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Kasey Dive understands why some people wince when they hear that she coaches kids as young as four at Lane Cove Golf Club on Sydney’s Lower North Shore.
If you can’t get a four-year-old to put their clothes away, brush their teeth or contain their toys to one section of the house, how do you expect to teach them the intricacies of the grip and proper takeaway?
Quite simply, Kasey doesn’t even try.
Not straight away, at least.
A PGA Professional offering junior programs at Lane Cove for the past 17 years, Kasey dedicates herself to bringing beginners into the game and giving them the grounding to want to stay.
Her youngest golfers are in the Peewee Program for 4-to-6-year-olds, some of whom suggest more experience in golf than you might expect.
“They tell us, ‘I play golf all the time’,” says Dive.
“They think they know how to play golf because they’ve played it on the Wii or Nintendo Switch.”
Kasey doesn’t overload her enthusiastic newcomers with technique or theory; she provides the opportunity to hit balls in a game-based environment that is constantly evolving.
There is an element of repetition to build fundamentals but done in such a way that the kids don’t even know they’re learning.
“If you’re trying to build the perfect swing or the perfect set-up straight away, they’re not going to take it in,” Kasey explains.
“They just want to hit the ball.
“Let them hit it, let them make mistakes and if you see an element of frustration, that’s an avenue to step in and offer some advice that they’ll actually listen to.”
Kids are hitting balls in their very first lesson at Lane Cove, with games focused initially on short shots building into longer swings and then, ultimately, time on the golf course.
The success of Kasey’s program shines through in that there are now teenagers attending the Saturday squad classes at Lane Cove who began in the Peewee Program.
And for those who shudder at the thought of teaching young kids how to play golf, Kasey says her students have taught her how to be a better coach along the way.
“It’s finding how to relate to each child,” she explains.
“If they’re showing signs of not wanting to be there, then that’s not their fault. That’s on me.
“You’ve got to find a way to engage with them to capture their interest.
“You should be able to bring in every single child and find a way for them to love the sport.”
The second restart after suffering a fractured back is right on track after Cory Crawford claimed a one-stroke win at the McGrath Estate Agents Ballina Pro-Am at Ballina Golf Club.
It took an eagle on his penultimate hole for Crawford to edge in front, his round of 6-under 66 enough to finish one clear of Sydney’s Jack McLeod (67) with Will Florimo (68), Damon Stephenson (68) and James Mee (68) all sharing third.
Winner of the PNG Open in 2017, Crawford has had stints playing in China, Canada and on the Asian Tour in recent years before a back injury curtailed his career.
Returning from a four-month break last year proved to be a false start but he hopes his Ballina win can be a portent of better things to come.
“It’s been very frustrating at times,” Crawford conceded.
“I’ve had a four-month break, then a restart, then a five-month break and now I’m getting back into it again.
“I’m three-and-a-half weeks into that restart and it honestly feels like I’m learning golf again.
“Hopefully I can play all the way through now, but it’s all pending my injury and how I hold up after playing a bunch of golf.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Tied for 22nd at the PNG Open earlier this month on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, Crawford’s start on Thursday was less than auspicious.
A double-bogey at his opening hole – the par-4 eighth – was an early setback but three straight birdies from the 11th hole quickly got Crawford back into red figures.
Back-to-back birdies at 18 and one further advanced Crawford’s cause but it would take a birdie-eagle finish to stop McLeod from winning his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series event.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I actually started with a double on the first hole and had to work really hard after that to try and figure it out and get my swing back to where I needed it to be,” said Crawford.
“It took a few holes and then I made a few birdies and after that I was sort of freeing up a little bit and was able to play some good golf the rest of the day.
“I’m at the stage with my restart that I’m just trying to go through the processes and not thinking about outcome at all.
“I just wanted to keep making good swings coming in. And I made a great swing on the second-last hole and made the putt.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Cory Crawford 66
2 Jack McLeod 67
T3 Will Florimo 69
T3 Damon Stephenson 69
T3 James Mee 69
T6 Zach Maxwell 70
T6 Dillon Hart 70
T6 Lucas Higgins 70
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series nudges towards the Queensland border on Friday with the Love Golf Fitting & Coaching Studio Coolangatta & Tweed Heads Golf Club Pro-Am at Coolangatta-Tweed Heads Golf Club.
A par-5 birdie plunder and late stumble from 36-hole leader Luke Porritt will see Pymble’s William Bayliss take a handy lead into the final round of the $50,000 NSW/ACT Associates Championship sponsored by North Eden Timber.
Tura Beach Country Club on the New South Wales South Coast presented a far friendlier test in Round 3 on Thursday, the strong winds and fast greens that saw no player break par easing to allow players to make their move.
Two eagles in a round of 4-under 69 saw Toby Walker make the biggest charge up the leaderboard but it is Bayliss who earned the 54-hole lead with a polished 2-under 71 in Round 3 and 2-under total.
Runner-up to Jack Wright 12 months ago, Bayliss made birdie at each of the five par 5s at Tura Beach and will take a four-shot lead into Friday’s final round.
That buffer would not have been so great if not for a triple-bogey by Porritt at the par-3 17th in his round of 6-over 79.
An Associate at Thurgoona Country Club, Porritt will start the final round at 3-over and five strokes off the lead, Walker now Bayliss’s nearest challenger at 2-over par.
In addition to his two eagles at 11th and 18th holes, Walker had birdies at 13 and 16 to make a late charge up the leaderboard and enter the frame for what should be an enthralling final round.
Bayliss, Walker and Porritt will play together in the final group at 9:24am on Friday morning with reigning champion Jack Wright (70) to play in the third-to-last group with Sheradyn Johnson (74) and Steve Vail (74).
The penultimate group will feature Kane Gollasch (72), Hayden Gulliver (72) and Jordan Rooke (73).
First group will tee off at 7am on Friday with players to again be greeted by sunny skies and similar winds to that which they experienced in Round 3.
Aussie Adam Scott will be forced to make up the same deficit world No.1 Scottie Scheffler gives up at his home club in Dallas if he is to scoop the $US25 million bounty on offer at the Tour Championship in Atlanta.
Scott is the only Australian in the field for the PGA TOUR season finale, the 44-year-old rocketing to 14th in the FedEx Cup standings and 21st in the Official World Golf Rankings on the back of three runner-up finishes in the past month.
But under the format of the FedEx Cup, Scott will start the opening round on Friday morning seven strokes back of Scheffler, the world No.1 pegged at 10-under par before a ball is struck at East Lake Golf Club.
The only Australian to win the Tour Championship, Scott will need to produce something extraordinary to climb from his starting position of 3-under par and hold the trophy aloft for a second time on Sunday.
And in an ominous warning to Scott and the other 28 players in the field hoping to unseat him, Scheffler said that “more often than not” he gets the better of those who he gives up seven shots to in a single round at Royal Oaks Country Club.
“At home I’m typically playing to a plus-7,” Scheffler revealed.
“I used to be a plus-5. They moved me to a plus-7. So now we’ve got guys in the group that are getting like two strokes a hole.
“I typically still will win more often than not, I feel like, but it’s just fun.
“If you’re going out there with a 12, 13 handicap you don’t know what the heck is going to happen.
“If I’m at home, pretty much either Friday or Saturday, I’m playing with somebody that I’m giving 20 strokes. I think we’re up to 20 strokes now. And he takes them all.”
Yet to win the FedEx Cup, this year marks the third time in succession that Scheffler has entered the Tour Championship ahead of the pack.
Although he hasn’t been able to convert the past two years, he is bullish about his prospects of making it eight wins on the season.
“This is the best opportunity that I’ll have in my career probably to win a golf tournament,” said the Masters and Olympic champion.
“I’m starting two strokes ahead of second place. That’s a pretty cool place to be, really.”
Opportunities abound also for Aussies around the globe this week.
Webex Players Series Hunter Valley champion Daniel Gale has received an invitation to play this week’s Betfred British Masters on the DP World Tour while Cassie Porter can further her claims for promotion to the LPGA Tour at the Epson Tour’s Four Winds Invitational.
At the tournament where fellow Aussie Gabriela Ruffels wrapped up her LPGA Tour card 12 months ago, Porter arrives at South Bend, Indiana fifth on the Race For The Card standings.
With just five events left in the season to determine the top 15 who will receive LPGA status, a strong showing could be enough to push Porter over the line.
Rookie Connor McDade has received an invite to join 17 other Aussies in the field for the Asian Tour’s Mandiri Indonesia Open and world No.7 Hannah Green leads a six-strong Australian contingent at the inaugural FM Championship on the LPGA Tour.
Photo: Kevin C Cox/Getty Images
Round 1 tee times AEST
PGA TOUR
TOUR Championship
East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia
2:49am Adam Scott
Defending champion: Viktor Hovland
Past Aussie winners: Adam Scott (2006)
Prize money: $US100 million
TV times: Live 1am-8am Friday, Saturday; Live 2am-9am Sunday; Live 1am-8am Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
DP World Tour
Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo
The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, England
4:30pm Jason Scrivener
6:20pm* Haydn Barron
6:30pm Sam Jones (NZ)
9:30pm* Daniel Gale
10pm Daniel Hillier (NZ)
11:20pm David Micheluzzi
Defending champion: Daniel Hillier
Past Aussie winners: Graham Marsh (1979), Greg Norman (1982), Robert Allenby (1996)
Prize money: $US3.5 million
TV times: Live 9:30pm-1am Thursday on Fox Sports 503; Live 9:30pm-3am Friday; Live 9:30pm-2:30am Saturday; Live 9pm-2am Sunday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
LPGA Tour
FM Championship
TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts
2:37am Robyn Choi
2:37am* Hira Naveed
2:59am Hannah Green
3:10am* Grace Kim
3:32am Stephanie Kyriacou
4:16am Sarah Jane Smith
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US3.8 million
TV times: Live 5:30am-8:30am Friday, Saturday; Live 4:30am-7:30am Sunday; Live 3:30am-6:30am Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
Asian Tour
Mandiri Indonesia Open
Damai Indah Golf (PIK Cse), Indonesia
9:40am Sam Brazel
9:40am* Marcus Fraser
10:30am Maverick Antcliff
10:40am Deyen Lawson
10:50am Louis Dobbelaar
10:50am* Connor McDade
11am* Denzel Ieremia (NZ)
11:10am Harrison Crowe
2:10pm Jordan Zunic
2:20pm Lachlan Barker
2:20pm* Douglas Klein
2:30pm Todd Sinnott
2:40pm Scott Hend
2:40pm* Kevin Yuan
2:50pm* Jack Thompson
3pm Travis Smyth
3pm* Andrew Dodt
3:10pm Brendan Jones
3:20pm* Aaron Wilkin
3:30pm* Justin Warren
Defending champion: Nitithorn Thippong
Past Aussie winners: Terry Gale (1984), Craig Parry (1997), Nick Cullen (2012)
Prize money: $US500,000
Japan Golf Tour
Fujisankei Classic
Fujizakura Country Club, Yamanashi
8:30am Anthony Quayle
12:50pm* Brad Kennedy
1:25pm Michael Hendry (NZ)
Defending champion: Takumi Kanaya
Past Aussie winners: Graham Marsh (1973, 1974), Paul Sheehan (2004)
Prize money: ¥110 million
Ladies European Tour
KPMG Women’s Irish Open
Carton House (The O’Meara Cse), Ireland
Australasians in the field: Whitney Hillier, Kirsten Rudgeley, Momoka Kobori (NZ), Kelsey Bennett, Amy Walsh
Defending champion: Smilla Tarning Soenderby
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €400,000
TV times: Live 1am-4am Friday, Saturday; Live 12:30am-2am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 507 and Kayo.
PGA TOUR Americas
CRMC Championship
Craguns Legacy Course, Brainerd, Minnesota
10:30pm* Harry Hillier (NZ)
11pm Grant Booth
4:40am* Charlie Hillier (NZ)
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US225,000
Challenge Tour
Rosa Challenge Tour
Rosa Golf Club, Konopiska, Poland
3:30pm Andrew Martin
4:20pm* Connor McKinney
8:30pm* Hayden Hopewell
9:20pm* Blake Windred
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €270,000
LET Access Series
Get Golfing Women’s Golf Championship
The Club at Mill Green, England
Australasians in the field: Kristalle Blum, Stephanie Bunque, Wenyung Keh (NZ), Munchin Keh (NZ)
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €80,000
Epson Tour
Four Winds Invitational
South Bend Country Club, South Bend, Indiana
10:11pm* Su Oh
10:44pm Fiona Xu (NZ)
3:45am* Amelia Garvey (NZ)
3:56am* Cassie Porter
4:29am Maddison Hinson-Tolchard
Defending champion: Gabriela Ruffels
Past Aussie winners: Julia Boland (2012), Gabriela Ruffels (2024)
Prize money: $US262,500
Korean PGA Tour
Lexus Masters
A1 Country Club, Korea
7:50am Sungjin Yeo (NZ)
8:50am Kevin Chun (NZ)
9:20am Wonjoon Lee
9:30am Changgi Lee (NZ)
12:30pm Junseok Lee
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: KRW1 billion
Legends Tour
HSBC India Legends Championship hosted by Jeev Milkha Singh
Jaypee Greens, Delhi
Australasians in the field: Michael Campbell (NZ), Michael Long (NZ)
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US500,000
Sunshine Tour
Gary and Vivienne Player Challenge
Kyalami Country Club, Midrand, South Africa
7:30pm Austin Bautista
Defending champion: Gerhard Pepler
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: R2 million
Part-time tournament player Ryan Gailey has repeated his victory of six years ago with a one-shot win at the Ocean Shores CUB Pro-Am at Ocean Shores Country Club.
Squeezing in occasional appearances on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series with his full-time role as the Golf Operations Manager at Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club, Gailey spoke of his affinity with the Ocean Shores layout and his regular playing partners from EZGO Australia.
“The form has been down of late but I came back last week and when I walked in today I felt comfortable about my game again,” said Gailey.
“The last six weeks I’ve made a conscious decision to try and enjoy my golf again. Give myself something in life outside my family – two kids and my wife – just to work towards.
“I’ve been making some good swing changes with my coach Ji McBryde and I’m hopeful to play a few events at the end of the year.”
Although shy of the 6-under 66 he shot to share victory with Aaron Wilkin in 2018, Gailey’s 4-under 68 was enough to edge Murwillumbah local Lucas Higgins (69) and Dylan Gardner (69) and earn his first solo victory on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Starting his round from the second tee, Gailey picked up a shot with a birdie at the par-5 fourth but consecutive three-putts at five and six saw him fall quickly to 1-over on his round.
He jumped back into red figures when he holed his pitch shot for eagle at the par-5 ninth and then moved to 3-under with back-to-back birdies at 13 and 14.
With two par 5s to finish, Gailey went against his own policy by checking where he stood on the leaderboard. He regretted that decision when he left a five-foot birdie putt short at 18 but closed with birdie at the par-5 first to post the winning number.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I had a couple of three-putts in the early stage of the round which cost me. I was a little bit down on myself and then on nine I was just short of the green for two, about 35 metres, and holed my pitch shot for eagle.
“That kick-started my round and it all went well from there.
“I play a handful of pro-ams each year and I always decide to never look at the leaderboard. I was feeling quite good and with two par 5s to go so I thought I would try and make a decision on what I was going to do on those par 5s. I took a look at the leaderboard and fair to say it was not a good thing to do as I left a five-foot putt for birdie short on the 18th.
“Luckily I birdied the first but I’d say that I won’t be looking at the leaderboard again.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Ryan Gailey 68
T2 Lucas Higgins 69
T2 Dylan Gardner 69
T4 Mitchell Smith 70
T4 Jack Pountney 70
T4 Jack McLeod 70
T4 Brendan Smith 70
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series remains in northern New South Wales on Thursday for the McGrath Estate Agents Ballina Pro-Am followed on Friday by the Love Golf Fitting & Coaching Studio Coolangatta & Tweed Heads Golf Club Pro-Am.
Major champion Cam Smith is locked in to be the star attraction at the $800,000 NSW Open at Murray Downs Golf and Country Club in November.
Smith, 31, continues to enjoy a stellar career, including an historic Open Championship win at St Andrews in 2022, six titles on the PGA TOUR, three BMW Australian PGA Championships and multiple individual and team titles with Ripper GC on LIV Golf.
His participation in the NSW Open was confirmed this evening by Golf NSW.
“I love supporting Australian golf and when the opportunity arises to play, I want to be there,” Smith said.
“I try to get back home as much as I can.
“The NSW Open is growing into a major event and I’m excited to be able to play in the tournament this year, which will be part of a great summer of Australian golf.”
The prestigious event, part of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, will take place from November 14-17 at the picturesque Murray Downs Golf & Country Club.
Designed by Ted Parslow, it is ranked as the No.1 golf course on the Murray River and one of Australia’s best inland layouts. The course is renowned for its challenging layout and stunning scenery.
“It’s fantastic it is being played in a regional area and I can’t wait to see how many fans are at Murray Downs,” Smith added.
Smith’s commitment to the NSW Open not only adds to the tournament’s prestige but also signifies his support for Australian golf and its passionate fan base.
Tournament organisers are thrilled with Smith’s decision to play at this year’s championship. His participation is expected to draw significant attention, with fans eager to see one of the world’s top golfers in action.
“Cam’s participation is a massive boost for the NSW Open,” said Graeme Phillipson, Chief Operating Officer at Golf NSW.
“His presence will undoubtedly elevate the level of competition and create an incredible atmosphere for all attendees.”
“We were anticipating large crowds this year, but the numbers will be massive thanks to his star power.”
The NSW Open Golf Championship has a rich history dating back to 1931 and is one of Australia’s premier golf events. Past champions include Greg Norman (four times), Peter Thomson, Ian Baker-Finch, Jack Newton and Kel Nagle, whose name adorns the championship trophy.
Tickets for the 2024 NSW Open Golf Championship are now available online. Fans are encouraged to secure theirs early to witness what promises to be a spectacular championship showcasing Australian best golfers.
For more information on the event, visit the official NSW Open website at www.nswopen.com
The New South Wales Open is proudly supported by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
Thurgoona Country Club Associate Luke Porritt is the only player under par after strong winds caused havoc on day two of the NSW/ACT Associate Championship sponsored by North Eden Timber.
Sheradyn Johnson and Joel Mitchell returned the best scores of Round 2 at Tura Beach Country Club, their even par rounds of 73 remarkable given the difficulty of the challenge presented.
Following on from a 5-under 68 in Round 1, Porritt battled gamely in a round of 2-over 75 to be 3-under at the halfway mark and the leader by three strokes.
A double-bogey at the par-5 fourth was Porritt’s first stumble, a stumble he recovered from with back-to-back birdies at seven and eight.
A bogey at the par-3 ninth would be a portent of the difficulties to come, Porritt making five bogeys in the space of six holes.
But in a turnaround that could prove crucial by the end of the tournament on Friday, Porritt responded with birdies at 15, 17 and 18 to give him a three-stroke advantage from William Bayliss (77) with Daniel Gill (78) and Baxter Droop (76) a further three shots back at 3-over par.
“That was one of the hardest rounds of golf I’ve ever played,” Porritt said.
“The wind, along with the challenge of the greens, just made it hard to score.”
Round 3 gets underway at 8am Thursday with the leaders teeing off at 10:24am off the first tee.
Players will welcome the forecast for Round 3 as it is set to be sunny skies, minimal cloud cover and much lesser winds than experienced on Wednesday.
Twin eagles have catapulted Thurgoona Country Club’s Luke Porritt to the top of the leaderboard after day one of the NSW/ACT PGA Associate Championship proudly sponsored by North Eden Timber.
Tura Beach Country Club on the New South Wales South Coast was an absolute picture and it was Porritt who took greatest advantage of the superb conditions.
Beginning the championship from the 10th tee on Tuesday, Porritt was 2-over through six holes before a birdie at 16 and eagle at the par-5 18th got him into red figures by the turn.
From that point there was no turning back.
He made it two eagles in his round with a second at the par-5 fourth and then birdied holes seven and eight for a round of 5-under 68 and a one-stroke lead.
Proving crucial to his mid-round turnaround, Porritt admitted that he may have struggled to make par had his eagle putt on 18 not dropped.
“I smashed an 8-iron for my second shot on the 18th to about 20 feet above the hole,” Porritt recalled post-round.
“I’m glad I holed the putt, otherwise it was going into the bunker!”
Porritt’s closest challenger has a strong history at Tura Beach, 2023 runner-up William Bayliss from Pymble Golf Club again in contention after a round of 4-under 69 that featured seven birdies.
Steve Vail from Pennant Hills Golf Club is outright third after a round of 3-under 70 with three players in a share of fourth one shot further back after rounds of 2-under 71.
Round 2 gets underway at 7:21am on Wednesday morning with Porritt teeing off in the afternoon wave off the first tee at 12:25pm.
The total prize purse is $50,000 thanks to naming rights sponsor, North Eden Timber.
Birdies on his final two holes saw Corey Lamb claim the Forster-Tuncurry Pro-Am in partnership with Ray White today, almost two years to the day since his last adidas PGA Pro-Am Series victory.
Hailing from two hours down the Pacific Highway at Branxton, Lamb shot a bogey-free 6-under-par 66 on the Tuncurry course to beat Andrew Evans (NSW) by a shot and claim the fourth pro-am title of his career.
Equal 17th in the PNG Open to start the new Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season, Lamb has been an infrequent starter in the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series this year, but came into today’s event off the back of a share of fourth at Hawks Nest on Saturday.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
Starting his round from the seventh tee, Lamb birdied the eighth and 11th and was still sitting at 2-under-par when he began the remainder of the front nine.
That’s where he made his move, picking up shots on the first and third before catching Evans, who played in the morning field, at the 5-under mark with a birdie thanka to a lengthy putt on the 491m par-4 fifth. The outright victory was sealed by a three thanks to a fine approach on the 376m sixth hole.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
Lamb said: “I’ve been doing a lot of work off the course just mentally and trying to get my body right so I can move forward. It’s good to see all the work I’ve been putting on my golf game in my scores.
“Golf this year is about keeping my Tour card here in Australia for next year and then maybe get on a tour overseas.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
66: Corey Lamb (NSW)
67: Andrew Evans (NSW)
69: Cameron John (Vic), Mitchell Brown (NSW), Matthew Millar (ACT)
70: William Bruyeres (Qld)
71: Neven Basic (NSW), Nathan Barbieri (NSW)
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series heads to the Ocean Shores CUB Pro-Am on Wednesday and McGrath Estate Agents Ballina Pro-Am on Thursday.
Tomorrow marks the start of the NSW/ACT PGA Associate Championship proudly sponsored by North Eden Timber, being played at Tura Beach Country Club, 5 hours south of Sydney on the Sapphire Coast of NSW.
A total of 120 PGA Associates (84 from NSW and 36 from Interstate) are teeing it up at Tura Beach, with 2024 the first year of a three-year tournament hosting agreement at Tura Beach Country Club and the first year that the total prize purse is $50,000.
Naming rights sponsor North Eden Timber, has come on board this year which has helped in elevating the prizemoney purse significantly.
Jack Wright, last year’s champion, is back to defend his title that he won by one shot from Pymble GC’s Associate William Bayliss.
Bayliss also returns, vying to earn his second State Championship win around the famed and familiar Tura Beach layout, having won the Tasmanian PGA Associate Championship in 2023 by six shots.
Others to watch this year will be Linus Yip (Avondale GC) Associate, Ethan Chambers (The Lakes GC) Daniel Gill (Peninsula Kingswood) and Levi Sclater (2023 National PGA Associate Championship & from Rossdale GC).
From further outside, another player who could be a chance this week will be Sheradyn Johnson (PGA Associate from The National GC) who finished third in this year’s Victorian PGA Associate Championship at Tocumwal GC back May.
The first round kicks off on Tuesday (27/08) morning at 7.21am. There will be a cut on Wednesday evening to 50 plus ties with rounds three and four to follow on Thursday and Friday.
Click HERE for live scoring.
