captain. As for Dave and I, we went our separate ways last year but we’re back together. He wanted me back so badly I couldn’t say no!

Seriously though, I spoke to Dave after the lockdown break and said, “Any chance we can give it a go?” He left me hanging for a couple of weeks before saying “yes”.

When we were together before, I was trying to be the best player in the world every week, every round and you don’t do that. I was trying to be too perfect so the anxiety, intensity and pressure was on us all the time. Then in Germany last year, it all boiled over. We’ve spoken about that and I wanted to reassure him that I’m different now.

Last week worked brilliantly and I’m so pumped to have him back.

I’ve played six weeks in a row so took last week off before playing again tomorrow, and I was knackered. On the opening morning of Memorial, I had to set a 4.30 alarm for a 7.20 tee-off time. That’s the most mentally tired I’ve been and I bogeyed the first two holes but it ended with my first top-10 finish in a while on the hardest golf course we’ve played and the hardest field plus in those conditions. And I was the only guy to who didn’t shoot over par for four rounds.

The past few weeks haven’t been without controversy. At the Travelers, after my playing partner Denny McCarthy tested positive for Covid-19, also in our group, Bud Cauley withdrew after feeling ill although he then tested negative.