Keith how good is Oliver Fisher at 16?
I’m sure many on this site have seen prodigies like this before who didn’t fulfill their talent but the signs for Oliver are as good as they can be.
Locally there’s been a real buzz about him since he came third in the Essex county championship at the age of 14. He was lucky to compete at that level against a couple of kids who were a bit older and made it into the England set up (Lloyd Kennedy and Tommy Hunter). Lat year at 15 he won the county championships as the youngest winner taking the record previously held by Michael Bonallack. He also won the Lagonda trophy one of the most prestigious GB&I amateur cups.
This year he’s had strong showings in a couple of biggies – lost in the semi final of the British Amateur to the eventual winner. At the Walker Cup he played one of the best US players in the singles and got a win and a draw, at 16 he was the youngest ever competitor. (True he lost both his doubles but word from the camp is that his partner was having a crises of confidence, with Peter McAvoy having to ask other coaches to look at his swing, as David Ledbetter didn’t show or send a deputy.)
That bit on the US amateur site about him being like the big easy is b********, and I hope lazy journalist's don’t just copy that. He has a compact swing (think Luke Donald) and is a really straight hitter (not the longest or shortest hitter) with a strong short game – should suit Merion. For a 16 year old it’s his temperament and character that really impresses. He’s a really calm character who takes things as they come (maybe a bit like Ells). He’s a really likeable kid, can hold a conversation but is quietly self assured – pretty cool for 16 year with all that attention.
Next time there’s a thread about Michelle Wie I’ll post what I know about the pressure these guys are under with the attention they generate. Faldo, Nike, Harman, EGU etc. all have his number and are making him big promises.
Oliver has just left school and considers he’s too young to go to college in the states (yet). He said before the walker cup he wanted to play in at least the next two, but now he’ll really be getting really serious offers. Today I think it’s the oldest vs. the youngest and it won’t be his temperament that lets him down. He’s a great lad and I really hope he continues developing because he has the potential to go all the way. As I said I’ve never been this close to a teenage phenom before so you just have to conclude it’s going to be really interesting seeing how it pans out.
Last year I read an article said the current generation would never really be able to get to Tiger because in their heads they were already beaten and that we needed to look to the next generation for players who can take him on…………..