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| Career
History |
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AMATEUR
YEARS
I started swinging clubs
after watching my father play from about the
age of six. I didn't really take up the game
seriously until I was around 10 years old. I
joined the junior section at our local golf
club, the Herefordshire Golf Club, where my
dad was a member. My first handicap, 56! I actually
remember my first medal competition, the Junior
Organiser cut my handicap by 6 shots and I recall
being very chuffed!
Steadily improving as a junior, I won numerous
trophies at club and county level on my way
to playing for the County Boys Team and then
the Men's Team. In 1992 I was selected for the
Welsh Boys side to play in the European Team
Championships in Conwy, North Wales. With a
good showing in that event and later in the
year the Boys Home Internationals at Royal Mid-Surrey,
I gained a spot to represent Great Britain and
Ireland Boys versus Europe. I was very proud
to finish my Junior Career on such a high note.
Youth and Mens International Golf was now my
goal as I had turned 18. Also my handicap did
not really match my record as I was off 2 when
I had played in the GB&I Boys side. So my
target was to get my handicap into plus figures
and to play Men's Golf for Wales. 1993 was a
quiet year; I managed to play Youth Golf but
failed to gain a spot in the Men's Team. However
the next few years would prove to be more successful.
I made a steady climb through the Men's Amateur
ranks, playing Home Internationals for Wales
in 1994,95,96 and 97, with European Team Championships
spots in 1995 and 97. Solid performances in
all the team competitions, combined with good
results in the main amateur events, including
my proudest moment in my amateur career, winning
the Brabazon Trophy (The English Open Strokeplay)
by three shots from a strong field which included
such names as Sergio Garcia and Geoff Ogilvy,
enabled me to secure a place in the Walker Cup
side, which is the goal of any budding amateur.
I am sorry to say that we did lose the Walker
Cup to America that year but it was a fantastic
experience nonetheless.
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CHALLENGE TOUR YEARS
After
reaching the pinnacle of Amateur Golf, The Walker
Cup, I felt it was the right time to turn Professional
and try to live out my dream of playing on the
European Tour. So I entered the European Tour
Qualifying School. As I was an amateur I had
to go to what they call "Stage 2"
which is basically a Pre-Qualifying Event for
the Tour School. I played very well at Pals
Golf Club and finished second which comfortably
got me to San Roque and "Tour School".
Things did not go well at Q School and I missed
the cut, which meant I would not play on the
European Tour in 1998, but I would have to cut
my teeth on the Challenge Tour, a stepping-stone
to where I wanted to be.
Life is fairly tough on the Challenge Tour.
The tournaments are small and so are the prize
funds, so it's pretty tough to make a living,
as you still have quite large expenses due to
the traveling as, just like the main tour, the
events are all around Europe. I needed to find
some sponsorship and with the help of my long
time coach and very good friend David Llewellyn,
I came up with a "Share Scheme". I
was looking for Shareholders to buy one or more
shares and in return they would receive a percentage
of my prize money. The scheme went well, I sold
shares to friends, family and businesses. It
was a wonderful way for me to raise the money
needed to enable me to play for the full season
on the Challenge Tour and I am forever grateful
to those people who helped me start my career
as a professional golfer.
So in my first year as a European Challenge
Tour Professional, I traveled as far a field
as Kenya and as close to home as Kent. I made
more cuts than I missed, had 3 Top 10's and
also won my first tournament as a Professional,
The Rolex Trophy Pro-Am in Geneve, Switzerland,
where I beat the Swede Per Nyman in a sudden
death play-off with a birdie at the 1st. Not
a bad start to my Pro career, I finished 29th
on the Order of Merit, but I had fallen short
of my goal of finishing in the Top 15 on the
Order of Merit which would have given me automatic
exemption to the European Tour. This meant I
would have to go to back to dreaded "Tour
School" again.
The Tour School is such a difficult tournament.
We play 6 rounds over 2 different courses under
the most intense pressure. It is a long and
arduous week and if you are not on your game
it is almost impossible. That was the case for
me; I played poorly, which meant that 1999 would
be spent on the Challenge Tour. I was evermore
determined to break through to the main tour
and with the renewed backing from my shareholders
I was going to come out guns blazing in 1999.
And that I did, after 10 tournaments of the
season I had a win under my belt at the Oki
Challenge in Spain and was leading the Order
of Merit. Then came a dilemma, there was an
opportunity to play in a European Tour event.
The Morocco Open had opened its entries to the
Challenge Tour, as it was on the same week as
the US Open and they did not have a full field.
I did not know whether I should go and play,
I was leading the Order of Merit and in sight
of my life long goal of becoming a full member
of the European Tour. It would be great to play
in my first ever main tour event but would it
detract from my goal for the season? I got straight
onto the phone to Lu-Lu (David Llewellyn) to
ask him what he thought. He backed up what I
had initially thought; it couldn't get in the
way of the Challenge Tour Season. Well as there
was no event on the Challenge Tour that week
I suggested I should play, he said "What
happens if you finish Top 10 and they offer
you a spot the following week, as you have a
tournament that week?" I laughed and said
"That will be a nice problem to have!'
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EUROPEAN TOUR YEARS
About
two weeks later I was on a buggy on my way back
to the 18th tee of the King's Course in Agidir,
Morrocco, having tied for the lead in the Morrocco
Open (my first ever Tour Event) and about to
start a play off with Miguel-Angel Martin. Miguel
Vidour, the tournament director asked me if
I would like to accept the "Top 10 Exemption"
to next week's event, I started to smile! Lu-Lu
wouldn't be happy but I was going to give next
week a go too! After six holes of the sudden
death playoff I lost out to Miguel. I was so
disappointed to lose as I had played so well
all week and not quite finished the job off
but pleased with my first showing on the "Big
Boys Tour".
The Compaq European Grand Prix at Slaley Hall
was my next port of call. It was great to be
playing in a Main Tour Event in the UK and it
meant I would spend my 25th Birthday close to
home. My fabulous form continued at Slaley,
I opened with rounds of 67 and a course record
equaling 65 to have a two shot lead going into
the weekend. Despite another solid round of
two under par 70 on Saturday, I had been caught
at the top of the leader board by David Carter
and would battle it out with him in the same
two ball on Sunday.
Conditions on Sunday
were cold, wet and windy, vastly different from
the previous three. I struggled to start with
and dropped a few shots on the front nine, it
wasn't a pleasant feeling after playing so well
for the past weeks it was even more unsettling
to play poorly. However, I did knuckle down
and started playing better by the turn. A big
shot for me was when I played a great recovery
on the 10th. I under estimated the strength
of the cross wind off the tee and hit it in
a copse of trees. I then hit a fantastic low
hook with an 8 Iron on the back edge of the
green and made a par. It was crucial as I was
neck and neck with David Carter. I then went
onto birdie 11 and 14 to be tied with David
for lead. A good two putt on 16, holing my second
putt from 7 feet left us still tied going down
the last. David hit his tee shot into the rough,
while I hit the fairway with my 3 wood. David
played first missing the green short and to
the right. I safely found the green with my
5 wood leaving myself about a 30 footer. David
played a great chip to about 5 feet, the pressure
was on! My first putt shaved the hole and went
3 feet past. David putted and horse shoed out!
I didn't waste any time and went through my
putting routine and struck the ball purely.
It dived in the left edge of the hole. I had
secured my first victory on the European Tour.
I remember looking over at the massive leader
board by the 18th green just to make sure I
was at the top and sure enough I was.
Slaley Hall does seem a long time ago and having
been on tour for 9 consecuative years now I
suppose it is. I have thoroughly enjoyed my
time on tour. I have had my fair share of ups
and downs. Fortunately I have had far more good
years than bad. I have lost my playing rights
once, which was 2001, however I went back to
Tour School and finished 14th to keep my job
for 2002. Since then I have finished in the
Top 115 every year with my best finish on the
Order of Merit being 56th in 2004. I have come
close to winning a number of times since 1999
but never quite got passed the winning post.
My best chance of claiming my second tour victory
was in the Spanish Open in 2005. I was beaten
by French player Christan Ceaver, who actually
holed two shots from the fairway in the last
round to pip me by one! I will have more chance
to win in the coming years and I will make sure
I take one sooner rather than later!
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