Zach Murray, the rising golf star, knows all about long drives

Golfer Zach Murray reckons he is a “big car man” and Kia’s Stinger GT sports sedan is a good fit for the 196cm rising star.

Zach Murray has been heralded as the next big thing in Australian golf after his maiden win at the New Zealand Open earlier this year. But the rangy Victorian isn’t letting his recent success go to his head.

Zach Murray: With Kia Stinger and NZ Open trophy

The 22-year-old was recently signed up as a Kia ambassador and has found a replacement for his old Holden Commodore.

Murray says he is “a big car man” and it is easy to understand when you’re about 196cm tall. And that is a big part of why he loves the Kia Stinger GT he’s had on loan for a few months.

“There is so much room in the front seat, which is always a bonus for me.” he says, “but there is also the acceleration. It is a pretty powerful car off the mark.”

The Stinger — with its 3.3-litre turbo V6 (272kW/510Nm) — was seen by many as the car to fill the void left by the locally made Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon. And Murray has some personal knowledge on the former.

Family favourite: Commodore wagon

“I grew up in Wodonga so I had a typical Commodore wagon growing up. Dad got it for me when I was in year 12. It was called the ‘shaggin’ wagon’ back home,” he says.

“It’s done a couple of hundred thousand kays and is still going strong.”

On roads around the Victorian-NSW border, Murray learned to drive on his dad’s old ute — a manual, which he found too frustrating.

“It was hard to concentrate on the road but I kinda got the hang of it,” he says. “But I was travelling a bunch with golf at the time and I just didn’t drive that much. And when I was getting close to my 18th I was still a long way off my 120 hours so I just learned on an auto.”

Learner car: Dad’s ute

There was a Commodore theme in the Murray household with his mother piloting an SS wagon.

Murray answers the much discussed question about the top-shelf Korean sedan, after comparing it to his mum’s old Commodore: “I’d say the Stinger GT has a bit more punch than the Commodore.”

Murray says the potent sedan comes with one caveat: “A couple of times the police pulled me over. It was a bit of a cop magnet.”

He reckons “it’s just nice to have a car for free” even if, due to his packed golf schedule, he doesn’t get to drive the Stinger as much as he’d like.

And as far as dream cars go, Murray has a few ideas: “I’d probably say I’d either get a Ferrari or a Bentley (Bentayga) SUV.”

Dream car: Bentley Bentayga

However, even if he wins a major he reckons he’ll stick with his Kia for the foreseeable future.

Murray says he is a pretty relaxed driver but one thing moves the needle for him.

“Probably one thing that boils me over is when you let someone in and they don’t acknowledge it. Being from the country, it is just a natural thing,” Murray says.

“Coming down to the city, things change. There is more traffic — but you’ve just got to be patient.”