10-year-old who became the toast of the golfing world

Of the thousands of Australians watching Cameron Smith battle for the US Masters at Augusta, nobody was cheering louder than Mountain Creek’s Graeme Miller. Check out the latest golf news from around the region.

Cameron Smith of Australia plays a shot on the 18th hole during the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. Picture: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Of the thousands of Australians who rose early on Monday to watch Cameron Smith battle for the US Masters at Augusta, nobody was cheering louder or beaming with more pride than Mountain Creek’s Graeme Miller.

Miller, the founder and president of the Invincibles Sunshine Coast Junior Golf Tour, was

remembering a tiny 10-year-old, who signed up with the tour, determined to become as good a

golfer as he could be.

A young Cameron Smith working on his swing at the old Hyatt Coolum.

Miller recalls the 10-handicapper was selected to be part of the Invincibles’ development squad, where the coaches included Peter Heiniger, Sean Seymore and Grant Field, who would later become – and remain – Cameron Smith’s full-time coach.

“He worked really hard and listened to everything he was told,” Miller said.

“We all knew that he would go a long way in golf.”

And he has. After a remarkable amateur career, which included winning the 2013 Australian

Amateur Championship, Smith turned professional.

Since then he’s twice won the Australian PGA Championship and, on the US PGA Tour – the world’s toughest – he’s won the 2017 Zurich Classic of New Orleans and this year’s Sony Open in Hawaii.

Cameron Smith (front row, centre) was part of the Invincibles development squad as a 10-year-old. Graeme Miller is on the left, next to current Maroochy River head pro Sean Seymore. On the right are Smith's current mentor Grant Field and Peter Heiniger, now teaching pro at Noosa Springs.

But his performance this week – tying for second behind Dustin Johnson in the Masters and breaking 70 for each of the four rounds – has confirmed Smith’s place as one of the world’s premier golfers.

“And the best thing about it all is that he’s still the same person he always was,” said Miller. “Polite, friendly and down to earth – just as he was as a 10-year-old.”

Welcome Matt for new GM

Headland’s newly-appointed general manager Matt Lang is likely to take up his new role in mid-December.

Lang, 38, joins Headland from Victoria’s Rosebud Country Club where he was operations

manager and assistant GM.

He was one of 82 applicants for the job after former GM Ben Dobson resigned.

Lang, who describes himself as a ‘keen but not great golfer’ with an AGU handicap of 18, worked at Yarra Yarra, Sandhurst and The National before joining Rosebud, and is married with two sons.

Champions yet again

Tiaan Scheepers and Jean Brkic have again won Mt Coolum’s mixed foursomes championship – the fourth time in the past six years the pair has dominated the honour board event.

They won by 10 strokes from Zac Quirk and Silvana Phillips.

Ryley Martin (left) watches as fellow pro Glenn Joyner plays during a recent round together at Noosa Springs.

Young pro to follow his dreams overseas

Ryley Martin, starved of tournament opportunities this year due to COVID-19, is planning to make up for lost time by moving to Canada in the New Year.

Martyn, a former Headland junior who turned professional a year ago, has played only a handful of tournaments this year.

His latest was the Northern Territory PGA in Darwin late last month when he made the cut after a disappointing first round 80, finishing well back.

Martin, now a member at Maroochy River and Noosa Springs, is planning to head to North America with his father in January or February, and will be away for at least eight months.

“My aim is to win my way onto the Canadian Tour,” Martin said.

“It’s very competitive and a good stepping stone to the United States tours.”

Tyler Quaill and Amy Hodgkins proudly display their scholarship certificates courtesy of the Invincibles Tour.

Scholarship for Maroochy River junior

Maroochy River junior Tyler Quaill scored his biggest ‘win’ in golf this week when he earned a $1000 encouragement scholarship, courtesy of the Invincibles Tour.

The funds are to be used for travel and accommodation to a major event of his choosing.

Tyler, who has been an Invincibles member almost since he began playing golf, won the Maroochy River Junior Open in September.

A young man with a great work ethic, Tyler, 16, has reduced his handicap to four, though it did get as low as one in August.

Amy Hodgkins of Redcliffe also won a $1000 encouragement scholarship.

Pro golfer Charlie Dann Picture: Patrick Woods.

Dann in the mix at Ocean Shores

Charlie Dann, who fired an excellent two under-par 70, was the best of the Sunshine Coast

contingent in last week’s Ocean Shores Pro-Am in northern NSW.

Dann, who like US Masters hero Cameron Smith, is coached by Pelican Waters-based Grant Field, finished 7th at Ocean Shores, behind winner Brett Rankin.

Coast veterans Brad Burns and Glenn Joyner each had rounds of one over-par 73 to tie for 24th, while Katelyn Must was tied 27th after returning a score of 74.

Further honours for pennant players

Next year’s Sunshine Coast zone pennant winners will have the chance to become district

champions.

The winners of each division – A grade, B grade, Masters and Juniors – in the Glasshouse

Mountains, South Burnett and Sunshine Coast zones will compete in the inaugural District Pennant Championship.

Date and venue are yet to be determined.

Register for Maroochy River Open

Maroochy River gets a chance to show off its outstanding golf course when it hosts this year’s Maroochy River Men’s Open on Sunday, November 29.

Trophies worth more than $1500 will be on offer for the winner, runner-up and gross and nett winners in three grades.

Tee times are available from 6.05am and, as with most open days, it’s a bargain to play.

Entry costs $37, with members paying $25.

Call the Pro Shop on 5457 0900 to book.

Perkins Coast’s best in district championship

Outstanding young Brisbane golfer Zach Maxwell shot a brilliant four under-par 64 to win the Sunshine Coast and South Burnett district championship last week.

He beat Royal Queensland amateur Max Ford by a single stroke.

The closed champion – the player representing a Sunshine Coast club – was Pelican Waters teenager Blaike Perkins, with a great one under-par 69.

A total of 166 players, from 34 clubs, took part in the district championships, which were decided at Wantima.

Coast golfers to take home some of the spoils were Headland’s Barry Newton (Division 3, gross winner, 73), Nambour’s Peter Rogers (Division 3 nett winner, 67) and Maroochy River’s Chopper Jacobson (Division 3 nett runner-up). Leon Parr, of Nambour, was Division 4 runner-up with 81.

Headland junior joins the Heat

Former outstanding Headland junior James Bazley has joined Brisbane Heat for the upcoming Big Bash cricket season.

Bazley, now 25 and returning from a serious groin injury, was B grade Headland champion as a 13-year-old in 2008 – the same year he captained Queensland’s primary school cricket team.

He won that championship by eight shots but then decided to make cricket his priority. The all-rounder has been a member of a Cricket Australia X1 on a T20 tour of South Africa and last season starred for the Queensland second eleven.

Originally published as