JYE Pickin knew he made the right decision the moment he walked through the door of the College of Charleston golf clubhouse.
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"The facilities are crazy," Pickin told Down the Fairway.
Pickin made a detour to his home for the next four years after finishing tied for 26th at the World Junior Championships in San Diego last month. He met college coach, former Sydneysider Mitch Krywulycz, toured the facilities and got a feel for the campus.
Pickin, 18, flies out to South Carolina next week for the start of his golf scholarship at the Division One college.
"I'm really looking forward to it," Pickin said. "It's going to be an awesome experience. Calling in there helped calm the nerves a little bit. It was much better than going there next week and being thrown into it all. It was good to see it before college starts. The facilities are crazy. We have our own clubhouse, which is decked out in college memorabilia, a locker room, indoor hitting bay, driving range ... everything. I also got to meet the coach in person. He grew up in Sydney and knows a few of the coaches from Golf NSW."
While in South Carolina, Picken finished fifth at the Augusta City Amateur at Forrest Hills Golf Course.
"We have a college event there in a few months so it was good to have a bit of a warm up for it," Pickin said.
Pickin, from Charlestown, is one of eight on the golf team. The Cougars compete in the Colonial Athletic Assoctiation conference and were ranked in the top 60 in the US last season.
"They were inside the top 30 earlier in the year but faded," Pickin said.
The first tournament is on September 9.
"Only five players from the team play in each tournament," Pickin said. "You play as an individual and then the best four scores make up the team tally. We get to play on some very good golf courses, many of which have hosted US PGA events and also get to see a bit of the country. There are tournaments in California and Texas and one down in Puerto Rico."
* Josh Robards will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Corey Lamb when he represents Jack Newton Junior Golf at the MJT National Team Challenge at the Royal Niagara Golf Club in Canada from September 21-23.
Lamb won the International Players Junior Championship in Canada last year.
Robards, who attends Kotara High and is a member at Newcastle, is joined in the team by Jeffrey Guan, Hammish Murray and Bart Carroll.
"Josh has probably been the most consistent across all levels of his play in the last 12 months," JNJG northern regional manager Mark Ingrey said. "He has put some good results on the board, had the experience of representing NSW in the interstate series and is leading the Newcastle District order of merit. He is putting in the time and it is showing in his results."
* Blake Windred is fine-tuning his game in North Carolina this week ahead of the US Amateur at Pinehurst, which starts Monday.
Windred, who is Australia's top-ranked amateur, missed the cut by a shot at the Western Amateur in Michigan last week after carding rounds of 69,72.
He qualified for the match play at the 2018 US Amateur at Pebble Beach and was knocked out in the round of 32.
* Jamie Hook has earned a place in the PGA Professionals National Championship final at Hamilton Island for a second straight year. The Pacific Dunes head professional was one of seven players to shoot even par at the NSW/ACT qualifier at Cromer last Tuesday. He couldn't repeat his play-off win from last year, but is one of 12 NSW qualifiers for the 54-hole championship to be played from November 18.
Clayton Bridges carded a 73 to finish 14th and is second reserve for the final.
* Places are still available in the Singleton Junior Open to be played on Sunday.
* Muswellbrook's Josh Fuller won the Greg Chalmers Junior Masters to booked a spot at the JNJG Champions Trophy at Bonville in December.
Fuller shot a pair of 72s to be at two-over and win his first major event by four shots from Keegan Phillips (Toukley).
* Mackensie Toole carded a two-over 76 to win the Campbell Jones Cup by eight shots from Julie McCallum at Belmont last Thursday.
* Hinako Shibuno of Japan finished with a birdie to win the Women's British Open by one shot over Lizette Salas as she wrapped up a stunning major championship debut.
The 20-year-old Shibuno, a rookie on the Japan LPGA Tour who was playing for the first time outside of her country, birdied five of the final nine holes in a four-under 68 to finish at 18-under 270.
"I was also thinking about if I were to make this putt, how I was going to celebrate," Shibuno said of approaching the 18th.
"Eat a lot of sweets."
Salas, who started the final round tied for fourth, quickly played herself into contention with three birdies in the first four holes, and she added five more in a seven-under 65.
The best Australian was world No.4 Minjee Lee, who carded a final round 69 to finish in a share of 11th at eight under while compatriot Hannah Green shot a final round 69 to finish a shot further back.