Cat cops to first-tee nerves before Curlewis Blitz
GEELONG speedster Gary Rohan admits there might be a few nerves when he steps up to the first tee at next month’s Blitz Golf pro-am at Curlewis.
It’s not often that the keen golfer plays in front of a gallery, let alone a mammoth crowd that is expected for the January 5 event.
Christmas pre-season training last Wednesday and will return in the first week of the new year.
Rohan said he had not missed a beat since returning to the track.
“I’ve had another full preseason (so far). I’m fitter again, which is good, and I didn’t have any surgery at the end of the year,” Rohan said.
“The body is feeling very good.”
Rohan said club doctors were weighing up surgery on the medial ligament of his knee, but decided rest was the best way to treat it.
“They thought about it but then said, ‘Nah, the rest will do it well’, and I haven’t had any dramas with it since, which is good,” he said.
Rohan said Geelong’s youngsters had come back in “really good nick” and ready to put pressure on for spots in the Cats’ senior team.
“The majority of them have had PBs in their running times and they’re eager to learn and improve,” he said.
“They want to try and slot in and push for spots. The best way to do that is in pre-season and have a good start.
“And (Josh) Jenkins and Jack Steven have also come in and embraced the system and they’re ready to get into it as well.”
Curlewis has become the home for Blitz Golf in the region, with men and women playing head-to-head for a prize pool of $150,000.
Rohan, as well as former St Kilda and Essendon star Brendon Goddard, will spearhead the list of celebrities teeing off.
“We will see how we go. I’ve actually never played in front of a crowd at golf,” Rohan laughed. “It’s going to be something different. I haven’t (had first-tee nerves) for a while, but I think I’ll be all right when the first one pings off the tee.
“Just as long as the Geelong boys aren’t heckling me from the sidelines, I’ll be all right.”
Developed by Adelaide property mogul Simon Zybek, Blitz Golf is a high-intensity version of the sport that features short rounds with rising stakes.
Starting with 40 players, 20 on each side of the draw, golfers play nine holes against those within their draw, before the lowest-scoring eight players are eliminated.
Scores are then reset, with players continuing to be eliminated until just four remain, playing a sudden-death final to determine a winner.
For more information head to: https://blitzgolf.net/pro-series