The then amateur came second to fellow West Australian Hannah Green – who made history as the first woman to win a 72-hole mixed-gender professional event anywhere in the world – but he was nearly out of the tournament on the Saturday morning.

“More of the same (this week) would be nice. I had a good finish here last year. I had a good story last year that I nearly missed my third tee time,” Hopewell said.

“I got the times mixed up and long story short I was running to the tee in the end, so I’ll try be a bit more organised this year.”

That was not the Australian representative as an amateur’s only lateness blunder at last year’s edition of this tournament.

Hopewell earned enough points as an Affiliate Future Tour Member to earn his card for this season – largely thanks to his runner-up finish at the WA Open – but he failed to gain a single point from his TPS Murray River effort because he had not filled out his membership forms in time.

Off the course, reminders to be punctual have been ringing in his ears since he turned professional ahead of the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship in November.

On the course, not much has changed for the 2020 WA Open champion.

“I’m out here in the big smoke now but I guess it’s the same golf really. Just a different title next to my name,” Hopewell said.

“A lot more serious now, playing for some cash is nice. I’ve got a good team around me and looking forward to the journey ahead.”

The 21-year-old’s professional journey has already encompassed top-10 finishes at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open and the Gippsland Super 6, as well as a top-20 result at TPS Victoria last week.

Those results bode well for his chances at Cobram Barooga Golf Club’s Old Course this week, so too does the laid-back atmosphere of the club on the New South Wales side of the Murray River.

“I’m originally from the country so I guess I’m comfortable out here,” Hopewell said.

“That country feel of the course and the greens takes me back to the roots a little bit. It’s just a nice course with a good feel to it.”

An impressive showing this week will push Hopewell further up the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit standings – he is currently 25^th with four counting events after he played the WA PGA Championship and WA Open as an amateur – and be an important step in ticking off the Challenge Tour-bound player’s goals for the year.

“There are some good opportunities with the Order of Merit,” Hopewell said.

“Obviously top-three gets DP World Tour cards, and the top-five get the final stages of Q School. I’ll play out the Aussie season and then head over to the Challenge Tour (the secondary tour in Europe) and tackle that for the rest of the year.

“I’m very much goal oriented. I’ve got the top-25 on Challenge Tour and the top-five in Australia in my sights. I’ll just keep playing week-to-week, shot-to-shot and work towards those.”