Faldo Series Australia Championship age group winners (from left): Harrison Crowe, Joel Wheatley, Daniel Gale, Christina Kang and Bella Kil.
Sydney, Australia: Daniel Gale produced one of the finest rounds in Faldo Series Asia history to blow away his rivals in the second Faldo Series Australia Championship.
Capitalising on his intimate knowledge of the Castle Hill Country Club course at which he is a member, the 20-year-old blazed his way to a stunning, bogey-free opening round of nine-under-par 63 – and an eight-stroke lead.
Despite windy afternoon conditions, Gale’s advantage proved unassailable in what was the 19th leg of the record-breaking 2016-17 Faldo Series Asia season.
Thanks to a second round of 74 he ended the one-day, 36-hole event with a nine-shot overall winning margin from Bella Kil and will now spearhead the Australian challenge in the 11th Faldo Series Asia Grand Final at Laguna Lăng Cô in Danang, Central Vietnam, in March, 2017.
“To play 36 holes in a day was definitely an energy grind,” said Gale, who has a handicap index of +1.4 and recently won the Castle Hill Country Club Colts Championship as well as being a member of the triumphant New South Wales Men’s State Team.
“The wind made it really difficult and the afternoon pin placements were also tougher. But I managed to keep my bad shots to a minimum and overall I’m very happy,” he added.
Kil also had reason to be cheerful after a closing 68 saw her soar to success in the Girls’ Under-16 category, continuing an impressive sequence of results, highlighted by wins in the Castle Hill Country Club Girls’ Junior Championship, the Brett Ogle Junior Masters and the Bonville Champions Trophy at the start of December.
Joining Gale and Kil for the trip to Vietnam will be Harrison Crowe (Boys’ Under-16 champion), Christina Kang (Girls’ Under-21 champion) and Joel Wheatley who edged out James Conran and Jordie Garner in a tense sudden-death play-off to take top honours in the Boys’ Under-18 segment.
Melissa Ellis, General Manager at Castle Hill Country Club, had glowing praise for champion Gale, whose 63 matched his best-ever round and was his lowest score at Castle Hill. She said: “Daniel is a great advocate for golf, a great player who is dedicated to his future career, polite and conscientious … and a young man that gives back to the club at every opportunity. We are lucky to have such a great Junior Development Squad here at Castle Hill.”
Six-time Major champion Sir Nick Faldo, Britain’s most successful golfer, said: “On their first appearance in the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final this year, the Australian contingent made quite an impression. Based on some of the low scores at Castle Hill, I’m looking forward to seeing Daniel, Bella and their fellow-Australian qualifiers as they vie for top prize at the Grand Final in Vietnam.”
Supported by The R&A and endorsed by the Asian Tour and the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, the 2016-17 Faldo Series Asia campaign stretches over 11 months.
The article "Storming Success for Gale" was originally published on http://www.agif.asia/2016/12/storming-success-for-gale/
