Rick Kulacz: The Playoff King

BY Anthony Powter | 30 Aug 2008

Rick Kulacz took only ten months to claim his first professional tour title after he won the Brunei Open on the Asian Tour last weekend in dramatic fashion.

A peerless bunker shot by Kulacz for birdie to defeat Chinese Taipei’s Lu Wen-teh on the first extra hole ensures his play-off record stands at 2-0 and in the process he collected the US$47,550 winner’s cheque and a two year exemption on the Asian Tour.

Rick Kulacz Audio Interview

“It’s a massive relief,” said Kulacz, 23, who announced back in October 2007 he was turning professional and had signed with the global IMG management group.

“To be able to now plan your schedule with fixed dates and combine other tours makes it so much easier when you’re a rookie. I was well down in the Order of Merit before this and the win has got me right back up there. It simply takes an enormous amount of pressure off you.”

In October 2007, Kulacz narrowly missed progressing to the first stage at US Q-School and was in search of a tour card. He returned to Australia to defend his NSW Open title, feeling dejected but still hopeful he would find a tour for the season. The results soon came for arguably one of our best emerging golfing talents.

Kulacz secured a T16 finish at the NSW Open and his first professional pay cheque of AUD$1,725 was then backed up with another cheque at the MasterCard Masters with a T24 finish.

The next week at the New Zealand Open, Kulacz had a T16 finish and from only two events on the Australasian Tour he’d banked $27,182 to finish 40th on the 2007 PGA Australasia Tour Order of Merit. Kulacz had made the cut in each of his first three events as a professional.

On the back of these stellar performances Kulacz then obtained his Asian Tour card in November 2007, after finishing 3rd at the final stage to obtain full status in Asia. He’d secured a job in his rookie season and finally had a full-time tour to play. The earlier disappointments of missing US Q-School had quickly vaporised as his immediate future was set with playing privileges in Asia.

Kulacz has also played a few tournaments this season on the European Tour, where he has no status, making the cut last month at the Open de France. His self belief in being able to compete with the world’s best has never dwindled and he’s never been shy to put the hard yards in an attempt to get a result.

“I feel that I’ve done all the work,” he says.

“Out there you just have to let it all go and the results should follow. I like to think that I’ve got more patience with my game than when I first started as a professional or when I won the NSW Open as an amateur. I was patient this week in Brunei in the play-off and it worked.”

The relief in claiming his maiden professional tour victory was obvious in his answers during our interview.

“I can have a lot more fun now with my golf now,” said Kulacz.

“My ball striking is getting better all the time, as that’s probably been the biggest weakness with my game, but overall everything is starting to fall nicely into place.”

As an amateur Kulacz showed promise that he was player with talent and it was inevitable he would ultimately progress to the professional ranks.

Kulacz was a quarter finalist at the 2007 British Amateur Championship and in August 2007 won the US Scratch Players Amateur. At 15 he became the youngest member of the West Australian Senior State Team and quickly dominated the junior golfing scene, winning the Australian Junior Championship, the IFJC World Junior Championship and the Jack Newton International.

During these formative years he was prepared to test his game to the fullest extent. Kulacz often ventured outside his comfort zone in playing foreign tournaments, took risks and mixed it with the professionals in events where starts could be obtained. A strategy that ultimately has paid dividends for him.

“I want to go out there each time and finish as high up there as I can,” he said during the week of the 2006 NSW Open, when still an amateur. “It’s not as if I am playing for money, so there is no real pressure. Rather, I’m there to get the experience and try and feel what it’s like to play into contention,”

Kulacz then went on to become the first amateur in thirty-one years to win the NSW Open with a slick five-under-par final round 65 before beating fellow Western Australian, Tony McFadyean at the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. It was his first playoff in a professional tournament and a sign of things to come.

“I don’t know, perhaps I’m just lucky in play-offs,” he says after winning the Brunei Open in similar fashion.

The transition to the professional ranks and the associated challenges is something Kulacz no longer views as an issue. Last week’s win has seen to that. He knows a hard work ethic is vital and that there can no longer be any shortcomings in your game.

“As an amateur it’s not really that different to the way we are playing now, just there are more players capable of winning a tournament.”

“I’ve just been able to keep doing those one-percenters which is now separating me from the other professionals. You just have to keep on top of everything all the time and have no weaknesses in your game to survive as a pro.”

The win in the Brunei Open has put to rest any doubts and for the time being, Kulacz feels the pressure is off and he can go about improving his game. It’s the start he was after and for a player of Kulacz’s ability, there are bound to be more victories coming his way in the future.