Kiama Golf Club golfers Dylan McDonald, Wil Daibarra and Chase Boreland will take part in the NSW/ACT PGA Associate Championship at Tura Beach Country Club next week.

The trainee golfers, who all grew up in Kiama and work in the club’s pro shop, will travel to Merimbula on Sunday 25 August to compete in the four-day tournament from August 27-30. A $50,000 prize purse is up for grabs for the first time in the event, run by PGA Australia.

Merimbula’s Tura Beach Country Club, an 18-hole championship course, has tournament hosting rights for the next three years.

It will be McDonald’s first time playing in the NSW/ACT PGA Associate Championship as a first-year trainee. Third-year PGA associate Daibarra finished 14th in last year’s event, while Boreland, who’s in his second-year of his traineeship, finished 40th. 

All three golfers are aiming to be in the top 50 on the leaderboard after two rounds to ensure they make the cut to play in the final days of the event. More than 140 amateur golfers will compete in the Blue Ribbon championship, one of 30 competitions the golfers are required to play over the course of their traineeship.

At the end of their three-year traineeship the golfers can join the Australasian PGA Tour if selected and play in professional tournaments.

“Hopefully over the next few years I’ll get good enough to give playing (on the Australasian PGA Tour) a go,” says 29-year-old McDonald. “I started playing golf pretty late in life, when I was 20. I didn't play any junior golf but I worked in the pro shop and was a bit of a golf nut, so getting a job in the industry is perfect for me.” 

Daibarra started his golfing journey as a 13-year-old junior and the 21-year old is in the final year of his traineeship. He plans to join the PGA’s Qualifying School next year to shoot for a spot on the Australasian Tour. 

“I’ve set myself a goal to make the tour in three to five years,” says Daibarra, who teaches golf lessons when he’s not working in the pro shop or out on the course perfecting his game.

The golfers are selling raffle tickets to help fund their travel and accommodation to the week-long event. Tickets are $5 and are available form the Kiama Golf Club pro shop. Three lucky winners will receive a golf lesson with Wil, Chase and Dylan once they return from the tournament.