Another Young Gun To Watch: Ryan Ruffels Turns Pro
/In the wealth of riches department, golf gets another intriguing young player to keep an eye on, as Golf Australia product (but American citizen too) Ryan Ruffels turns pro.
Mark Hayes with the full story on Ruffels signing with Wasserman and Nike, and planning a hard push for a PGA Tour card. He makes his first two starts at Torrey Pines and Pebble Beach.
Ruffels, for most of the past year ranked in the world’s top 10 amateurs despite completing his Year 12 studies at Melbourne’s Haileybury College, said the decision was made not long after bad weather robbed him of a chance to win the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in October.
While he tied for second in Hong Kong, only a win that would have won him direct entry to The Masters in April would have kept him in amateur ranks.
“It was one of my big goals to play in a major championship as an amateur, but that was really it,” said Ruffels, who dismissed suggestions he was turning pro too early.
“For a while now, as much as I’m 17, I feel like I’ve been playing the amateur and junior stuff for a long time.
“I played my first amateur at 12 and the men’s interstate series not long after that, so as much as people are going to say, `He’s only 17, why is he turning pro?’, I feel like the time is right.
“I’ve done what I needed to do as an amateur.”
Ruffels Tweeted his bag, which includes the Golf Australia logo.
Big presser as @VicGolfClub member @RRuffels turns pro. First start @PGATOUR in San Diego in late Jan. #bestwishes pic.twitter.com/MfvdJooJlp
— Victoria Golf Club (@VicGolfClub) January 14, 2016
His announcement press conference:
**Not the greatest start to the career, as a Ruffels comment about winning $5000 from Phil Mickelson requires clarification. Brentley Romine reports.
**Ruffels agent issued a statement and John Strege tries to make sense of it.
"The ‘friendly wager’ and the birdie barrages’ reporting is a bit overdone and becoming a media fish story but rest assured Ryan had a great time, appreciates Phil and Tim and their willingness to support him during an important step in his development and looks forward to his career as a professional which begins at Torrey Pines later this month.”
