Eastern promise fails to deliver

By Jamie Elson European Tour rookie

February has seen me take advantage of the European Tour going global.

JAMIE ELSON FACTFILE DOB: 23 May 1981 Lives: Kenilworth, Warwickshire Career highlights: Member of winning 2001 Walker Cup team; Turned pro March 2003; Maiden Challenge Tour win in 2003 Finnish Open; Qualifies for European Tour in debut season

The co-sanctioned events in Australia and Malaysia has meant that it's been a hectic month, and I'm still waking up at three in the morning because of the jet lag.

As you may have seen, I headed the field after the first round of the Malaysian Open but then the wheels came off.

It was pretty strange because I suffered from food poisoning earlier in the week for which I'm blaming my room-mate Richard McEvoy.

On the Monday night we decided to get room service and Maccas ordered some calamari, so I just said: "I'll have the same."

I ordered some chicken nuggets too but I guess it was the calamari because the next morning Richard couldn't even get out of bed, he was that ill. It was like a morgue in our room.

When I woke up I felt all right but by the evening I was chucking my guts up.

The weather was steaming hot as well so it was a tough day or two. Even when you get out of bed in the morning there's already condensation on the golf clubs.

Leaderboard nightmare

So after all that I only managed seven holes practice but I shot a 66.

I've played the course before during the Eisenhower Trophy in 2002 as an amateur, but it all came together wonderfully.

When you play four hours of golf and you have a bad finish, it's almost worth missing the cut Jamie Elson

I played all right on the second day too but on the third day I blew it. I got frustrated and lost my patience.

You have to keep your cool but it's not always easy to do that when you shoot a six and think, "that's me dropped down 10 places".

The leaderboard is an image I had in my mind last week, which I know I shouldn't be doing.

I just needed to get hold of a birdie to stop the rot but then you try too hard and it gets even worse. Something every amateur can understand I'm sure.

When you play four hours of golf and you have a bad finish, it's almost worth missing the cut. It's so frustrating when you make a cheque that doesn't even cover the air fare.

Countdown to Dubai

Down and out in Kuala Lumpur

That didn't stop me doing a bit of shopping though. I've been to Kuala Lumpur before but I took a look at the Twin Towers there and I went to Chinatown and bought a few cheap CDs.

They're all rip offs but they're about £1.20 a go so I got about 30. Shopping isn't so bad on the European Tour when you buy one and get nine free!

It's been a rough start on Tour for me personally - I've been making cuts and then just having a bad round.

My first aim is to get a top-20 finish, and on the horizon is Dubai, which I can't wait for.

I played there last year and I know the course quite well so it should suit me. It's been quite tricky so far being a rookie because you don't get time to work out the courses.

Then it's off to Qatar and then Singapore where it'll be hot and sticky like Malaysia.

But I can tell you right now that calamari won't be on the menu!

Jamie will be filing monthly insights for the BBC Sport website on life as a rookie on the European Tour.