Enthusiasm for a new campaign
A combination of the old and new has given Marc Warren a dose of youthful enthusiasm again as he prepares a South African stint to kick off the new DP World Tour season.
As one campaign ends this lunchtime in Dubai, another begins on Thursday as the Joburg Open launches the 2023 season.
Given that he finished 95th in the Race to Dubai, Warren has sat out the DP World Tour Championship but it has left him itching to get back on the course.
He has headed out to the Emirate for some warm-weather practice before flying on to Johannesburg, and the 41-year-old cannot wait to get going.
“I was sat at the driving range last week with my coach, Ian Rae, and he talked about my enthusiasm,” Warren told The Sunday Post.
“I feel like I am enjoying my golf again because everything in my game is in a good spot.
“I played 10 weeks-in-a-row to finish the season, and that’s unusual for me. But I could see the progress in so many areas of my game.
“I was in such a good place that I wanted to play. For me, it’s only a matter of time before results follow.
“This game can wear you down when it’s a slog, like with any job.
“But I feel like I can progress and I’m getting satisfaction simply from hitting one or two good shots a hole. That’s a nice place to be.”
Warren’s enjoyment comes from his work, with not one, but two coaches, in Englishman Matt Belsham and Rae, his old childhood mentor.
There was an immediate upturn in fortunes as he finished second at the Scandinavian Masters in Sweden in June.
But he started to find consistency in that long stretch of events in autumn, with the best a tie for eighth in the Spanish Open.