For amateurs with lofty ambitions, this week's English Amateur Open for the Brabazon Trophy at Royal Cinque Ports in Kent represents an ideal opportunity.

The championship begins on Friday (17th May) and with places on Ireland's Eisenhower Trophy team and the Great Britain and Ireland St Andrew's Trophy team up for grabs, it gives the elite players a chance to show the selectors just what they can do with card and pencil in hand.

Ireland is sending the full complement of heavyweight contenders in John Foster (Ballyclare), Justin Kehoe (Birr), Andrew McCormick (Scrabo), Gavin McNeill (Waterford), Colm Moriarty (Athlone) and Limerick's Tim Rice.

But while McCormick, McNeill and Moriarty already form part of Garth McGimpsey's elite Great Britain and Ireland squad, Rice is looking to 72-hole strokeplay championship as part of his preparation for another attack on the professional ranks in the autumn tour school.

What better way to prepare than by testing yourself against the best in Europe in one of amateur golf's most prestigious competitions.

The Brabazon was first held at Royal Cinque Ports in 1964 when former R&A Secretary, Michael Bonallack finished four strokes clear, carding a course record of 65 along the way.

Tour player Mark Davis won the title there in 1984, but the Kent course will be uncharted territory for Rice as he bids to get shine in strokeplay events across the amateur spectrum this season and clinch that elusive first win.

The leading qualifier in West of Ireland championship at Co Sligo at Easter, Rice has yet to win a major amateur event in an otherwise distinguished career.

But it's something he'd like to put right before making the step up to the professional ranks.

He said: "Michael Hoey and Graeme McDowell have proved themselves but the rest of us, bar Noel Fox perhaps, need to step up in events like the Lytham Trophy, the Brabazon and the St Andrews Links. That's where we have to start performing and the Brabazon is as good a place to start as any."

One of the perfectionists of Irish golf, Rice struggled to control his inner demons in past years, displaying a tendency to put himself under even greater pressure when his swing went wrong.

But he is now a more mature player and he feels ready to make the step up this year and concentrate his energies on strokeplay competition.

"Most of us playing full time golf are looking towards turning pro and people are very sceptical about that," he added. "But I think now with the fulltime amateur scene there will be more players getting further in the professional game.

"The fact that the players are playing golf fulltime is making a huge difference but if it doesn't work out golf is still a great sport in that regard because it offers a lot of openings from a business point of view."

A business management graduate from the University of Toledo, Rice at least has something to fall back on if his golf career hits the rocks.

But for the moment he has his heart set on winning a European Tour card and maybe even picking up his first amateur title on the way.

"I'd like to get in contention to win something anyway. Hopefully we'll see where it goes from there. Why I haven't won before I don't know.

"The fact that I was in college in America was a factor and maybe I didn't concentrate enough when I got back here. But in the last year I've put a lot of effort into my game to try and win one of the championships. But just to get into contention would be nice for a start."

As a former college golfer in the US, Rice is proud of what Ireland team mate Graeme McDowell has achieved over the past two years.

A vital part of the GB & I Walker Cup side that beat the US last summer, McDowell is now the top ranked college golfer in the US and is planning to turn professional this summer.

"Graeme being number one in America, having been over there, is the most incredible achievement of any Irish amateur in any year. That to me is better than Michael Hoey's British Amateur overall, even though Michael's was a wonderful win.

"Graeme being up there is incredible. The college he's in (Alabama) isn't as high profile as some of the other top ten colleges. For him to actually get ranked he has to play incredible golf because the system is kind of biased towards the top colleges.

"He's got a great chance of making it as a professional because mentally he's way out there ahead of everyone."

For Rice the mental game consists of getting yourself in a confident frame of mind.

"If your physical game is good then your mental game gets good. If you start hitting the ball well on the range then you get better mentally, that's my opinion.

"I believe more in good technique than anything else and all the new guys coming through the amateur ranks have great technique."

Rice has been working on his own technique with Galway coach David Kearney since February and he feels that the relationship is about to pay off.

"He pulls me back when I get too technical," said Rice. "And tries to keep things simple, which has been a great help."

But predictions of starvation and other dire warnings from those who feel that less than outstanding amateurs should stay away from the pro game don't seem to worry this affable Limerick man.

"The whole pro game is a very mental game. I don't think it is a tough way of making a living unless you can't eat. It's an excellent life. You could be inside an office and not getting as much satisfaction so I would never use that as an excuse. No matter what happens, I'll still enjoy myself."

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© Brian Keogh 2002

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