It's Monday afternoon and I'm sitting in the locker room in Greensboro, North Carolina. I haven't been here before, but I know it is the start of a four weeks grind on the US PGA Tour that will have a huge influence on my season. From here, I go on to play in the Shell at Houston, then the Bell South and after that the Byron Nelson. Four big money tournaments and four big weeks in my campaign.

I bombed last week and I know I have to pick myself up. I know I can, too. When I didn't get into the MCI at Harbour Town, I travelled to the Upstate Classic on the Nike Tour in Greenville with a fair degree of optimism. But I had 34 good holes and two disasters - a quadruple bogey and a triple - in two days and I missed the cut by two shots. The quad came at a par three over water, my 11th hole, and I just put it up in the air.

All you can do after that is threetee and grind it in. I'd have been okay except that I let the triple slip in on the second day, so that was it. On my way to the airport in Greenville, a weather warning sounded about a twister. I haven't actually seen a tornado - and I don't particularly want to - but it gives an indication of the sort of weather we're experiencing. In fact, the Nike event was rained out on the Sunday and reduced to 54 holes. It didn't bother me, though, because I went home to Clemson, did my laundry, straightened things out and packed up for my four-week stretch on the regular tour.

I arrived here in Greensboro yesterday morning and will just acquaint myself with the course over the next couple of days. I didn't get into the Pro-Am, so I headed out to the practice ground, hit some balls and then managed to get in nine-holes.

The course is actually in the middle of nowhere, even the hotel we are staying in is miles away. But that's part and parcel of life on the circuit. I'd heard great things about the course before my arrival here and it certainly is a great set-up, so I'm looking forward to the week ahead. It is important to take it one round at a time, but also hope that you get off to a low start. I know I can shoot low, and it is a matter of taking your opportunity when that time comes.

When you're on the road, you rely a lot on your caddie - and you must also stay very disciplined. I've a new caddie, goes by the name of "Herman" and he had to get some fluid off his knee at the weekend. But he'll be fine for this week. He's been on the circuit for the past four years or so and I picked him up a couple of weeks ago. He's what you call an "independent contractor."

He's an American, from Colombia in South Carolina, and I meet up with him at the tournament venue. He makes his own way from A to B, and I don't have to worry about organising anything for him. All I do is pay him a little cheque, and he picks up a percentage of my winnings - if there is any, that is.

I don't really know who Herman has carried the bag for before, but he is very good on yardages - a vital requisite for a caddie - and knows my swing. I trust his clubbing. Hopefully, we'll have a good working relationship. The other thing about life as a professional golfer is that you have to keep disciplined. In my college days, you could still let your hair down a little bit - but you just don't do that sort of thing as a pro, and you don't do anything out of the ordinary. You have to give yourself every chance to succeed and, when you're away, you don't go out at all. If you do that, and you play well, then you appreciate it all the more. I've watched with some interest how the likes of Len Mattiace and Glen Day have fared in the past few weeks, and good luck to them. Yet, even watching them, I'm learning all the time. These guys have been on the circuit for five or six years and it has taken them that long to make the breakthrough. So, the important thing is that I am patient and learn as I go along.

This learning process is something that almost every rookie has to go through. As I've said before, and it is very much part of my philosophy, you have to take it one round at a time and take your chance when it comes along. Who knows when that will be? I'm looking forward to this week at Greensboro and nearly all of the big names are here, so it should be a really good tournament. For me, I know it is the start of a four-week run that is as important as it gets.

(In an interview with Philip Reid)