Above: The 2017 Walker Cup opening ceremony
Below: Some of the
supporters who followed Matt from Hoylake to Los Angeles
matches I couldn’t really spend that much time with my mates who’d come over to support me and family as the team did everything as a group so that took priority. I saw them for a bit after the practice round on Friday, but it was all pretty brief.
A question from Jim Saunders: Did you think about turning professional after the Walker Cup and what made you decide to continue as an amateur? One of the things I learned was that I wasn’t ready to turn pro just yet. I still
felt a bit loose in areas of my game in a pressurised environment and reckoned another year of experiences like the Walker Cup wouldn’t hurt me. I also learnt how good it was to play in front of cameras and spectators. It was a feeling that
I will remember forever and it’s
one I want to have over and over again. I experienced a U.S Open style of golf with quick greens and Bermuda rough which hopefully in the future will help me out. I also realised that there are lots of decisions to make - for example, like choosing a management company - which need a lot of thought and I just hadn’t had the time to consider everything. If I do take the professional route it will all have to be really well planned.
The Match is here at Hoylake in 2019. Do you think about it? Might it influence any decisions you make in the near future? Now I’ve experienced it I think the best thing for me now is turning pro when I feel completely ready irrespective of the Walker Cup. I know the Club would love a home grown player at their own Walker Cup - however now I’ve experienced it I have to look to the future. The experience
8 ROYAL LIVERPOOL GOLF CLUB MAGAZINE 2018–2019
The Walker Cup was the best experience I’ve had by a mile so far
would be out of this world and one that would easily top my 2017 Walker Cup, but I have to ask myself if it is worth another amateur year just for that? Maybe if I win the British Amateur then I’ll have no choice but to stay amateur for 2019.
Where does Royal Liverpool figure in the Matt Jordan story so far? No matter how well or badly I do from this point on, I will always hold the Club in my highest regards. The support I receive is overwhelming, and just to have my own dinner like this one is surreal as I never thought that many people would want to come to it! So whatever happens from now on this will always be my number one Club.
Finally, a question from John Hall: “Many successful sportsmen and sportswomen, usually natural athletes, excel at more than one sport. Do you think you could have been a better badminton player than your grandfather, Tony, and do you regard him as a natural athlete?” I don’t think he was a natural athlete as badminton is a minority sport, and even more so back when he played because there were only about 10 badminton players in the world! Joking aside, if you play for England over 100 times, receive an MBE and win a silver medal in the Commonwealth Games I
think you
can safely class him as an amazing and natural talent. n
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