By Peter Owen
WHEN Chloe Veeran’s tee shot on the par-3 17th hole at Bunbury Golf Club dropped into the cup in early June her first thought was one of frustration.
She knew the prize for an ace at the South West Open’s ‘party’ hole was a $60,000 vehicle, courtesy of event sponsor South West Isuzu. But, as an amateur, she knew she wasn’t allowed to claim it.
Or so she thought. What she didn’t immediately realise was that the Rules of Golf were changed last year to allow amateurs to collect hole-in-one prizes regardless of their value.
And that led to another concern for the promising junior from Busselton Golf Club.
She was only 16 and didn’t have her learners’ – let alone a driver’s licence.
But they were only minor issues for a youngster who is just making her way in a game she’s loved since she made her first swing as a 10-year-old.
Chloe, who is a member of the Junior State Squad and Golf WA’s Talent Development Program, was playing in the first group to reach the 137m 17th hole on the second day of play in the South West Open.
In the first round she’d shot a creditable 77.
Her perfect tee shot drew polite applause from the morning crowd assembled at the ‘Watering Hole’ – a much more sedate response than if she’d been playing in the late afternoon.
“Unbelievable!” said Bunbury Golf Club manager Des Shearer. “If it had been in the arvo the “Watering Hole” would have been LIV Golf in Adelaide – only louder.”
Chloe, who was born in South Africa and lived in the United Kingdom, Europe and New Zealand before settling in Busselton, where her father Colin is a dentist, has simple ambitions.
She wants to become a scratch golfer before the end of the year – a reasonable expectation for a girl with a current GA handicap of 1.3.
The second round of the $40,000 event was abandoned when lightning and torrential rain hit the course after 4pm, leaving rookie professional Jose De Sousa – the first round leader with a six-under 66 – the winner.
In an outstanding amateur career, De Sousa qualified for the 2014 WA Open at just 14 and is in his first year on the PGA pro-am series.
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