Bullen takes another step towards realising Tour ambition
20/10/2020
PGA Member Mike Bullen talks to Will Trinkwon about playing in the BMW PGA Championship, winning the PGA Assistants’ Championship for a second time, and his dream of breaking onto the European Tour.
On the 18th hole during his second round at last month’s BMW PGA Championship, Sussex PGA Assistant Professional Mike Bullen’s first instinct was to lay up.
“At first, I just wanted to go wedge, wedge, two putts, and make my par. That’s going to make the cut, no problem,” he said.
The 27-year-old from Rustington Golf Centre was playing in only his second European Tour event and was ‘desperate’ to make the weekend.
An opening round of 71 put him in good shape, but bogeys on 15 and 16 in round two meant he needed a strong finish to make the cut.
After making a birdie at 17, he bisected the fairway of the par-five 18th. But now he faced a dilemma: chase birdie but risk bogey by trying to carry the brook at the front of Wentworth’s famous final green or lay-up and play for par.
“My caddy [a friend and England amateur Nathan Longley] said: ‘You’re playing really well, you’re swinging it well, let’s just go for it. Do it. You’re 212 yards away. You’re in such a good spot,” Bullen recalled.
From the middle of the 18th fairway Bullen unleashed a 4-iron to three feet and drained the putt for a spectacular eagle.
“We made the right decision. It turns out that if I had made par I’d have missed the cut by one!” he explained.
Not many European Tour rookies can smile through the pressure of the BMW PGA Championship but Bullen, who went on to finish tied 37th alongside Justin Rose and Austria’s Mattias Schwab, is not any old rookie – he’s used to playing under high pressure.
A veteran of the PGA EuroPro Tour, Bullen earned his spot in the BMW by making four birdies in the last six holes to win the PGA Play-Offs in Turkey last year.
He qualified for that by winning the PGA Assistants’ Championship – which he recently successfully defended – in an intense play-off and secured an international victory in similar style when he made another last-gasp eagle to win Australia’s National Futures Championship.
In winning the Play-Offs, he became the only player to win all three tournaments, let alone under such stressful conditions.
Playing on the European Tour should be a walk in the park then? Not quite.
He admitted: “I struggled at the British Masters (his European Tour debut, where he shot 75 and 80 to miss the cut).
“It was tough, because I wasn’t used to walking around with famous golfers. Even just seeing the European Tour sign on the first tee was daunting.”
But Bullen used the disappointment as a springboard.
“I took a lot from the British Masters,” he explained. “I knew what to expect at Wentworth and I prepared really well for it. The only pressure I had really at the BMW was the expectation that I put on myself.”
Playing a practice round with Tommy Fleetwood also helped put him at ease.
“That was pretty cool.” Bullen reflected. “He’s a very nice guy and chatting with him helped settle me down for the tournament.”
Playing at Wentworth, which, as a junior golfer in Sussex, he’d attended several times as a spectator was a dream come true.
“It was just a really cool, really surreal experience – there’s no other way to describe it,” he said.
Although he has dreamed of playing on the European Tour since he first started playing golf, Bullen has only recently begun to believe he can achieve his dream:
“I wasn’t a natural golfer,” he said. “In fact, I would say I had no natural talent whatsoever. For more than a year after I started (aged 12) I gripped it cack-handed.”
After sorting out his grip, Bullen improved, but it took him until the relatively late age of 18 to play off scratch, and while he represented Sussex at U16, U18, Colts and Men’s levels, he was never the star of the show.
His first few seasons as a professional were ‘tough’ and featured many missed cuts. Now, though, he has won several PGA events and set many course records, including a nine-under-par 63 at Royal Ashdown Forest. So how did he turn it around?
Bullen thinks that a mixture of great coaching – he’s been with PGA Master Professional Steven Orr for more than 10 years – and improved psychology and fitness are the main reasons.
“The biggest difference between being a successful amateur and pro is mentality,” he said.
“Compared to top amateur events, pro courses are set up a lot easier for TV and scoring. You have to develop the mentality to be able to go low.”
Being a late bloomer was also a blessing in disguise. One of the perks was that rather than commit to a full-time playing career early and risk burn out, Bullen was able to learn the ropes on the PGA circuit.
“I did the PGA qualification with the idea of it being a back-up career,” he explained.
“But the main reason I did it was to open up opportunities playing-wise. There’s a lot of tournaments and we’re fortunate to play for good money.”
But the goal was always to play on the European Tour, especially in the BMW PGA Championship.
“I missed by one in the Play-Offs the year before, so getting into the PGA was always a big goal of mine,” he added.
“The week at Wentworth confirmed that I’m good enough. Making the cut has given me that extra bit of confidence and belief that that’s where I’m meant to be, that’s where I’m meant to play.
“It’s just a matter of time. I’m going to keep improving, keep chipping away, and I’ll get there when I’m ready.”
