He's no Tiger, 'Fantastic' Stephen Ames receives high praise from mum

MARILYN Ames, mother of Trinidad and Tobago pro golfer Stephen Ames, went through a range of emotions on February 18 when her son clinched his seventh PGA Tour Champions title with a victory at the Chubb Classic in Florida.

Ames held a three-shot lead over Rocco Mediate heading into the final day on February 18. As fate would have it for both Marilyn and Stephen, a massive storm system forced the cancellation of the 18-hole course on the final day – paving the way for Stephen to claim the US$270,000-prize and his fifth PGA Tour Champions win in his last 24 attempts.

At 83, Marilyn religiously follows Stephen's career and progress by whipping out her iPad and paying close attention to ball-by-ball commentary, even though she is unable to watch all the games live. And though she says it can be a frustrating task to follow the games keenly, she was over the moon on Sunday when he was eventually announced as the winner.

"It can be very stressful because all of these guys are good. Even though I was a little anxious about it going into the last day, I was happy when they cancelled," Marilyn told Newsday. "I said, 'fantastic. Well done.'

"I have been going through this for many years. I have to admit now, in the last few years, Stephen has really been playing excellent golf so I am not as anxious about the outcome of the tournaments. I am satisfied with his performances at the moment and what he has done with his career."

With Mediate settling for second spot, South African golfer and former world number one Ernie Els was involved in a four-way tie for third spot.

Marilyn said achieving number one status has never been her vision for Stephen, as his steady progress and the increasing passion he has shown for the game over the years has made him a champion in her eyes.

She said, he "has been working with a psychologist and all of this helps to bring him to a calm place so he can perform well."

Now 59, Marilyn said Stephen has got "more mature and disciplined" with his game with age and time.

"How I look at it as a parent, I am very happy with what he has done with his life. I don't compare him to any of the top (golfers) like Tiger Woods and the rest. For me, I am happy with what he has done," Marilyn said.

"I don't want him to be the number one, but at the least, he has done something positive with his life. I think every parent wants that – for their child to do something positive with their life, something of substance."

Though Stephen has hit a purple-patch in his career and has shown excellent form, he remains committed to sharing his passion and skills of his craft to junior golfers through the Stephen Ames Foundation.

"Stephen has found his passion in this game and what it has done for him, I am really pleased about it," she said. She said every golfer who comes through the foundation will not reach pro status, but each young golfer will still be afforded the opportunity to improve their skills and their drive for life as well.

"We are trying to get a lot of our juniors to attain scholarships, because they don't all turn pro. Turning pro is very challenging. Through a sport you can get educated," Marilyn said. "This is the way to go. Society today, we have to do something with the youngsters. We have to get them off the streets and get them involved. (We have to) help them find their passion somewhere."