Shepparton’s Kyle Michel enjoys double delight in Gippsland

By Zac Standish

Jan 18, 2023

Flying form: Shepparton’s Kyle Michel continued his golden summer this week.

Shepparton’s Kyle Michel continued his golden summer of golf this week, claiming a pair of victories at pro-am events at Yarram and Maffra.

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These results reaffirmed his love affair with Gippsland, where he finished a narrow second in the PGA of Australia Gippsland Super 6 tournament at Warragul last month, easily his best result in a professional competition.

Beginning at Yarram on Sunday — a tournament he was forced to miss last year due to contracting COVID-19 — Michel roared to a two-shot victory with six birdies in his final 10 holes to finish with a top-quality 65.

The going was a bit tougher at Maffra on Monday, however, as Michel rode a hot start of three birdies from his first four holes to finish a joint winner with Ben Ferguson and Simon Hawkes with a score of 67.

Speaking to PGA Australia after the win at Yarram, Michel said the nature of the country course Pro-Am tournaments suited his game well.

“I got off to a pretty good start on what I thought was a tough stretch to start,” Michel said.

“I was able to make a lot of birdies in the back-end of my round and all in all pretty happy with it.

“The last couple of years I’ve played the pro-ams and the events down here and I really like the golf courses — being a country golfer, it suits my game.

“I enjoy coming back here to Yarram. I wasn’t able to come here last year because I had COVID-19, but the year before I had a good result here.”

As a result of these recent Gippsland successes Michel now finds himself ranked 26th in the Golf Australia Order of the Merit standings, which will impact his starts in the second half of the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia season.

Michel said he was excited to continue this hot patch of form into the second half of the summer season.

“The goal is to finish as high as possible,” Michel said of his Order of Merit hopes.

“I was lucky enough to move up the re-rank after the Gippsland Super 6, so I’ll get some starts in some tournaments I probably would not have got into previously.

“I just want to make the most of that.”

Michel will be looking to continue his hot form in the highly-esteemed Traralgon Pro-Am which began on Wednesday and concludes on Thursday.