James Joseph Heath (born 17 March 1983) is an
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional
golfGolf is a precision club-and-ball sport, in which competing players , using many types of clubs, attempt to hit balls into each hole on a golf course while employing the fewest number of strokes. Golf is one of the few ball games that does not require a standardized playing area...
er.
Heath was born in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
. He started playing golf with his father at the age of ten. Having played in the Faldo Junior Series, he went on to a successful amateur career, highlighted by winning the
English AmateurThe English Amateur is the national amateur match play golf championship of England. It has been played annually since 1925 and is organized by the English Golf Union.The equivalent stroke play championship is the Brabazon Trophy....
and
Lytham TrophyThe Lytham Trophy is a prestigious amateur golf tournament. It was founded by the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, where it has always been held, in 1965 and is a 72 hole scratch stroke play competition....
, where he broke the previous scoring record by 10 strokes, in 2004. He turned
professionalIn golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who plays for money even once usually loses his or her amateur status permanently and is banned from all amateur tournaments. A professional may not play in amateur tournaments...
at the end of that year.
Having played in three tournaments on the
European tourThe PGA European Tour is an organisation which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
as an amateur in 2004, Heath joined the second tier
Challenge TourThe Challenge Tour is the second tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and as with on the main European Tour and the European Seniors Tour, some of the events are played outside of Europe...
in 2005, and was moderately successful in his first season, finishing 23rd on the end of season rankings.
James Joseph Heath (born 17 March 1983) is an
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional
golfGolf is a precision club-and-ball sport, in which competing players , using many types of clubs, attempt to hit balls into each hole on a golf course while employing the fewest number of strokes. Golf is one of the few ball games that does not require a standardized playing area...
er.
Heath was born in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
. He started playing golf with his father at the age of ten. Having played in the Faldo Junior Series, he went on to a successful amateur career, highlighted by winning the
English AmateurThe English Amateur is the national amateur match play golf championship of England. It has been played annually since 1925 and is organized by the English Golf Union.The equivalent stroke play championship is the Brabazon Trophy....
and
Lytham TrophyThe Lytham Trophy is a prestigious amateur golf tournament. It was founded by the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, where it has always been held, in 1965 and is a 72 hole scratch stroke play competition....
, where he broke the previous scoring record by 10 strokes, in 2004. He turned
professionalIn golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who plays for money even once usually loses his or her amateur status permanently and is banned from all amateur tournaments. A professional may not play in amateur tournaments...
at the end of that year.
Having played in three tournaments on the
European tourThe PGA European Tour is an organisation which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
as an amateur in 2004, Heath joined the second tier
Challenge TourThe Challenge Tour is the second tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and as with on the main European Tour and the European Seniors Tour, some of the events are played outside of Europe...
in 2005, and was moderately successful in his first season, finishing 23rd on the end of season rankings. Having failed to come through
qualifying schoolIn professional golf the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S. based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the tour for the following season, otherwise known as a...
at the end of the year, he was again playing on the second tier in 2006. He enjoyed even more success, winning his first professional title at the
ECCO Tour ChampionshipThe ECCO Tour Championship is a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour. It has run annually since 2006.-Winners:-External links:*...
in
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
on his way to 14th in the Challenge Tour Rankings and graduation to the European Tour for 2007.
Heath's rookie season on the European Tour was largely unsuccessful, although he did manage two top ten finishes in minor events, and he was back on the Challenge Tour in 2008.
Amateur wins (5)
- 1999 English Under 16 Championship
- 2002 Greek Amateur Open Championship, Faldo Junior Series
- 2004 English Amateur
The English Amateur is the national amateur match play golf championship of England. It has been played annually since 1925 and is organized by the English Golf Union.The equivalent stroke play championship is the Brabazon Trophy....
, Lytham TrophyThe Lytham Trophy is a prestigious amateur golf tournament. It was founded by the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, where it has always been held, in 1965 and is a 72 hole scratch stroke play competition....
Amateur
- Jacques Léglise Trophy
The Jacques Léglise Trophy is an annual boys' team golf competition between Great Britain & Ireland and the Continent of Europe. It was inaugurated in 1958 and is organised by the R&A. Great Britain & Ireland dominated in the early years to such an extent that it was discontinued in 1966. It was...
(representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2001
- Eisenhower Trophy
The Eisenhower Trophy is a biennial world amateur team golf championship for men organized by the International Golf Federation. It is named for Dwight D. Eisenhower, the President of the United States when the tournament was first played, who was a keen amateur golfer. Recent tournaments have...
(representing England): 2004
- St Andrews Trophy
The St Andrews Trophy is a biennial men's team golf tournament contested between teams of amateur golfers representing Great Britain & Ireland and Continental Europe. It takes its name from St Andrews in Scotland, which is colloquially known as the "Home of Golf". The competition was founded in...
(representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2004 (winners)
- Bonallack Cup: 2004
External links
- James Heath – profile on the PGA European Tour
The PGA European Tour is an organisation which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
's official site