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Murray River local Baxter Droop has come within a whisker of setting a new course record as he assumed top spot at the Victorian PGA Associate Championship at Club Tocumwal on Thursday.
Completing the Membership Pathway Program under his father, Evan Droop, at Yarrawonga Mulwala Resort just 30 minutes up the Murray, Droop surged to a two-stroke lead with a superb 8-under 64 in Round 3.
That was just one short of the course record at the Captain’s Course but, at 8-under heading into the final round, provides a handy two-shot buffer from 36-hole leader Jack Wright (72).
Sheradyn Johnson (70) is third at 5-under followed by Daniel Gill (68) with Toby Walker (67) and Joseph Hodgson (69) in a tie for fifth at 3-under.
Trailing Wright by seven shots after Round 2, Droop was just 2-under on his round as he made the turn. From there he threw the after-burners to max, making six birdies in his next eight holes with what he claimed was a very simple strategy.
“Just focused on hitting fairways, as cliché as it sounds,” Droop said.
“Spent some time on the range concentrating on my driver and 3-wood to get myself in the best positions off the tee.”
Late on day three it appeared likely that there would be a tie at the top heading into the final round, only for Wright to drop shots at each of his final two holes in his round of 72.
The NSW/ACT Associate champion in 2023, Wright looms as Droop’s greatest threat as he seeks to go two better than his third-place finish in this event 12 months ago.
Although he will start the final round seven shots off the lead, Victorian Associate Noah Best has produced one of the most remarkable performances of the championship.
An opening round of 9-over 81 put Best in a difficult position to make the cut but back-to-back rounds of 5-under 67 will see him start the final round inside the top 10 and in red figures.
Queensland’s Jack Wright has his sights set on a second state Associate Championship after establishing a one-stroke lead at the halfway mark of the Victorian PGA Associate Championship at Tocumwal Golf Club.
In a dominant first season in 2023, Wright claimed the NSW/ACT Associate Championship and finished runner-up in his home state.
With rounds of 71-67 at Tocumwal’s Captain’s Course, Wright leads at 6-under par, one stroke clear of Damon Stephenson (69-70) with Sheradyn Johnson (69-72) from The National Golf Club two strokes further back in outright third at 3-under
Trailing Baxter Droop by three after Round 1, Wright started his second round from the 10th hole and soared up the leaderboard with three straight birdies from the 12th hole.
He dropped a shot on 18 but it would be only a temporary setback, picking up shots on his inward nine at four, six and nine to shoot 5-under and assume top spot.
Stephenson had five birdies and three bogeys in his second round of 2-under 70 while Johnson bounced back impressively after starting day two with a double bogey. She played her back nine in 3-under 33 to remain in the hunt heading into Round 3.
Joining Wright, Zac Wood and Noah Best with the equal best round of the tournament to date was NSW Associate Cameron Shearer, who shot an impressive 6-under par 30 on his back nine to sit in a tie for sixth and just five shots off the lead.
Runner-up 12 months ago, Joel Mitchell is in a tie for fourth after rounds at 74-68, level with Wood at 2-under.
The cut fell at 7-over with 56 Associates advancing to the final two rounds.
Those in the Murray River region are welcome to watch some superb golf live in person or you can follow the live scores here.
Overnight leader Jack Wright had to birdie the final two holes to clinch the NSW/ACT PGA Associate Championship at Tura Beach Country Club on the NSW Sapphire Coast.
Two shots clear at the start of the final round, Wright extended his lead to three with a birdie at the par-5 second but would drop shots at four and seven to turn in 1-over.
A birdie on 11 arrested the slide but only momentarily, bogeys at 13 and 15 bringing the likes of Pymble’s William Bayliss into the mix.
One behind standing on the tee at the par-3 17th, the first year Associate at Coolangatta-Tweed Heads Golf Club hit a superb shot into 20 feet and then drained the putt to join Bayliss (71) at 5-under.
It made the equation on the 72nd hole a simple one; birdie the 425-metre par 5 and win the championship.
Wright was able to find the green in two shots and then two-putted for birdie and a one-stroke win, his even-par 73 and 6-under total enough to hold Bayliss at bay.
Luke Porritt (71) and Joe Kim (74) tied for the third at 3-under with Dean Forrest (73) rounding out the top five.
A winner of five Open matches in his first year in the Membership Pathway Program, the 26-year-old Wright now shapes as the man to beat at the Queensland PGA Associate Championship to be played at Windaroo Lakes Golf Course in Brisbane on October 9-12.
First year associate Jack Wright delivered one of the rounds of the day to push one stroke clear at the NSW/ACT PGA Associate Championship at Tura Beach Country Club on the NSW Sapphire Coast.
Based at Coolangatta-Tweed Heads Golf Club, Wright has won five Open matches already this year and earlier this month finished top-25 at the Tailor-Made Building Services NT PGA Championship.
He has brought that form to Tura Beach, bouncing back from an opening round of even par 73 that included a triple bogey to post 5-under 68 on Wednesday to be 5-under and leading by one.
First round leader Liam Reaper (73) is tied for second at 4-under with fellow Victorian Zac Wood, who matched Wright’s round of 5-under 68 to roar into contention.
Eleven players are within three strokes of the lead through 36 holes as 52 players made the cut to advance to the final two rounds.
Round of the day on Wednesday belonged to Wyong Golf Club’s Dylan Grogan, who went bogey-free in his 6-under 67, but shot of the day came from fellow Wyong Associate Joseph Liddle.
Playing the par-3 fifth hole, Liddle hit 6-iron, bounced once beyond the hole before spinning back for a hole-in-one, the first of his golfing life.
Round 3 gets underway from 7.30am from the first and 10th tees on Thursday with the lead group of Jack Wright, Liam Reaper and Zac Wood teeing off at 8.42am.
Three of this year’s State Associate Championship winners will go head-to-head at the NSW/ACT PGA Associate Championship starting Tuesday at Tura Beach Country Club on the New South Wales Sapphire Coast.
A total of 103 PGA Associates will tee it up from Tuesday vying for a slice of the $35,000 in prizemoney on offer.
Three players in particular will start the tournament full of confidence given their tournament success already this season.
Rosanna Golf Club’s Joel Mitchell comes in on the back of a dominant eight-stroke win at the WA PGA Associates Championship last week, one of three victories he has recorded in Membership Pathway Program events this year.
Prior to travelling to WA the Victorian won the Royal Melbourne Associate Invitational and he shared victory with Linus Yip at the Blacklocks Prestige Thurgoona PGA Associate Pro-Am in February.
Mitchell was also second at the Victorian PGA Associate Championship at Tocumwal Golf Club but was a distant seven shots from winner, Tim Walker.
A third year Associate at Peninsula Kingswood Country Golf Club, Walker was also victorious at The National PGA Associate Pro-Am in May and was 10th in this event 12 months ago.
With 73 of the 103 players in the field calling New South Wales home, William Bayliss shapes as the best hope among the locals.
Winner of the Tasmanian PGA Associate Championship at Barnbougle Dunes four weeks ago, Bayliss took that form to the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series where he finished tied for the win with Matt Stieger at the Gunnedah Pro-Am on April 11.
In his first year of the Membership Pathway Program at Pymble Golf Club on Sydney’s North Shore, Bayliss also boasts two runner-up finishes in Open Matches at Stonecutters Ridge and Pymble golf clubs this year.
Designed by five-time Open champion Peter Thomson, Tura Beach Country Club has the distinction of being Australia’s first golf course residential development and butts right up against Tura Beach.
The field will be cut to 50 plus ties following Wednesday’s second round with the winner to be crowned Friday afternoon.
Victorian Joel Mitchell has set his sights on more state success after cruising to an eight-stroke victory at the ADH Club Car WA PGA Associate Championship at Chequers Golf Club.
Runner-up at the Victorian PGA Associate Championship at Tocumwal in April, Mitchell took what appeared to be an unassailable six-stroke advantage into the fourth and final round on Tuesday.
That margin ballooned to eight when Lakelands Country Club Associate Daniel Hoeve double-bogeyed the first hole of the day, Mitchell maintaining his eight-stroke lead until the very end.
A third-year Associate at Rosanna Golf Club in Melbourne, Mitchell will now turn his attention to the NSW/ACT PGA Associate Championship at Tura Beach Country Club starting next Tuesday followed by the Queensland PGA Associate Championship in October.
It’s all part of making his final year as a PGA Associate one where he maximises his playing opportunities.
“I always had eyes for playing a lot more this year, especially late last year when I was having a bit of success in the pro-ams,” said Mitchell.
“I’ll keep that going for the rest of the year and hopefully win a couple more.
“All that’s changed really is that I’m playing more days during the week rather than playing a match on Monday and then trying to get to the range.
“A lot more golf during the week has helped.”
With Hoeve’s early stumble, a closing round of 2-over 73 and 2-under total was enough for Mitchell to record a comfortable win.
One-under through 12 holes, Mitchell dropped four shots in the space of three holes but steadied with a birdie at 16 to keep the likes of Hoeve at bay.
“I tend to be a very aggressive player so taking the foot off the gas is not a style I like,” Mitchell added.
“I tend to feel a bit claustrophobic when I’m doing that so I had to still be aggressive.
“The game plan doesn’t change at all, it’s more a case of not letting the lead slip and to try and build it if possible.
“Even though today’s result in terms of the individual round wasn’t amazing and not what I was looking for, there was a little bit of a hiccup late in the round but I was able to hold it together.”
After his unfortunate start Hoeve closed with a round of 4-over 75 to snare outright second, seven shots clear of Jeffrey Ahn (79) from Hartfield Country Club.
Victorian Joel Mitchell produced the round of the tournament in Round 2 and then bettered it by one to take complete command of the ADH Club Car WA PGA Associate Championship at Chequers Golf Club.
The tight, tree-lined layout 45 minutes north-east of Perth has provided a stern test to Associates from all around the country yet Mitchell mastered it on a 36-hole day two to move out to a six-stroke lead.
Tied with Daniel Hoeve (Lakelands Country Club) after Round 1, Mitchell shot 2-under 69 in Round 2 on Monday morning and then went one better with a 3-under 68 in Round 3 to build a handy buffer heading into Tuesday’s final round.
“I had the driver on a string, which was really good,” said the third-year PGA Associate at Rosanna Golf Club in Melbourne.
“The course is extremely tight and the greens are very small so picking your spots is very important.
“I hit a lot more greens today which helped out the putting a little bit; wasn’t too much stress on those up-and-downs.
“Then you’re just waiting for the putts to drop and a few of them did today.”
Starting from the 10th tee, three birdies in the space of four holes on his back nine gave Mitchell a three-shot lead heading into Round 3.
It was on the front nine again where he excelled, picking up shots at three, six and eight before really separating himself from the field with an eagle at the par-5 10th.
Back-to-back bogeys at 12 and 13 gave the chasing pack a brief respite before he steadied with five straight pars to be 4-under through 54 holes.
“Through 10 everything was going pretty good. Driver was going nice and straight, putts were dropping,” Mitchell added.
“I made one little mistake going into that par 5 due to a poor second shot. The other bogey I didn’t really deserve so it wasn’t like it was getting into my head, more holding on to the round.”
Playing in WA for the first time, Mitchell was full of praise for the playing surfaces on offer at Chequers Golf Club.
“Never played in WA before and I’m very impressed,” he said.
“They’re the best fairways I’ve played on in a while in terms of kikuyu. This is awesome to play on some good fairways.
“The greens are challenging. They’re a very, very strong grass so that is a challenge but other than that it’s been working for the week.”
The final round begins at 7.30am AWST with the final group of Mitchell (-4), Hoeve (+2) and Jeffrey Ahn (+5) to tee off at 8.18am.
Daniel Hoeve and Joel Mitchell will start Round 2 two shots clear of the field after the pair delivered the best scores on day one of the ADH Club Car WA PGA Associate Championship.
With three-time defending champion Josh Herrero now a full PGA Member, the small yet competitive field are fighting it out to add their name to an honour roll that also boasts Ritchie Smith, coach of Minjee Lee, Min Woo Lee and Hannah Green, among others.
The Chequers Golf Club 45 minutes north-east of Perth more than held its own in Round 1, Hoeve and Mitchell navigating the tight fairways and small greens best with rounds of 1-over 72.
Based at Lakelands Country Club, Hoeve had just the one birdie and two bogeys in his round, his patient approach not yielding the results he might have hoped on the greens.
“Quite a few two-putts. Hit quite a few greens in regulation,” was Hoeve’s summary.
“It’s pretty narrow. Tiny targets, tiny greens, greens are tricky to read. Condition-wise the course was great, you’ve just got to keep it in play.
“Hit fairways, hit greens in regulation and if you’re on the green you’re not going to have too long of a putt.”
Like Hoeve, Mitchell had two bogeys and a birdie in his round of 72, his birdie coming at his very first hole, the par-5 10th.
A third year PGA Associate at Rosanna Golf Club in Victoria, Mitchell dropped back to even par with a bogey at the par-4 16th and then joined Hoeve at 1-over with a dropped shot at the par-5 sixth.
Three players are in a share of third at 3-over 74, Fritz Arnold (Lake Karrinyup Country Club), Arno Madel (Busselton Golf Club) and Mitchell Jovic (Royal Perth Golf Club) all two strokes off the lead.
PGA Associates from Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria are competing to claim the WA PGA Associate crown, 84 amateurs playing alongside them in Round 1 on Sunday.
Players will complete 36 holes on Monday with Round 2 to tee off from 7am and Round 3 12pm AWST.
Christine Shin’s deafness means she’s never heard the distinctive sound of a well-struck drive but golf is filling her life with something greater.
Her PGA Women in Golf Scholarship has launched her into Year One of the Membership Pathway Program at Terrey Hills Golf and Country Club in Sydney’s north.
For Shin, 23, she counts the benefits from pursuing golf as a career almost daily beside Terrey Hills Head Professional Glenn Knott.
Those gains may be invisible to some, but mixing with a greater range of people and feeling more confident about solving problems she may have avoided in the past are just two strong examples in everyday life.
“As someone born with congenital deafness, I have encountered numerous obstacles in my life,” Shin explains.
“My journey with golf has been transformational, empowering me with confidence, social connections and vital life skills.
“I am extremely grateful for this scholarship. It enables me to continue my education and to realise my dream of growing the game of golf for children with disabilities.”
Shin was born deaf and wears cochlear implants. She has never let it define her on course and had a string of teenage achievements in Sydney’s west while a member at Castle Hill Country Club.
“My early childhood years were challenging due to my hearing impairment and it took me longer to develop my speech and communication skills than other children,” Shin adds.
“Discovering golf at 12 was life-changing. As I improved my golfing abilities, I also noticed a remarkable increase in my self-confidence.
“Golf allowed me to interact with people of all ages, backgrounds and cultures and I developed strong social skills from communicating with the ladies at Castle Hill.
“While my golf handicap went down, so too did the apparent impact of my hearing handicap on my life.”
Shin won the women’s title, at 19, at the 2019 Australian Deaf Championships at Tasmania’s Prospect Vale Golf Club when playing off a handicap of 6. She’s currently off 5.7.
Working in the pro shop at Terrey Hills at a busy Sydney golf club has been an upbeat move.
“Working here has boosted my self-confidence with the learning of new skills. In the beginning, I was a bit insecure but as I’ve gained more experience and mastered my tasks, my confidence has increased,” she says.
“I also feel more confident in my skills after compliments from my managers and co-workers. At Terrey Hills, the work atmosphere is encouraging and welcoming, which contributes significantly.”
Shin’s view on the game of golf as a broader vehicle to help within the community is an admirable take for one so young.
“I aim to make a difference in the lives of children with disabilities. I believe that the game of golf can help these children develop critical skills, such as confidence, teamwork and social connections, just as it did for me,” Shin says.
“I also want to show others that having a disability does not stop you from achieving your goals and making an impact in society.”
Her ambitions are encouraged through the Membership Pathway Program.
“I hope to become a PGA member, pursue a teaching career, promote inclusiveness, motivate others, advocate for greater accessibility to golf for people with disabilities, help others develop their skills and have fun doing it,” Shin adds.
Continue on this positive path and she’ll feel the impact around her, if not the sounds of laughter and success. It’s like flushing a driver off the tee.
“I might not hear a well-hit driver but my body still feels the impact of a well-hit drive,” she says.
“When I make a clean touch and see the ball fly through the air, I feel accomplished and satisfied.”
Applications are now open for the Membership Pathway Program. For more information on the various career opportunities on offer visit pga.org.au/education/membership-pathway-program/
For further information on the PGA Women in Golf Scholarship Fund, visit pga.org.au/education/pga-women-in-golf-scholarship-fund/
Like many Aussie kids, Arthur Barakat’s introduction to golf came through his father. After watching his dad head off to Cumberland Country Golf Club with his friends after taking up the sport later in life, eight-year-old Arthur soon began to tag along. He was almost instantly besotted by a sport his grandparents knew nothing about.
That is the reality of second and third generation Australians of migrant parents whose direct family members come from countries where golf is traditionally played by only a select few.
There is only one golf course in Lebanon – the Golf Club of Lebanon in Beirut – but Barakat is one of a handful of Lebanese golfers around the world who have been chosen to help grow the game within the Lebanese community.
By flying the flag of Lebanon in top amateur and professional tournaments, Barakat hopes to open the game up to a whole generation of golfers from many communities who might never have had the opportunity to play.
“We’re trying to grow the game of golf for kids of all different backgrounds,” said Barakat, who is in the third year of the PGA of Australia’s Membership Pathway Program at Cumberland Country Golf Club in western Sydney.
“When I first started playing junior golf and pennants, there wasn’t really many people from the Middle East playing. I see now with a lot of the kids that I coach, there’s a lot more kids from different backgrounds and different nationalities.”
Featured in the Daily Telegraph as a 15-year-old with aspirations of playing on the PGA TOUR, Barakat’s amateur results caught the eye of the Lebanese Golf Federation.
In truth, they were simply looking for golfers of Lebanese background with handicaps.
In Lebanon, the LGF tries to spread the game of golf through visits to schools but they recognised that assisting Lebanese players to reach the highest level of the sport would be an inspiration in itself.
When the likes of Min Woo Lee, David Micheluzzi, Zach Murray, Blake Windred and Dylan Perry were representing Australia at the 2018 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, Barakat was also on the leaderboard, the Lebanese flag displayed proudly beside his name.
At The DGC Open in Delhi in March, Barakat and American Peter Badawy created history as the first Lebanese players to tee it up in an Asian Tour event.
His ultimate aspiration remains to play on the PGA TOUR but Barakat knows that any exposure to high-level professional golf will trickle down to an increase in people of Lebanese descent taking up the game.
“There might be some Lebanese kids in Sydney or America who never really thought about taking up the game,” Barakat reasons.
“I know with my grandparents, some of them don’t even know what golf is.
“Us being there flying the flag is motivating for these kids.
“I couldn’t have done it without the support of the members at Cumberland. They raised the money for me to be able to go.
“To be honest, I think they might have been even more excited than I was!”
Two paths into professional golf
When Barakat made an admittedly nervy start to the opening round of The DGC Open, he had a steadying influence right by his side.
In something of a reversal of their regular routine, Barakat had Cumberland Country Golf Club PGA Professional Joanne Bannerman on the bag.
As Barakat tossed up whether to pursue a university degree or chase his dream of becoming a professional golfer, it was Bannerman who opened his eyes to opportunities offered by the Membership Pathway Program.
COVID-19 may have delayed his start date by a year but Barakat began the MPP in 2021 and has never looked back.
Not only has he received awards for his academic performance, Barakat has won a number of open matches, crediting Bannerman for the support she has provided every step of the way.
“Jo has been a massive influence on me,” Barakat added.
“She was on annual leave the week before my first PGA Associate match. She came back from her holiday to give me a lesson and help me out before my first tournament. I’ll never forget that. I don’t know how many supervising pros who would do that.
“Jo is always learning and improving and it was great to see her win the 2020 PGA National Club Professional of the Year. She really deserves that.”
Barakat, too, is having a positive influence on the membership at Cumberland.
By representing his heritage so proudly, he shows junior golfers that there is a place within golf for everyone, no matter their background.
He estimates that there are now more than 10 Cumberland members of Lebanese background and is regularly encouraging them to bring friends out to play at the club.
Just as he hopes to provide inspiration by his own performances on the golf course on the global stage, Barakat acknowledges that as a PGA Professional he can have a significant impact at a local level.
“There’s only one golf club in Lebanon at the moment, which I visited back in 2019,” Barakat said.
“Their goal is to bring joy and a refuge for kids to go and play the sport and just bring joy to people.
“In Lebanon at the moment it’s still pretty tough, in terms of living circumstances. It’s still a Third World country, especially with the explosion they had there in 2020 which wasn’t good and set the country back a fair bit.
“They’re trying to find role models around the world who come from a Lebanese background and try and inspire kids to take up the sport, not only in Lebanon but around the world.
“If I can be a role model for some of those kids to look up to as a PGA Professional, that’s a massive achievement I think.”
But now that he has had a taste of life on tour, Barakat has been inspired himself to continue to chase his dreams.
Once he completes the MPP at the end of this year he will seek further playing opportunities internationally, the prospect of representing Lebanon at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles an enticing one.
“We talked about having an Olympic team coming up in the next Olympics after Paris. That would be massive for the game of golf in Lebanon,” Barakat said.
