Last Thursday began brightly for the Goulburn Golf Club.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Competing in the Volkswagen Scramble Regional Final in Canberra for a spot in May's Championship Final, the five-man Goulburn team got off to the best possible start.
"I knew we were in for a good day when one of the boys holed a 30 foot putt on our first hole of the day," club professional Andrew Grove said.
After opening with a ripper of a putt, the Goulburn team went from strength to strength and won the regional final at the Yowani Golf Club with a combined score of 52.9.
"It was great to get the win today with a team of local Goulburn members," Grove said.
"Everyone chipped in and worked hard for the win. I'm very proud of these boys."
Teams in the scramble consist of four amateurs and one professional. Grove's fellow teammates are Mark Griffin, Ricky Goodwin, Douglas Webster and Noel Ottaway.
The win earned them a spot at the Championship Final, which will be held at the Twin Waters Golf Club at the Sunshine Coast from May 1 to 4.
The team will not be going into the final completely unaware of what to expect, as Grove qualified for the same event as an amateur some years back.
"We are really looking forward to heading up north in a couple of months time," Grove said.
"I've actually qualified through to the Championship Final before I started my PGA Traineeship [when I] was just an amateur golfer at Royal Pines Golf Club. It is pretty amazing that I get to return to one as a PGA Professional."
The scramble is Australia's largest pro-am event with over one million players having taken part in more than 10,000 events since it began in 1992.
Annually, 450 clubs take part in the local championships, and the winners progress to regional finals which are held in "some of Australia's premier golf courses" according to the tournament website.
The site also describes the Championship Final as the "golfing experience of a lifetime" for those who qualify.
Along with four days of golf, there are a number of social activities and the opportunity to play with PGA legends in the first round.
Players to have appeared in past editions include Greg Norman, John Senden, Bubba Watson, Stuart Appleby, Peter O'Malley, Cameron Percy, and Rod Pampling.
While you're with us...
Did you know the Goulburn Post is now offering breaking news alerts and a weekly email newsletter? Keep up-to-date with all the local news: sign up here.
