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We did a 3 part interview with Golfer, Dad, Brother, Son and Trini - Robert " Robbie" Ames.The following are excerpts from newspaper interviews
It was his brother who originally inspired him to pick up the clubs. Now, after all these years, Robert Ames's famous older sibling Stephen is urging him to put the sticks back in his hands. At the risk of losing his caddy, the PGA Tour star supports Robert's decision to follow his own dreams of playing at the highest level. "I've been playing since I was four years old," said Robert from his home in Jacksonville, Fla. "Stephen taught me as a young kid and I've been playing off and on ever since. "Stephen knows that I want to play some more and he's supports that. He's encouraged me tremendously and I thank him very much for that." Robert's road to the pros will begin this week, as he will tee off at the Nationwide Tour's Alberta Classic, which starts Thursday at Redwood Meadows. While Robert hasn't played much during the last year and half, he said the time spent with his brother caddying should help his game tremendously. "It's definitely helped me out mentally," he explained. "It also helped me out with course management and my decision making but mentally it was big stepping stone."
Robert, 33, received a sponsor's exemption for the Classic and is hoping to use this tournament as a launchpad. However, he has no expectations other than to get some pro experience. "I've had very limited play as of late," said Robert, who has been using most of his time off from caddying to spend time with his nine-month-old baby girl. "There's no real expectations. I just want to get some competitive play under my belt." Robert Ames is set to arrive today and will take his first look at Redwood Meadows tomorrow.
Unfamiliar with the Bragg Creek golf course, he is hoping the practice rounds prior to Thursday's first round will help him get an idea of the speed of the greens and the distances, especially in the thin mountain air. "I don't know anything at all about the course, so I'm going to have to play the course a couple of times so that I can get acclimatized and get used to the distances," said Robert, noting his older brother won't be returning the favour and caddying for him this week. While this won't be Robert's first foray into a competitive pro field -- he played on the Gateway and Hooters mini tours -- he has put his career as a player on hold for the past year and half to caddy for Stephen.
With his brother's success last year, the Ames boys have gotten to see some of the world's best courses. "Going to Augusta this year was excellent," said Robert. "I remember seeing it on TV when I was a kid and it was immaculate back then and it's even more immaculate to see it in person. "Major wise, I think I get a kick out of the the British Open the most. My father's heritage is British, so I get to see family when I go back there and me and some friends always go a little early and play courses on the western coast." Robert admitted seeing his brother win his first PGA Tour event -- the Western Open in 2004 -- was his proudest moment. "I'd have to say that first win in America on the PGA was the most exciting moment for me," he said. "Actually, every week last year was exciting because there were so many top-10 finishes but that win got us to Augusta."
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