Royal Canberra’s Jordan Ayre has got off to a flyer and leads the NSW Country Championship by three shots after an impressive six under par 64 at Goulburn Golf Club today.
Chasing Ayre is Branxton’s Corey Lamb and the evergreen John Betland from Forbes, who both carded three-under par 67’s. A trio of golfers is another shot back, including 2016 Country Champion Anthony Brunero, Duntryleagues’ James Conran, and NSW representative Josh Armstrong from Gold Creek.
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Ayre, 24, could do no wrong on the perfect Goulburn putting surfaces, rolling in seven birdies and a solitary bogey in near ideal conditions for scoring.
“It was good, I got it going early and had five in a row from two to six,” Ayre said after his round.
“The rest of the round was solid, and I took advantage on the par fives out the back.
“I can’t complain about a 64,” he smiled.
With 18 holes to go, Ayre, who has just six weeks shy of completing an accountancy degree at Canberra University, isn’t ready to put a tick in the win ledger just yet. He is aware of the prize on offer for the champion, a start in the NSW Open at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club in five weeks time.
Despite several attempts at pre-qualifying, Ayre, who has three club championships to his name at Royal Canberra, is yet to tee it up in the NSW Open.
“I’ve never played in the NSW Open, and it’s been a career goal of mine to get there. It’s what the winner gets here, and it’s always good to play for something like that.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge tomorrow,” he smiled.
Hunter River has their nose in front in the Interdistrict Teams Challenge, being played in conjunction with the Country Championship. The Hunter team of Corey Lamb ( 67), Hayden Gulliver (69), Blake Palmer (69), and Clayton Small (71) lead by three shots from the Central West. The Mid North Coast are in third Position with a combined score of three over par, while ACT Monaro is in fourth, another shot back.
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Golf has a $1.2 billion impact on the economy of New South Wales annually.
To find out more about the benefits of the sport across the State and in the ACT, please visit:
GOLF IN NSW: Community Impact Study
GOLF IN THE ACT: Community Impact Study