Wagga City golfer Mick Hazell is getting used to the idea of pressure as he prepares to defend his club championship over the next three weekends.
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Hazell broke through for his first win in the Wagga City Golf Club Championship last year, beating Kyle Harrison in a playoff.
He is excited about the chance to have a crack at another one when the opening round tees off on Saturday.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Hazell said.
“The whole thing is to try to be able to do it back-to-back. Even the pros can’t do that sometimes. So I guess there’s a bit of pressure there.”
Hazell, 43, has been playing at the club for around a decade.
He said his lead-up form in recent weeks “hasn’t been real flash, I’ve been struggling a little bit” and the recent dry conditions haven’t made the course any easier to play.
But he’ll back his irons to keep his game together. And if last year’s win is any guide, Hazell can handle the pressure.
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He powered to a play-off victory after being five shots down on the final day and unlikely to play.
“I got crook and I nearly wasn’t going to turn up,” Hazell said. “I was five shots behind going into the final round and in the end I thought I’ll show up and maybe make Kyle have to fight a bit.”
When he chipped in for birdie on the 14th, things turned for the better and Hazell’s bug was soon forgotten. In fact, he felt on top of the world when he evened things up at the last and went on to win at the second play-off hole.
Harrison is again likely to be a genuine contender among the 100-strong field while word on the greens is that former champion Clarrie Ridley is back in some serious form.
Round two of the City Golf Club Championship will be held next Saturday before the final two rounds are played across Saturday and Sunday, November 17 and 18.
It’s a huge few weeks of golf in the city with the Wagga Country Club Championship also teeing off this weekend with round one on Saturday and round two on Sunday.
Teenager Bart Carroll will be back to defend his title after becoming the youngest winner of the event, aged 14, last year.
Luke Chisholm, Henry Brind, James Elliott and Kyle Tuckett are among those hoping to push Carroll while multiple winner Jarrod Meacham is a rare absentee.
Carroll held a six-shot lead on Meacham at the halfway mark of last year’s tournament and went on to win by nine shots from Chisholm.
The Country Club Championship will conclude on November 11 with rounds three and four played next Saturday and Sunday.
