Twelve months ago, Daley Loumanis lifted the trophy at South West Rocks as an amateur. This week he’s back on the same course, this time as a professional, carrying his PGA Tour of Australasia card after coming through Q School.
He’s not the only one who made it. Loumanis is part of a six-strong crew of New South Wales golfers who earned their cards together as amateurs, a group whose progress he’s been following closely, including fellow qualifier Coby Carruthers, who won last week at Teven.
“We all kind of went through the same way. To all get our cards as amateurs, that was pretty special.”
Coming back to the course where he won last year clearly means something to him.
“I haven’t been defending champion so far too much, so it’s pretty cool to come back. Those few familiar faces, and it was kind of a nice reception when I got here.”
Even so, the stakes feel different this time. He’s the defending champion, yet he’s simply logging rounds as a professional, with nothing riding on the scoreboard.
“Not necessarily [any expectations],” Loumanis said.
“I feel like I’m just kind of playing and getting a bit of experience playing as a professional. Obviously I want to perform as well as I can, then it’d be nice to do what I did here again last year, but yeah, no expectations, just kind of playing, just probably play the best I can, and hopefully the result comes.”
That relaxed approach carries over from the break he took after Q School, when he stepped away from the game entirely before starting his professional preparation.
“It was kind of nice to have a bit of a break after Q School to go on a bit of a holiday and just relax, and then a good few months of preparation. Definitely very keen to get back into some competitive golf. This stretch has been really nice to revamp and get ready for the season.”
That preparation has already taught him plenty about the difference between playing golf and building a career out of it.
“There’s definitely a different level to have been as a professional now. Training is your career, so there’s just a lot more that goes into it behind the scenes to get ready for each round.”
Now, with a stacked field in front of him this week, he’s using South West Rocks as a measuring stick, a chance to see exactly where his game stands before the tour season begins.
“These last couple of weeks have been quite a high quality. It’s nice to see what standard I need to be at to compete at these events.”
His recent form hasn’t quite matched how he’s been striking the ball, though he knows exactly why.
“I haven’t scored quite the best the last few weeks, been playing quite solidly. Just haven’t been able to send enough putts down to make enough birdies. Trying to get the putter a bit hot and hit some more greens, that’ll be key, especially around here where you’ve got to be straight and rely on the putter a bit more.”
It’s also a chance to find the gaps in his game before the season gets underway.
“I can definitely see the rust, especially initially in the first few events. It’s really nice to be able to play some competitive golf and experience it a bit more, so I feel a bit more ready playing, and be able to see the areas where I need to progressively get better for when the season comes around.”
Round one at Southwest Rocks tees off at 10am tomorrow.
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