No matter the journey to get here, the highs and lows, victories and setbacks, when he stands on the tee as a fully-fledged member of the DP World Tour for the first time this morning, Ben Schmidt will do so with his nerves in check.

For the 22-year-old South Yorkshireman has gone through enough already not to let adrenalin or anxiety, whatever the feelings, overwhelm him when he tees off at the ISPS Handa Australian Open in Melbourne.

The second stop on the 2025 season is the maiden tournament of Schmidt’s rookie campaign.

He achieved that status less than a fortnight ago, prevailing over the six rounds of Qualifying School Final Stage in Spain.

Ben Schmidt of England makes his DP World Tour debut at the Australian Open (Picture: Zhe Ji/Getty Images)

A Brabazon Trophy and Carris Trophy winner at the age of 16, this precocious amateur talent has been a professional for three years, learning his craft on the Alps Tour and Challenge Tour, one rung below.

It has been a patient grind, all aimed at getting him to this point, the next step on his journey.

So given all that, how will the Tankersley-born Rotherham Golf Club member be feeling at 12.17pm Australia time on Thursday?

“I’ll be fine,” he insisted. “I’m really excited, of course, but that side of it doesn’t really change when I’m on the course.

“Off it, I’ll probably think about it a lot more, but when I’m on the tee and the next five and a half hours out on the course I don’t really think of anything else.

“I can put everything else aside and just focus on the shot.

“I’m sure there’ll be a few nerves in there, but that’s like everyone else, we all get nerves.

“It’s just another event for me to go and play.”

It is the first of a minimum of 15 Schmidt can play with his category.

He is one of 11 Yorkshiremen now eligible to play on the DP World Tour, and only one other joins him at Kingston Heath this week, Harrogate’s John Parry, who at 38 is at the opposite end of the career scale, enjoying a renaissance earned through three wins on the Challenge Tour this year that earned him promotion to the top circuit for 2025.

Chile’s Joaquin Niemann is back to defend the title he won from Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino in Sydney 12 months ago.

“I’m a big fan of golf here in Australia they know how to do the sport,” he said. “They got the best courses in my opinion.

“They got really good crowds, good energy outside the golf course and for us players it’s always a lot of fun.”

To help through the year, Ben Schmidt is looking for sponsors. Anyone interested can contact [email protected]

Ben Schmidt managing the nerves at start of his DP World Tour journey