Thurgoona Country Club near Albury hosted the New South Wales Senior Open last week, with the latest instalment of the $150,000 PGA Legends Tour event decided after what proved to be a dramatic final round. Starting the day one shot behind defending champion and second round leader David McKenzie, Mat Goggin, last year’s runner-up and founder of the soon-to-be fully opened Seven Mile Beach course in Hobart, would go one better.

Despite a rollercoaster final round which saw the lead swap several times, Goggin managed to jam his 9-iron approach from 152 metres to within four metres of the pin on the par four 18th before coolly rolling home the birdie putt to claim the tournament by a single stroke. Having shot a 64 in the second round to put him into contention, Goggin’s final round 68 saw him finish at 13-under, one ahead of Peter Lonard and Leon Trenerry and two ahead of good mate McKenzie.

The grandstand finish proved a fitting conclusion to a great week, one which again saw the Thurgoona team, led by course superintendent Dean Lewis (CSTM), have the playing surfaces at their best for the seventh consecutive Open. Pictured above are crew members (from left) Charlie Borella, Mark Anstee, Lewis, Bella Browne, Charlie Williamson and Tim Purtill with Goggin shortly after the trophy presentation.

“It all went really well,” says Lewis, now in his 11th year in charge at Thurgoona. “It really went down to the wire and was looking like heading to a playoff at one stage. We couldn’t have asked for better weather conditions on all three days, with temperatures ranging from the mid-20s to a high of 31 degrees on Sunday. The course held up well, with greens running between 10.5 and 11.5 across the tournament.

“The club's tournament volunteer numbers continue to grow with over 120 this year, including a small group of our ‘Juniors on the Move’ players, which was fantastic to see. Golf NSW and a handful of professionals held junior clinics early in the week, which were well attended by several schools and junior players from the area. A couple of juniors had the opportunity to play a couple of holes with Nigel Lane, Murray Lott, Guy Wall, Ian Doig and Perry Parker.”

With greens renovations undertaken in September, the course presented in excellent condition for the tournament’s return. Lewis instituted a consistent program of light dusting every 2-3 weeks to refine the surfaces, with daily mowing and rolling during the tournament ensuring they performed truly across the three days of play. Lewis says that post-renovation recovery exceeded expectations, with greens speed and firmness excellent. Multiple liquid nutrient applications and wetting agents were also applied to support recovery and resilience, in addition to preventative fungicide applications to safeguard turf health.

Pre-emergent and herbicide treatments were applied across fairways, tees and roughs, with additional fertiliser applications aiding turf recovery in high-traffic areas. Bunkers were also a key focus with sand redistributed to low areas and wheel-rolled to firm up bunker faces and enhance playability and consistency.

“This season presented cooler and drier conditions than previous years, slowing the Santa Ana couchgrass growth and limiting winter recovery,” explains Lewis. “However, recent rainfall and warmer temperatures significantly improved surface conditions, allowing for final preparations to proceed smoothly. Mowing frequency, edging and trimming were all dialled up closer to the opening round to refine presentation of the course. Our mowing heights for the tournament were 3.2mm on greens, 6mm on collars and tees, 11mm on fairways and roughs 50mm.” The ASTMA congratulates Dean and his crew on another great effort.

Story: Brett Robinson; Photo: Golf NSW