Reigning Wimmera golf champion Tim Coffey hit a rich vein of form last weekend, with an excellent round qualifying him for a top tournament later in the year.
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Currently based in Stawell, Coffey played the Traralgon Classic from Friday to Sunday last week at the course he grew up playing on.
Coffey missed the first round of the Stawell Golf Club Championships and a chance to defend his title to compete in the event, but he made the most of the opportunity to play in Gippsland.
He set the pace early in the tournament, with a six under par 66 on the first day putting him in a commanding position.
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Another two rounds of 68 and 71 gave him a score of 11 under par for the three rounds and winning him the title of the amatuer classic event.
“It was nice to play some good golf and shoot some good scores,” Coffey said.
“It is always good to get back and play on the course I grew up playing my golf on.”
The strong score put him well ahead of the field, winning the classic by 14 shots.
Coffey’s success in Gippsland was enough to qualify for a professional event later in the year.
He will compete at the Gippsland Super Six tournament at Yallourn Golf Club, with $200,000 on the line for the winner.
READ MORE: Coffey dominates Wimmera champs
Coffey said this event will be the biggest he will have competed at in terms of prizemoney.
“Prize wise it is the top one I will have played at,” he said.
“I have won a state championship before and that was pretty special but this is also a privilege to get the chance to play in.
“Any 72-holer or 54-holer or championship you try to win because they are what you play competitive golf for.”
The event will be played across four days in November at Yallourn, with 132 professionals in the field.
Coffey said getting the opportunity to play against so many professional golfers is something he is looking forward to.
“Playing against players of that quality is always great, it sort of motivates you to be at your best,” he said.
Coffey will also miss the second round of the Stawell Golf Club championships due to commitments to his Melbourne division one pennant side, Southern Golf Club.
“Every year I commit to around eight weeks of golf in Melbourne pennant,” he said. “It is a great standard of golf and I something I look forward to year after year.”
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