Won the 2010 Madeira Islands Open BPI-Portugal in his maiden European Tour season, vindicating the decision he made as a teenager to choose a career in golf over professional cricket. Played in the same England Youth teams as Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara and Tim Bresnan but switched to golf at the age of 16 and went from an 18 handicapper to scratch in less than a year. The following year, he accepted a scholarship to the University of South Carolina in America. Returned home to play first on the Europro Tour and then on the Challenge Tour, having turned professional after the 2006 Qualifying School Final Stage. Finished 18th in the 2009 Challenge Tour Rankings to secure his place in The 2010 Race to Dubai alongside his friend and compatriot Ross McGowan, with whom he grew up in Surrey, England, and ended his debut campaign in 61st place, narrowly missing out on a place in the field at the lucrative season-ending Dubai World Championship presented by DP World.