Young Hoylake golfer Matt Jordan has followed in the footsteps of some of the greatest names in golf by winning the Hampshire Hog amateur tournament.
The 20 year-old Royal Liverpool Golf Club player won the prestigious event by four shots, to put his name on a trophy won in the past by stars like Justin Rose, Sandy Lyle and Sir Michael Bonallack.
His victory on Sunday was marked by a tweeted message from former US Open winner Rose.
Congratulations @matthew_jordan7 on winning the #HampshireHog today. A great event with some great past champs!!! 🏆 @EnglandGolf
— Justin Rose (@JustinRose99) April 17, 2016
Wirral-born Matt, who grew up in West Kirby and now lives in Hoylake, has been hitting golf balls ever since he could walk, and comes from something of a sporting dynasty.
His father Andy has been club champion at Royal Liverpool on a number of occasions, while his grandfather Tony was once captain of Wallasey Golf Club, the highest ranked badminton player in England and a Commonwealth Games silver medalist.
Says Matt: “I started playing golf when I was three or four, and became a member here at Royal Liverpool as soon as I was old enough, when I was seven. My handicap was 18 when I was nine, and has kept coming down ever since.”
His handicap after his weekend exploits is a daunting +4, which means that unlike most amateur players whose handicap gives them a number of shots against the course, Matt actually starts with a four shot disadvantage.
Matt has been able to throw all his energies into playing amateur golf circuit since completing his A levels at Calday Grange Grammar School.
“I got an offer from Leeds University to study sports psychology. My Dad wanted me to get that behind me, but then offered me the opportunity to try playing on the amateur circuit.
“My granddad has a place in Spain so I can go there to play through the winter. If you don’t play all year you aren’t really giving yourself the best chance.”
Since coming back from Spain and starting his second year on the circuit, Matt’s form has been impressive. He tied for sixth in his first tournament, the Duncan Putter in South Wales, before winning the coveted Hampshire Hog, at North Hants Golf Club in Fleet.
“I knew when I was out in Spain that I was shooting good scores and playing well. I was just hoping I could transfer that to a competition.”
After shooting a 67 in the morning round, Matt found himself tied for the lead, and realised he was in with a chance of winning.
But when he shot a triple bogey seven on the sixth hole in the afternoon, driving into trees and then thinning his approach shot into a bunker, the pressure was on.
“Experience tells in those situations,” recalls Matt. “I knew I was playing well and said to myself it was just a one off.
“I then made a couple of pars and then on 10 I sank a 25 foot putt for birdie. That gives you momentum. I had four birdies in a 31 coming home.”
His two under par 68 for the afternoon was enough to seal his triumph by a comfortable four shots.
The victory has got his season off to a flying start, but there is no let up in his eight hours a day training regime as he practices for his next challenge, The Lytham Trophy at Royal Lytham.
“Winning the Hampshire Hog takes a bit of pressure off me in one way, but in another it raises my own expectations of what I can do, and puts pressure on me,” he says.
Later this year he will be playing in the St Andrews Links, the British Amateur, the European Amateur and the Brabazon. His next targets are to qualify for the England A squad and get into the ranks of the top 500 amateur golfers in the world. After Sunday’s win he is now ranked 880 in the world.
“I am taking my golf a year at a time and a competition at a time. I would love to be selected for the Walker Cup.”
This amateur version of the Ryder Cup returns to the Royal Liverpool in 2019, and it would clearly be an extraordinary moment for him if he could take part.
And will he ever join the professional ranks? “I would love to play golf for a living one day, but I am taking it one step at a time,” says Matt.
Matt has been champion at Royal Liverpool for the last two years. The club is passionate about the amateur game, with the proud boast that the only three amateurs who have ever won the Open were all Hoylake members.
And it is certainly offering tremendous support to Matt. “I couldn’t do it without the club’s support,” he says. “You have to treat it as a job, Monday to Friday, 8-5 – though I play to 6 or 6.30pm.
“I have to work really hard and make a few sacrifices with my friends and doing other stuff.
“But there is nothing I like to do more than pitch up to a big competition, stepping onto the first tee amongst these really good players. It gives me a buzz inside.
“That’s why I practice so much, so I can play against some of the best amateurs in the world.”
Follow Matt Jordan’s own golf blog here.