PGA champion in Sports Star race

VICTORIAN PGA Championship winner Andrew Martin has earned the November nomination in Bendigo’s Sports Star of the Year award.

The gun golfer is a multiple monthly winner in the long-running awards which began in 1965-66.

Martin capped a brilliant run in a four-man play-off to claim the latest Victorian PGA title at Moonah Links.

In a superb finish to the tournament, Martin birdied the par five 18th five times in a row in the play-off to net his second victory on the Australasian PGA Tour.

A four-under par 68 on the fourth day meant he was tied for the lead late in the round.

The contest would be decided in a play-off from which Martin, who first played on the fairways and greens at Neangar Park in Eaglehawk, took honours.

Although not the longest striker of the ball, Martin’s putting skill was superb on the 519-metre 18th hole.

Not only did Martin pocket a fair share of the $250,000 purse, he also earned 190 points on the PGA Tour Order of Merit.

The Victorian PGA Championship was won two years after Martin took out the Players Series event at Bonnie Doon.

A busy summer of golf in Australia included the Queensland PGA, the Australian PGA and Australian Open.

A score of +7 at Nudgee meant Martin was equal 40th in the Queensland PGA.

Four days later he teed off in the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland and ended the four-day showdown on par 284 and equal 53rd place.

Martin struck back from an opening round 73 on the Victoria Golf Club course to card 69, 68 and 67 across the next three days at Kingston Heath to end the Australian Open on five-under and equal seventh.

His’s campaign kept rolling by being tied for 23rd place in the Gippsland Super 6 Match Play at Warragul.

Bendigo’s Sports Star of the Year gala presentation will be in February at the All Seasons International.

Athletes in the running for the 2022 award are Emma Berg – athletics, Todd Murphy – cricket, Kerryn Harrington – AFLW, Jenna Strauch – swimming, Markcus Brown – ultraman, and Dyson Daniels – basketball.

Other contenders are Geelong’s AFL premiership-winning captain Joel Selwood, Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning lawn bowler Aaron Wilson, and para swimming star Col Pearse from Bamawm.

National under-18 cross-country champion Harrison Boyd – athletics and AFL wheelchair league best and fairest Caleb Logan have also earned monthly awards.

Cameron’s keen to keep rolling along

INSPIRED by the success of Bendigo’s own Aaron Wilson on the green, Cameron Keenan has a goal to represent Australia at lawn bowls.

Keenan’s progress to the top in his sport is being kicked along as the November recipient in the Bendigo Sports Star of the Year scholarship award.

The scholarship plays a key part in helping rising stars in many sports from across central and northern Victoria in their pursuit to be the best they can be.

Scholarship recipients receive some cash and 12-month membership of D-Club 247 Fitness in Bendigo’s Bath Lane.

A brilliant year on the bowls green for Keenan included winning the boys singles, boys pairs and open triples at Bowls Victoria’s under-18 state championships.

The 18-year-old has earned a place in the 2023 Pathways Jackaroos program.

Keenan is among a squad of 29 of which many will chase a goal of playing for Australia when the 2026 regional Victorian Commonwealth Games lawn bowls action is run in Bendigo.

Gold medallist in the men’s singles at the Birmingham and Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, Aaron Wilson will be keen to chase a hat-trick of titles in the city where he grew up and first played the game.

In pennant bowls, Keenan crossed to Moama for the 2022-23 season after he first played for Kangaroo Flat.

The Moama Steamers have rolled their way to top spot on the weekend pennant ladder in the Bendigo Campaspe Goldfields Premier League.

A strong Steamers line-up includes Scottish star Alex Marshall, a five-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist who is a skipper of the Moama rink in which Keenan plays third.

There is a great variety of sports in the mix of scholarship recipients for 2022 who are also in the running for the Maxine Crouch and Cyril Michelsen trust fund awards.

This year’s scholarship intake is Sophie Hughes – canoeing, Blake Agnoletto, Belinda Bailey and Nate Hadden – cycling, Lila Keck and Lucia Painter – AFL, Will Whiteacre – netball, Dash Daniels and Mia

Harvey – basketball, Sam Kay – boxing, Ryan Kalms and Silver Bell Morris – soccer, and Grace Fahy tenpin bowling.