There’s something about playing on your home green and Andrew Martin made the most of it at the recent Vic Open.
After finishing third last year on the Thirteenth Beach course, Martin backed it up this year going one better, finishing equal second, two shots behind winner Brett Coletta.
Martin said it was always a good feeling to be able to play like that on his home course, with many people now classing him as a local.
“I’ve been here three years now and I’ve had a couple of goes at it,” he said. “Since moving down, I knew that the event was here so It’s always good,
“I was a little bit disappointed in the middle of the [final] round. I got off to a good start and then sort of rough patch through the middle to get it back to.
“There weren’t many leader boards out there… Once I got to 17, there was a leaders board there and I knew I had to hold my second shot on 18 to probably force a play off.
“The last two years have been good, third last year, second this year trending in the right way.”
Martin said having the home crowd on his side was really good with the club giving a lot of support to their three pros all year round.
“There were a few more out there following me, members or not, a lot of familiar faces I see out there when I’m practicing,” he said.
“They’re very supportive in the monthly member updating, letting the members know how we’re all going.
“The weather was good and there were good vibes out there the whole period and the Bellarine gets behind the whole event.
“I think this year as good as I’ve seen the crowds and stuff.”
The Ocean Grove resident said he was keen for the event to be continued to be held at Thirteenth Beach and was hoping next year to go one better and take home the title.
Between now and then, he has a lot more golf on the cards both in Australia and in Europe.
Martin for the first time has a card for the DP World Tour after years of trying.
“I go up to Sydney tomorrow night [Wednesday] head up to the TPS Sydney event in castle hill and then a week off,” he said.
“Then heading to New Zealand for the New Zealand Open, fourth week in a row for me, 4-5 then little bit of a break. My form is good, I’m happy to keep playing.
“With the DP status I’ve got this year, bit more time over in Europe this year my main gal is to hopefully retain a card for Europe.
“The Australian Tour finishes in April this year, my status in Europe kicks off after that so it sort of works with not quite getting into the bigger events which are smaller fields at the moment in the Middle East, “Hopefully with that finished another couple of good finishes, who knows another top three and get my DP card for next as well or a couple better, it would be nice to win the order of merit in Australia, that’s a big of a realistic goal now after the finish on the weekend.”
Martin said he was looking forward to the opportunity to go to Europe
“I’m looking forward to that,” he said. “It’s a life long dream to pay on European Tour, good to get over there when i do, a lot of my starts will come, a couple of Asa in mid march, once I get back to Europe.”
