Round 2 #VicPGA action underway

Australia’s finest golfers have commenced round 2 at the #VicPGA at RACV Cape Schanck Resort.

Challenging conditions of heavy winds and light rain look set to settle in and test the resolve of the field.

Check out how yesterday’s round 1 action unfolded:

A dominant 6-under 64 handed young gun Brady Watt a two-stroke advantage following the first round of the Victorian PGA Championship at RACV Cape Schanck Resort.

And a veteran has wound back the clock with an extraordinary par 3 hole-in-one.

Combating blustery conditions, Watt produced an impressive three-birdie, two-eagle round that has catapulted the former world no.1 amateur into contention of securing his first ISPS HANDA Tour of Australasia victory.

“I’m thrilled. I saw the forecast at the start of the week and knew the practice rounds weren’t going to be helpful in adapting to the conditions,” Watt said.

“Luckily I have a few friends that work down here, so over the winter we played a lot of rounds to better understand the conditions and pins.”

The 29-year-old is clear of New Zealander Denzel Ieremia and 2019 TX Civil & Logistics WA PGA champion Darren Beck, who both shot 4-under 66.

Six players are tied for 4^th with reigning Vic PGA champion Aaron Pike, Jarryd Felton, Michael Sim, Michael Wright, Jason Norris and Aaron Wilkin all scoring 3-under 67.

Watt was last year absent from competitive golf, opting to have a gap year after five years competing in Latino America and on Canada’s Mackenzie Tour.

He said time away from the game was the “ultimate reset”, where he also worked at his parents’ cleaning company and got “a taste of the normal life”.

“I’m feeling great. Today has given me confidence. I’m looking forward to the challenge of tomorrow,” he said.

After being 6-over the card as he switched to the front nine, Terry Pilkadaris clawed his way back up the leaderboard, thanks to an incredible ace on the seventh hole.

Using a 7-iron, Pilkadaris overshot the green, but a fortuitous slope guided the ball into the cup.

“I definitely needed that ace to get me back in the game. It’s my 13^th hole-in-one across my career. Hopefully it brings me more luck,” Pilkadaris said.

Last year’s winner Pike, who shot a bogey-free 67, highlighted the difficulty in mastering the Mornington Peninsula course.

He said patience was paramount in taming the brutal undulating resort.

“My secret to winning out hear is whoever is the most patient. You’re going to get beat up by this golf course. The weather’s gonna get ya. Most of the guys beat themselves before they let the golf course beat them,” Pike said.

“I played well late, but realistically that was probably the worst score I could’ve had. I missed about three putts inside four or five feet, which is normally a strength of my game.”

Felton launched to a promising start, hitting three front nine birdies before succumbing to the challenging course with a pair of bogeys.

“I was a little disappointing in the back nine, but I got off to a good start,” the 24-year-old said.

“I managed to putt a ball into a bunker today, which is a first. My game had to adapt to conditions…

The West Australian, who recently finished second at the WA PGA, credits his string of consistent performances to controlling his temper, recruiting a new mental skills coach that has reformed his emotions.

“I’ve changed my mental coach, which can be attributed to my good form,” he said.

“I do get angry on the course. I can identify these moments better and bring myself back. It’s definitely helped my game.”

The winner of the 2019 Vic PGA Championship will receive the bulk of the $125,000 prize course, as well as Official World Golf Ranking Points and full exemption onto the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia for the 2020 season, including a place in the PGA Championship field.

PGATV will be live streaming round three on Saturday (1pm-4pm AEDT) and Sunday’s round four (noon-5pm). Head to pga.org.au to catch all the action.

The Victorian PGA Championship returns to the ever-challenging RACV Cape Schanck Resort for the second year running. And the wild weather predicted across the weekend has opened the door for a number of resilient stars.

The Mornington Peninsula is bordered by beautiful coastline that can bring with it some chaotic weather. We’re expected the challenging conditions to wreak havoc from Friday, so just about anything could happen by the end of play – and boy can’t this place dish it out when it wants to!

But dealing with such conditions part and parcel of pro life, so it’s fitting that TI has assembled a list of players who think they can handle just about anything to give them the best chance of taking out the Victorian PGA Championship.

MICHAEL SIM
Third place in Kalgoorlie and a win at the WA Open are hard to ignore. Simmy isn’t the longest hitter on Tour, but around Cape Schanck it doesn’t matter. If he can hit it straight when the winds are blowing, you’re pretty much set. If he can do that again this week, TI thinks this guy is a chance. He just needs to avoid putting the schanck in Cape Schanck.

BEN CAMPBELL
Ben has been MIA on the Aussie Tour since the NZ Open in March to give himself a chance on the Asian Tour. A return to Aus might be just what the doctor ordered. The talented Kiwi should feel right at home on a course that is just as picturesque as his home layout of Millbrook Resort. If his track record on Aussie soil is anything to go by, he’s going to be hard to stop.

MARCUS FRASER
This part-timer had to be on my list when making this week’s selections. A solid debut in Kalgoorlie while battling jetlag boosted him up the rankings. But with ample time recalibrate, he’s capable at being at the business end when the whips are cracking. Experience and golf smarts will come in handy for Frase when the winds get up from Friday.

TERRY PILKADARIS
RACV Cape Schanck Resort can be an unforgiving beast and there’s no one better to tame the conditions than Mr Tour Tip Tuesdays himself. With all of those tips in his bag he’s sure to put on a showing at the Vic PGA. And if all else fails at least he’s got his Instagram influencer career to fall back on.

JAMES MARCHESANI
There won’t be anyone out at RACV Cape Schanck Resort this week that knows the layout better than this guy … except maybe his brother, Anthony. He lives a literal five minutes from the first tee and plays here every other day when he’s not in Asia, so TI thinks his strong course knowledge gives him a massive advantage. Keep an eye out for the locals cheering him on at the course from Thursday. TI’s heard his team has hired ‘Behavioural Awareness Officers’ to keep his unruly entourage in line.

To throw in a bit of a smokey pick, TI reckons New Zealand’s Mark Brown shouldn’t be discounted. He too has been absent from the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia recently, but don’t hold that against him. He could come from anywhere.

Be patient and hang in there for as long as you can.

This is Aaron Pike’s advice for those competing in the Victorian PGA Championship at RACV Cape Schanck Resort from 24-27 October.

The reigning champion, who won the 2018 tournament by one stroke in a down-to-the-wire finish, is adamant that the player who hedges his bets and plays smart on the picturesque Mornington Peninsula course is the most likely to claim the Jack Harris trophy.

For the 92 professionals teeing it up this week, Pike’s warning is one that should be heeded by all.

“I said it last year right from the outset. I played the practise round earlier in the week and turned to the boys and said, ‘it’s probably not going to be who plays the best round on this golf course that wins, it’s going to be the guy who is the most patient and who hangs in there the longest’,” Pike said.

“My only advice to anyone this year is exactly that again, it’s whoever is going to hang in there the longest.

“This place is difficult, it’s going to beat you up, the wind is going to get you. You’re not going to be perfect but you’ve just got to know that going into it. Otherwise, this place can get the better of you.”

Known for its undulating fairways, stunning views and rugged landscape, the par-70 Cape Schanck layout provides a test for all golfers.

Simple strategy was the key to Pike’s victory last year and is one he will apply yet again in 2019.

“Sunday was brutal playing this tournament last year,” he said.

“There was wind going everywhere, guys were having big numbers on holes, leads were changing and I didn’t really let any of that affect me, I just kept plugging away.

“By the end of it I walked up to Michael Sim on the last and said ‘what have I got to do’ and he said you’ve got to get up and down.

“So I hit it stiff and got up and down and won the hole so realistically it won the tournament.”

Set on the southernmost tip of the Mornington Peninsula, the course is susceptible to fierce winds and heavy rain, both of which are expected to hit the course in the tournament’s final three rounds.

The conditions will also prove a test for the 81 amateurs competing in pairs with professionals in the Victorian PGA Celebrity Amateur Challenge.

Setting a strong lead in warm, sunny conditions in Thursday’s opening round will be an important task when the teams combine for the 4 Ball Best Ball pro-am format, in which the top 25 teams will advance to Saturday’s third round and the top-eight advance to the final round on Sunday.

While looking to improve his mindset on the course, Pike believes the pro-am style could be to his advantage.

“I’ve always played quite well in this kind of format, I think it’s something that sits well with me and might relax me a bit more,” he said.

“I can joke around and have a bit of a chat with whoever I’m playing with, take my mind off things and maybe help them and give them a few tips.”

Celebrities competing in the challenge include tennis star Sam Groth, AFL legends Michael Roberts, Ryan Schoenmakers, Luke Breust, Dale Thomas, cricketer Damien Fleming and Australian TV personalities Scott McGregor, Keith Schleiger and Jesse Raeburn.

The winner of the 2019 Victorian PGA Championship will receive the lion’s share of the $125,000 prize purse as well as Official World Golf Ranking Points and full exemption onto the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia until the end of the 2020 season, including a place in the Australian PGA Championship field.

The final two rounds of the Victorian PGA Championship will be live-streamed on PGATV from 1pm AEDT on Saturday 26 October and 12pm AEST on Sunday 27 December.

For round one tee times visit pga.org.au.

Something has finally clicked for Michael Sim.

The former PGA TOUR player has honed his skills in practice and successfully translated them to the cutthroat pressure of a tournament setting, stringing together highly compelling performances in consecutive tournaments.

Fresh from winning the Nexus Risk WA Open on the Ladbrokes Pro-Am Series and a third-place at the TX Civil & Logistics WA PGA, Sim enters this week’s Victorian PGA Championship with the confidence that makes him a red hot contender.

In the tournament’s second staging at RACV Cape Schanck Resort on the Mornington Peninsula, the 34-year-old will aim to take advantage of the momentum in his favour.

“I haven’t played too much this year. Last week (WA Open) would have been my fifth tournament so it’s great to see the work I’ve been doing at home, work on the course,” Sim said.

“I’ve been working pretty hard and shooting some good numbers so it was nice to head to Kalgoorlie and have the game feel similar to when I was playing at home.

“I had set goals in the last two weeks to get into contention and I managed to do that. If I can get into contention and give myself another shot on Sunday I’d be very pleased with that.”

Building on a talent base that saw the 2017 Queensland Open champion win multiple tournaments on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2009, Sim believes his best golf is within reach following recent results, but maintains the challenges of the Cape Schanck layout will prove the biggest test.

“For me if I drive the ball well more so with accuracy rather than length. I’m not as long as some of the other guys out on tour, but if I can get the ball on the fairway and putt well, which I’ve done well for the last two weeks, it seems to set up my scoring really,” he said.

“Definitely in Kalgoorlie I drove it really straight and that gave me a lot of opportunities and last week was similar. There were plenty of birdies out there at Cottesloe and obviously at Cape Schanck this week, it all sort of revolves around the weather really.

“If it’s pretty calm you’ll see some low scoring and if the wind gets up it’ll play pretty tough.”

Yet another top-10 result would be of benefit for Sim’s Tour of Australasia Order of Merit standings as scheduling conflicts with overseas tour schools arise.

“I actually wasn’t supposed to play this week due to clashes with Japanese Q-School but I didn’t get my course preference so it means I’m going up on the 10th of November for the third stage,” he said.

“It’s looking like I’ll miss the Gippsland Super 6 tournament and the final stage clashes with the Australian Open so at this stage it’s likely I’ll miss two events coming up.

“That’s why I felt playing really well at Kalgoorlie has taken a bit of pressure off keeping my card. I think I was running about 50th and it has pushed me up to about 35th.”

On his quest for a second win on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, Sim will have to overcome a star-studded field, including former Olympian Marcus Fraser, PGA TOUR legend Nick O’Hern, 2019 New Zealand Open champion Zach Murray and recent Asian Tour winner Andrew Dodt.

A field of 92 professionals will tee it up at the Victorian PGA Championship at RACV Cape Schanck Resort from 24-27 October 2019.

Ladbrokes Pro-Am Series Order of Merit leader Tim Hart, Matthew Buff, Jason Kraan Ruben Lal, Tom Horan and Blake Collyer all earned a place in the field following Monday’s pre-qualifying.

Collyer fired an incredible 61, ear-marking him a big smokey at Thursday’s tournament.

In addition to the winner’s share of the $125,000 prize purse, the champion will receive Official World Golf Ranking Points and full exemption onto the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia until the end of the 2020 season.

The final two rounds of the Victorian PGA Championship will be live-streamed on PGATV from 12pm AEDT on Saturday 26 October and 11am AEDT on Sunday 27 December.

Dates for the 2019 Victorian PGA Championship and inaugural Gippsland Super 6 have been confirmed for the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia’s Victorian swing.

To be played from 24-27 October 2019, the Victorian PGA Championship is set to return to RACV Cape Schanck Resort for the second year in a row before play moves east for the first ever Gippsland Super 6 to be played at Yallourn Golf Club from 7 – 10 November.

“The Victorian PGA Championship and Gippsland Super 6 will play an important part in what is set to be a huge season of golf on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia,” said Simon Butterly, General Manager – Tournaments for the PGA of Australia.

“We are delighted to be returning to a world-class venue at RACV Cape Schanck Resort and to begin an exciting relationship with Yallourn Golf Club for the Gippsland Super 6, which, through the significant contribution of the Latrobe Valley Authority, promises to be an outstanding event for the whole Gippsland Region.”

“With only a week between each tournament, the events will provide the perfect lead-in to the 2019 summer of golf and give our players consistent opportunities on Tour.”

Competition at the Gippsland Super 6 will take place across three rounds of stroke play qualifying, where a field of 132 competitors will be reduced to the top-24 players, who will then compete in a six-hole, medal (stroke) match play format to determine a champion on the final day.

The Gippsland Super 6 will see the introduction of medal (stroke) match play, meaning all matches will go the distance over six holes where a winner will be determined, or, the match will continue to the deciding knockout hole.

The innovative six-hole format is quickly becoming a favourite amongst ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia players with the element of match-play standing out as a point of difference for competitors and spectators alike.

Play at the Victorian PGA Championship will once again take on a pro-am format where two professionals will be joined by two amateurs on course to form playing groups of four.

The tournament will also welcome the return of PGA TV to live stream the final two rounds of play at RACV Cape Schanck Resort, providing fans both interstate and overseas the opportunity to see the country’s up and coming talent in action at an iconic Victorian location.

“PGA TV has become a staple since debuting at the Victorian PGA Championship in 2017 and we are thrilled that it will be back in 2019,” added Butterly.

“Having the tournament live streamed around the world helps to grow the event itself and further puts the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and its players on the map.

“Likewise we are excited to debut an exciting new event in Gippsland and support a region that is so enthusiastic about our sport.”

An increase in prize money for the Victorian PGA Championship to $125,000 is yet another positive step forward for the tournament, while this amount will also be matched at the Gippsland Super 6 two weeks later.

With both events bookending the $100,000 Eynesbury Masters pro-am on the Ladbrokes Pro-Am Series, Victoria is set for a huge three weeks of golf.

Queensland based professional Aaron Pike has won his first professional tournament, taking out a thrilling edition of the Victorian PGA Championship at RACV Cape Schanck Resort.

Pike, who began the final round two shots off the lead, shot 2-under 68 to finish at 10-under the card.

He faced a nervous wait as New Zealander Ryan Chisnall played the 18^th hole in the group behind needing a birdie to force a playoff.

Chisnall could only manage par giving Pike the biggest win of his professional career.

“My first win and it feels pretty darn good! It was rollercoaster out there, as I was saying earlier in the week it was just going to be the guy who lasts the longest mentally out there and I feel as though I did really well at that,” said Pike who’s tournament consisted of rounds of 71, 65, 66 and 68 for his 10-under total.

“Today was probably the best I’ve played, but I didn’t make the most of my chances with the putter so to still get over the line is obviously a really good sign for myself.

“I was just grinding and grinding and grinding and wouldn’t let go so it was really good.”

Sunday saw gusty winds return to RACV Cape Schanck Resort and blowing from the north, which Pike says resulted in a slightly different golf course.

“It was gusty and it came from a different direction today, it was a bit from the north which you don’t see too often in Victoria, you only see that on days when it’s 40 degrees.

“So it was coming from the north and the course is a little bit different then all of a sudden you need to be really diligent with where your lines are.

“I had my fair share of things not go my way and a few things go my way. I think everyone else in the field would say the same thing, it was typical Mornington Peninsula golf, you just had to be on top of your game.”

Pike joins an illustrious list of Victorian PGA Championship winners including Marc Leishman who, in a slice of synchronicity, won the CIMB Classic on the PGA TOUR just hours after Pike recorded his win.

“There’s some guys on here like Nagle, Thompson, Roger Davis, Radar Riley, Marc Leishman, to have my name next to some of those guys is unbelievable,” added Pike.

“But that’s just what we play in Australia, we’ve got some of the best golfers in the world so I’m sure there’s a few guys used to that feeling across the country.

“It’s amazing my name is going to be on a trophy of this stature.”

Pike will now have a guaranteed start alongside Leishman at the Australian PGA Championship at RACV Royal Pines Resort from 29 November – 2 December as well as full exemption on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia until the end of the 2019 season.

That means he’ll receive automatic entry into four co-sanctioned tournaments with the European Tour and Asian Tour.

“That’s huge and that’s the benefit of our Tour, we’ve got co-sanctioned tournaments with the European Tour so if I play as well as I did here in one of those then who knows, I may be in Europe full time,” added Pike.

“Now all of a sudden I can set my schedule up and plan my year, potentially go to some Q-Schools and do a few different things. I’ll let the dust settle then go from there, it’s a bit surreal at the moment.”

Pike has entered the next two tournaments on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, the Nexus Risk TSA Group WA Open followed by the Isuzu Queensland Open in his adopted home town of Brisbane.

Norther Territory born, Pike has been handed the mantle of honorary defending champion of the title with good mate Michael Sim playing overseas at the time.

“I’ll definitely be playing the Queensland Open at Brisbane Golf Club. I’ve been instructed by the defending champion to hold defending champion rights, he’ll be playing in Japan. After this I think it’ll be a tough ask but I’ll certainly try my best,” Pike said with a laugh.

Finishing in second position was Ryan Chisnall at 9-under the card while fellow New Zealander Harry Bateman was third at 8-under the card.

Stephen Leaney, Matt Millar, Frazer Droop and Rick Kulacz all finished at 7-under the card in a tie for fourth.
To view the final leaderboard, visit pga.org.au.

Maverick Antcliff and amateur partner Danny Lovell won the Victorian PGA Championship Celebrity Challenge at 32-under the card, one shot ahead of Frazer Droop and Lukas Michel at 31-under the card. Full scores available at pga.org.au.

For his win, Pike receives $15,000 in prizemoney and moves to 41^st on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit. To view the full Order of Merit, visit pga.org.au.

The ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia now heads west for the Nexus Risk TSA Group WA Open from 25 – 28 October. View the full schedule at pga.org.au.

New Zealand’s Ryan Chisnall is on track for a wire-to-wire victory at RACV Cape Schanck Resort after his round of 3-under 67 handed him the outright lead in the Victorian PGA Championship.

Chisnall teed off for round three with West Australian Rick Kulacz and Victorian PGA Trainee Frazer Droop and the trio will play together in the final group on Sunday after an up and down round saw the lead change hands multiple times.

However a birdie on the 18^th hole proved enough for Chisnall to take the lead at 10-under the card.

“It was pretty tough out there and I was really struggling through the front-9, I had to try and really empty the tank on the back-9 and try to get as much as I could out of it,” said Chisnall who leads despite battling a nasty cough throughout the tournament.

“I’m not one hundred percent but I’m okay, the coughs annoying but in terms of health I feel okay, it is what it is, so I’ll keep moving forward.”

Fresh off a second place finish on the Charles Tour in New Zealand, Chisnall said he can feel a little momentum in his game heading into tomorrow’s final round.

“I’ve just taken consistency (from last week) I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing and hopefully it all gels tomorrow.”

Kulacz and Droop are tied at 9-under the card following rounds of 3-under 67 and 2-under 68 respectively.

“It was a good grind all day today, we had a great group out there with Ryan and Rick, then my partner in the amateur challenge Lukas so I’m looking forward to tomorrow with the same group,” said Droop, a second year PGA Trainee professional who won’t be overawed by the occasion on Sunday.

“It’s just business as usual; you’ve got to take it all in. Any chance you get to play in the last group on a Sunday is great and a home state title is even better.”

There’s a healthy pack chasing the leading group with the ever consistent Matt Millar, Darren Beck and Aaron Pike all tied for fourth position at 8-under the card.

The highlight of the day belonged to Ben Ford who hit his seventh career hole-in-one on the par-3 16^th from 139 metres with his 6-iron.

“I was lucky enough to hit second, my playing partner Adam Burdett hit a nice 5-iron which I thought was a little bit too much so I went back one and really punched it in there,” said Ford.

“It was just the perfect wind for me from the left and off the bat we knew it was going to be close, it landed above the flag and with the wind and how quick that green is it just trickled in.”

Ford is tied in seventh position with Andrew Martin at 7-under the card and still well in the hunt for the championship.

In the Victorian PGA Championship Celebrity Challenge, Frazer Droop and Lukas Michel lead at 28-under over Maverick Antcliff and Danny Lovell at 24-under.

Josh Younger and Campbell Neal are third at 23-under.

To view the full leaderboard, visit pga.org.au.

Ryan Chisnall, Frazer Droop and Rick Kulacz will tee off for round four at 11am, tee times are available at pga.org.au.

Entry is free all week for spectators with a Family Day to be hosted at RACV Cape Schanck Resort this Sunday providing plenty of free entertainment for the kids.

The final round will be broadcast live on PGA TV powered by TaylorMade from 11am AEDT Sunday 14 October.

Second year PGA Trainee professional Frazer Droop has smashed the course record at RACV Cape Schanck Resort in the second round of the Victorian PGA Championship for a share of the lead alongside New Zealander Ryan Chisnall.

Starting the day at 1-over the card, Droop rattled off five birdies, two eagles and a clutch bogey for his record breaking round of 8-under 62.

Droop, playing in the morning field, set the second round pace at 7-under the card, taking advantage of the calmer conditions compared to Thursday’s opening round gusts.

“I think around courses like this you can use the clubs in your favour if it’s not too strong,” said Droop who is a PGA Trainee at Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club under Head Professional and father Evan Droop.

“It’s a privilege to have a course record on any course. I just kept it on the straight and narrow today and took advantage of a little less wind to get a couple of birdies and I ended up making an eagle on the 13^th holing a wedge shot which got things going a bit.

“I actually hit my tee shot on 13 left into the long grass. I hit it out and couldn’t see over the hill, the boys said it looked on-line and we looked around the green but couldn’t find it so I thought I better check in the hole and there it was.”

The eagle wasn’t the only special hole of the round; Droop had a roller coaster ride on the tough par-4 15^th at RACV Cape Schanck which, under the circumstances, resulted in a spectacular bogey.

“I hit it right off the tee and it bounced off a cart path then ran down the hill a little bit into the scrub so I had to take an unplayable and go back on line of sight.

“I ended up going about 50 metres back and chipping back over the trees, landing on the cart path again and it bounced into the rough. I hit it on to the green to about 15-20 feet and ended up making the putt down the hill for bogey which was really good, one of the better bogeys for the week.”

Joining Droop is round one leader Ryan Chisnall who playing in the afternoon field recorded 2-under 68, to maintain a share of the lead.

“It was overall a pretty solid round, the wind obviously picked up a bit this afternoon which made it pretty demanding in a few areas but overall I’m extremely happy with the day,” said Chisnall.

“I’ve been playing a lot of irons off the tees and I think that’s almost how you’ve got to play this course, you can kind of shoot yourself in the foot if you’re slightly aggressive.

“I’m going to stick with that method; it’s been working well for me the first couple of days so I’m not going to change it.”

West Australian Rick Kulacz climbed to 6-under the card following his round of 4-under 66 to sit one shot behind Droop and Chisnall, he too taking plenty of irons off the tees at RACV Cape Schank Resort.

“It was just a bunch of irons off the tee, I went bogey free for the first time in a while, I just got it in the fairway, got it onto the greens and tried not to make big mistakes,” said Kulacz.

“It’s just a matter of getting your ball into play this week, you can rack up pretty big numbers with loose swings. I’ve been hitting 2-iron off most of the tees, even some of the par-5s and if I can get home in two I’ll lay it up and pitch it close.

“That’s been my mentality for the week and I’ll probably keep it like that as well.”

Following a round of 4-under 66, Victorian Ben Ford played himself into fourth place outright at 5-under the card.

Aaron Pike was also big mover in round two shooting 5-under 65 this morning to climb to 4-under the card. He is joined tied fifth on the leaderboard by Adam Burdett.

In the Victorian PGA Championship Celebrity Challenge event, Maverick Antcliff and Danny Lovell are leading at 18-under with Droop and Lukas Michel just behind at 17-under.

Josh Younger and Campbell Neal are tied with the team of Daniel Gale and Ozkan Sahin at 14-under.

Happy to be playing the weekend are Keith Schleiger and David Zaharakis with their playing partners Cameron John and Ben Ford respectively

To view the full leaderboard, visit pga.org.au.

The cut was made at 5-over the card with 58 professionals and two amateurs making the weekend rounds.

The Victorian PGA Championship will be played at RACV Cape Schanck Resort from 11-14 October 2018.

Entry is free all week for spectators with a Family Day to be hosted at RACV Cape Schanck Resort this Sunday providing plenty of free entertainment for the kids.

Round 3 will be broadcast live on PGA TV powered by TaylorMade from 1pm AEDT Saturday 13 October with round 4 coverage beginning from 11am AEDT Sunday 14 October.

In addition to the winner’s share of the $100,000 prize purse, the champion will receive Official World Golf Ranking Points and be fully exempt onto the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia until the end of the 2019 season.

New Zealanders Harry Bateman and Ryan Chisnall have mastered the RACV Cape Schanck Resort to share the lead following the opening round of the Victorian PGA Championship.

Bateman’s round was particularly impressive, presenting a clean scorecard in what is a notoriously windy part of the country.

“It was challenging, it was really gusty and you had to be on your game,” said Bateman.

“I had to hit the ball the best I’ve hit it in a long time and made a few putts as well so it was a great result.”

Playing a new course on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, Bateman said while it’s not long off the tee, it’s easy to lose your bundle and shoot a big score.

“It’s one of the shortest courses we’ve played on Tour but with the wind like this and the greens the way they are, you’ve got to hit it in the right spots otherwise you’re doing well to make bogey.

“It feels like if you hit a bad shot you can make double just like that so to keep it bogey free is really satisfying.”

Bateman’s countryman Chisnall was on track for the outright lead, he was 7-under before consecutive bogeys on the 16^th and 17^th holes halted his momentum on the way into the clubhouse.

“It was an interesting one, I’m happy with 5-under, I’ll take it and run,” said Chisnall who is still in his first year as a professional.

“It was disappointing in the end to finish the way I did with the bogeys on 16 and 17 but I’m happy with that score.”

Chisnall echoed Bateman’s sentiments on the difficulty of playing in gusty winds around RACV Cape Schanck Resort.

“To shoot that in those conditions, the flags weren’t overly easy as well, so if you would’ve told me I’d have 65 I definitely would take it,” added Chisnall.

“The key to this course is getting in play as much as you can and then putting it in the right spots on the greens so hopefully more of the same tomorrow.”

The New Zealander is coming off a runner-up finish in the Harewood Open on the Charles Tour across the ditch.

“It’s been good to get golf in before this week, it’s been a quiet winter for me so to play well last week leading into this run of tournaments and get into a bit of form is really pleasing.”

Darren Beck and Nick Flanagan are two shots back at 3-under the card followed by Neven Basic and Rick Kulacz at 2-under.

Maverick Antcliff and amateur partner Danny Lovell are leading the Victorian PGA Championship Celebrity Challenge at 11-under with Josh Younger and Campbell Neal (a) at 9-under and Daniel Gale and Ozkan Sahin (a) third at 8-under.

To view the full leaderboard, visit pga.org.au.

The Victorian PGA Championship will be played at RACV Cape Schanck Resort from 11-14 October 2018.

Harry Bateman will tee off on Friday at 12:59pm AEDT with Ryan Chisnall off at 1:21pm, tee times are available at pga.org.au.

Entry is free all week for spectators with a Family Day to be hosted at RACV Cape Schanck Resort this Sunday providing plenty of free entertainment for the kids.

Round 3 will be broadcast live on PGA TV powered by TaylorMade from 1pm AEDT Saturday 13 October with round 4 coverage beginning from 11am AEDT Sunday 14 October.

This week we are RACV Cape Schanck Resort, a venue that hasn’t been seen on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia for a while.

TI is pretty sure it is a Robert Trent Jones design which weaves its way through the natural sand dunes on what is a world famous golfing area.

Not to mention the stunning clubhouse and resort building which has recently been completed. If you haven’t been to Cape Schanck TI can recommend a visit and a stay at the luxurious RACV resort.

On to the golf and although it has been a couple of months, TI has not forgotten the fact that the first two placegetters at the NT PGA were selected prior the event!

The two Daniels, Nisbet and Gale fought out the title. Some have questioned TI’s selections in the past but surely those people now know better and for the record, the TI thinks the two Daniels will be thereabouts again this week.

Tough to pick a winner this week with a new golf course (no form on the course to go off) and many of the guys playing their first ‘four rounder’ for a while after a number of shorter events on the Ladbrokes Pro-Am Series.

Length is not a requirement at Cape Schanck so it brings a couple of TI’s old favourites into play in Matt Millar and Stephen Leaney. TI has always been one to try and give readers some value so with Millar as favourite, although he is a good chance, TI will be leaving him out.

Stephen Leaney

Probably the oldest player in the field and with one eye on Champions Tour his experience may prove vital around a layout where you will need to play smart especially if the wind gets up. TI successfully tipped Mr Leaney to win the WA Open last year (and didn’t back him) and this week may just see his second victory in 12 months.

Jake McLeod

I’m not sure if he is waiting to win before cutting his hair but surely both the win and the haircut must come soon! A favourite of TI’s this young lad (maybe we should nickname him Samson) continues to improve each time he plays and a win must be just around the corner. He did what many young Aussies have failed to do last week by traveling to The Dunhill on The European Tour and making the cut. Too short for TI to back but if he can stay patient a win is in his future.

Cameron John

This guy nearly made a fool of TI in NT PGA as he was close to being a selection and other than a slow Sunday would have been very close. He still finished 7th and the whisper is he has made several visits to RACV Cape Schanck in the lead up to the event. In his first year as a professional and has achieved some nice results if he can stay in the moment he may just finish the week with the trophy.

Nick Flanagan

TI doesn’t know much about this guy’s current form as he lives in the US but the fact he is back in town is a good indication he is keen to play well this week. He is clearly one of the class players of the field and if he can get himself in the hunt he may prove hard to beat.

Daniel Nisbet

TI likes to tip different players each event but this guy is riding high at the moment with new found confidence having already won twice this year. TI thinks he could become a three-time winner as he looks to extend his lead on the OOM.

If you like any of the following players TI believes they could also represent good value for money – Peter Wilson, Michael Sim, Andrew Martin and Kiwi James Anstiss is coming off a win on The Charles Tour in NZ last week.

Headlines at a glance