Golf-Hotel-Resorts AND CASINO News: Golf Victoria: June Newsletter ⛳️

Golf news, views and results from around the state.

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Vic Open becomes Aus golf's richest week

The Vic Open will become Australian golf's richest week in 2019 with the combined prize pool surging to an unprecedented $3 million.

That's more than double the $1.3 million on offer in 2018 and means since moving to 13th Beach Golf Links in 2013, the prize pool has increased ten-fold – from $300,000 to $3 million. Read more...

New home for Victoria's oldest junior event

The Victorian Boys and Girls Championships has a new home in 2018, with Moonah Links Golf Club locked in to host all four stroke play rounds from September 24-27.

Having held the Australian Open in 2003 and 2005, the move to Moonah Links gives the country's best young players another chance to test themselves on one of Victoria's premier layouts without a cut. Read more...

Victorian Par-3 champions crowned

Huntingdale's Piper Stubbs has been crowned the 2018 Victorian Women's Par-3 champion.

Stubbs, 15, held a one-shot buffer over defending champion Jessica Pickwick after the opening round and fired a final round 58 to run away the clear winner.

Special mention to Tyana Phan (Churchill-Waverley GC) who scored a hole-in-one on the 14th hole. Read more...

Starting the final round four shots back from fellow Gardiners Run member Jake Fullerton, Darren Makin made his charge with a closing 56.

Fullerton tried his best to force a play-off with a birdie on the last hole but Makin held his nerve to make par for a three-round total of 170 and announce himself as the 2018 Victorian Men's Par-3 champion. Read more...

Golf Victoria Magazine Feature:
Lucas bound for Carnoustie

Victorian pro Lucas Herbert has had a stunning six months, chalking up six top-10 finishes, including three on the European Tour, and climbing more than 500 spots on the world rankings. As the 22-year-old prepares for his first British Open, he tells CHARLES HAPPELL he can hardly wait. Read article...

GOLF MONTH IS BACK THIS OCTOBER!
Make sure your club is one of hundreds around the country who will offer fun, social, welcoming experiences to attract new people to the game. Learn more...

SHOT TO WATCH
To celebrate tickets going on sale for the World Cup of Golf five teams attempt to break the Fastest Hole of Golf record! Watch...

Q&A with Julienne Soo
Australia's top ranked female amateur and Oklahoma University student athlete

Why did you decide to head over to college?
When I was about 16 I went to the US and figured out what college was all about.

I weighed up my options and decided college was best for me in terms of a player as well as in terms of a person – growing up by yourself and figuring out how to do things on your own.

Tell us why you chose Oklahoma University…
I didn't actually go on any official visits before going to Oklahoma so I was kind of going in a little bit blind! I had a lot of people telling me that it was a really good school and that the golf facilities were really great and I trusted the people that told me. [Oklahoma] keep a good balance – it's not all just about golf but it's not always just about studying either.

How were you feeling the day you left?
I couldn't sleep the night before, I barely slept on the plane. I was so nervous! There was a lot of new faces and a lot to get used to. That's what was the most nerve-wracking thing.

What is life like as a student athlete in an American college? Describe the resources and facilities…
There are great facilities here in Australia but [in the US] it's amazing. I don't know how to say it any other way. With the money that the colleges have, it's crazy... My university at OU, we just finished building a four-hole par-3 course which is just for the team – about 20 people – to use. For a lot of the good universities that's just what they provide to get a competitive edge over other universities and it just keeps getting better.

What's been the biggest take-away from college?
The biggest thing that I've taken away is just understanding how to play. It's not always about where's my swing in this position, how's it going here, what's my stroke looking like… It's about 'how am I going to get this into the hole?'

Not many Australians take the college route… Would you recommend it?
Me personally I've got a lot out of it but I know it's not for everyone. For those who think they would like to get a degree out of something and still want to pursue golf and see how they can go in a competitive field, I would definitely recommend college.

What's next?
So I'm in my fourth year right now and that's going to be my last year. I think that I might give [the pro circuit] a crack. I think my game's really grown over the time that I've been in college and the competition in college golf is getting crazy good. Someone from UCLA just came fifth at the US Open!