It’s time for another NCG best and worst, this time with Matthew Southgate.
Matthew Southgate: A Bio
The highlight of an impressive amateur career was victory at the 2010 St Andrews Links Trophy. He turned professional shortly after an aborted attempt to study and further his golfing education at college in Illinois, America. In 2011 he returned home to try his luck on the Challenge Tour in 2011, and after making a good impression on the second tier, made it through the Qualifying School that year. Matt was first inspired to take up the game after watching videos of the late, great Spaniard Seve Ballesteros winning the Open Championship at St Andrews in 1984.
Southgate provided one of the stories of the season in 2015, a year which saw him return to the European Tour through the Qualifying School four months after being diagnosed with testicular cancer.
He returned to action in early September and subsequently came through all three stages of the Qualifying School, taking the sixth card at the Final Stage. Admitted it had been a tough time for his family – his niece was also suffering from leukaemia – but was delighted to have another chance on the top tier, having lost his card in his rookie season in 2012 and 2013.
The man from Southend-on-sea finished tied for 12th at the 2016 Open Championship at Troon, and had a lucrative 4th place finish in Dubai earlier in the year to pick up a cheque for £200,000.
We spoke to Matt at the Farmfoods British par 3 Championship.
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