Perry sets up big rookie year with Q-School win

Dylan Perry has won the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School presented by Cobra Puma Golf after a strong week of golf at Moonah Links.

Playing the open course, Perry fired rounds of 72, 66, 71 and 68 for a tournament total of 11-under 277 to win by three shots.

“This is awesome. I am very relieved. It has been a long few weeks so I am very stoked,” said Perry.

“I was playing well towards the end of the year so I knew that I was in with a decent chance this week if I did the right things and played the course the way it should be. I did that so it paid off for me.

“Today I had a steady start with eight pars, but then I birdied the 9^th which got it rolling into the back-9. I made a couple of early birdies there and had some momentum. I played strong coming in over those final three holes which was enough to get it done.”

The 23-year-old New South Welshman, who plays his golf at Sanctuary Cove in Queensland, now has full status on his home Tour to go along with his Japan Tour status which he earned after surviving four stages of qualifying school.

2019 will be a big year for Perry, who turned professional at the NSW Open last month finishing tied 3^rd, and he will look to tee off his rookie season at the ISPS HANDA Vic Open which is co-sanctioned by the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and European Tour.

“Everything will all depend on Japan. The Vic Open is the first event we have in Australia and that is a big one so that will be my first event,” added Perry.

“All the co-sanctioned stuff in Australia is getting better. It provides more access for us, especially with the European Tour.

“If you finish well in those tournaments it can sky rocket your career pretty quickly so it’s very exciting to now have the opportunity to play those events.”

James Anstiss and Kade McBride finished tied for second on 8-under the card after firing 68 and 69 respectively in the final round.

Rounding out the top-5 on 7-under the card are Aaron Townsend and Taylor MacDonald.

The top-40 players at Qualifying School earn status for the 2019 ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia season. That number was set at 5-over the card.

For all final results please visit pga.org.au.

Nathan Green and Dylan Perry couldn’t be separated after the third round of final stage of ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School and will head into the final round tied for the lead.

Playing together after co-leading overnight, Green and Perry each fired rounds of 1-under 71 to be 7-under the card after three days playing the open course at Moonah Links.

“It was a bit of a slow start. I was 1-over through nine holes and was doing just enough to get through the poor weather. But then I had a couple under on the back-9 so I am still in a good spot for tomorrow,” said Perry.

While Green felt like he ground out his round today; “My 71 was a bit of a struggle, Dylan’s 71 was pretty cruisey. I made some good birdies when I needed to, the ones on 9 and 10 to get back to 1-under were really solid.

“I had a couple of drives today that dipped back into bunkers which were probably just a metre away from being good. I am happy with it; I hung in there pretty well and it’s good to still be up there, I thought someone might have gone a bit lower today.”

At different stages of their career, Perry is looking to secure status on his home Tour for the first time after he turned professional at the NSW Open in November.

While Nathan Green, a former PGA TOUR winner, is looking to secure status to give him the opportunity to play tournament golf when he feels the competitive urge strike him.

However, both players have winning on their mind as they chase the ultimate goal, a tour card which will provide them a spot in all the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia biggest tournaments including the ISPS HANDA Vic Open, ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth, Emirates Australian Open and Australian PGA Championship.

“Obviously it’s in the back of all our minds, I can’t say that I haven’t thought about it but I just have to keep my head down for another 18 holes. Hopefully I can put a good score on the board and it’s enough to get over the line,” added Perry.

While Green added, “I came down here hoping to get a card and if I didn’t it was no real issue, but I will still be nervous tomorrow, it’s good to be in this position. I haven’t been playing great golf the last few years, just playing part-time but today there were glimpses of how I used to play.

“I keep playing just in the off chance something sparks; I think nearly every golfer thinks their best golf is just around the corner.

“But I would love to be able to play really good golf again. I don’t think I would change my schedule too much, I would play all the big ones, but we will see what happens tomorrow.”

Sitting two shots behind the leading duo, on 5-under the card are Kade McBride and Taylor Macdonald after they had rounds of 68 and 69 respectively.

Rounding out the top-5 on 4-under the card are Aaron Townsend, who’s 66 was the low round of the day and James Anstiss who had 67.

The top-40 players following the final round will earn a card for the 2019 ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia season. That number is currently sitting at 5-over the card.

Dylan Perry fired a superb 6-under 66 in very challenging conditions for the second round of the final stage of ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School presented by Cobra Puma Golf.

Melbourne turned on the weather it is synonymous with today as heavy rains soaked the open course at Moonah Links necessitating two lengthy delays in play which added to the pressure cooker Q-School environment.

However, Perry, remained calm as he reeled off seven birdies and a bogey on his way to shooting 6-under the card.

“It was an interesting day; we teed off at 8.40am and had only played five holes in five hours. There were a couple of rain delays with some interesting weather making it pretty difficult out there this morning,” said Perry.

“I was travelling well this morning and was 2-under before both the breaks. Then the weather was kind to us this afternoon, which is typical of Melbourne. So I am very stoked.”

Perry adding the highlight of his round was a birdie on the par-4 11^th, “I chipped in on my 11^th hole of the day. I didn’t hit a great shot in but then chipped in from the left side of the green. I guess it started some momentum for me towards the end of the back-9.”

Following a successful amateur career which was highlighted by a runner-up result at The British Amateur Championship in 2017, Perry took the plunge and turned professional at the NSW Open last month finishing third.

He then endured four stages of Qualifying School to secure status on the Japan Tour just last week before coming to Moonah Links hoping to do the same on his home Tour.

“I am very excited to get my career underway. I am just trying to keep building as a golfer and moving forward,” added Perry.

“I just got back from Japan after getting my card last week. It has been a busy few months but I am excited for next year.

“It’s good to know that I have a job for next year. It is pretty tough in Japan and I am only guaranteed five or six main Tour starts before the re-rank.

“Hopefully I can have a good week this week so I can play some big events in February and March in Australia before I head to Japan.”

Perry joins a wave of young Australian talent taking on the world which includes good mate and fellow Japan Tour pro Anthony Quayle, Brett Coletta who just earned Web.com Tour status, Lucas Herbert and Deyen Lawson who will play the European Tour in 2019 as well as Cameron Davis and Curtis Luck who will be PGA TOUR members for the first time next year.

While the rising stars are blazing a bright trail, Nathan Green, who has tread that path before them, is in a good position to claim status on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia after shooting 1-under 71 in round two to join Perry at the top of the leaderboard on 6-under 66.

“It was tough early. I didn’t play very well at all; especially in the middle of the round I hit it terribly. I made a few bogeys but I was able to birdie the last three holes once the conditions calmed down. I was happy to come home well,” said Green who will look to add some tournament golf to his coaching schedule in 2019.

“I saw that Dylan had 6-under today which is a great score, he is a great player. I will need to improve a bit if I am going to challenge him over the next two rounds.”

At 5-under the card, Martin Dive is third on the leaderboard after shooting 4-under 68 in the second round.

Rounding out the top-5 are Ruben Sondjaja and Dale Williamson.

The top-40 players following the four round final stage of qualifying school will earn cards for the 2019 ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia. That mark currently sits at 5-over the card.

The most well-credentialed player in the field, former PGA TOUR winner Nathan Green has set the early pace at the final stage of Qualifying School for the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

Being played on the open course at Moonah Links, Green fired 5-under 67 thanks to some good golf on the back-9 after he started his day on the 10^th tee.

Making the turn at 5-under, Green got it to 6-under with a birdie at the par-5 2^nd before hanging on across the front-9 as conditions turned difficult. A dropped shot at the 8^th saw him safely in the clubhouse in 67 shots.

“I played well. I got off to a good start, I think it’s a bit easier on that backside and the wind is a bit better on that back-9. I took advantage of it. I struggled a bit that second nine, coming in, but I was happy with the round,” said Green.

“Once you have to start reading wind into your putting it definitely makes it harder here. You just have to get through about four or five holes that play really tough with that wind, the 8^th hole is one of them.

“It was just one of those days, I haven’t had many of them lately, so it was good that I was able to hold it together,” added Green, who believes his extensive career experience held him in good stead today.

“I think having had Tour School experience, I have probably done 10 or so in my life, helped. It’s the mindset that you need to have, it’s a long week and everyone is feeling the pressure. That is probably an advantage.

“But the fact I am not playing a lot of golf at the moment is probably a disadvantage. My good golf is still really good; my bad golf is really poor.

“It’s going to be tough the next few days, especially if we get the weather that is expected, so hopefully I can keep hitting it alright.”

Having played the PGA TOUR for most of his career, Green returned to Australia with his young family to pursue other opportunities.

Now a fully qualified vocational PGA Professional after having completed the PGA Bridging Program, Green is enjoying his career change but admits to still enjoying the competitive side of tournament golf.

“I still love playing but I love being at home and I enjoy my job,” added Green.

“I am working at Toronto where my brother is the head pro. I do about 20 hours in the shop per week and give about four or five lessons. I coach a few of the juniors which I really enjoy.

“I always thought coaching would be tough, and it is. If I give someone a lesson, I sort of ride how they play for the next month. It can be a bit tough when they really aren’t getting what you are trying to teach them. But when they do have some success, I feel really good about it.

“But I just always like having some sort of Tour status, I like having the opportunity to play if it comes around.

“I only played four events this year on the status I had and I really enjoyed them, it’s good to catch up with the guys.

“If I get through again this week, I am not going to play a full schedule, just when I feel like going away and playing hopefully I will have that opportunity.”

Sitting a shot adrift of Green is Fijian professional Sam Lee who fired 4-under 68 which featured five birdies and a bogey.

At 3-under 69 are Ben Stowe, Chang Gi Lee from Korea and New Zealand amateur Mark Hutson while a further shot back is DJ Loypur and amateur Justin Warren.

Rounding out the top-10 on 1-under the card is a group of nine players.

The second round of ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School tees off at 7.30am with Nathan Green on course at 8.50am.

Aaron Townsend has won the 2018 ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School presented by Cobra Puma Golf after holding off Jordan Mullaney at Moonah Links.

The New South Welshman was the first to admit he has taken his fair share of punishment from the Moonah Links layout and thought it may get the better of him again early in his round.

“I thought it was going to get me back today actually after I beat it up yesterday,” said Townsend.

“It wasn’t a good start, I was really battling early, luckily I made a couple of putts, my putter really saved me today.”

Townsend and Mullaney were running a two horse race with a sizeable gap on the field and it was Mullaney who took the lead by one as the pair made the turn.

The running battle was a distraction to Townsend but his experience came to the fore and he was able to re-gain the lead on the second last hole, finishing his round 3-under 69 and 16-under the card.

“Because we had such a gap on the field it was sort of a distraction and that probably took too much of my focus.

“But Jordan played great, he pushed me all the way and I think he lead for the most of the day, I was surprised I got in front of him because he never looked like hitting a bad shot.

“I hit a nice birdie on the 17th to get me in front and just held him off.”

Townsend takes home a cheque for $5,000 for his win but the real reward is knowing he has a guaranteed start in every tournament of the 2018 ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia season.

After a tough 2017, Townsend said winning Qualifying School gives him the peace of mind of a secure spot on the Tour and hopes the win is a sign of things to come next year.

“The best thing about finishing in this position is I don’t have to worry about the re-rank, I know I’m just exempt all year, so I can address my season like I have every other season, it won’t change too much for me which is nice.

“Hopefully this is a sign of things turning around and I can forget about last season and move on to 2018.”

Earning a Category 11 exemption and finishing in respective order was Jordan Mullaney (15-under), Harrison Endycott (7-under), Sam Lee (7-under), and Adam Stephens (6-under).

Players who finished sixth through to 40th plus ties receive Exemption Category 16.

For final scores from Qualifying School, please visit pga.org.au.

New South Welshman Aaron Townsend shot the round of the day with a 7-under 65 to race to the lead of the final stage of the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School presented by Cobra Puma Golf.

Townsend was bogey free in the third round and shot five birdies and an eagle to be 13-under the card and holds a one shot lead with one round remaining at Moonah Links.

“I played like I have the last two days, I’ve just hit it where I’ve wanted to a lot of the time and I made some nice putts today,” said Townsend.

He said he’s happy with the way he has played the Moonah Links layout, a course that he has struggled with previously.

“I haven’t had much success at this course in the past but I’m just plotting my way around nicely.

“It’s a strong golf course and it always will be, I’ll keep doing the exactly same thing I’ve been doing tomorrow, it seems to be working for me.”

Hot on Townsend’s tail is fellow New South Welshman Jordan Mullaney who shot 4-under 68 to be 12-under the card in outright second.

“I played really solid early on and made a few pars, couple of bogeys but I finished off strong which was good,” said Mullaney.

The leading pair has a sizeable gap on the rest of the field; their closest competitors are Nick Flanagan, Sam Lee and Adam Stephens who sit in a tie for third at 6-under the card, seven shots back from Townsend.

Stephens shot 4-under 68 to jump up to third spot, with the top-5 finishers all receiving good playing opportunities in the 2018 ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia season, he said he too will stick to his game plan heading in to the final round.

“I’ll play like I have the last few days and just keep hitting fairways and greens and not do anything silly,” said Stephens.

“There’ll be some guys who will get a bit excited being the final round and drop shots so it’s just a matter of staying patient with your own game.”

Rick Kulacz also shot 4-under 68 to sit in sixth position at 5-under the card while Harrison Endycott is one shot further back in seventh at 4-under the card.

Ruben Sondjaja and Anthony Marchesani round out the top-10 at 3-under the card.

The leading group of Aaron Townsend, Jordan Mullaney and Adam Stephens will tee off tomorrow at 9:40am.

For all round 3 scores please visit pga.org.au.

For all round 4 tee times please visit pga.org.au.

Fijian Sam Lee has battled tough conditions at Moonah Links to hold on to a slender lead following the second round of the final stage of ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Q-School presented by Cobra Puma Golf.

In stark contrast to yesterday’s hot scoring, the field was tamed by consistent winds for the entirety of the second round, 3-under was the best score of the day shot by Jordan Mullaney, Harrison Endycott and Adam Stephens.

Lee, who started hot in the opening round posting 8-under 64, fought his way to 1-under 71 and holds a one shot lead over the field on 9-under par.

He said the work he’s put in at his home club of Natadola Bay in Fiji has paid dividends when it comes to playing in windy conditions.

“It was tough out there today with the wind but coming from Fiji and playing at Natadola I had mentally prepared for this kind of weather,” said Lee.

“It was quite similar out there today to Natadola so I just stuck to my game plan and went pretty good.”

While disappointed with a bogey on the last hole of his round, Lee said he was happy with his overall round and comfortable heading in to tomorrow.

“I went in to the left trap on the last hole and made bogey so that was a tough way to finish but I played solid from tee to green.”

Jordan Mullaney is one shot back courtesy of his 3-under 69 to be 8-under the card alone in second position.

Holding on to his score of 7-under the card with an even round today was Victorian amateur Anthony Marchesani who remains in third place.

“It was an absolute grind out there today, I didn’t hit too many greens and that obviously made it tough to make birdies,” said Marchesani.

“The wind blew the whole time today compared to yesterday so it was just a matter of taking your time in picking different lines off the tee and things like that.”

Nick Flanagan shot 2-over 74 while Aaron Townsend shot 2-under 70, both are 6-under the card and tied for fourth position.

Harrison Endycott, Campbell Rawson, Tim Stewart, Nick Voke and Anthony Summers round out the top-10 on 3-under par.

The leading group of Sam Lee, Jordan Mullaney and Anthony Marchesani will begin round three off the 1st tee at 9:40am

For all round 2 scores please visit pga.org.au.

For all round 3 tee times please visit pga.org.au.

Fijian Sam Lee and New South Welshman Nick Flanagan have made a fast start to their pursuits of 2018 Tour cards.

Teeing it up at the final stage of ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School at Moonah Links Golf Resort, Lee and Flanagan each fired 8-under 64 to start their campaigns.

Having his first look at the Open course this week, Lee was pleased with his round which featured an eagle, five birdies and just one bogey.

“I was actually a bit anxious at the start of the day because I only made two birdies in the three practice rounds,” said Lee, who is aiming to gain status on Tour for the first time since 2015.

“So I knew this wasn’t a birdie course; that par would be a good score but I just had a lot of birdie opportunities that I made the most of.

“I played and practiced at Natadola Bay quite a bit before this week, I heard that it was a hard course so I think that preparation helped.”

Flanagan finished his round in a flurry recording five birdies in his final six holes.

“I played really well, I got most of my holes in before the wind picked up which was handy and then had a good finish when the breeze did start to get up,” said Flanagan.

“I hit it really good to the start of the day, I had a bunch of short putts for birdie but other than that I was just really solid tee to green.

“I only really made one big mistake and managed to make a 20 footer for bogey on that hole (par-4 11^th) and that was a big momentum keeper in the end.”

Based in the U.S. and having focused his attention at the Web.com Tour whilst battling injuries over the past few years the former U.S. Amateur Champion has decided to take a different approach in 2018.

“I am living in Texas and still have some status on the Web Tour but I wanted to come back and get into some Australian events if I can.

“If I have a good week here and get into some tournaments at the start early in the year it is a good chance to just keep playing tournament golf, which I haven’t done a lot of the past three years due to injury,” added Flanagan.

“It is a big goal for me to play a few more events in Australia, play the big ones again. The Order of Merit out here has a few big perks and I have never really put my effort into that because I have always been in the U.S. but that hasn’t been working out so I thought I would change it up.”

Just a shot off the leading duo is Anthony Marchesani who after starting on the 10^th tee was 8-under after 15 holes before making two bogeys on the way into the clubhouse.

“The putter was pretty hot which made golf very easy today which was good,” said Marchesani.

“Early on I had a couple of issues in the fairway bunkers but made some good up and downs to start the round. Then I made three birdies in a row from 14-16 and that got me going.

“I birdied 18 to turn in 5-under which was good then I had a couple of bogeys on the back but finished with a birdie.”

The 25-year-old Victorian is looking to follow in the footsteps of his brother James Marchesani who recorded five top-10 results on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and a win at the Clearwater Bay Open, the only event on the PGA TOUR-China Tour this year.

“I spent four and half years in the U.S. going to College at Oaklahoma City University. James and I went to school together. I went over there and he still had two years left so we played together and were pretty competitive.

“He has done well this year so hopefully I will get out there next year and play with him again. I’ll be trying to chase him down again.”

New South Welshman Jordan Mullaney fired 5-under 67 to be outright fourth while a shot further back and rounding out the top-5 are Austin Bautista, Tim Stewart, Neven Basic, Matthew Lisk, Aaron Townsend and Cameron John.

The second round of ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School presented by Cobra Puma Golf tees off at 7.30am with the Sam Lee on course at 8.50am and Nick Flanagan at 9.10am.

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