Maurice Allen is planning a return the LDET this season.
The 2018 Long Drivers European Tour promised to be one of the best yet, and it’s proving to be just that. Maurice Allen, 2-time LDET champion, is eying a return to the tour, adding to the riveting storylines at start of the season.
Allen, a 36-year-old American from Pine Hills, Florida, needs little introduction — his resume does all the talking:
- 7-time Wold Long Drive Finalist (2011-2017)
- #1 ranked Long Drive Competitor in the World (2017)
- World Long Drive Tour Champion (2017)
- Guinness World Record for fastest golf ball speed (211 mph; 3-wood)
(And that’s only part of it.)
On top of preparing for his return to the LDET, Allen keeps plenty busy as one of the game’s most recognizable names. He was among 17 other personalities competing in the first season of the Golf Channel’s Shotmakers television show filmed at Top Golf in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the show, Allen, with teammate Tania Tare, a pro golfer and Instagram-famous trick shot artist from New Zealand, compete against 8 other two-person teams in a precision shotmaking contest. (Spoiler alert: Team Sharks make an early exit in the third round of the competition.)
Off the set, Allen’s in constant preparation for long drive events, competing in the Wold Long Drive, Long Drive World Series, IGANZ, and Japanese events in addition to the LDET.
“I work extremely hard because there is TONS of great talent bursting on the scene every year along with previous hitters always improving,” Allen says of his preparations for the 2018 LDET season.” I’m hoping to compete at a high level and continue to grow the sport of long Drive worldwide.”
A born athlete, Allen was introduced to the game at an early age, though pursued success in other sports before committing to competitive golf in 2010. Athletic prowess aside, he’s also well-known for his energizing personality on the tee box — especially his signature Ric Flair routine.
“It was just a simple dare from my training partner Micheal tucker. I never thought it was gonna turn into what it did, but honored and humbled.” Allen tells CGB. “It comes from the countless hours of training that I put in daily. I work very hard in training so I can have a ton of fun on the tee.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcyaO9WBAZB/?hl=en&taken-by=mauriceallen360
Allen says that level of intensity stays the same during competition no matter where he’s hitting. “I look forward to every opportunity to compete and put on a great show for the crowds.”
Accolades and antics aside, Allen says he’s actually a very “chill” person and he’s bringing a true veteran mentality into his LDET season while remaining humble. He notes there are “TONS” of great players coming into the scene every year, while others continue to get better, keeping him accountable to maintain his training schedule.
“Europe is full of dangerous hitters,” Allen says, “People across the pond haven’t heard of but they wont be a secret for long.”
Allen’s return to the top ranks of the LDET is no guarantee either, With the likes of Robin “The Hungarian Hulk” Horvath, who started the season with two top-three finishes, and a wealth of young talent in the field every event, the tour is seeing one of its most competitive seasons to date. That young talent fuels not only the excitement we’ve seen in the early goings of the 2018 season but serves as another indication of the on going growth of the game as a whole — something veterans like Allen can recognize.
“Golf is growing on the long Drive side with tours popping up all over the world,” Allen says. “This sport will be huge in the next 3-5 years.”
Allen’s debut was perviously set to be at the Sweden Championship at Täby Golf Klub May 4th-5th. 2018 LDET event winners Horvath and Martin “Beard” Borgmeier, and 2017 Tour Champion Matt Nicole are are surely ready and waiting to challenge the former champion, but the LDET announced on social media that Allen has withdrawn from the event due to injury.
Fans can connect with Allen on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, and online at mauriceallen360.com.