Hunter Valley professional golfer Corey Lamb, known as the 'Branxton Bomber', is embracing his underdog status at the $2.5 million Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland this week.
Strategic Separation from Golf Superstars
While Lamb has rubbed shoulders with golfing royalty this week - catching up with Cameron Smith on the chipping green and playing a practice round just ahead of Adam Scott on Tuesday - he's perfectly content with being separated from the tournament's biggest names during the early rounds.
The marquee groups featuring Smith, Scott and Min Woo Lee will tee off from the 10th hole in Thursday's morning session, while Lamb and fellow Hunter hopeful Jye Pickin from Charlestown begin their campaigns on the first hole at 12.20pm and 12.50pm respectively.
"You are better off being away from it," Lamb explained. "If you are in the group in front or behind a marquee group, there are people everywhere. They are not worried about you, they are worried about Cam Smith, Adam Scott or whoever else."
Perfect Timing for Hunter Valley Contender
The 24-year-old believes the scheduling actually works in his favour, with the morning marquee groups finishing their rounds before he even begins his opening round.
"Thursday's meant to be still. The forecast's for the wind to pick up Friday afternoon. Timing-wise, I have it pretty good," Lamb said, highlighting the strategic advantage of his later start time.
Lamb emphasized the importance of a strong first round, noting that "from what I have experienced, the first round is pretty important. You can set yourself for a good week with a strong first round."
Finding Form at Royal Queensland
This marks Lamb's third appearance at Royal Queensland, and he's been focusing his preparation on mastering the challenging greens. "I have spent most of the week trying to work out the greens, they are real grainy," he revealed.
The Branxton professional arrives at the tournament seeking to rediscover the form that saw him reach peak performance this time last year. Last season, Lamb finished runner-up alongside Smith at the NSW Open and secured a top-10 position on the Australasian Order of Merit.
His start to this summer has been more challenging, with a tied-26th finish at the NSW Open on his home course at The Vintage, followed by missing the cut at last week's Queensland PGA.
Reflecting on his performance at The Vintage, where he posted fluctuating rounds of 76, 68, 75 and 67 to finish at two-over, Lamb identified putting as his main issue. "The two days I had bad scores, I just didn't hole any putts," he admitted.
Lamb completed his tournament preparation with practice on Wednesday before participating in a Callaway promotion with several Brisbane Lions AFL players.
Fellow Hunter golfer Jye Pickin, also 24, will be looking to improve on his tied-54th finish at the Queensland PGA as both local hopefuls chase success against one of the strongest fields assembled in Australian golf this year.
