Brains beats brawn at Colonial Classic

This week, we are in Fort Worth, Texas, playing the Colonial Classic. The Colonial Country Club, which has been the host venue of this event since 1946, ranks among one of the most loved courses on the PGA Tour.

Of course, this was also the tournament Annika Sorenstam chose while competing against the men in 2003. Personally, I thought it was a brilliant choice. The Colonial is a very traditional design — not long off the tee, but an extremely strategic golf course. You need brains to succeed here, not brawn.

The longest par 5 on the course is the 11th, measuring 635 yards. But it also happens to be one of the easiest holes on the golf course. Holes 3-5 is the most difficult stretch, which includes the longest par-4 of the course (the 483-yard third). Thereafter, the whole layout is more like a chess board. You need to think about where you want to place your tee shots, and you need to think how you want to attack the greens. There are birdies for the taking, but the slightest of errors can lead to an ugly number on your card.

I love playing on courses like the Colonial, and as you can see this week, so do most of the top players. We have guys like Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey - all ranked in the top-10. There are certain courses which just make you want to go there and play, like Quail Hollow and the Blue Monster at Doral. The Colonial is one of them.

Moving on, it was good to know that Tiger Woods' neck is feeling much better and that he will be competing in next week's The Memorial. Tiger is a multiple winner and the defending champion of Jack Nicklaus' tournament. The week at Muirfield Village is surely going to be a good test for him ahead of the US Open.

On a personal front, I am delighted by my own progress. Second week into my comeback, I did all right in the HP Byron Nelson Championship. Not only did I make the cut, I finished tied 32nd. And it could have been better, but for a bogey-bogey start on the final day which resulted in a two-over par round.

The intense physiotherapy that I have been undergoing these last few days seem to be working. The shoulder is behaving much better, and hopefully, I will be 100 per cent fit by the time I head over to Europe. The plan right now is to start from the French Open and try to qualify for the Open Championship. Till then, I am in the US and playing the Memorial and St Jude in the next two weeks.

Jeev Milkha Singh is a three-time winner on the European Tour