Di Meets: Matt Pinsent
Where do you play?
Stoke Park, in Buckinghamshire.
What is your handicap?
I’m off 11 at the moment, I’ve been playing golf for about 20 years.
What is your biggest strength?
Driving. I’ve got a lot straighter in the last year.
Are you better than Sir Steve Redgrave?
Just about, he’s off 14. But he’s definitely hard to beat.
Did you play golf when you were rowing?
We’d try to play on Wednesdays which was always a short training day for us.
Sharing the course with a pro on match day is truly unique and daunting" How nerve-wracking was it playing in the Dunhill Links?
Playing a pro-am is one level of stress but the Dunhill Links is another. Sharing the course with a pro on match day is truly unique and daunting. The format helps but you never get totally used to it.
Which pros have you played with?
Peter Baker, Tommy Fleetwood and Thorbjorn Olesen. It’s the quality of the strike that’s so different. The composure and the course management too. Those guys know it can be one bad decision and it’s curtains.
Who is your favourite golfer?
Ernie Els. He’s nearly as tall as me but has such a great swing. He seems laid back but so successful too.
Will Tiger Woods win another Major?
I’m beginning to doubt it – I think age is starting to be against him but it will be fun watching him try.
