KEVIN CAPLEHORN, who has led coaching of Hampshire’s youngest juniors over the last few years, was doubly delighted when Sam Hutsby – one of his old shop assistants at Lee-on-the-Solent – qualified to play in The Open.
Kev explained: “Sam Hutsby was one the UK’s top two or three amateurs 15-16 years ago and was only beaten by the very talented Italian Matteo Manassero in the final of the 2009 Amateur Championship. Sam was 20 – Matteo was just 16 when he won at Formby.
“He also played Rickie Fowler in the Walker Cup against the Americans in 2008. Sam had four seasons playing on the European Tour and won his card back having played on the Challenge Tour in 2014 with his maiden win in the Kazakhstan Open.
“But when he lost his card in 2015 he had three years on Challenge Tour without much success,” added Kevin, who spent the week of The Open at Royal Troon as one of the PGA’s 25 strong coaches in the Swingzone, offering free lessons to spectators.
He said: “Sam came back to the club where he enjoyed all that success as a junior, playing for England and Great Britain and Ireland, and doing the same in the men’s amateur teams.
“Sam said he wanted to starting coaching and do his PGA qualification. As part of that process you have to work in the club shop and he was working through his studies – helping with the coaching at Lee – when he had one more go at Qualifying School.
“He did brilliantly to get his card back – I was really happy for him even though I had also moved to Ampfield by then.
“The Swingzone coaches do either a morning or afternoon shift, so I was able to arrange mine on the Thursday and Friday so I could watch Sam out on the course.
“Sam won again on the Challenge Tour last year and has found that passion again for playing at the highest level he can. He’s never played in a Major, but he came through Final Qualifying at Dundonald, last month.
“He had Will Green, a member at the Lee, who has played for Hampshire juniors and in last year’s South East Challenge League Final.
“They both agreed with me about how cold it was at Troon. I can’t remember an Open when the weather changed so much over the four days of play, and at it’s peak, it was blowing hard and really cold. Will moaned that he had five layers on, on Friday.
“To be able to watch Sam playing in his first Major at the age of 35 was fantastic. And at one point he was actually tied for the lead with Justin Thomas on Thursday at three-under, until he put it in the Coffin bunker at the Postage Stamp.”
Hutsby has played 15 tournaments on the Challenge Tour so far this season, and currently sits in 14th place in the money list, with the top 20 qualifying for the European Tour in 2025. Last year he was 40th on the Road to Mallorca. He is currently inside the top 20 for this season.
Kevin Caplehorn (left) was able to watch his former PGA assistant Sam Hutsby after he qualified to play in The Open for the first time in his 15-year career