As soon as Australian golf’s subsequent huge factor, Curtis Luck will make his return to the massive stage at this week’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Eire after a number of years within the {golfing} wilderness.
The 28-year-old, who received the celebrated US Beginner in 2016 earlier than bursting onto the skilled scene, is one among a number of nice tales among the many 9 Australians set to tee it up within the 153rd version of golf’s oldest main championship beginning Thursday.
Luck’s satirically luckless journey is just bettered within the resilience stakes among the many Australian crop by former bikie turned New Zealand Open champion Ryan Peake, who spent 5 years in jail earlier than turning his life round incomes a serious debut together with his win in Queenstown in March.
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Regardless of taking part in his method into one of many three Open qualifying spots on the Australian Open final December, Luck was not even in a position to play two weeks in a row throughout the Australian summer season.
A bulging disc in his backbone, in addition to neck issues, have prompted Luck such grief that he has to handle his physique rigorously.
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After ending runner-up within the nationwide open to shock American winner Ryggs Johnston by three pictures after bogeying the final two holes at Kingston Heath, Luck urged that making his Open debut was no certainty regardless of qualifying alongside Johnston and Australian LIV Golf star Marc Leishman.
“Clearly that’s a serious perk,” Luck mentioned of The Open exemption.
“The end wasn’t preferrred however I wasn’t even hitting balls three months in the past, so I don’t suppose I can complain an excessive amount of.
“I don’t know what subsequent yr appears to be like like as a result of I’ve been pulling up actually sore, however I can be making an attempt my hardest to play the Open subsequent yr.”
Luck has solely performed two occasions with Official World Golf Rating factors because the Australian Open, the newest of which was the PGA Tour of Australasia’s season finale in March.
In that occasion at The Nationwide, he got here near securing one of many three DP World Tour playing cards on supply within the season-long Order of Benefit race.
The very fact Luck was even within the operating was a minor miracle as he solely performed six occasions for the Australian summer season.
He might have even nabbed one of many playing cards if not for once more bogeying the ultimate two holes to finally end in a share of third on the season-ending match.
“There are issues on the road for a few guys which might be up there and that’s one among them,” Luck mentioned of the Order of Benefit race on the time.
“However the way in which my final 12 months have been, getting by every week feeling considerably wholesome and good is probably the most essential bit going ahead.
“(The damage) is so a lot better than it was, contemplating eight months in the past I wasn’t taking part in. Now I can exit and play, I’m tremendous grateful.
“The query for me proper now could be: can I play a number of weeks in a row? The reply to that’s no. I get one week underneath my belt with out feeling an excessive amount of stuff again there.
“It’s bizarre popping out figuring out my goal is testing my well being moderately than my golf. If I can get by the primary few days, I do know I can final every week.”
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The native tour shouldn’t be really the place the West Australian belongs.
However with such rare appearances, it’s little marvel he grew to become a forgotten man of Australian golf regardless of his immense expertise.
When Luck added his title to the illustrious checklist of US Beginner champions that additionally contains the likes of all-time greats Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Phil Mickelson, in addition to present family names Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Fitzpatrick and Viktor Hovland, he was named the Australian Institute of Sport’s Rising Athlete of the Yr.
The yr prior the award was received by NBA famous person Ben Simmons, and several other Olympic and Paralympic gold medallists have additionally been adorned with the honour over time.
Luck was clearly a star on the rise.
Fox Sports activities golf professional Paul Gow summed up Luck’s sport by saying he “simply appeared improbable” as he transitioned from an novice to knowledgeable.
He made his mark on the main stage by making the lower, and ending tied forty sixth, on debut at The Masters in 2017.
Luck earned his place at Augusta Nationwide on account of being the US Beginner champion, however he select to forgo additional exemptions on the US Open and The Open to show skilled, and begin incomes cash.
The US was once more calling as Luck stepped straight onto the PGA Tour courtesy of a number of sponsor exemptions.
4 missed cuts in ten begins with a greatest end of tied fifth on the Quicken Loans Nationwide was not sufficient to safe his tour card, nonetheless, and so Luck plied his commerce on the secondary Korn Ferry Tour, then known as the Internet.com Tour.
The step down reaped rewards with Luck incomes promotion to the PGA Tour after only one season.
It pressured him to have a re-think about his journey, and he shared his findings with the golf world in a self-penned article for Australian Golf Digest in 2019.
“I don’t imagine in skipping levels in somebody’s golf growth,” Luck wrote.
“From the start of a golf profession, you need to undergo milestones.
“You begin taking part in membership golf as a younger little one and get your handicap. You then’re travelling to junior occasions and, for those who excel, you play open-age novice occasions as a precursor to the elite, worldwide novice circuit.
“You slowly undergo these levels and I don’t suppose skipping them treats you effectively.
“It’s why I didn’t essentially really feel able to compete persistently on the PGA Tour till I grew to become a member by the newest Internet.com Tour Finals.”
The yo-yoing between the highest two US excursions continued nonetheless, as in 2019 Luck missed 9 cuts in 17 begins.
The next yr he was pressured to navigate the Korn Ferry Tour amongst interruptions introduced on by the Covid-19 pandemic.
However regardless of underwhelming outcomes having missed 11 cuts in 2020, Luck nabbed a win on the Nationwide Youngsters’s Hospital Championship and a begin on the US Open, the place he sadly missed the lower.
“Yeah, it’s truly a extremely deep breath of reduction,” Luck mentioned after the win.
“Golf’s actually powerful. It’s in all probability not gone 100 per cent to plan with the way in which I needed to after I turned professional, however yeah, I’ve simply caught with it and I’m nonetheless working exhausting.
“Clearly, to get a win out right here is very large as a result of not solely does it give me standing for the following couple years out right here on the Korn Ferry Tour, it simply exhibits that I’m in a position to compete, which is good.”
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Within the following years, kind and accidents took their toll.
After 4 seasons of minimal success, Luck misplaced his Korn Ferry Tour card final yr.
He returned house to Australia to play a correct season on the native tour for the primary time in his profession.
Three prime three finishes in six begins, together with a third-place end in entrance of buddies and the household on the WA Open, received by Australian PGA champion and fellow Open starter Elvis Smylie, confirmed his class.
And Gow believes Luck might have formally turned the nook, if he can get take care of his physique.
“He’s beginning to play higher. He performed effectively on the Australasian Tour final yr,” Gow mentioned.
“He performed effectively in Mandurah (on the WA Open). He ought to have received there. He’s simply bought to handle himself.
“Enjoying effectively in Australia actually gave him a number of confidence and he’s headed again to the US, and taking part in some occasions there.”
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As for The Open itself, Gow thinks not having the miles within the legs can be detrimental at Royal Portrush.
However he has little doubt that Luck has the talent to make the step up.
As Rory McIlroy mentioned eventually week’s Scottish Open, hyperlinks golf is extra for the artist than the scientist.
The howling breezes and agency and quick circumstances convey one of the best out of the artistic sorts who can conceptualise riveting shot-making to get the higher of a famed venue.
Luck is actually that kind of golfer, in line with Gow.
“He’s been getting himself prepared, however he hasn’t performed sufficient golf this yr,” Gow mentioned.
“He’s a really artistic man. He’s an actual thinker of the sport.
“Comes out of Royal Fremantle like Min Woo Lee. They’re used to the wind. It blows in sideways there.
“So, the wind received’t bother him in any respect. It’ll simply be the precise occasion itself and the way enormous it’ll be there.
“They’re going to have 280,000 thousand individuals undergo the gates there subsequent week.
“As a participant, you’ll get be getting requested for autographs from individuals who don’t even know who you might be.
“So, it’s about managing the week so that you’re not blown out by Friday afternoon.”