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Mitchell Smith has held onto to his overnight lead after day two of the PGA Professionals Championship National Final, with the stage set for a thrilling final day at Heritage Golf and Country Club tomorrow.
Smith was able to back up his day one 67 with a 2-under 70 today to lead the championship by one at 7-under. Fellow Queenslander Samuel Eaves shot the round of the day, a 6-under 66, to catapult himself to second on the leaderboard.
A further shot back at 5-under is New South Welshman Alexander Simpson, with Queenslander Brenton Fowler and defending champion Matt Docking looming at 4-under, Docking bouncing back from a sluggish opening round with a 5-under 67 today.
In his first National Final, Smith is showing no signs of nerves, however he has two very well credentialled players in Eaves and Docking on his back as he looks to make it a debut to remember tomorrow.
Eaves is very happy to be in contention, the ex-pro from Warwick Golf Club now real estate agent says that he is enjoying his golf more than ever at the moment.
“It’s a nice change, and when I get out and have a game, I just love it more than I ever have and I’m sort of playing better than I ever have too,” he said.
“When I get out there it’s exciting, it’s like being a kid again really.”
Eaves managed five birdies in a row on the Heritage St. John back nine today, that flurry singlehandedly getting the Queenslander into contention.
“It was nice to hit them close where you just had to tap them in and not really think too much about the putt in front of you,” he said.
Having multiple top-25 finishes at the BMW Australian PGA Championship, and a second and third in this championship already, Eaves is hungry to finish the job and earn himself another start in Brisbane next month.
Also hunting down Smith tomorrow will be Docking, the four-time champion keen to etch his name into the trophy yet again and book another trip to Brisbane.
“I was just really anxious yesterday. It was one of those days where I just couldn’t shake it off,” said the defending champion. “But no, felt back to myself today.”
As the Head Professional at Murray Downs, this year’s host of the NSW Open, Docking has been extended an invitation to play that event, and says the prospect of booking himself another trip to Brisbane is made all the more exciting off the back of that.
“I would love to get back there, because playing here this week, then we’ve got New South Wales Open in three weeks and then into that, so I would actually have a bit of golf under my belt, so that’d be something special,” he said.
