Canberra's Carmichael claims 2003 NSW Open

BY iseekgolf.com | Von Nida Tour | 2003 New South Wales Open | Wrap | 23 Nov 2003

The man who gave Tiger Woods a “dusting down” 18 months ago, found himself on the other end of a lesson as ACT golfer Craig Carmichael scored a fighting win in the 2003 GolfSkins New South Wales Open Championship at Macquarie Links in Sydney.

Pre-tournament favourite Peter O’Malley couldn’t hold off “the Federal connection” as Carmichael and young amateur star Andrew McKenzie surged past him to finish one-two at Macquarie Links Golf Club in Sydney’s south-west. The pair both play their golf out of Federal Golf Club in Canberra.

On a final day where low scoring was made difficult by swirling winds and a course made heavy by showers the previous day, Carmichael’s game proved the most reliable as he fired a one-over par 73 for a one-shot win. It was the perfect finish to a great week which saw Carmichael, McKenzie and European Tour star O’Malley all arrive on the 72nd tee with a shot at the title.

Both O’Malley and McKenzie missed the green at the last, while Carmichael smacked a five-iron to about 15 feet and calmly two-putted for victory. O’Malley tried to fire his at the flag for the much-needed birdie, overshot the green and failed to get up and down for par. That cost him second spot as McKenzie played a delightful chip from behind the green to about two feet and holed for par.

Carmichael later explained he had played a lot better in Sydney’s other Von Nida Tour event, the Toyota Southern Classic at Woolooware several months ago only to be beaten on the last day.

“To go out and not play at your best but then have something happen and click and to be able to go on with it is a really good feeling,” Carmichael said.

He was obviously referring to holding off one of Europe and indeed the Australasian PGA Tour’s better players, Peter O’Malley, who many expected to have the tournament at his mercy after he and Carmichael shared the lead at the end of the second day at 14-under par.

To go head to head with O’Malley for the final 36 holes and win was pretty special to Carmichael.

“I’ve played alongside Wayne Grady, Nick O’Hern and Anthony Painter – those sort of blokes. But Pom’s a bit different. Here is a guy that dusted Tiger Woods 18 months or so ago so he has the game, that’s for sure,” Carmichael said.

“It’s not just that, it’s also having your name on a trophy with so many great names on there. I think Norman, Jack Newton, Norman von Nida and some other legends have all won it.”

Carmichael admitted when he bogeyed the 12th and 13th holes in the final round he thought he was finished.

“Then I birdied 14 and 15 and holed another chip shot, for the fourth day in a row. It was probably the hardest chip I had all day too,” he said. “I was about 10 feet off the green and had 15 feet of green to work with and it was all downhill with a big break on it. It went in and suddenly I was back in the game. The way the boys played 16 I thought to myself ’just don’t do anything dumb in the last two holes and you’ll be sweet’.”

Carmichael played the entire 72 holes without a caddy, instead pulling his own bag around on a trolley.

“When you start a tournament on your own, you feel you might as well finish it on your own,” he said. “Besides I get to keep the 10 per cent caddy’s fee myself now.”

Carmichael played a practice round with McKenzie on the Monday before the tournament as the Federal clubmates attempted to learn more about the course.

“I know Andrew pretty well. I was doing my time at Federal when he was a junior just coming through the ranks,” Carmichael said.

McKenzie said going into the final day in the last group he expected moments when he would be nervous or have a few lapses in concentration.

“I played really well, though, I did everything I had to do and gave myself a chance,” he said. "Yes, that’s the biggest gallery I’ve ever had following me before in an event. My swing held up fine and I hit all the shots the way I wanted to hit them and I was pretty happy with the way I struck the ball all week.

“Not that I thought about winning but as I stood over that second shot at the last at least I felt I was in with a chance.”

Although his second placing did not guarantee him a start in the Australian Open, McKenzie said he was happy to try and pre-qualify and he would also be playing in the Australian Masters.

“Had I won it would have been a full exemption onto the whole tour but I tried not to think about that at any stage,” he said. “If you start thinking about things like that you start hitting bad shots.”

It was a final day with many highlights.

Big-hitting New South Wales professional Paul Marantz, although not in contention, walked onto the 18th green with the crowd murmuring he had hit his second shot out of bounds after it hit a sprinkler head beside the 18th green and caromed over the fence behind the green.

Still he was given a drop by PGA Tour officials and played a marvellous chip from the woodchip garden, back over the fence to about 12 feet from the hole.

He missed the putt but finished the Open with a76. No doubt he will be looking forward to some better finishes when he plays in Europe in 2004 after earning his card there.

Popular young South Australian Wade Ormsby, fresh from a disappointing third-round 76, made giant strides up the leaderboard on the final day with seven birdies as he finished with a five-under 67.

“I lost it a bit yesterday. I even made a double at the last when I hit one in the water,” he said. “I played a lot better out there today.”

Ormsby finished second to Englishman Richard McEvoy at the European Tour Players School the previous week, shooting five successive rounds in the 60s after an opening 70, and said he was now eagerly looking forward to his first year in Europe.

“I can’t wait for a crack at it [the European Tour],” he said. “I’ll be heading over to the Hong Kong Open, which is the first event on the European Tour for 2004. While eventually I would like to end up playing in the United States, I won’t be heading there at all in 2004. I’ll focus solely on Europe and try and make an impression there in my first year. It’s all pretty exciting.”

US Amateur champion Nick Flanagan could also be proud of his efforts.

At his first start in a professional event since his momentous win in the United States in August, the 19-year-old amateur broke par in three of his four rounds, finishing with a 70 to finish five-under par and equal 19th.

Flanagan, became the first Australian in 100 years and first foreign-born player in 32 years to win the 2003 US Amateur Championship at Oakmont Country Club in August.

Source – NSWGA