Lothians' David Patrick wins Titleist

PGA Rookie of the Year award

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE PGA
Former Walker Cup player David Patrick has added another significant achievement to his golfing CV by winning the Titleist PGA Rookie of the Year award.
The 36-year-old Scot from the Lothians came top of the pile of his first year peers on the PGA Foundation Degree to collect the Major John Bywaters Memorial Trophy and a cheque for £1,000 from D J Spoony, the guest of honour at the PGA Graduation ceremony at the University of Birmingham.
Patrick, who is based at Elie Sports Club in Fife, was a team-mate of Paul Casey and Luke Donald in the Walker Cup of 1999 when Great Britain beat the US at Nairn.
He then turned professional and pursued a career in the paid ranks with a number of seasons on the Challenge Tour, which included victory in the Kenya Open.
But the rigours of being on Tour and having a young family have seen Patrick swap life on the road to pursue a successful coaching career.
“I’d spent seven years on the Challenge Tour and a combination of factors - finances, happiness and health, meant I needed to do something else as I have got a young family,” said Patrick.“I had always been interested in teaching, I helped my fellow pros when on tour and so taking the three-year PGA foundation degree seemed a good option.
“It’s been refreshing as it has been good to have a break from playing all the time. It wasn’t too hard to adapt to the studying, having done a degree course in the United States. I thought there would also be areas I would be strong in, given my years on tour while I’ve always been a bit of a golf geek and read lots about aspects of the game.
“I am enjoying the combination of working and studying and being able to play when I have the opportunity. I certainly don’t envisage going back to playing full time or having another crack at the Tour when I finish my course.”
The PGA’s education and training programme equips successful graduates with the skills and expertise to fulfil a wide range of roles within the golf industry. And the learning doesn’t stop once qualified with PGA members also undergoing a process of continual professional development to keep them up to date with all the latest developments in the sport.
PGA chief executive Sandy Jones said: "This is a tremendous achievement for David and marks a year of hard work. He deserves huge applause for his outstanding efforts and I wish him more success during the rest of his foundation degree.”
Titleist sales and marketing director Ken Graham said: “PGA professionals play a key role in golf at all levels of the game and Titleist is delighted to be supporting the next generation of highly qualified golf professionals.”

*Image of David Patrick (left) and guest speaker DJ Spoony (right) by courtesy of Jamie Jones Photography.