Local rookie Jordan leads after record round of 63
If you want to know how good you have to be to make it in the professional game these days, consider the example of young Englishman Matthew Jordan.
When the 23-year-old turned pro late last year, he had a handicap of plus seven — at Royal Liverpool, for heaven’s sake! yet it doesn’t guarantee him a game from week to week on the Challenge Tour, much less the European Tour.
When the main circuit pitched up this week in his native North West with the Betfred British Masters at Hillside on the Merseyside coast, it looked like Jordan was going to miss out until a last-minute invitation dropped in his lap on Sunday.
In yesterday’s first round, in just his ninth start as a pro, Jordan showed what a fine prospect he is with a wonderful course-record 63 for a two- shot lead over Londoner Matt Wallace and Swede Marcus Kinhult.
With tournament host Tommy fleetwood clearly relishing the big crowd who braved the chilly conditions to watch him shoot a useful 68, this was a good day for two locals at opposite ends of the spectrum. While the next date in fleetwood’s crammed diary is a trip to New york next week as one of the leading contenders for the uSPGA Championship, Jordan has nothing planned.
Everything would change, of course, with a win here and the £500,000 first prize but he has his feet on the ground. ‘It’s only one round, so there’s no point getting carried away,’ he said. ‘I don’t have any status to play on any tour yet, so that’s the next stage for me. I’m relying on invites at present on the strength of my amateur record, so it is important to do well when I get them.’
Having grown up learning to play the game on one great links course, Jordan has the chance to leave an impression on another here at Hillside. His best finish so far as a pro was 32nd place in the Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews last year.
After several days when fleetwood was outside his comfort zone, making speeches and conducting other ceremonial duties befitting the host, he was back in his element yesterday, inside the ropes. ‘Everyone has done their best to make me feel completely at ease with what I’ve had to do off the course, but playing golf was always going to be the nicest part of the role for me,’ he said.
Elsewhere, Lee Westwood might be twice Jordan’s age but the 46-year-old showed he’s still got plenty of graft and guile with a 66, while defending champion Eddie Pepperell shot 70.