Brett Coletta has turned his attention to the NSW Open at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club after playing his way through to the Final Stage of Web.com Tour Qualifying School.

At least, he will as soon as the jet-lag subsides.

Immediately after wrapping up a place in Final Stage next month Coletta was on a plane out of Los Angeles headed for Sydney and a whirlwind two weeks at the NSW Open and then the Emirates Australian Open at The Lakes Golf Club.

Joint leader after the first round at Twin Creeks 12 months ago, the Victorian was the only Australian to progress from Second Stage at Bear Creek Golf Club in California, Kiwi Steven Alker also advancing to Final Stage that provides status on the Web.com Tour for 2019.

As Coletta celebrated there was disappointment for Sydneysider Harrison Endycott whose 2-over final round saw him drop out of the top 18 who qualified with Nick Flanagan, Steve Allan, Mark Hensby and New Zealand’s Ben Campbell all unable to progress.

Having qualified to play on the Mackenzie Tour in Canada this year via Q-School in May, Coletta’s experiences at Q-School have been mostly positive but that doesn’t take away from the vastly different atmosphere that is created.

“I’d heard mixed reviews from Second Stage. It was a bit of a weird week. If I had to explain it in one word it would be weird,” said Coletta.

“It was an interesting feeling. It was nothing that I’d ever experienced before.

“I’d heard multiple times that it’s probably the toughest event of the year so I prepared for the worst.

“I played relatively well but it was just a pretty random feel to it.

“It was just weird. It’s not a nice spot to be.”

With rounds of 68-68-67 the 22-year-old began the final round knowing that even an ordinary 18 holes would be good enough to advance, a position that presented a challenge in itself.

“The feeling the morning of the fourth round was the worst by a country mile,” he explained.

“I had the worst mindset. I could bodge in from where I was and still make it which is the worst attitude to have but there was nothing on the line, you’re going through the motions.

“At the same time I had a flight that night, I knew that I’d be finishing around 4pm and with traffic it would take a while to get to the airport so that was playing on my mind.

“But I got the job done so no complaints.”

With Final Stage set down for December 6-9 at Whirlwind Golf Club in Chandler, Arizona, Coletta will miss the Australian PGA Championship as he endeavours to continue his excellent strike rate at Q School and set up a near full schedule on the Web.com Tour next year.

“Essentially I’m a Web.com status holder but how high you finish (at Final Stage) determines what category you get and how many starts you get in each sector,” said Coletta.

“I’m going to prepare as well as I can, sort out a good caddie and give myself adequate time to play well over there.

“Based on what I’ve done previously if I’ve got something on the line that needs to be pressed a little bit to play well I can generally pull something out.

“I’ve got these two weeks to try and play well and lock up my Aussie card but my priority is to go there and play as well as I can at Final Stage.”

Second Stage qualifiers continue this week with Aussie amateur Min Woo Lee hoping to advance from the tournament in Texas and New Zealand’s Tim Wilkinson seeking a spot at Final Stage from the qualifier being played in Florida.

To play the PGA TOUR these days you have little choice but to go through the Web.com Tour; for six Aussies and Kiwis that road starts on Thursday at the Final Qualifying Stage to be conducted at Chandler, Arizona.

Qualifying for Final Stage brings with it automatic membership of the Web.com Tour but playing opportunities in 2019 will be very much determined by how each of the 135 players taking part fare over four pressure-packed rounds.

The medalist at Final Stage (and ties) will receive fully exempt status for the 2019 Web.com Tour regular season while those who finish second to 10th will receive exempt status for the first 12 events of the season and subject to subsequent reshuffles every four events.

Those who finish between 11-40 (and ties) will receive exempt status for the first eight events of the Web.com Tour season and will also be subject to subsequent reshuffles.

Three Australians and three Kiwis will tee it up at Whirlwind Golf Club and have qualified for Final Stage in a variety of different ways.

Perth’s Min Woo Lee is one of only three amateurs in the field having come through both First and Second Stage of Q School while Jamie Arnold gets the chance to improve his standing having finished 81st on the 2018 regular season money list.

Two top-five finishes on Canada’s Mackenzie Tour saw Brett Coletta finish 22nd on the moneylist, the top 25 earning him exemption through to Second Stage where he was able to progress. In two weeks back in Australia Coletta was tied for 12th at the AV Jennings NSW Open and tied for 40th at the Australian Open, keeping his game in good shape prior to heading to Arizona.

Like Coletta, New Zealand’s Steven Alker advanced through Second Stage at Bear Creek Golf Club in California while Tim Wilkinson earned his place at Final Stage after finishing tied for eighth in Second Stage qualifying held at Plantation Reserve in Florida.

Not yet a year in to his professional career, Kiwi Nick Voke owes his elevation to Web.com Tour status to the PGA Tour-China tour and an extraordinary run of form.

In just six events Voke recorded three wins and two further top-four finishes to claim fourth spot on the Order of Merit and one of five Web.com Tour cards on offer, not to mention the PGA Tour-China award for ‘Cinderella Story of the Year’.

The 2017 NSW Open stage is set for an exciting finish with a tight leaderboard heading into the final round at Twin Creeks Golf & Country Club tomorrow.

West Australian Jason Scrivener continued his strong week at the tournament with a round of 6-under 66 to be 17-under the card with 18 holes to play.

The 28-year-old wasn’t particularly happy with his round that only included one bogey on the par-4 7th hole but remained patient to place himself in top spot.

“I felt like I was just plugging away today, I wasn’t playing great by any means,” Scrivener said.

“Tee to green was really good but I wasn’t holing too many putts, I just stayed patient and had a nice finish which was good.”

Round three saw the toughest conditions of the week so far at Twin Creeks with a strong breeze throughout the day, Scrivener said he was able to take advantage on some of the holes around the course.

“It was pretty consistent, it wasn’t too bad. When it picks up and swirls and it’s gusty it makes it tricky.

“But there were a few holes where it played a lot easier as well.”

Scrivener finds himself in a familiar position following the third round of a Professional tournament and gets another chance to capture his breakthrough victory tomorrow.

“I’ve just got to keep putting myself in this position and I’ll fall over the line one of these days,” Scrivener joked.

“With those experiences I feel comfortable now in this position, although I haven’t won yet, if I keep doing it it’s going to happen eventually whether that’s tomorrow or somewhere down the line. So I’m not putting myself under any pressure or anything.”

Right on Scrivener’s tail is Victorian Lucas Herbert who shot 5-under 67 today to be 16-under the card, just one shot off the lead.

He left some scoring opportunities on the course but is confident heading in to the final round.

“I missed a couple of short putts, it was a pretty long day out there and I lost concentration a couple of times which was annoying but I’ve got myself in a good position for tomorrow,” Herbert said.

“It’s just another round of golf though; you’ve just got to shoot the lowest round you can.”

Queenslander Daniel Nisbet rued a double bogey on the 16^th to finish his round 4-under 69 but is still in a strong position alongside Herbert on 16-under the card.

“It sucks to end the round like that, at the end of the day I hit a good shot it was on the line I wanted I just put way too much heat on it,” Nisbet said.

“I only had two bogeys all week leading up to that hole; it’s OK though because there are plenty of birdies out there.”

2015 NSW Open champion Ben Eccles (VIC) is outright 4^th after his round of 3-under 69 at 15-under the card while Japanese amateur Takumi Kanaya is outright 5^th on 13-under the card.

The NSW Open will be played from 16-19 November 2017 at Twin Creeks Golf & Country Club. The Championship is a part of an action-packed Australian summer of golf and forms part of the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

The final round tomorrow will be live streamed on PGA TV from 12pm – 5pm.

For round three scores visit pga.org.au.

Round four tee times will be made available on pga.org.au.

Round three will begin at 7am with the leading group of Daniel Nisbet, Lucas Herbert & Jason Scrivener off the first tee at 11:45am.

Jason Scrivener has broken through for his first Professional victory after pulling away from the field in the 2017 NSW Open at Twin Creeks Golf & Country Club.

Scrivener teed off in the final group of the day with a one shot lead over Victorian Lucas Herbert and Queenslander Daniel Nisbet but streaked away to win easily by six shots after a round of 7-under par 65. He finished the tournament 24-under the card.

It’s a landmark win for the 28-year-old who has been on the verge of his first Professional win in the past, he’s had three top-5 finishes on the tough European Tour this year alone, including a fourth place finish in the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth.

Despite his dominant win, he said it was tougher than it looked on the leaderboard.

“It feels pretty good, I think it looked a lot easier than what it was; it’s hard work to win,” Scrivener said.

“After the 16^th hole I figured I’d probably have to do something drastically wrong to not win. It was a weird feeling those last couple of holes because the first 16 were just brutal.

“Even though I was playing nicely, you never know especially around here, there’s bogeys and doubles to be made as well.”

The West Australian said the win gives him confidence in getting the job done should he find himself in this position again.

“I’ve come close before and just haven’t got across the line; it’s just nice to play that well under pressure so I’ll definitely put that in the memory bank.

“I’m stoked. I’ve been working really hard the last few years and been patient with everything I’ve done.”

Herbert would finish in outright second, signing off with a birdie on the 18^th to be 18-under the card.

2015 NSW Open Champion Ben Eccles (VIC) was outright third on 16-under the card.

Chris Crabtree (QLD) and Blake Windred (NSW) round out the top-5 and were also the best placed amateurs finishing 14-under the card.

For his win, Scrivener picks up AU$72,000.00 and moves to 5th on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.

The ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia now travels to The Australian Golf Club for the 2017 Emirates Australian Open, 23 – 26 November.

For round four scores please visit pga.org.au

For ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit rankings please visit pga.org.au

Round two of the NSW Open at Twin Creeks Golf & Country Club delivered another day of entertaining scores with players taking advantage of the perfectly prepared course drawing praise from international stars.

Four Professionals are locked at the top of the leaderboard on 12-under par following the first 36 holes of the tournament.

West Australian Jarryd Felton shot 6-under 66 for the second time this week, enjoying some solid golf following his top-10 finish at the Fiji International earlier this year, a tri-sanctioned event with the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, Asian Tour and European Tour.

“I’ve been playing well the last three months after Fiji, that performance gave me the confidence to mix it with the big boys in the big events,” Felton said.

He’s back in the country after an unsuccessful attempt at qualifying for the European Tour but is happy to have bounced back with a solid performance so far.

“I struggled in Europe last week but it’s good to find form here leading in to the big events over summer.”

Felton was runner-up to Adam Blyth in the NSW Open last year and says there are certainly lessons to be learned after playing extremely well and falling short.

“I think I had 21-under last year and lost so if I go out there and shoot 21-under again I think I’ll close,” laughed Felton.

“I’ve won a couple of times which has been great but sometimes a loss when you’re playing well isn’t too bad.”

Texan Kramer Hickok also shot 6-under for his share in the lead, he has only had one bogey in the first two rounds.

“I felt like I hit a little better than yesterday, I didn’t quite make as many putts but I had the necessary up and downs on the par-5’s and that really gave me a lot of momentum,” Hickok said.

“I’ve only made one bogey in the last 36 holes so I’m limiting the mistakes and just trying to keep doing what we’re doing.

“That’s one of my strong suits to bounce back after bogeys so it was good to get it back to 12-under and hopefully have a good weekend.”

The Mackenzie Tour – Canada Player of the Year joined a chorus of support for the Twin Creeks layout and gave a glowing appraisal of the greens presented by Course Superintendent Justin Doyle.

“They’re probably the best greens I’ve been on in the last five years; they’re so green, so pure. It’s one of those deals if you have an eight footer and you miss it it’s on you.”

Queenslander Daniel Nisbet played a solid round of 4-under 68 to remain at the business end of the leaderboard.

“I did a little bit more scrambling today, the pins were tucked in some pretty tricky spots and a couple of runoff areas so I did have to do a little bit of scrambling off the greens,” Nisbet said.

“But I still feel I struck the ball really well, the putter saved me a couple of times, now I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

Former NSW Open champion Ben Eccles shot the equal highest round of the day 8-under 64 to rocket himself in to contention.

Jason Scrivener (WA) shot 3-under 69 to be tied in fifth position with Lucas Herbert (VIC) who shot 5-under 67, both are on 11-under par.

Japanese amateur Takumi Kanaya shot the equal low round of the day 8-under 64 to be 10-under.

Following round one’s hole-in-one, West Australian based Professional Michael Long provided the highlight in round two.

Long shot his second career tournament albatross on the par-5 11^th, incredibly, his playing partners Brett Coletta and Zach Murray eagled the same hole.

“The last one I had was in about 1996 up at Coolum, so a long time ago,” Long said.

“I hit a 4-iron and thought I pulled it a little bit, maybe just to the edge of the green but I couldn’t quite tell.

“I think it sort of got to about pin high and there was a little knoll there and it fed down off that.

“It took probably four or five seconds and then someone said ‘it’s gone!’ and there were high fives all round.”

The cut was made at 1-under with 72 Professionals and 12 amateurs making the weekend rounds.

The final two rounds, 18-19 November, will be live streamed on PGA TV from 12pm – 5pm.

Queenslander Daniel Nisbet, Victorian Brett Coletta and West Australian Jason Scrivener shot brilliant rounds of 8-under 64 to share the early lead in the NSW Open at Twin Creeks Golf & Country Club.

Playing in the first group of the day, Nisbet got off to a steady start and had a front row seat for the shot of the week so far.

“We got out first group and had a hole-in-one out there so everyone got off to a good start,” Nisbet said, referring to his playing partner amateur Thomas Heaton who aced the 126 metre 2^nd hole.

The 15-year-old amateur made a splash in his ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia tournament debut after Monday qualifying with his perfectly placed hole-in-one on the 126 metre par-3 2^nd.

“I had 126 metres to the hole and I thought I’d just hit a smooth 9iron in there, it was the perfect line, about a two metre draw, one hop and a little bit of spin then straight in,” Heaton said of his aced shot.

“It was great to see it go in, my first Professional tournament and only on the second hole, I was really happy.”

Nisbet got his round going with a birdie on the 3^rd and remained blemish free for the opening round.

“The first time I saw the course was Tuesday but I’ve been really impressed, the greens are great and they’re really receptive at the moment,” Nisbet added.

Scrivener matched Nisbet’s round with his own bogey free 64, making his first appearance on Australian soil since February’s ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth where he finished fourth.

The European Tour regular said he is enjoying the comforts of home and is seeing the results in his game with a terrific round today.

“It’s the first time I’ve played in Australia in a tournament in a long time so it was relaxing and a bit of fun and I played nicely,” Scrivener said.

“The whole week has been a little bit different to what I usually go through but in a good way. It’s nice to be able to have a few weeks home to relax; everything feels a lot more comfortable at home.”

Coletta, battling a run of illness that forced him out of his Isuzu Queensland Open title defence, made a fantastic return to tournament golf with his round of 8-under 64. He admittedly took a step back from the game in 2017.

“I had a great time out there, I played here back in 2013 and the course is really good, the greens are fantastic out there,” Coletta said.

“I’m happy to be out here, really happy. I had a massive 18 months leading up to turning Pro, having a little bit of hype as well took a massive mental toll on me.

“I didn’t know what to expect coming in to this week, my caddy and I were talking about it and he just said ‘just come out here and enjoy it, this is your job now you’ve got to come out here and enjoy it if you’re not you’re tricking yourself’.

“And I actually had a really good time out there.”

Hot on the heels of the trio is talented amateur Min Woo Lee who birdied his final hole to finish 7-under 65, just one shot off the lead.

“It was good, I hit it really solid and it was probably one of my best ball striking rounds this whole year,” Lee said.

“Everything was going really well, I had a bit of a hiccup in the middle but really happy with my round, hopefully the next few rounds go like that.”

Local amateur Josh Gadd finished with a flourish going eagle, birdie, birdie, par in his final four holes to join Lee on 7-under par.

Aaron Townsend (NSW), Tom Power Horan (VIC), Kramer Hickok (USA), Jarryd Felton (WA) and Lucas Herbert (VIC) are two shots off the lead after all shooting 6-under 66.

The NSW Open will be played from 16-19 November 2017 at Twin Creeks Golf & Country Club. The Championship is a part of an action-packed Australian summer of golf and forms part of the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

The final two rounds, 18-19 November, will be live streamed on PGA TV from 12pm – 5pm.

For round one scores visit pga.org.au.

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

Catch part 2 of Round 3 of the 2017 NSW Open from Twin Creeks Golf & Country Club on PGA TV.

Catch part 1 of Round 3 of the 2017 NSW Open from Twin Creeks Golf & Country Club on PGA TV.

The final round of the 2017 NSW Open at Twin Creeks Golf & Country Club on PGA TV