Ben Henkel has put himself in a prime position at the Ford NSW Open Regional Qualifying here at Teven after carding a brilliant 7-under-par effort to take a two-shot lead into tomorrow’s final round.

On an afternoon perfect for scoring, Henkel, the big Victorian, leads by two from Queenslander Dillon Hart at five under. Another five golfers are tied for third at minus three, including Jayden Cripps, Corey Lamb, Will Diabarra, Victorian Aiden Didone (all from the morning half of the draw), and Neven Basic, who rolled in a couple of birdies late in his round to stay in touch with the lead.

Henkle, however, was the star of the day, combining clever iron play with some inspired putting to compile a bogey-free 51. Aside from the fact that preferred lies were in operation, this could well have been an equal course record alongside Last year’s winner here, Matt Millar’s superb final round.

Starting his round on the 5th, Henkle rolled in consecutive birdies on holes 6, 7, and 8 to set the tone for what would be an impressive round of golf on the deceptive Craig Parry-designed layout.

If the Victorian was playing a high-percentage, big-target style of game with no room for silly errors, then it was his closing stretch that caught the eye.

Leaderboard: 2025 Ford NSW Open RQ – Teven Valley

On the 3rd, his second-to-last hole of the day, Henkel produced the shot of his round, holing a 20-footer from off the green for birdie.

“It was a bit cheeky, but yeah, other than that I just hit it really good off the tee and hit it really good with my irons,” he grinned.

He wrapped up his round with another birdie on the 4th, capping off what he described as a far smarter approach than in previous years.

“I just really played solidly,” a wisened Henkel said after his round.

“I think I learned from my mistakes in last year’s event here, where I played well in the first round and then went chasing pins in the final round, when you can just hit it to the middle of the green and have a decent look.”

Having earned his opportunity through an RQ win at Catalina last year before going on to claim the Gippsland Sixes, Henkel said he appreciated the benefit of a full season on tour under his belt.

“I’m coming in this year with a lot more confidence in myself,” he said, acknowledging that his first year on tour taught him valuable lessons about consistency.

“Just go out and play the hole, play the shot. Keep it simple,” he grinned. Words that perfectly sum up the approach that served him so well today.