CHARLESTOWN professional Blake Windred cannot think of a better place to start the next chapter in his golfing career on the DP World tour than his "own backyard".
Windred will tee up in the Australian PGA Championships at Royal Queensland Golf club in Brisbane on Thursday.
The $2million championship in Brisbane is his opening event on the DP Tour, which Windred qualified for by finishing second in the Australasian Order of Merit last year.
He has played DP World events previously but not as a fully-fledged tour member.
"There is no better place to kick off your career on the DP World Tour than in your own backyard," the 24-year-old told the Newcastle Herald. "I am not starting this journey in Spain or England. I am starting it here, which is great."
Windred has been playing mainly on the second-tier European Challenge Tour for the past 18 months as well as the Australasian Tour.
He also featured in the opening two LIV tournaments. He finished 37th in the inaugural London event and 45th in Portland - pocketing $380,000 in the process.
But in the five months since Portland, Windred has struggled for results.
He missed nine straight cuts on the Challenge and Asian tours before finishing tied for 26th at the Victorian PGA last week. He skipped the Queensland PGA, which finished Monday, and spent the time practising and working with coach Gary Barter.
"I haven't had the results to back it up of late, but I know my game is really growing," said Windred, who tees off at 11.20am on Thursday in a group alongside David Micheluzzi and Takumi Kanaya.
"It definitely is the toughest period in my career. It is part of the journey. That is what happens in people's career.
"It would not surprise me if I went out and put together a couple of solid rounds together and am top five heading into the weekend. It requires very good golf. The game is there. It all just comes down to holing putts at the right time.
"I have my caddy out here from Europe. Come Thursday I will have a game plan to stick to regardless of the score on the scorecard.
"In the Vic PGA I came undone - it was nothing to do with my game - because I didn't stick to the game plan. I tried so hard to be 10-under through two rounds and shoot nine-under on the second day. I turned four under and was cruising. I tried to go from second gear to fourth gear and I completely stalled it."
After the PGA, Windred will tee up in the Australian Open, which is also a co-sanctioned DP World Tour event before the 36-hole Cathedral Invitational possibly the Mauritius Open (DP World Tour).
"It is a pretty solid finish to the year," Windred said. "I can't really map it out any further. I don't know all the tournaments I will get into. My status is similar to a Q School category. I won't get into the bigger Rolex events and will miss some others.
"If I can get off to a good start in the next couple of weeks, there is a re-rank early in the new year. Playing good golf always helps."
Windred is one of three Hunter golfers playing the Australian PGA. US-based Nick Flanagan is in the first group off the first tee at 6am. Jake Higginbotton starts his tournament off the 10th tee at 7.30am.
