Matthew Griffin: An offer too good to refuse

Victorian Matthew Griffin is one of four Australians to have qualified for this week’s Golf Nippon Series JT Cup, the 30-man Tour Championship for the Japan Golf Tour.

Here Griffin explains why it is a tournament he simply had to play, his disappointment at missing the Australian Open and why getting back on the plane has been harder than ever in 2019.

It’s really difficult to be away this week.

I’ve always tried to prioritise the Australian Open. As an Australian it’s the one tournament you really want to win so every time you miss it it’s hard to take.

If it was anything but the Tour Championship I’d definitely be home but having put in five years of work up here in Japan and finally getting to this level, as much as I would like to be home you simply can’t miss it.

This week is almost a celebration of the end of the year for the guys that have made it. Everyone who is here has had a great year so it’s nice to be recognised amongst that.

I know over the last few weeks as it got a little bit closer to me getting in you start to feel a bit of pressure to stay inside that top 30. It’s definitely not the same as trying to hold onto your card but you absolutely want to get into this field.

I didn’t realise that it had been so long since there had been four Aussies in this event but I did know when Anthony Quayle got in that four was a really good representation of the Aussie guys over here. The other good thing this year is that all the Aussies who played on the tour kept their full playing rights. That’s pretty rare when there are eight or nine of us up here doing it.

I was fortunate to get a couple of good results up early in the season which not only took the pressure off making sure I had a job for next year but also gave me the opportunity to spend some extra time at home.

At the start of the year I knew my wife Liz and I would welcome our first child midway through the year and with that would come some additional pressure.

In the back of my mind I was really hopeful that I’d get off to the start that I did. That meant that when Jack came into the world on June 21 I was able to have a few extra weeks at home with him and Liz that I may not otherwise have had.

This was actually supposed to be the last of a five-week stretch for me up here in Japan but it got a little bit too much for me being away from them and I had to go home last week and spend a few days with the family, which was great.

It might be the accountant in me coming out but the hardest thing when you are away from home now is that the opportunity cost of being away is greater. When you tee it up in a tournament you do feel some pressure to play well because if you’re sitting in your hotel room on the weekend with no work to do it makes you miss home a little bit more.

At the opposite end, getting back on the plane at home in Melbourne to come away has been very difficult, especially as Jack has grown and become a bit more interactive. If you are going to be away for weeks at a time you understand at this age that he’s going to be a different person by the time you get home.

I’m glad this week is only one week away because when they give you that little smile it melts your heart. I really don’t know how I’ll handle it when he’s old enough to say, ‘Don’t go Daddy.’

The Aussie guys that I’ve spoken to up here all say that it does get harder, when the kids start to say that they miss you and the like. David Bransdon’s daughter wrote a card for him at school saying, ‘I wish my Dad didn’t go away so much.’ I know for all the guys that just breaks their heart.

If I’m being honest, I didn’t quite realise how difficult it would be going away. If I’m going away and having good years like this then I think I can cope with it because the benefit for your family is so great. But if golf was to become a struggle and you’re just getting by, you’d definitely have to look at exploring some other paths.

The other side of it is that whilst we do travel that 20-25 weeks of the year, when we’re home we’re at home a lot. If you’re working 9-5 or 9-7 you barely see your kids anyway so there are costs and benefits in all of it.

I’ll be home next week – I’m actually taking Liz to the Presidents Cup next Thursday and going with friends on Saturday – and then I’ll play the PGA on the Gold Coast.

After that, I’m booked in for some quality father-son time.

Josh Younger has won his maiden career title at the NSW Open following a two-hole playoff against New South Welshman Travis Smyth.

After a double-bogey on his final hole for a total of 17-under, Younger endured a nervous wait as Smyth completed the 17th and 18th holes.

Sitting at 18-under, Smyth bogeyed 17 to level the scores though with a par at 18 forced the playoff with scores tied.

You couldn’t separate Younger and Smyth during the first playoff hole at the 18th with each making par.

It would take a patch of brilliance for Younger to secure his first ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia title.

The second time around, Younger attacked the flag to land within seven-feet of the hole. The Victorian described the championship-winning putt as the most thrilling of his career.

“It’s relief,” he said of finally notching a first win.

“I’ve been (a professional) for 10 years. I got pipped in a playoff in New Zealand PGA in 2016, finished runner up at the (Australian) Masters, so I sort of haven’t really gotten near it as much,” Younger said.

“It’s just so hard to win, that’s the reality of it. There’s 150 blokes each week, competition is just that good now and the cards have got to fall your way.

“There’s times where you can play your best tournament and someone just has better. There are other times when it might fall your way a little bit so it’s a massive relief.”

Younger took the lead of the tournament with an opening round of 63 and an followed up with 70, 67 and 71 for his maiden win following what the 35-year-old describes as a tough year.

“I had a pretty consistent year last year. With my coach Tim we’ve been working on a bit of stuff. Every time I see him it’s been as good as it has been but I just haven’t translated it onto the golf course,” he said.

“I probably didn’t play as many events this year and then I missed the cut in Thailand and thought nope, I’m going home. When I got home I rang my mate Sean Lynch who I’ve done a bit of mental stuff with.

“I went up to Brisbane for a couple of days and I had a nice chat with him and worked on a bit of stuff and then went back home, won a two-day pro-am in Victoria then went to Malaysia last week and finished 21st so it’s sort of been trending.

“This week anytime you have a good start you’re sort of there abouts.”

Younger takes home $72,000 in prizemoney, the Kel Nagle Cup, full exemption onto the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia until the end of the 2020 season and World Golf Ranking Points.

Illawarra’s Travis Smyth narrowly missed out on a second ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia title after landing his second shot long of the pin at the second playoff hole.

Across strong rounds of 65, 69, 66 and 71 Smyth remained in contention throughout the tournament at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club.

Young gun Min Woo Lee had a chance to join the playoff with a putt for birdie at 18 but a slight miss to the right saw him finish in outright third place at 16-under.

There was heartbreak for 24-year-old Justin Warren who at the 18th tee was tied for the lead at 17-under. A second shot missed to the left of the tight front-left pin landed in the water resulting in a double bogey and a round of 74.

Warren, who finished at 15-under the card, and Lee will both feature in next week’s Emirates Australian Open field alongside other top-10 finishers Andrew Dodt, Denzel Ieremia, Andrew Martin and James Marchesani.

The ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia now moves to The Australian Golf Club for the Emirates Australian Open from 5-8 December.

The final round of the 2019 AVJennings NSW Open is here and we are in for a thrilling final day of action at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club.

Rising stars Min Woo Lee and Justin Warren lead the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia tournament at 17-under the card with just 18 holes to play but with a stacked field threatening to strike the round will not be without its challenges.

Sitting just one shot behind at 16-under, round one leader Josh Younger and 2017 NT PGA Championship winner Travis Smyth are well and truly in contention and looking to capitalise on the final day.

With years of experience under his belt on both the Australasian and Asian Tour, 35-year-old Younger is hungry to claim his maiden tour victory this week.

Andrew Dodt shot even-par on moving day to remain at 14-under the card but with a win under his belt already in 2019, the ability to go low and the composure to match he can’t be discounted.

The winner of the AVJennings NSW Open will not only take home the lion’s share of the $400,000 prize purse but also World Golf Ranking Points and full exemption onto the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia until the end of the 2020 season.

In addition, the top-10 players from the NSW tournament will also earn a place in the field at next week’s Emirates Australian Open.

The penultimate group of Jake Higginbottom, Dodt and Younger will take to the first tee at 10:45am following by front-runners Smyth, Lee and Warren at 10:55am.

For live scores from the AVJennings NSW Open visit pga.org.au, follow us on Twitter @PGAofAustralia or Instagram @pgatouraus for live updates from the course and from 1:30pm watch the live stream at nswopen.com.

Australian golf young guns Justin Warren and Min Woo Lee have made twin bogeys on the 18th hole to tie for the lead in the penultimate round of the AVJennings NSW Open.

Playing in the second-last group after starting the day at 9-under, Warren stood on the 18th tee at 18-under the card and unbeknownst to him, tied for the lead alongside Lee.

An unruly tee shot luckily found the fairway to the left but a long second stroke went over the back of the green, forcing an extra shot than the 24-year-old would have liked.

To Warren’s fortune, Lee suffered a similar fate, albeit falling short of the pin to post a third round of 68.

The duo enters tomorrow’s final round at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club tied at 17-under the card but just one stroke ahead of Travis Smyth and Josh Younger at 16-under.

“They describe it as being in the zone and that’s pretty much where I was for the first 14 holes,” Warren said.

“Everything was just straight at the flag and putts were rolling in from everywhere. It was awesome. I was 9-under through 13 and a good chance on 14, I just didn’t quite hit a great putt but it was very similar to the first day, I just really struck my ball well, put it in the right spots, holed some putts.

“I kind of struggled a little bit over the last few holes. I just wasn’t quite hitting it as close. There were some nerves out there, a bit of adrenaline, the ball just wasn’t quite going the same distance as it normally does.”

The 8-under 64 round is Warren’s second for the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia tournament but it was his front-nine again where his game came to life.

“I had four birdies in a row on 3, 4, 5 and 6 just playing really solid and made a couple of nice little 10 or 12 footers and a tap in here at there,” he said.

“I made a great par on 7, chipped in for par on 7, got a little unlucky off the tee and then made a solid par on 8 and then hit a good drive down 9, hit a 4-iron just straight into the middle of the green and had a great little read on it.

“Absolutely perfect speed and it just died in the front of the hole. I went to the 10th tee with a lot of confidence and a lot of momentum.”

Despite the 4-under round, Lee concedes his game wasn’t where he wanted it to be on Saturday but will work overnight to be in a position to challenge in the final round.

“I actually scored pretty well (but) I didn’t feel like I played good at all. I guess that’s a bit of confidence,” Lee said.

“I don’t feel good over the ball or over the putter at all today so hopefully I can fix that up in the next hour and then get it going tomorrow.

“The course was really nice today. Pins were in pretty tricky positions and you couldn’t leave it in certain spots. It was a nice challenge.”

With a stacked leaderboard behind him Lee insists it will be business as usual as he tries to extend his lead over the field.

“I’m pretty excited for tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll come out on top,” he said.

“Golf is, you just need to hit one shot at a time. Golf can change so quickly so you just need to keep your head in.

“Whoever plays the best I guess, like I said, you play your game.”

Travis Smyth and Josh Younger sit tied for third place at 16-under the card after firing rounds of 66 and 67 respectively.

Overnight leader Andrew Dodt battled throughout the third round, backing up his record-breaking 11-under with even-par for 14-under the card and fifth position.

The round was highlighted by a hole-in-one by Aaron Townsend on the par-3 17th. He sits tied for 26th at 6-under.

The leading group of Warren, Lee and Smyth will begin the final round of the AVJennings NSW Open at 10:55am where they will battle for the Kel Nagle Cup, the lion’s share of $400,000 in prize money and Official World Golf Ranking Points.

The winner of the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia tournament will also receive full exemption onto the tour until the end of the 2020 season.

The final round of the NSW Open will tee off at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club at 7am on Sunday.

For round three results visit pga.org.au.

For round four tee times visit pga.org.au.

After a record-breaking second round at the AVJennings NSW Open Andrew Dodt will tee it up alongside Min Woo Lee and Josh Younger on moving day at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club.

The marquee group will tee off the first at 11:05am in a one-tee start for the field.

Starting with a 14-under two-round total, Dodt will look to capitalise early and make ground on a charging Lee who sits just one shot behind at 13-under.

Possible showers and thunderstorms may threaten to halt play later this afternoon however more hot, hazy, humid conditions are expected with a top of 33 degrees.

LEADERBOARD:
Andrew Dodt -14
Min Woo Lee -13
Josh Younger -11
Travis Smyth -10
Justin Warren -9

For the full leaderboard and live scores visit pga.org.au or follow @PGAofAustralia on Twitter or @pgatouraus on Instagram for live updates from the NSW Open.

The third round of the AVJennings NSW Open will be live-streamed by GolfNSW from 1:30pm. Visit GolfNSW YouTube to tune in.

Andrew Dodt has set a new course record of 11-under in round two at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club to take the lead of the AVJennings NSW Open.

In the best round of his 12-year professional career Dodt’s nine birdies and eagle at the 11^th hole combined to eclipse 2018 champion Jake McLeod’s third round effort last year.

Despite Min Woo Lee’s best endeavours of 5-under in the afternoon field Dodt holds a one-shot lead at 14-under the card ahead of tomorrow’s third round.

“When they all added up they added up to 61. That’s the best round in my career so far. I knew the conditions were going to be user-friendly this morning so I wanted to take real advantage of that,” Dodt said.

“I got off to a pretty good start, and then sort of got hot around the turn. I made a few birdies and an eagle at 11 and then I started getting a bit nervy because I thought ‘I’m getting pretty hot here’.

“I thought I had to make two coming in because I didn’t really know what I was but I didn’t give myself great chances on the last three holes. All in all it was a great day’s work.”

The winner of the 2019 Sarawak Championship was a hot favourite after receiving a last minute invite into the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia tournament.

Since claiming the Asian Tour victory in August, Dodt has made the cut in all six tournaments he has contested across the PGA Tour of Australasia and Asian Tour, but believes his low scores must continue to be in contention come Sunday.

“This is my first time I’ve played here. I checked the scoring from the last two years and I know you’ve got to be 20-under to win,” he said.

“That was the goal at the start of the week and I’ve got to be at least there.

“The guys in Australia, they’re good players, so you’ve got to keep your foot down because they’re going to be right behind you. If you embrace it and take it on you can get after it.”

A dry course and firm greens challenged the field with 33-degree heat adding to the pressure for young-gun Min Woo Lee.

The challenging layout tested the West Australian but with two eagles, two birdies and a bogey he made it look easy for a second round of 5-under 67.

“The pins are tougher, the greens are harder and it was windier so that probably explains it,” Lee said of his round.

“There are still getable holes so you’ve just got to take your medicine at some of the holes and take advantage of the easy ones.

“I just thought I’d go out and play and I’m glad I shot 5-under. I’m just happy I’m playing good and happy with the way I played, satisfied at the end of the round. It hasn’t been like that for a while.”

With a two-round total of 13-under Lee holds second place over round one leader Josh Younger at 11-under in third and Newcastle local Travis Smyth one shot further back.

The second-round cut was made at 1-under the card, resulting in a third-round field of 70 players that will tee off at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club from 7am.

The leading group of Andrew Dodt, Min Woo Lee and Josh Younger will tee off from the first hole at 11:05am.

For the round two leaderboard visit pga.org.au.

Andrew Dodt has set a new course record on his way to a 14-under two-round total at the AVJennings NSW Open.

Dodt got off to a hot start with consecutive birdies but it was the back-nine where he took the round to another level to eclipse 2018 champion Jake McLeod’s efforts from round three last year.

The impressive 11-under 61 score saw Dodt take the lead at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club. And as his scorecard grew closer to that elusive 59, the Newcastle resident admitted the nerves crept in.

“When they all added up they added up to 61. That’s my best round in my career so far. I knew the conditions were going to be user-friendly this morning so I wanted to take real advantage of that,” Dodt said.

“I thought I had to make two coming in because I didn’t really know what I was but I didn’t give myself great chances on the last three holes. All in all it was a great day’s work.”

Following on from an opening round of 3-under 69, the 33-year-old believes he will need to keep the low scores coming if he is to be a contender come Sunday.

“This is my first time I’ve played here. I checked the scoring from the last two years and I know you’ve got to be 20-under to win,” he said.

“That was the goal at the start of the week and I’ve got to be at least there.

“The guys in Australia, they’re good players, so you’ve got to keep your foot down because they’re going to be right behind you. If you embrace it and take it on you can get after it.”

The winner of the Asian Tour’s 2019 Sarawak Championship was a hot favourite after receiving a last minute invite into the tournament.

Since claiming the victory in August, Dodt has made the cut in all six tournaments he has contested across the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and Asian Tour, something he credits to a thorough understanding of his game.

“I know myself a lot better. I know what works and what doesn’t,” Dodt said in comparison to previous years.

“I’ve been playing for 12 years on the professional circuit so I’ve a bit more experience. I know my strengths. When you work that out it becomes a lot easier.

“I’ve got a really good understanding of how I work, what makes me tick and I think the last 12 months have been really solid.”

A second round of 70 saw overnight leader Josh Younger take two off his second round total to sit three shots behind Dodt at 11-under the card.

James Marchesani and Jake Higginbottom remain in contention with second rounds of 68 and 66 respectively to sit tied for fifth at 7-under.

The afternoon field featuring rising stars Min Woo Lee and Justin Warren is now taking to the Twin Creeks layout.

After posting opening round scores of 8-under the pair will chase 6-under or better in round two.

Keep across live scores from the NSW Open at pga.org.au or follow us on Twitter at @PGAofAustralia for live updates.

A blemish-free round of 9-under 63 in round one of the AVJennings NSW Open has handed Josh Younger a one-stroke lead at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club.

Following the outstanding early efforts of Min Woo Lee and Justin Warren for rounds of 8-under the card, Younger put the leaderboard to the back of his mind when he took to the course on Thursday afternoon.

A string of birdies from his first hole, the 10^th, to the 16^th gave the Victorian gained momentum across what he labels as the Twin Creeks layout’s hardest stretch.

“I started off on the back-nine and made six straight and then just tried to keep out of my own way from there on in. People won’t believe me but the back-nine was tough,” Younger said.

“We came through the turn and the wind got up and that front-nine played quite difficult. I had a good start and was able to stay patient and let things happen. I picked up a couple more coming in and saved a couple of pars.”

It wasn’t an easy road to the clubhouse for Younger, who says while birdies are important; his par saves today were just as valuable.

“On seven I got out of position. I had a bit of a rough lie there. Eight, I hit a bad tee shot but made and good putt and then on nine, I just played it as a three-shotter and made a good two-putt there,” he said.

“I was just able to put it in play. The wind was up and probably the strongest I’ve seen it here in a couple of years. The way the weather was it’s quite easy to drop a few if you get out of position.”

Playing in the morning field Justin Warren has made a late surge to lead alongside West Australian young-gun Min Woo Lee at the halfway mark of the opening round.

A rising star of the golfing world, Lee put his talent on display on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia with an eagle, seven birdies and a lone bogey at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club before the pair eventually tied for second ahead of round two.

“I just played pretty solid. It was stress-free. I made one bogey but made a lot of birdies. There are a lot of birdie chances out there and I rolled the putter great so with the combination of both it was really good,” Lee said.

“I hit good shots when I needed to. Some of the holes are tricky and I just hit an iron off the tee and I know at this course there are a lot of birdies out there so I just kept it going.

“Every round you can get lucky and unlucky. There were a few holes where I got lucky and I just took my medicine on some of them and kept it going.”

A number of players made a late run down the back-nine of the Twin Creeks layout but it was New South Welshman Warren who entered the clubhouse on par with Lee.

A bogey at the challenging 18^th reduced Warren’s scorecard from 9-under to 8-under, but the solid opening round score has the 24-year-old sitting pretty ahead of the second round.

“I didn’t get myself into too much trouble and drove it well and hit a lot of greens. I had eight birdies and two bogeys out there so I holed some really nice putts and a nice putt for eagle on 15,” Warren said.

“You’ve only got to look at the scores from the past few years to know that there’s certainly some low numbers out there.

“We had pretty benign conditions this morning so the front-nine was certainly gettable. It was just good to shoot 8-under.”

A stacked field of talent sits behind the leading trio including Travis Smyth, Dimi Papadatos and amateur Nathan Barbieri all tied for fourth at 7-under.

A hole-in-one from Andrew Martin with a 9-iron in hand at the par-3 2^nd hole further highlighted the opening round at the NSW Open.

Round two of the AVJennings NSW Open will begin at 6:45am on Friday 29 November at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club.

For the round one leaderboard visit pga.org.au.

For round two tee times visit pga.org.au

Image: Golf NSW

Justin Warren has made a late surge in round one of the AVJennings NSW Open to lead alongside West Australian young-gun Min Woo Lee at the halfway mark of the opening round.

A rising star of the golfing world, Lee put his talent on display on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia with an eagle, seven birdies and a lone bogey at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club.

“I hit good shots when I needed to. Some of the holes are tricky and I just hit an iron off the tee and I know at this course there are a lot of birdies out there so I just kept it going.

“Every round you can get lucky and unlucky. There were a few holes where I got lucky and I just took my medicine on some of them and kept it going.”

A number of players made a late run down the back-nine of the Twin Creeks layout but it was New South Welshman Warren who entered the clubhouse on par with the leader.

A bogey at the challenging 18^th reduced Warren’s scorecard from 9-under to 8-under, but the solid opening round score has the 24-year-old sitting pretty ahead of day two.

“You’ve only got to look at the scores from the past few years to know that there’s certainly some low numbers out there.

“We had pretty benign conditions this morning so the front-nine was certainly gettable. It was just good to shoot 8-under.”

Travis Smyth ran out of luck at the end of his round when his 9-under total was reduced to 7-under at the par-4 18^th.

A wayward tee shot met the water on the left, followed by a putt for bogey that lipped out to leave Smyth with a final putt for a double.

A stacked field of talent sits behind the leading duo including Smyth, Dimi Papadatos and amateur Nathan Barbieri all tied for third at 7-under.

Despite the challenge from the field Lee is confident he can maintain the status quo.

“I’ll just do the same thing I guess. I hit it pretty good and putted good so hopefully I can just keep that up. My ball-striking has been pretty good so I think my putter just needs to cooperate,” Lee said.

“If the weather’s good definitely, the scores are going to be low.”

CLICK HERE for live scores from the 2019 NSW Open and follow live updates on our Twitter feed via the handle @PGAofAustralia.

Photo: David Tease – Golf NSW

Round one of the 2019 AVJennings NSW Open has begun at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club.

The morning field was greeted by clear but chilly conditions that are expected to warm up to 30 degrees later in the day.

Min Woo Lee shot out to an early lead with two birdies and an eagle on his first three holes from the 10th.

Amateur Jye Pickin has also impressed early at 4-under through six holes.