Daryl Morgan ‘s first Merbein Golf Open victory was a sentimental one, returning to the region where he started and finally claiming victory after consecutive runner-up finishes.
Morgan said his three-shot win on Sunday was a “satisfying” return to golf after being away for 25-plus years, and to finally win at Merbein after finishing second the past two years.
“I grew up here as a junior and left,” Morgan said. “I’ve only played in two Opens … and I came runner up both times to Greg Rhodes.”
It was Morgan’s second title in three weeks after his victory at the Robinvale Open at the start of May.
The Red Cliffs golfer turned around a one-shot deficit at the start of Sunday’s play, scoring a 4 under par (68) to defeat second-placed Ashley Whitehouse by three shots.
Although Morgan tended to focus on his own game, he said he knew he had to “shoot at least two or three under” on the final day to have a chance of catching Whitehouse.
“When I saw Ash on Saturday was one ahead, I knew I had to shoot sub-par to beat him because he’s been so consistent all year.
“I was putting quite well early on (on Sunday) – I knew I was holding a few. It was probably just a matter of hitting the right shots … and leaving (the ball) in the right spot to … take the easiest putt on the green rather than leave yourself above the hole.
“It was all working quite well until I got to the 11th. I managed to hit a good drive, but my second shot was fairly poor and put in a position where I just couldn’t get up and down.
“That was probably the only bad hole I had all day on Sunday.”
Morgan said he had grown up playing golf at Red Cliffs and at Coomealla and said part of his enjoyment in re-engaging with the region’s golf courses was the differences in challenges each course presented.
“Merbein’s similar to Red Cliffs in its layout, there’s a lot of Mallee scrub on the side of the fairways,” Morgan said.
“The trees aren’t as tall so if you miss (the fairway), you’ve got to contend with more hazards around your ball, as opposed to some of the other courses that have bigger trees, and you might get a gap through.
“The greens at Merbein are quite tricky, they’re a different type of grass than most of the courses.
“It can look straight forward, but it’s a matter of managing your game and knowing how to hit different types of shots around the greens.”
Sue Laird was a convincing winner in the women’s Merbein Golf Open title, finishing 32 shots ahead of runner up Nia Whittle.
