Byrne opts to go pro after Walker Cup win

JAMES Byrne’s winning Walker Cup performance was his last amateur event after the Banchory player decided to make an immediate switch to the paid ranks instead of waiting to see how he fares in the European Tour Qualifying School process.

The 22-year-old is set to join Colin Montgomerie on the books of IMG, the world’s leading sports agency, this week and is hoping to secure some European Tour invitations before launching his bid to secure a Tour card at the first stage of the Q-School in Portugal next month.

Michael Stewart, the other Scot in the triumphant Great Britain & Ireland side at Royal Aberdeen, is also heading for the professional ranks, though he is waiting until after he plays in the South African Open at the end of November. That is one of his rewards for winning the South African Amateur Championship earlier this year.

Byrne, who picked up two points from his three matches against the Americans, recorded a top-30 finish in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles at the end of last month and believes he is ready to be tested at that level on a regular basis.

“I’m going to be turning pro before Tour School, so the Walker Cup was my last appearance as an amateur,” said Byrne. “I decided last week that it was time to move on after this. I felt after some good performances, including the Johnnie Walker, that I had the game to compete against the guys on Tour.

“The Walker Cup was a good stepping stone into the professional ranks and it seems to be the perfect time to make the move. I’ve decided to join up with IMG. I’ll enjoy this first then meet up with them later this week to sort out my plans. They can’t guarantee anything, but hopefully I’ll get a few starts before the Tour School.”

Byrne, who spent four years at Arizona State University, was still playing boys’ golf when he was picked for the same Scotland side as Richie Ramsay and Lloyd Saltman in the European Team Championship in 2007. Last year, he reached the final of the Amateur Championship at Muirfield, losing to South Korean Jin Jeong.

“I think both Mikey and I have had results in amateur golf to prove that we can give it a go on Tour,” added Byrne. “If you look at winning Walker Cup sides, both GB&I and US, a lot of players have gone on Tour with some becoming major winners. It is fantastic for Mikey and myself to be on a team that dominated against such a strong American side. That shows we definitely have the game. Scottish golf gets a hard time but hopefully having some new guys out on Tour and winning will be a good thing. But there’s not going to be any pressure on us straight away. I’m 22 and Mikey is 21. We’ve got many years ahead of us. It’s probably going to be around eight years before we reach our peak.”

Stewart, who collected two-and-a-half points, including a crucial singles win over Patrick Rodgers at Royal Aberdeen, is expected to make the same switch straight after his South African Open appearance at Serengeti Golf Club on 24-27 November.

“I’ll play in that as an amateur then take it from there,” said the Ayrshireman. “The likelihood is that the Walker Cup will be my last amateur event – and what a great way to finish. I’ll play at the first stage of the Qualifying School as an amateur, do the winter prep with the Scottish Golf Union then go out to the South African Open.”

GB&I’s win in the north-east was only their eighth in the biennial contest. Stewart admitted it had been “special” for him and Byrne to have achieved the feat on Scottish soil.

“We expected to win but, at the same time, I think we’re all pleased that we were able to raise our game and play, at some point in the match, some of the best golf of our careers,” he added,

Reflecting on the 14-12 win, Byrne said: “It’s something we’ll cherish for the rest of our lives. I will always remember some of the shots I hit, putts I holed and the crowd going mental. It is even more special when you’re only going to be playing in it once.”

In keeping with recent tradition, winning GB&I captain Nigel Edwards is likely to lock horns again with Jim Holtgrieve, his US counterpart in Aberdeen, at the next match, at the National Links of America in New Jersey in two years’ time.