Long eyes WA PGA defence
BY Bruce Young | Australasian PGA Tour | 2009 Western Australian PGA Championship | Preview | 27 Oct 2009
Following the successful reintroduction of the Western Australian Open to the PGA Tour schedule last week, the Australasian Tour moves two hours south this week for the Laurance Scrap Metals Western Australian PGA Championship at the Bunbury Golf Club.
While not all of those who played the John Hughes Geely WA Open will play this week, the field is essentially that which competed at the Cottesloe Golf Club where Victorian Michael Curtain won his first four round event as a professional.
Curtain is in this week’s field as is runner-up Kim Felton and three of the four players who tied for third. The notable absentee from that group is Adam Blyth who is in Singapore this week for the Singapore Open. Steve Jones, Anthony Brown and Mike Hendry will look to go two places better than last week however.
Victorian Craig Scott was a big mover on the final day last week with a final round of 66 to share 7th and has shown a capacity to produce a fast finish on two occasions this season, the other when reeling off a last nine of 30 to share the runner up position at the Victorian Open.
Ashley Hall and Andre Stolz have already proven themselves as winners this year on the PGA Tour of Australasia with wins at the Victorian Open and the Victorian PGA respectively and will be looking for more.
Stolz won an event in his rookie season on the PGA Tour in Las Vegas in 2004 but after a long break from the game has returned with several good results in the past twelve months. At his best the Central Coast of New South Wales resident is capable of handling this field although his missed cut last week indicates that he might be a tournament or two short of his best at this stage.
Defending champion, Michael Long, finished third in China two weeks ago, suggesting that his game is not far from where it needs to be to make it two in a row in this event.
