Bowditch caps great summer with Jacob's Creek win

BY Bruce Young | Australasian PGA Tour | 2005 Jacob's Creek Open | Wrap | 20 Feb 2005

21-year-old Steve Bowditch, who just five months ago was driving the drinks carts and selling golf balls at the Kooralbyn Resort in Queensland while he sorted out his playing future, has today won the Jacob’s Creek Open in Adelaide with a resounding five shot win.

Not only did Bowditch win, but it was the manner of the win on top of his earlier fine finishes this summer which have most pundits now considering him as perhaps Australia’s brightest prospect.

Once a fiery and volatile customer on course, Bowditch now seems at peace with himself. His win at the Queensland Open, his brilliant finishing burst at the Australian Open, his fourth placing at the Mastercard Masters, his early lead at the New Zealand Open and now this emphatic win today, all point to a young man who is fulfilling much of the latent talent he displayed as an amateur.

In 2000 Bowditch finished in a share of seventh with another amateur Andrew Buckle at Aaron Baddeley’s Australian Open at Kingston Heath. Less than two years later he was a professional and there was the occasional glimpse of form when he narrowly missed his European Tour card in 2002 and had several good finishes on the Challenge Tour in 2003. He did not do well enough however to gain his full European card and returned to the Challenge Tour in 2004 until he ran out of desire and perhaps money in the middle of the year.

Returning to Queensland, his adopted home after intially being raised in Newcastle, Bowditch found work at the Kooralbyn Resort working in the pro shop there. As he recovered from the battering the unproductive season in Europe had given him, he looked ahead to what remained of the 2004 Australasian Tour season hopeful of rekindling the spark and form he had possessed previously. He sought solace and support and found it in the form of his girlfriend Trudy and light appeared at the end of a very dark tunnel.

He played several of the Sunshine Tour events in October featuring in a couple and then, at the Von Nida Tour’s Queensland Open, he led virtually throughout to win the rain-reduced event by five.

“In some ways I would have preferred to have played the full event to prove to myself I could win over 72 holes but a win is a win,” he said not long after that victory. It would also take some financial pressure off, although he had gained the support of financial backing of people who believed in his ability.

At the Australian Open two weeks later, he reeled off four birdies in the closing five holes holes to grab a share of third with Rod Pampling behind Lonard and Appleby and he had enough money and confidence to look ahead to the rest of the summer with anticipation.

He was fourth at the MasterCard Masters, outplaying his illustrious and in form playing partner on the final day, Peter Lonard, and securing yet another good payday.

At Royal Adelaide he again displayed his front running skills to lead early and then move further ahead on a golf course where most others were struggling around par. It was an almost no fear rather than no respect approach, attacking when he needed to and yet capable of defending on one of Australia’s great golfing arenas. On a golf course where much of the talk early in the week was on just how easily it had been set up, Bowditch handled the increasingly difficult layout over the weekend, when things really did get tough, with consumate ease and ran out the winner by five over American Ryan Armour and the perhaps underestimated Australian Nathan Green.

Armour is in his second year on the Nationwide Tour, having graduated in 2004 via the 2003 PGA Tour Q School. He played the Hooters and other mini tours prior but this represents his biggest payday in the game. He was 38th on the money list in 2004 and is now well on his way to improving on that in 2005.

Central Coast of New South Wales resident, Nathan Green, played well enough in 2004 on the Nationwide Tour to threaten a top twenty place at various times. His best finish was when second at the Henrico County Open, but his finish at the Tour Championship at the end of the season when fifth, may well have been a better effort.

Greg Chalmers and Craig Jones shared fourth one back of Green and Armour.

Only three rounds were recorded in the 60’s on the last day, putting to bed any concerns experessed early in the week that the course had been set up too easy.

Those who were responsible for the course setup knew best and that the windy conditions would dry the course out. There was an relatively even representation of Americans and Australasians in the top thirty, with twelve of the top twenty seven from the US.

For Bowditch however (and yes it is pronounced Bowditch as in bow and arrow) he could care less as to whether the course was hard or easy. He is now a Nationwide Tour player and has created a strong chance to graduate to the USPGA Tour in 2006. Now that he has found his feet in professional golf, he is displaying the type of game that could well see him succeed when he eventually gets to the USPGA Tour whenever that may be. He is one of the longest hitters in the game and has a deft touch. Those skills, combined with the far greater discipline and self control which he now possesses, will take him a long way in the game.

Compared to just five months prior, it must seem like another world to Bowditch and it likely is.