Andrew has had a strange season in that there have almost been as many missed cuts as there have been banked cheques, but the times he has made the weekend action have indicated that he is more than just there for the money.
Five top 10 finishes, including third in Sweden at the weekend, show me that he is ready to take the next step and start collecting silverware on a more consistent basis. Winning a golf tournament is much harder than many people realise, but I do not think the 1998 Qatar Masters and the 2001 Great North Open do justice to his talent.
I will not be the slightest bit surprised if Andrew wins before the end of the season, something I fully expect his brother-in-law Lee Westwood to do as well. The second half of the season ought to be more productive because Mark Foster’s debut triumph in South Africa at the start of the season remains our only success to date. For a stable of our proven ability, that constitutes under achievement and I will be looking for better things from now on.
It may be too soon to expect Charl Schwartzel to register a first win because although he is starting to figure high up the leaderboard every week now, we must not lose sight that he is still only 18 years old. What should not be doubted is his ability because I do believe he is a rare and special talent who will blossom however long it takes.
We have quite a few up and coming youngsters on our books and we may be adding to that collection before the end of the season so the future is particularly bright.
The same can be said for our cricketers and particularly new England skipper Michael Vaughan and all-rounder Freddie Flintoff.
Vaughny was thrown in at the deep end following Nasser Hussain’s surprise resignation and I have no doubt that he will turn into one of our finest leaders.
Of the plus points that came from the defeat at Lord’s, none was greater than that of Flintoff’s performance with the bat on what turned out to be the last day. His 142 was a performance of staggering brutality so much so that at one stage his Woodworm bat, of which he is immensely pleased with, split in half. It’s a wonder it didn’t shatter into a thousand pieces such was the force it was meeting the ball with.
Freddie is a rare and precious animal and I know Vaughny is more than happy to have him alongside as they seek to put England back on top of the cricketing world.