There was a new look to the British Masters this year. New sponsors in The Daily Telegraph and Damovo; new promoters in International Sports Management; a new venue in the Marriott Forest of Arden; a new golf
exhibition initiative, and a brand new S-Type 200 Jaguar for Argentine Jorge Berendt for finishing nearest the pin at the 18th hole on the final day.
It was only fitting then that the tournament, too, should have a new champion, if not a new face. Greg Owen, from Sherwood Forest territory, has been one of the merry men of the circuit for a number of years without ever being able to capture one of the game’s biggest prizes. Indeed there were plenty of occasions, not too many birdies before he finally became a champion, when Owen wondered if he would ever burst in to rob the rich.
Owen had begun to debate with himself if he had what it took to be a winner. When he lost a three shot lead in Portugal in April, the despair was almost unbearable. Family and friends may not have had to take his shoelaces from him or keep him away from cliff edges, high bridges or the medicine cabinet, but the last thing he wanted to do for a while was play golf.
The 31 year old, who ironically was once on promoter Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler’s ISM books before joining Barry Hearn’s Matchroom Golf stable, was decanted out of his vat of self-pity by caddie Richard Hill and his coach from Coxmoor Golf Club, David Ridley. They convinced him that he was not made of jelly, but the right stuff. They told him to turn the negatives into positives the next time opportunity knocked. They told him not only to get a grip of his club, but also reality. They told him that one day it would happen for him.
That day came sooner than they and definitely Owen might have predicted. What is more, the squash and fitness fanatic found himself in exactly the same position he had been during the Algarve Open de Portugal - pursued by the pack. This time, however, he did not buckle under the pressure of expectancy and nerves, even though his closest challenger was no less a figure than Ian Poulter, who seven days previously had been crowned prince of The Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open.
Poulter is one of those players who does not back off. If he were a dog the only way anybody would get a bone from his jaws would be to drag out his teeth with it and even then it would be a tough task for a Tug of War team. Owen bared his own teeth to the challenge and passed his Masters degree with a first.
Owen did it thanks to a career best three iron - a shot over water to the 71st hole many were aghast to see him take on and one he placed in his all-time top three alongside the one that produced an albatross in The 130th Open Golf Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes, and the one which yielded an eagle in the US PGA Championship at Hazeltine National in 2002.
The safe play to protect his lead without overdue stress would have been to lay up, but Owen sensed fate had already taken over this day and dealt him a winning hand.
When Richard Hill passed him a three iron, he took it without hesitation. The next time he saw the ball was when it finished ten feet from the hole for a birdie that meant he would be wearing the event’s cape and mortarboard to show that he was the Master of 2003.
Typically, Owen did not forget the tutors when he started to sing his songs of praise afterwards. His caddie of five years, he admitted, was brilliant. “He’s dedicated to me and his job, what more could I ask?” Coach Ridley was also amongst the many singled out.
It had been Ridley who had not offered a shoulder for Owen to cry on after the pain of Portugal, but a reminder that his job was as a professional golfer. There were going to be days that would not go to plan, he told him, no matter how well he played. “When I came back from Portugal, I did not want to play golf I just wanted to spend time with my little girl,” he said. Ridley shook him out of it and Owen stopped feeling sorry for himself.
At the start of the week, Owen’s CV offered no better than a string of third place finishes, but with the words of his caddie and coach ringing in his ears, he knew he was better than third rate.
The Daily Telegraph Damovo British Masters allowed him the chance to prove he was first class. He did it with the style that prompted his former manager Chandler to say: “If one of my stable couldn’t win it then I can think of nobody better than Greg to become our champion.”
Just champion, that’s Owen.
Martin Hardy
