MAGAZINE
I was fully in when I was playing but I was also doing well with my cricket pretty much until that point and was at Middlesex and was passionate about rugby and football before that. Whenever we play with one of the England cricketers in a pro-am or something, my caddie always winds me up by telling them they’re lucky I ended up focusing on golf! I was obviously decent at golf, but it was a selection thing at Middlesex that left me thinking I would be better off in a sport where I can really take care of my own business and not worry about what anyone else does or thinks. It is something you must navigate in youth golf too but from that point on, golf was my focus.
I learnt so much at Jacksonville State. I had a great time and loved the amount of time you were able to dedicate to golf. Long days with early starts in the gym, experiencing a different lifestyle and being independent. The issue was that before too long I was the best player there and I wanted to be working towards that really and be pushed. At the end of my first year there were some big opportunities with England, so I decided to come home then to aim for that. I’m still in touch with the golf programme at Jacksonville State and try to help them in any way I can.
Both of my parents were PE teachers. My mum played hockey to a high standard, and my dad played club rugby for teams like Wasps and Rosslyn Park and Broughton Park in Manchester. In that era, he played against some of the greats. They both instilled an attitude in me that if we were doing something, to try hard and be as good as possible. They’ve had a great attitude to my golf. They’re huge supporters of me and it’s not actually possible to overplay how important that was to what I have been able to go on to achieve. I’m so grateful to them. It took me a few years once I turned pro too but they challenged me and backed me in equal measure.
You can only really know how it all ties together and see where good play can take you. I had a great year on the Alps Tour in 2016 that earned me Challenge Tour status for the following season. Then I won the fourth event of the year – the Open de Portugal – and it was co-sanctioned with the European Tour (now DP World Tour), and I was exempt there and playing the US Open at Erin Hills a few weeks later. I reached the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings at the end of 2018, thanks to another three wins on the DP World Tour, and that got me into tournaments on the PGA Tour like Arnold Palmer and the Players. I had a sixth place at Bay Hill and finished third at the PGA Championship and 12th at the US Open that year and that was enough to get me a full PGA Tour card for 2020. It sounds simple but it still takes a bit of doing! The route is a little different now with the changes in the world rankings and the DP World Tour getting 10 cards.
I think it all comes easily until you have that bit more experience and that bit more knowledge. Mentally, it’s a unique sport. You work hard and there are still no guarantees or things that you can control and that’s a real challenge to accept at times. It is lonely when it’s not going well because ultimately it comes down to you but that’s also a great position to be in. Even when I’m not happy with where my game is, the opportunities still excite me, and I can’t wait to get to work.
Wentworth – it’s my home club. The West Course is such a great challenge and I love playing there.
Augusta – I’m not sure you’d ever get tired of playing there. The design, the conditioning. I can’t wait to get back there.
TPC Sawgrass – again a great design. We’re lucky to be able to use the TPC courses across the US and the practice facilities here are just off the charts. The course itself is a clever and demanding test. I love it.
It’s quite a tough one to answer and not one I have given lots of thought. I suppose making a good career out of golf is something to be proud of, considering 2016 was my third year on the Alps Tour and I was thinking about other jobs. To be at that point and to achieve what I have is cool. You’re so involved in the week to week that that is something I should give myself a bit of credit for.
Again, not easy. Most of the tournaments I play have 132 or 156 players and there are probably only three guys that come away from that happy, so we must understand and get our heads around that and what success or a positive week really means. I’ve had lows in my game. I was gutted to miss the Ryder Cup in 2018 and that drives me on still. I was playing well at that point though and I think it’s probably the times where you just feel lost with it. The effort and the thought are there but it’s hard to see light at the end of the tunnel. They’re real challenges and it’s great to come through the other side.
My dad is from Manchester and is a United fan so that’s my excuse. I always say that, as well as the competitiveness, I have my dad to thank for passing on a love for United and Phil Collins! At The Open Championship in 2023 at Royal Liverpool, I did get a few good natured heckles about United which was good fun.
When the British Masters was at Hillside in 2019, they did a Hero Challenge next to the Mersey and I did consider wearing a United shirt but was talked out of it.
It’s an interesting dynamic to think of and there are always things that are fascinating to me about team sports that might not apply to what I’m trying to do. When I was a kid I was hard on my team-mates because I couldn’t get my head around why they weren’t trying like I was. I’m good friends with the England rugby player Ben Spencer and those guys are so different to the average golfer. It’s all about the team and they don’t take criticism personally at all. I’m always fascinated to quiz people I play with in pro-ams about their lives and when it’s a footballer or even a United player, I have a lot of questions. I am passionate about it but it’s more of a great distraction than anything else.
In the gym but never on the range.
He’s built a great career and I feel there’s more there for him. Our paths hadn’t really crossed until the Team Cup at the start of 2025 but he was a great team-mate in that event in Abu Dhabi and is funny. He’s obviously very proud of his association with Hoylake and the support he gets.
If you’re a member of Royal Liverpool you’re (probably!) pretty good but I would still ask you to think, during your next round, how often are you long? I play a lot of pro-ams and the main thing I notice is that amateurs never take enough club. Someone like my dad might hit his seven iron 160 yards once every couple of years but that’s still the club he’ll pull from that distance. Take one or two extra and aim for the middle of the green and you’ll improve your score, no doubt about it.