Despite an illustrious amateur career which has included victories against Tiger Woods, Ted Purdy knows the past is history and now is the time to prove if he has what it takes to make a living as a professional golfer.
So far, things look good for the 24-year-old Omega Tour rookie as he captured his first professional victory last month at the Asian PGA Masters in India and has posted three top-five finishes to sit fourth in the Order of Merit with US$105,714.
Purdy, who is a virtual lock for Omega Tour rookie-of-the-year, says he was is hoping for a good finish at the Omega PGA Championship which begins today at Clearwater Bay in order to qualify for the season-ending Volvo Asian Matchplay Championships next week in the Philippines.
If not, it will be an early trip home for Christmas to be with his family in Arizona.
He said unfamiliarity with the Clearwater Bay layout would not be a factor.
'I don't know any of these courses. I hit the ball to places where I shouldn't have and sometimes I pay for it [in strokes] but, usually, I am able to recover,' Purdy said.
'This has been a great learning experience all round. Even though we are not playing on perfect greens every week, I've learned to have a lot more patience and not necessarily gun for every birdie putt and it's really paid off.' Growing up beside a golf course in suburban Phoenix, Purdy said he started playing competitive golf at the age of 13 and was soon shooting sub-par rounds.
