Eccles secures PGA Tour card, prepares for ninth season

LOCAL golfer Ben Eccles is enjoying a bittersweet moment in his golfing career, securing his card to the PGA Tour of Australasia for season 2023/24 despite crashing out of contention in the final round 2023-24 Qualifying School in Fingal.

Eccles will feature in his ninth professional golf season in 2023/24 thanks to a three-under performance at Moonah Links (open course) last week, but the 28-year-old is more relieved than anything.

“It was an extremely stressful week heading into it,” he said.

“There is just so much on the line to get through to next season, you’re essentially playing for your job, so right now it’s just relief more than anything.”

Through the first three rounds of last week’s event, Eccles had not only put himself in a decent position to get his PGA card back, but had also put himself in a position to win the event, sitting at seven under par and two strokes off the lead.

However, a four-over par (76) fourth round slid Eccles down to 17th overall, making the final day of his season a somewhat stressful one.

“It’s a strange course, I’ve played a couple events there the past year, but it’s difficult,” Eccles added.

“It’s long, it plays with your head and there are some difficult blind tee shots, it’s not a gimme course by any means. It’s one of the longest courses in the Southern Hemisphere.

“I got a little unlucky on the final day and it was just a nerve-wracking week, but a strange feeling at the end of it all knowing I had lost a chance to win the event, but also kept my job for another year in the process.”

Eccles will now enter a quiet few months as he prepares for next season, and said it would give him a chance to get back to the drawing board and begin 2023/24 with a blank slate.

“I imagine my next event will be around August barring any drastic fixture changes, so there is not much on between now and then.

“It’ll be nice knowing I have somewhere to play next season so I can look forward to that over winter, get my body to a stage where I can play a few weeks in a row and work on my strength and health.

“I’ll also work at The Sands Torquay Golf Club in that time and build up a bit of a pot to work with next season but I’ll also enjoy a bit of a break from training as well.”