BACK IN BUSINESS

After several years in the professional wilderness, Sam Hutsby is back out on tour and he's determined to make the most of it...

One name jumped out at me as I scrolled through last year’s DP World Tour Q-School scores – that of Sam Hutsby, who got through all three stages to claim the 13th card. Why? Well, 13 years ago he came through Q-School for the 2010 season, during which he proudly displayed the Golf Monthly logo on his bag.

Success seemed a near certainty. Hutsby had peaked at number three in the amateur rankings and played the Walker Cup in 2009 a few months after Matteo Manassero pipped him to the Amateur Championship. But it didn’t quite happen. He played steadily enough in 2010, making 19 cuts out of 27, but missed out on retaining his card by one place.

After a few years flitting between tours, he dropped off the main tour in 2015 and the Challenge Tour in 2018, seemingly for good. But then he reappeared last year with a handful of Challenge Tour starts, in which he twice finished top six.

I caught up with Hutsby a few weeks into his first full year on tour since 2015 (three cuts made from 11 starts at the time of writing) to find out why he’s giving it another go…

What do you remember of your first few events on tour?

I turned pro the Sunday night after the Walker Cup and my next step was Qualifying School. I signed with Wasserman and, having Walker Cup status, managed to get a few invites. My first two starts in 2009 I missed the cut, which was a bit of a knock to my confidence. Then in my third tournament – the Castello Masters - I had a one-shot lead with 17 holes to go! When you see your name on the leaderboard, there’s no better feeling. You think, ‘This is what all the blood, sweat and tears were for.’

How did that tournament play out?