Five successive top-10 finishes have brought Oliver Fisher back from the wilderness, but to stay a European Tour regular this season the 21-year-old needs to keep the run going at the Spanish Open this week.

After a nightmare 2009 in which he missed 21 halfway cuts, lost his Tour card and then failed to survive the qualifying school, the Essex youngster has at last begun to head in the right direction again. Coach Pete Cowen, the man who helped Lee Westwood climb from outside the world’s top 250 to his current fourth spot, believes Fisher has the talent to go a lot higher than his current 189th.

But the big problem this year is how many chances he will get on the main circuit. “Because he didn’t make it through the school Ollie stays down the rankings this season and so isn’t guaranteed a start every week,” said Cowen.

It was only when he tied for fourth in Korea on Sunday that Fisher knew he had a spot in Seville under the rule that sees the top-10 finishers qualify for the following week’s tournament.

But he is not yet in the field for next week’s Italian Open and so it goes on.

Eighth in India, third in Kenya, second in Madeira and seventh in China in his four previous events show two things – Fisher has been clocking up the air miles, but he has also made it very worthwhile.

With over £230,000 banked he has probably done enough already to be sure of a full return to the circuit next year.

“At the start of the year I would have taken that,” said the player who in 2005 aged just 16 became the youngest Walker Cup cap. “Hopefully I can set some different goals now. I know the standard that I can play.

“It was a frustrating year for me last year, but it was just a matter of keep grinding it out and not giving up.”

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The joy of following journeyman golfers is that they provide endless triumphant or tragic stories, these some-time minor men who battle so fiercely out of the major limelight. So, for the month of March 2010, I have nominated the Golf On The Edge Golfer of the Month. And it’s partly thanks to Iceland’s volcanic ash that it is not a tearful Phil Mickelson (three-time Masters champ) nor the also tearful Marcus Fraser (winner in Korea) who is top man this month. No, it’s Oliver Fisher.

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CNN have interviewed Oliver for their “Living Golf” show (see below for times)

Says CNN “20-year-old Oliver Fisher has been regarded as a hot prospect in the golfing community ever since Nick Faldo nurtured him in his early teenage years. Now a professional on the European Tour, Fisher is considered to be one of Europe’s top hopes for the future”

Oliver Fisher's early days

Chatting with Ollie’s father, Rupert; “From the time he was two or three and started picking up plastic golf clubs he always had a very natural golf swing, so it was very easy to develop from that stage with proper coaching,” he told CNN.

It’s true that Ollie’s parents have showed tremendous support for his golf career, Rupert even spent the first season on tour with young Oliver as his caddie.
It was Rupert who introduced Oliver to the sport at a very young age, swinging a club for the first time aged just two, and joining his local golf club at the age of eight, within 12 months of that he met Chris Jenkins who remains his coach to this day.

“Guys of Ollie’s age have learnt so much from the Tiger era,” Rupert Fisher continued. “When you look at players like Tiger, he is the ultimate role model and you can only try to do what they do.”
Making the leap from amateur to pro can be a difficult step. As Rupert put it, “natural talent just won’t get you there.”

“It’s totally different from an amateur, because the season as a professional is a lot longer,” Oliver said. “I definitely work as hard as a pro as I did when I was an amateur, just for the fact that I’ve got more time to work at. It is better though, and I like it.”

Since gaining the winning score in Andulucia almost a year ago, and missing out in a playoff with Thomas Levet, the win still eludes Oliver.
Levet told reporters following the playoff: “He’s one of the best guys I’ve played with, including Tiger Woods and Nick Faldo.” Sky Sports golf expert Tim Barter said: “He is a young man who has got the whole package… and he will win golf tournaments.” Fisher’s coach Chris Jenkins told Sky Sports News: “I really do believe he can compete with Tiger and become world number one.”

“If I keep improving on the way I am hopefully I can be in the top 50 in the world and competing for Majors and winning tournaments in the next year or so.” said Oliver.

Watch CNN’s Living Golf in February :
ALL TIMES GMT
Thursday, February 5: 1400, 1830
Saturday, February 7: 0800, 1830
Sunday, February 8: 0400, 0830, 1430

“He did very well on Sunday, in fact his whole performance was good. It was just a shame he had two double-bogeys on the 18th hole on the first and third rounds.” said Jenkins.
“Those holes made the difference of four shots, which would of made a T16 along with the likes of Westwood, which would of been a great achievement for him.”

When asked about the schedule for the upcoming tournaments, Chris continued,
“He’s in great shape for the next couple of weeks, and they are big weeks coming up.” “This week is the Castello Masters, then next week is a huge tournament with Valderrama coming up”. “Only the top 60 order of merit get to play in that competition, and Ollie will be there on form”.

PGA Advanced Professional, Chris Jenkins runs Crowlands Heath Golf Club in Essex, and is widely regarded as one of the top coaches in Europe.

Who wanted the chicken salad...?

When pressed for further information, the 51-year-old Faldo stated “It had sandwich requests for the guys, just making sure who wants the tuna, what wants the beef, who wants the ham.”
Although he later admitted “I put my team down in initials – which way I go is my choice.”

So we’ll have to wait and see if the lunch list actually turns out to be the pairings that Faldo goes with.

Ryder Cup 2008 – Fast Facts

Valhalla Golf Club Location Louisville, Kentucky

Opened 1986

Designed by Jack Nicklaus

Par 71

Yards 7,496

Major Championships

2000 PGA Championship

1996 PGA Championship

Valhalla Golf Club 2008 Ryder Cup Location