Curtis Luck is only 20 years old and still an amateur, but the future looks very bright for the Australian
Why Curtis Luck Could Be The Surprise Package at The Masters
I must admit, I wasn’t too familiar with Curtis Luck before I arrived at Augusta National for the 2017 US Masters.
I knew he’d won the 2016 US Amateur, beating the USA’s Brad Dalke 6&4 in the championship match, but that was about the extent of it. After following him during Masters practice, though, I’m convinced he could be golf’s next star.
The first thing that strikes you about the 20-year-old from Perth, who plans to turn professional on the Monday after The Masters, is his demeanour. He’s relaxed, he’s outgoing and he strides around the course with an obvious air of self-confidence.
By no means should that be misconstrued as arrogance. He was laughing and joking with Rory McIlroy and clearly wasn’t intimidated by his presence. By contrast, he seemed to revel in it. That level of comfort bodes well for him making an instant impact at the top table.
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The second thing you notice is his driving, both in terms of approach and execution. First and foremost, he’s aggressive. He bombed one down the right side of the 7th hole when most other players I watched hit 3-wood, and casually flipped a wedge onto the green from the short grass.
He’s both long and straight. I watched him for four holes and he didn’t miss a fairway. On two of those holes – the 8th and the 9th – he was only marginally behind Rory McIlroy, a man who currently averages almost 319 yards off the tee.
McIlroy himself was clearly impressed with Luck.
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“I think one of the big things that will stick with him is that he’s very chill. It didn’t seem like anything fazed him out there,” the Ulsterman said.
“His golf game is good and he hits it plenty far enough. He’s very consistent. I didn’t really see any weaknesses there. He’s an exciting prospect.”
At the top level, talent is almost a given and it’s often the intangibles – mental approach, mindset, self-belief and attitude – that bridge the gap between success and failure.
Luck is clearly very comfortable in his own skin and confident in his ability to execute all the shots.
On the 8th hole, he hit driver off the deck for his second shot. On the 9th hole, he took on an absolutely ridiculous shot – a full-swing flop from just behind the green to a flag just five yards in front of him – and hit it to tap-in range.
He’s charismatic and flamboyant – something his clothing and man-bun hair style speak to – and seems mature beyond his years.
The best amateur performance in the modern era (I’m defining modern era as after 1970) came from Ryan Moore in 2005, when he finished in a tie for 13th.
Luck said he was just “here to have fun” in his pre-tournament press conference. Don’t be surprised to see his name somewhere near the lead at some stage this week.
Attend The 2018 Masters with Your Golf Travel – visit yourgolftravel.com/us-masters Experiences including flights, hotels & tickets are available. Nick Bonfield travelled to the 2017 Masters courtesy of Your Golf Travel.
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