A meteoric rise. A well-trodden cliché often used when describing an athlete’s climb to the summit of their chosen sport – but one that is so apt in the case of Matt Wallace.
At 19 the likes of Sergio Garcia and Rory McIlroy were winning their first European Tour titles, while Wallace was working in a Hollister clothing shop.
At 25, Seve Ballesteros and Jordan Spieth were multiple Major Champions, while Wallace was applying for a job in golf management.
Now at 28, Wallace is a four-time winner on the European Tour, inside the top 50 in the world and is being hotly-tipped to mount a serious challenge for a Major title in the near future. A late bloomer, indeed.
Over a remarkable three-season stretch Wallace has won ten titles across three different tours, seeing his Official World Golf Ranking move up from 1156thto 44th– a monumental surge by anyone’s reckoning.
It hasn’t all been plain sailing on his route to the top, though. Wallace openly admits he found the going tough on the third tier Alps Tour, even during his breakthrough season in 2016 – which included six victories in nine starts.
“I only had a couple of people helping me and you would have a certain amount of money to last five or six events,” he said.
“After that, I had to pay my own way so that was tough. Even in the year where I won six times, it was great but not significant or life-changing money and I was having to pay a lot of stuff off with what I won.
“I was getting sponsorship, maybe £5,000, so from there on I was paying with whatever I earned.”
Even in the year where I won six times, it was great but not significant or life-changing money and I was having to pay a lot of stuff off with what I won.
With that remarkable winning run it was not long before notable names in the game started to take note, and it was ISM’s Chubby Chandler who signed up the Englishman, recognising his potential star quality.
During the 2017 Challenge Tour season-opener in Kenya, Wallace again showed signs of his talent.
After carding rounds of 68-66-67, he led by one going into the final day in Nairobi – but ultimately had to settle for a share of third, after a brilliant 65 from countryman Aaron Rai saw him triumph.
As has often been the case in Wallace’s short career, any setback has been closely followed by a swift and strong response.
Two events later and he was back in the winners’ circle after prevailing in the dual-ranking Open de Portugal at Morgado Golf Resort – a landmark victory in so many ways.
Wire-to-wire – yes. Lowest opening round by a European Tour winner in 2017 (63) – yes. And, most importantly, a triumph which gave him membership of Europe’s top tier.
Wallace’s was now at golf’s top table after seven wins in 14 months.
Throughout the remainder of 2017 Wallace showed glimpses of what he was capable of. An outstanding opening round of 64 at the Made in Denmark. Earning a Major debut after coming through U.S. Open qualifying. And, memorably, celebrating like he had scored the winning goal in a World Cup Final after chipping in for birdie on the 17thhole during the final round of the Italian Open to give himself a fighting chance of winning.
Wallace would finish 2017 in 70thplace in the Race to Dubai. A good start, but he knew this was only the beginning.
As has become custom for Wallace, his first victory of 2018, his finest season to date, came in impressive fashion too.
Statistically Wallace’s performance at the Hero Indian Open was the joint best of 2018 with Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston – who he went toe-to-toe with in a play-off to decide the title – with the pair picking up a staggering 21.38 strokes against the rest of the field at DLF Golf and Country Club.
When the going got tough Wallace prevailed again, channeling all of his past experiences of getting over the line to get overcome ‘Beef’ and claim European Tour title number two.
Following another close call at the Volvo China Open, Wallace rediscovered his Midas touch in Germany at the BMW International Open where, thanks to a closing round of 65, he rose through a congested field to claim his second victory of 2018.
Wallace’s next highlight of a remarkable year came at the US PGA Championship, where he underlined his potential to compete on the highest on stages with a tied 19thfinish, thanks in part to what he described as ‘the shot of his life’ – a third round hole-in-one in the company of Spieth.
The clearest indication yet that Wallace has the insatiable appetite and drive to reach the highest echelons of the game came in Denmark.
With murmurings that he was an outsider for Thomas Bjørn’s Ryder Cup team, the Englishman entered the final round of the Made in Denmark – the last qualifying event for Team Europe – with a point to prove.
Cue an exhibition of remarkable scoring in front of the European Captain: eight birdies in his final 11 holes, followed by two further gains in the two play-off holes Wallace needed to lift the title – his third of the season.
To deliver under such pressure, making clutch shot after clutch shot, Wallace had made a very strong case for inclusion in Bjørn’s side.
Although it wasn’t to be this time, testament to Wallace’s character he graciously said the following after finding out he wouldn’t be part of the 12-man party travelling to Paris:
“I’ve had a lot of disappointment in my life and in my career in golf, and I’ve always used that as fire to get better, and this is probably the biggest one you can have. Let’s just say watch this space now.”
How has he reacted since? By not missing a cut in his next ten starts, including two top five finishes in Rolex Series events – most notably a share of second in Dubai – to break into the world’s top 50 for the first time.
After any setback Wallace has shown he gets up, dusts himself off and comes back stronger – watch this space in 2019 and beyond.
