Gippsland Super 6: Ben Henkel superstition put to rest, leads Jason Hong and Corey Lamb

For almost seven years, Ben Henkel, who tries to make a living from golf has refused to wear a glove during play. He put that superstition aside, and now leads the Gippsland Super 6.

Golfer Ben Henkel is lucky to not be a quadriplegic after a car accident in 2019. Picture: Glenn Ferguson

Chances are if you walked down to the local golf club any given afternoon, you’d see almost every amateur – from the single figure handicaps to absolute hackers – wearing a glove on their hand.

But for almost seven years, an Australian professional who tries to make a living from the sport has refused to wear one.

It might be superstition, or a happy case of serendipity, but after missing the cut at last week’s Victorian PGA, Ben Henkel decided to put a glove back on in a practice round.

It felt OK, so by the time this week’s event rolled around, he was happy to wear it for the first time in a very long time during competition.

The result? Well, Henkel leads the Gippsland Super 6 after the opening round at Warragul on Thursday.

Ben Henkel refused to wear a glove for almost seven years, but has worn one for the Gippsland Super 6.

In his own words, the 24-year-old says he’s been working on his grip pressure in recent weeks, and more specifically trying to weaken his left hand. He thought a glove might help, even if he’s long banished it to the bin of tools he didn’t need.

After an opening round eight-under 62 – which featured an eagle and seven birdies – Henkel will be staying with the glove for the rest of the week.

The choice of wearing the handwear or not might seem a significant one for any golfer, but it’s minor compared to the battle Henkel faced to rebuild his career after fracturing a vertebrae in a car accident in 2019.

The Victorian spent 12 months away from the game, continued his amateur career and then turned professional, playing his first full season on the PGA Tour of Australasia in 2024.

“It’s been really challenging,” Henkel said. “It was a kick in the bum I needed with some of those scores around the cut line for most of the events. Never having a great round or never having a shocker.

“Being around the bubble has been hard. It makes me a bit hungrier to be at the top of the leaderboard.”

Ben Henkel leads the Gippsland Super 6 by one stroke. Picture: Supplied.

He will spend the first night of the Gippsland Super 6 there, leading by one from New South Welshmen Jason Hong and Corey Lamb, who were both in contention on the final day of the Victorian PGA last week.

“I actually didn’t play that great, so it’s good to see seven-under,” Lamb said. “I just holed a few good putts and that keeps you going.

“I missed quite a few fairways. When I hit them, I was making birdies. The greens are soft so you can land it right next to it and it just stops. I hit a few irons close today for a few tap-ins.”

Jye Pickin – who was co-leader with Hong heading into the final round before Cory Crawford prevailed at Moonah Links last week – headed up five players a shot further back at six-under.

The Gippsland Super 6 tournament will feature three rounds of stroke play before the top 24 will be pitched into one-on-one contests on the final day.

Each match-up will be decided after six holes with the lowest score and winner progressing to the next stage before an overall winner is crowned.

Originally published as Gippsland Super 6: Ben Henkel superstition put to rest, leads Jason Hong and Corey Lamb