Private life in perfect synch, Joshua White is looking to slip back into the groove professionally this week, too.
The Englishman, last season’s lead golfer on the Mena Tour, begins the defence of his Order of Merit title on Saturday, when the 2015 campaign tees off at the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam Open.
Seeking to prove the master in Morocco, it was a rock produced earlier this year that sends him into the 10-event season with an extra spring in his step.
“I got engaged in February, so all my focus has been on that,” said White from his temporary base at Rabat.
“I haven’t spent as much time practicing, but hopefully I can keep the good feeling going.”
Given he banked $28,471 (Dh104,578) on the tour last year, fiancée Katie is probably now the proud owner of a pretty sizeable wedding ring.
White sparkled at times during 2014 himself — his second season on the Mena — opening with a wire-to-wire victory at the Royal Golf D’Anfa Open at Casablanca to secure his first win on the developmental circuit.
If results were mixed between then and the conclusion to the season, he came home strongly, posting runner-up finishes in the final two events.
It proved enough to seal the Order of Merit crown ahead of Luke Joy and Zane Scotland, fellow Englishmen and multiple winners on the tour.
Judging by the field in Morocco, there should be plenty of competition this year, as well.
The event features 105 golfers, including 22 amateurs, and will be headed by White, Joy, Scotland and Lee Corfield.
White aside, the latter trio have combined for 14 Mena victories between them.
Ross McGowan, a former winner on the European Tour, represents another threat in the capital.
White, though, is confident he can perform even better than he did in 2014.
“The Mena Tour has given me a perfect platform to learn my trade as a professional,” he said. “I learnt a lot last year, like how to win, how to close out an event as a professional.
“I want to put that into play this season.
“There’s a lot of new faces, so I just have to keep my concentration and keep my foot on the pedal to stay out in front.” White said that despite the limited practice he comes into the season a better golfer having made significant strides in technique and temperament.
He missed the cut in February’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic and then at last week’s Hassan Trophy — White received invites to both through Mena — but insisted the opportunity to compete on the European Tour has been hugely beneficial.
“It’s obviously where I want to get to,” he said.
“I don’t feel as if I’m too far away — I just need to work on a few things mentally. So it’s important to get up there in contention this week.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
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