Surreal year for golf pro

Perth professional golfer Daniel Young is used to having a hectic summer schedule of competition.

So the past few months have been a particularly surreal experience after the COVID-19 outbreak impacted his tournament calendar.

Young, a Craigie Hill member who usually plays on the Challenge Tour, is still not 100 per cent sure what the remainder of the year holds.

He was out in South Africa competing at the end of January and beginning of February before action was brought to a sudden halt in March.

“It’s definitely been difficult with no competitive golf,”Young told the Perthshire Advertiser this week.

“The way the schedule had worked out, we were in a little break anyway before getting to what would have been a busy summer of golf.

“To begin with it was a case of having some time off as we really didn’t know when we would get back playing.

“But the motivation has always been there to keep practising and trying to get better. So it’s just a case of hopefully getting back into competitive stuff soon.

“The Challenge Tour has said there will be another co-sanctioned event with the European Tour in September so I’ll have nothing until then.

“That is unless I sneak in to some of the European Tour events with my category for there.”

One of the most surreal moments for golf - and Young - arrived last week when the Ryder Cup, due to be held this September, was postponed until 2021.

“It’s definitely surreal that it has been postponed but I think it’s the right call,”he said. “I just don’t think you could play the Ryder Cup without fans.

“We’ve seen so many major sporting events postponed and cancelled already this year.

“I don’t really think anybody was surprised the next one was the Ryder Cup, especially with the way things are over in the States.”