CHARLESTOWN professional Jye Pickin will use the rich Rockhampton and Redcliffe pro-ams as dress rehearsals for his maiden Australasian Tour event next month.
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Pickin flew north Monday ahead of the 54-hole $60,000 Rockhampton Pro-am starting, Wednesday. The 22-year-old will then tee up in the 36-hole $80,000 Redcliffe pro-am on July 18-19.
The Queensland events have the biggest purses that Pickin has competed for and the best fields since he turned professional in May.
The opening event on the 2024-25 Australasian Tour is the Papua New Guinea
"The quality of the players at Rocky this week and Redcliffe the following week is a step up," Pickin said.
"I was practising with Andrew Dodt last week and he is playing Redcliffe. He is an Asian Tour and European Tour winner. The competition will be high."
The opening event on the 2024-25 Australasian Tour is the $200,000 Papua New Guinea Open at Royal Port Moresby from August 15-18.
Pickin has previously played in the NSW Open and West Australian Open and PGA as an amateur.
"I have been really happy with how I have prepared for next season," Pickin said. "I travelled to Queensland in June and played six pro-ams over a few weeks. Now going up again, it has worked out pretty well.
"I have worked with my coach (Khan Pullen) in the past couple of weeks and been able to tune a few things up. The biggest thing this week is trying to have some fun. I play my best golf when I am enjoying being on the course. The rest of it flows."
** Nelson Bay duo Amy Squires and Lachlan Lawson will spearhead the Hunter contingent at the NSW Junior Championships being help at Cabramatta and Liverpool starting Tuesday.
** Newcastle will take on Wollongong in the Master Pennants regional final after they secured a three Northern Division pennant in four years.
Newcastle edged out Waratah 5.5-2.5 on Sunday to move a step close to defending their state crown.
Greg Fraser and Nick Ebrill launched Newcastle's victory with emphatic 3 and 2 wins. Waratah hit back with a 5 and 4 win to Scott Morrison.
Newcastle captain, Mark Ellison, then delivered a 5 an 4 victory, and Jason McBeath showed nerves of steel, sinking his putt on the 17th hole for a crucial 2 and 1 win.
With half a point needed, Brian Carmichael needed two putts to square his match.
** Newcastle gun Ella Scaybrook will tee up in the IMG World Junior Championship at Torrey Pines in San Diego on Tuesday.
Scaysbrook, 18, was part of the Australian team which went down to the USA in a Ryder Cup-style tournament in Wisconsin last week.
The home side dominated, leading 9-3 after four-ball and foursomes matches. They then won 10 of the 12 singles matches on day two.
Scaysbrook combined with Sarah Hammett to win their foursomes match against Gianna Clemente and Asterisk Talley 1-up.
The Australians lost to the same pair 3 and 2 in the four ball. Then Scaysbrook took on Clemente in singles and lost 1-up
The World Junior Championships is a 54-hole stroke event.
