THE course record holder hit an impressive five-under par 65 to tie for first place in the Commercial Golf Resort pro-am yesterday.
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Melbourne’s Euan Walters carded another impressive round in his bid to regain the title he won in 2012, when he shot a record seven-under 63.
Hitting off in the second wave of golfers was Goulburn’s Alex Simpson, who also finished on 65.
Andrew Martin came in third with 66.
In perfect conditions Walters started off the day in the best fashion, a birdie on the 10th setting the scene.
“I felt I played well,” he said. “I putted really well and chipped well.
“The greens are perfect, but they’re quite tricky because they’re very fast, so you’ve got to be careful with the big breaking putts and I’m normally pretty good at those.
“And I had a couple of chip-ins which helped the day along.”
Walters has clearly enjoyed playing at the Albury course, with inside knowledge giving him an edge.
“They present the course so perfectly,” he said.
“And the greens are as good as any on any tour in the world.
“But you’ve got to leave your ball in the right spot — the 18th is a good example, you’ve got to make sure you’re under the hole or you’ll putt it off the green.
“You’ve only got to get it wrong once to feel like you’re being tormented by the course.”
While Walters barely set a foot wrong yesterday, he only had one word to describe his recent form — “terrible”.
“I’m only playing part time these days,” he said.
“I don’t practice as much, and I work full-time at Riversdale Golf Club in Melbourne — that’s my excuse anyway.”
But club professional John van der Veen wasn’t surprised Walters had turned in another solid performance.
“It’s not a long course by today’s standards,” he said.
“It’s quite narrow and has small greens, so course management is important.
“I’ve known Euan 20-odd years now and he’s a seasoned campaigner — he plays a very steady game, he’s very patient and knows just how to manage his way around this course.”
Almost 60 professionals took to the course for the divisional event worth $25,000, with a $5000 first prize.
Among them was former Shepparton junior Jarrod Lyle (70), who has returned to the US PGA tour after overcoming a second bout of leukaemia, as well as former winner Martin and pros Jason King (72) and Ryan Lynch (72).
Van der Veen said he was delighted with the field.
“We’re very happy with the numbers of professional, sponsors and amateurs,” he said.
“And it’s a good quality, so we’re very happy with the outcome — it was probably our best yet.”