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It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for Sam Locke and he can now barely contain his excitement ahead of making his professional debut at this week’s Swedish Challenge hosted by Robert Karlsson.
Locke won the Silver Medal at the Open two weeks ago and, after following in the footsteps of some of the world’s best players, the 19-year-old is now focused on forging a career in the professional ranks, starting this week on the Challenge Tour.
“I’m really excited for my first event as a pro and I can’t wait to get going,” he said. “It’s my first professional tournament so I’m just coming in and trying to do the best I can and try my hardest. Wherever that leads me, then what will be will be.”
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Locke is the reigning Scottish Amateur champion, which takes place at Blairgowrie this week. The Scot could have opted to defend his title before making the switch from the amateur ranks, so why take the decision to turn professional now?
“I just felt now was the right time and I just feel like I dealt with things well at The Open,” he said. “I really enjoyed the fact that there were lots of crowds and media and things; I just enjoyed the whole professional feel.”
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The Scot is a product of the Paul Lawrie Foundation, which aims to get as many youngsters as possible playing golf, and the 1999 Open champion offered Locke some advice ahead of his first professional outing.
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“He said to treat it as any other tournament,” he continued. “I’m going to have to get used to it; I’m a professional now and I just can’t wait for all the tournaments coming up.
“He’s been helpful because he’s been and done everything and to have a guy like that is pretty cool to have there and I feel like I’ve got to make the most of this opportunity.”
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