Happy New Year!

By Harry Emanuel Last updated: 11th January 2010

The excesses of Christmas eating and drinking are finally at an end and as we enter 2010 many of us fall into the trap set by the Babylonians who were the first people to make New Year's resolutions.

Personally I'm not a big fan of resolutions but after struggling to tie my shoe laces I reflected it might actually be time to get fitter.

A man's health can be judged by which he takes two at a time - pills or stairs. I make it a point to live on the ground floor.

The best place to start when making life changes is by re-examining your role models.

So down comes the poster in my bedroom of Phil Mickelson winning the 2004 Masters, out goes my Darren Clarke duvet cover with a picture of him celebrating on the balcony after Europe's Ryder Cup victory at the K Club and my lampshade featuring Tim Herron has been put in the back of the cupboard.

They have been replaced by a set Paul Casey dumb bells, a Camilo Villegas running bike and up goes a poster of Tiger Woods.

According to the Chinese Calendar, which is based on the lunar calendar, the New Year starts on February 14th and 2010 is year of the .....Tiger. Write him off at your peril.

The next step is to set a goal. My cousin is running 50 marathons in 50 days starting on March 3rd in Lisbon and finishing in London on 21st April (www.50in50.co.uk). After serious thought I considered having 50 Michelin Star meals in 50 days as a counter balance but I've decided to join him for one of the last marathons (he is odds on to finish his quest while I'm a two figure price to complete mine).

I did manage my first two mile run on Sunday in which I discovered I like going downhill considerably more than going uphill. I'm even going to get some proper running kit because I've been told brogues and Bermuda shorts will not do.

When back on tour next week covering the Joburg Open (with a trip to the Wanderers to watch the final Test match) I'll see what exercise golfers get up to.

I wonder if they know the difference between a good and a bad carbohydrate or where the pubococcygeus muscle is.

Hence I won't be in Hawaii but it's not going to stop me having a bet in one of my favourite tournaments of the year. I have a system that has proved very successful for finding the winner in the past and came up with the last three Singh (7/1), Chopra (66/1) and Ogilvy (14/1).

It's pretty simple really. You're looking for a long hitter, who has played well in the 'off season', plays well in wind, has experience at Kapalua, scores heavily and putts well on treacherous grainy Bermuda greens.

At the prices (was 25/1 with Ladbrokes) Nick Watney fits the criteria. He was 6th in driving distance, 5th in the HSBC, finished fast in World Cup and was 7th at the Nedbank on his first appearance (shooting low round of week 63), he was 5th on his first visit to Kapalua, 17th for Scoring average and 2nd for par 5 scoring in last year's PGA Tour stats.

Ogilvy, Cink and O'Hair also fit the bill and Steve Stricker is a worthy favourite but I'm also keen on Stephen Ames who will get lots of support from the Canadian fans that make up a large part of the galleries. He was the last official winner on the PGA Tour, loves Bermuda greens and has a decent record in Hawaii.

If either of them can get 2010 off to a decent financial start I'll get a personal trainer and dietician but at the end of the day successfully completing any New Year's resolution is really up to yourself and test of mental fortitude. As Buddha said: 'the mind is everything: what you think, you become.'

Unfortunately C N Bovee was probably on the right line when he said: 'No man is happy without a delusion of some kind.'

Happy New Year!

Harry Emanuel