Grant turns from winger to swinger

By Brian Keogh

Stephen Grant has completed an amazing journey from soccer star to the professional golf ranks by joining Graeme McDowell's management stable.

The ex-Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne winger, 30, won his first professional event on the Minor League mini tour in Florida last week.

Now he hopes to continue his fairytale rise from weekend hacker to top pro by bidding for glory on the European Challenge Tour this summer.

Delighted with his win in the Inverrary Open, Grant said: "It's not the Masters but a win is a win and you still have to shoot a number.

"It was blowing hard but I shot 69 and won $900. I played soccer for 10 years and enjoyed it and this is a new challenge and I am really up for it.

"I'm hoping to get six or seven Challenge Tour invites and try and play on the Europro Tour as well. I just want to see how good I really am."

Grant only took up the game in 2001 when he was reaching the end of a colourful soccer career with a host of League of Ireland clubs as well as Sunderland, Stockport County and Burnley.

He got his handicap down to plus three at the end of last year and decided to take the plunge into the pro ranks after Horizon Sports Management spotted his potential.

Financially independent thanks to successful business interests, Grant felt the time was right to try his hand at golf.

He said: "I am 30 now and I will give it two or three years and see how it goes. If it doesn't work out I will go back to being an amateur at the end of it.

"I am financially able to do it. If I wasn't I wouldn't be doing it. If I was relying on golf for my bread and butter, there is no way I would be making this decision."

A native of Birr in Offaly, Grant hung up his boots in 2004 after scoring 21 goals for Shamrock Rovers in 111 appearances.

Pal Michael Horan taught him the game and he soon caught the eye in amateur events, blasting a course record 64 at last year's West of Ireland Championship.

Now he's set his sights on making it on the Challenge Tour and even trying for his PGA Tour card in the US.

Based in Orlando, he is a member of exclusive Mirasol Country Club, where he regularly practices with French Ryder Cup star Thomas Levet.

He explained: "My first pro tournament was on the Gateway Tour in January and I finished 20th even though I started double bogey, bogey, bogey.

"In my next event I got disqualified before the final round because I had changed the grip on my putter after a weather delay in the first round, when I had four holes to complete the next day.

"That was a bit of a learning curve and I genuinely didn't know the rule. But it's all experience."

Two weeks ago, he made it through pre-qualifying for the PGA Tour's Honda Classic but failed in final qualifying where 90 players were battling for just four spots in the field.

Horizon have already sent him to seeing biomechanics expert Dr Paul Hurrion, who also works with top players such as Padraig Harrington

But he's also working with McDowell's mind coach Dr Karl Morris and looked to Galway based yoga instructor David Cunningham for help with his fitness.

He added: "Horizon have been great and sent me to all the right people. I've had some problems with arthritis in my lower back after my football career.

"So the guys at Horizon set me up with a yoga instructor and this has made an unbelievable difference.

"I just want to find out how good I can be at this game. It’s been a great adventure so far, so let’s see how it works out."