Morten Ørum Madsen says he has “no expectations” when he returns to Glendower Golf Club defend his South African Open Championship hosted by the City of Ekurhuleni this week.
The 26 year old held off the challenge of Charl Schwartzel 12 months ago to seal a breakthrough European Tour win, but then spent much of 2014 struggling for form until a top-five finish in Portugal in October.
Madsen believes his triumph will eventually make him a better player, even if it was initially difficult to come to terms with the pressures associated with being a European Tour champion.
And the former Challenge Tour star hopes he can draw on the memories of last year during his first ever title defence.
“It’s really special to be back and try to defend a title for the first time in my career, so obviously when I stepped in the gate and on to the course it brought back a lot of good memories,” he said.
“Walking into the locker room I remember some really good times in there right after the round, and when all the interviews were over and done with, it was just me, my caddie and my dad in there reflecting on what had just happened.
“It’s been extremely exciting and fun to play as a winner on The European Tour. It’s definitely drawn extra attention, and also some different feelings from within as to how the game should be played.
“I haven’t really performed the way I would have liked to, but I think on some subconscious level I put too much pressure on myself to play well.
“My expectations sort of rose a little bit more than they probably should have, but I wouldn’t have changed a thing.
“This past year has been a good learning experience that I can use for years to come. I feel like I’m a more experienced player now, and I’m probably better suited now to play well and have some success on The European Tour.
“I’d love to play well this week, but it’s such a strong field. There are a lot of great South African players here and they will beat tough to beat on home soil.
“When I tee it up tomorrow I’ll be gunning for the best score I can shoot, but I don’t really have expectations.”
Madsen has spent the winter fine-tuning his game – but only after a well-earned break, which saw him put his clubs away for the first time in a decade.
“I’ve been working hard on my game since last year,” he added. “I think I’m in a pretty similar spot in terms of my game. The biggest development I’ve made over the last year has been mentally, and in terms of experience. Mentally I think I’m in a better place. As for the game, we’ll have to see.
“For the first time in about eight or ten years, I took a break over Christmas where I left the clubs in the closet and didn’t have them out for almost two weeks.
“It’s something I haven’t done ever, and it was really rough at times because I’m used to just practicing all the time. So it was definitely tough, but I feel more refreshed now after a good break, as opposed to practicing every day and still calling it a break.
“I’m trying to focus on staying in the process. Work on the things that you know are going to work, just focus and the results will come naturally.
“When you’ve won on The European Tour you want to try to get that feeling again, because that’s the most fantastic feeling I’ve ever had. On some subconscious level I was trying to force it a little bit, and that wasn’t beneficial for my game.
“I struggled quite a bit with my expectations, and when I got that in check my game went down quite a bit. That made for a disappointing spring and summer, but during the fall I managed to get a few little things back in my game - I returned to some good habits.
“I’m still in that period where I don’t know if I’ll win right out of the gate, but I feel like my game is going in the right direction. I don’t know how long it will take before I see results, but hopefully it’s sooner rather than later.”
