And after victories on the Ben Hogan Tour in the United States (now known as the Nike Tour) and the Volvo European Tour, he confirmed his status among the game's elite last July when he put his name up on the leader-board at the world's oldest major tournament, the British Open, contested at Royal Troon in Scotland.

Ames finished fifth, leaving no less than Tiger Woods and Greg Norman, numbers one and two, respectively, in the international golf rankings, trailing in his wake.

"A win is good, but finishing fifth in the Open is better," said the 33-year-old Ames yesterday when asked about the highlight of his career to date. "I was playing against the best in the world."

He had gone into the event, his second shot at the Open, with his confidence up and had fancied his chances from the start.

"I was playing well, I was putting very well…I had worked with the putter that week so I felt very confident. I putted well that week and also struck it well."

But he admits that he did not really have a shot at beating eventual winner, Justin Leonard.

"No, not really. I was too far back. On the first nine holes I took a while to get started, I just couldn't get it started."

But while many of his rivals were struggling on the back nine, that was where Ames came into his element and got things going. "I played very well on the back nine, which was harder," he recalls.

And did his peers take notice of his feat? "They did! Definitely! Without a doubt. They knew who I was for sure."

Ames also had the distinction last year of qualifying for another major, the US Open at the Congressional Country Club in Maryland, and although he finished down the field, he made the cut to play all four days, which could not be said for more illustrious names in the sport.

"It was a good experience, even though I didn't play very well," said Ames, giving an insight to the high standards which he sets for himself.

"The majors are very easy to make the cut, once you can keep it in the fairway," he pointed out, joking that there are a lot of top pros who don't always drive the ball very straight, putting themselves in the treacherous rough which has been the downfall of many a big name in the US Open.

"The driving part hasn't been a problem in my game, the putting, yes," he said with a laugh. "You have to keep it in the fairway in a major and a lot of players can't do that."

And after teeing up against the best around in the two Opens on either side of the Atlantic in 1997, Ames went some way to ensuring that he will do so on a more regular basis when, at the end of last year, he finished tied for third among over 150 golfers after six gruelling days and gained his tour card for the lucrative US PGA Tour.

"I played very nicely there," he said of the PGA "Q" School in Florida. "I struck the ball extremely well, but it was not a very stellar performance with the putter. It was a very frustrating six days," he added, not resting on his laurels.

"I missed a hell of a lot of putts, that's to tell you how well I was striking it."

Of the format - six consecutive rounds, which tested the stamina of the competitors - Ames, did not have many problems.

"No, I just played it as a normal day of golf."

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