And the Open returns to Birkdale in 2008 for the first time since that memorable week.
[Laughs] Yeah, that’s a week that is going to have to be managed carefully because everybody is going to want a piece of that story. And I haven’t been back there since so I am looking forward to it. There is no better place for me to break through and win a major. To go there with a legitimate chance to win rather than as a skinny 17- year-old kid whom nobody knew a thing about. But it was a dream come true.
Does it still seem like yesterday or are the memories fading?
It feels like a lifetime ago. It really does feel like another me. I think I have made a conscious effort to forget the Open because it was such a distracting factor for me having turned pro and not doing too well and people wondering if I was a flash in the pan.
Birkdale 1998 ultimately worked against you in the end because expectations were so high.
The Open turned out to be a distraction. It made no sense to miss 21 cuts after that. I am obviously a better player than that. But my expectations changed. As did those of people around me. There was pressure from endorsements, sponsorship and media. Stuff I wasn’t really ready for. I wish that after the Open I were able to take things slower. But I got caught up in the rollercoaster of earning my tour card and being the Next Big Thing. It was hard not to. It was crazy.
Did you feel overwhelmed by how much your life changed?
Unfortunately, at 17, as much as my family tried to guide me, it was all new for them, too, and I don’t think I was really managed all that well. Nobody capitalised on it. It was a disaster. With every shot I was hitting, I felt I was influencing my off-course value. I couldn’t function under that pressure.

You must have endured some dark days missing cut after cut.
Yeah, the worst of it was after about the fourth or fifth cut. It didn’t really matter about six, seven, eight or nine. But I never believed it was going to keep going. But then I would get near making a cut and all the media and photographers would suddenly appear and that made it worse. They were tough days but I never doubted myself and I feel I am a better player now for coming through that experience.
You seem to like things tough?
Yeah, I know. I’m a glutton for punishment (smiles). That seems to illustrate my whole career. I just don’t do things easy. Easy is just sooo overrated (laughs). Maybe that ability to fight is engrained in me now. Sometimes I do play my best when I’ve really got to dig myself out of a hole. Comfortable and complacent are very close to each other. Being comfortable can be dangerous.
You should be making your Ryder Cup debut at Valhalla this September. Are you ready for that?
For the first time in my career, I feel I can legitimately say I want to play in the Ryder Cup. I feel comfortable in saying that I can be a valuable member of the team.
Do you feel you have been missing out on all that European glory?
It doesn’t hurt not to have played before because I wasn’t ready for it. I don’t feel bitter about missing out because I haven’t even been close to qualifying. But I was rooting for the guys and using it as an inspiration. I had bigger issues; my own problems. The Ryder Cup is amazing and I love team golf. But, at the same time, it’s difficult to base your whole schedule around one event every two years. I feel you have to look at the majors. That’s how I want to be defined as a player.