Twelve months on from the biggest moment of his professional career, the defending UBS Hong Kong Open champion Sam Brazel wrote this week's Player Blog. The Australian offers a honest recap of the highs and lows of his first year on the European Tour.
Put yourself in my position. You’re ranked 480 in the world, you’re up against some of the best players in the world and you standing over a seven iron on the final hole knowing a birdie wins the tournament. It’s over water and one of the toughest finishing holes in the world.
I took one deep breath. Then another. Then hit one of the best shots of my life. It wasn’t the best strike off the face but when I looked up and saw it was headed towards the pin, I thought it had to be close. It ended up about ten feet away and I knew I had been putting well all week.
“One more putt” I kept saying to myself. One more good stroke and I would be a European Tour winner. I stuck to my routine, started it just outside the left-hand side of the hole and it disappeared.
I couldn’t believe it. I was a Tour winner.
"He's done it!"
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) 11 December 2016
Sam Brazel wins the #UBSHKOpen 🏆 https://t.co/WAeC0UNfHd
This is the first time I’ve been back to the course. I played nine holes on Tuesday and it was pretty cool to relive some of those feelings and memories. Walking the back nine, I couldn’t stop smiling remembering what we went through 12 months ago. It feels pretty surreal looking back and thinking what I did.
The win truly changed my life. Massively. Immediately things changed and the events I was able to play and the places I was able to go were all new to me. I was obviously playing well and I wanted to try and play in everything I could so I began making a plan for the year, trying to play a lot of new events and tick off some places in the world I had never been.
Up until last year I played most of my golf in Asia and Australia on the Asian Tour. This past year I’ve been to Abu Dhabi, England, France, Ireland, Switzerland, Holland, Portugal and Italy to name just a few. It’s been incredible. The places you see and the family of players on the European Tour, it’s really special. I’m very grateful that my win in Hong Kong has allowed me to be part of that.
The Dunhill Links was especially cool. I had obviously seen Carnoustie and the Old Course on TV growing up and to be in St Andrews and be there to play a professional event, it was amazing. Walking the fairways, getting to see how the three courses play and just appreciating the history around the place was something I’ll never forget. I think my phone is pretty much full of all the photos we took that week.
As for my form I felt like I kept some of that form going after the win in Hong Kong. I finished well in Malaysia and had a decent few days at my first WGC event in Mexico but towards the end of the season I think I just ran out of battery.
I think it’s hard to appreciate what a full Tour schedule is like until you go through it. You want to play in every event you can but ultimately it’s important to get rest and understand how to get the most out of your game. I’ve certainly learnt a lot about schedules and events and also how vital it is to take some downtime and make sure you’re ready to compete each week you tee it up. I wouldn’t change a thing from the last year I’ve had but I’ll certainly be approaching 2018 differently from what I’ve been through.
I’m based in a small town in Eastern Australia called Lismore, about two hours south of Brisbane, and it’s not exactly the centre of the world for travelling. I’ve only spent about 14 weeks at home this year, which has certainly been an adjustment and it’s not easy to get from there to some of the places we play these days. A 20 hour travel day has become something too familiar this year but the European Tour is such a global tour these days, that it’s part of the job. I’ll try and be smarter with my travel next year but there’s no way I’m moving away from Lismore. I love it there.
Away from the course, if I’m at home I’ll usually either be working on my lawn or fly-fishing with the guys. Both activities keep my mind off golf and let me switch off a bit when I’m not playing which is what I like. Andrew Dodt, a fellow Aussie on Tour, is into his gardening too so we often go back and forth over who has the best lawn.
2017 was a pretty special year off the course as well. I got engaged earlier in the year and I’m getting married in March back home in Lismore in Eastern Oz. It’s been pretty cool to have my personal life and professional life both in a good place at the same time. Whatever happens in 2018, this past year will be pretty hard to beat.
