Stuck in Paradise!

This is not my normal blog!

There are certainly worse places to find yourself stranded than Turks and Caicos. Although, when you’re supposed to be heading home, even paradise can become a little frustrating!

It’s been a lovely week celebrating a wedding, spending time with family and friends, and getting out for some golf myself. If you’ve seen my recent posts, you’ll know that playing, rather than coaching, has brought its own mixture of enjoyment, nerves and the occasional reminder that this game is never quite as straightforward as we’d like.

By now, though, I was meant to be back home.

An issue with Air Canada led to our flight being cancelled, and my return journey has now been rearranged through Washington. Fortunately, we managed to get my partner and Freddy onto an alternative flight yesterday. A relief to have them on their way, even if I was left behind for a little longer.

So, with an unexpected extra day, there was a choice: spend it dwelling on the disruption or make something of it.

Golf seemed a fairly good answer.

I headed out for a game with the wedding couple—although I’m not sure a round with me was quite what they had planned for their honeymoon!

It turned into a brilliant day. Beautiful surroundings, good company and an unexpected opportunity to spend a little more time together before heading home.

There’s a familiar lesson from golf in there somewhere. You don’t always get the bounce you were hoping for, and you certainly can’t control everything that happens. What you can do is decide how to approach the next shot.

That’s easier to say when you’re standing on a beautiful golf course than when you’re trying to rearrange flights, of course! But this time, we managed to turn a frustrating situation into a day I’ll remember fondly.

Now, fingers crossed for a smoother journey back. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the extra golf, but I’m ready to get home and back to coaching.

Preferably without any more unexpected rounds along the way!

And now, the weekend’s golf: a little later than planned!

So, if you were wondering why this week’s golf round-up was late, that explains it! A cancelled flight, rearranged travel and an unexpected extra day in Turks and Caicos rather disrupted the usual writing routine. Thank you for bearing with me.

While my own golf was an unexpected bonus, there was plenty at stake elsewhere. Here’s a look back at the weekend ending 1 November, with breakthrough success, impressive consistency and players earning the opportunity to take their next step.

PGA Tour: Andrew Novak takes his moment in Mexico

Andrew Novak won the VidantaWorld Mexico Open at 25 under par, finishing five shots clear to claim his first individual PGA Tour title. He had already tasted team success alongside Ben Griffin at the 2025 Zurich Classic, but this was a milestone of his own.

Rounds of 61 and 62 put him in a commanding position going into Sunday. His closing 69 was less spectacular, but three consecutive birdies from the 12th helped him regain momentum after a bogey at the 10th.

From a coaching perspective, that is an interesting contrast: the golf that builds a lead and the golf required to finish the job can feel very different. You don’t have to reproduce yesterday’s score. You need to keep making useful decisions with the game you have today.

Read the tournament report.

LPGA: Yamashita’s four-round consistency

In Malaysia, Miyu Yamashita won the Maybank Championship at 22 under par, two shots ahead of Yan Liu. Her rounds of 65, 66, 67 and 68 tell the story of a player putting together four strong days.

Pauline Roussin-Bouchard and Thai amateur Marisa Tojai shared third at 19 under. Tojai’s scores were particularly striking: after opening with 72, she followed with 65, 65 and 67.

There is a lovely lesson there for anyone who has been tempted to write off a competition after an ordinary start. An opening round gives you a score to work from; it doesn’t decide everything that follows. Keep competing, keep learning and give yourself the chance to improve as the week unfolds.

View the LPGA results.

Ladies European Tour: Alexander wins the week and the season-long title

Casandra Alexander delivered a bogey-free closing 64 to win the Wistron Ladies Open in Taiwan at 21 under par. The three-shot victory also secured the LET Order of Merit with two events remaining.

It was her third win in five LET appearances, an outstanding run of results. England’s Hannah Screen finished second at 18 under after a final-round 66, her best result on the tour, while Mimi Rhodes shared third with Pei-Ying Tsai at 17 under.

What caught my attention in Alexander’s post-round comments was her emphasis on decision-making and the work done with her coach and team away from tournament week. We see the trophy presentation, but much of the work that makes it possible happens quietly, long before the cameras arrive.

That is very much how I see long-term development: purposeful practice, honest review and a team helping the player make progress over time.

Read the LET report.

Europe: new opportunities earned in Mallorca

The DP World Tour had a week off ahead of the Abu Dhabi Championship on 5–8 November, but the HotelPlanner Tour’s Grand Final provided plenty of significance for the season ahead.

Julien Sale won at Club de Golf Alcanada with a 22-under total, four shots ahead of Hamish Brown. Sale took the tournament trophy, while Brown finished top of the season-long Road to Mallorca Rankings. The leading 15 players earned DP World Tour cards.

Among them, Marc Warren climbed seven places to 13th in the rankings after finishing tied fifth in the finale. Maxence Giboudot secured the final qualifying position in 15th.

These are the weeks that remind us how much professional golf is about opportunity. For some, success means lifting the trophy; for others, it means earning the chance to compete at the next level. Both deserve recognition.

Read the Grand Final report and see the qualifiers.

A thought to take into your own golf

There was no LIV event that weekend, but across the tours in action there was plenty to reflect on: managing a lead, recovering from a slow start, trusting the work behind the scenes and making the most of an opportunity.

My travel disruption was rather different from the pressures of tournament golf, but the small connection is there. Plans change. The useful question is what you do next.

For your next round, try judging yourself on how well you respond to the unexpected as well as the number you put on the card. A disappointing shot can still be followed by a sensible decision—and a frustrating day can still leave you with something worth remembering.

Round-up covers events ending 1 November 2026. Tour schedule: 26 October–1 November.