From stacking shelves in Asda to celebrating the birth of your second child and 30th birthday by playing a round alongside Rory McIlroy in Ireland – the fairy-tale rise of Andy Sullivan is some story...
The man known for his infectious smile, friendly demeanour and brand of positive, attacking golf was plying his trade in a supermarket as recently as five years ago, before turning professional.
In his first full season on The European Tour in 2012, the man affectionately known as “Sulli” finished 145th in The Race to Dubai Rankings, before beginning his swift ascent to the higher echelons of the game.
Three top tens were the highlights of his 2013 season, but the world really began to take notice of Sullivan and his sunny disposition in 2014, a season which saw him finish 33rd in The Race to Dubai – largely thanks to a second place finish at the Trophée Hassan II and a third place at the KLM Open in the Netherlands.
Two wins in the space of two months at the start of the 2015 season – both in South Africa – saw Sullivan catapulted further into the limelight, before he made it a stunning hat-trick of wins at the Portugal Masters, where he finished nine shots clear of the field on 23 under par.
That serious statement of intent gave Sullivan’s loyal followers, dubbed the “Sulli Army”, plenty to smile about, with their hero eventually finishing his breakthrough season a lofty eighth in the Race to Dubai Rankings.
Sullivan finished the 2015 season as one of only two players to have won three events – the other being the man he went head-to-head with in the most thrilling fashion at the season finale in Dubai, Rory McIlroy.
McIlroy eventually pipped Sullivan to the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai title, but the Englishman had shown the golfing world that he possessed the weaponry to go up against one of the world’s best on the big stage.
McIlroy himself was very impressed by what he saw that week, reflecting that Sullivan was a “tough competitor and a great player”, and European Ryder Cup Captain Darren Clarke was taking note of the former Walker Cup star’s exploits.
The 30 year old also made his Major debut in 2015 and went on to appear in three of the season’s show piece events, with his memorable Masters appearance in April, which saw Sullivan make a hole-in-one in the traditional Par Three competition, meaning he had completed the set and played all of golf’s four Major Championships.
Clarke got a first-hand look at Sullivan’s Ryder Cup potential at the EURASIA CUP in Malaysia earlier this year, with the Nuneaton native winning all three of his matches.
With a second place finish already tucked away for the season, a second child in his life and a possible debut Ryder Cup appearance on the cards later this year in the States, it seems all is well in the life of Andy Sullivan.
