THROUGH THICK & THIN

Ah, the glitz and glamour of the tour pro’s life. Private jets, big cheques, fancy cars, nice hotels, sponsors queuing up. Yes, it may be like that for a high-profile minority, but further down golf’s pecking order, living a very different life yet equally dedicated to the cause, lurk scores of hard-working professionals battling it out on the Challenge Tour and mini-tours, hoping and believing that their big breakthrough will eventually come.

One such pro is 37-year-old Steven Tiley, who plays his golf at Royal Cinque Ports in Kent. Tiley played on the England men’s team before spending three-and-a-half years on a golf scholarship at Georgia State University. After turning pro in 2007, he spent two years on the Asian Tour, and since 2009 has played mainly on the Challenge Tour, with a couple of years on the European