21-year-old Takes Prestigious National Order-of-Merit Title at the Belfry

Hearsall Golf Club member Rhys Lawrence has completed a successful first season as an adult golfer, with the 21-year-old from Coventry having secured a prestigious national order-of-merit title.

Lawrence, a sales advisor with American Golf, who plays off a handicap of 0.5, secured the Titleist Order of Merit powered by HowDidiDo and Golf Monthly, when the grand final was played out across the Belfry's four-time Ryder Cup course, the Brabazon.

The affable former Warwickshire under-12 and under-16 title winner gave up the game in his teens, only to return with a bang in 2016.

He explained: "This was my first year back playing golf for five years. I stopped because I had a lot of pressure put on me when I was a kid - I was off five at the age of 13 and started having England coaching and stuff. It all just got a bit too much for me and in my teen years I just lost interest.

"But then I came up the golf club again, found that sense of freedom and fell in love with the sport again. All the passion came back. I started the year on 5.4 handicap so it's been a great year and it feels so good to be back playing again."

More than 20,000 club golfers, from HowDidiDo's 1,800-plus golf clubs across the UK and Ireland, registered for the Titleist Order of Merit, with their five best medal scores between April and October counting towards their final points tally.

And the best performers in each of six handicap categories earned themselves places at the grand final, before Lawrence saw off the challenge of 39 other golfers to secure the title and take home a plethora of golfing goodies supplied by event sponsor Titleist. Yet it still came as something of a surprise.

He explained: "I hit 13 greens in regulation, didn't hole a birdie putt and I made some mistakes. I thought I'd be up there but I was completely shocked to win given the score I had - though I knew it was playing tough. I just felt so happy. Everybody there was great and I really enjoyed the day.

"It was the first time I had played the Brabazon, though I had walked round in the British Masters about eight years ago."

Now he's back in love with the game once more, he is determined to see just how far he can go.

"My ambitions are to see how good I can get as an amateur and then, maybe, have a go on a circuit - the Europro Tour or maybe the Q School - something like that, in years to come," he added.

The free-to-enter championship has been established for a number of years, but this is only the second time a grand final has been played. Previously, those who finished top of their division at the mid-October cut-off point were crowned champions.

Points from a player's top five individual strokeplay rounds were counted, as well as additional points for gross birdies and eagles. The top performers from each home nation in a range of handicap categories - including men's and women's division 1 and juniors - then qualified for the first grand final, where the points were reset.

The system is designed to reward golfers for frequent, consistent play during the six-month qualifying period from April to October, and 40 golfers, from across the UK and Ireland, competed for divisional and Home Nation team titles - the latter won this year by England.

Lawrence's prize comprised a custom-fit set of Titleist irons, a Titleist tour bag, and a dozen Titleist golf balls to help replace any that fell victim to the Brabazon's water hazards.

As well as taking part in the flagship event over the Belfry's iconic Brabazon course - a layout steeped in Ryder Cup history - the finalists played a practice round, attended a gala dinner and stayed overnight in the four-star hotel, as well as enjoying a full Titleist tour truck experience, a chance to try out the latest Titleist 917 drivers, 716 irons and SM6 wedges under the expert eye of fitting technicians, and received six Titleist balls to suit their game.

Barry Dyett, managing director of Howdidido, said: "The Order of Merit continues to go from strength to strength, thanks to the tremendous support of Titleist, Golf Monthly and around 27,000 club golfers from across the UK and Ireland.

"We believe the introduction, last year, of a grand final has taken the event to a new level and an increase in the participation seems to support that. The grand final was a great experience for all concerned and we saw some very competitive golf played around a very iconic golf course."

HowDidiDo is Europe's largest golfing community, holding in excess of 21 million rounds of golf along with the handicaps, results and scores of more than 1,300,000 UK golf club members, with more than 460,000 golfers currently using the website.

More than 1,800 golf clubs currently use the HowDidiDo system, allowing members to analyse their game and compare performance with other players - at their own club or across the entire HowDidiDo network. It is also used for official CONGU handicapping and competition results.

HowDidiDo also powers the Morocco Matchplay, a UK singles and pairs competition culminating in a grand final in the North African country, in February.

And newly crowned champion Lawrence is a big advocate of HowDidiDo's offering.

He said: "I check HowDidiDo every night as I play in all the competitions I can. I like to have a good browse as to who's scored well or not. I think HowDidiDo is exactly what golf clubs needed. It allows you to get a broader knowledge of what's going on around us, how people are getting on near you or further away - I think it's the start of better things to come in terms of golf technology."

RESULTS: Home Nation Champion - England; overall winner - Rhys Lawrence (Hearsall GC, Coventry); Men's Division 1 - Gary Wright (Vale of Llangollen GC); Men's Division 2 - Barry Elsby (Dougalston GC, Glasgow); Men's Division 3 - Barry Wilson (Tulliallan, Alloa); Women's Division 1 - Pat Doran (Donabate GC, Co Dublin); Women's Division 2 - Kathleen King (Cill Dara GC, Kildare); Junior - Liam Duncan (Dunnikier Park, Kirkcaldy).

For more information, visit www.howdidido.com.