ROYAL Liverpool Golf Club were impeccable hosts for the Open Championship with its fantastic course preparation and superb help with organisation giving a great show across the world of golf.
Another of its stars in the tournament was former Cheshire player Matthew Jordan who shone both on and off the course and delightfully finished with a birdie on the final hole to make a top 10 finish and receive richly deserved applause from the audience on the 18th hole.
Matt comes from a very well known and respected Hoylake golfing family with strong links to Cheshire. Grandad Tony was a scratch player for many years, a regular in the Cheshire men’s team of the 1970s and 80s, and county President in 1991.
Father Andrew and uncle Mark also excelled at the game and both represented the county for a number of years in the 80s and 90s. Matt began his golf at Royal Liverpool at the tender age of seven, rose through the ranks at his club and became the third generation of the Jordan clan to represent Cheshire. He quickly established himself as a top player and won several major amateur titles including the Lytham Trophy and St Andrews Links Trophy. He became only the second player from the county to represent GB&I in the Walker Cup in 2017. He then joined the professional ranks where he has made excellent progress.
He was a shining example for his club and Cheshire at the Open with his impeccable attitude and excellent golf throughout the Open and pre-qualifying at West Lancs. The R&A gave Matt the honour of hitting the opening shot of the championship, which he did in front of a huge crowd of enthusiastic followers, despite the early hour of the day.
Matt was a great ambassador for local golf with his play on the course and some excellent interviews with the Sky Golf Team providing a great example for up and coming golfers.
Former Cheshire President David Durling added: “Matthew came up through the Juniors and then the Boy’s ranks at Cheshire and had reached a handicap of +7 at RLGC when he turned professional.
“By 2016, it was getting more and more difficult to get Matt in the team because of his other golfing commitments. In May 2016, he finished fourth in the Irish Amateur Championship and I noticed that, following this result, a gentleman from Melrose in Scotland sent £300 to be given to Matthew to help with his golfing expenses.
“In 2017, he became only the second Cheshire player to represent Great Britain & Ireland in the Walker Cup, and he turned professional in 2018.”
The Royal Liverpool members and Cheshire Union are incredibly proud of Matt and the progress he is making. We all look forward to seeing how his career develops in the coming years.
Matt with his Cheshire team mates and President John Roberts on the ferry returning from the Northern Counties Qualifying on the Isle of Man, 2015.
