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Dale Crothers and Jak Carter look set for another final round showdown as Crothers edged one stroke clear on day three of the NSW/ACT PGA State Associate Championship at Moruya Golf Club.
Crothers got the better of Carter at the VIC/TAS Championship at Tocumwal earlier in the year but Carter came into this championship on the back of a 15-stroke win at the SA PGA State Associate Championship just last week.
It sets up a thrilling final-round duel after Crothers used three birdies in the space of five holes on the back nine to shoot two-under 69 on Wednesday for a one-under total.
Hot on his heels is Carter who recorded the final of his five birdies on the 18th hole to get back to even par for the championship, his three-under 68 the equal best of the third round.
A two-time winner of the VIC/TAS Associate Championship, Crothers will call on that experience to add the NSW/ACT title to his growing resume.
“Having a bit of a lead going into the last round definitely helps,” said the Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Resort Associate.
“I’ve had that experience a few times so I’ll go out there and just keep doing what I’m doing, not worry about too much and hopefully come away with the win.”
In what has proved to be a challenging week for scoring, Crothers has remained largely consistent across the first 54 holes.
A round of 70 on day one gave him a share of the lead before following it up with a two-over 73 on Tuesday where his ball-striking was below his best.
“I hit it much better today. Ideal weather conditions out there today so attacked the course a little bit more and was lucky enough to finish a couple under,” he reflected.
“Yesterday I hit it pretty poorly ball-striking wise but today I really found something. Just played my strategy as I have all week and it all came together today.”
As for the key to Thursday’s final round, Crothers believes the tournament will be won – or lost – on the greens.
“The greens are very tricky,” he said.
“There were a few times today I completely misread it so if you can whole your share of putts around here you’re going to do really well.”
Victorian Ben Paine matched Carter’s round of 68 to earn a share of third alongside Toby Williams (72) and Jack Harrison (73), Kiama Golf Club first year Associate Wil Daibarra moving into outright sixth also with a round of 68.
The final round of the NSW/ACT PGA State Associate Championship starts at 7.20am on Thursday with the final group of Crothers, Carter and Paine to tee off at 8.40am.
Click here for scores and the Round 4 draw.
The low round of the tournament has earned Aaron Walters a share of the lead at the halfway stage of the NSW/ACT PGA State Associate Championship at Moruya Golf Club on the New South Wales South Coast.
Currently undertaking the Membership Pathway Program at Everglades Country Club on the NSW Central Coast, Walters shot five-under 66 on Tuesday to be one-under through 36 holes and level with Jack Harrison (Settlers Run Golf and Country Club) at the top of the leaderboard.
Following on from an opening round of 71, Harrison’s consistency was rewarded on day two as he and Walters edged one stroke clear of Tim Walker (68) and Toby Williams (68).
Round 1 leader Dale Crothers is fifth after a round of two-over 73 followed by Lachlan Aylen (70) in sixth and three players in a tie for seventh.
Walters had two double bogeys and an eagle at the par-4 18th in his opening round of four-over 75 on Monday and credited a patient approach on the exacting Moruya Golf Club for his much improved showing on Tuesday.
“Definitely my mindset going in and sticking to the strategy,” Walters said of the key to his nine-shot swing.
“I had a game-plan going in; I didn’t really attack the course too much today. I just hit it in the right spots and made enough putts luckily enough.
“I didn’t have the greatest round yesterday but I knew making those putts today and sticking with the same game-plan I could shoot under par.
“Lucky enough I played well enough today to do that.”
“Hit everything pretty good today, didn’t really miss much and made a lot of putts.”
A total of 51 players survived the 36-hole cut which fell at 15-over par.
The third round commences at 7.20am on Wednesday morning with the lead groups to begin at 8.40am.
Click here for Round 2 scores and the Round 3 draw.
A somewhat fortunate birdie on his final hole has given Dale Crothers a one-stroke lead at the NSW/ACT PGA State Associate Championship at Moruya Golf Club.
A two-time winner of the Victorian/Tasmanian PGA State Associate Championship, Crothers was the only player to finish Round 1 under par, a birdie at the par-4 ninth for a round of 70 putting him one clear of fellow Victorians Jack Harrison (71) and Ben Paine (71).
The morning field faced strong winds on the New South Wales South Coast, wind abating slightly as the afternoon wore on.
Starting his championship from the 10th tee, the wind made scoring difficult for Crothers on his opening nine but he found form on Moruya’s front nine, coming home in three-under to edge one stroke clear.
Moruya is known for its enormous double green shared by both the ninth and 18th holes and it proved fortuitous for Crothers on his final hole.
“I hit a big cut off the tee and ended up on the 18th (fairway),” Crothers conceded.
“It actually gave me a really good angle into the ninth green where the pin was tucked left. It was a pretty straightforward shot.
“I started hitting it a lot better on the back nine. I was a bit wayward on the front nine but started holing some more putts.
“Hit a lot more greens and it was nice to birdie the last hole.”
After an opening par, Crothers bogeyed his next two holes to be on the back foot early.
A birdie at 16 was countered by a bogey at 17 before he rediscovered his mojo on the back nine.
“I started off very slow – I was two-over after three holes – and got it back on my back nine, which was the front nine,” said the second-year Associate at Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Resort.
“I’m definitely glad I had a practice round. It’s very tricky off the tee, lot of doglegs and hitting to corners.
“I thought the course played well. The greens and everything played really well.”
James Hundy had a bit of everything in his round of four-over 75, including a hole-in-one at the par-3 12th.
Playing 142 metres, Hundy hit 8-iron and saw the ball disappear into the cup to claw back to within five of the lead.
A cut will be made at the completion of Tuesday’s second round with the top 50 to advance to the final two rounds of the championship.
Click here for Round 1 scores and the draw for Round 2.
Fresh from a 15-shot win on his home course, South Australian Jak Carter now wants to add the NSW/ACT PGA State Associate Championship to his growing list of tournament wins.
Moruya Golf Club on the New South Wales South Coast hosts 107 players currently engaged in the PGA Membership Pathway Program for the second year in succession, the four-round tournament getting underway on Monday.
Runner-up to Dale Crothers at the Victorian/Tasmanian State Associate Championship in May, Carter made full use of home-course advantage to win last week’s SA PGA State Associate Championship at Links Lady Bay.
His three-round total of nine-under par was 15 shots clear of his nearest competitor, firmly establishing him as one of the tournament favourites this week in Moruya.
“It’s always handy to have one of those events at your home course,” conceded Carter, who played his junior golf at Links Lady Bay and is now completing the PGA Membership Pathway Program at The Stirling Golf Club just outside Adelaide.
“It was just one of those weeks where I felt nice and relaxed, especially being able to sleep in your own bed. That always helps.
“When I walk off the course after four days I wouldn’t be surprised if my name was somewhere near the top.”
Confident and in-form, Carter spent Sunday afternoon familiarising himself with the Moruya layout.
Tree-lined fairways with some sharp doglegs are a far cry from the open expanses of Links Lady Bay, Carter trying to find the right balance between aggression and course management.
“Just to really work out the numbers to the doglegs,” Carter said of the focus in his pre-tournament preparation.
“To make sure that if we do try and hit one right to a corner that we’re not blocked out, because there are some pretty sharp doglegs here.
“It is a golf course I feel that you can play smart but I also feel that’s sometimes not all that easy to do. To lay up to corners but then also have the trouble of some trees in your way.
“It’s just really working out what exact clubs off certain tees will get me right in the fairway but also far enough that I have a shot in without any sort of tree trouble.
“That’s pretty much it because the greens are pure out here.”
First groups teed off at 7.20am on Monday, Carter in the afternoon wave that began at 11.20am.
There will be a cut at the completion of 36 holes with the top 50 to play the final two rounds on Wednesday and Thursday.
Click here for live scores.
Yarrawonga PGA Associate Dale Crothers has claimed his second PGA Victorian/Tasmanian Associate Championship, holding off the fast-finishing Jak Carter at Tocumwal Golf Club.
Crothers shot 71 in his final round for a four-round total of 17-under, enough for a three-stroke win from Carter (66) with Victorian Tim Walker (70) in outright third a further five shots back.
Starting the final round with a six-stroke lead, Crothers showed some nerves early, bogeying his first hole, whilst Carter came out chasing hard with an eagle at the par-5 third.
Carter followed up with birdies at six, seven and nine to make the turn in five-under par and only three back from Crothers.
The pair traded birdies early on the back nine however the ever-consistent Crothers proved too strong, his three-shot lead never headed.
“It felt good this week; I didn’t do much wrong all week,” said Crothers.
“I hit a lot of good shots and holed some putts.”
The win sees Crothers remain as one of the top PGA Associates whose ultimate career ambition would see him playing on the world stage.
“I’m looking to play on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia next year once I graduate. I see the opportunities through Australia as a good pathway onto the bigger world tours,” he added.
In his acceptance speech, Crothers praised the work of the Tocumwal Golf Club and support of Berrigan Shire Council.
“I love playing along the Murray,” said Crothers.
“I’ve been coming here since I was a junior and the course at ‘Toc’ is always amazing. The hospitality we’ve been shown this week by the club and Berrigan Shire has been amazing.”
The tournament will return to Tocumwal Golf Club in 2023.
Yarrawonga’s Dale Crothers has extended his lead to six strokes after Round 3 of the PGA Victoria and Tasmania Associate Championship at Tocumwal Golf Club.
Crothers followed on from his course-record second round of nine-under 63 with a four-under par round of 68 on Thursday to takes his tournament total to 16-under par, six shots clear of Dylan Gardner from Queensland who is 10-under through three rounds.
The lowest round of the day was posted by Reid Brown of NSW with an impressive seven-under 65 which included eight birdies and one bogey.
The final round of the 72-hole championship will be played on Friday on the Captains course at Tocumwal Golf Club.
Lucas Herbert’s dual wins on the European Tour and PGA Tour has seen Dominic Azzopardi crowned Australian Golf Digest’s 2021 Coach of the Year.
The Player of the Year Awards are an annual feature of Australian Golf Digest’s January issue and the performances of our top men’s and women’s players across the globe made the Coach of the Year award one of the most hotly contested.
Winner in three of the past four years, Western Australia’s Ritchie Smith had another outstanding year, guiding Minjee Lee to her breakthrough major championship at the Aumundi Evian Championship, Min Woo Lee to the top 50 in the world rankings and Hannah Green to another strong season on the LPGA Tour.
Khan Pullen’s star pupil Cam Davis earned his first PGA Tour title at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Gary Barter helped Stephanie Kyriacou and Matt Jones to wins on the Ladies European Tour and PGA Tour respectively and Grant Field took Cameron Smith to the top 20 in the world, got Australian Amateur champion Louis Dobbelaar ready to join the professional ranks and helped Andre Stolz to become the dominant force on the SParms PGA Legends Tour.
The likes of Michael Jones, Tim Wood, Gareth Jones and Adrian Wickstein all enjoyed great success in 2021 but the Australian Golf Digest judges deemed Azzopardi’s influence on Herbert as the best performance of the year.
A winner on the European Tour for a second time at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in July, Herbert finished tied for fourth at the first event of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals to effectively seal his promotion to the PGA Tour.
He missed the cut in each of his first two starts as a full member of the PGA Tour but when Azzopardi answered the call for help and flew to the US to take a closer look at Herbert’s swing the results were instant, Herbert coming from four shots back on Sunday to win the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in Bermuda.
Immediately following his win Herbert paid tribute to the sacrifice his coach made in flying to the United States to make the adjustments they needed to get back to his best.
“I was taking the club back a long way inside, inside plane going back and from there it was very hard to match it up,” Herbert explained.
“I was kind of leaking the ball to the right or double-crossing left, which is not a really good way to play golf.
“We just worked on that takeaway a lot. It’s a lot to work on because then it throws out a lot of your feels of how the ball’s going to launch. I just felt like I was going to hit a lot of shots left.
“For him to make that commitment to come out and help me out a lot with my golf swing… we hit a lot of balls over the last two or three weeks getting ready for this event.
“To have it pay off so quickly and to share that win with him, that was really special.”
For his efforts Herbert was named Male Player of the Year while first year Associate Lachlan Aylen (Eynesbury Golf Club) received the nod as the PGA Associate Player of the Year.
For the full list of award winners see the January issue of Australian Golf Digest, on sale now.
Second Year PGA Associate Lachlan Aylen has secured the PGA Associate National Championship and with it a start at the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland in January.
Starting the final round at Rich River Golf Club with the equal lead at five-under par, Aylen poured the pressure on early with four birdies on the front nine to open up a six-shot lead over the field at the turn.
The Eynesbury Homestead and Golf PGA Associate was able to consolidate his early form with an even-par back nine to finish at nine-under for the tournament, five shots clear of Queenslander AJ McCoy.
McCoy’s round of five-under 67 was the best of the final round and enough to elevate himself to outright second but he started too far back to bridge the gap to the 2021 PGA Associate National Champion.
“I’m really happy with how I went out and took my chances this morning,” said Aylen.
“With the field bunching up yesterday I knew I had to be aggressive early and go out and try to win it, so it was really pleasing to be able to execute and drop those putts on the front nine.”
Aylen made special mention of his playing partners and friends he’s made during the tournament.
“I just wanted to thank all my playing partners today and the for the whole week. We get to know each other quite well in the Membership Pathway Program so it’s special to be able to share this moment with what I’m sure will be lifelong friends,” he added.
Also earning a start from her performance this week was second year PGA Associate Steffi Vogel. As the highest-ranked female PGA Associate in the field, Vogel has earnt a start at the TPS Sydney event at Bonnie Doon Golf Club in February.
“It’s super exciting,” said the Cobram Barooga Associate. “It’s such a great opportunity thanks to the WPGA and I can’t wait to get up there.”
The day was also special for Vogel who had a highlight of her own, scoring a hole-in-one on the 118-metre seventh hole, the second ace recorded for the tournament.
“It was a great day today,” said the smiling 23-year-old.
“I used 9-iron and hit it well. I was hoping it would get close and just watched it roll up and into the hole.”
For the PGA Associate National Championship final leaderboard click here. – Matthew Street
The PGA Associate National Championship has tightened right up after rain and more strong winds brought the field closer together heading into the final round at Rich River Golf Club on Friday.
Overnight leader Lachlan Aylen (top) couldn’t maintain his four-shot lead and now finds himself tied at the top with round one leader, Jack Sandic, at five-under for the championship.
After going without a bogey for the first 42 holes of the tournament, Aylen fell back to the field, finishing his third round with a five-over 75.
Sharing the lead with Aylen was fellow Victorian Sandic (below), who grinded through difficult conditions to card a one-over 71.
The big mover of the day was first year PGA Associate Jack Harrison, who shot the equal best score of the day, two-under 68, to take himself to outright third at four-under.
Based at Settler’s Run Golf and Country Club in Melbourne’s south-east, Harrison recorded all pars on the front nine before a bogey and three birdies to put himself within one shot of the lead.
The conditions tested the field of 52, with four-over 74 the average score for day three.
On one particular hole all but one were unable to birdie the par-4 eighth. It took Rich River PGA Associate Cooper Gentle with all of his local knowledge to manage the cross winds and pin position and pick up a shot on the field.
With a spot in the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland on the line for the winner, all eyes will be watching as the final day commences at 7am, with the leading group teeing off at 8.30am.
Follow the live scores here. – Matthew Street
Second-year PGA Associate Lachlan Aylen hoisted the main sail at Rich River to take control of the PGA Associate National Championship in extremely windy conditions.
While the Murray course north of Echuca is more synonymous with paddle steamers, Aylen looked every part of a super maxi as he surged ahead in strong winds to post an impressive eight-under, 62.
Currently undertaking his PGA Associate training at Eynesbury Homestead and Golf, Aylen said that the windy conditions played to his favour as he took a commanding four-stroke lead at the halfway point.
“It was a good day but very windy out there,” said Aylen.
“I normally hit a pretty low ball flight anyway which suited me being low to the ground but I made a couple of putts too which definitely helped.”
The bogey-free round has given Aylen a four-shot buffer over fellow Victorian Jack Sandic (68) who built on his strong start from day one to be six-under after 36 holes.
Keeping on the podium and firmly within striking distance was Queenslander AJ McCoy who now sits five shots back on five-under after shooting a one-under 69 in the morning field of day two.
“It played tough today, but I struck it well and had to make some long putts,” said McCoy.
Blustery conditions tested the field of 94 as all players pushed to get into the top 50 and a piece of the $60,000 purse – the largest of any PGA Associate or Apprentice tournament in the world.
Early cheers reverberated around the course on the third hole, as second-year PGA Associate, Mark Thomas struck a pure five-iron to drop a hole-in-one on the 164-metre par-3 third hole.
The group behind took inspiration from Thomas’ ace with a highlight of their own on the next hole. Third-year PGA Associate, Chris Irving, knocked a wedge past the pin which sucked back and dropped in to give the Kooringal Associate an eagle on hole No.4.
The field condenses to 52 after Wednesday’s cut with ‘moving day’ commencing at 7am on Thursday morning. – Matthew Street
