Pembrokeshire golf caddy Robin Ellis strikes for gold at Paris Olympics
Haverfordwest golf caddy Robin Ellis is aiming for gold this week as he assists Singapore golfer Shannon Tan on her quest for a place on the Olympic podium.
Robin, who is the brother of Pure West Radio's director Toby Ellis, is on the bag for Shannon as she makes history by becoming the first Singapore golfer to compete in the Olympics.
Robin worked as a child psychologist until 2021, but then decided to follow his childhood dream by joining the world of professional golf.
Despite being himself a talented player, Robin knew he'd never be able to compete to a high standard in his own right and so, by coupling his strong understanding of the game together with his astute knowledge of psychology, he found himself in an exceptionally strong position to become a professional caddie.
After caddying several top golfers, Robin met Shannon last year when she competed for the Ladies' European Tour in Morocco.
Ten months later they won the Magical Kenya Open, which saw Shannon rise from 300th in the world rankings to qualify in the top 60 best golfers. As a result, she became eligible to take part in the Paris Olympics.
Robin attributes his success to the calming influence he has on the bag, and his uncanny ability to talk golfers down during their moments of high tension.
"My job is to talk Shannon through every shot and allow her the brain space to decide if the attacking option is necessarily the best," he said.
"There's no right or wrong answer, but a good caddie just puts the question in there without allowing the player's emotions to take over."
Meanwhile, as Shannon Tan prepares for her Olympic debut later today, she has nothing but praise for the Haverfordwest boy, Robin Ellis.
"Robin has taught me so much, but the most important thing being the ability to play the course and not the leader board," she said.
"He's got it into me that I can't affect what other golfers do. All I can control is my own game."
Pembrokeshire golf caddy Robin Ellis strikes for gold at Paris Olympics
Haverfordwest golf caddy Robin Ellis is aiming for gold this week as he assists Singapore golfer Shannon Tan on her quest for a place on the Olympic podium.
Robin, who is the brother of Pure West Radio's director Toby Ellis, is on the bag for Shannon as she makes history by becoming the first Singapore golfer to compete in the Olympics.
Robin worked as a child psychologist until 2021, but then decided to follow his childhood dream by joining the world of professional golf.
Despite being himself a talented player, Robin knew he'd never be able to compete to a high standard in his own right and so, by coupling his strong understanding of the game together with his astute knowledge of psychology, he found himself in an exceptionally strong position to become a professional caddie.
After caddying several top golfers, Robin met Shannon last year when she competed for the Ladies' European Tour in Morocco.
Ten months later they won the Magical Kenya Open, which saw Shannon rise from 300th in the world rankings to qualify in the top 60 best golfers. As a result, she became eligible to take part in the Paris Olympics.
Robin attributes his success to the calming influence he has on the bag, and his uncanny ability to talk golfers down during their moments of high tension.
"My job is to talk Shannon through every shot and allow her the brain space to decide if the attacking option is necessarily the best," he said.
"There's no right or wrong answer, but a good caddie just puts the question in there without allowing the player's emotions to take over."
Meanwhile, as Shannon Tan prepares for her Olympic debut later today, she has nothing but praise for the Haverfordwest boy, Robin Ellis.
"Robin has taught me so much, but the most important thing being the ability to play the course and not the leader board," she said.
"He's got it into me that I can't affect what other golfers do. All I can control is my own game."