Irishman Paul Dunne is hoping a first visit to Australia can wield a debut European Tour victory at this week’s Australian PGA Championship.
Having endured an incredible 2015 season, during which he led The Open after three rounds as an amateur, played a vital role in Great Britain & Ireland’s Walker Cup victory over the USA and then turned pro and secured full playing rights on The European Tour by coming through all three stages (playing 14 rounds in the process) of the Qualifying School, Dunne is more than ready to embark on his first full season in the paid ranks.
Given the whirlwind nature of his year, it is somewhat fitting that he will play his final event of 2015 some 10,000 miles from his native Dublin at the RACV Royal Pines Resort on Australia’s stunning Gold Coast.
The 23 year old will have to overcome a strong field which includes American Ryder Cup star Brandt Snedeker and Sweden’s David Lingmerth, who is now an Affiliate Member of The European Tour as he seeks to make his Ryder Cup debut for Europe in 2016.
The Australian challenge will be spearheaded by the likes of PGA Tour stars John Senden and Robert Allenby, while Greg Chalmers will seek to successfully defend his title.
Paul Dunne: “I’d love to give myself a chance to win this week. I feel like every week I’ve played since I turned pro has been quite pressure filled and I’ve kind of had to play well every week and then once I got my card at the Q School I sort of relaxed too much and ended up missing the cut last week. The mental pressure was lifted a little bit and I think that hurt my performance in a way, so I’m going try to find a way to put some pressure back on myself this week and see if I can play well and have a chance come the weekend. I really don’t like taking weekends off, so last week was a bit frustrating for me, so hopefully I can play better this week.
“This is my first time in Australia. I’ve heard great things about it, so really wanted to come down and experience it. It looks like it’s going to play quite windy this week. The greens are quite small, there’s lots of run-off areas and they are quite firm as well. So I think kind of pinpoint accuracy with your short irons is going to be key this week.
“The transition from amateur to pro has been difficult and easy at the same time. It’s a different environment but it’s the same game you’re playing. I was quite busy with amateur golf when I was turning pro, so it was kind of a seamless transition really. I didn’t see it as any different, it was just playing golf again like any other weekend. It’s been quite busy since I’ve turned pro and I’ve played a lot of events but I haven’t found it too bad. I suppose I haven’t had much of a break to kind of reflect. This will be my last one of the season and then have a nice break for Christmas.”
Brandt Snedeker: “It’s good to be back, I haven’t been here in quite some time obviously and the golf course looks in good shape, it’s going to be a tough test if the wind blows like it did yesterday and I’m kind of expecting that every afternoon I think. It’s always great to be back in Australia, I haven’t been down here in a few years and it’s a place that I love to come and I have a lot of great memories of. Hopefully I can start tomorrow morning early and get after it and have a good chance to win.”
John Senden: “I said a few weeks ago that I would love to win one of our big three tournaments down here and and there’s no better place to do it, than to do it in Queensland, my home State and also in front of your friends and family. They’re all going to be down here this week and winning the National PGA Championship would be a dream come true again. I mentioned it at the Aussie Masters and I mentioned it at the Australian Open. I feel like my game’s in good shape. I just have to be strong and believe that I can do it and keep doing the work to try and get there. It’s not to do anything out of the ordinary, it’s just about playing solid and doing my work well and I think that hopefully I can be in contention come the weekend.”
