IT was on Sunday, November 10 that Wirral golfer Paul Waring's life changed forever. 

Standing around 40ft from the hole on the 17th at Yas Links, Waring sunk an incredible put to claim a birdie and ultimately the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

Suddenly, the 40-year-old had the biggest win of his career which saw him pocketing over $1.5m, securing a PGA Tour card and in contention for a place in next year's Ryder Cup team.

A week later Waring tied for 16th place at the season-closing DP Tour World Championship after holding a share of the lead at one point during the weekend but his hot streak had moved him from 229th in the world rankings to 101st and he was named as part of Luke Donald's Great Britain and Ireland team that will take on Continental Europe early in 2025.

"It's amazing what can happen and the last couple of weeks have been life changing to say the least," said Waring. "But this sport is like that - my coach said an amazing thing that it's '20 years of work to be an overnight success' which kind of sums it up really."

Waring enjoyed a sparkling amateur career including winning the 2005 English Amateur Championship and captaining his nation in the Home Internationals but his 2018 title at the Nordea Masters had been his only win on the European Tour since qualifying in 2007. 

(Image: PA)

"You very rarely get to see what happens behind the scenes," said Waring. "Yes, I won in 2018 but even in 2021 I finished second once by a shot and I've got within five shots of winning a couple of times. I was 66th in the world at one point and I was 22nd in the Race to Dubai in 2019 so I've had some definite highs but I've also had some lows with injuries.

"Given all that what's happened over the last few weeks has been the absolute highlight of everything I've achieved so far."

Despite the obvious financial advantages of his recent form it's the chance to test himself against the world best golfers in the US which really seems to be the pinnacle of his latest successes. 

"I've got full rights to play on the US PGA Tour now and to put it crudely I can earn more money but also win World Ranking points and that's how you get to play in the Majors," said Waring. "By finishing in the top 25 of the DP World Tour that automatically gets me into The Open and being in the top 100 in the world will get me into the US PGA. It's hard at the moment with the way the rankings work to get points when you play outside of the US and if you want to go and play those big tournaments the only way in is by playing in America and doing well. 

"You're playing against the arguably the best players in the world and that's where you want to be. You want to test yourself against the best and see where you're game is. I'm sure I'll learn a lot about myself."

(Image: PA)

Waring credits a lot of his success this season with making a move from England to Dubai last year.

He said: "It helped me a lot, especially with travelling to Asia. From October though to May I was travelling though Dubai airport six or seven times anyway!

"I've got a lot of friends out there now - I'm a really social person - and I'm playing on greens that are similar to those in tournament golf. I spent a bit of time in Tenerife in the winter trying to get myself ready for the start of the season but there's nothing quite like playing on the same surfaces that you're actually going to play on so it was a bit of a no-brainer for me to move here."

Closer to home, Waring credits his beloved Wirral for fostering a love of golf in his childhood. helped by the fact he came from a sporting family - his mother Gill swam for England and his cousin Matthew Smith is a former professional tennis player.

"I remember watching golf on TV and one of my earliest memories is watching Ian Woosnam win the Masters in 1991," he said. "I said to my grandad that I wanted to have a go and he took me up to Arrowe Park and that's where I hit my first golf shots. From there I joined Brackenwood Golf Club and it's such a sad story about what's happened there over the last few years. I'm actually president of the club there now and we're still battling away to get it reopen. 

"It's bigger than just a golf club, it's about the whole community around it and hopefully we can do something about it. 

"I joined Bromborough Golf Club when I was about 12 and that's where I met Alex Evans who is now my caddy. We've been best mates since a young age and now we get to travel the world together.

"You've only got to see some of the golfers who come out of the Wirral to realise what a good place it is to start," Waring continued. "Mark Roe was from there back in the day and then you've got Matthew Jordan and a really hot prospect in Matthew Dodd-Berry.

"The quality of courses on the Wirral and then up the coast with Birkdale and Hillside means it's a bit of a golden area and you can see that with the quality of the professionals we've produced."

Despite now living in the Middle East, Waring still has lots of family on the peninsula and relishes coming back especially if it involves his beloved Liverpool Football Club.

"My family are still there and I've got a really good group of mates in Wirral," he said.  "I've always been a big Red and the first football game I went to was at Anfield although a lot of my friends support Tranmere Rovers and I did go Prenton Park and I always check to see how they're getting on."

 

The next exciting career landmark for Waring is his inclusion in the Great Britain and Ireland team which the golfer is hoping could lead on to even more honours.

"One of the biggest dreams and aspirations of every golfer is to play in the Ryder Cup," he added. "There's something about team golf and representing a nation no matter who it is. I represented England Golf and was always very proud to play for my country and the fact I've been given the chance again against Continental Europe is nice and then there's the thing it could lead to and that's the Ryder Cup and the chance to play alongside those big players and that is a goal for me.

"I know it's going to take a lot and I'm going to have play myself in and get a wildcard and I'm going to have to play some great golf to get in but that's all part of the battle and hopefully I can learn what I need to learn in January from some of the more experienced lads in these situations and build my season around that."