‘I want to be World No.1 – but that means I’ve got to beat Scottie Scheffler!’

Josh Berry chatted to Today's Golfer about his start to life on Tour.

Josh Berry’s start to life on the DP World Tour has drawn comparisons to Rory McIlroy. But, as TG finds out, this is a player who plans 10 years ahead by staying very much in the present.

Josh Berry burst onto the scene as an 18-year-old in 2023 when, while still an amateur, he came through Q-School to become the second-youngest player to ever earn a DP World Tour card.

The other, you’ve probably guessed already, was a certain Rory McIlroy.

But that’s where the comparisons end. For now, at least.

“It’s nice,” he tells TG as he embarks on another long drive from his coach’s facilities near London to his home in Yorkshire. “But you’ve got to back it up and make a name for yourself.”

Berry attended the first stage of Q-School that year with what he describes as “absolutely no pressure.”

“So many people there are playing for their livelihood,” the Doncaster-born star explains. “Then you’ve got me there just trying to make a name for myself, playing stress-free golf, and hoping it ends up with me getting on the tour.”

Turns out that stress-free golf results in birdies. Lots of them. Across the three stages of Q-School that year, Berry failed to break par just twice and played the 14 rounds in 33-under.

Not bad given his first goal was “make the cut”.

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Berry immediately turned pro and headed to South Africa for the Joburg Open, where he failed to make the weekend.

“I soon realized just how high the standards actually are,” he says. “I wasn’t exactly expecting to go there and win straight away, I knew it was going to be hard, but you don’t realize the level, and see where you need to get to, until you’re there.”

It was a transition with which Berry struggled at first.

His maiden season on the DP World Tour yielded just three made cuts from 17 starts.

“On paper it looks like a pretty poor year,” Berry explains. “But I was 18 and in my first season on tour. I played 37 events. It’s hard.”

Not to mention daunting. Those 37 events saw Berry travel to more than 20 different countries. Travelling far and wide has always been part of his life, though.

“I’ve been very lucky,” he says. “We’ve been away a lot – whether it’s on holiday or playing in junior championships in America – so I’m used to it.

“When you do it on your own, though, it’s different. It took some getting used to, but now it’s second nature. When you spend a lot of time on airplanes and you’re alone in your thoughts, it’s a good time to reflect on what you have and what you want.”

This feels like a suitable place to remind you that he is not yet out of his teens.

Berry returned to Q-School, only this time he was one of those playing for his livelihood. But, again, it felt like water off a duck’s back.

“I’m always nervous,” he admits. “Especially on the first tee. But then once you start getting into routines it’s a lot easier.

“I’m very competitive. It doesn’t matter whether I’m playing in The Open, the Brabazon Trophy, or with my mates, I’m going out there to play well and try and win.”

Off the pace somewhat at Q-School, Berry used a weather delay to compose himself and work out what he needed to. He shot a final-round 63 to finish 10th and retain his card for another year.

The 2025 season has, so far, been a mixed bag for the now 19-year-old, with three missed cuts offset by a first DP World Tour top 10. Berry’s €58,000 payday for his tied-7th at the Kenya Open was more than he’s banked for all his other tournaments combined.

Meanwhile, on the HotelPlanner Tour – which you will know as the Challenge Tour – Berry has found success in India. He bagged his first victory at the Kolkata Challenge before finishing second a week later in Delhi after losing a dramatic playoff.

Even when asked if he’s allowed himself to splash a bit of cash, Berry’s response is well beyond his years.

“I’ve got a good team around me – both with my management and my family,” he says. “I’m just trying to focus on golf. It sounds clichéd, but I just focus on one day at a time.

“I’m miles off where I want to be in 10 years’ time, so it’s important for me to plan my way there. It’s all about baby steps and getting a bit better with each one.”   

In the short term, Berry’s target for 2025 is to keep his card and qualify for the Race to Dubai Final Series. “But golf is a process game, really. You can’t focus on the outcome. It’s not like football, where you’re in a team and you can have a bad day and still win. If you have a bad day in golf, you’re out of the tournament, so it’s important not to get ahead of yourself.”

But he does allow himself to dream.

Berry’s run of form this year, culminating in that one-two in India, has vaulted him from outside the top 1,000 in the world rankings to 326th.

“Everyone has big goals, and when I go to sleep at night, I dream of being the best player in the world – but to get there, you’ve got to beat Scottie Scheffler!

“If you get to number five in the world, you’ve had a great career. But if you set your standards higher, you’ll raise them.”

Even when asked which major he would most like to win, it’s all about the process of getting there in Berry’s blueprints.

He ponders the question for a moment before deciding on his answer. “The Masters,” he says. “Because you’ve got to be in the top 50 in the world, so to get there you’ve had to play really good golf.”

Even McIlroy doesn’t have a Green Jacket yet.

• Josh Berry is an ambassador for TravisMathew and star of a new golf documentary, Making the Cut. You can watch all four episodes on Today’s Golfer or the apparel brand’s YouTube channel.