Sean Jacklin believes playing on the European Challenge Tour this summer is the best experience he could get as the young American looks to follow in the footsteps of his father, golf legend Tony Jacklin, and make it as a professional.
The 20 year old plays in the English Challenge at Stoke by Nayland Hotel, Golf and Spa this week as he aims to improve on his first appearance of the year at the Doubletree by Hilton Acaya Open last week, where he missed the cut.
In the same week that his father will be hoping to triumph in the Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex, young Jacklin is just trying to make the first step in his fledgling career.
“The Challenge Tour will be the biggest highlight of my summer,” he said. “It’s great to be able to expand my horizons and I know from talking to people that it’s the best way to learn about life as a professional touring golfer.
“The Challenge Tour is a good gateway to The European Tour and I’ll try to make that step up to the major tours any way I can.
“I know a couple of the guys who are out on the Challenge Tour. I practised with Byeong-hun An before he won the US Amateur actually, and I think Peter Uihlein played in front of us that time.
“The biggest thing I’ve noticed since turning professional is how many people are out there on the grind, just trying to make a living and to make that next step. It’s really daunting, but it’s going to be a fun adventure and I’m just going to enjoy it.”
Enjoyment seems to be one of the main mantras for Sean Jacklin in the early years of his professional career and he has compared his game with that of 2012 Masters Tournament Champion Bubba Watson.
“I just play my game and go by how I'm feeling with my swing and I try not to change too much,” he said. “Every day is a new day in this game and that’s how I see it. I see Bubba Watson there, and I think I’m more that kind of player.
“I saw so much of it in junior golf, where if players had a bad round they would be straight over to their coaches and they would be speaking to their coaches on the fairway. I prefer to be just more self-reliant and rely on confidence more than anything else.
“I think the difference between the guys at the top and the rest of the guys trying to get to the top is in the mindset, not in the swing.”
