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PGA Associate Katie Buckley hopes to see golf clubs across Australia express their creative side after launching a recycling initiative with a difference at Townsville Golf Club.
In the first year of the PGA’s Membership Pathway Program, Buckley transferred from the New South Wales South Coast to North Queensland earlier this year, a phone call from none other than seven-time major winner Karrie Webb convincing to pack the car – and her cat Denzel – and head north.
Shortly after arriving, Buckley was made aware of broken tees from the golf course being washed into adjoining waterways and, ultimately, out onto the Great Barrier Reef.
Sensing an opportunity to make a positive contribution to the club’s environmental impact while also feeding her creative side, Buckley instigated a ‘teecycling’ program that will result in an artwork that will be displayed in the clubhouse.
“We asked everyone to pick up five tees when they went out and played and to put them in a vase that we have on the counter at the pro shop,” says Buckley.
“The members got really engaged with it and the vase filled up really fast. Then the juniors got really excited and made it a little game within themselves.
“I’d be out playing and they would run over from other fairways with bundles of tees that they had collected.”
But it is not just the members at Townsville Golf Club who are excited by Buckley’s ‘teecycling’ program.
Rosemary Veitch is not only a member and Women’s Golf Group Coordinator at Townsville Golf Club but also a Townsville Northern Suburbs Lions Club member.
She presented the idea to a meeting of Lions Clubs in North Queensland, word spreading as far as south-east Queensland as ‘teecycling’ took on a life of its own.
“Rosemary’s very passionate about recycling and the environment so she was really excited when I wanted to do it,” Buckley adds.
“As well as the wooden tees, there are lots of little plastic tees that get broken which go into the waterways which is washing into our ecosystems with the animals and then feeds out into the reef water.
“As Rosemary said, it’s a little thing that everyone can do and it’s so easy to do, but actually if you compile it, it makes such a big difference.
“It was such a little idea. We’ll pick up the tees because they’re a problem and I’ll make an art project. And then within a couple of months, it’s literally spreading across Queensland and got so much interest, which is really cool.”
It also reaffirmed to Webb why she was so eager to have someone such as Buckley complete her PGA training at Townsville Golf Club.
“You can see how enthusiastic and full of energy she is,” Webb says.
“I think she’s someone that brings people together and all golf clubs need people like her.
“I look forward to seeing what Katie’s organised when I’m home next.”
With the vase on the pro shop constantly filling up, Buckley hopes to unveil her artwork to the Townsville members in March next year.
She is keeping tight-lipped on what can possibly be created with thousands of broken tees but would love to see other creative types express their visions at golf clubs across Australia.
“I went and played an Associates match at Tropics Golf Club recently and they had my poster up and a vase on the counter with tees in it,” she adds.
“I didn’t even know they were doing that, so it was cool to walk into another golf club and see it happening.
“Hopefully we see some cool art projects popping up in random golf courses all over Australia and perhaps I could judge them.
“I would love that. That would be right up my alley.”
He was handed a golf club after being plucked from the surf on the New South Wales South Coast and now Wil Daibarra will join a line-up of some of the world’s best golfers at the BMW Australian PGA Championship.
Daibarra arrived at Royal Queensland Golf Club on Monday still in something of a daze, granted a place in the field courtesy of his come-from-behind victory at last week’s PGA Associate National Championship at Cobram Barooga Golf Club.
It’s not unlike his introduction to the sport, invited to give it a go by then Kiama Golf Club Professional Shaun O’Toole as he walked through the golf course surfboard tucked under his arm.
So taken was O’Toole by this surfer kid with a natural swing that he had him playing junior pennants in a matter of weeks.
That season, Daibarra went through undefeated.
“He was walking past the tee with the surfboard under his arm,” O’Toole recalled.
“Two of his mates were playing and I said, ‘You going to have a hit?’ He said, ‘I haven’t had a hit.’
“He had a go and I thought he had a good swing without even ever being shown.”
Under the guidance of first O’Toole and Elle Sandak and, most recently, Toby McGeachie at Links Shell Cove, Daibarra’s game flourished.
In a region that has produced the likes of Jordan Zunic and Travis Smyth in recent years, Daibarra was projected to follow a similar path.
Recruited to play pennants at Bonnie Doon Golf Club in Sydney, COVID stalled his playing opportunities, the now 22-year-old option to begin the PGA’s Membership Pathway Program.
He is now in his final year as an Associate and has a renewed belief that his game could be good enough to mix it with the best in the game.
“I felt like my first couple of years I wasn’t kind of maximising what I thought I was capable of,” said Daibarra, who was unable to opt into the Playing stream of the Membership Pathway Program at the start of the year but will play with Kiwi Sam Jones and fellow Aussie James Conran in rounds one and two.
“I kind of just always found myself feeling a bit bummed-out at the end of tournaments.
“Last week was really good, to finally play one that I felt like that’s how I should be playing.
“I’ve still got enough time to try practise and really try to push the playing stuff now. And then if it doesn’t work out, I’ve got coaching or something to fall back on.”
Having seen the raw talent and freedom with which he played as a junior, O’Toole’s only advice is for Daibarra to tap into the laidback attitude that made him such a prolific winner.
“I had kids in state teams and Australian teams and whatever – I worked a lot with good kids – and he just had something in the swing that looked good to me,” said O’Toole.
“It was like there was no pressure on him at all because he had no expectations.
“He just went out and played and he just kept winning. And he thought it was the easiest game in the world.
“He can hit every shot they can hit. If he can go in and play like he used to play, like a big kid with no pressure, that would be great to see.”
Kiama Golf Club’s Wil Daibarra has overcome a six-shot deficit to take out the PGA Associate National Championship at Cobram Barooga Golf Club.
Not proficient enough to join the Playing stream of the Membership Pathway Program at the start of his final year in the program, Daibarra matched the round of the week at Cobram Barooga’s West Course to finish three clear of South Australian Joe Hodgson (70) with 36-hole leader Ethan Chambers (70) third.
Overnight leader Zach Ion (Virginia Golf Club) fell out of contention with a round of 5-over 77 on Friday, paving the way for Daibarra to make his charge to the top of the leaderboard.
Only 2-under at the turn courtesy of birdies at four and five, Daibarra caught fire early in the back nine.
He made four birdies in the space of five holes and then added a seventh at the par-3 16th to reach 15-under-par.
A nervy eight-foot par putt on the last provided a final test, Daibarra passing in flying colours to complete a round of 7-under 65 and a three-stroke win.
Without a strong resume of tournament wins, Daibarra credited a more relaxed approach for his ability to claim the national crown in his final year in the program.
“Still can’t really believe it to be honest,” said Daibarra.
“Just a little bit of a different head space. Just relaxing a little bit more, don’t get so worked up on the good or bad shots and just kind of hit one shot at a time.
“That was mainly the difference
“I was pretty nervy but felt a lot better today than yesterday and I’m just really, really happy.
“Over the moon.”
Unsure whether his game was up to the standard to make it on tour, Daibarra began the Membership Pathway Program at Kiama in 2022.
When he fell short of the criteria needed to enter the Playing stream this year, Daibarra chose Game Development but showed his game stands up against the best Associates in the country.
Final leaderboard
1 Wil Daibarra 68-71-69-65—273
2 Joseph Hodgson 68-70-68-70—276
3 Ethan Chambers 68-65-74-70—277
4 Zach Ion 65-69-68-77—279
5 Daniel Gill 68-73-70-70—281
Virginia Golf Club Associate Zach Ion leads the PGA Associate National Championship yet remains stuck on the couch through three rounds at Cobram Barooga Golf Club.
Ion’s round of 4-under 68 on Thursday was the only bogey-free round of the day, his 14-under par total through 54 holes giving him a four-stroke buffer from Mount Osmond Golf Club’s Joe Hodgson (68).
What it hasn’t done, however, is improve his sleeping arrangements at the house he is sharing with fellow Queenslanders this week.
“I’ve actually still been on the couch all week, which is outrageous,” said Ion.
“I think a couple of them have left now so hopefully I can squeeze onto a double bed.”
Wherever he ends up, it could still be a restless night for Ion who is seeking to claim the biggest win of his three years in the Membership Pathway Program.
Co-leader after Round 1, Ion trailed by one after the second round and now very much finds himself as the hunted as the tournament nears its climax.
“It’s a new feeling to be up – and I didn’t know I was up four – but game-plan wise, I’ve probably got to stick with pretty much the same thing again,” said the tall left-hander.
“It’s working. I’m not really taking too many risks. Just keep focused, keep relaxed and enjoy tomorrow.”
A prodigious bomber off the tee, Ion had to lean on his short game to stay bogey-free in Round 3, particularly early in his round.
He conjured a couple of crucial par saves and then made birdie at the 161-metre par-3 fifth.
Five more pars followed before he built a handy advantage with birdies at 11, 14 and 18.
“It was actually a bit more scrambling than it’s been this week,” Ion conceded.
“Got off to a bit of a nervous start. I’ve normally been hunting guys down rather than being up there third and fourth round of state champs so it was a bit nervy around the start.
“I made a couple of good putts early, kind of pushed my momentum forward for the rest of the round and then started playing a bit more like myself for the rest of it.”
A double-bogey at the par-4 17th made Hodgson’s assignment that little bit tougher, 36-hole leader Ethan Chambers (The Lakes GC) one shot further back at 9-under after a round of 2-over 74 highlighted by an eagle at the par-5 11th.
Aggression off the tee and a simple strategy on the greens has seen Ethan Chambers take a one-stroke lead at the halfway mark of the PGA Associate National Championship at Cobram Barooga Golf Club.
A First Year Associate at The Lakes Golf Club in Sydney, Chambers matched the low round of the tournament on day two, his 7-under 65 giving him a 36-hole total of 11-under and a one shot buffer from Round 1 co-leader Zach Ion (69).
Those in the morning wave were greeted by perfect conditions at Cobram Barooga’s West Course, conditions that changed markedly for the afternoon groups.
A thunderstorm rolled through mid afternoon that caused a delay of one hour, the wind whipping up and heavy rain leaving casual water in some of the bunkers.
Chambers and Ion were both safely tucked away in the clubhouse by the storm hit, Chambers playing the four par-5s in 4-under par to surge to the top of the leaderboard.
“I’d definitely say I’m more an aggressive player,” said Chambers.
“I’ve been trying to take driver where I can, but then I understand some holes I’ve got to take my medicine.
“Just been poking it around with 2-iron and 3-iron so I’ve got in the bag this week.
“A lot depends on the wind, where the wind’s at. But I’ll keep sticking to it.”
Four-under and bogey three through nine holes, Chambers dropped a shot at the par-4 10th but hit back with birdies at 11 and 12 and then an eagle at the par-5 14th.
With the West Course greens nudging 12 on the Stimpmeter, Chambers said controlling the trajectory of his approach shots was crucial.
“Really just going to keep doing what I’m doing, keeping it below the hole,” Chambers added.
“It’s a big part of my game-plan this week given the greens are so good.
“I’m just going to keep it the same and see how we go.”
Ion followed up his 65 on day one with a 3-under round on Wednesday, the tall left-hander from Virginia Golf Club in Brisbane coming home in 3-under 33 to sit just one off the lead.
“What I’m doing is working,” Ion said of his game-plan for the final two rounds.
“A couple of holes today the game-plan didn’t work as well, but that was just due to poor swings.
“It’ll just be keeping my head nice and calm, keep my breathing going and try and go low again tomorrow.”
First Year Associate at Gold Creek Country Club in the ACT, Lachlan Chamberlain, sits in third spot four strokes off the lead thanks to a round of 4-under 68 featuring five birdies and one bogey.
Round 1 co-leader Linus Yip (Avondale Golf Club) is in a share of fourth after a round of 1-over 73 in the afternoon, joined at 6-under by Joseph Hodgson (70) from Mount Osmond Golf Club in Adelaide.
Avondale Golf Club Associate Linus Yip has shrugged off indifferent form and rid himself of last year’s scar tissue to make a blistering start to the PGA Associate National Championship at Cobram Barooga Golf Club.
Yip and Third Year Virginia Golf Club Associate Zach Ion both took full advantage of perfect conditions and pure putting surfaces to post rounds of 7-under 65 on day one at Cobram Barooga’s West Course.
They sit three strokes clear of a group of seven players at 4-under-par with an additional four players just one shot further back at 3-under.
Admitting that his form in 2024 hasn’t quite matched the results he delivered in his first year of the Membership Pathway Program, Yip was thrilled to turn a brilliant start to his round into a complete performance.
“I’ve actually been struggling this year results-wise,” said Yip.
“Had a really good year last year, had a fair few wins. The only thing that was lacking was a four-day win under my belt.
“It’s good to get this kind of monkey off my back, being able to just finish off a good round.
“Last year I actually had a pretty good round going in the third round and wasn’t able to finish it off.
“Mentally, it was good just to get over that scar tissue coming in today.”
Yip began the championship with an eagle at the par-5 first and then followed it up with an approach to two feet at the par-4 second to be 3-under in no time.
He had six additional birdies to go with two bogeys but had company at the top of the leaderboard by day’s end.
Ion himself was 4-under through six holes on Tuesday but dropped a shot at the par-3 eighth.
With birdies at 10, 11, 14, 15 and 16 Ion sat one clear at 8-under but made a final bogey at the par-4 17th to sit alongside Yip at 7-under.
Playing in his third National Championship, Ion enjoyed being back on the Cobram Barooga greens but credited his driver with opening so many birdie opportunities during the round.
“Really good with driver today, leaving myself in good spots,” was Ion’s assessment.
“When I needed to lay up, I left myself a good number and with the greens as good as these are, it’s good to be able to fly behind the pin and spin it back, which is different to what I’m used to.
“Made a couple of longer putts too which really helped the score.”
Round 2 starts at 7:30am AEST on Wednesday morning with the afternoon wave to commence at 11:20am.
Queensland Associate champion Jack Wright hopes to use a week in the company of Cameron Smith to push for national honours at this week’s PGA Associate National Championship at Cobram Barooga Golf Club.
Wright is one of six state champions in the field of 130 who will play four rounds on the West Course at Cobram Barooga, William Bayliss (NSW), Daniel Gill (VIC), Joseph Hodgson (SA), Azer-Benjiman Pehlic (WA) and Aaron Mackay (TAS) also hoping to complete the state-national double.
The NSW/ACT PGA champion in 2023, Wright’s recent victory at Windaroo Lakes Golf Club paved the way for the Coolangatta Tweed Heads second-year associate to tee it up at the Queensland PGA Championship at Nudgee Golf Club.
He made the cut there and believes those competitive reps will hold him in good stead at Cobram Barooga.
“I feel like we’ve played a fair few big events lately,” said Wright.
“Played Queensland Associates and then PGA Champs last week coming off a tough course, tough greens.
“I played nine holes here yesterday and it’s a little bit easier, but the greens are rolling really well.”
Cobram Barooga’s Old Course has received high praise from players who have played the Webex Players Series Murray River tournament in recent years.
Course Superintendent Terry Vogel and his team have been determined to make sure that the West Course can lay claim to similar plaudits.
“We have put a lot of work into the West Course,” said Vogel.
“Both courses now paly the same condition-wise. The greens are running at 12 on the Stimpmeter this week so they should provide a good test for the players.”
Wright has begun to adapt his game to the bent greens of Cobram Barooga from the grainy surfaces Queensland is known for, an adjustment he says is easy to make.
“It’s a much easier adjustment than playing on grain,” he added.
“Lucky to be from Queensland and be used to that, but coming down here it’s pretty much where you aim and hit it, it rolls straight there.
“It’s actually a lot easier.”
It took Levi Sclater three playoff holes to claim the 2023 National Championship in his first year of the Membership Pathway Program at Rossdale Golf Club in Melbourne.
Sclater returns seeking to go back-to-back with the strategy that proved to be so effective 12 months ago.
“I reckon I’m going to stick to a similar plan from last year,” said Sclater.
“It really worked and kind of suited the course. So I’ll probably just stick to that.
“I had a practise round yesterday and hit it around pretty nicely, so it should be a good week.”
Starting Tuesday from 7:30am, the PGA Associate National Championship is played over 72 holes and boasts $60,000 in total prize money.
Other players to watch this week include Bryce Pickin (NSW), Damon Stephenson (Qld), Zach Ion (Qld) and Joel Mitchell (Vic) while George van Vuuren (South Africa) and Alister Balcombe (GB&I) have been granted spots in the field as champions of their respective PGA’s.
Coolangatta-Tweed Heads Golf Club Associate Jack Wright has a date with Cameron Smith after his two-stroke win at the Queensland PGA Associate Championship at Windaroo Lakes Golf Club.
Nursing a one-shot advantage heading into Thursday’s final round, Wright held the likes of Adam Migur (69), Damon Stephenson (73) and Joel Mitchell (71) at bay with a near faultless 3-under 70 and 12-under total.
As champion, Wright is now exempt into next week’s Queensland PGA Championship at Nudgee Golf Club where Smith will play the first of four events this summer on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
Although focused intently on closing out the win at Windaroo Lakes, Wright conceded that pre-round his thoughts turned momentarily to the possibility of sharing the stage with the 2022 Open champion.
“At the start it definitely was,” Wright admitted.
“I just was very grateful to get the job done over the good players that were chasing me today.”
Seeking to add to his win at the 2023 NSW/ACT PGA Associate Championship, Wright surged to the lead with a superb 7-under 66 in Round 3.
With his nose in front, the second year Associate knew that minimising bogeys would be just as important as plundering more birdies.
Birdies at two of his opening three holes was the ideal start, staying ahead of the field with eight straight pars.
Back-to-back birdies at 12 and 13 further extended his advantage, enough so that his bogey on 14 would be just a minor inconvenience.
The son of long-time Queensland PGA Professional John Wright, Jack said a home state title is the highlight of his time in the Membership Pathway Program to date.
“Winning your home state championship is definitely sweeter,” said Wright.
“Obviously winning New South as your first win and getting that off the board was one of the best feelings ever. But to win your home state is probably one of my biggest goals in the program.”
Jack Wright conjured a sensational third-round 66 to surge into the lead on day three of the Queensland PGA Associate Championship at Windaroo Lakes Golf Club.
Wright, the Associate Professional at Coolangatta-Tweed Heads Golf Club, had six birdies and an eagle to vault into the outright lead at 9-under par.
His nearest challenger is midway leader Damon Stephenson at 8-under, the midway leader having a quieter day with a 74.
Canadian Adam Migur and Victoria’s Joel Mitchell are in the next group at 6-under.
Runner-up to Riley Taylor last year, Wright ignited his round with an eagle at the par-5 third hole and made three more birdies on the front side, and another three on the back to post 7-under for the day.
Jack Wright is the son of Maroochy River PGA Professional John Wright; his brother Mackenzie is also a PGA Professional at Maroochy and they grew up in pro shops.
He learned the game in rural Victoria and then moved to Yamba in New South Wales when his father was posted there some years ago. His father is his only coach.
Earlier this year won the biggest single-day prize cheque in Associates history at Royal Queensland, and he has been a prolific winner in Associates events over the past two years, including the NSW championship last year.
“I probably just hung patient,” he said. “All week I felt like I’ve been playing well, and things weren’t going my way for two days. I felt like ‘my time will come’ and it definitely came today.”
Wright and Stephenson have been dominant at this level in 2025, and Wright is anticipating a great head-to-head contest. “I’ve got a lot of respect for Damon,” he said. “Great player. I can’t wait to test myself against him out there.”
Adam Migur and Damon Stephenson have a share of the first-round lead at the Queensland PGA Associate Championship being played at Windaroo Lakes golf course.
The Canadian Migur, who is based in Melbourne, and Stephenson opened with a pair of 2-under 71s to sit on top in the $40,000, 72-hole tournament.
Three players – Ben Hollis, Justin Morley and Michael Schimak-Orrell – are a shot farther back at 1-under par.
Migur had three birdies and an eagle at the short par-4 sixth hole in his round.
“I just tried to stay really patient. I knew looking at years past, it was tough challenge this week and just tried to take my chances when I could and stay pretty keel throughout the whole round and not let bogey get me down,” he said.
Migur said Windaroo Lakes “plays right into my strength” as a venue, and paid tribute to his coach, Andrew Cooper, for making the adjustment from the Melbourne Sandbelt to a Queensland course.
“He (Cooper) is really a smart guy and we kind of work on looking forward and saying, ‘okay, this is a different type of grass and technique for chipping is usually a little different up here’.
“And honestly the greens are so cute today. I didn’t even think that they were anything in my mind of what Queensland greens are like. So didn’t really have to worry about that. And chipping has been pretty comfortable. I mean, I’ve been getting some good lies, so we’ll see how the week goes.”
Stephenson, 32, had four birdies but a double bogey 6 at the par-4 eighth hole marred what otherwise would have been a sensational day.
PHOTO: Adam Migur drives during his opening round at Windaroo Lakes.
