By Rob Willis
AARON Baddeley was the boy wonder of the late 1990s early 2000s.
A winner of the Australian Open as a teenage amateur in 1999, he backed it up a year later claiming consecutive Stonehaven Cups and collecting a cheque to go with it the second time around after turning professional in early November 2000.
He would win again on local shores the following year, beating Sergio Garcia in a playoff at the Greg Norman Holden International – a joint Australasian and European Tour event played at The Lakes in Sydney.
All this before his 21st birthday.
Badds.com, as he became known, was almost front and centre during the internet boom as well. He would pack his bags and head off to the US soon after, touted as the next big thing and with the golfing world at his feet.
A playoff loss in 2003 to Ernie Els at the Sony Open in Hawaii appeared to be the kick start he was looking for. Baddeley pocketed just shy of US$1m that first full year in the US, however from there it has been a rollercoaster ride with the highs of four US Tour wins, a best year of 10th on the money list in 2007, coupled with a few seasons of struggle.
But through it all he has endured, kept smiling, and kept having children – six of them, in fact, with wife Richelle.
Is he somewhat disappointed not to have climbed golf’s highest mountains, captured the most prestigious trophies and fulfilled the potential he, and everybody else, thought he possessed?
Maybe, but with a strong religious faith, a supporting wife and his growing family by his side, the 42-year-old is doing just fine and looking forward to what lies ahead.
In case you are wondering, the former child prodigy is based in Scottsdale, Arizona and is loving life.
“Golfing wise, I feel like I’ve underachieved, definitely, to what I expected, the goals I’ve set,” Baddeley said via a zoom media conference call ahead of the recent Fortinet Championship – his 500th US PGA Tour event.
“But life wise, I think I’ve exceeded all my expectations with my family, my wife, my kids. I couldn’t be more at peace and joyful off the golf course.
“And I feel I’ve got my best years ahead of me. I love the game of golf. I never really lost the passion for it. Even at 42, I feel like it’s never difficult for me to go and practice and to grind and to get better.
“The body feels good, I’m not battling any injuries, not battling any issues and I can still put in the work, put in the time to get better,” Baddeley added.
As for his milestone tournament on the US Tour, Baddeley became just the sixth Australian to achieve the 500-event mark.
“I can’t say I ever thought about getting to this number but once you’re here, it’s pretty cool to reflect back to my first ever (tournament) in 2000 at the Honda Classic at Herron Bay,” said Baddeley, who was born in the US.
Following the Fortinet, Baddeley had three more US Fall (autumn) schedule events penciled in, before he was planning to head to Sydney in December to try to put his name on the Australian Open trophy for a third time.
It would be his first tournament at home since 2016.
“Last year my daughter was performing at Times Square the same week (as the Australian Open), a once in a lifetime for her. I wasn’t going to miss that,” he said.
“But I’m excited to get back. It’s nice that it’s in December, past some of the fall (autumn) events here.”
Working with a new coach in New Jersey instructor, Mike Adams, Baddeley confesses he has simplified his swing, resulting in a renewed confidence. He still possesses a short game and putting stroke that is the envy of his peers and a third national Open title certainly wouldn’t be out of the question.
With four wins abroad, another four at home and more than $US23 million earned in those 500 tournaments to date, he might not think he got where he wanted his career to go, but by anyone’s standards it’s been quite a journey so far, with all indications that there could be plenty more to come.
Ben on track in US
FORMER Yeppoon Golf Club (Central Queensland) junior Ben Swaffield recently returned home to apply for an extension on his visa to allow him to continue his position at Preston Trail Golf Club in the US where he works as an assistant professional.
On his return to the US, he competed in the 36-hole National Car Rental Northern Texas Assistant PGA Professional Championships which he won by two shots courtesy of carding consistent rounds of 69-69 – 138.
He pocketed $1500 for his first professional win.
Following his victory, Swaffield is keen to continue his professional education.
“I am looking forward to finishing off my PGA education under the leadership of Cameron Doan, the PGA director of golf at Preston Trail Golf Club,” he said.
![Win the golfing experience of a lifetime, at the Hawai‘i International Week of Golf, valued at $6,900 [Winner Announced]](https://www.insidegolf.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Hawaii-Comp-500x294.jpg "Win the golfing experience of a lifetime, at the Hawai‘i International Week of Golf, valued at $6,900 [Winner Announced]")