Yesterday, I received a nice update from Andy and Ella after Andy's practice day at Gleneagles, and everything sounded positive ahead of the opening round. Andy played around 11 practice holes before spending some time on the range, fine-tuning a few things. Looking at the practice ground, you can see the focus and preparation that goes into competing at this level. Every shot has a purpose. Andy mentioned there are a few "nasty" holes out there, which is exactly what you'd expect from a championship course. It promises to be a proper test this week. Later, I sent Andy a message to see how things were going, and his reply summed it up perfectly: "Yes Stevie B, all good so far. Hitting the ball cleanly still, just hope a few putts drop." That says it all. The long game is in good shape, confidence is there, and as every golfer knows, a tournament can often come down to seeing a few putts disappear into the hole at the right time. With the preparation complete, all that's left is for the first tee shot to be struck. The hard work has been done, the course has been explored, and now the challenge begins. It will be interesting to see how the week unfolds against another strong Legends Tour field. — Steve Beckham