Mt. Tamborine Golf Club Trainee Professional Neville Hogan will be the player to beat as the Pampling Plate heads into the match play rounds.

Hogan tamed the challenging Caboolture layout firing rounds of 70, 68 for a 4-under par total to be the lead qualifier by an astonishing eight shots.

Last year’s runner-up Sam Price finished in a distant second following rounds of 72, 74, while Chris Crooks and defending champion Jacob Boyce finished in a tie for third.

In only his first year as a PGA Trainee, Hogan has enjoyed a number of solid performances, but nothing to the extent of his performance in today’s 36 hole qualifying.

“The key to my performance today was my ball striking. I only missed one green throughout the 36 holes which not only gave me a number of looks at birdie, but more importantly kept the blemishes off my card,” said Hogan.

“It was great to have my dad on the bag today, it was a mighty effort for him to walk the 36 holes, but the advice he gave to me throughout the day was invaluable.

“Qualifying really counts for nothing as we head into the match play rounds and there’s not going to be any easy matches. I really enjoy competing in match play and if I keep playing as well as I am, hopefully the results will take care of themselves.”

Other Trainees to watch throughout the opening rounds of match play will be defending Pampling Plate champion Jacob Boyce as well as last year’s runner-up Sam Price.

“It hasn’t been one of my best years on the golf course so far, but I am looking to turn it all around this week at the Pampling Plate, a course that I have played well around in recent years,” said Boyce.

“Match play is such a different game to stroke play. You can play great and lose and you can play bad and win. You just never know.

“I have put the putter that I used to win last year back in my bag this week, so hopefully it will be a good omen for me.”

The shot of the day belonged to Wynnum Golf Club Trainee Professional Thomas Callender, who recorded a hole-in-one at the par 3, 12^th hole after a perfectly executed 5 iron.

The round of 32 match play tees off this morning, followed by the round of 16 in the afternoon.

For all scores from the 2017 Pampling Plate please click here.