Life-changing week has left Locke facing a big decision
Teenager wins Silver Medal as best amateur Scot had planned to play in Walker Cup next year
In a week full of potentially lifechanging moments, Sam Locke saved the best for the very end.
Strolling down the 18th fairway, the young Scot ambled on to the final green to one of the home crowd’s biggest cheers of the week. “You will never forget an experience like that,” the 19-year-old said.
He will not forget much about these past four days, when he showed maturity beyond his years to become the winner of the Silver Medal as the Open’s best amateur.
For three and a half rounds, Locke played golf that would have left Paul Lawrie, his mentor and Open winner here in 1999, with a smile of pride etched on his face.
Locke showed power and imagination, and it was only at the end of the last day that he finally began to tire, recording five bogeys and a double bogey on the last nine holes. “Obviously the back nine was not what I wanted,” he said. “But overall, I am really pleased to be here, just for a start playing in the tournament, let alone making the cut and doing reasonably well.”
Once the adrenalin has dissipated, Locke, from Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, will have a decision to make about his future. The guidance of Lawrie will no doubt prove invaluable, as will the input of his father, Andrew, a professional who served as his son’s caddie last week.
Before the tournament, Locke had no intentions of immediately turning professional and was targeting an appearance at next year’s Walker Cup, the biennial amateur team competition. His Open performance may have shifted the landscape, though, and it is clear that the teenager has no shortage of ambition to match his obvious talent.
“Honestly, if I can just keep working hard and doing what I am doing, there is no reason why I can’t become a big name,” he said. “I was wanting to make the Walker Cup next year. This is obviously a slightly different thought in my mind. We need to sit and have a proper think about this. Right now, we just need to enjoy the situation we are in. It will be a few days before we come to a decision.”
First, he will return to Lawrie’s golf centre in Aberdeen, where he works as a barista. In a quiet moment, he might be tempted to consult the history books to see what paths have been taken by previous
winners of the Silver Medal. Their trajectories are markedly mixed, and Locke will know that professional success is not guaranteed.
The encouragement will be found in the names of those who have gone on to greatness. Tiger Woods was the best-performing amateur in 1996, while Justin Rose managed it in 1998. In 2007, here in Carnoustie, it was Rory Mcilroy. Between them, that trio arrived in Scotland having won 19 major championships. “It is really nice to know you are in the company of some of the great names in golf,” Locke said. “It’s a great feeling.”
The concern is that for every Mcilroy, there is a player who never reached the promised heights. David Dixon, the Silver Medal winner in 2001, is now the world No1,103. Stuart Wilson, the 2004 winner, never turned professional because he doubted he would be good enough. Lloyd Saltman, the current world No 2,036, needed three years to win his European Tour card. Marius Thorp simply lost his motivation for the game.
Perhaps in 10 years, Locke will be in that list. Perhaps not.
Either way, these players will always have their Open triumphs, their moment in the spotlight at British golf’s biggest tournament, and Locke will always have his.
“You never get this in amateur golf,” he said. “All the media, the fans, just the magnitude of the tournament is a new experience for me and one I have thoroughly enjoyed. Hopefully, in the future, it will stand me in good stead.
“I have learnt on the golf course how to deal with myself in front of lots of people and the cameras. But I felt I would enjoy it. You are expecting a lot of people here, but I felt I would enjoy that more because I saw it as a chance to show people what I could do.”