Bairstow is quick to get in the swing of playing in Far East

AFTER a lay-off of four weeks, rookie Sam Bairstow is looking to pick up where he left off as the DP World Tour resumes in Japan today.

The 25-year-old leftie from Hallowes Golf Club in south Sheffield has acclimatised admirably to life on the top circuit, particularly during the Asian Swing which continues with the ISPS Handa Invitational in Gotemba and at next week’s Volvo China Open.

Bairstow enjoyed a red-hot March, finishing 15th in South Africa and then beginning the fourtournament Asian Swing with a solo third at the Porsche Singapore Classic and a tied-13th at the Hero Indian Open.

Before that, three top-25 finishes have helped him climb inside the top 200 in the world and to 31st on the Race to Dubai order of merit. Bairstow lies sixth on the mini Asian rankings, with a host of rewards for a strong finish on offer, including an exemption into next month's U.S. PGA Championship at Valhalla for the top three.

"I think I have been playing quite nicely all year, [so] it was nice to see a couple of good results,” said Bairstow.

"After three rounds in Bahrain and Qatar I was around the top 10 but couldn't quite [find my best] in the final round. There has obviously been some progress since, learning from those two weeks. Results in Singapore and India have certainly been a big confidence boost for me.

"I feel my game is in pretty decent shape so if I get to Japan and China and the courses suit my eye then hopefully I can put together one or two more good results and finish in the top three (on the Asian Swing rankings).

"It would be great to get into the top 100 and then the top 50," he explains.

"Obviously that is hard but if you have a good year this year and manage to get one of the PGA Tour cards then I think that is very doable over the next two to three years."

Already one of the longest hitters on Tour, Bairstow has been working hard on his putting together with long-time coach Nick Huby at Pete Cowen’s Golf Academy in Rotherham.

"My putting has definitely got a lot better," said Bairstow, who is ranked in the top 20 in several putting categories.

"I have putted pretty well every week and then in Singapore and India I hit the ball a lot better so was putting more for birdie which showed with the results."

Bairstow’s fellow Yorkshire golfers Dan Bradbury and Marcus Armitage are both teeing it up in Japan.