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For a young golfer making his tour debut there could be no better mentor than a former PGA TOUR winner.
Luckily for 14-year-old Newcastle local Jake Riley, he’ll have friend and RBC Canadian Open winner Nathan Green in the field with him at the 2019 AVJennings NSW Open.
After over 20 years of playing on the world’s largest tour, Green has transitioned to the role of Vocational PGA Professional and this week is proud to have a student of his own in the mix on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.
“Jake is a really good young player so hopefully he can get off to a nice start and enjoy it,” Green said.
“He’s going to have a bit of expectation there and he’s got a lot of family coming down to watch him but we’re proud of him no matter how it goes this week.
“He’s developed really well and is just a good kid. Hopefully he goes alright but he doesn’t beat me. That said if he does, he does.”
In a second stage of his career the 44-year-old has scaled back his tournament commitments but in addition to PGA of Australia events at the beginning of the year, the AVJennings NSW Open and Emirates Australian Open are two the NSW local always earmarks to play.
“I’m still enjoying my golf. I like it when this time of year comes around and I get to play again but I don’t really know what to expect anymore,” he said.
“I can play some good golf and play equally bad for no apparent reason but it is still fun and my life is really good.
“I panic a little bit coming into events like this because I know I’m pretty underdone but you just use your experience a little bit. I can get it around if I’m playing half decent but I’m not willing to sacrifice the balance of life that I have to play more golf.”
Crediting a relaxed attitude, work-life balance and a supportive family, a win on the Ladbrokes Pro-Am Series the week prior to arriving at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club has boosted Green’s outlook as well as a successful game of cricket at his local club.
“I hadn’t played for three weeks coming into it so I played nine holes the afternoon before and just went out and played really well so I got a win there,” he said of the pro-am.
“I played pretty decent on Monday as well so I’m hitting some good shots. I’m also hitting some bad ones but I need it not to blow and not to be too tough and I can still work it around.
“I also filled in at my local club on the weekend and we were chasing 200 after being bowled out for 70. We had to follow on and ended up getting a new club record opening partnership of about 190 in the second innings.
“I love any sport. It’s the kind of stuff I didn’t get a chance to do for 20 years or so, so I try and get back and have a bit of fun doing some of that other stuff.”
As for words of advice for young Riley, Green will encourage him to keep a strong mind out on the course.
“I’ll just tell him to try and enjoy it. It’s going to be an uncomfortable experience for him early on but as much as you can say to someone, just relax and play like a normal game, you’re not going to,” he said.
“You’ve just got to control the things you can control which is a good process before every shot and try and hit good shots.
“He’s going to get a few looks around here for birdie so just be patient and make birdies if you can. If you play well you play well but if you don’t, don’t beat yourself up.”
Green and Riley join a field of 156 professionals and amateurs at the AVJennings NSW Open at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club from 28 November to 1 December.
The field will compete for their share in $400,000 at the event where the winner will also receive World Golf Ranking Points, a spot in the field at the 2019 Emirates Australian Open and Australian PGA Championship, as well as exemption onto the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia until the end of the 2020 season.
For round one tee times click here.
Vernon Sexton-Finck has claimed the biggest win of his golfing career in a tumultuous final round at the 2019 PGA Professionals Championship at Hamilton Island.
Sexton-Finck posted rounds of 69, 70 and 76 for a 2-over tournament total to finish one stroke clear of reigning champion and runner-up Scott Laycock at 3-over the card.
With their results, Sexon-Finck and Laycock have earned exemption into next month’s Australian PGA Championship.
The West Australian was elated with the result that has seen him win the Dan Cullen Cup.
“It was crazy. I was pretty nervous this morning. I’ve never really been in this sort of position for what is quite a big event,” Sexton-Finck said.
“I didn’t know what to expect obviously because it’s quite an intimidating golf course as well. I knew that I had to play exceptionally well.
“I didn’t play great today but I hung in there and managed to get it done. I’ve never won anything like this in my life so it means an incredible amount to me.”
Sexton-Finck began his round with three straight pars from holes one to three but the efforts of his fellow competitors saw the 39-year-old lose his four-stroke overnight lead in the early stages.
Hamilton Island Golf Course’s notorious back-nine was where the action really began with Sexton-Finck and New South Welshman Jamie Hook sharing a lead of 1-over at the turn.
A quad from Hook at the par-4 13th quickly turned the tables and extended Sexton-Finck’s lead, but he was not in the clear yet.
Laycock threatened with a birdie at 16 to get within one stroke and pars followed at 17, but Sexton-Finck says he was unaware of the standings ahead of the final hole.
“I had absolutely no idea. Even when I holed the putt on the last and it was announced that I’d won that was the first time I knew that I’d actually won,” he said.
“I knew I was there or thereabouts but Scott made a great birdie on 16 and I didn’t want to know. I literally played the last four holes in as few shots as I could.”
Laycock needed a birdie or better at the par-4 18th to force a playoff but it wasn’t meant to be following a wayward tee shot that landed on the 10th fairway.
A miraculous blind shot from the 10th landed on the 18th green but Sexton-Finck’s approach was too good, handing the Perth local a one-stroke win.
“Vernon played great. I played with him every day and he played really well the first two but threw away a few holes late in his round both times,” Laycock said.
“I figured if I birdied 18 that I might’ve have been in a playoff but it didn’t happen. The 18th fairway is such a hard fairway to hit because there’s such elevation and I’m aiming way right with my tee shot and it’s still missed left.
“I got a yardage which I thought was about 11 meters and just chipped a 9-iron. I was pretty happy with it off the club and it was a decent shot.”
Sexton-Finck will return to the RACV Royal Pines Resort from 19-22 December for a second time to tee it up in a field that includes former champions Cameron Smith, Adam Scott and big-hitting American Cameron Champ.
“It’s probably about as intimidating as this golf course to be honest but it’s great to have the big names there,” Sexon-Finck said of joining the field.
“It makes the event a bit of a spectacle so it’ll be wonderful to be a part of that field.”
With a strong final round of even-par Sam Eaves has secured third place at 5-over the card ahead of Jamie Hook at 6-over.
ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia regular Anthony Choat also made a charge in the final round, sitting at even-par to round out the top-five.
The Vicars Shield is awarded to the leading state and is calculated on the best two aggregate scores for the three rounds of competition.
Each state nominates two professionals who have qualified at their State PGA Professionals Championship to represent their side in the Vicars Shield.
Josh Lane and Alexander Simpson were elected for New South Wales and have regained the shield for the state for the first time since 2016.
The Vicars Shield was first presented to the PGA in 1930 by the late Sir William Vicars, a keen golfer and a prominent member of The Australian Golf Club, for competition between professional interstate teams.
For the full leaderboard visit pga.org.au.
Vernon Sexton-Finck has moved to a four-shot lead in the penultimate round of the PGA Professionals Championship at Hamilton Island Golf Club.
The West Australian’s round two total of 70 has him 3-under the card, as Jamie Hook (1-over), Scott Laycock and Josh Lane (3-over) remain in contention.
After battling through the back-nine in yesterday’s opening round, Sexton-Finck had no quarrels negotiating the notorious final stretch this morning to make the turn in 3-under.
It was the front-nine that proved the biggest test with the 31-year-old faltering with two bogeys and a double bogey, as the blustery conditions took hold.
“It wasn’t quite as challenging as yesterday. We were lucky to tee off early in the first group so the wind didn’t really pick up until our 7th or 8th hole,” Sexton-Finck said.
“I took advantage early and just lost it a little towards the end so I’m disappointed I guess. The front-nine is a little bit easier than the back-nine I think and I was just losing shots again towards the end.
“At the end of the day if you said I was first and leading by four then I’d take that for sure so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Despite recording two strong rounds of 69 and 70 ahead of the final round, Sexton-Finck says the natural beauty of the golf course can be deceiving.
“It’s a nice little buffer but it’s very small around here. Things can turn pretty quickly and I’ve just got to stick to my game plan tomorrow, keep doing what I’m doing and if things work out then they work out but if they don’t, then so be it,” he said.
“Around here you’ve got to putt well, you’ve certainly got to hit your tee shots well. It’s just that course that you can’t come here with a weakness and expect to perform well.”
Consistency over 36 holes has earned Jamie Hook a place in the top two of the leaderboard.
Hook’s rounds of 72 and 71 for a 1-over total see him two shots ahead of Laycock and Lane in third place and well within reach of the Dan Cullen Cup.
“I played well yesterday and just tried to keep it in play. I stuck to what I wanted to do and managed to do that,” Hook said.
“I’m just going to do the same thing and hopefully some putts will keep going in. Four back around here is still four back but a couple of birdies and hopefully I can get up there.”
The PGA Professionals Championship is played for a total prize pool of $55,000. The winner and second place getter each receive a place in the 2019 Australian PGA Championship field.
The leading group of Vernon Sexton-Finck, Jamie Hook and Scott Laycock will tee off at 9:05am.
For the full leaderboard, visit pga.org.au.
For round three tee times, visit pga.org.au.
Vernon Sexton-Finck has discovered just how brutal Hamilton Island Golf Club’s back-nine can be in a polarising opening round at the 2019 PGA Professionals Championship.
The West Australian was on track to post a new course record through 13 holes at the Peter Thomson-designed course following five birdies and an impressive eagle at the par-5 5th hole.
After encountering trouble and recording a bogey at the 15th, a long tee shot at the scenic par-3 16th resulted in the first of consecutive double-bogeys that took him back to 2-under for the lead of the tournament.
“The first 13 holes are really solid and then the back-nine here and the finish is just so tough,” Sexton-Finck said.
“I guess I was just trying to make as many birdies as I could at the start and get as many under par as I could because I knew that the stretch at the end was going to be challenging and sure enough it was.
“It’s just Hamilton Island I guess and that’s what happens.”
Finck will build on the confidence gained across the front-nine as he looks to increase a one-shot lead over the final two rounds.
“I know I dropped five shots in the last four holes but I can take a lot of confidence out of today,” he said.
“Just one bad shot per hole on those last few and you just get punished so badly out here.”
Sexton-Finck’s return to competition golf after a winter hiatus at the TX Civil & Logistics WA PGA Championship has paid dividends at the Hamilton Island event where a win could see him earn a place in the field at the season-ending Australian PGA Championship on the Gold Coast.
“I played the WA PGA leading up to this and played reasonable that week. I was pretty rusty but it was nice to play on the weekend as well there. I certainly haven’t been grinding or hitting a lot of balls,” he said.
“That’s pretty much why I entered; otherwise I wouldn’t have played a competition round since about June. I just wanted to try and at least play four rounds in a tournament event.”
Playing alongside Sexton-Finck was reigning champion Scott Laycock, who is within striking distance at the top of the leaderboard at 1-under the card.
The Royal Hobart Golf Club Assistant Golf Professional was pleased with his three birdies and two bogeys in an opening round he feels was reminiscent of last year’s performance.
“I played just as well today. I hit a couple of ordinary shots early but I had a few chances as well that I didn’t make. All in all I’m happy with the result,” Laycock said.
“We all played really nicely,” Laycock added of his playing group including Sexton-Finck, Sam Eaves and Josh Lane.
“We had our struggles here and there but all in all we dragged each other along. Vernon was playing fantastic golf and just a couple of bad breaks and it snowballs here.”
Increasing winds caught out more than one player across the first 18 holes but in particular provided an extra test at the tricky 16th hole.
“It’s challenging. It just doesn’t let up. We both hit reasonable shots on the par-3 16th and ended up long in the hazard,” he said.
“It’s difficult when you’re the first to hit how the wind’s going and that was more down wind. It went from the north-east to the north-west. There were a couple of tricky bits from 11 through 16.
“You need to be accurate, you need to know where the wind is and if it caught us like that and you get a gust and it helps your ball go into the hazard then it’s disappointing but it is what it is.”
Round two of the 2019 PGA Professionals Championship begins at 7:45am on Wednesday at Hamilton Island Golf Club.
To view opening round scores click here.
For round two tee times click here.
Ask any PGA Professional and they will tell you that defending a tournament title is never an easy task.
Yet for 2018 PGA Professionals Champion Scott Laycock, the advice of three-time champion Matthew Docking will be front of mind when he tees off at Hamilton Island Golf Club on Tuesday morning.
Formerly located in Melbourne, Laycock moved to Royal Hobart Golf Club earlier this year to fill the role of Assistant Golf Professional in a Pro Shop headed by none other than Docking himself, who left Laycock with some words of advice ahead of his title defence.
“I’m working for Matt down at Royal Hobart now and he had a bit of a joke, he said ‘I won it the three years before you did so try not to let them have it’,” Laycock said.
“But we’ll see what happens. There are a lot of good players here so we’ll see but it’d be fantastic.”
In his second quest for the Dan Cullen Cup, Laycock will face a field of 49 fellow PGA Professionals in the 2019 PGA Professionals Championship National Final that will be played in conjunction with the Hamilton Island Amateur Golf Championship and state teams’ Vicars Shield.
The picturesque Dent Island layout will prove the biggest test for Laycock, however he believes the field will encounter different course conditions to that experienced at last year’s event.
“It’s going to be slightly different this year because the fairways aren’t rolling quite as much but they might speed up during the week,” he said.
The long, undulating seaside course designed by Peter Thomson provides a challenge for all levels of golfer. But despite the strong winds and increasing humidity, it is one that Professionals earmark to play each year.
“It’s a bit of a slap in the face with the heat stick when you get here but you’ve just got to be smart about it. I’ve got my bucket hat and I’ll wear my sleeves to protect my arms a bit more as well,” he said.
“It is an amazing venue. I have good memories from last year, I enjoy the course and the challenge of it.”
The unforgiving course will keep players on their toes across three days of competition however Laycock will place emphasis on particular parts of his game.
“Avoiding the junk and keeping it on the short stuff is really important. Putting’s not easy either. I grew up in Queensland but I’m not quite used to the amount of grain that I need to allow for on some of the putts here but we’ll see.”
The PGA Professionals Championship tees off at Hamilton Island from 7:45am Tuesday morning.
To view tee times visit pga.org.au.
For live scores throughout the tournament visit pga.org.au.
Tom Power Horan has stormed home to win the inaugural Gippsland Super 6 by one stroke in an electric third and final round at Yallourn Golf Club.
Power Horan battled against West Australian Brady Watt for the duration of the tournament with the duel reaching a climax during the final nine holes.
The 26-year-old faulted with bogeys at 11 and 13, which swung the momentum into Watt’s favour. But Power Horan responded with a birdie at 15 and a stunning 25-foot putt on the 17th to move two shots clear.
A bogey on the last was one of only six for the tournament that was reduced to 54 holes due to multiple downpours and flooded greens that forced lengthy suspensions in play.
“I’m really relieved,” an elated Power Horan said.
“It was a 25-footer and I just hit it and it went in so it was really nice to have a two-shot cushion on the last which proved critical, but it was really great to hole it.”
“I really didn’t think we were going to get it done today. I didn’t think we were going to play at all but we did and everything was managed really well to finish in the end.
“I was a bit nervous to start with but it was ok in the end.”
Following multiple play delays throughout the four-day tournament, the third and final round was played into dying light after a 4pm shotgun start.
The tumultuous four days provided a challenge for all on course however in completing the three rounds an official winner was able to be crowned.
Starting 2019 without a card on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, Power Horan is now exempt into all PGA Tour of Australasia events until the end of the 2020 season, including the Australian PGA Championship.
“I was planning on pre-qualifying for the rest of the tournaments this year. I was literally just hoping to finish top-10 so I could get a start at the next event so it’s a bit different now,” he said.
“It’s really good and unexpected. I entered these two tournaments, this and the Vic PGA, trying to see how I’d go and I did not expect this at all so it’s nice.”
After returning to the course on Sunday morning to complete his second round, Watt began the third round with a slender one-stroke lead.
An eagle on the par-5 fifth extended the lead, but the sodden course quickly became challenging for the West Australian, who will look to gain momentum from his Gippsland Super 6 form.
“It was a big rush in the end but we all worked together and ran through the last 18,” Watt said.
“My game’s good. I’ve played a lot of good golf this year. This is my best result so far and I can take a lot of positives out of this week and will hopefully spur on for the remainder of the year.
“Tom played well, I’m just really happy for him. We’re a close-knit group, we all bond together. I’ve known tom for a lot of years and I know he’s had a year off but it’s good to see him play well and get the win.”
New Zealand’s Ryan Chisnall battled through illness to finish in third place at 8-under par.
Back-to-back rounds of 68 saw James Marchesani record yet another strong finish at 7-under the card while an in-form Taylor Macdonald rounded out the top-five at 6-under.
A number of big names featured in a tie for sixth place including Matthew Millar, Marcus Fraser, Campbell Rawson and Maverick Antcliff.
Power Horan will receive the lion’s share of the $125,000 prize purse as well as Official World Golf Ranking Points and a place in the NSW Open field later this month.
Heavy rainfall and the prolonged delay in play have forced a change of the Gippsland Super 6 format.
UPDATE | The second round of the Gippsland Super 6 is back underway at Yallourn Golf Club.
Further rain overnight prevented play from starting at 7am as anticipated, however the course has cleared sufficiently for play to resume at 11:30am.
With the significant deluge rendering the Yallourn Golf Club unplayable, the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia event will now become a 54-hole strokeplay tournament.
A large portion of players, who are yet to complete the second round due to the constant downpour, will be required to resume on Sunday.
With weather permitting, the third round of the Gippsland Super 6 will be played as 18-hole strokeplay from a shotgun start with a reduced field following a cut to top 50 and ties.
At the conclusion of the round, the leader will be crowned the inaugural Gippsland Super 6 champion.
However, if any further rain delays occur on Sunday, it is possible that the Gippsland Super 6 tournament will be deemed complete at the conclusion of 36 holes of strokeplay.
If this is to occur, the leader will be determined the unofficial winner of the inaugural Gippsland Super 6.
PGA of Australia’s Tournaments Director Australasia Nick Dastey said he was disappointed the tournament has been forced to adapt to the trying conditions.
“It’s upsetting that we have been unable to bring to life the excitement that comes with the innovative Gippsland Super 6 format,” Dastey said.
“The volunteers and the staff at Yallourn Golf Club, as well as the players, have been unbelievably patient as we attempt to find a solution to return to the course in these challenging conditions.
“We believe changing the tournament to three rounds of strokeplay will still showcase the class of our players on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia to the region and will allow us to determine a winner.”
After posting rounds of 66 and 70, Tom Power Horan stands at the helm of the Gippsland Super 6 leaderboard with a total of 8-under.
Through six holes of his second round Brady Watt sits at 7-under the card, followed by James Marchesani at 3-under and DJ Loypur in fourth at 2-under par.
Round two of the Gippsland Super 6 is expected to resume at Yallourn Golf Club at 7am on Sunday morning.
For the current leaderboard visit pga.org.au.
UPDATE | Heavy rain has delayed the completion of round two at the Gippsland Super 6 at Yallourn Golf Club, with play postponed until mid-afternoon.
Following a tumultuous start to the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia tournament, rain has again suspended play on day three with a backlog of players still to complete the second round.
Many of the Gippsland greens are unplayable, with the significant rainfall flooding key parts of the course.
And with deluges predicted to continue across the weekend, it’s uncertain how the tournament’s format will be played out with the challenging conditions forcing the field away from the course.
Despite the frequent weather interruptions, Tom Power Horan, at 8-under, holds a slender one stroke lead at the halfway mark of the event over Brady Watt.
The Victorian completed an outstanding opening round of 6-under 66 on Friday morning to take a two-stroke lead before moving back to 5-under through nine holes in round two.
Horan Power’s opening round was particularly impressive in challenging conditions after returning to complete his final 14 holes following an overnight play suspension.
A birdie on the 5th kick-started a run of six from holes 5 to 18. Power Horan credits his incredible run to steady play in the rainy conditions.
“I just played really solid and tried to avoid the rain and getting wet and that was about it really. I just hit it really nice,” Power Horan said.
“We came back out on the 5th and I hit a 3-wood from about 230 to 15-feet and two-putted for birdie which was a nice start to the day after the delay.”
Shortly after Power Horan completed his first round, play was suspended for six hours due to heavy rain and flooded greens with three groups still to complete round one.
Players returned to the Yallourn Golf Club layout from 4pm to complete round one with round two resuming at 4:30pm.
Through nine holes of the second round Power Horan holds a one stroke lead at the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia tournament, which tonight has been suspended due to darkness.
The second round will again resume on Saturday morning with more than half the field to complete the round; however, further rain and blustery conditions are expected over the weekend.
“It started raining pretty hard on the last. I knew it was going to get delayed pretty quickly after, so it as nice to hit it close and hole it. It was a good way to finish,” Power Horan said of his opening round.
After completing his first round on Thursday, Brady Watt holds second place with a round of 4-under 68.
Brett Rankin climbed the leaderboard on Friday to sit tied in second place with a one and a half round total of 4-under.
Rankin, winner of the 2019 NT PGA Championship, said keeping his emotions in check and controlling what he was able to, was key to a successful round.
“I just tried to scramble my way around really. I forgot my umbrella this morning so I’m a bit wet and tired but you deal with whatever comes your way and block out all of the distractions, grind it out and stay patient with it,” Rankin said
“I’m very happy with the round and I finished really well so it was a good start to the tournament.”
Marcus Fraser also made the most of the turbulent conditions to sit two shots off the lead at 3-under the card.
The Gippsland Super 6 will recommence round two at approximately 7am on Saturday morning.
For the full Gippsland Super 6 leaderboard visit pga.org.au.
Brady Watt leads a suspended field at the Gippsland Super 6 after heavy rain and flooding greens halted play in the opening round.
With over half a round still to play for much of the afternoon field, the heavens opened in the Latrobe Valley bringing players into the clubhouse and leaving the West Aussie in a promising position.
Earlier in the day swirling winds and threatening rain weren’t able to halt a charging Watt from setting a blistering pace to take the early lead at 4-under the card.
“I played solid, I’m happy with my game. With the weather forecast it’s nice to shoot 4-under with a whole wave of the field going out there,” Watt said.
Watt’s Gippsland Super 6 run endured a tough start with back-to-back bogeys at holes 12 and 13.
Birdies on 16 and 18 moved him back to even-par but it was his front-nine efforts that made the biggest impact.
“I eagled (hole) five, the first par-5 on the front-nine. I holed a putt off the green which was good,” he said.
“I just keep it in play off the tee and try not to fight the breeze too much. If you hit it solid it kind of forces it to the middle of the green.
“I wasn’t too aggressive, aiming at flags or anything, just trying to get it on the putting surface was pretty much what I did all day today.”
Now acclimatised to the chilly Victorian weather since moving to the garden state early in 2019, the former no. 1 amateur in the world was ready to face icy conditions when he teed off at 7:50am.
“I’ve been living here since the start of the year so I’ve gathered jackets and hand warmers and all the gear so I felt pretty prepared today going out in these conditions,” he said.
“It’s a beautiful course. We didn’t get any rain this morning so that was good but the wind definitely made up for it.
“The concept is great and I’m really looking forward to seeing what Yallourn has to offer over the next few days.”
Afternoon competitor Frazer Droop was the best on course when the horn blew after firing up the leaderboard through six holes to sit one stroke behind Watt at 3-under the card.
“I don’t think I’ve hit a shot above head height yet. It’s blowing a gale and there was a bit of rain that’s suspended play,” Droop said.
The ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia team took to the Yallourn layout with squeegees in hand mid-afternoon but to no avail as rain continued to pour.
Round 1 will recommence at 7:00am on Friday morning with round two tee times to be advised.
For scores from the Gippsland Super 6 click here.
It’s not often that a retired golfer returns to the professional ranks. But for Anthony Brown, he’s determined to make a statement at his hometown course for the Gippsland Super 6.
“Yallourn is where I grew up. It’s where I learnt the game and my parents still live right beside the golf course,” Brown said.
“I was pretty excited about the opportunity to get to play a tour event at my home course so that’s probably the biggest thing for me is just being able to participate in an event at my home club where I first started playing.”
The 2014 New South Wales Open champion walked away from the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia at the conclusion of the 2016 season to focus on family following an up and down career as a touring pro.
Fast forward to 2019 and the lure of a home event at Yallourn Golf Club in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley was too hard to resist.
Now the Golf Operations Manager at X-Golf in Surrey Hills, full-time work has Brown describing his game as “a little rusty” but the former Yallourn local is as eager as anyone to see how his game pans out from 7-10 November.
“I’ve played a couple of events in the last few weeks. I played a Ladbrokes Pro-Am Series tournament in Horsham and also the Medway Pro-Am which were both much needed,” he said.
“It’s been ok, I played alright both times. Time will tell how I go but I feel like I’m playing alright.”
The Gippsland Super 6 sees the introduction of a new format where following three rounds of stroke play qualifying the field will be reduced to the top-24 players, who will then compete in a six-hole medial (stroke) match play shootout to determine a champion on the fourth and final day.
Sunday’s Super 6 shootout will take place across Yallourn’s 1st, 8th, 2nd, 16th, 17th and 18th holes in a challenging combination of one par 3, four par 4’s and a short par 5.
“The holes that we’re using are in really good nick and I think that they will offer some birdie opportunities,” he said.
“The 18th is quite tough, so if the match is all tied coming up the last hole it’ll more be someone that makes a mistake maybe losing a match rather than actually finishing with a birdie on the last; it’s a pretty strong up-hill par 4.”
A number of Gippsland locals including Tim Coffey, Mark Allan and Danny Bullen will join Brown in the field following qualifying events throughout the year.
Traralgon Golf Club member Coffey secured his spot with a win at the Traralgon Classic in February with a convincing score he hopes will translate on the Yallourn layout.
“It’s going to be my first big tournament so it’s rather exciting. I’ve been trying to get as much practice in as I can between working,” Coffey said.
“Having a tournament out here is fantastic. I’ll be encouraging some mates of mine to go down and watch because it’s not very often you can go and watch high-class golfers like Geoff Ogilvy and Marcus Fraser.”
Headliners Ogilvy, Fraser and Brendon Goddard will preview the course in Wednesday’s pro-am before beginning their Gippsland Super 6 campaigns at 12:25pm on Thursday.
The field of 125 players will compete for the lion’s share of the $125,000 prize purse, World Golf Ranking Points and full exemption onto the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia until the end of the 2020 season.
The opening round of the inaugural Gippsland Super 6 will tee off at 7:30am on Thursday morning at Yallourn Golf Course.
For the Gippsland Super 6 opening-round tee times visit pga.org.au.
