Matthew Nixon

Matt graduated from plastic clubs to real ones at the age of five and joined Ashton-under-Lyne Golf Club near his home in Manchester, the club he is still attached to, at seven.

He enjoyed a fine amateur career, gaining national recognition with victory at the British Boys Amateur Championship at Royal Aberdeen in 2006 and making his full England debut at the Home Internationals in 2009.

Matt reached the semi-final of the British Amateur Championship at Muirfield before playing a prominent role in the England Home Internationals team the following year.

He became known as something of a Qualifying School specialist since earning his European Tour card for the first time at Final Stage in 2010 while still an amateur, retaining his playing privileges that way for the subsequent two years.

Matt didn't need to go there a fourth time, though, after enjoying the most successful year of his short professional career so far in 2013. He was second at the M2M Russian Open, fourth at the Nelson Mandela Championship and made the cut in 12 other events.

He retained his card for the 2015 season with an impressive performance at the Perth Open in his final event of 2014.