Katelyn Must (Horton Park Golf Club) and Paul Hayden (Jindalee Golf Club) share a three stroke advantage leading into the final round of the 2010 FKP QLD PGA Trainee Championship at Peregian Springs Golf Club on the Sunshine Coast.
Playing in the final group the two Queenslanders are at the top of the leaderboard at one over par, however the two trainees had extremely contrasting rounds. Must's round of one under par (71) was the first time she had broken par this week, while for Hayden his round of four over par (76) seemed like he was playing a different golf course, especially on the front nine.
Must, started the third round five shots behind Hayden, however after three holes that margin had narrowed to three, and when Must made par on the ninth to Hayden's bogey, she held the lead by one. Hayden found his game on the back nine and when both players made great birdies on the 18th hole they both showed some signs of relief.
Must, a trainee from the nearby Horton Park Golf Club has had a number of supporters throughout the event and was pleased overall with her round , After the round she was hopeful that in the final round she would be able to start hitting the ball better and not have to keep relying on making so many putts. "I just struggled with my swing today, luckily some hard work with my putter in preparation for this event has allowed me to save some shots on the greens".
Hayden's put his first nine hole total of six over par down to nerves. " I had never lead a tournament of this size before, so there were certainly some nerves out there." After the turn Hayden's fortunes changed and he found the game which had put him into his original position, his outward nine of two under par (34) left him with some confidence going into the final day. "I was really proud of the way I hung in there on the back nine, to come back and finish the day still in the lead feels great" Hayden said.
The Peregian Springs layout again proved to be testing challenge for the PGA trainees, of the fifty four players only three were able to break par, Matthew Criss (NSW) had the round of the day with a great score of three under par (69). Criss started the day tied for 51st position, his outstanding play allowed him to jump an astonishing 42 positions into a tie for ninth.
The third round will be played tomorrow morning (Thursday 10th June) starting from 7:38am with the leaders hitting off at approx. 10:00am. It is estimated that the final group will conclude their games at approximately 2:30pm, with the championship presentation to follow in the Peregian Springs Club house.
The Queensland PGA Trainee Championship has attracted considerable support from a number of sponsors, these being: FKP, Coca-Cola Amatil, Titleist, Cobra, Footjoy, Peregian Springs Golf Club, Harris & Harris, Fort Constructions and Hotel Laguna.