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Dominant singles performances from both Jamie Hook and TJ King have earned Team Australia second position at the inaugural Four Nations Cup in South Africa.
Trailing the host nation by 3.5 points at the start of the Sunday singles, the Australian team of Hook (Pacific Dunes Golf Club), King (Mount Coolum Golf Club), Murray Lott (Victoria Park) and captain Matthew Guyatt (Gailes Golf Club) accrued 7.5 points from the 12 on offer on the final day.
Team Canada won an incredible nine of their 12 matches to take top spot with a total of 20 points, Australia second on 16, South Africa third with 14 points and New Zealand fourth on 10 points.
The younger members of Team Australia, Hook and King were superb all week.
A recent graduate of the Membership Pathway Program at Mount Coolum, King won all three of his matches on day one and remained undefeated head-to-head, winning all three of his matches on Sunday.
He won all three of his matches by the same margin, defeating Kevin Stinson (Canada), Dongwoo Kang (New Zealand) and Pierre van Vuuren (South Africa) 4&3.
Hook was also a convincing winner in each of his three matches.
The reigning PGA Professionals Championship winner accounted for South African Calvin Caldeira 6&5, defeated New Zealander Brad Shilton 4&3 and edged Canada’s Pierre-Alexandr Bedard 3&2 for a Sunday sweep.
The old boys also contributed to the final day points spree.
Guyatt fought all the way to the final hole to get the better of South African Dane Vosloo while Lott earned a half point with a halved match against New Zealand’s Pieter Zwart.
Australia is scheduled to host the Four Nations Cup in 2023, providing even greater incentive for those contesting the PGA Professionals Championship at Yarra Yarra Golf Club in Melbourne from October 10-11.
Final standings
Canada 20.0
Australia 16.0
South Africa 14.0
New Zealand 10.0
Team Australia will need a dominant last day of singles after adding just one point to their tally in two rounds of fourball matches on day two of the Four Nations Cup in South Africa.
The host nation will enter the final day at Kyalami Country Club near Johannesburg on 12 points and with a lead of 1.5 points from Canada, Australia in third position on 8.5 points with New Zealand fourth on five points.
In the third round of fourball matches the young pairing of TJ King and Jamie Hook added to Australia’s tally with a 2 up win over the Kiwi pairing of Jared Pender and Pieter Zwart.
Veterans Matthew Guyatt and Murray Lott went down 4&3 to Brad Shilton and Dongwoo Kang before the afternoon matches failed to produce any points.
Hook and King pushed the South African pairing of Calvin Caldeira and Dane Vosloo all the way to the 18th hole before falling 1 down, Guyatt and Lott making it to the 17th hole before succumbing to Pierre van Vuuren and Duane Kuen 3&1.
The Four Nations Cup will conclude on Sunday with a second round of four-way singles matches with plenty of points on offer in each group.
Four Nations Cup standings
South Africa 12
Canada 10.5
Australia 8.5
New Zealand 5
Click here for scores from all four rounds to date.
Wins in all three of his singles matches by Mount Coolum’s TJ King has put Team Australia in a strong position after day one of the Four Nations Cup in South Africa.
A coming together of PGAs from Australia, South Africa, Canada and New Zealand, the inaugural Four Nations Cup is taking place at Kyalami Country Club north of Johannesburg, the home team taking a 2.5-point lead into day two.
South Africa accrued 10 points across the first two rounds, Australia tied for second with Canada on 7.5 points and New Zealand on 3 points.
The veteran pairing of Matthew Guyatt and Murray Lott made the perfect start with a 2 up win over Canada’s Pierre-Alexandr Bedard and Branson Ferrier as King and Jamie Hook went down 2&1 to Kevin Stinson and Gordon Burns.
The afternoon matches were four-way singles matches and it was King who came to the fore.
He accounted for Kiwi Brad Shilton 5&4, defeated Bedard 4&3 and edged South African Duane Keun 2&1 to secure three crucial points for his team.
It was a productive session too from Jamie Hook.
Hook defeated Canada’s Branson Ferrier 2 up, got the better of New Zealander Jared Pender 2&1 and halved his match with South African Dane Vosloo to add 2.5 points to the tally.
Lott got the better of New Zealand’s Dongwoo Kang 3&2 in his only singles win on day one while Guyatt went down in each of his three matches.
Rounds three and four on Saturday are betterball matches with Hook and King to play the New Zealand team of Pender and Zwart and Lott and Guyatt facing off against Shilton and Kang in Round 3.
Click here for scores and standings.
The Aussie quartet feel that they have adjusted to the altitude in Johannesburg ahead of day one of the Four Nations Cup at Kyalami Country Club in South Africa.
Representing the PGA of Australia against PGA Professionals from South Africa, Canada and New Zealand, the team of Matthew Guyatt (Gailes GC), Murray Lott (Victoria Park), Jamie Hook (Pacific Dunes GC) and TJ King (Mount Coolum GC) have spent the past two days adjusting to the conditions and formulating pairings.
They have chosen to pair veterans Guyatt and Lott together and Hook and King for the fourball betterball matches against Canada on Friday that will kick-off the annual competition from 3.08pm AEST.
Day one will conclude with four-way match play singles matches to be followed by two rounds of betterball on Saturday and then the winners will be crowned on Sunday following a second round of singles matches.
The Aussie team completed their preparations with a practice round on Thursday, captain Guyatt confident that they have made the necessary adjustments to be competitive over the coming three days.
“Altitude has been a great challenge for all of us to try and figure out how far the ball is going,” Guyatt admitted of playing in a city 1,753 metres above sea level.
“We think (it’s going) around 11 to 14 per cent extra so just working out all the math around that.
“There’s a massive premium on tee-shot positioning on this golf course because if you get yourself off-line or into the rough near the tree-line the recovery shots are very difficult to find the putting surfaces.
“It also forces you to hit into spaces where pin locations are very, very difficult to have a crack at.
“Fairways are important and the boys have done a great job the past couple of days in figuring all that out.
“The boys have gelled together exceptionally well. We’re loving the time that we’re spending together, it’s been awesome.”
Winner of the PGA Professionals Championship at Links Hope Island in January to secure his spot in the team, Hook is feeling more and more comfortable with each day on course.
“Hard to get the judgement and trust of the distances but getting there and feeling more comfortable with it,” he added.
“The game’s good. Getting better and better as we keep playing. Need a couple of putts to drop and I think we’ll be right where we want to be.”
Although TJ King is threatening to pull the course to pieces with his prodigious length, placement and positioning shapes as the recipe for success at the parkland layout ranked inside the top 25 in South Africa.
“Placement is key off the tee and knowing your game,” said Lott, the senior member of Team Australia.
“Having respect for some of the holes is crucial but I think all of us are at a skill level where we probably do that anyway.
“Unless we hit it 400 like TJ King.”
Prior to the two practice rounds the Australian team was contemplating pairing youth and experience in each group, ultimately deciding that complementary games might be more effective in the betterball format.
Lott was Guyatt’s short game coach when he was playing on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and in Japan, the pair’s history together also including appearances at the Queensland Foursomes Championship.
“‘Muzz’ and I have played a fair bit together over the years,” said Guyatt.
“We’ve played some Queensland PGA Foursomes together and he was my short game coach when I was playing on tour so we know each other’s games quite well.
“You want someone that knows you well and knows the right things to say at the right time, press the right buttons.
“We’ve spent a lot of time together working on my game. He knows it extremely well so we’ll certainly be a nice pairing and get along exceptionally well, which sometimes in matches is exactly what you want.”
As for the all-important Sunday singles, Guyatt is leaning towards a premonition that Lott had while en route to South Africa.
“Murray had a vision on the plane on the way over that I was filming TJ having a putt to win the tournament on the last green on Sunday,” Guyatt added.
“We’re going to honour that vision and premonition and let TJ play in the one spot on Sunday.”
For Four Nations Cup scores and draws click here.
Four Nations Cup – Day 1
Betterball Matches AEST
3.08pm Jamie Hook/TJ King (AUS) v Gordon Burns/Kevin Stinson (CAN)
3.17pm Murray Lott/Matthew Guyatt (AUS) v Pierre-Alexandre Bedard/Branson Ferrier (CAN)
Singles Matches (Four-way Match Play)
Murray Lott (AUS) v Pierre van Vuuren (SA) v Gordon Burns (CAN) v Dongwoo Kang (NZ)
Matthew Guyatt (AUS) v Calvin Caldeira (SA) v Kevin Stinson (CAN) v Pieter Zwart (NZ)
Jamie Hook (AUS) v Dane Vosioo (SA) v Branson Ferrier (CAN) v Jared Pender (NZ)
TJ King (AUS) v Duane Keun (SA) v Pierre-Alexandre Bedard (CAN) v Brad Shilton (NZ)
Over nearly a decade, Glenn Paul has worked in a range of roles as a PGA Professional. From being a Head Professional, a General Manager, to embracing a journey as a specialist coach, Glenn’s rich blend of experience allows him to help everyone on their golfing journey.
Now part of the innovative GolfBox Academy, working across Joondalup and Osborne Park locations, Glenn takes great pride in being a PGA Professional.
“For me, it is pretty much everything,” he says. “Having the opportunity to give back – not just to our Membership but to golfers in general is something I’m pretty proud of.”
The GolfBox Academy – the coaching and club-fitting arm of the Western Australia-based golf superstore, GolfBox – gives Glenn the chance to work alongside fellow PGA Professionals Gavin Reed and Ben Percival, to give golfers an all-encompassing golfing experience.
“It’s more than just retail,” he explains. “We give customers the chance to get information on their equipment from a PGA Professional at the same time as they get advice on their game.”
One of the significant employers of PGA Professionals in Western Australia, Glenn views the GolfBox Academy as something of a one-stop-shop for golfers.
“We strive to give the customer a great fitting and coaching experience, as well as a great retail experience,” he says. “So, we’ve got both ends of the stick covered.”
Glenn and his team are committed to providing an engaging and cutting-edge environment for all golfers when they walk through the doors at the GolfBox Academy. Employing a range of coaching tools and keenly embracing technology, golfers are given an immersive experience under the watchful eye of PGA Professionals.
At Joondalup, golfers hit into a large, curved simulator screen, but the real innovation begins once the ball has been struck.
“We use GC Quad and Foresight technology,” Glenn explains. “Together, they form a great tool from a data point of view to understand what the golf ball is doing.”
Combined with force plates that inform how each golfer is moving, Glenn and the team at the GolfBox Academy are able to gain an in-depth understanding of each player.
“With all of our technology, we are able to fast-track everyone’s improvement.”
Although he now thrives in the new environment, Glenn, like many golfers, understands there can be an adjustment period to moving away from the golf course.
“The transition can be a big one,” he says. “But from a game development perspective, to go into an environment where it’s neutral – there’s no distractions – has been fantastic.”
“We are able to have a look at exactly what the golf swing is doing without worrying about a range of external factors,” he explains. “From there, the instructional process becomes a lot more simplified for the students and for us.”
To that end, Glenn is finding that working at a facility like the GolfBox Academy allows him and fellow PGA Professionals the chance to expand the horizons of golfers, breaking the mould of how golf has been played in the past.
Where traditionally, golfers might not have thought it possible to teach feel, beyond hitting thousands of balls and grooving a swing, Glenn is quick to challenge that thinking.
“I am a big believer that with data and technology, you can actually teach feel because of that constant feedback loop,” he says.
More broadly, through his role at the GolfBox Academy, Glenn recognises and cherishes the responsibility of helping ever golfer he meets – and understands that this extends beyond the golf swing.
“Everybody wants to shoot a better score, but I find just as much joy in working with people who play the game for reasons other than being good golfers,” he explains.
“The game is invaluable for people’s mental and physical heath and helping people to recognise that excites me every day.”
When he was offered a job as the Head Professional at Pacific Dunes Golf Course in 2016, Jamie Hook made a deliberate decision to shift his focus from playing golf full-time to his new role working in the golf industry.
More than six years on, Hook’s dedicated service to the club and its membership remains front of mind, taking great pride in servicing the club’s burgeoning membership base.
Positioned in a thriving quarter of Port Stephens, Hook is focussed on growing golf at Pacific Dunes; running group golf programs, clinics for women and juniors, as well as corporate days to make the game more accessible to more players than ever before.
“I’ve got a responsibility to the membership,” he explains. “That’s everything from offering a well-stocked pro shop, growing participation for everyone and offering the best advice and service I can.”
While Hook’s focus might have shifted, his prodigious skill on course remains – something that has been highlighted by his recent strong performances.
Hook claimed a two-shot victory in the PGA Professionals Championship Final at Links Hope Island and followed it up the next week with a strong showing at the Australian PGA Championship where he made the cut and finished tied for 31st.
“I was never someone who needed to play all the time to be in decent form,” Hook explains.
“I knew I could still play and work, I just came to recognise I couldn’t dedicate my focus to playing full-time.”
Hook is once again looking forward to putting his best foot forward on the course as he represents his club, country and broader PGA Membership at the Four Nations Cup in South Africa from September 2.
It is a selection that continues a proud string of representative honours for Hook who has represented his state and district in the past, the opportunity to play in Australian colours a feat that is understandably a great source of pride.
“I started out wanting to be a professional golfer, but I never really thought I would get the chance to represent my country,” he says. “I really am very honoured.”
That sense of pride and genuine excitement is one that has been echoed by the membership at Pacific Dunes, indicative of the strong bond that Hook has been able to form in his role as Head Professional.
“My results and golfing journey have always been well received by the members,” says Hook. “That’s everything from a Wednesday competition, right through to the PGA Professionals Championship.
“It’s really nice. They support it all and definitely enjoy celebrating success with me.”
While that support will extend when he tees it up for Australia, Hook remains cautious of one thing.
“I consider a lot of the members to be my close friends which is great – but it does mean that they’re more than willing to let me know if they don’t think my performance is up to scratch!”
Regardless, Hook is confident that he and the team can put in a strong showing in South Africa where they will face off against PGA Professionals from South Africa, Canada and New Zealand.
“I know we are all looking forward to it and I’m sure once we get over there and see the Australian flags the competitive spirit will kick in,” he adds.
“I’m sure it will be a great week.”
Australia’s Four Nations Cup representatives were drawn from the top four finishers at the PGA Professionals Championship Final at Links Hope Island. This year’s PPC Final will be held at Yarra Yarra Golf Club in Melbourne from October 10-11.
It’s less than five years since Matthew Guyatt finished ninth at the Australian Open at The Australian Golf Club. That week he finished in front of players such as Geoff Ogilvy, Brett Rumford, Stephen Leaney, Jason Scrivener and was just one shot behind American superstar and reigning Open champion Jordan Spieth, yet it was something of a Tour swansong.
After playing the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia since 2006 and in Japan, Europe, Korea and throughout Asia, Guyatt made the decision at the end of 2017 to stay local and be more present in the lives of his wife and children.
It is a decision that all professional athletes must face at some point in their careers but next week Guyatt gets to tap into that competitive spirit and play on the international stage once again.
Guyatt has been chosen to captain the Australian team that also includes Murray Lott (Victoria Park), TJ King (Mount Coolum) and Jamie Hook (Pacific Dunes) at the Four Nations Cup in South Africa starting September 2.
It is an honour he has dreamt of since he was a young boy growing up in Townsville and which has given him a sense of purpose that can be lacking when athletes make the decision to step away.
“It’s tough. It’s really tough,” says Guyatt, who finished in the top 11 at the Australian Masters three times between 2012 and 2015.
“I stopped a little bit because of family but also because I felt like I had a good crack at it and didn’t make it, to be honest.
“You’re dealing with your own disappointment but I had my kids who were moving into high school and things like that. I probably used that more as my reason to stop than anything else.
“I’m an ultra-competitive person so it was really difficult for me to transition out of the competitive Tour life into a club-based teaching role. It still is to be honest.
“That’s why it has been so awesome these past few months since I got picked in this team to have a playing goal to work towards and practising with some venom and purpose again.”
Member comps King’s secret Four Nations weapon
Lott encourages fellow Pros to chase Four Nations glory
After stepping away from life on tour Guyatt returned to his roots.
A standout coming through the Membership Pathway Program at Indooroopilly Golf Club in Brisbane, Guyatt has taught at Ipswich Golf Club, Golf Central and been the Assistant Professional at Nudgee Golf Club and now Gailes Golf Club.
Unable to compete in the PGA Professionals Championship in the first year after coming off tour, Guyatt was tied for sixth at the 2020 PPC of Qld/NT at Lakelands Golf Club just six months after suffering a serious head injury in July 2020.
He won the PPC of South-East Queensland at Victoria Park the following July to book his place in the National Final at Links Hope Island in January where he finished third.
That would earn him selection in the Australian team, a team he now wants to continue to represent each and every year.
“It’s extremely cool for all of us to be able to look at the Professionals Championship in Melbourne and not only play our way into the Aus PGA but make a four-man Australian team at the same time,” added Guyatt.
“Ever since I was able to throw a ball or hit a ball as a kid growing up in Townsville I wanted to play for Australia and I wanted to captain Australia.
“That was always the dream for me. All these years later to be now playing in a four-man Australian team, that was an unbelievable phone call to receive.
“It’s a great group of guys and hopefully we’ll do the country proud.
“It’s a great opportunity to represent our organisation, the PGA, it’s fantastic to be a part of the first four-man team to do that.
“Hopefully our fellow PGA Professionals will watch on and see that there are opportunities to represent our national body and our country.”
The Sunshine Coast’s TJ King will have an extra ace up his sleeve when he lines up with the Australian team at the Four Nations Cup in South Africa starting September 2.
The youngest member of the team of four PGA Professionals, King continues to chase his dreams as a professional golfer while balancing his full-time work commitments at Queensland’s Mount Coolum Golf Club.
It is a delicate balance but one which may pay off handsomely when the matches against New Zealand, Canada and South Africa take place at Kyalami Country Club in Johannesburg.
King completed the PGA of Australia Membership Pathway Program in early 2021 and now works under Stephen Jenkins as the Assistant Professional at Mount Coolum.
Harbouring a strong desire to play on tour, King manages his schedule so that he can play regularly with the Mount Coolum members, the practice of throwing balls on the tee to determine partners fortifying a skill he may call upon in South Africa.
“I work split shifts during the week so I can play competitions with the members on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” explained King, who finished second at the PGA Professionals Championship at Hope Island in January to qualify for the Australian team.
“There’s a bit of pressure when you’re the pro and you’ve got to hole a putt for someone else,”
“To be fair, I guess that’s pretty much what we’ll be doing in South Africa in a couple of weeks!”
A profound level of dedication – both to his game and the club – has always come naturally to King.
“Balancing my work with my ultimate playing ambitions is something I’ve always done ever since I’ve been in the shop,” he says. “It’s certainly something I’m used to.”
It’s paying off, too. For King, who earned five starts on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia last year, the big-time tournament exposure has been invaluable and is a significant driver in his continued development as a player.
“It’s all about getting a level of comfort in those big events,” says King. “The big one for me last year was getting a start in the Australian PGA – I learnt so much, about myself and from what all the others were doing.”
A career-best finish T16 at the Northern Territory PGA Championship also a highlight, King is enjoying the process of learning and growing as an individual.
While his priorities haven’t shifted – he still wants to be the best golfer he possibly can – King is aware that his personal development can only lead to stronger performances on the course.
“I’m finding out a lot about myself,” he says. “Everything from travelling a lot more, playing events, having to be more independent. They’re simple things but it’s made me grow a lot.
“I’m learning to be more comfortable and confident around all sorts of people.”
Growth that will surely hold him in good stead in South Africa next month when he tees it up alongside Jamie Hook, Matthew Guyatt and Murray Lott, King can’t wait to represent his country on the world stage.
“Representing Australia is something I always wanted to do as a kid. To be able to do that in golf really is an honour.”
King and the rest of the Australian team depart on August 30, before the Four Nations Cup gets underway on September 2.
The most common question that anyone who works in the golf industry invariably receives is this: How often do you play?
The perception that a job within golf opens up time to play is far from the reality but Victoria Park Professional Murray Lott worries the balance has tipped too far in the other direction.
Lott is part of the four-man team that will represent the PGA of Australia at the Four Nations Cup in South Africa from September 2-4 at Kyalami Country Club.
Reigning PGA Professionals Championship winner Jamie Hook, Matthew Guyatt and TJ King make up the rest of the team who will face off against PGA Professionals from South Africa, New Zealand and Canada.
It is a rare opportunity for those who work at the coalface to reengage their competitive instincts and take pride in their performance, performance that Lott insists PGA Professionals throughout Australia should not feel guilty about pursuing.
A former player and caddie on tour, Lott now splits his time between coaching at Victoria Park in Brisbane and playing the SParms PGA Legends Tour and believes there are benefits in keeping his game sharp.
Shortly after turning 50 last year he won his first Legends Tour event at Mt Warren Park, the opportunity to compete with his contemporaries providing balance both on and off the golf course.
“I understand why PGA Pros may feel guilty for taking time to practice or play – I’ve experienced that myself – but in my view maintaining a certain playing standard is actually a really important aspect of the job,” Lott says.
“Playing golf is why we became passionate about joining the PGA in the first place so finding the time to play nine or 18 holes helps to keep that passion alive.
“In previous roles at other clubs, playing a midweek comp was a great way to stay engaged with the members and develops a personal connection that can translate to provide a higher level of service.
“I also believe that if members or your clientele see you playing well and shooting good scores that there is an enhanced sense of pride in the person representing their club.”
Being selected to represent Australia is an achievement that has also turned heads within the Lott household.
His three sons in particular have been impressed that their old man can still mix it with the young bucks to the point that he will represent Australia in an international competition.
It’s another reason that Lott is adamant that continuing to play has been beneficial throughout his career.
“When the kids were younger it was tougher to find the time and I am extremely grateful that I now have this opportunity to represent the PGA of Australia,” he adds.
“Playing has not only been of benefit to my status as a PGA Professional but it makes me a happier and healthier person.
“It is my stress relief and my joy.
“I’d encourage everyone to play in the PGA Professionals Championship and to do so guilt-free.
“You never know where it might take you.”
There is a change to the qualifying criteria for the PGA Professionals Championship in 2022.
State-based qualifying will only be required if there is an excess of entries for the PPC Final at Yarra Yarra Golf Club in Melbourne from October 10-11.
To enter the PGA Professionals Championship Final visit the Tournaments and Events section of the Member website.
