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Young golfer Sam Hobday has been offered the chance of a lifetime … to tee off at one of the top colleges in the US.
The opportunity could put him on the fast-track to a professional career in the sport he loves after his talent on the course was spotted by a scout.
The 18-year-old St Christopher’s School graduate from Saar normally plays at Bahrain’s Royal Golf Club (RGC) where his dad, teacher Barry, was a former club captain.
He will be leaving the desert for greener pastures at the King College located in Bristol, Tennessee, consistently ranked as the best in the nation by US News & World Report.
The institution is a Presbyterian, master’s-level comprehensive college structured on a university model offering more than 80 majors, minors, pre-professional degrees and concentrations in fields such as business, digital media, nursing, forensic science, education, and humanities.
The teenager will be joining the ranks of the men’s golf team as a fellow Tornado, which is the college mascot. He was scouted by the college coach through a UK-based company that sends promising young golfers to the US to play college golf.
Hobday said: “Videos of my game along with my achievements and academic accolades were sent to many different colleges and this particular one made it clear that they wanted me to join its programme.
“I am very excited about joining King College. It will be a whole new environment so I will certainly feel anxious and take some time adjusting to a new way of life but the experiences I will be gaining out there will be invaluable and I can’t wait to start my college career.
“Golf can take you to many places around the world and you can meet so many new people. It is such an up-and-coming sport and to be given the opportunity to progress in the States and to play in many major collegiate tournaments is fantastic.”
Young Hobday comes from a family of golfers from Derbyshire in England. His father Barry, who has a 9-handicap and mother Sarah with a 13-handicap, couldn’t be happier with their son’s achievement.
Hobday senior, head of geography at St Christopher’s School, said: “We are absolutely delighted for Sam as he has worked hard on his golf but has also achieved excellent grades in his exams which are just as important at this stage of his career.
“The college in the US has an excellent reputation for its academics and its golf. The golf coach, Brian Kamm, actually played on the PGA Tour for nine years which was one of the main reasons we chose King College.”
Now to prepare for his new adventure, young Hobday is training at the RGC with PGA teaching professional Tim Backhouse. He said: “We are currently working on keeping my swing under more control which will certainly help on the tree-lined courses that are found in the US.
“My golfing inspiration is Lee Westwood and I’d like to think our swings share some similarities so if I can emulate his achievements I will be very happy.
“Also, he comes from a similar place to me in the UK and he has scaled the heights of golf and become world number one.”
Hobday began playing golf with plastic clubs at the age of two and has been a member of the RGC, formerly known as Riffa Golf Club, since 1997, when he moved to the kingdom with his family from Singapore.
At the age of seven he got his first hole-in-one. He twice won the Junior Open for players Under-10, at the age of six and nine, and won the Under-12 contest twice too.
In 2007, he was runner-up in the Under-14 competition. In Dubai, he has played in the ‘B’ division at the Arabian Ranches Golf Club and shot a gross of 78 and net of 59. In England, he played the Long Ashton Junior Open in 2007 and had the fifth best gross among 70 players.
The golfing fanatic, who has a handicap of +1 below scratch, has played in the UK on many occasions where has also competed in the U14, U16 and U18 English Boys Opens as well as the British Boys in the summer of last year.
He also competed in San Diego two years ago at the World Junior Golf Championships which gave him a taste of what to expect during his stay in the US.
Hobday said: “When I played in my first England championships, I was representing Riffa Golf Club and Bahrain. I was just with my dad whereas most of the other players had their golf coaches and managers with them. It was certainly an interesting experience and I hope that I have learned a great deal from it.”
As he takes a swing at living in the US, Hobday believes that this is the right path to achieving his dream of becoming a professional golfer. He said: “I have always wanted to become a professional golfer. To be able to say that you play a sport you love for a living has always motivated me to pursue such a career.
“It was certainly difficult to balance work, golf and a social life but I feel my time management skills enabled me to enjoy aspects of all three. Also it takes practice ... practice ... and more practice.”
Hobday added: “Anyone wishing to become a professional golfer needs to be ready to put the effort in and be motivated to spend time working on their game which inevitably pays off, as in my case you can be granted with a great opportunity to pursue golf as a career.”
Hobday has a 20-year-old sister, Suzanna, who plays with a 12-handicap. His mum will help him settle into his dorm at the college which witnessed over the course of the 2011-12 academic year, five King student-athletes named as Scholar-Athlete of the Year for their respective sports, including Josh Bamberger (men’s golf).
Hobday senior said: “Sarah will be flying out to the US with him but I have to return to work in Bahrain.
“We hope that he is successful in whichever path this opportunity leads him to, whether it is in golf or academically.
“Obviously, it would be great if he could one day play on one of the main tours but we realise how high the standard is at that level. We will miss him tremendously both as a son and golfing partner!”
They’ll also miss their friendly family contests. According to Hobday senior, his son usually gives him a nine-shot start. Now, that’s what you call a loving child.
