SOUTHPORT - English amateur Chris Wood, who is being dubbed 'Tiger Wood' after his extraordinary performance at the British Open, has ruled out an early move into the professional ranks.
SOUTHPORT - English amateur Chris Wood, who is being dubbed 'Tiger Wood' after his extraordinary performance at the British Open, has ruled out an early move into the professional ranks.
The 20-year-old finished tied for firth place with US Ryder Cup star Jim Furyk in a display that evoked memories of Justin Rose's fourth place as a 17-year-old amateur on the same Royal Birkdale course in 1998.
Rose immediately turned professional but Wood, who would have picked up a cheque for £170000 pounds (about R2,6 million) as a pro, has no plans to follow suit in the short term.
"I haven't had any time to think about anything so far," he said.
"I'm not thinking about turning professional, I'm just going to have a few weeks off.
"It has been the best week of my life. I didn't feel any pressure at all really, apart from the first tee. I tried to play one shot at a time, which is obviously a lot harder to do than say, but I managed it quite well."
Wood was a talented footballer who was on track to become a professional with Bristol City before he suffered a knee injury. The switch to golf has proved astute, however, and it seems only a matter of time before he joins Rose in the professional ranks.
l Collated final top scores from the British Open (a- denotes amateur): 283 - Padraig Harrington (Ireland) 74-68-72-69; 287 - Ian Poulter (England) 72-71-75-69;
289 - Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 76-72-70-71, Greg Norman (Australia) 70-70-72-77;
290 - Jim Furyk (USA) 71-71-77-71, Chris Wood (England -a) 75-70-73-72. - Sapa-AFP
Chris Wood not ready to go pro
SOUTHPORT - English amateur Chris Wood, who is being dubbed 'Tiger Wood' after his extraordinary performance at the British Open, has ruled out an early move into the professional ranks.
SOUTHPORT - English amateur Chris Wood, who is being dubbed 'Tiger Wood' after his extraordinary performance at the British Open, has ruled out an early move into the professional ranks.
The 20-year-old finished tied for firth place with US Ryder Cup star Jim Furyk in a display that evoked memories of Justin Rose's fourth place as a 17-year-old amateur on the same Royal Birkdale course in 1998.
Rose immediately turned professional but Wood, who would have picked up a cheque for £170000 pounds (about R2,6 million) as a pro, has no plans to follow suit in the short term.
"I haven't had any time to think about anything so far," he said.
"I'm not thinking about turning professional, I'm just going to have a few weeks off.
"It has been the best week of my life. I didn't feel any pressure at all really, apart from the first tee. I tried to play one shot at a time, which is obviously a lot harder to do than say, but I managed it quite well."
Wood was a talented footballer who was on track to become a professional with Bristol City before he suffered a knee injury. The switch to golf has proved astute, however, and it seems only a matter of time before he joins Rose in the professional ranks.
l Collated final top scores from the British Open (a- denotes amateur): 283 - Padraig Harrington (Ireland) 74-68-72-69; 287 - Ian Poulter (England) 72-71-75-69;
289 - Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 76-72-70-71, Greg Norman (Australia) 70-70-72-77;
290 - Jim Furyk (USA) 71-71-77-71, Chris Wood (England -a) 75-70-73-72. - Sapa-AFP