Invercargill's Liam Hewitt has quit his full time job to pursue a golfing career.

The talented 21-year-old is currently a New Zealand age group golf champion and also a recent graduate of Academy Southland, a two-year programme which prepares Southland’s best young athletes to compete on the national and international stage.

Hewitt's dream is to one day represent Southland and New Zealand on the international stage as a professional golfer, however he needs financial backing to help make those dreams a reality.

“I’ve been working pretty hard on my golf this year, getting out just about every day after work but that’s only about 10 hours of practice a week and really I need to be doing 25 or 30 hours a week as the benchmark for an amateur looking to improve,” he said.

“To be able to get somewhere closer to 30 hours of practice a week would do wonders for my game. It [leaving his job] was a tough decision to make, tough to say goodbye, but it was definitely the right call to make for me. I’m super grateful for everything they have done for me”

“I’m planning to get as much golf in as I can over the next nine to 12 months - practice a lot and play heaps of tournaments to get as good as I can,” he said ahead of this week’s New Zealand strokeplay championships in Christchurch.

“From there I’ll know just what it’s going to take and how long it will take to get to the professional level because that’s the ultimate goal.”

The 2019 New Zealand under 19 strokeplay winner has previously played three Charles Tour events before Covid-19 disrupted the domestic golf landscape.

His best result was last year’s New Zealand strokeplay championships, where he finished tied for 30th overall and tied for 10th in the amateur standings.

Hewitt hopes regular play in New Zealand and Australia will see his world amateur rank improve from just inside 1200 to somewhere in the top 100, with a range of professional options opening up at that point.

“I’ve won some good events and I’ve wondered what more I could do if I keep working hard, if I just went that extra step. I’m really excited about the opportunity. It’s going to take a lot of hard work and time, but that’s the goal.”

Hewitt is seeking financial help from Southland businesses to cover the estimated $40,000 he requires for his 2022 season.