Andy Sullivan’s rise from stacking shelves in Asda to Augusta

Dressed in crisp shirt and blazer in the lobby of a chic Kensington hotel, it is hard to reconcile Andy Sullivan the golfing power player with the shelf stacker earning six big ones an hour at Asda Nuneaton just a few years ago.

Perhaps only Superman’s costume change in a telephone box has been more dramatic. There will be a few out there who have made the journey from menial labourer to millionaire, yet not many of those who clocked on in their youth did so as a career choice. Sullivan had dreams of making the grade as a pro golfer, but there were no guarantees when he was piling them high on the 5am shift.

Just four years after leaving the day job behind to turn pro he understandably retains a sense of awe as well as gratitude at the degree of privilege he now enjoys. “The money on tour is incredible. I have a lovely house, a lovely car and I’m forging a career for the sake of my kids. When I was stacking shelves I was on my arse thinking about renting a place,” Sullivan says.

“To take all those pressures away is fantastic. When you get that first payment in your bank account it is amazing. My first cheque [€7111] was at the Andalusian Open [2012]. I finished tied for 33rd and I couldn’t believe it. I was earning £6 an hour a couple of weeks before. The first luxury item I bought was a Breitling watch for £3.5k. You are sat there with that on your wrist and I remember feeling quite guilty about buying it.”

Sullivan’s reflections are delivered during a well-earned Christmas break before he starts up again in the new year with the defence of the South African Open title that triggered his stratospheric shift among the golfing elite. This time last year he was targeting that maiden victory after cresting €1m in annual prize-money for the first time, five times what he had earned in 2013, though not sufficient to be rolled out, as he is now, as a brand ambassador for Italian outfitter Conte of Florence.

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This was his Kensington pitch, and after three victories in 2015 he appeared suited to the role. The breakthrough South African triumph elevated him into the company of Rory McIlroy for the first time at the Dubai Desert Classic in February, a nice touch by the European Tour to welcome him to the list of Tour winners. “When the draw came out I phoned my caddie and said they must have messed it up, I must be off the 10th at the same time or something. It was a privilege to play with him, but as much as I was thrilled I also stood my ground.”

Indeed so. McIlroy opened with a 66 and a 64 to establish the foundation for the first of his three wins in 2015. Sullivan had to bow in the end but not before outscoring McIlroy on the opening day with a 65 and following that up with a none-too shabby 68. The third wheel in the group, Martin Kaymer, was positively limping along with a 67 and 69 start.

“I had played in the [European Tour] final series [in 2014] and was quite pleased with that. Competing with the likes of Rory and Martin the way I did, I know I have nothing to be afraid of. I know if I play my best golf I can compete at that level. It has been a massive change in confidence and in my whole demeanour. Before I would have been a bit intimidated. Now I know what to expect.”

The transformation at the end of this year when he chased McIlroy all the way to the last hole at the Race to Dubai finale, the DP World Tour Championship, reinforced the view that, at 29, English golf has unearthed a gem capable of making an impact in the manner of Lee Westwood, Luke Donald and Ian Poulter, and just in time given the battle all three are waging against time’s unanswerable creep.

“My career has been steady but this year it just took off. There is no magic ingredient. Everyone thinks there is a silver bullet. There isn’t. It is just determination to get over that line. Once I had that first win I just wanted it again and again. It’s like a drug, a massive adrenalin boost. I think the top guys, they don’t let up. They want it more and more.

“I had a psychologist the first two years on Tour and that was massive. Physical fitness is another thing, you just have to gain these 1 per cents. The top guys are all athletes these days. You just have try to edge 1 per cent ahead to make a difference.”

Sullivan’s engaging smile and willingness to take risks make him an obvious attraction for the galleries. This is in part learned behaviour, a legacy of getting nowhere by throwing his clubs about in his youth when the ball did not do as willed. Having acquired the benefits of a calm mind, performance has met with a commensurate hike in returns, first with a series of lofty finishes in 2014 and then the hat-trick of victories, two in South Africa and the other in Portugal, this year.

“I played with Rory at the start of the year for the first time. At the end of the year it was totally different. I would always get nervous but I remember on the Sunday feeling so relaxed, so ready and focused, so pumped to have a duel with him. And to come out of the blocks like I did was brilliant. I thought I had him, but he is an incredible player and found a way to win. It is now up to me to keep improving and play with these guys more often.”

Sullivan ends the year ranked 36th in the world, up from 150 at the start. This of course, means two things, an automatic invitation for the first time to the Masters in April and the weighty possibility of Ryder Cup qualification in September. As you might imagine, Sullivan needs little else for Christmas.

“I will be pinching myself when that invite comes. There will be a few tweets sent about that one. You watch it on telly and you can see how magnificent it is. I am going to have to go out there a couple of weeks before because I know I’m going to be in complete awe of the place. It is not a matter of learning the golf course but soaking up the atmosphere.

“I can’t wait, I’m chomping at the bit. When I was growing up, even when I was playing Walker Cup four years ago, playing the Masters was something I never thought I would do, and now I have earned the right. Amazing. But I’m not going there to make up the numbers.

“To have achieved what I have this year is just incredible, beyond my dreams. Now I know for a fact that when I turn up at events people think, ‘If he is on his game he is going to be one of the ones to beat’. The more times you get over the line the more confidence you get.”