Rodney Smylie has every reason to smile after a stellar opening round at the 2025 NSW Senior Amateur Championship.
The Pacific Dunes member took full advantage of familiar surroundings, carding a five-under-par 66 to lead the men’s field after round one.
Smylie’s round included seven birdies, despite the on-and-off rain at his home track.
He attributed his success to a strategic approach, choosing to keep the driver in the bag for all but two holes.
“It was a day that I toned it back a bit,” Smylie said.
“I just hit hybrid and felt really comfortable with it. And then I was just lucky to hit a lot of close wedge shots, nine irons, and ended up striking the ball pretty well.”
Despite his dominance, Smylie admitted to feeling the pressure of playing on home soil.
“It was nerve-wracking because you’re expected to do well on your home track,” he said.
“I hadn’t been playing that well the last couple of weeks, so I was a bit nervous to start. But once I hit that first shot, it was all right.”
Paul Prendergast of The Glades Golf Club sits in second place at three under after his round at Nelson Bay Golf Club, which experienced a half-hour delay due to weather. A group of four players share third position at two over.
Defending champion Louise Mullard made an early statement in the women’s competition, posting an even-par round to sit atop the leaderboard alongside Jacquelin Morgan of Monash Country Club.
Mullard’s round was fuelled by a strong putting performance, including a pair of long-range birdie putts.
“I started off well, a very long putt on the first for a birdie, and that’s how the round went,” she said.
“I holed another one coming in that was a long putt again. I didn’t take advantage of a shorter one, but I was very happy with my round.”
With her game trending in the right direction, Mullard remains focused on the road ahead.
“My game is steadily improving. I’ve been working on my swing a little bit this last month,” she said.
“I’m happy with my score and happy with the results, going into tomorrow, another day.”
Morgan, meanwhile, overcame a slow start to finish strong and share the overnight lead.
“I hit some good chips, so it saved me early on, and then as the day went on, I started hitting it a little bit better,” Morgan said.
“I putted quite well today. If I didn’t hit it off the fairway, and if you putt it okay, well, it makes it a bit simpler.”
Despite her position at the top, Morgan is keeping her expectations in check.
“Oh, well, it’d be awesome [to win], but that’s a long way off at the moment,” she said.
“So we just take one day at a time. And you know, who knows what tomorrow at Nelson Bay brings.”
Sitting in third place is 2024 NSW Mid-Amateur Champion Sue Wooster from The National Golf Club at two over par.
Round two of the championship tees off at 7 AM tomorrow.
⛳️ Men’s Scores
