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Fisher was three ahead with six holes left
 FINAL LEADERBOARD
(GB & Ire unless stated):
-16 T Levet (Fra)*, O Fisher
-13 L Westwood
-12P Sjoland, A Noren (both Swe)
-10R Dinwiddie, M Jonzon (Swe)
Selected others:
-9 D Lynn
* Won after extra hole
Nineteen-year-old Oliver Fisher missed out on an historic European Tour win when he lost in a play-off to Frenchman Thomas Levet at the Andalucia Open.
The Briton, three ahead with six left, was aiming to became the fifth-youngest winner in European Tour history.
But he bogeyed the 13th and 14th then found the water off the tee on the 18th and hit a bogey five on the extra hole. Levet also dropped a shot on the 13th but sank three birdies in the following four holes to finish on 16 under.
Defending champion Lee Westwood, the overnight leader, finished three strokes behind.
Only one British teenager - Paul Way in the Dutch Open in 1982 - has ever won on the European Tour.
Levet was full of praise for Essex youngster Fisher, saying he has the potential to compare to some of the world's best.
"I don't think I've ever finished a tournament this way - Oliver made it very hard," he said.
"He will probably be the next Nick Faldo or something like that because he is a great player.
"If he improves on Tour in two or three years he'll be like Tiger Woods - he's that good."
Levet's first win for four years came with a cheque of almost £130,000 and completed his comeback from an horrendous time in 2006 and early 2007 when he feared a serious bout of vertigo might end his career.
Westwood, leading the Ryder Cup points race and eager to win his final tournament before the Masters, birdied four of the first six holes.
But Fisher matched that to remain only one behind, levelled with a seven-footer at the 349-yard seventh and then saw Westwood bogey the next two.
Out in 31, the former Faldo Junior Series and Junior Ryder Cup winner stretched his lead to three with a chip to six feet on the long 10th.
After wobbling at the 13th and 14th he hit his approach to the 399-yard 15th to three feet for his seventh birdie.
He nearly eagled the 526-yard 16th after another glorious iron, but Levet matched his birdie and from then on it all went his way.
Westwood was asked if he felt sorry for his fellow Englishman.
"No," he replied. "If he wants sympathy off his playing partners he is in the wrong game."
The world number 20 added: "The eighth and ninth really took the wind out of my sails and on the back nine I couldn't really get it close."
Fisher, in his second full season as a professional and ranked 290th in the world, said: "I would have loved to win, but I am sure there will be more chances.
"On the final hole I just turned it over a little bit and it pitched 15 to 20 yards short of the water. As soon as you get it going on the wind it goes miles.
"The second time was always going to be a little hard after doing that.
"But I was pretty happy with my week. I got myself into contention and played pretty nicely."
Jose Maria Olazabal's first event for seven months ended with him in 61st place - he had been delighted to make the cut.
Welshman Bradley Dredge failed in his bid for the victory he needed to climb into the world's top 50 just in time to claim a Masters place. He was 25th after a closing 75.
As the youngest player ever to contest a Walker Cup match,
Oliver Fisher has already carved a niche in the history books.
But the 17-year-old from Essex is destined to achieve a
whole lot more than that.
Interview with www.golfinternationalmag.com
CHRIS HAS BEEN WORKING with Oliver Fisher since he was
nine years old, and the swing you see here has
been evolving all that time.
SAYS CHRIS "It’s a work in progress.
And before I analyse the moves that we look for, let
me stress the work that Oliver puts in not only on
the range hitting balls, but in the gym, where he
works on improving both his strength and flexibility.
Top players these days are athletes, and, to his
credit, Oliver understands that to have a chance of
realising his dream and being a top professional he
needs to develop in these areas.
Technically, I honestly don’t think there’s a lot
more Ollie can do to improve his swing when he’s
on song. But he can certainly be more consistent
with it, and this will come through his own understanding
of his tendencies and his awareness of
what we are trying to achieve.
His performance at the Walker Cup proved to
everyone there in Chicago that Ollie Fisher is the real deal,
and experience in the big events is what he now
needs to bring his game along. We are both looking
forward to the Wales Open, at Celtic Manor in June,
where Nick Faldo has been able to get Ollie a start
in the tournament.
For me as a coach that will be a
great opportunity to experience working on the
range among the game’s elite and for Ollie it will be
another opportunity to show what he’s capable of."
What are the key points you should study and try
to emulate?
Well, we try to keep things fairly simple,
and so let me highlight the specific moves and
positions we look for.
First, look at the way in which
the set-up position positively encourages the correct
upper body tilt away from the target (and the
subsequent turning of the upper body behind the
ball). We look for the left hip to be slightly perked
‘up’, the hips not centred between the feet but
favouring the left side, and this helps Ollie to set
his spine at the desired angle away from the target.
Following on from that, the initial series of
moves away from the ball is key, and the noticeably
early cocking of the wrists you see here is something
we worked on ahead of the Walker Cup last
September. Oliver had been losing width on his
backswing, especially nearing the top, and he also
had a tendency to overswing. So we worked on
achieving an earlier ‘setting’ of the wrists, which
immediately enables you to enjoy a better width
throughout the backswing.
As I mentioned in brief earlier, Ollie’s swing is based
on just a handful of key ingredients: first and foremost,
the set-up position establishes a series of
good angles that we always look out for. Chief
among these is the angle of the hips; you will find
that when you set your left hip slightly higher than
the right, you positively encourage the correct spine
tilt behind the ball. And, in so doing, you give yourself
the best possible chance of turning your upper
body fully behind the ball in the swing.
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“I really get on well with Nick [Faldo]. A good guy. I listen to everybody, but only take the things I like. With Nick, it’s the sheer detail in the preparation that hits you. I’ll tell you something that may surprise you, though. I played with Nick last year and you’d think I’d knock it miles past him, but he’s quite long. I was surprised. I don’t know how he’s done it. Guess it just proves all this equipment stuff does make a difference!” .....Oliver Fisher |
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Looking at the set-up face on, I want to see the
hips forward of centre; by that, I mean the left hip is
further forward than the right hip in relation to the
feet.
From there, you will notice that the hips do not move
outside that box. As Ollie takes it to the top, his head
remains ‘centred’; he’s already set that spine angle,
and so all he has to do is rotate the upper body.
There is no hint of a sway. And this is where all that
flexibility training pays off. He’s really turning his
‘core’ area, winding up his swing behind the ball.
Right arm is key to good width
As far as width is concerned, I look at the position of
the right arm at the top, not the left. The right arm
creates the width in the swing as it pushes away
from the turning upper body.
Again, it is the set-up
position that allows the right shoulder to turn back
and out of the way, which allows the right arm to
push away from the body.
A lot of people get caught
up with the position of the left arm, and you often
hear people describe a ‘straight left arm’ as being
something to copy. But it’s not always the best thing
to focus on. If you can combine this rotation of the
upper body with the feeling of pushing the right arm
away, you will enjoy good width in your swing. And
you won’t over-swing the arms; with the ‘core’ of the
upper body in control, the arm-swing is compact.
And I regard this as the most efficient way to play.
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Spotlight on the Oliver Fisher Golf Swing |
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Spotlight on the Oliver Fisher Golf Swing |
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Copyright The Times Online
Ollie Fisher interview
November 15, 2007
As he prepares to tee off in the Hong Kong Open today, the English golfer reveals his No 1 target for his second year in the paid ranks.
The more I think about it, the more I believe that my performance at San Roque last year was a good achievement. You do feel for those that have to go back to Qualifying School this week, but it’s only fair if you haven’t played well enough to keep your card. There’s no way you should expect to be on the tour if you’re playing badly, but what I do know is that I don’t want to go back there again.
It has been a good season overall, particularly with the amount that I’ve learnt about myself and my game. And playing with better players has been an eye-opener, a real learning experience. Also, going from amateur to professional golf was a bit of a change. As an amateur, I’d have to plan my season around six or so big events. Now I have to be good all year and try to get myself in contention to win.
I played consistently and solidly for most of the year, although it fell away a bit over the closing weeks of the season. Undoubtedly, the high point was a top-ten finish at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles that guaranteed my card for 2008.
I had played some great rounds up till then and had done well in Qatar, where I finished eleventh and was only six shots off the lead at the end. I didn’t have a great first round and realised that if I had, I could have challenged for the title.
I didn’t have any real disappointments or lows. I’m playing a game I love and probably had more good than bad rounds. You know you’re not always going to perform at your highest level, but I’m still young and as long as I keep working hard at my game and believing in myself, it will start happening.
The good thing this coming year is that everything will be much more familiar, from the courses to the other players and the lifestyle. It takes a bit of getting used to, but now I’ll be drawing on experience.
I’ve been surprised at how friendly everyone has been, but it also helped having my dad, Rupert, caddying for me in the first year. I’d describe dad as my best friend, but it can be hard having a father-son relationship and a player-caddie relationship at the same time. But dad has a lot of faith in me and is going to take a step back from caddying. This week I’ve got Stan Mercer, who used to caddie for Peter Baker and Stephen Gallacher, on my bag, so we’ll see how it goes.
Talking of friendly faces, it’s great to have Rory McIlroy on tour now. We’ve been out for supper a couple of times this week in Hong Kong and played a practice round together on Tuesday. He took my money, actually, but I’ll get him back.
I thought Rory played brilliantly in the Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews last month. It was only his second event as a pro and he effectively secured his card by finishing third. He also played well in Madrid the next week. It was a fantastic end to the season and I felt really pleased for him. But I have to say, it didn’t surprise me. He is so talented, particularly under pressure, and can shoot really low scores.
We’ve been playing against each other since we were 14. We played in lots of junior tournaments — I’d win some, he’d win some. There’s never been that much difference between us, but although we’re good friends, we still want to beat each other. I’m sure we’ll spur each other on.
I’m reading Jonny Wilkinson’s book at the moment. He reminds me a bit of Vijay Singh with the amount of practice he puts in; one bashes ball after ball, the other hits kick after kick. It’s all about repeat, repeat, repeat until everything is totally grooved.
I find it incredible how Jonny drives himself and how he’d beat himself up if, say, he ate a piece of chocolate and then played badly. He’d feel that he let himself and his team-mates down. He’s a bit strange because he doesn’t like the spotlight he finds himself under. I wouldn’t say you play to be in the spotlight — you play to win, to be the best you can. But then, if it puts you in the spotlight, so be it.
I’ve got a busy schedule up to Christmas and will then take a good break at home with my family. After Hong Kong, I’m off to Australia and New Zealand and will start up again in Abu Dhabi in the new year. Now I’ve got the first year out of the way, I want to start competing for tournaments. I loved winning as an amateur and that’s what’s at the forefront of my mind this season. Beginning this week, I’m looking to get off to a good start.
Born September 13, 1988
Lives Chigwell, Essex
Height 6ft 1in
Weight 12st 10lb
Coach : Chris Jenkins
2007 Order of Merit 109th
Earnings 2006-07 € 242,067 (about £172,000)
Top finishes in 2007 Ninth, Johnnie Walker Championship, Gleneagles; eleventh, Commercialbank Qatar Masters; thirteenth, TCL Classic, China
— Won the Faldo Series, a competition for young amateurs, three times in a row from 2003
— Britain’s youngest representative in the Walker Cup, aged 16, at Chicago Golf Club in 2005
— Youngest Briton to win a place on the European Tour, finishing fifth at Qualifying School in 2006
 I saved the best for last - and just scraped in Times Online, September 4th 2007
Focused Fisher learning fast to be a professional Times Online, April 19th 2007
So, you’re 17 years old and about to
tee it up in the Australian Mastercard
Open at Huntingdon, in Melbourne.
What’s the secret to holding your nerve
in one of your first starts in a professional
event – the arena that one day
you hope to make your home?
“Uh, dunno really. Probably looking
at Peter Fowler’s daughters all
day. He [Fowler] was so slow, it was a
joke. I was waiting all the time. But I
didn’t mind ‘cos his daughters were
following us around and they were
well tasty. Actually his wife was lovely
too – wasn’t she dad? – but his
daughters. I just kept looking at
them. Took my mind off stuff.”
Meet Oliver Fisher, one of the
most engaging and refreshing young
English golfers to come along in a
very long time.
The youngest player
in Walker Cup history (he was just 16
when he arrived for the match in
Chicago last September). Plus four
handicap. Currently ranked as the
world’s No.1 amateur on the R&A
ranking. A wicked sense of fun and a
character you warm to instantly.
Ollie’s performance Down Under
confirmed what many observers
already believe. After surviving the
halfway cut, he closed with a sixunder-
par 66 in the last round at
Huntingdon – the lowest of the day –
to take 12th place.
“Australia was awesome, I loved
it.” says Ollie, who himself is too
modest to talk about anything as
mundane as scores. “I had my dad
on the bag, but he didn’t do the
yardages or anything technical like
that. We played a practice round with
Paul Casey, which was great. I outdrove
him a couple of times, too. He
didn’t like that. Talking to him made
me realise that I know nothing about
equipment or ball spin or what really
suits my game, so I’m off to Nike’s HQ
in Texas in February to get properly
fitted, which I’m really looking forward
to.”
We met Oliver Fisher to shoot the swing
sequence you will find overleaf on a
bitterly cold and bleak January morning
at Crowlands Heath Golf Club,
near Dagenham, in Essex.
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Ollie’s
coach, Chris Jenkins is a part of a
consortium that recently bought the
club, and he has set about developing
a junior academy that attracts
golfers from all over the county. The
golf course itself is a strange contradiction:
built on what appears to be a
piece of reclaimed wasteland, and
surrounded by council flats and gas
works (“but with USGA-spec tees and
greens”) it is the most unlikely place
on earth you expect to meet a potential
world-beater.
And this boy’s all the more special
for it.
RICHARD SIMMONS
Oliver Fisher Interview with www.golfinternationalmag.com
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