Golfer Ben Schmidt is tapping into knowledge from two well-known Premier League footballers as he gets stuck into his first full year as a professional.

Schmidt is signed to White Rose Sports Management, which was set up seven years ago by  James Milner and has his ex-Liverpool team-mate Adam Lallana, now of Brighton and Hove Albion, as a director.

Ben, 19, signed with White Rose as an amateur and has worked with them for nearly three years.

And after turning over to the pro game last year and now looking forward to a season free from Covid interruptions, he is counting on their support as much as ever.

“As a management company they've been first class, I can't ask for much more,” Schmidt told the Advertiser.

“They have helped me a lot from turning amateur to professional and both lads love golf and they play it quite a lot themselves.

“Because they are footballers you might think they don't know a lot about golf but they have a pretty good idea.

“I doesn't matter if it's golf, football, rugby or whatever, it's a competitive environment and they can offer advice and talk to me about competitive situations.

“Whether it's preparing for tournaments or being in them and knowing how to deal with certain things and pressure etc, I can take loads from them about that. They've been there and done it at the highest level.”

Schmidt added: “I speak to them pretty much daily. James is probably the main one. If there are any problems or I need anything, I can pick up the phone.

“Obviously they are really busy so I don't get in to see them in person as regularly but they are always at the end of the phone for me.

“When I get chance I can always get a game in with them if they're free on a particular day and I'm back here practising.”

Turning pro was a logical step for Schmidt after his appearance in last year's Walker Cup in Seminole, Florida, where he was the youngest member of the Great Britain and Ireland squad at just 18 years of age.

That followed a stellar amateur career in which he won all the main prizes.

Wanting to build his experience, Ben has been in Egypt for a couple of tournaments because the season there starts early.

“I have really enjoyed it. It is different to the amateur game. Obviously it is a lot more professional, the whole feel, the set-up,” he said.

“The scoring is low. You can have 20 people on 5-under-par whereas in the amateur game you might only get a couple.

“If you drop a shot in the pro game you fall down the field a lot more than in the amateur game.

“Every shot counts even more, I guess.”

Ben practices at the Waterfront club at Wath and at his home base, Rotherham, when he can as a busy summer comes into view.

“I have Challenger Tour invites through the summer which will be my main focus,” he added.