\n<\/p>\n
It’s clear Smith would be a candidate to represent ParalympicsGB if and when the sport does gain Paralympic status. <\/p>\n
The 27-year-old started playing golf as a teenager but had to have his right leg amputated at the age of 22 and said the transition to disabled golf was difficult.<\/p>\n
“I lost my leg to a rare form of bone cancer and I had to learn to walk again,” Smith said.<\/p>\n
“I found out about disability golf and started playing – and it got bigger and bigger every year.<\/p>\n
“It was a struggle. Getting back into golf with one leg, there was a lot of bad shots and a lot of trial and error.”<\/p>\n
Smith is the golf professional at the Royal Cromer course in Norfolk and said winning back-to-back English Opens was a dream come true.<\/p>\n
“To win the first time around was one of my goals, to win it again the next year was a very, very good feeling,” he added.<\/p>\n
Smith said his perspective on the sport has changed since losing his leg and that he is now more capable of controlling his emotions on the course.<\/p>\n
“When I had two legs I was quite an angry golfer,” he said.<\/p>\n
“If I had a bad hole, I’d be angry for the next hole. Now I don’t get anywhere near as angry as I used to. By the next shot it’s completely forgotten.”<\/p>\n