CADDIE'S ROLE:My new boss made the right choices in what was the most important afternoon of his young sporting life

THERE TENDS to be a pivotal moment in a four-round tournament that can change the outcome of events. For my new, young and extremely talented boss Tom Lewis this happened on Friday morning last in the second round of the Portugal Masters.

Tom was competing in his third event as a professional. He had been a lauded amateur and as a result was tipped as a player who should naturally switch to playing the game for a living. Professional golf is a very different challenge even though you are still trying to get around the course in as few shots as possible. The depth of talent on tour is such that you have got to raise your game no matter what you did as an amateur.

Tom is realistic about his golfing ability and was grateful for the opportunity afforded him to compete in some events, without status, to try to secure his playing rights on the European Tour next year.

After three holes on Friday, making the cut in the Portugal Masters when he was standing on level par, with a projected cut of five under, sounded like a tall task for a novice.

He had started on the 10th hole and having hit his approach shots on the first two holes to about 15 feet, he managed to three-putt both holes. He made a par on the very birdie-able third and understandably wasn’t feeling that happy with life.

A putt that would have gone about six feet past the hole if it had missed managed to hit the back of the cup and drop for a birdie. It was to be the first of 10 birdies from then on and an inspired eight-under-par second round ensured Tom made the cut.

From a motivational perspective it confirmed to the fledgling pro that he did indeed belong on tour and he could perform to the standard he knew he was capable of and others had assumed from him. I don’t care how good a young golfer is, dealing with other people’s expectations is a difficult pressure to sustain. Despite being mentally strong and confident in his own ability I suspect Tom was acutely aware of what others hoped he could achieve.

As I strode off the 17th tee alone on Sunday last as Tom had catapulted himself into the lead, an Englishman called over to me that my young player was about to make history. I was so happy Tom was out of earshot as he had taken a toilet break. Of course the enthusiastic spectator was excited about the prospect of a Lewis victory but he gave voice to precisely the amateur attitude that can often prove fatal.

Tom and I had talked about a score for each day which would be an attainable and realistic one given the conditions.

Then, most importantly, the objective was to stay in the present and cover the basics of hitting fairways and greens and trying to create as many chances for birdies as possible.

Patience, belief and commitment were the simple orders of each day’s play.

Despite the underlying objective of trying to get Tom a tour card in a few events it was never at the top of the page, nor was winning.

Naturally you learn a lot when you are thrown into a new environment and Tom has been soaking up this new scene for the past few weeks. He had been disappointed with his performance in the Dunhill Links Challenge in Scotland a few weeks ago with the wind having buffeted his swing during the final round, leaving him slightly despondent and fearful of the future. But he had mentioned to me he usually rectifies any swing problems by going away for a few days, thinking about what he was doing and coming back with a check-list of fundamentals that tend to get him back to his natural swing.

A natural golfer is exactly what the 20-year-old son of a golf professional from Welwyn Garden City is. He has a natural ability to swing the club, which comes from having hit tens of thousands of golf balls on his father’s driving range as a kid. Swinging a golf club looks as natural to him as walking for the rest of us. This is a good start but only half the battle as a professional.

Tom reads a course very well, he reminds me of my former boss Retief Goosen in his quiet observations while scoping out a new course. He is astute and level headed and seemingly much wiser than his age should permit. What is even more important is that he is polite and respectful of everyone he meets.

So when we found ourselves in the lead as a new player/caddie partnership in the middle of the 17th fairway on our penultimate hole of the Portugal Masters with 225 yards to go and with water eight yards short of the hole, I thought it was best to ask Tom if he felt pumped up with adrenaline. He replied calmly and almost coyly that he did a bit and so we agreed a four iron would be plenty to reach the middle of the green. It did.

Tom two-putted for birdie and finished a run of four birdies in a row which sealed his first European Tour victory in his third start and, more importantly, negated the trauma of having to endure the Tour School at the end of the year.

Pivotal moments can determine the path of a young professional’s career. Tom Lewis made the right choices on the most important afternoon of his young sporting life. Judging by his talent, demeanour and sense of respect he will have many more positive pivotal moments in his professional decades to come.