Harry Ellis

Ellis began playing golf at only 18 months of age. He was also a talented soccer player. He grew up in an era when Tiger Woods was in his prime, and it definitely had some effect on him to get out there and work to succeed.
As his game got better, he won some important events, such as his country's junior championship in 2009 and then runner-up in the French Boys International Championship. His first big win came in 2012, when he won the English Amateur Championship at Silloth-on-Solway at age 16, bettering Sir Nick Faldo by becoming the youngest to win that title. Immediately after that, he was recruited to play on a full scholarship at Florida State. Unfortunately, his mother Tracy died of cancer at the age of 50 in December 2013, just as Ellis was heading to Florida State. He started school in January of 2014 but decided not to play in his sophomore season in the fall of 2014 and spring of 2015. He returned for his junior year, but he was having some doubts as he also lost his grandfather and his pro and mentor John Stirling.
The 122nd Amateur at Royal St. George's brought some life to his game as he made it to the final against Australian Dylan Perry. Ellis was four down with five holes remaining and was able to tie the match and send it into extra holes, winning at the 38th hole when Perry made double bogey.
He joins Michael Bonallack, who won both titles five times in his illustrious amateur career and completed the double at the age of 27 by winning the English Amateur at Moortown in 1962. Michael Lunt, who died in 2007, is the only other player to do the double, winning the English at Royal Lytham in 1966, at age 31. Afterward, Ellis dedicated the win to his mother, grandfather and pro John Stirling.
With his Amateur victory, Ellis got to play at the British Open at Royal Birkdale, where he missed the cut, shooting 77-75. He then played in the U.S. Amateur Championship at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., and in the stroke play portion lost a playoff to get into match play. Three weeks later, he was a member of the GB&I Walker Cup team that played at Los Angeles Country Club. Ellis played in three matches and lost all three.
Afterward, Ellis returned to school at Florida State University where he is considering a degree in sports management.
In October, he went with his dad Murray to Augusta National to play a practice round. The experience was special for both. He made the five-hour drive from Tallahassee to Augusta at the beginning of March to play the course again. Ellis' earliest memory of the Masters was at age 5 watching Tiger Woods win in 2001. He loved watching last year's final-round drama between Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia, thinking how great it would be to see a Masters. He not only will get his wish but got to play, staying in the Crow's Nest on Monday night with fellow amateurs. One of them was Matt Parziale the fireman who kept them entertained with stories of fighting fires. Ellis also attended the Monday's amateur dinner and got to play practice rounds with Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia and on Tuesday spent 45 minutes with Jack Nicklaus getting advice on playing Augusta National. He missed the cut with his family there and went back to school. After playing in the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills he plans on turning pro. Also played in the Memorial missing the cut.