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Dilemma looming for Fisher

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Rob Hodgetts | 15:14 UK time, Friday, 17 July 2009

England's Ross Fisher is praying that the moment he's dreamed of for so long doesn't happen. At least for another two days.

The 28-year-old is poised to dash back to Surrey the moment he hears his wife Jo is about to go into labour with their first child.

But Fisher compiled a solid 68 in tough Turnberry conditions to climb into a very promising position at halfway in the 138th Open Championship on Friday.

And he faces an agonising choice should the call come over the weekend.

rossfisher595getty.jpgFisher joined the in 2006 and has since won twice, but over the last six months he has really come to the attention of the wider golfing public.

In May he lost out to Paul Casey for the PGA Championship at Wentworth and in June he finished fifth in the US Open at Bethpage.

But as playing partners and went backwards at a rate of knots at Turnberry on Friday, Fisher forged on, climbing to three under par.

"One of his strongest attributes is his mental belief in himself and his ability not to get upset on the golf course," Fisher's long-time coach Kristian Baker, head of instruction at Wentworth, told me.

"I've never once seen him throw a golf club or shout in frustration and I'd challenge anyone to find that on tape or anything. If he hits a bad shot it's almost like he's straight away thinking about the next shot.

"He never ever gets emotional on the golf course. If he has a birdie you never see him get too excited, if he has a bogey you never see him get too frustrated."

Baker has worked with Fisher for about eight years and guided him from the Wentworth academy, on to the Challenge Tour and to .

"The reason that he's got to be a very good player is because he hits it immense distances and is a very, very solid driver of the ball," said Baker.

So what was it that he first saw in the young Fisher?

"What stood out at the very beginning was his ability to hit the ball a long way and still hit it straight," Baker said. "He would stand on the practice ground and hit it as far and as hard as he possibly could. But he would still keep it on the planet."

Baker says Fisher's golf swing has developed a lot in their time together but he stresses that all the changes have been made very slowly.

"In the last five years we've changed a lot but small changes can have a big difference in terms of where the ball goes and therefore his scoring average," said Baker.

"His ball striking is now more consistent, his ball flight is more consistent and his ability to control distance is now extremely good. He can now hit this one 160 yards and the next 165, either by gripping down the club or taking a bit off his swing. That's improved an awful lot in the last 12 months.

"He's extra-accurate off the tee for his length and much more consistent now on par threes.

"His frame lends itself to hitting the ball a long way but ultimately he hits it hard and out the middle of the golf club.

"It's a confidence in the technique. If you feel confident and comfortable you can hit the ball hard. If there's any doubt, you're going to ease off and try to guide the ball."

Baker works behind the scenes with a physio and a biomechanist to assess Fisher's body and work out how they can make his swing better. The changes are then fed to Fisher in simple steps, just like a lesson an 18 handicapper would have.

"We're looking to improve his mobility and stability on the lower body and that's really where we'll be focusing in the next 18 months," said Baker. "We're looking to create a much more solid platform to work around.

"He will be starting to work out much more heavily, too, but that's further down the line. If you look at Tiger Woods, the first thing to create before putting on the bulk is the right range of motions. For example, the amount of rotation in your hips is very influential in the golf swing.

"So you need to sort that out before going to the gym and working on the biceps. We've got to build the engine for the car. Once we've got that we can put on the bling wheels and wide arches."

Baker is in no doubt that Fisher is ready to win a major tournament and reckons he could win any one of them.

"When you hit the ball so long and straight off the tee I don't think there's a golf course that doesn't suit him," he said. "And he's got the imagination that links golf requires. You need all your things to click in one particular week, but he has got the game to win at the highest level, unquestionably."

Fisher said after his second round at Turnberry that his performance in the US Open last month has given him the belief to know he can compete, and beat, the very best.

"Every time you walk away from a US Open disappointed with coming fifth, you know you're doing something right," he said. " I felt I had a really good chance to win but I just didn't quite pull it off and putts didn't quite drop. But I didn't feel like I threw it away, so I'll take those positive thoughts and hopefully put them into good use for the next few days.

"I think my game's ready to win the biggest and best tournaments."

His game might be ready; the question is whether Mrs F is ready. She was due on Tuesday. Fisher's phone remains switched off when he is playing but his manager Conor Ridge is in constant touch.

So have they discussed names, maybe something linked with Turnberry or the Open if he wins?

"We have talked about it," Fisher admitted. "We've not entirely ruled it out, but I'd be surprised. You couldn't really call it Claret Jug Fisher could you?"

Follow our updates from the Open on Twitter ( or ). And send in any questions you may have about the Open and we'll try to get answers for the best.

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    Mr Fisher's performance to date is one of the more astonishing sporting attitudes I saw in professional sport.

    He is clearly playing superbly, but it must be somewhat masochistic to deny yourself the chance of winning the Open to see the birth of your child.

    I don't mean that he shouldn't do that, I mean he's masochistic to play so well as to put himself in that position.

    How easy to toddle off 9 off the lead, eh?

    How easy would it be to say: 'I might not be in such a good position for the rest of my career, but I'll toddle off anyway?'

    I agree with his assessment, but I truly trust that his decision-making is not put to the test...........

  • Comment number 2.

    Get on with your job and let your wife and the health professionals do theirs...surely this was talked over months ago and IF he is in a position to win ( 2 rounds gone and in joint 4th ) one would have thought he would have received the green light to play on ?
    Probably more kids to follow, how many Open's with a real chance to win ??
    Ask Sir Nick what he would do???

  • Comment number 3.

    "In May he lost out in a play-off to Paul Casey for the PGA Championship at Wentworth."

    Oh really? Sloppy.

  • Comment number 4.

    Having had the fortune to play with Ross a few years back, all i can say is congratulations to him and his wife when ever it happens, from a golfing perspective i want to say just go beat everyone, its about time we had a true gentlemen as the British Open Champion. Go Fish Go...

  • Comment number 5.

    Bloomin' kids, even when they're still in the box they already cause problems.

    If that kiddies got one ounce of respect it will stay put until Daddy's got the vino jug on the mantelpiece. Doesn't baby realise Fisher senior is securing its future private education?

    Only jesting of course, best of wishes for Ross on his impending fatherhood, and good luck for the Open, would love to see him lift the jug, hes a thoroughly nice chappy (and not a bad golfer either).

  • Comment number 6.

    I don't think this is a dilemma at all. He's going to witness the greatest miracle on the planet, and he's the father - that's fantastic. Nothing can top it, not even winning the Open 10 times in a row. If he's that good, he will be back to win more, if he even misses anything at all.

    I think impending fatherhood is the best motivation for anything, so lets not forget the positives too.

    And I am in the wonderful position to say this as an impeding father myself, my second one is going to come any day now and nothing and nobody can stop me from being there and witnessing it.

    So there :)

  • Comment number 7.

    Correction: I am an impending father, not impeding. Is there an edit button? Must be all the excitement... ;)

  • Comment number 8.

    Lets hope Ross remembers he is doing his job for his family as well as himself.
    Being one of the 'old school', I do not beleive in men having to be in on the birth of their child. I am sure many women would rather be on their own until the birth is safely over.

    I hope Fisher plays well and wins after a great performance in US. With Tiger gone, he can win. Good bet @ 8-1 if he doest dissapear which would be unprofessional.

  • Comment number 9.

    I was reading how thorough golfers are now days taking nothing for granted. Their diet, sleep, exercise, practice and all. But Fisher was not very thorough the day he conceived his first child. Didnt he know the birth date would coincide with the Open Championship?
    Lovely as having a child might be to people who have them, for sure he can have other children but can he have this chance to win a major again?
    If I was his son or daughter in the future I would tell him he was an idiot to leave to see my birth as we will have the rest of our lives together. Its not like I was going to remember the day anyhow.

  • Comment number 10.

    If I was his wife, I wouldn't call him. He'd find out on Sunday night (oh by the way, the baby came).

    She holds the key. If she calls him, it's out of his hands. Even if he doesn't go (stays on to play), he could well lose focus/concentration. So he may as well go as his mind will be there.

    Realistically, she doesn't need him there - even though it's nice to share that experience. And if he never gets another chance, he might well resent her and the child.

    2/3

  • Comment number 11.

    Fisher was silly, he should have taken the Simon Shaw route and had his wife induced so he could concentrate on the golf! Here's his article where he reveals he had this done in the run up to the world cup, as well as systematically ripping Woodward a new one.




    I hope Fisher does well tomorrow, but I think we'd all rather see Old Tom Watson win wouldn't we? I would.

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