County pro prepares for new season

European Challenge Tour professional Ryan Evans is flying out to America this week in a bid to get some competitive practice ahead of a busy season.

The Wellingborough golfer endured a frustrating 2020 as a combination of event cancellations, due to coronavirus, plus a mystery stomach illness meant he only played a handful of tournaments throughout the year.

But after spending time working on his game with coach Shane Rose throughout the last few months, Evans is relishing the opportunity to get back out on the golf course.

He said: “I told Shane we needed to work extra hard over the winter to get myself ready for the new season. We have just been flat out on my game.

“I was supposed to be playing on the Challenge Tour in South Africa in February but that was pushed back to April, so I’m off to America for two weeks in West Palm Beach in Florida.

“I intend to play, and practice, on some of the best golf courses out there, which should be good. I want to get myself ready for when we do go out to South Africa. With the weather here, and the courses not being open, I need to get out there and play.

“Last season, we weren’t really educated on how bad this virus was, so we kept thinking we would return soon, but tournaments just kept getting cancelled. It was frustrating and annoying because I just want to play golf – it was a tough one to take.

“But we have 25 events in a row on the European Challenge Tour calendar. Although I’m not going to play in all, I can’t wait to get back into action.”