FRESH from his first bogey-free competition round, Newcastle young gun Brij Ingrey will make his debut for The Australian in the Eric Apperly Shield on Sunday.
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The Australian take on The Lakes at Lynwood Country Club in the opening round of the under-21 Sydney pennants competition.
It is the start of a hectic schedule for the Lambton 15-year-old after three months void of competition golf due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During that time Ingrey, who has benefited from a growth spurt, has made changes to his swing.
"I'm hitting it 10 to 15 metres further which helps a lot when you are having shorter clubs in," Ingrey said. "I changed my swing about a month ago with [coach] Jason Laws. He has helped a lot and I've started to hit the ball better and further with that one swing move."
The revamped swing delivered instant results at the Jack Newton Junior Golf Out of Isolation tournament at Charlestown on Monday.
Ingrey fired 33 for the front nine to turn three under and picked up another shot for a blemish-free 68.
"It was my first bogey-free round, which was pretty pleasing," said Ingrey, who is in year 10 at Macquarie College. "I have had a lot of bogey-free nines. I wasn't too anxious about it but when I got to the 15th and 16th hole, I just wanted to get to the middle of the green and make par. I didn't hit it too bad today but my putting was pretty good."
Ingrey, who plays off a handicap of +1.9, has been a member at The Australian for just over 12 months. He won the Kensington Cup at the famous layout and was a member of their A-Grade pennants squad.
"Although I didn't get to play pennants, it was good to get out there and see what it was like in Sydney," the 14-year-old said. "It's a lot different to Newcastle pennants."
The Australian have entered two teams - red and blue - in the Apperly Shield. Ingrey is the blue team alongside NSW junior team member Jeffrey Guan.
After The Lakes, they meet Concord, Lynwood and Monash.
"In the two Australian teams we have four state representatives and two junior state representatives," Ingrey said. "It is very tough to get a start and that is why I have been practicing a lot. We have five rounds and hopefully finals."
In between, Ingrey will compete in the Greg Chalmers Junior Masters at Shelly Beach on August 1-2 - the first major JNJG event post COVID-19.
The 36-hole championship was fully subscribed with a 100 players within 20 minutes.
The South Coast Junior Masters, which has a field of 128 players and is being held at Batemans Bay on August 28-29, was fully booked in less than three minutes.
In the US PGA, Bryson DeChambeau pounded protein shakes and lifted iron to transform his body, adding 15 kilograms of mass, and changed his game to put a premium on power.
The plan is working.
With jaw-dropping drives and some clutch putts, DeChambeau won the Rocket Mortgage Classic by three strokes in Detroit on Monday (AEST) for his first victory of the season and sixth overall.
He became the first PGA Tour player since 2004 to lead a tournament in driving distance, along with shots gained off the tee and putting.
"I changed my body, changed my mindset in the game and I was able to accomplish a win while playing a completely different style of golf," DeChambeau said. "And, it's pretty amazing to see that. I hope it's an inspiration to a lot of people."
DeChambeau shot a seven-under 65 at Detroit Golf Club, birdieing four of the first seven holes and closing with three. He finished at a career-best 23-under 265.
