Golf Australia National Squad member Ryan Ruffels will have another brush with greatness when he enjoys a practice round alongside Australia’s top player, Adam Scott, this week.
Ruffels, just 15 and one of the cluster of potential superstars of Australian golf, has been put into the pro-am field for the World Cup of golf by IMG, through the organisation’s head of golf David Rollo.
"I emailed David to thank him for the start in the (Talisker) Masters, and he replied and said there was an opportunity to play in the pro-am this week,” said Ruffels. "I was pretty stoked to hear that.”
The pro-am is on Wednesday.
Ruffels, who is part of Golf Australia’s elite national squad, missed the cut at the Masters last week but performed quite well. His locker was alongside Scott’s, although they only had an opportunity for a quick chat.
"I was really nervous for the first nine holes,” he said. "It was such a big step up from anything I’ve done, and I think I made a bigger deal out of it than I should have. But I did settle down and I guess I’m proud that I held it together. I was five-over after the first eight holes and I ended up being five-over for the 36 holes that I did play.”
Ruffels expects to ask a few questions. "It’s probably good that it’s a more relaxed atmosphere at the pro-am. If you play together in a tournament, that’d be great to see how he competes, but you’re really both focussing on playing, whereas I can ask a few questions in a pro-am round. Hopefully I won’t annoy him too much!”
The teenager from Haileybury College also has a start in the Emirates Australian Open at Royal Sydney next week.
Ryan Ruffels recently won the Victoria Golf Club men’s championship and this year became the youngest player to represent his state in the elite interstate series. He is the son of two tennis professionals, former Davis Cup player Ray Ruffels and AnnaMaria, and represented Florida in junior tennis before the family returned to Australia.
By: Golf Australia