When Englishman Charlie Ford laid out his goals for the 2010 season he set himself some lofty targets, but his start to the campaign has already surpassed expectation.
The 25 year old rookie, who turned professional towards the end of last year, wanted to finish in the top ten of the Challenge Tour Rankings to secure his European Tour card for 2011, but he didn’t bank on winning his first professional title on just his fourth appearance of the season.
Indeed, the Turkish Airlines Challenge hosted by Carya Golf Club, where Ford beat Oscar Florén in a play-off, was his second Challenge Tour event, following appearances in the Joburg Open and the Madeira Islands Open – BPI Portugal on The European Tour, as well as the Kenya Open on the Challenge Tour.
The Leicester player, who studied at the University of Tennessee, is settling in well to life on Tour.
“I feel really comfortable on the Challenge Tour,” he said. “It has been a little bit stop-start so far, playing one then having a week off, playing another week then two weeks off.
“But after next week we’ve got a long stretch so I guess I’ll really find out what it’s like playing week to week and I’ll find out how many weeks I can play in a row. All that is new to me because as an amateur you play one week then you’re off the next. You rarely have to play consecutive weeks. So whether I can do four or five weeks in a row with only the odd day off, we’ll see. I feel very comfortable so far. I’ve enjoyed it and played some really nice courses so it’s been good fun. I don’t mind being away – I went to college in the States so I got used to being away from home and my family and friends. I’d rather be somewhere where the weather’s good and playing golf.
“I don’t know that many people on the Challenge Tour. I know who some of the older guys are because they were always the good ones at tournaments I played in when I was growing up. They were the ones we looked up to and tried to catch up with. It’s a bit like starting a new school and having to find new friends. But it’s been good so far and everyone’s pretty nice.”
Ford’s start to the season has been even more impressive given what happened at the Qualifying School – Final Stage last December. Leading after four rounds, Ford looked a shoe-in to qualify until scores of 81 and 74 in the last two rounds left him in 61st place. Although he admits it was a harrowing experience, he now sees it as a blessing in disguise as it will allow him to develop on the Challenge Tour in preparation for the rigours of The European Tour.
Still, victory in Turkey has helped Ford banish bad memories and prove to himself that he can cope with pressure.
“It felt fantastic to win and to finish it off,” he said. “To be in the lead all day and to hold myself together meant a lot to me, and when I needed some good shots at the end in the play-off I managed to pull it off. So it gives me great satisfaction that I was able to do that under pressure.
“I felt the pressure at Qualifying School and had a bad day and couldn’t get it back from there. Last week was the first time since then I’ve had pressure like that and I was really pleased I stood up to it and got the job done at the end. It’s even more satisfying given where I was at the end of Q School last year.
“It was the first event I’ve won as a professional and to do it so early on... it’s come a lot sooner than I expected. I mean, I always thought I’d win but I didn’t think it would be as early as my fifth appearance as a professional. For it to come that fast is great and it’s a really good start to the season.
“I’m still looking to be in with a chance of winning the Rankings or finishing in the top ten at least. Ideally I’d want to be in with a chance of coming top of the Rankings near the end of the season. And to get that high up I’ll have to win again, I guess, or have a lot more solid performances and top fives.
“But this is a great platform to build on and getting an early win is certainly a lot better than a couple of missed cuts, so it’s done wonders for my confidence. It’s nice to have something already behind me rather than feeling the pressure building up as the year goes on.”
