HONG KONG, 6 Apr 2016, (HK Golfer News Wire) - Hong Kong national coach Brad Schadewitz believes Oliver Roberts is well equipped to make a success of his new career as a professional golfer.
“I have had the pleasure of watching Ollie grow up in Hong Kong and become a very fine player and one of the longest hitters I've ever seen,” said Schadewitz, who has been with the Hong Kong Golf Association for 13 years, firstly in charge of junior development and latterly as national coach.
“Ollie came into the game late but in the correct way as an all-around sportsman. He was never pushed to play golf but he gravitated to it because he was around it so much.
“The hunger to learn and improve is still fresh and, with his power, the sky is the limit.”
Roberts, 1.95m tall and with an average drive of 310 yards, is the son of PGA Master Professional Iain Roberts, who is currently coaching two-time women’s Major winner Suzann Pettersen.
Having learned the game in Hong Kong, the younger Roberts honed his skills in Scotland, where he was a key member of the Stirling University team that won the British Universities Matchplay title three times between 2011 and 2014.
In 2012, at St Andrews, he became the first Hong Kong player ever to win the Boyd Quaich, the most prestigious student golf tournament in the UK. The following year, he finished third in the British University Strokeplay Championship.
Later this month Roberts will make his debut on the Alps Tour, which was established in 2001 to give young professionals more playing opportunities. The 2016 schedule contains 16 tournaments in six different countries.