Luke's US Open blog

"The prize for winning the US Open is a lot better than just the money. When we're out on the course, we don't think 'this putt is worth $20,000'. We're just trying our best to make every shot count towards winning the tournament – and the US Open is one of the biggest there is.

Don't get me wrong, the prize money is a fantastic bonus but for me right now, the extra ranking points you get for winning a Major are what's really important, because I am so eager to make the Ryder Cup team. My long-term aim in golf is to make my way up the rankings, win tournaments and hopefully challenge Tiger one day. But at the moment, I'm concentrating on getting the points to make the team for Valhalla. I definitely believe I can do it.

I've played quite well in the last few weeks and I know I am near the level of ranking points I need for automatic selection. But we are now getting to the time of year where there are a lot of big events and points to gain, so I'll be going all out to get as many as I can, starting at Torrey Pines.

In my latest tour event, the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village, I got off to a good start and was right up with the leaders, but I didn't play as well as I would have liked over the weekend and had to settle for sixth. I feel that I am not quite hitting the 100 per cent mark just yet but, even so, I have had chances to win and that has to be a good sign.

The Honda Classic, where I finished second to Ernie Els by a single shot, was my best chance to win this season, although I also had a decent chance early in the season at the Northern Trust Open at Los Angeles, where I came third. I also had a good finish at the PGA Championship at Wentworth, so there are signs that the hard work on my swing and all the practice I am doing is starting to pay off. I'm seeing some results, but I would love to turn those second and third places into wins – time will tell.

I like Torrey Pines – I've played in the Buick Championship there several times and finished runner-up on a couple of occasions. It's always good to be going to a Major on a course you are familiar with and where you have had some success. You more or less know what to expect, and although the course will have changed a little bit and the pin positions will be different, the basic layout will still be the same.

It's a tough course, with several difficult holes, such as the 4th – a long par four along the coast. I am sure Torrey Pines will be playing long and narrow as before, with lots of rough around the fairways.

The greens will still play a huge part in deciding the tournament, because the Poa Annua grass used there can make them less than easy to read – the surface can be a little bit uneven and the ball doesn't stay glued to the ground as much. We'll all have to concentrate hard on our putting, and focus on picking the right lines, getting a solid strike and a good roll on the ball.

Fortunately my putting is going really well at the moment. The PGA Tour statistics show that I'm ninth in putting average and second in putts per round. That is really pleasing. I am not obsessive about the statistics, the 'tour stats', but I do keep an eye on them throughout the year as it's a good way to figure out your strengths and weaknesses,

I would much rather look at the stats on driving accuracy and hitting greens in regulation, and unfortunately mine are not too good this year. So at Torrey Pines, the tournament will come down to how well I drive off the tee. With my putting going as good as it is, if I can keep the ball on the fairway and play well around the greens, I feel I must have a chance come Sunday."