You first came to national prominence with your dis- plays in the 2008 and 2009 Opens. Where does your propensity for links golf come from?
I think it stems from my amateur days. A lot of the bigger championships are played on links courses, plus I always played a lot at Burnham & Berrow and Saunton and Trevose and St. Enodoc – all within easy reach of my home in Bristol and just fantastic courses.
I went down to those places a lot, to the extent that I probably played the majority of my golf on links courses growing up. Apart from my home club, Bristol & Clifton, which is parkland.
So the success I had in the Open comes from all the experience I gained playing a lot of golf by the sea when I was younger.
What kinds of shots do you have that particularly fit links golf?
I love hitting long irons off tees. I’m happy enough to lay back and have a longer shot to the green. The number one rule in links golf is you don’t go in the bunkers. So I hit a lot of 2-irons off tees and go in with 4-iron or 5- iron.
I don’t think taking the risk of hitting driver just to get, say, a 7-iron in is worth it. Plus, I love the variety that comes with links golf. Think about it. You can walk onto the fringe of just about any green on a links, drop your ball anywhere and use any club in the bag to chip with.
That’s the best part of golf for me. Links golf just gives me so many options. My imagination just goes off. It’s just so enjoyable. Far more than hitting lob wedge after lob wedge out of rough.
It’s 95 yards so it must be a lob wedge.
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Exactly. I remember hitting 4-irons from 140 yards out at Birkdale during the 2008 Open. My dad was caddying for me. The wind was strong but it was great fun. And now that I am on the tour I hardly ever do something like that. Which is a shame.
It’s frustrating, particularly for someone like me who loves links golf. Every year I look forward to the few links opportunities we get. I’ll always play in the Scottish Open. The French Open is linksy. I’ll go to Paul Lawrie’s match play event. I love seeing events like that on the schedule.
What are your memories of your two great Opens?
At Birkdale in 2008 I was still an amateur – I was a pro by Turnberry a year later – and I was sharing a room with my then coach, Paul Mitchell. We were staying in a B&B somewhere in Southport and every night we would sit with a copy of a magazine that had a preview of the course.
We studied that and made notes about what we thought I should do on every hole. But my biggest memory is having had my dad on the bag. I’m not sure a father and son had finished in the top five at an Open – or won the Silver Medal – before. But we did it. And that will always be a great memory.
He’s a good player your dad isn’t he?
Yes. He plays off two.
Did he get emotional at any point?
Yes, I think we both did. It was special. And funny in places. I remember I played with Ian Poulter on the last day. Ian holed a great putt – maybe a 20-footer – for par on the 18th green. At the time it could have meant a lot.
We thought he had a chance when he made that putt. But what was funny was watching my dad shake Ian’s hand afterwards. “You’ve got massive bollocks,” he said. I’m not sure what Ian made of that!
That week must have dispelled any doubts you had about turning professional.
Not right away. I was always going to wait for the Walker Cup in 2009. But right after the Open Chubby Chandler invited me to play at Wentworth the following Thursday.
I played with Darren Clarke, Chubby and Chris Mitchell, a friend of mine. Walking down the first – I’ll never for- get this – Darren told me I would be a better player in a year’s time if I turned pro then.
That was what he did. He didn’t wait for the Walker Cup.
That’s right. And that was one of the best pieces of advice I have ever had. He was right. And, having been on tour for eight years myself now, I would advise anyone in a similar position to do the same. What Darren said has been backed up 100 per cent by my own experience.
When did you turn professional?
Officially, maybe four days later. Chubby got me seven invitations to European Tour events. So it was a no brainer. My first event was the Nordea Masters in Sweden. And I ended up getting my card through the school at the end of that year.
That’s quite a big jump. One conversation with Darren was enough to make you forget the Walker Cup.
True. But finishing fifth in the Open created the opportunity for me to turn pro. The offers I would perhaps get would be better than I might have got if I had waited a year. I might not have been playing so well by then. But it wasn’t necessarily to do with offers exactly – I actually didn’t have any [laughs].
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It was more to do with the opportunity to play seven tour events. That gave me a chance to get my card. But at least I would get some great experience before I went to tour school. It was ‘you’ve made a bit of a name for yourself, now’s the time’ sort of thing.
Plus, the Walker Cup remains important but it isn’t as big as it used to be.
True. Since that time I’ve watched guys come on tour after playing in the Walker Cup. And when they get out here playing in that doesn’t matter at all. It means nothing. No one cares about the Walker Cup on tour.
After that 5th place at Birkdale you came even closer to winning at Turnberry in ’09.
I did. Missed the playoff by a shot. The shot that stands out is my second to the last hole. I hit a 9-iron 220 yards out of the semi-rough. It was a real “jumper.” My then- coach, Paul, was standing right behind me, like right down the line. He told me it was the best swing he had ever seen me make. It was a really good shot, headed I thought for the middle of the green. It was a bit like Tom Watson’s later. Anyway, the ball ended up in foot-long grass over the back. It was a very tough shot from there. It came out a bit dead. And I left the putt on the edge. Five. And I hadn’t really hit a bad shot. That really, really, really hurt. I didn’t feel like I deserved that.
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Were you thinking a three would give you a real chance?
I can’t remember exactly what was going through my head. I had birded the 15th and the 17th to finish well. I remember waiting in the Titleist truck down by the range with Stuart Cage, my manager.
As a player you get a feel- ing when it isn’t quite enough, even when those around you are trying to be encouraging. I just knew though.
Dave McNeilly, my caddie, had disappeared. Which wasn’t unusual but there was a chance I could be in a play-off for the Open and he was nowhere to be found.
He was off packing the bag as it turned out. But, deep down, I knew it didn’t really matter. I knew I was going to come up short.
Let’s backtrack a little. Was your way into golf through your dad?
It was. He took me up the club when I was maybe eight or nine.
How tall were you at that point?
Oh, maybe six-foot two [laughs]. I’m kidding. But they wouldn’t allow juniors in until the age of 10. So we sort of snuck out there now and then and hit balls on the range. That sort of thing. I was actually more into my football at the time.
What position did you play?
Centre forward.
Target man?
Yeah. Like Peter Crouch. But a bit better [laughs]. Anyway, Bristol & Clifton let me join when I was about nine-and-a- half.
Was it clear then that you had some talent?
I don’t think so. I just really enjoyed it. There was a group of us, all about the same age and that helped too. We played every day in the summer holidays. Putted for 20p for hours on the practice green. And I’m still friends with all of them.
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We also had a group of older lads who took us under their wing. They were really nice to us, looking back. When I got injured playing football at age 15 I had a lesson with Paul, who told me I had to make a decision about my golf – either do it or not.
That changed my attitude and I have worked my nuts off since. So there were a lot of things that happened to me back then that led to me getting onto the tour.
Your height is pretty striking. You and Robert Karlsson are the tallest guys on the European Tour. What point did you really start to grow? Was it steady or were there some growth spurts in there?
Oh yes, definitely some growth spurts. Around the British Boys event at Conwy in Wales one year I grew an inch- when we realised I was going to be proper lanky. I would be about 16.
My dad was caddying again. And my game went to pieces. No one could work out what was wrong. Not my coach. Not my dad. Not my mum. I couldn’t hit the ball. I was hitting some very strange shots. But it was because I was growing so fast. My body couldn’t keep up. I’m 6-6 now and hopefully I’ve stopped [laughs].
Generally then, is being as tall as you are a problem in your golf?
I think it is. My centre of gravity is a lot higher than most people’s. I feel like I have always had and always will have a lot of moving parts in my swing. I have such long levers too.
That can be an advantage in terms of distance, but it also opens the door to wider shots. My bad shots get exaggerated. I think the ideal height for a golfer is maybe 6-1 or 6-2.
Do you have to make compromises in your swing because of your height?
Not consciously. My clubs are an inch longer than standard and a couple of degrees upright. That’s probably as little as I can get away with. I know Robert Karlsson’s clubs are half-an-inch longer. Which makes sense.
I tend to be off the end of the grip sometimes. But longer clubs just don’t feel right to me. So I’m sticking with what I have equipment-wise. Which is a long way of saying no, I haven’t changed anything else because of my height.
Let’s talk a bit more about your county golf for Gloucestershire. What are your memories of that?
County golf was some of the best days of my life. Every year we played in ‘South-West Week’, all the six counties would show up at St. Enodoc, or Saunton, or Trevose.
It was seven days, 36 holes a day, foursomes in the morning and singles after lunch. The winning team went for- ward to the national finals. When there are 10 lads in the same hotel and they all get on it is brilliant. I first played when I was maybe 16.
Did you have a regular partner?
I had two. Andy Rudge, who is Gloucester captain again now actually. He is one of my best friends and is coming to the Masters this year. And a lad called Paul Reid, who is on the EuroPro Tour.
I’m still friends with so many of the guys I met through county golf. There is just nothing like team golf. There was a lot of rivalry, of course…
Let me stop you before you say anything incriminating – the editor of this magazine is a former captain of Cornwall!
…in view of that all I can say is I think we turned over Cornwall more than they beat us
Who are your mates on tour?
I spend a lot of time with Dave Horsey, Joost Luiten, Jamie Donaldson, Bernd Wiesberger and Shane Lowry. We’re all about the same age, apart from Jamie. But he behaves like a child. So there is a good group.
What is a social life on tour?
Oh, no drinks of course. Pints of squash only [laughs]. But we just go out to dinner. Now and then we go to the cinema. Just normal stuff. Although there was one time we were in a shopping mall in Malaysia.
We found an Adidas store, picked up a ball and started heading it back and forth. Lads stuff. Most times we meet at about 7pm and I’m back in my room for half nine.
How would you describe your swing?
High maintenance. Because of my height again. I’m not sure it helps my golf. And I’m fed up ducking under every door too. My best friend is actually slightly taller than me. So we have shoulders to cry on.
He was in Dubai earlier this year. I think we have heard every smart comment many times by now. “What’s the weather like up there?” That sort of stuff.
My mate actually enjoys some of it. He claims he gets a lot of attention. From the ladies. But I am spoken for. So I can’t comment on that.
What were your finest moments as an amateur?
I won the English Order of Merit twice. I progressed through the squads but was never picked for the England Boys team. It was all Surrey, Cheshire and Yorkshire.
If you came from those places you were going to get picked. That always hurt me. I felt like I performed consistently at boys level, but they would pick guys I had barely heard of ahead of me.
It never leaves you that sort of thing.
No, it doesn’t. I wanted the English rose on my shoes. I had to watch lads walking around flashing their England gear. I’m not sure what they are all doing now. So, in a way, that was a blessing for me.
I was never short of motivation. And I was never complacent. But I would love to have played for the England Boys team. I also won the Russian Amateur and the Welsh Open Amateur.
I had a couple of good runs in the British Amateur too. All of which took me to the England team at the Home Internationals. I played twice in those, I think.
The first was at Baltray in Ireland. Sam Hutsby was my foursomes partner and Danny Willett was in the team too. And Gary Wolstenholme of course.
What kind of qualities did you develop that have made you successful as a pro?
My attitude. At all the training camps I went to there was only me and one other who really wanted it and put the hours in. We were always there. First in the gym at 6.30 in the morning. Nothing was an issue. And that was me and [Danny] Willett.
Looking back now, it was so obvious. If I had been on the outside looking in, I would have picked up on the fact that we were a little different. We wanted it more. I remember doing all the skills tests. We had challenges every day.
They added up on an Order of Merit. I wanted to win it. But other guys didn’t seem bothered. I was trying my nuts off. And I’m sure Dan was the same. He pushed me and I hope I did the same for him.
You are telling me that this amiable, soft-spoken guy I’m talking to is a killer on the course?
I’m very competitive, even if it isn’t immediately obvious. I went bowling at Christmas with a few of my mates. I won that, even though I have barely bowled in my life. Last time I went I had to use the rail. But, yes, I definitely have something in me.
It’s not hating to lose, it’s more wanting to win. I actually think it would help me on tour if I were more outwardly demonstrative. Sometimes I don’t believe in myself enough.
Even though I know that is part of my make-up, I do seem like someone low on confidence. I’ve been told by others that I need to realize how good I am.
Have you talked to a psychologist?
I have a little bit. I’ve started to work with someone at home in Bristol. It’s not quite psychology but it is similar. And it has helped. But my former coach, Paul, really filled that role.
He was great at filling me with confidence. He was always telling me I was way better than some other guys. That really helped me.
You’ve talked a lot about Paul. You’re not with him any more. That must have been a difficult decision.
Oh yes, the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. We were such good friends. I genuinely can’t think of too many other coaches who have taken a 15-handicap 12-year-old to winning on the European Tour.
Has splitting affected your relationship with him?
It was bound to. But I still think he can help me.
He was so much more than a coach. We have never fallen out. But it obviously hurt him and it hurt me too.
Why did you do it?
It got to a stage where we both hit a bit of a dead end. We had 15 years together, which is a long time. No-one else looked at my swing in all that time.
Although I had other coaches telling me things I was doing wrong over the years, Paul always told me to stick with what we were doing. I only listened to him.
It was really, really tough. I spoke to him on a Sunday night after the 2015 Spanish Open in Barcelona. I couldn’t eat or sleep that week. I can’t tell you how difficult it was.
I hope some day he will still be able to help me. I know he can when he feels ready for that. He has certainly built a great reputation as a coach.
You helped his career as well then.
Absolutely. He coaches Jimmy Mullen, who was in the last Walker Cup team. Paul will be able to pass on all he learned coaching me to guys like Jimmy. We went to the Masters together. We shared some amazing times.
How did you decide on Mike Walker and Pete Cowen?
Stuart Cage was always a big supporter of Paul. He believed in him as much as I did. But seeing what Mike has done with Danny [Willett] was part of my decision.
He and I are good friends. And I had a chat with (putting coach) Phil Kenyon, who shares a room with Mike most weeks on tour. He told me that, if I was going to change, Mike and Pete were the best.
Phil has a great relationship with Paul too, so it was never a case of him persuading me. It was my decision. Phil was there to give his opinion only if I had decided to make a change.
Did it make a difference right away?
It did. A new voice by itself gave me a little bit of clarity. And the first week I was with Mike I finished fourth at Wentworth. Then I won a few weeks later. But golf is never that simple. It will bite me again.
I hear you have a mixed set of clubs in your bag. Why is that?
It’s only my irons. I have perimeter weighting in my long irons and the others are standard blades. Everyone needs a bit of help with the long irons [laughs]. That’s the only reason.
If there were no contracts in place, I reckon 90 percent of players on tour would use Mizuno irons. They are things of beauty. The feel and everything about them I love.
Put me in charge of the tour and it would be compulsory for a pro to be able to hit a 3-iron.
I couldn’t agree more. I have this conversation with Thomas Aiken. I think he and I might be the only players on tour still carrying a 2-iron. All that hybrid crap; I’m not into any of that.
The European Tour looks to be embarking on an era of significant change. Where do you stand on that?
I love playing the European Tour. I’m a homeboy. If you’re going to play the PGA Tour you have to live in America. I don’t want to do that. So that’s that for me. I’d rather be home with Bethany than out on the PGA Tour week after week.
Where would you like to see the tour in five years’ time?
I don’t think we can ever compete with the PGA Tour financially. But we have so much to offer. I’d like to see fewer events. I’d like to see a more European-heavy schedule. And a season running from the Desert Swing in January to maybe a November finish.
Do you feel good enough to win a major?
I think so. But I need a bit of help with the belief side of things. I’ve proved that I have the game to compete at that level. Now it’s a case of getting more experience in those events.
I’ve played in the Open a few times now. But I’ve only been to one Masters and three or four PGAs. And this year will be my first US Open. So playing in them more can only help.
