By Kass Rogan

Local favourite Rodney Smylie and Victorian Sue Wooster have claimed the 2025 NSW Senior Amateur Championships following a dramatic final day at Pacific Dunes Golf Club, where rain and wind tested the field.

Smylie, a proud local, secured a wire-to-wire victory despite a challenging final round.

The Pacific Dunes golfer posted an uncharacteristic 10-over-par in the wet conditions, but his earlier rounds of 66 and 72 gave him the cushion he needed to claim the title.

“Shocked, yeah, just shocked,” Smylie said after sealing the win.

“Very happy, but yeah, shocked. Bit of pressure being a local here, and then seeing people going past, up and down the fairways and people clapping and yelling out from the houses—it sort of put me off a little bit. But, yeah, very happy.”

Despite the nerves, Smylie battled through the conditions and reflected on the challenges of the final round.

“The first couple of holes were all right, then we hit the rain, then the wind. Played a couple of bad shots there with the driver, especially coming down 11, 12, and 13. I put it in a hazard on every hole. So there's a penalty shot there. And then we got more rain and wind, then it’d stop again. So it was jackets on and off all the time. Just lucky in the end.”

The victory marks a significant achievement for Smylie, who has battled through a knee replacement.

“I had to have a knee replacement in February last year, so I've had a lot of problems with that for the last 12 months. It's getting better all the time. I'm retired now, so I can concentrate on a bit more golf and doing other things.”

With his maiden Senior Amateur title now secured, Smylie is already looking ahead.

“Hopefully I'll be there next year. I just got to get my leg right, and then I'll be playing a bit more golf.”

Smylie finished three shots ahead of Ian Frost from Lakelands Golf Club, who secured second place at seven over par. Warren Gorton of Hawks Nest rounded out the top three, finishing at eight over par.

The women’s division produced a thrilling conclusion, as Sue Wooster outlasted Wyong’s Louise Mullard in a playoff after both finished tied at six over par.

Wooster, representing The National Golf Club, carded rounds of 73, 76, and 71 to secure her second NSW Senior Amateur crown, adding to her 2022 victory.

“I’m really excited, thrilled,” Wooster said.

“I've had quite a few runners-up the last few years, and the odd win, but it's nice to get another win, finally. Louise beat me last year, she played really well, so it was good to pull off another win against her.”

The Victorian remained composed despite the challenging conditions and a few costly mistakes.

“I was feeling confident. I started off pretty solid and holed a few good birdie putts. Got to two under, then hit one in the water. I thought that was okay, but then I hit two in the water on the back nine. It got a bit edgy, and I had to calm myself down. I thought, if I’m going to win this, I need to refocus—which I did.”

The playoff was contested on the 10th hole, a layout Wooster had played well earlier in the day.

“I quite like that hole because I hit it to a couple of inches this morning. On the first playoff hole, I didn’t have the best yardage in, so I hit it like four meters past. I just missed the putt, and Lou did too. But then, on the second playoff hole, I had a beautiful yardage in my second shot. I thought, I will knock this close—which I did.”

New South Wales Golf Club’s Gemma Dooley finished in third place at 14 over par.

In the men’s nett division, Stephen Nicol of Muswellbrook claimed the top spot with a total score of 216. The women’s nett champion was Carolyn Hawley of Royal Sydney Golf Club, finishing with an impressive 215.

Next year’s championship is set to be played at Wollongong Golf Club and The Links Shell Cove.