About Richard Finch

By Matthew Fortuna

Richard Finch is a professional golfer from England. He has enjoyed varying levels of success as both an amateur and a professional. He turned pro in 2003 as a 25-year-old and won two events in his first six years as a professional. Finch has ranked as high as 20th on the European Tour's official Order of Merit rankings and has played in one of the major PGA championship events in his career.

Early Years

Born in Hull, Yorkshire in England on June 9, 1977, Richard Finch grew up playing golf in the British home of the sport. He was raised as an athletic youth, playing football, tennis, badminton, cricket and basketball as a child. He picked up golf seriously in his early teenage years and played avidly through his high school years before competing in the game seriously as an up-and-coming amateur.

Amateur Success

Finch began his amateur career in 1999 at the age of 21. Inspired by Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo and Sandy Lyle, Finch joined England's amateur team at the beginning of the 1999 season and played with them for the next five years. He won the 2000 Spanish Amateur Open Championship, the 2002 English Amateur and the 2003 St. Andrews Links Trophy before turning professional for the end of the 2003 season.

European Tour

Earning his spot on the European Tour through Qualifying School, Finch nearly won the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award in his first full season, falling short to Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño. He placed 60th on the Order of Merit rankings in his first season and would enjoy two years of consistent success through the 2005 and 2006 seasons, though failing to win an event both years.

Professional Wins

Finch cemented his place in the top 115 of the Order of Merit, earning his European Tour Card for the next year with the last two events of the season. He finished seventh at the Mallorca Classic before winning his first professional event at the December 2007 Michael Hill New Zealand Open in Arrowtown. He shot a 14 under par to win the tournament. He also went on to win the 2008 Irish Open in May, edging Felipe Aguilar for his second career victory.

Career Accomplishments

In addition to his two professional wins, Finch has earned nearly $2,000,000 on tour. He has played twice in the major PGA Championship event, finishing as high as tied for 58th in 2008. He has maintained a stroke average of just under 72 in his career, with a driving distance of 287 yards.

About the Author

Matthew Fortuna is a full-time freelance writer with a journalism degree from Wayne State University, living in the Detroit metropolitan area. He has written about a wide range of topics across varying publications, including Demand Studios, wiseGEEK.com and Suite101.com, among others. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Wayne State University.