PGA of Austrlasia Tour Pro Matt Griffin takes a look back at the 2016 season and previews what’s next for him in the coming months.

Hi all,

I’m sorry I haven’t been able to have
more contact over this year, but it has been an extremely busy year, it has been really exciting and rewarding and I will go
into 2017 with a fantastic schedule ahead.

After the New Zealand Open win I had some time
off before the Japan season started, I got off to a great start with a 5^th place
finish in the Crowns tournament, a famous Japanese event that has a long
history. 

Over the rest of the season I made a number of cuts but
kept finishing between 40^th – 60^th position. 

Most of those weeks I was only a couple of shots out of
finishing in the top 20 but the prize money falls away very steeply, so the
money I was making didn’t move me up the Order of Merit. 

In fact, overall for the season I made 16 cuts out of the
18 events I played but as the season came towards the finish, it would be
close as to whether I would keep my card or not. 

With this on the line I missed out on three of the big
events towards the end of the year, which meant I had to sit and watch as
people passed me. 

I only just missed getting in these events and as a result
it would all come down to the final event of the year, the Casio Open. 

Going into the Casio Open, I would be pretty safe if I made the
cut and despite a troublesome neck I did that easily and ended the year 72^nd
on the Order of Merit. Only the top 75 keep their card so I was extremely
relieved when it was all over. 

I’m not sure why I haven’t played better in Japan over the
last couple of years but am hopeful that in 2017 things will be different. 

It is a tough Tour with strong fields and really difficult
golf courses so fingers crossed with more experience I will be able
to master it.

While I was battling for my card in
Japan things were completely different in Australasia. 

After the New Zealand Open I had a big lead on the Order of Merit
and if I could hold it, I would gain a five-year exemption on the Tour plus an
exemption to the British Open and two World Golf Championships. 

The first event I played on the Australasian Tour after
the New Zealand Open was the Fiji International,it has a big prize purse and is co-sanctioned with the
European Tour. 

I played well all week and finished tied 7^th
which was a good result and meant I just held on to the Order of Merit lead after Mike
Hendry finished 2^nd. 

After another run of events in Japan I returned to the
Australian Open, always one of my favourites on the year, it has a great field and in my opinion, is the most important event on
the Australian calendar. 

I just made the cut with a late birdie on Friday and played
well over the weekend to finish tied 28^th, which extended my lead
slightly before the final event of the season, the Australian PGA Championship. 

It was difficult playing the final event, as I wanted to
play well but also had a second eye on the leaderboard. I was well up the leaderboard for most of the week but
faded on Sunday to finish tied 40^th. 

When I finished it was tight as Andrew Dodt was tied for
the lead but luckily Harold Varner III won and I held onto the number one spot in the Order of Merit rankings.

Winning the Order of Merit is super exciting and sets up a
massive 2017 for me with plenty of opportunities. 

To add to the excitement Liz and I got engaged on the Gold
Coast and are now busily trying to find a wedding venue. 

After a big year on all fronts it has been nice to get
home and relax a little but it won’t be long till it all gets underway
again. My 2017 season will start in Singapore on the 19^th
of January before I head to Myanmar for the Myanmar Open. 

It will then be back to Melbourne for the Victorian PGA
and Open and then the new ISPS HANDA World Super 6 event in Perth. 

To round out the early season schedule I then head to
Mexico for the World Golf Championship, which is immediately followed by my
defense of the NZ Open title. 

It is going to be a great year getting to play in some of
the events that I have dreamt about playing and I can assure you that I will be
working extremely hard to make the most of it.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a
wonderful New Year. 

Cheers,

Matt