Great to see young talent like Chris wood do so well at Birkdale finishing 5th.

In an interview during the tournament with BBC he stated he was going to turn Pro after next years Walker Cup and would carry on as an amateur and play his England stuff etc.
Interestingly "Jessie James" (Mark James) at the end of the tournament said on T.V
" if I was you young man I'd stay by the phone this week"

Chris was playing Titleist through the bag, but I just wondered who might have thrown the cheque book at him and what OEM he will be representing?

Whoever it is I wish him all the best of luck

Anyone know?

I hear Hooters was looking for someone new to sponsor .

As you say mate, Chris isn't turning pro until next year so at the moment, he's not going to be signing with anyone.

Justin Rose turned pro the week after his 4th place finish and signed a deal with Taylor Made/Maxfli worth an estimated £2m ($4m).

It's a difficult decision because as we know, Rose had a succession of missed cuts and struggled in his first few years on tour. He's had to work extremely hard to deliver on his expectations but in all fairness, he seems to have got there after winning the European Order of Merit last season.

Wood will be taking it slow and working on his game. He's a good amateur but he doesn't have an exceptional record. He'll be looking to improve in certain areas before turning pro and hopefully he'll receive the rewards then. I think it's a sensible decision to make but with so much money available to him, it must be difficult.

He was predominantly using Titleist at the Open but that's mainly because the England players get Titleist equipment free. Whether or not we'll see him signing with Titleist when he turns pro is anyone's guess.

Golf Channel reported yesterday that he was turning pro.

He announced yesterday that he is turning pro immediately, and not waiting until next year.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/gol...icle4419651.ece

You can never tell which company an amateur will sign with. It is often the opposite of who is courting them. I believe when Rose played the Open as an amateur he was emblazoned with Cobra and Reebok logos, only to sign with TaylorMade/adidas. LeBron and his high school was all exclusive adidas and now he is Nike's biggest b-ball spokesman.

he signed with IMG yesterday!

Whoever he signs with should make sure he gets sweaters long enough to reach below his belt. Remember when Tiger was an amatuer he played in golf shirts that were huge on him? Now every one is custom made. I don't think young Chris will be buying off the rack much longer.

Lol, looks like you're right mate. I guess my last post is meaningless now!

This is a quote from him after the Open:
"Going into this week I said I was going to stay an amateur, go back to America and do my degree in psychology and then go from there," added the Kent golfer after completing his Open debut.

"I personally don't feel my game is quite ready. Hopefully I will be back next year, whether as a professional or amateur I'm not quite sure yet."

This is from yesterday:
British Open silver medal winner Chris Wood has decided to turn professional, less than a week after saying he had no plans to leave the amateur game. The 20-year-old Englishman finished tied for fifth in the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, and then announced he was taking a week off to rest up for the English Amateur Championship at Woodhall Spa. However, after several meetings with management companies in the aftermath of his Birkdale success, Wood has withdrawn from his national championship to prepare for life as a tour pro.

I guess money talks the loudest. I hope this is the right thing to do.

I'm not sure which management companies he's been talking to but I presume IMG are in there somewhere. If that's the case, I suppose Nike might not be a bad shout.

I can't find anything on the net about that mate?

I've just read that he had a meeting with someone at ISM but I haven't seen anything about him signing with anyone yet.

It looks like he's eligible to receive seven invitations on the European Tour this year and he needs to win approximately £200,000 to save him from the nightmare of Q School.

In the article I linked it states:

"Wood, who will be managed by ISM, which numbers Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke among its clients"

Thanks mate, just read it.

Ernie Els, David Howell and Rory McIlroy are also managed by ISM. Doesn't look like there's any link between their clients and a particular OEM so it's still up for debate which brand he's going to sign with.

Many years ago I use to look negatively at players not finishing thier college scholarships in many sports. At 61 and trying to make a buck all my life as most of us, I can,t blame any of the youngs guys today ,irregardless of the sport, to take the money if it's appropriate. Some of these deals can bring enough endorsement dollars alone to set one up for life without actually having to perform. Thats the dice these sponsor companies roll.

Spot on mate.

It's easy for us to sit behind our screens and judge someone but we're talking about life changing sums of money here. If I'm honest, I think I'd be turning pro and selling myself to the highest bidder as well.

I just hope he can make enough money to secure his card for next season.

IMS sorry for the confusion.
It was in the daily newspaper today.

Is it just me, or does it seem like a mistake to turn pro so quickly? I know there is a lot of money out there for him, but is it the best thing for his career? It seems like with any sport, working your way up through the amateur and college ranks helps out in the long run. Just look at what happened to Justin Rose, as well as Michelle Wie. I can think of others in other sports. Occassionally, someone is able to make the leap. But most of the time it is a large jump in required performance.

Exactly. I would do it. College will always be there and you will still be able to read and write when you are 50. However, those quick millions might not be there very long. You could get hurt or turn into Michelle Wie and never amount to anything or turn into Duval and be great for awhile and all of a sudden fall off the face of the Earth. Gotta strike while the iron is hot.

Let him work on his game w a couple mil in the bank. I think it's the advanced publicity and unfair expectations more than the money that effects these young players.

Yes and no mate.

The fact is that he's now got to make around £200k before the end of the season to keep his card. Unfortunately, he doesn't have time to work on his game. A couple of missed cuts and he'll feel the weight of the world on his shoulders regardless of how much money's in the account.

ISM is Chubby Chandler's management company, different from IMG which Mark MacCormack set up and made millions through with Arnie most notably in their early years. I imagine ISM will be taking a percentage of his income for their services, not providing it, we'll have to wait and see who he signs with. From the news reports it seems like he's already had a few invites from events that ISM promote or help organise, which will probably be the most immediate benefit of signing with them, good luck to him.