Evergreen Asian Tour player Steve Lewton is hoping to draw inspiration from his in-form partner Richard Bland as he steps up in his home tournament, the International Series England at Foxhills Club & Resort in Surrey.
The 41-year-old will be playing at home this week, a rare occasion for the Englishman who made his Asian Tour debut in 2012 after earning his card through Q-School.
With this event being the fourth of 10 that make up the LIV Golf League’s path to the end of the season, Lewton has another incentive to stand out. He is eager to imitate his countryman Bland, who is also on the field this week.
Ten years Lewton’s senior, Bland is a prime example of a player who improves with age. The Cleeks GC star has won back-to-back major titles this season.
On top of that, Bland is in good shape to secure his spot in the Lock Zone, the top 24 in the LIV Golf League, with two tournaments left in the season.
Lewton admits that he was inspired by this veteran, he said: “When I look at Blandy, and the way he played it makes me think that maybe I have 10 years left of my best as I started playing better in my late 30s and early 40s. Blandy has 10 years on me, so hopefully I can continue that upward trend and do the same.”
Lewton may be older than many of his competitors, but age and experience have given him a different perspective on the course.
An outstanding novice who finished second to Rory McIlroy in the 2006 European Amateur Championship at Biella Golf Club in Italy, Lewton said: “Ten years ago I would have said it was a poor situation. But since I’ve played better later in my career, I can probably say that age is my advantage now.
“I have a lot of experience playing in different places, and maybe the best way to describe it is that I play because it’s fun, I’m probably trying to be ‘apathetic’ a lot.”
TEN YEARS SINCE THE DIVORCE
Lewton’s last win came back in 2014 at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters. He has not been short of good form in recent years, with fourth place in the International Series Oman and T5 in the Volvo China Open last season, and T5 in the International Series Thailand in 2022, his first ever event. series.
He is confident that success is there, especially with the second half of the season which will conclude with six events in the International Series in eight weeks. Lewton said, “My goals this year are to win again. I feel like I’ve been around for the past few years and I feel like my game has been trending in the right direction.
“So I’m looking forward to this close of the season. We can find a good series of events and take some form from it. My main goal this year is to give myself the best possible chance to get to LIV.
“That’s my desire right now so I’m doing everything, turning every stone, to try to find a better form and play to the fullest. I would suggest that many players on the Asian Tour would dream of making it to LIV. “
MIXING IT WITH THE BIG BOYS
Perhaps Lewton’s most recent outstanding display was T4 at the star-studded 2022 edition of the PIF Saudi International. In that tournament, he pushed everywhere in a field that included stars including Dustin Johnson, Cam Smith, Phil Mickelson, Xander Schauffele and eventual champion Harold Varner III who is also in the field playing the historic Longcross course at Foxhills.
Heading into another big week against a field that includes Bland, Varner and other LIV Golf talents as well as ranking leader John Catlin and fellow player Ben Campbell, who won last week in Morocco, Lewton is confident he can raise his game and move up up. challenge.
“I think a big part of playing on a field like that is that you play better when you play with better players – you improve your game. You focus on what makes you play better.
“The injection of LIV Golf League players into the International Series makes our field better and that is a good thing because it helps the Asian Tour players to play better.”
Golf News Subscribers can receive a 20% discount on GA tickets for all four days of the tournament.
Simply visit International Series England and enter the code GOLFNEWS20 to secure your tickets.
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