Hopeful Adam’s eyes on the pies
QUALIFIER Adam Hodkinson thinks he has the recipe for success as he digests the prospect of playing in his first Open Championship – his favourite meat and potato pie, baked by his girlfriend Lucy’s mum, Sarah.
The plan is to feast on that the night before he attempts to take a bite out of Royal Birkdale.
Hodkinson, 28, is certainly ready for the greatest golfing event of the year after qualifying at nearby Hillside and earning his place among the world’s best players.
He said: “I’ll be ready. Lucy’s mum will make sure of that with her meat and potato pie – I love it.
“I will try and get an early night because it will be a long, tiring day on Thursday.
“I might not get much sleep with everything going through my head.”
Hodkinson has had a huge helping hand from a member at the club he is attached to – Chorlton, on the outskirts of Manchester.
There, Phil Woolley and two of his pals are sponsoring him for the year and handing him a valuable pot of £36,000.
That has taken the pressure off him financially to leave him relaxed enough to concentrate on winning the biggest pay-day of his life – if he can make the cut.
And Hodkinson believes he can as he books into his temporary rented home today ready to do battle with defending champion Henrik Stenson and the rest of the star-studded field.
Hodkinson said: “I would be happy with top 20 but my aim is to shoot four 68s and finish top 10. “And why not? “I feel confident and I like the course after playing a practice round for the first time on Thursday.
“It suits my game. I feel like I will be all right.
“Obviously, I will have nerves on the first tee but I am going to Royal Birkdale with a big positive.
“I will be comfortable in that high-pressure situation.
“I have just got to go and play my game.
“It doesn’t matter whether you are playing the Manchester Alliance or The Open.
“If you post a good score you will be there.
“I will try not to get too carried away looking at the other players around me and just thinking, ‘wow’.
“I just have to concentrate on playing my own game to be truthful.
“After working full-time in the golf shop at Chorlton last year and earning extra with golf lessons, this is hopefully going to be a life-changer.”