LUKE Ferrier hopes to complete a stellar year by adding the Newcastle District Championships to an A-Grade pennants title and wins in the club championships at Newcastle and Merewether.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The just turned 20-year-old produced one of the rounds of his life, a six-under 64, on Saturday to claim a fifth straight club championship on his home course. In the process, he shrugged of Merewether co-captain Craig Jones.
"It was one of those days ... I holed a lot of putts," Ferrier said. "I had 11 putts on the front nine to turn five under."
Ferrier had moved to seven under through 15 holes and for a split second "the possibility of shooting 59" crossed his mind.
"I had birdied 16 before, eagled 17 before and birdied 18," he said.
However, his tee shot at 16 buried in the green-side bunker and was followed by a three-putt for a double bogey.
His 64 was the equal lowest score recorded at Merewether since new greens came into play at the fifth and 18th.
The win on Saturday followed Ferrier's success in the Newcastle club championship in September.
"Winning at Newcastle was pretty prestigious and winning at Merewether is always good," he said. I have been a member here my whole life."
Next is the District Championships at Pacific Dunes on November 16.
Ferrier has been crowned the district junior champion and champion of champions twice each, but is yet to win the overall title. He was runner-up in the 2016 and 2017.
"If I can play half as good as I did on Saturday, I could be right up there," he said. "You are obviously competing against the best in the district so it's a different ball game. Saturday proved that my game can stand up to pressure. It's really good to know that.
"I last played at Pacific Dunes in a Tiger tee day about six months ago. It is a brute of a course."
Ferrier will take a short break after the District Championships before starting preparations for a big January and a shot at the Australian Amateur, NSW Amateur and Avondale Amateur.
* Andy Piggott upstaged the younger guns to win the Merewether Cup a fortnight ago. The 50-year-old carded a two-over 72 in near cyclonic conditions to win by a stroke from Scott Telfer.
* Jake Riley will never forget his first crack at the NSW Country Championships. The Toronto 14-year-old produced the shot of the tournament at Bathurst on Sunday to notch his first hole-in-one at the 123m par-three eighth.
"I hit a little wedge and thought it was on line off the stick," Riley sad. "Then we heard a big crack is at hit the flag and dunked straight in. It was pretty cool. I couldn't ask for much better."
The ace moved Riley to even par for the second round and a tie for 18th overall at seven over.
"It was a good experience, especially the last day," Riley said. "It showed that my good golf can compete with some of the best amateurs."
Riley was the youngest in an all-junior Newcastle team which finished eighth.
NSW representative Corey Lamb was the best placed of the Hunter contingent in a tie for fourth. Lamb (The Vintage) carded rounds of 69,74 to be one-over, three behind winner Jordan Ayre (Royal Canberra).
The next best were Will Fraser (Maitland) and Chad Vesper (Singleton) were tied for 13th at five over.
* Jye Pickin missed qualifying for the match play section at the New Zealand Amateur in Auckland last week by a stroke. Pickin, who is back from college in the US until January, carded rounds of 76-75 to be at seven over and a tie for 35th.
* Muree beat Nelson Bay 4-2 in the final of the B-grade pennants at Belmont on Sunday. In C-Grade, Belmont prevailed over Nelson Bay by the same score. The B and C grade district championships will be held at Belmont on Sunday, November 17.
* James Nitties will tee up in the second stage of qualifying for the Korn Ferry Tour (second tier) in Florida, starting Tuesday. Nitties is the only Australian in the field at Plantation Preserve Golf Course. The top 20 progress to the final stage to be held in Orlando from December 12.
* On the US PGA Tour, world No.525 Brendon Todd ended five years of frustration on Monday when he shot a career best nine-under 62 to win the inaugural Bermuda Championship event by four strokes. Rod Pampling was the best-placed Australian in a tie for 31st and 15 shots off the lead.
* History has repeated for Australian Minjee Lee, who again finished just short of claiming the LPGA Swinging Skirts to Nelly Korda.
Defending champion Korda birdied the first hole of a three-way playoff on Sunday to win the event.
Korda and Australian Minjee Lee both birdied the final hole of regulation to finish at 18-under 270 and force a playoff with Caroline Masson, who shot a 68.
Korda, who started the final round with a three-stroke lead over Lee (69), looked set to win in regulation after a birdie on the par-five No.12. But she bogeyed three of her final five holes to fall one stroke back of Masson before a birdie on 18 gave her even-par 72. It was a case of deja vu for Lee. Last year she entered the final round four shots behind Korda and closed with a 66 to finish runner-up.
