Pickin held his nerve down the stretch to beat Jones Commerford (1-up) and Ali Rachid (2 and 1) in the opening two rounds of matchplay on Wednesday. Next is a quarter-final date with Queenslander and good mate Joel Stahlhut (Pelican Waters).

The 21-year-old NSW representative bombed out at the same stage last year - his best result at the prestigious tournament.

"Compared to last year, my game is in much better shape," Pickin said. "In these top amateur events, you have to be able to pick and choose your moments when to go for it.

"Especially when you get to the pointy end of the tournament, you have to make birdies to win holes. I have played a lot of golf in the past couple of weeks, which builds up your confidence."

READ: PICKIN ON TRACK AT NSW AMATEUR

Pickin made late birdies which proved crucial in both matches on Wednesday.

Against Rashid, Pickin drove the green at the short par-four 15^th to set up birdie and then picked up another shot at 17 to secure the win.

It was a similar scenario in the morning against Commerford. The match was level after 16 holes and Pickin then pitched to two-feet for a birdie at 17.

"I hit it pretty solid, especially in the afternoon when the wind got up," Pickin said. "I took the wider side of the green and rolled a few putts in."

Maitland's Clayton Small survived a nine-way playoff to qualify for the matchplay but couldn't continue his momentum against Chris Fan (Avondale) in the round of 32.

Fan was red hot early, winning five of the first six holes, and was eight under at the turn. Small fought hard but couldn't make up the ground, going down eight and seven.

AAP reports: Australian great Karrie Webb says her return to the LPGA Tour this week is not the start of a comeback but rather a convenient chance to tee it up without hitting the road.

Seven-times major champion Webb lives in Boynton Beach, Florida, which means she only has to drive about 30 minutes to compete at the Gainbridge LPGA tournament in nearby Boca Raton.

"It's not necessarily a return, I don't think there is any full-time or even a big chunk of part-time golf in me," 47-year-old Webb said.

"But when you're away from it for a long time there is lot of things that you do miss about it. I think it was great, very convenient that I could stay at home this week and play in a tournament for the first time in a while, and, you know, not feel like the rigours of having to travel with luggage."

Webb will be part of a strong field this week featuring 16 of the top-25 players including world No.1 and defending champion Nelly Korda, plus countrywomen Su Oh and Katherine Kirk - although Minjee Lee and Hannah Green are yet to resume in 2022.

A World Golf Hall of Fame member who last played a full-time schedule on the LPGA Tour in 2017, Webb said she never enjoyed lugging her clubs around when on the road but does miss her fellow competitors and the banter on the range.

Despite being a winner of 56 professional events and widely considered one of the most successful female golfers in history, Webb said she has zero desire to put in the effort it would take to challenge the game's current top players.

"That's another thing I don't really miss, is the grind of putting in the hours on the range and on the practice putting green, and I think that's why I don't really have the desire to play a lot," said Webb.

"I really don't have the desire to put the work in, and to even come close to competing out here you have to be able to put the work in to compete with these girls. The standard just gets better and better every year."

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