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LAST year Reece Hodson had a dream run in the Bathurst Golf Club’s Club Championships as he won the Don O’Malley Cup by 19 strokes, so it is little wonder he is hoping to emulate that effort when the 2015 edition gets underway this weekend.
In a remarkable fortnight of golf, Hodson led by eight shots after the opening 36 holes in 2014 and further extended his advantage in the concluding two rounds to win the A grade Club Championship for the third time.
His final score of 287 for the four rounds put him 19 shots clear of Paul Bright with Dylan Thompson one stroke further back in third.
Hodson went on to win the Bathurst Golf Club’s matchplay crown a month later, so he will be the man to beat when he tees off on Saturday morning.
“That was a little bit of a win there, sometimes you have one of those weeks, I was able to put two good weekends together and I came out on top,” Hodson, who plays off a handicap of two, said.
“I hope to do the same again this year, but there are a couple of young boys who are keen to make a name for themselves and then there are some of the older guys like Paul Bright, so it won’t be easy.”
With plenty of challengers for the Don O’Malley Cup, Hodson has been working hard on his game in the lead up to the opening two rounds of the 2015 Club Championship.
He was not happy with some of the golf he played earlier this year, but some sessions with the man who coaches Australian professional John Senden has led to an improvement.
“I played two rounds of pennants for The Australian Golf Club, but I didn’t go too good, so I didn’t play too many rounds. The boys ended up making the final where, unfortunately, they lost to Saint Michael’s,” Hodson said.
“But after that I went and had a lesson with Ian Trigg, John Senden’s coach, and that was very good. We executed a few changes with my swing which was definitely for the better.
“The pros on the US Tour are learning every day as well, anything you can do to improve your swing will give you a longer playing time, it helps you avoid injuries with your back.
“So I am improving and everything is going well heading into the Club Championships.”
This year the format for the Club Championship has been altered. Instead of playing four rounds over two weekends, golfers will complete 36 holes this weekend, have a weekend off, then play 18 holes on each of the following two Saturdays.
Hodson believes that will make it more difficult to get on the sort of roll he did last year, but he is confident his preparation will put him in good stead for a title defence.
“It will be a bit more difficult because you are not playing on back-to-back weekends where you can concentrate and get yourself right,” he said.
“But I am sure I’ll be right come Saturday, I am practicing all week at the Bathurst Golf Club, I am playing nine holes every day and just fine tuning things for the weekend.”