Chris Wood

Last week England's Chris Wood won his first European Tour title when he eagled the final hole in Doha to lift the trophy at the Qatar Masters. This week's player profile takes a look at this talented player's early career as he makes his mark on European golf.

25-year-old Wood was born in 1987 in Bristol, England. The young Wood was an avid sportsman, playing golf and soccer amongst others from his childhood days. When a knee injury made a career in soccer impossible, Wood turned to golf as his sport of choice.

As a golfing amateur, Wood enjoyed a successful career in his native England. By the age of 12 he was playing off a single-digit handicap, and by 2007 he had topped the British Amateur Order of Merit, a success which he repeated again in 2008. In the same season he won the Welsh Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship, and was the top amateur at the 2008 British Open. Following this achievement, Wood took the decision to turn professional.

In 2009, Wood made his European Tour debut. The young player was able to weather the stiff competition that exists at the highest level of professional golf, and missed just two cuts in the first half of the season. A third-place finish at the 2009 British Open confirmed Wood's reputation as a talented rookie, but victory was elusive for the young Englishman. Despite being crowned Rookie of the Year by the European Tour in 2009, Wood was in for a long wait before his first professional victory at the 2012 Thailand Open on the OneAsia Tour.

Having tied for second place at several events and despite numerous top 10 finishes, Wood seemed to fade under pressure – until last week. As the final round came to a close in Doha, Wood needed two birdies to win the Qatar Masters. With nerves of steel, the Englishman seized the day when he made eagle at the final hole to win his first European Tour championship.

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