The 29-year-old golfer – who turned professional in 2017 – picked up a club for the first time at the age of nine, but quit for a while in his teens so he could kick a ball around with his friends, but ultimately realised his talents lay on the green.

Asked the first time he broke par, he told Bunkered magazine: “I don’t remember the first time I broke par, but I remember when I was playing off three.

“I was a member of Oxley Park and ended up shooting 63, which was eight-under in the Saturday medal and I was just turning 15 then.

“Recently before that, I’d quit golf because I was missing out on football at school.

“I was the only kid who played golf. Then I realised I wasn’t good enough at football!”

Richard is “working on” not throwing his clubs when his frustration gets the better of him, but he insisted it’s a very typical habit for a golfer.

Asked the last time he had thrown a club, he admitted: “Recently, in Denmark. I’m working on it but I don’t know many guys who don’t.”

Richard finds he gets recognised more now thanks to his appearance on the ‘Golf Life’ video series.

He said of being recognised: “It’s happened a lot now since the Golf Life video with Tubes and Jimmy Bullard.

“You get ‘Golf Life legend’ and stuff like that shouted at you.

“I had one at the airport travelling to tournaments. It doesn’t happen too much – we’re not big time!”