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The driver was working and the flatstick behaving as Cooper Gentle took a one-stroke lead on day one of the 2022 Queensland PGA Associate Championship at Windaroo Lakes Golf Club in the City of Logan.
Calm conditions greeted the 95 players to the twisting, exacting Windaroo Lakes layout with Gentle’s five-under 67 one clear of Pymble Golf Club’s Reid Brown (68).
Currently in his second year of the Membership Pathway Program at Rich River Golf Club, Gentle was playing Windaroo Lakes for the first time but took no time to adjust, peeling off four birdies and an eagle at the par-4 sixth to edge one ahead.
“I have never played or seen the course before so to be leading after Round 1 is a surprise however very happy to be,” said Gentle.
“I hit my driver well, had no three-putts and also eagled a par 4 so it was a satisfying round.”
Brown also had not seen the course before Monday’s opening round, taking a conversative approach from the tee to plot his way around the course.
“Not knowing where I was going, I decided to use my 3-iron off most tees,” Brown added.
“I only hit my driver three times which helped me navigate safely around the course.
“I had an eagle on hole three but my highlight was having a birdie on hole 16 which is up there with one of the toughest par 4s I have ever played.”
Rounding out the top five and a further two shots back are the trio of Nicholas Barney (Qld), Bailey Arnott (Qld) and Sheradyn Johnson (VIC) after firing rounds of two-under 70.
Round 2 of the 2022 Queensland PGA Associate Championship will begin Tuesday morning at 7am at the Windaroo Golf Club in the City of Logan.
For all scores and information please click here.
After a two-year absence owing to the COVID pandemic, players from around the country will head to the City of Logan to compete for the 2022 Queensland PGA Associate Championship.
Beginning Monday at the Windaroo Lakes Golf Club, which will host the event for a fourth consecutive year, the field will include two previous winners in Luke Parker (2020) and James Macklin (2021).
They will be joined by a host of quality interstate players including 2022 VIC/TAS PGA Associate Championship winner Dale Crothers (VIC) and 2022 NSW and SA PGA Associate Championship winner Jak Carter (SA).
However, the favourite to hold up the Carnegie Cup at the completion of 72 holes on Thursday afternoon will be Dylan Gardner (Pelican Waters) who lost in a playoff last year but has had a remarkable 2022.
Gardner is currently leading the Queensland Order of Merit which he won in 2021 and has won six Queensland PGA Associate events this year including the recent prestigious Pampling Plate over a gruelling seven rounds.
“It hurt quite a bit last year losing the playoff and I feel I had a few chances to win prior to it going to a playoff,” said Gardner.
“I have had a really pleasing year and will be doing all I can to add my home state championship to the Pampling Plate.”
Reigning champion James Macklin has had a quiet year to date by his standards however is confident going into the event. Concentrating more on the academic side of the Membership Pathway Program in his final year, he still feels he is a major contender.
“I have not played as much this year so my record is a little misleading,” said Macklin.
“I really like the course as it makes you not just blast away; you really need to think about each shot and that suits me the way I play.”
Again, the Windaroo Lakes Golf Club is in fantastic condition with its famous tough finishing stretch, including the par 4-15th hole which will act as a ‘party hole’ with spectator seating and entertainment. With the addition of some new bunker works and course improvements, the course will again provide a challenge for all players.
“It is the biggest week of the year for us and we make sure all the players will have a great experience mainly on the course, but also what we have to offer inside the club,” said Windaroo Lakes Golf Club Head Professional, Daniel Bird.
City of Logan Mayor Darren Power said Council was honoured to host the championship event for a fourth year.
“We cannot wait to welcome some of the country’s greatest golfers back to our sport-loving City,” Cr Power said.
“I have no doubt we will witness another fantastic and exciting competition at the picturesque Windaroo Lakes Golf Club.
“I wish all the competitors the very best for this year’s event.”
In addition to a prize purse of $35,000, the winner of the Queensland PGA Associate Championship will be awarded an invitation to the 2022 Queensland PGA Championship on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.
The winner will be crowned on Thursday afternoon. For all the scores and information on the 2022 Queensland PGA Associate Championship please click here.
Dylan Gardner has completed the Pampling family double after defeating Ben Hollis 2&1 in the 36-hole final of the Coca-Cola Pampling Plate on Thursday.
A former junior member at Caboolture Golf Club where he won the Rod Pampling Junior Masters, Gardner had to hold off a late charge from Hollis to clinch victory.
A PGA Associate based at Pelican Waters Golf Club on the Sunshine Coast, Gardner failed to qualify for the matchplay section of the tournament 12 months ago.
But after navigating his way through to the top 24 in the 36-holes of strokeplay on Monday proved unstoppable in each of his matches, setting up his win over Hollis with a dominant start to the final.
Gardner was hot early and established a 5 up lead through 18 holes thanks in large part to five birdies.
However in a remarkable turnaround, Hollis (Bribie Island Golf Club) won four of the first nine holes in the afternoon to be just 1 down with nine holes left to play.
Hollis had numerous opportunities to level the match over the next seven holes however his putting let him down at crucial times, Gardner ultimately closing things out on the 35th hole.
“I putted really well this week, especially under pressure this afternoon which ultimately won me the match,” said Gardner, pictured with Marge Pampling.
“I was really disappointed last year not even making the matchplay.
“I was a member here at Caboolture as a junior and won the Rod Pampling Junior Masters so to add the Pampling Plate to that is special.
“The whole week was so good with Caboolture Golf Club putting on a great event, particularly the course which was fantastic.
“I cannot put in words the gratitude to the Pampling family for what they do for us. From Rod and family to Rod’s mother Marge who was literally here every second of every day feeding us and supporting us.”
For Hollis it will be a day he will look back on with a sense of an opportunity missed.
“I played well enough to win but just couldn’t get ahead,” he said.
“A lot of that was owing to not putting well and putting the pressure on Dylan.
“Matchplay is all about pressuring your opponent but I couldn’t capitalise and do that today.
“In saying that, I had a great week with great people and am grateful that Caboolture Golf Club and especially the Pamplings put this on for us.”
In the consolation final, Leon Trenerry (Brookwater Golf & Country Club) was victorious in taking third place with a tight 1 up win over Robert Spence (McLeod Country Golf Club).
Sunshine Coast pair Dylan Gardner and Ben Hollis will face off in the final of the 2022 Coca-Cola Pampling Plate after a day of upsets at Caboolture Golf Club.
Defending champion Mitch Smith (Sanctuary Cove) was a hot favourite in the morning quarter-final matches but came up against some stiff opposition in the form of Robert Spence.
The McLeod Country Golf Club Associate took the challenge up to Smith, his tee shot to one foot at the par-3 18th clinching a 2 up victory to turn the tournament on its head.
In contrast, Leon Trenerry took 24 holes to defeat AJ McCoy in their quarter-final clash.
Both players had ample opportunity to take victory both in normal play and early in the playoff holes yet neither could take an advantage, Trenerry ultimately doing enough to advance to the semi-finals.
Hollis (Bribie Island) defeated last year’s finalist Bailey Arnott 5&4 in his quarter-final, coming in on the back of victories in Associate events at Jindalee and Virginia.
Gardner (Pelican Waters) accounted for Cody Davis (Surfers Paradise) 4&3 to book his spot in the semi-finals where he would line up against giant killer Spence for a place in the final.
As expected, the pair engaged in a tight battle throughout the afternoon before Gardner sealed the win on the 17th hole 3&1.
“After Rob beat Mitch this morning I knew I had a battle on my hands as I did hear their match was one of high quality,” said Gardner.
“I missed the matchplay last year which hurt and really want to make amends this year and so far, so good.”
Hollis was taken all the way to the 18th hole before defeating Trenerry by the barest of margins, 1 up, to set up a 36-hole showdown with Gardner on Thursday.
“To be honest, after Leon’s marathon morning match I thought I may have had an easy afternoon,” said Hollis. “But he just kept coming at me and it was actually me who started to falter.
“It has been a wild month or so but I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
It is mouth-watering final as Hollis has been in superb form of late while Gardner has won more events than anyone this year and is the current leader of the Queensland Associates Order of Merit.
The 36-hole final will begin at 7.20am with the 18-hole consolation match between Trenerry and Spence beginning at 11.30am.
For all details including live scores click here.
Defending champion Mitch Smith has made light work of his Round 2 match to safely navigate his way into the quarter-finals of the 2022 Coca-Cola Pampling Plate at Caboolture Golf Club.
The top 24 Associate qualifiers from Monday’s two rounds of strokeplay advanced to the matchplay section of the tournament on Tuesday where two rounds saw the contenders cut to just eight heading into the quarter-finals on Wednesday.
As one of the top eight qualifiers to receive a bye in Round 1, Smith (Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club) lined up against KDV Sport’s Nicholas Barney in Round 2.
Barney went to the 18th hole before getting the better of Peter Lyon (Southport Golf Club) in Round 1 but went down 4&3 to Smith in the afternoon matches.
“I am playing well and calculate I am 13-under par over the past two days which is very pleasing,” said Smith, who topped qualifying with a 36-hole total of nine-under par.
The news wasn’t so good for 2020 champion James Macklin from Jindalee Golf Club, beaten by Cody Davis (Surfers Paradise) 1 up in Round 2.
Davis took until the 17th hole to close out Ryan Paul (Bundaberg Golf Club) in the morning matches and was thrilled to move into the quarter-finals with victory over Macklin.
“It was a long day and two very tough matches,” said Davis.
“To make birdie on 18 against a past winner to win was a fantastic feeling.”
The remaining quarter-finalists are AJ McCoy, Leon Trenerry, Bailey Arnott, Robert Spence, Dylan Gardner and Ben Hollis, who needed three extra holes before defeating Jack Day.
The Queensland Associates Captain, McCoy was faced with a match-up against good friend and Leadership Group counterpart Jesse Egea (Wolston Park) in Round 1.
McCoy held a narrow advantage for much of the match before Egea squared the contest with a birdie at the 17th hole.
McCoy responded in kind, however, with a birdie of his own on the final hole for a 1 up victory.
“It is always hard playing against a good friend and they are always close matches so was nice to get up,” said McCoy.
The big upset in Round 1 was Rian Duncan (Surfers Paradise) defeating Ray Harris (Redcliffe) 1 up.
“I was stoked to get in the top 24 so to win my Round 1 match was an extra bonus,” said Duncan, who would fall to Dylan Gardner 4&3 in Round 2.
The other morning matches saw Robert Spence (McLeod) defeat Yuan Felipe Munoz (Carbrook) 4&3, Jack Day (Woodford) defeat Ben Scholl (Toowoomba) 5&4, Chris Park (Sanctuary Cove) defeat Jake Newberry (Keperra) 2&1 and Heiko Jeandupeux (KDV) defeat Luke Parker (Wynnum).
Wednesday’s quarter-final matches are:
Cody Davis v Dylan Gardner
Ben Hollis v Bailey Arnott
Alexander McCoy v Leon Trenerry
Mitch Smith v Robert Spence
Play will begin at 6.40am on Wednesday with semi-finals following in the afternoon.
Click here to follow all the live scoring.
Defending champion Mitch Smith has sent a warning shot to his rivals by leading qualifying for the 2022 Pampling Plate in commanding fashion at Caboolture Golf Club in Queensland.
Fifty PGA of Australia Associates took part in the 36-hole qualifying on Monday where Smith (Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club) finished five strokes clear of Curtis Eldering as 24 qualifiers advance to the matchplay tournament proper starting Tuesday.
Now in its 18th year, the Pampling Plate is named and sponsored by three-time PGA Tour winner Rod Pampling who is also a winner on the Champions Tour where he currently plies his trade.
Pampling famously started his career on the Caboolture fairways and the family’s support of the event has included significant donations towards the prize money on offer, as well as some personal touches during the tournament itself.
“My mother helps out with keeping the players well fed during the week with sausage sizzles, cakes and biscuits so it’s a real family affair,” Pampling said.
“We really enjoy giving back to the PGA Associates, especially given that it is played at Caboolture Golf Club which is close to our heart.
“With the live scoring we can also keep an eye on all the action.”
Prizemoney of $5,000 was up for grabs in Monday’s qualifying with a further $10,000 to be distributed at the completion of the matchplay competition on Thursday.
The tournament’s two most recent winners – Smith (2021) and James Macklin (2020) – both successfully navigated Monday’s qualifying rounds, Smith seeking to join Jacob Boyce (2016-17) as the only successive winners of the Pampling Plate.
Queensland PGA Associate Captain AJ McCoy placed fourth last year and is looking to add to his impressive Membership Pathway Program playing record after finishing 15th in qualifying.
“It is an event that all the players look forward to as this is the only opportunity we get to play matchplay whilst completing the Membership Pathway Program,” said McCoy.
“To have your name etched on the Pampling Plate is a goal of all Queensland PGA Associates, particularly given the support of the Pampling family.”
In what has been a tough period for the Caboolture Golf Club off the course, they are again extremely excited to host the event.
“We had a flood in our kitchen unfortunately which has caused a fair bit of grief for our clubhouse operation,” said General Manager Trent Scaysbrook.
“However, the Pampling Plate is always very well supported by our members and everyone is looking forward to another great event.”
The top eight qualifiers on Monday all receive a bye in Round 1 which will tee off from 6.40am Tuesday. Round 2 is scheduled to begin at 11.39am where Smith will face the winner of the match between Peter Lyon and Nicholas Barney.
Live scoring for the Pampling Plate will be conducted each day. Click here to view progress scores in all matches.
Rockingham Golf Club Associate Josh Herrero has claimed a third straight ADH Club Car WA PGA Associates Championship in dramatic fashion at the Wembley Golf Complex in Perth.
Victorious in both 2020 and 2021, Herrero led the 2022 edition from the opening round but was challenged late by Michael Pentland at Wembley’s Old Course where Pentland is completing the Membership Pathway Program.
Leading by two entering the final round, Herrero (pictured with major sponsor Grant Hill from ADH Club Car) had extended his lead to four before allowing Pentland back into the tournament with some late stumbles.
Bogeys at 15 and 16 saw Herrero’s lead halved to just two strokes, Pentland closing with birdies at 15 and 17 and 18 to apply the pressure.
Pentland’s round of one-under 71 and Herrero’s one-over 73 saw the pair finish level at even par 288, eight shots clear of Tasmanian Jack Lakin and destined for extra holes.
They traded pars at the first playoff hole but the pressure began to tell as they headed back to the tee for the second additional hole.
Pentland’s wayward tee shot failed to find the fairway as Herrero showed wonderful composure to comfortably find the short grass with his drive.
With no other option Pentland chipped out to the fairway and then hit his third shot to within 12 feet of the flag.
Although in an ideal position, Herrero came up short with his approach shot, leaving himself a difficult chip shot for his third.
He showed wonderful touch to play his third to four feet and then watched on as Pentland lined up his putt for par.
That attempt scampered four feet past the hole and when Pentland missed the putt coming back, Herrero was handed two putts to complete his WA PGA Associate hat-trick.
He needed both – missing his four-footer for par – but the tap-in for bogey was enough to take the title and prize money of more than $3,300.
His lead was cut by one but two-time defending champion Joshua Herrero remains on course to make it three straight at the ADH Club Car WA PGA Associate Championship at Wembley Golf Complex in Perth.
The Associates played 36-holes on Monday with the final round to be completed on Tuesday from 8.04am local time.
Herrero enters the final round with a two-stroke advantage from Wembley local Michael Pentland with a further three shots to Arno Madel in outright third.
A three-stroke leader after a four-under 68 in Round 1, Herrero had rounds of 73-74 on Monday to remain one clear, the highlight an eagle at the par-5 11th in the third round.
At one-under 215 through 54 holes the Rockingham Golf Club Associate is the only player under par, Pentland’s 217 and Madel’s 220 the nearest challengers to disrupt his quest for a trifecta, Madel’s 69 in the third round the best of that round by two strokes.
Click here for scores.
Rockingham Golf Club’s Josh Herrero is on track for a third straight ADH Club Car WA PGA Associate Championship, holding a three-stroke lead at Wembley Golf Complex in Perth.
In his final year of the Membership Pathway Program at Rockingham, Herrero will be hard to run down across the final two rounds to be played on Monday.
In perfect scoring conditions at a superbly presented Wembley, the 14 WA Associates vying for a share of the $15,000 in prize money had every opportunity to post good scores on Sunday.
Only two were able to better par, however, with Herrero’s four-under 68 giving him a handy buffer ahead of the final two rounds.
Beginning his championship from the 11th tee, Herrero traded a birdie with a bogey in his opening two holes but got his round back on track with an eagle at the par-5 first.
He added a second birdie at the fourth and then completed his round with a final birdie at the par-4 10th to be three clear of Calum Juniper, the only other player under par after day one.
Tied for third is Fritz Arnold, Charlie Knoll and Arno Madel who all shot rounds of even-par 72.
The second round begins at 6.44am local time on Monday with the third round to tee off at 11.24am.
Click here for scores.
Two clutch putts and a spectacular approach to the final hole has secured South Australian Jak Carter the 2022 NSW/ACT PGA State Associate Championship at Moruya Golf Club.
The twisting Moruya layout and superb greens provided a stern test for PGA Associates from around Australia all week, Carter’s four-round total of one-under 283 the only score in red figures by week’s end.
A week after blitzing the field by 15 strokes to win the South Australian PGA Associate Championship at Links Lady Bay, Carter found himself three-over at the halfway stage in pursuit of the NSW/ACT title.
He moved to within one of the lead with a round of three-under 68 on Wednesday and then closed with a one-under par round of 70 on Thursday to finish one clear of Toby Williams (St Michaels Golf Club) with Ben Paine (Rossdale Golf Club) third a further stroke back.
Completing the PGA Membership Pathway Program at The Stirling Golf Club near Adelaide, Carter made his move as he completed the front nine.
A double bogey by 54-hole leader Dale Crothers at the par-5 eighth issued Carter an invitation he gleefully accepted.
He birdied eight and nine to edge ahead of Crothers but fund himself one shot off the lead held by Williams as he stood on the 16th tee.
A brilliant approach shot set up birdie there and he backed that up with another at the par-4 17th to edge one clear.
Yet if he was feeling comfortable it wouldn’t last long.
His tee shot at the par-4 18th finished behind a tree, forcing him to play an all-or-nothing second over water to the back-right hole location.
“I absolutely hated that sort of shot but lucky enough I could hit it as far left as I wanted,” Carter said of his approach into the 72nd green.
“I managed to put a real good swing on it and hit it to a pretty nice sort of distance.
“I thought that putt was in too when I hit it.”
Although his two-putt par would ultimately seal the win, Carter credited the putts on the previous two holes for getting him across the line.
“They were absolutely huge,” he added.
“I was not aware of the leaderboard or anything like that.
“The game-plan on 16, a par 5, was just to trust my wedge game and it was nice to see that happen.
“But to hole that putt was a nice feeling and then the putt on the 17th was just a bonus.”
Second to Crothers at the VIC/TAS PGA State Associate Championship at Tocumwal Golf Club in May, Carter has now set his sights on the Queensland State Associate Championship at Windaroo Lakes in October.
“Probably try to win the third in Queensland. Really look forward to playing those courses and getting right into it up there,” said Carter.
“I’d like to win three in a row, that would be great.”
Williams parred his final four holes to close with a 70 and claim outright second, Paine falling two shots short despite making birdies at both 16 and 18 in his round of 71.
Crothers (74) and Jack Harrison (72) finished tied for fourth at two-over for the championship.
Darcy Boyd earned a share of sixth alongside Aaron Walters but provided one of the highlights of the week, making a hole-in-one at the par-3 sixth, finding the cup with 5-iron from 185 metres.
Click here for the final scores and prize money.
