WAYNE Riley

I look back at my playing career and think I could have done better. I knew how to have a good time. But the era I played in was a lot different, especially on the European Tour. We enjoyed ourselves, maybe because we didn’t play for too much money. But I did alright. I won six tournaments. I won three or four national Opens. And I did well enough to be able to do the job I do now. I have no real regrets.

Tee-to-green, I was as good as anybody. I wasn’t a great putter. I was a streaky putter. Over a four-footer I wasn’t nearly as comfortable as a good putter would be. I had a fear of missing. I thought too much about holing it. I was a bit one-dimensional with a putter in my hands. I’m not alone in that of course. But not many admit it.

The long putter saved my career really. When I first tried it I was like a kid in a sweetie shop. It gave me a new lease of life. Which is not to say I ever had the yips. I didn’t. I just didn’t have a great technique with a regular putter. And my brain didn’t quite get on with my hands. Having said that, I holed one of the greatest putts ever to win the 1991 Australian Open at Royal Melbourne.

After making