AS the action unfolds at the Congressional in Maryland over the next four days, Graeme Storm will be making the most of a chance to rest ahead of a crammed run of tournaments.
In an ideal scenario, Storm would have been teeing off in the US Open later today, but instead he is happy to have had the opportunity to recharge his swing after being told he had effectively worn out his body.
At times the 33-year-old has felt that way. Reflecting on 18 months in which injury and constant changing of his caddie has left his form stuttering.
But, despite dropping to tied 67th at the Italian Open last week, Storm has actually started to feel like he is over the worst. After an assessment from his fitness coach, Steve McGregor, in Harrogate yesterday, Storm feels as if he will be ready for a positive return to action in Germany next Thursday.
The BMW International Open in Munich will be the first of three consecutive events he will play in before he looks to shine at the 140th Open Championship at Royal St George's, which he stunningly qualified for at Sunningdale last week.
"I have missed six cuts out of 15 tournaments. I have made nine. At one point I had made four and missed six. The pressure was on for me, but since then I have had a good run of tournaments," said Storm. "I should not have gone to Italy and my fitness coach has told me my body has just shut down. It has killed me. Up until Mallorca where I ended fifth I was down, concerned.
"But things have improved. I have now got 145,000 euros up, which means I'm more comfortable than I was, but it is not where I want to be. To keep my Tour card I think I will need around 210,000 euros, but even then I won't be happy with that. What I want is to be back in the top 60."
Storm, who also finished 18th at Celtic Manor in the Wales Open, has earned more than 80,000 euros in his last four outings, which is more than he had claimed during the opening five months of the 2011 European Tour season.
"I don't know why I went off the boil in the last 18 months," he said. "I got unlucky with caddies, I was injured for six months last year, it was 12 months before I could do my full range of movements. You do go through good and bad spells."
While injury undoubtedly contributed, he accepts the regular change to the man carrying his bag has played a pivotal part.
Since splitting with Dominic Bott, who was on his bag when he won the French Open almost four years ago, he has never really found a replacement. He does, however, have the comfort of knowing who he will be with for the rest of the year.
"Unfortunately I regret finishing with Dom a little," said Storm, knowing Bott is with Colin Montgomerie after leaving Thomas Bjorn.
"But we had got to a certain point in our relationship where we were getting at each other on the course. It is one of those things. Do you ever go back? It's never the same.
"The game has changed so much because caddies have become ruthless and now the changes that are taking place are regular."Storm will be working with caddie Jeff Paul, who will return to work with Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano once he has shrugged off long term injury, and he was satisfied with how their first outing went in Italy.
"Last week I had Jeff, he is fine and did me a favour so he will be staying with me until Fernandez-Castano is fit again in a year or so," said Storm.
"I took on Adam Marrow, who used to work with Ross Fisher and was working with Oliver Wilson. I finished fifth in Mallorca with him, 50th at Wentworth which was a personal best for me, and then I got sacked on the Sunday afternoon because he went back to Ross Fisher.
"I also had Geoff Ogilvy's caddie, Alistair Mathieson, who caddied for me in Open qualifying and in Wales, but then he flew out to caddie for Geoff again. It's just been up in the air and none of that helps."
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