He signalled his arrival at the Open championship with an astonishing first round of 65 and, while he was unable to repeat his opening day heroics, Tom Lewis played impeccably well over the remaining three days to win the prize for the leading amateur.The 20-year-old looked composed playing alongside previous major-winners Tom Watson and then Phil Mickelson. He looked every bit a professional, complete with a shirt decorated with sponsors' logo.
He is still an amateur, though, and will not receive any prize money, but presumably, the experience of playing so well in arguably the biggest golf competition in the world would have been ample compensation.
Lewis, who was eligible for the Open after winning a local qualifying session at Rye Golf Club, must now make a decision on what he does next with his career.
Prior to the Open, he intended to remain an amateur for the next two months and play in the Walker Cup for Great Britain and Ireland against the United States.
He would also participate in the English Amateur Championship, the Home Internationals, the European Amateur and the US Amateur - all competitions that would continue his education in golf.
However, playing with the professionals may have turned his head somewhat and it would not be a surprise to see him join the elite ranks within the next few days.
There is no doubt that Lewis has confidence in his own ability, judging from the way he managed himself over the past four days.
Yet he also showed signs that he is still learning - his eight at the par five 14th hole for instance.
He could also do with a reminder of just how tough life on tour can be and need look no further than Justin Rose for an example.
In 1998, Rose thrived in the Open at Royal Birkdale and picked up the Silver Medal. A week later he joined the professional ranks, but then missed 21 consecutive cuts.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Rio Ferdinand Robert Allenby Roberto Ayala Robin Soderling Robin Van Persie
No comments:
Post a Comment