One of Australia’s hottest golfers has confirmed he could still look for work next year, despite racking up almost $180,000 in prizemoney over the past fortnight.
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Australian Open runner-up Ashley Hall confirmed he will contest next Wednesday’s Commercial Golf Resort Albury pro-am.
Hall’s financial battle was well-documented leading into last month’s national event at Royal Sydney, where he grabbed a six-figure cheque after losing to world number five Jordan Spieth in a play-off.
He followed that with another top five finish in last weekend’s Australian PGA on the Gold Coast.
“It’s not urgent anymore, and I can be a bit picky next year,” he said.
“But I still might try and find something though for part of next year.
“It’s a while now between tournaments so I might look to tee something up with family or friends.”
The 33-year-old contested a pro-am in Queensland on Monday, just hours after his fourth-place finish in one of Australia’s two major events.
“I still want to go and play pro-ams,” Hall said.
“It’s still golf and I still love the game.
“You never know who you’re going to meet.
“You might make an impression, and, who knows, they might look to sponsor you.”
Hall has an agreement with Callaway for equipment, Titleist provides balls, while he’s had a long-running corporate deal with Holden.
But like all pros, he’d love a monetary sponsorship, just to ease the pressure of providing for his wife and their two children.
“Very often I’ll play good when I need it the most,” he said.
“I find a way, but I wish it didn’t happen like that.
“Just prior to the (Australian) Open that was the worst it had got.”
Golf is generally regarded as the most difficult sport to master mentally, as players strive for that perfect swing, the perfect shot.
“Everyone said to me when I started at pro level how important the mental aspect was, and I said, ‘yeah, sure’,” Hall said.
“But it is so crucial, it’s so important in order to be able to play good golf.”
Albury’s $25,000 pro-am will be a homecoming, of sorts, for Hall.
“I’ve never played the course, but I’ve had family in the Albury-Wodonga area,” he said.
“My great grandparents were in Wodonga, while I have cousins in Yackandandah, so I spent summers there.”
Around 80 pros. will contest the December 14 event.
