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The two Williams, Bayliss and Flitcroft, conquered a new format to win the NSW/ACT Foursomes Championship for 2023.
Bayliss, an Associate Professional at Pymble Golf Club who competed in last week’s ISPS HANDA Australian Open, and Flitcroft, the Assistant Professional at Manly Golf Club, shot 9-under-par 62 in Canadian Foursomes in the first year that the event has been played as a standalone competition.
Strathfield Golf Club played host to 34 PGA Professionals who not only had the chance to compete against other, but also the opportunity to come together, network and catch up before the Christmas/New Year period.
Rounding out the top five placings were runners-up Kurt Stegbauer/Henry Brind from Brighton Lakes Golf Club (66) followed by Lee Hunt/Adam Naaman from Bankstown Golf Club, Sam Pasquali/Dylan Thompson and the 2022 winners Jordan Mullaney/Jason Perkin, who all returned 4-under 67s.
The 2024 NSW/ACT PGA Foursomes event will again be played in November/December and will follow suit with the Canadian Foursomes format and relaxed/networking catch up theme.
The NSW/ACT PGA Associate Championship is headed back to Tura Beach Country Club for three more years.
After a successful championship at the venue this year, the PGA of Australia (NSW/ACT division) has partnered with Tura Beach Country Club to be the host venue of the NSW/ACT championship from 2024 to 2026.
Players, PGA staff and the Tura Beach community gave overwhelming positive feedback following the 2023 event this August and are more than happy to be back.
PGA Membership Manager for NSW/ACT, Paul Sainsbury is pleased to be headed back to Tura Beach for the next three years.
“Tura Beach Country Club hosted us earlier this year for our State PGA Associate Championship and they did an amazing job at doing so,” he said.
“The players, their support personnel and PGA were welcomed to their club and community with open arms, and it was certainly a reason why we expressed an interest in going back.
“We wanted to enter a long-term agreement with a golf club for this championship to secure the future of the event over the next three years with a view of increasing prize money as well to attract the best PGA Associates from around the country to play our event.”
Along with the venue partnership, the prize purse for the next three-years will increase to $50,000, from the current $35,000, to match the Queensland and Victoria PGA Associate Championship events.
The community at Tura Beach Country Club are also pleased to have their beautiful course and facilities showcased for the long-term. Head professional, Loraine Lambert says the club is excited.
“Tura Beach is not just a pure challenge but a delight to play whether you’re the next Australian Open Champion or a newbie to the game of golf,” she said.
“As a proud PGA member and current head professional, I’m delighted to host the up-and-coming NSW/ ACT Associates Championships to Tura Beach Country Club for the next 3 years.”
Nudgee Golf Club and Yarrawonga-Mulwala Golf Club will both take a two-shot advantage into day two of The Scramble Championship Final at Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club on the Gold Coast.
Two nett eagles to start and four closing birdies gave Nudgee the Round 1 lead of the Women’s Scramble Championship Final as Yarrawonga tallied seven net eagles in their round to lead The Scramble Championship Final.
Led by PGA Professional Chris Duke, the team of Lisa-Maree Jones, Lara Forster, Wendy Edmiston and Brooke O’Keeffe had 11-under par off the stick for a 16.7-under par 53.3 total with their cumulative 5.7 handicap.
With shots on the two opening holes which they birdied, the Nudgee team were 4-under through two holes before coolling off slightly with four straight pars.
They would have only one par, though, in their final 12 holes, finishing with a flurry of four birdies on holes they did not get shots on.
They will start the second round on Wednesday 2.8 shots ahead of defending champions Launceston Golf Club (56.1) with less than a shot separating Lucindale Country Club (58), Mosman Park Golf Club (58.2) and Rossdale Golf Club (58.8).
“Definitely a nice way to start things off,” Chris Duke said of their two early birdies.
“We had a good practice round yesterday and had a good look at the course and it’s always nice to get off to a good, strong start to start the week off.”
Round 1 of The Scramble Championship Final is in the books 📙#SCF23 pic.twitter.com/fIa9OA2giy
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) December 5, 2023
Making full use of their combined handicap of nine, the Yarrawonga team of PGA Associate Dale Crothers, Fletcher Kelly, Jason Hanson, Lachlan Thompson and Scott Thompson made seven net eagles and eight further birdies for an adjusted total of 22-under par 48.
That gives them a 2.1-shot buffer from Tasmania’s Ulverstone Golf Club (50.1) with Kooindah Waters (50.4), Ballina (50.9), Willunga (51) and Concord (51.1) all well within reach heading into Round 2.
A two-time winner of the PGA Victorian/Tasmanian Associate Championship, Crothers was given the major credit for providing so many birdie opportunities but it was his amateur partners who delivered on the greens.
“I only had three putts for the day, one of which was from off the green so that shows how well these guys putted,” Crothers said.
“We had a good mix off the tee. Got them all done pretty early and from there our iron game was pretty good too.
“It was just a good all round team effort.”
Four teams had the rare feat of recording a nett albatross during their opening rounds.
Ulverstone and Concord both made eagles with a shot at the par-5 first, Bunbury made eagle at the par-5 14th while Willunga made eagle at the par-4 15th with a shot.
Round 2 of The Scramble Championship Final tees off at The Palms Golf Course at Sanctuary Cove from 7:15am Wednesday morning.
Four WA farmers have traded tractors for golf carts at The Scramble Championship Final on the Gold Coast, accompanied by the most fitting PGA Professional possible.
A PGA Member for more than 30 years, Mostyn Farmer was drafted in to join the Albany Golf Club team of Steven and Michael Long, George Liddiard and Nathan Willmott when the quartet qualified for the Regional Final at Araluen Country Club.
They arrived at the final hole with no option but to take George’s tee shot at the par-3 16th.
So nervous he mistakenly walked to the forward tee before realising his mistake, George stepped in and hit his shot to eight feet. He backed that up by draining the putt for birdie that would clinch their spot to a week-long celebration of golf at the InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort and Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club.
“That was all he did all day!” Michael asserts.
The 26 teams taking part The Scramble Championship Final in both the Mixed and Womens divisions spent Monday afternoon playing a practice round at The Palms golf course, readying themselves for Round 1 on Tuesday morning.
Nathan and Michael left their harvest of wheat, canola and barley early to spend a week playing golf on the Gold Coast while Steve puts his attendance midway through the harvest down to a sympathetic boss who is a “golf tragic”.
For most teams, such as the four farmers from Western Australia, being here is the greatest victory of all.
“We were like, ‘Let’s be honest, if we fluke it, we fluke it’,” Michael says of their win by 0.1 point at Araluen.
“We all played the day before and pretty much shot 100. We thought we may as well go home,” George adds.
Making their qualification all the more remarkable is that fact that when the four do swap the farm for the fairways, they play on sand scrapes at Tambellup and Gnowangerup golf clubs four hours south-east of Perth.
Nathan was married three days before the Regional Final at Araluen, but first they needed a PGA Professional.
Which is where the fifth Farmer comes in.
“I was the Adopt-A-Pro for the second Albany team at Araluen. They picked me up on the roadside on the way past,” Mostyn jokes.
“Country guys are always pretty cool. I did a lot of teaching in the country when I was younger. Normally if they like their golf, they like a drink as well.”
As the resident Professional at the host club at Albany, Michael Draper had the option to represent the club at the Championship Final but stood aside so that Mostyn could attend for the first time.
“I’ve come quite close. Maybe 0.1 or it was eighths-of-a-point back then,” Mostyn recalls of his near-misses in previous Scrambles.
“We had the same situation one year. One guy had to hit the drive on the last but he didn’t do quite such a good a job as George and he cold-topped it off the tee and didn’t get past the ladies.
“We ended up making par on that hole at Joondalup and missed by point-nothing.
“It’s great to get to the final and come and be part of all of this.”
So do any team members feel guilty about ditching the farm at the busiest time of year for a week of golf and functions every night?
“The conscience is clear,” George insists.
Round 1 of The Scramble Championship Final tees off at 7:15am Tuesday morning at The Palms golf course at Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club.
For live scores, visit thescramble.com.au.
The irony is that the character trait that prevented Peewee Moke from forging a career in the NRL is now the driving force in his quest to become a PGA Professional.
A schoolboy star at the famed rugby league finishing school at Endeavour Sports High in Sydney, Moke mixed with future greats of the game as he neared a senior call-up.
He was an Australian Schoolboys representative alongside the likes of Greg Inglis, Kade Snowden and Blake Green and a standout in a Sydney Roosters team led by Jamie Soward that went through the 2004 Jersey Flegg season undefeated.
That next off-season he trained alongside first grade stars such as Craig Fitzgibbon, Luke Ricketson and Anthony Minichiello, yet the NRL debut never came.
Moke found out the hard way that hard work beats talent when talent refuses to work hard.
“Talent got me a long way, but my work ethic was pretty poor when I was young,” Moke admits.
“When you get to the NRL you get really found out if you don’t put in the work and that’s what happened to me.
“I was close at the Roosters. Looking back now, all I really needed to do was to turn up to training and put in my best effort.”
He spent years in lower grade teams attached to NRL clubs at the Roosters, Sharks, Panthers and Bulldogs before a short stint playing bush footy in Temora in the state’s south-west.
Back-to-back ACL injuries at 23 years of age stalled his progress but the dream of playing in the NRL didn’t suddenly end; it simply dissipated over time.
A part-time interest since his days at school, golf became Moke’s competitive outlet.
After completing shifts working security at 5am, Moke would be on the first tee at Moore Park Golf Club in Sydney’s eastern suburbs by 6.30am, four days a week.
He got lessons and such was his passion for the game, he made enquiries about the PGA’s Membership Pathway Program. However, his handicap was not yet at a level where he could apply to begin the MPP.
It was then, with the support and encouragement of his fiancée, that Moke was told of the Golf Performance Program.
A gateway to the MPP, the Golf Performance Program incorporates the first year of Associate study with a golf improvement program designed to get the player’s handicap down to the required level.
Moke only began the program in July but is already displaying the traits necessary to be successful, those same traits that eluded him as a talented teenage footballer.
“Peewee is a great student to have,” says Michael Cooney, a PGA Professional guiding students through the program.
“His professional background in rugby league helps because when gym starts at 7.30, he’s there at 7 o’clock doing extras and he’s finishing half an hour later doing extras. It’s the same with his education and with his golf.
“With everything that he does, there is time, effort and dedication. In that regard, he’s top of the class.”
Given his experience in rugby league and his Samoan heritage, Moke is determined to improve his golf, obtain his PGA qualifications and encourage other Polynesians to take up the game.
“With all of the experience that I have of being in that professional environment, coming up as a junior and knowing the pitfalls that I fell into, I would like to think that if I get the chance to be a coach down the road that I could help a junior coming through and help them to understand what is coming for them,” Moke adds.
“That’s what I see myself doing and I feel like I can help inspire the younger generation.
“Polynesian kids might not feel that golf is an option for them.
“If they see someone such as myself, a golf instructor from a similar background, it might inspire them to take it up.”
For more information on the PGA’s Golf Performance Program click here.
Years before Janine Barney obtained her qualifications as a PGA Professional, she was helping to bring women into golf.
A representative hockey player for Queensland and Australia, an ACL injury and motherhood sent Barney looking for a new competitive outlet.
She found it in golf, and soon found friends eager to join her.
The big appeal for her friends was that they had someone other than their partners to guide their initial entry into the game.
“A lot of my friends and former hockey teammates would say to me, ‘Can you teach me to play golf because when I go with my husband we fight’,” Barney recalls.
“That was a common thread, so I started teaching a few of my friends.”
That interaction encouraged Barney to lower her handicap to the point where she could complete the PGA’s Membership Pathway Program, a feat she achieved under Jared Love at Windaroo Lakes Golf Club south of Brisbane in 2017.
She has been a fixture there ever since, creating the ‘Golf Fore Women’ program with the sole purpose of creating a welcoming environment within golf for women to come into.
“I think it’s really important to make them feel welcome,” says Barney.
“I can see them pull up in the car park and I can tell that a lot of the time the poor things just want to get back in the car and go home.
“I make sure that I greet them, I send out an e-mail the night before to confirm that they are booked in and that it is going to be fun.
“You’ve got some women who are confident of doing things by themselves but I think 90 per cent of them are very nervous about turning up for the first time.”
One of those was Janelle Spence, a long-time employee of the PGA who had to overcome her own insecurities to attend one of Barney’s clinics.
Admitting to that sense of fear of embarrassing herself in front of other beginners, Spence is now a regular at Barney’s clinics having connected at a recent Women’s Golf Network event on the Gold Coast.
“Janine had been trying for a number of years to get me along to one of her clinics but I just couldn’t get past that fear of failure,” Spence reveals.
“All of the ladies at the Women’s Golf Network clinic were like me, new to the game and just wanted to whack the ball to get it somewhere.
“Once I saw how nervous they were and how Janine interacted with them to make them feel welcome, I knew my time had come.”
Such is the impact that Barney has had on women through golf, she was recently recognised as one of 2023’s 50 Most Inspiring Women in South-East Queensland by the Courier-Mail.
Yet those who nominated her did so as much for what she had given them away from the golf course as much as their interactions on the golf course.
“The nicest thing that anyone can say to you is that you have changed their lives. And these three ladies said to me that I’d changed their lives,” Barney says of her unexpected recognition.
“They may be new to the area, they didn’t have any friends, they wanted to meet some people, they were feeling lonely, all that sort of thing.
“We started a Messenger group from the clinics and now they go to the driving range together, they go out to dinner together, they go on holidays together, it’s that connection.
“When I started golf I thought it was all about the golf, but it’s not. The golf’s a small part of it. It’s that social connection and making friends.”
Eighteen outstanding individuals and organisations were honoured at the 2023 NSW Golf Industry Awards at The Crown Barangaroo overnight.
Golf NSW, Jack Newton Junior Golf (JNJG), the NSW Golf Course Superintendents Association, Golf Management Australia – NSW, and the PGA of Australia – NSW/ ACT Division celebrated the finest contributions to the sport over the past 12 months.
Two of the State’s foremost prospects, Cameron Davis and Grace Kim, are the 2023 Golf NSW Male and Female Players of the Year.
Kim, a member of Avondale Golf Club, secured her first win on the LPGA Tour with a breakout performance in the Lotte Championship at the Hoakalei Country Club in Oahu, Hawaii, to claim Female Player of the Year.
Impressive finishes in the Women’s PGA Championship (13th) and the Women’s US Open (14th) saw the 22-year-old from Greenacre climb to a career-high 55th place on the Rolex Rankings.
US-based Cameron Davis claimed the Male Player of the Year award for his impressive run, which began with his appearance in the 2022 Presidents Cup.
The former Roseville local and an ambassador for Monash Country Club also made the finals of the US PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs this year.
Jim Byrnes received the Golf NSW Volunteer of the Year Award. As a team manager, organiser and benefactor, Mr Byrnes has been a stalwart of the St. Michael’s Golf Club’s representative scene for many years. A one-time director of the Little Bay Club, Mr Byrnes also readily volunteered time to support national events at the Club, including this year’s Australian Amateur and the Interstate Teams Championship.
The Services to Golf in NSW was awarded to retiring Golf NSW Board Member and universally respected Rules Official, Mr Frank Gal. The award honours his tireless contribution to the sport as an administrator and untiring dedication to the game as a rules official at events ranging from junior competitions and interclub Pennant to State and National Championships.
The complete list of 2023 NSW Golf Industry Award Winners are:
Golf NSW
Club of the Year – Metropolitan, presented by Nano Bubble Technology: Long Reef Golf Club
Club of the Year – Country, presented by Australian Super: Charlestown Golf Golf Club
Volunteer of the Year: Jim Byrnes
Player of the Year – Male: Cameron Davis
Player of the Year – Female: Grace Kim
Services to Golf in NSW: Frank Gal
Jack Newton Junior Golf
Junior Club Of the Year: Club Catalina Country Club.
PGA NSW
PGA NSW/ACT Tournament of the Year: Hawks Nest Beachside Pro-Am.
PGA NSW/ACT Coach of the Year – Game Development: Jason Laws (Jason Laws Golf Academy).
PGA NSW/ACT Coach of the Year – High Performance: Khan Pullen (Golf NSW).
PGA NSW/ACT Management Professional of the Year: Ben Russell (Long Reef Golf Club).
PGA NSW/ACT Club Professional of the Year: David Northey (Concord Golf Club).
GMA NSW
Future Leaders Scholarship: Geoff Black (Elanora Country Club).
Women’s Management Scholarship: Karah Chapman (Oatlands Golf Club).
Manager of the Year, Supported by MiClub: Andrew Laplain (Cumberland Country Golf Club).
Fellowship of GMA NSW Recipients: Kieran Semple (The Coast Golf Club) and Cathy Neagle (Elanora Country Club).
NSWGCSA
Outstanding Achievement Award, Sponsored by Living Turf: Dean Hopper (Lakeside Camden).
Assistant Superintendent of the Year, Sponsored by Waterwise Consulting: Charlie Bolte (Cromer Golf Club).
Superintendent of the Year, Sponsored by Australian Turf Projects: Malcolm Harris (Northbridge Golf Club).
The PGA of Australia is saddened to advise of the passing of PGA Life Member, Peter Ormsby. Ormsby passed away in his sleep with family by his side on Wednesday, October 25, aged 70.
Part of a legendary sporting family in South Australia, Ormsby impacted the game of golf in countless ways in his 47 years as a member of the PGA of Australia.
Ormsby undertook his PGA apprenticeship at Glenelg Golf Club under legendary South Australian Professional, Murray Crafter, and was then appointed Professional at Riverside Golf Club – now West Lakes Golf Club – in 1975.
For the next nine years he did countless trips to country golf clubs in his bright yellow Sundowner panel van and trailer, giving free clinics and private lessons, merchandising and promoting golf in country regions. Some of the clubs that became regular stops were Port Augusta, Cummins, Kimba, Pinnaroo, Bordertown and Broken Hill to name a few.
He opened the first of four off-course stores in Adelaide in 1982 and a fifth in Darwin in 1989. Having visited the US PGA Merchandise Show on multiple occasions, he could see that a Golf Superstore was the ideal way to showcase a wide variety of equipment, apparel and accessories.
The opening of Pete’s Golf Superstore was the culmination of years of planning and experience and had great support from South Australian golfers. This decision was then the new benchmark within the retail golf industry in Australia.
In 2007, Pete’s Golf was sold, providing Ormsby with the opportunity to build a new pro shop, golf academy and driving range at Adelaide Shores, employing numerous PGA Members.
He developed and produced the Swingyde training aid that has been used by the likes of American superstars Zach Johnson, Charles Howell III and Paula Creamer, along with his son Wade, who won his fourth professional tournament at the International Series Thailand in March.
Wade shared the news of his father’s passing on Thursday morning.
“It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts we let you know of Dad’s passing,” Wade wrote.
“He passed away peacefully in his sleep yesterday with his family right by his side holding him tight.
“No words will explain the pain we feel right now… but thank you for all your love, support, prayers and friendship over the last month.”
PGA of Australia CEO, Gavin Kirkman, paid tribute to the contribution that Ormsby made not only to the organisation, but to the game of golf in Australia.
“Peter embodied everything that it means to be a PGA Professional,” said Kirkman.
“He was passionate about the game of golf, passionate about sharing the game with others but also had a shrewd business acumen that helped to make golf instruction and golf equipment more accessible to the general public.
“He was a highly respected member of the PGA of Australia, loving husband to Cheryl and devoted father to Wade and Jordan.
“His impact on Australian golf will never be forgotten and we are deeply saddened by his passing.”
Ormsby was made a Life Member of the PGA of Australia in 2014 and in 2018 was honoured for his Service to the South Australian Golf Industry at the South Australian Golf Industry Awards.
Ormsby is survived by his wife Cheryl, and sons Wade and Jordan.
The coveted Golf Club of the Year was just one of five awards bestowed upon Nudgee Golf Club at the 2023 Queensland Golf Industry Awards at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre on Thursday night.
A total of 460 guests from all areas of the golf industry gathered to celebrate the year’s best performers and another impressive year of growth for the game of golf in Queensland.
Cameron Smith’s coach, Grant Field, was again acknowledged as the Coach of the Year (High Performance) while The Brisbane Golf Club’s Asha Hargreaves was named Coach of the Year (Game Development).
But it was a night of celebration for Nudgee Golf Club in Brisbane’s northern suburbs.
In addition to receiving the Golf Club of the Year, Nudgee General Manager Darren Richards was named PGA Management Professional of the Year, outgoing president Paul Rigby received the Board Member of the Year award, recently departed Assistant Superintendent Scott McComas received the Assistant Superintendents Recognition Award and Course Superintendent Peter Culross won the Superintendents Environment and Safety Excellence Award.
Given what the club and its members have had to endure for the past decade with the compulsory acquisition of 10 per cent of its land for the widening of the Gateway Motorway and subsequent construction of two new golf courses, Richards said it was recognition that everyone at the club played a part in.
“Tonight caps off what has been a period of great transition for Nudgee Golf Club in a way we could not have imagined,” said Richards.
“Our members have been extremely patient as the Nudgee Golf Club Board navigated a challenging time that has, ultimately, given us two new golf courses and enabled us to become the home of the Queensland PGA Championship.
“I am proud to accept my award as PGA Management Professional of the Year but I am even more proud of Paul Rigby being acknowledged as Board Member of the Year, the Recognition Award given to our former Assistant Superintendent Scott McComas and for Peter Culross receiving the Superintendents Environment and Safety Excellence Award.
“It is through their tireless efforts and the contribution of every single staff member that Nudgee Golf Club can proudly accept our recognition as Golf Club of the Year.”
Another club to leave with multiple awards was Oxley Golf Club.
Known for its innovative ways in which it has engaged not only its golfers but members of the community, Oxley General Manager Aaron Muirhead received the Distinguished Manager Award and Course Superintendent Glenn Beauclerc the recipient of the Superintendents Achievement Award.
Justice Bosio and Quinn Croker were named Female and Male Amateur Golfer of the Year respectively and journalist David Newbery’s four decades of contribution to the coverage of golf saw him receive the Services to Golf honour.
Award winners
2023 PGA Queensland Coach of the Year – High Performance: Grant Field
2023 PGA Queensland Coach of the Year – Game Development: Asha Hargreaves
2023 PGA Queensland Club Professional of the Year: Christopher Graham (Ocean Shores CC)
2023 PGA Queensland Management Professional of the Year: Darren Richards (Nudgee GC)
2023 Tournament of the Year: Wynnum Pro-Am
2023 Metropolitan Tournament of the Year: Redcliffe Pro-Am
2023 Regional Tournament of the Year: Rockhampton Pro-Am
2023 Legends Tournament of the Year: PNG Senior Open
2023 Golf Course Turf Apprentice of the Year Award: Ethan Vickery (Rowes Bay GC)
2023 Golf Course Assistant Superintendents Recognition Award: Scott McComas (Nudgee GC)
2023 Superintendents Achievement Award: Glenn Beauclerc (Oxley GC)
2023 Superintendents Environment and Safety Excellence Award: Peter Culross (Nudgee GC)
2023 Superintendents Industry Recognition Award: Darryl Edwards (Burleigh GC)
2023 Golf Club Staff Member of the Year: Suzanne Walker (Twin Waters GC)
2023 Golf Club Board Member of the Year: Paul Rigby (Nudgee GC)
2023 Golf Club of the Year: Nudgee Golf Club
2023 Distinguished Manager Award: Aaron Muirhead (Oxley GC)
2023 Male Amateur Golfer of the Year: Quinnton Croker
2023 Female Amateur Golfer of the Year: Justice Bosio
2023 Junior Female Amateur Golfer of the Year: Sarah Hammett
2023 Junior Male Amateur Golfer of the Year: Harry Takis
2023 Volunteer of the Year: Rob Bailo (Maleny GC)
2023 Golf Club of the Year (Under 400 Members): Bulimba Golf Club
2023 Golf Supplier of the Year: CPR Group
2023 Services to Golf Award: David Newbery
2023 Junior Golf Program of the Year Award: Keperra Country Golf Club
Photos: Kurt Thomson
TJ King has backed up his opening-round 67 with a steady 69, to lead the field by three shots on day two at the PGA Professional Championship at the Heritage in Melbourne.
The 26-year-old Queenslander is looking to go one better after finishing second last year, and is keen to have another shot at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship.
King now holds a commanding lead over Matt Docking, who’s running second and shot a two-under 70 today, to get to five-under. Western Australia’s Ethan Andrew is the only other player under par at two-under.
Preferred lies were put in place today, which helped players who were experiencing a bit of mud trouble on day one.
Although the sun was out, the wind was up at The Heritage, and despite his score King explained it was a tough day on the course.
“It was a grind today. I didn’t have my best stuff but the putter kept me in it,” he said.
“It was a different wind today. Some of the holes played downwind when yesterday they were into… some holes just played a bit easier on the eye.”
While trying not to think about the two spots up for grabs in the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship, King would love a another chance to get back there.
“That’d be cool. One more day to go though. Hopefully come out and just hit good shots, hole some putts and see what happens.”
A multiple champion of this event, Matt Docking is no stranger to being in the final group, and although he is three shots back, he’ll be looking to lean on his experience to chase down King.
Similar to King, Docking felt he didn’t quite have his best today but is happy to be in the position he is heading into the final day.
“Wasn’t quite as tidy today. I had a little messy period on three and four, but actually managed to get away with a bogey and a par there,” he said.
Ethan Andrews, Teaching Professional at Marangaroo will join King and Docking in the final group tomorrow, after a three-under 69 on day two.
The West Australian is currently six-shots back from King, but is well aware that anything can happen on the final day of a championship.
“The course is amazing, it’s so picturesque that you actually get lost when you’re out there which is nice,” he said.
“If I play well, I play well and I can get a spot (in the Australian PGA), if not I’m still out there having fun.”
King and Docking have never played with each other before, but a friendly dinner on Tuesday night has them both confident they will have a fun round on day three.
Players will be seeded on day three, with the leaders teeing off around 9:30am. To follow the scoring live, click here.
