The Assistant Professional at Castle Hill Country Club and competitor on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia has been burnt once before, in the stands as a 20-year-old with his father when the Eels went down to Melbourne in the 2009 decider.

They will be the underdogs again when they run out against the Penrith Panthers on Sunday evening seeking to end a 36-year premiership drought.

Edge’s uncle, Steve Edge, captained Parramatta to their very first premiership in 1981 and his father David also played for the club.

Although he was born in Penrith and worked in a golf shop frequented by Panthers players, Edge was only ever going to be a Parra fan.

“I was never a chance of following else,” he says emphatically.

“When I was a kid, Steve was still working for the club in Parra.

“Any time one of the corporate boxes wasn’t filled in the ‘90s and 2000s it seemed to be my mum, my dad, my brother and I sitting in a corporate box watching Parramatta.

“They were a good time back then that never quite got over the line and I got to meet them all and everything so it was pretty cool.”

Given his family history and 6’3” frame, Edge is asked of his rugby league background every time he tees it up in pro-ams across the country.

The career-ending injuries suffered by both his father and uncle and his mum’s insistence that he was “too little” to play footy helped to sway Alex towards golf at 12 years of age.

His grandparents on his mother’s side were both committee members at Springwood Country Club which is where he would first join as a cadet.

He has been told of his father pushing him around the golf course in a pro-am as a toddler and was hooked from the moment he started playing.

“Once I showed a bit of enthusiasm and ability at golf, my mum especially was pretty happy for me to stop playing footy,” adds Edge, whose best finish on the PGA Tour of Australasia last season was a tie for 21st at the NSW Open at Concord.

“Every pro-am I play – especially if we play in Queensland – every single time without question – and it happens in WA too because they call it rugby – everyone says, ‘Gee you must have played some footy.’

“The last time I scored a try was when I was 12 so a long time ago.

Inspired by the performances of close mate Daniel Gale and encouraged by the work he has done since joining the John Serhan coaching stable, Edge is hoping to make a strong early impression when the 2022/2023 season begins in Kalgoorlie in a fortnight.

But first, there’s a game to watch.

“Part of me has been pushing not too hard to try and get a ticket to save myself from the feeling in case it goes the wrong way,” concedes Edge, whose brother James is also a PGA Professional.

“I’m a massive Tiger Woods fan so when he won the ‘19 Masters, I feel like if they were to win it’s going to be a similar feeling.

“I’m more desperate for them to win the grand final but a close second is being desperate to go see them win it.”