Hume now happily at home as a team player
GLASGOW golfer Barry Hume reckons he used to fly by the seat of his pants as a young amateur.
But the 34-year-old is now hoping a more methodical approach can lead to him jetting off to Los Angeles for this season’s Walker Cup.
Hume was the rising star of the domestic game when he won the Scottish Amateur Championship back in 2001.
But he struggled to scale the heights in the professional ranks and was re-instated as an amateur a few seasons ago.
Hume’s second coming in the unpaid ranks has been highly successful and, after winning last year’s Welsh Open Strokeplay, his efforts were recognised this week when he was named in the GB&I Walker Cup training squad for September’s match with the US in California.
The majority of the 10-man side for the biennial battle will be picked from this 19-man pool and Hume is keen to strike a blow for those working amateurs who juggle full-time employment with top-level competition.
He said: “I was a bit raw when I was younger and I flew by the seat of my pants. I took everything on, I aimed at every pin, I took the driver out on most tees and played in a more gung-ho fashion.
“Now, I’m much more calculated. I do a lot of thinking and I tend to do more mental practice than physical practice. I make sure I go to tour- naments with a clear head. I aim to be a clinical golfer as opposed to making it up as I go along. Getting into the squad is nice recognition of what I’ve done.”
Hume would still “rather win the Amateur Championship than play in the Walker Cup” but, with the benefit of the passing years, he has a new found appreciation for the team environment.
Hume, who has played his way back into the Scotland team for the Home Internationals over the past couple of years, said: “The team comes first. That’s something I have become aware of since returning to the amateur game. A lot of people are selfish about their goals but winning as a team is the most important part of it.
“I’d rather the team won even if I lost every match. That’s maybe a change in me too. When I was younger, I was probably more likely to have wanted to win my match at all times. The team didn’t matter. Now it’s all about the team.”