“I played with Aaron many years ago, and you almost knew then he was going to be one of the best players in the world.
“He had something about him. The way he conducted himself and here he is now winning £1.5m,” Mr Butler added.
To have somebody of his calibre from the West Midlands was fantastic for golf as the sport was experiencing a post-pandemic “buzz”, he added.
“Aaron’s a very approachable lad. He does a lot with local juniors, so it’s really good.
“There’s an absolute buzz about golf at the moment. From when we came out of Covid, it really started to take off and now there’s that many youngsters getting involved in the game it’s amazing to see.
“There’s still a little bit of stigma about the game, but it is becoming much, much more accessible for people to come and play…. and golf clubs now are stepping into the 20th Century and going ‘you know what actually, we need youngsters coming through’.”
