YOU can picture the scene: Michelle Wie, a beautifully attired millionaire teenager, practising for hour upon hour at home in Honolulu as the sun begins to set over the Pacific Ocean. It could be a Hollywood backdrop, except that this is for real.

Many thousands of miles away, across several time zones, another young golfer has been fine-tuning his swing. He was to be found this week in a teaching bay of a golf club that has gasworks to one side and council flats to the other. For Honolulu read Dagenham; for Hollywood, read the East End.

However, it is not quite as simple as that. The player in question is Oliver Fisher, who, two months ago and at the age of 16, represented Great Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup in Chicago and thus became the youngest competitor in the history of the competition.

A star in the making, he was outstanding that week, displaying a maturity beyond his years and sinking an 18-foot putt at the last hole of his singles match to secure a half-point in what was ultimately a losing cause against the United States. Broad shouldered and with a powerful, rhythmic swing, Fisher has been likened to Ernie Els, which, when allied to a mental strength similar to Luke Donald, provides for a heady combination.

He had arrived in the US on the back of a semi-final defeat in the Amateur Championship, as runner-up in the Brabazon Trophy and having helped England to victory in the European men’s team championship. So while Fisher may not be making the waves of Wie — who turned professional two weeks ago and signed endorsements worth a reputed $10 million (about £6 million) — he has started making some large ripples of his own.

Unlike Wie, he has won many times as a junior and once held the Essex men’s and boys’ county titles at the same time. Recently he won the Duke of York Young Champions Trophy, on the Isle of Man, and also took the Faldo Series for the second year in succession, with a course record 63 at Celtic Manor’s Roman Road course.

Now 17, Fisher, who has a poster of Ben Hogan on his bedroom wall and who lives with his parents and two younger sisters in Chigwell, Essex, has left school to concentrate on his golf. The conundrum is when to turn pro? He knows that he still has a lot to learn and that the amateur side has much to offer, although going to college in America is not considered an option. “I really don’t like school,” he said, with a sheepish smile.

But the lure of the professional game is strong and the management companies and equipment suppliers are circling already. However, he will not be rushed. “I’d like to play in the next Walker Cup,” he said.

“That was my aim at the start of this year and I did it. The next one is at Royal County Down and that would be pretty special. My aim over the next two years is just to keep on improving, keep getting better.”

To that end, he spends plenty of time with Chris Jenkins, his coach of eight years and a man he credits with having built his swing. Which explains his presence at Dagenham’s Crowlands Heath Golf Club this week, where Jenkins is based, a day after helping a mixed England team to victory at the Spirit International tournament in Houston. Yesterday, he was off to Dubai, with all the family in tow, for another junior event.

As always in these situations, much sacrifice is made on the part of the family, whose support — financial and moral — is crucial. With his father, Rupert, a six-handicapper, almost constantly by his side — chauffeur, occasional caddie, confidant — any glitches in the swing can be identified early and then worked on back at base camp. As part of Team Faldo, the youngster also gets advice from Nick Faldo and his coaches.

“The great thing is, he enjoys it,” Fisher Sr, a fruit and veg wholesaler, said. “He never gets bad-tempered, never throws a club. It’s easy to forget how young he is, but he never goes to a competition to make up the numbers. He goes to win. I can see him turning pro relatively young, but would like to think he’d play another Walker Cup. It’s a lovely dilemma, but timing is everything.”

Drawing out of Fisher himself where he would like to be in ten years’ time is not easy. He does not want to appear brash, does not wish to be a hostage to fortune. “I want to be one of the best in the world,” he said, refusing to mention major championships and Ryder Cups. Those, after all, go without saying.

And yet there is one thing that immediately captures his imagination.

What car would he like? “An Aston Martin DB9,” comes the reply, his steely blue eyes glazing over for a moment.

The thing is, he will probably get one.