‘You’ve got to be able to kick a man while he’s down’
David Howell has played on two winning European Ryder Cup teams – in 2004 and 2006 – and has delivered three-and-a-half points from a possible five over those two matches.
So there aren’t many people better to bend the ear of when it comes to working out how you win a matchplay battle.
Steve Carroll went to meet the Golfbreaks ambassador to do just that…
A Life in Golf: Ryder Cup
‘You wait two years for the Ryder Cup then you can’t wait for it to be over’
‘You don’t sleep at night thinking about the first shot’
Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.