Even after early success, Lewis says he’s got long way to grow as a player

Tom Lewis is keeping his feet firmly on the ground in the wake of his inaugural European Tour triumph.

The 20-year-old Englishman carded a closing round of 65 in October to claim a two-shot victory at the Portugal Masters. The win means Lewis, who was playing in only his third professional tournament, has secured his tour card for the next two seasons.

The unexpected victory was the highlight of an unforgettable second half of 2011 that began when Lewis fired a 65 to grab a share of the first-round lead at the British Open -- while being paired with the legendary Tom Watson, for whom Lewis was named. That 65 was the lowest score ever posted by an amateur in the 151-year history of the British Open, andhe went on to capture the Silver Medal as low amateur at Royal St. George's.

Lewis followed that up by playing his part in helping Great Britain and Ireland win the Walker Cup in his final start as an amateur. He recorded a top-10 finish in the Austrian Open, his first start as a professional, and capped off the year by being named the European Tour's Rookie of the Year for 2011.

However, Lewis will not let his early success go to his head.

"I've got a long way to go. I'm nowhere near the player I want to be," he said. "I played a couple of events in Australia and Dubai earlier this year. I knew the standard was good, but I knew that I was able to win.

"It was just whether the nerves and the mind were able to carry on."

He certainly didn’t expect to perform so well at the beginning of his week in Portugal.

"I got off to a slow start and there are some really good players here, so to come out on top was just unbelievable, especially so early in my career," he said at the time. "I can't really put it in words at the moment, but if you ask me in a couple of days or a couple of weeks I'll be able to answer in better form. I'm just thrilled."