Young guns revel at Huntingdale
BY Anthony Powter | Australasian PGA Tour | 2007 MasterCard Masters | Round Three | 24 Nov 2007
Despite being from different corners of the world, Australia’s Rick Kulacz and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy have similar traits – they’re brimming with confidence.
Both are the latest prodigies to go professional, McIlroy in September, Kulacz a month later and both continue to press their more “seasoned” colleagues in professional tournaments they enter, confirming their prodigious talents.
As fate has it, they will be paired in the second group today at the Australian Masters, sharing third place at five-under, four shots behind overnight leader, Robert Allenby.
It promises to be a real showcase of the next wave of golfing talent to hit the world golfing stage.
Rory McIlroy’s entry onto the European Tour in the later half of this year was highly impressive. The eighteen-year-old made his professional debut at The Open Championship at Carnoustie, where he carded an opening round of sixty-eight, the only bogey-free round of the day to eventually finish T42.
Two weeks later he finished third in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and tied fourth in the Madrid Open. That earned him 211,321 and in just two events he’d earned enough to secure his playing rights for the 2008 season.
“I have high expectations of my game,” remarked McIlroy, who was playing off plus six when he turned professional.
“I’ve been in contention a couple of times already. I have given myself a couple of opportunities to win. I have said this before that I would love to get a win under my belt early just to kick everything off. I would be good to do it this week.”
Kulacz, in contrast already has a professional event under his belt with the 2006 NSW Open Championship, an event he won in dramatic fashion as an amateur in a three-way playoff.
Since turning professional he’s banked a cheque in every event his entered and he’s relishing the experience to finally be playing for a living.
“This week here at Huntingdale is all about enjoying the experience,” remarked the 22-year-old.
“Sure I have expectations as to what I want to achieve. Lately, I’ve been striking the ball really well, but just not scoring. This week has been different and now I’m scoring well and looking forward to the round today.”
Both Kulacz and McIlroy have maintained their composure this week at Huntingdale to be knocking on the doorstep of claiming a major tour title.
Their paring this afternoon on “Super Saturday” promises to be one of the best of the round and you sense they’ll both feed off each other in an attempt to close the five-shot gap on overnight leader, Robert Allenby.
If the young guns can, it will certainly add a smile to their already beaming faces, as well as do wonders for their confidence, if that’s at all needed.
