Staffordshire's Robert Rock to tone down tour golf for coaching

But Staffordshire's Robert Rock is going to take a slight step back from the sport he loves to concentrate on his son and coaching commitments.

The 44-year-old has competed in 452 tournaments and won two European Tour events.

The highlight was an outstanding victory at the 2012 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship where Rock famously held off a charge from Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods to win on the final day.

Born in Armitage, near Rugeley, Rock has always combined playing professionally with being a coach having begun his career as a Midland PGA Professional.

Now, though, he has decided the time is right to play fewer tournaments – with Rock instead set to focus on his coaching and supporting his son David who is a budding footballer.

"This is probably going to be my last year playing a huge number of events," the golfer admitted.

"Playing on the European Tour has given me a wonderful life and I feel immensely privileged to have done it.

"When I started out I honestly didn't know how many tournaments I would get to play – and 452 is a lot.

"And over the past 20 years I've basically had everything my own way.

"My son, David, is 13 and he plays football for Chesterfield.

"And life is all about give and take.

"He needs someone to take him to matches at the weekends. And I want to be there for him.

"I'm still going to play professionally but by playing less and less my ranking will ultimately disappear to nothing.

"I'm very, very, content with this decision though. It's the right time to take a step back."

Rock may be about to swap some fairways for a football pitch – but he admits he's never been a fan of the beautiful game until now.

"I've avoided football all my life," he joked.

"I've just never got into it but I've had to now for David's sake and I'm really enjoying it.

"David is in Chesterfield's academy, he loves it and it's great being able to take him to games and watch him play."

Rock admits he often thinks about his win in Abu Dhabi in 2012 and holding off the challenge of Woods – with the golfing icon proving gracious in defeat.

"Everything aligned so nicely that week for me to be able to play with Tiger, and I didn’t really expect to win," he said.

"For someone in my position, who has never threatened to be top of the world rankings, there was nothing to suggest that was what I was capable of.

"If that victory – and 20 years – has proved anything to me, it’s that you never know really when your best golf is going to come out, or when a couple of shots might come and save a round.

"Every round, every day and every year is different, so you have to play each one with an open mind.

"The nice thing to be able to say is that Tiger was lovely to play with, because it adds to the memory and makes it much better.

"That day could have been less memorable if he hadn’t spoken to me at all, and in truth he probably would have beaten me if he hadn’t.

"We chatted little bits during the round which I wasn’t expecting and it put me at ease because he didn’t need to do that.

"On the rare occasion we’ve crossed paths since we’ve chatted and said hello and it’s nice."

Rock admits Woods is one of his idols.

"Tiger is someone who I have always admired, someone I used to watch doing amazing things on reruns when I was a club pro opening the shop up at 6am," he continued.

"When you’re a pro often you can look at guys higher up in the rankings and see where the difference is, but that’s not the case with Tiger.

"What you’ve seen him do, I can’t do, and that’s why everyone holds him so highly.

"He’s made every golfer’s life better, from income to coaching, all the way down, and I’m grateful I got to play with him."

Rock will take a step back from golf with no regrets having enjoyed every second of his 20 year career.

But he admits he will always be frustrated by the level of his putting – with the golfer believing it has let him down on too many occasions.

"All last year I seemed to be on the cut line because I was missing one or two putts and that has worn a little old over the years," he admitted.

"In Valderrama, I felt like I should have won, and after playing probably the best 15 holes I’ve ever played in a final round, I came away thinking my putting has done me in again.

"It’s a part of the game I’ve practised a lot over 20 years and I’ve never found anything where I’ve felt really in control of what I’m doing.

"It’s not that I expect to hole loads, but I do expect to be able to hit decent putts on a line that I pick, and I just feel like I’ve constantly let myself down with it.

"If I could end this season feeling like I’ve been consistently better on the greens, I’d be happy.

"And it would help my coaching too, because it would make me feel like I could demonstrate things a bit better on the greens."

Widely regarded as one of the best swing coaches of any touring professional, Rock currently coaching Matt Wallace, Alejandro Cañizares and Thomas Bjørn while also helping out Kelsey Macdonald and Charlotte Thompson on the Ladies European Tour.

And he is looking forward to spending more time helping professionals to improve.

"It’s not just what I have done as a professional but also coaching that I’m proud of," Rock added.

"It was something I only initially looked at because I thought it was my easiest choice of having a job in golf.

"I was a five handicap when I was 15 or 16, so being a club pro was a realistic option if I did the PGA training, and coaching seemed like a good way of earning a decent living.

"I found I enjoyed it, and when I was studying it myself to make my own golf better I realised I could hand out tips that might work for others.

"I’ve been out here long enough now that some of these guys want me onboard sometimes, and I really like having that mix of both being a player and being a coach to pros out here.

"You see the best people at their specialist subject, and it’s a privilege to be able to do it."