JYE Pickin would love to go one better with Avondale in the Sydney Metropolitan major pennant next year after a narrow final loss to NSW GC, but the Charlestown teenager will have a good reason to miss the competition.
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The 18-year-old rising star is set to join the College of Charleston, South Carolina, on a full scholarship from August.
Pickin has to sit an exam this month to finalise the move to one of the oldest universities in the US, where he will continue to chase his golfing dreams. He was excited about the opportunity.
"It's a pretty good spot down there, so it should be good," Pickin said.
"They are top 30 in the country in golf, and anyone in the top 60 is somewhere you want to get into."
Pickin and his brother Bryce were part of Avondale's nail-biting 4-3 loss to defending champions NSW GC on the weekend.
Jye lost 3 and 1 to Zac Mullins but Bryce kept Avondale in the hunt with a win on the 21st hole over Jake Reay. Zinyo Garcia won it for NSW GC with a birdie on the 19th hole in his match against Christopher Fan.
"It was a good day and just one of those events that could have gone either way," Jye said. "I hit it pretty good, but I couldn't hole as many putts as he did, and that was the difference in the end."
Pickin will turn his attention to the Northern Territory Amateur, which starts on Thursday, before his debut in the NSW men's side for the Australian Interstate Teams matches at Royal Hobart and Tasmania Golf Clubs in May.
In the women's major pennant, Belmont's Makensie Toole starred for St Michael's with a dominant win over Madison Woodley but Concord still claimed back-to-back titles 3 1/2-1 1/2.
** Charlestown's Jake Higginbottom bounced back from a tough third round to be the leading Australian at the Indian Open.
After a 77 on Saturday which included a double-bogey seven, Higginbottom finished with a four-under 68 in tricky conditions at the DLF Golf and Country Club in New Delhi.
He jumped 36 places to secure a tie for 27th and a cheque for $A22,623
In the second-best final round at the co-sanctioned Asian-European tour event, Higginbottom had five birdies and one bogey to finish even par, nine shots behind winner Stephen Gallacher.
Higginbottom will next join fellow Hunter golfers Callan O'Reilly, Andrew Dodt, James Nitties, Leigh McKechnie and Aaron Townsend at the $150,000 GC Celebrity Pro-Am at Lakelands Golf Club on the Gold Coast on Thursday and Friday.
** Jamie Hook (Pacific Dunes) shot an eight-under 64 to finish second at the Wagga Wagga Pro-Am on the weekend. Andrew Kelly won with 62 after the second round was abandoned because of lightning and rain.
