The Road To Success

The respective backgrounds of Ian Poulter and Matteo Manassero, the top two finishers at the UBS Hong Kong Open 2010, prove that there's more than one way to reach the top, writes David Cunningham III.

Before turning pro earlier this year, Manassero had already competed in seven professional events as an amateur, making an impressive six cuts. At the age of 16 he became the youngest ever winner of the British Amateur Championship, a result that gave him a berth in the Open Championship at Turnberry where he played alongside eventual runner-up Tom Watson and earned the coveted silver medal as the leading amateur. He finished the event in a tie for 13th, which, let's face it, isn't too shabby for a high school kid. Fast forward a few months and Manassero broke another record by becoming the youngest ever golfer to make the cut at the Masters. Throughout all of this he retained his position as the number one amateur in the world, a standing that only ended when he joined the paid ranks.
Manassero, a close friend of the Molinari brothers, who have underscored the rise of Italian golf in recent times, then claimed his first professional win in October at the Castello Masters Costa Azahar, where he beat the field by four strokes. There was absolutely no surprise when he was awarded the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year title for 2010.
What was his secret in making such a successful switch from amateur to professional? Certainly, Manssero believes the experience of playing in so many junior golf events around the world was vital to his development.

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