Blake Windred watched putt after putt slide by the hole as his dream of progressing almost instantly from the amateur ranks to the European Tour slipped away in the final stage of Q-School in Spain.
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The disappointment 10-days ago was a rare speed bump for the driven 21-year-old from Charlestown.
"I couldn't buy a putt for four days and shot one-under," Windred said ahead of the NSW Open on Thursday.
"It was probably the most frustrating tournament I've played in a long time. I was hitting the ball awesome and I usually hole a lot of putts. Obviously, my goal was to get a European Tour card so to walk away with hardly anything hurt. But since then I have had some really good advice. Former US PGA tour player Aron Price, who has the same coach as me, sent a message which said: "It's not about who gets there the fastest, it's about who is ready once they do get there."
Windred hopes to get seven starts next year on the European second-tier Challenge Tour.
"If I play well enough, I can get myself a ranking to play the rest of the year," he said. "I'm pumped. I can't wait for what's ahead of me, but first is the NSW Open."
Although only lining up for his third tournament as a professional - he finished top 10 at the Western Australian and Victorian PGA's - Windred is one of the favourites for the $400,000 championship at Twin Creeks Country Club in western Sydney.
And with good reason.
The sweet-swinging right-hander was tied for third last year after rounds of 71,68,69,65 and was tied for fourth in 2017. He was the leading amateur both years.
Although now a professional, Windred said his approach wouldn't alter.
"I don't want to sound arrogant, but it honestly feels the same," he said. "When I was an amateur people use to say: 'you have nothing to lose so you can play a driver down a tight fairway. If you were a pro, you wouldn't take those risks'. That is completely wrong. As an amateur every single shot was for a world-ranking point.
"I know if I play good golf that I can win a tournament like this. I really like this course and The Australian where the Aussie Open is next week. To shoot a good score, you need to place it around the course. The greens are always great and you can hole plenty of putts. The scoring opportunities come in bunches and you can really get momentum going."
Windred is among 11 Hunter hopefuls alongside Nathan Green, Jake Higginbottom, Andrew Dodt, James Nitties, Nick Flanagan, Cal O'Reilly, Aaron Townsend and amateurs Jake Riley, Jye Pickin and Corey Lamb teeing up on Thursday.
Tee Times
1st hole - Jake Higginbottom (6.45am), Andrew Dodt (7.15am), Nick Flanagan (7.25am), Jye Pickin (amateur) (11.55am), Cal O'Reilly (12.45pm), Blake Windred (1.05pm), Nathan Green (1.15pm), Jake Riley (a) (1.25pm).
10th hole - James Nitties (7.35am), Aaron Townsend (8.25am), Corey Lamb (a) (1.15pm).
