Tiger Woods may have lost his No1 perch in the world rankings but that doesn't mean golfers around the world will sneeze at any suggestions of playing in tournaments he enters.
Pencil in Hawke's Bay professional Doug Holloway who has made the field for this week's $1.5 million JB Were Mastersin Melbourne.
Holloway will be in an illustrious field that includes the likes of defending champion Woods, Sergio Garcia, Camillo Villegas and Robert Allenby when the Masters tees off on Thursday at the Victoria Golf Club that lured sizeable galleries last year.
"Dougie played the most amazing round of golf I've ever heard of," Hastings PGA professional and mentor Brian Doyle told SportToday last night after Holloway rattled off 11 birdies, five bogeys and two pars in a final round 66 yesterday in Perth.
The Te Pohue professional finished tied in sixth place with three others in the Western Australian PGA Championship in Bunbury.
He carded 69, 71, 72, 66 for a total of 10-under 278.
"Doug's weakest aspect of play has been his putting so he's been quite down with it, talking to me about it via texts and the phone.
"Grant Moorhead was playing too and sharing a room but he missed the cut so he offered to carry Doug's bags," Doyle explained, adding Moorhead helped Holloway read the lies before the Bay professional sunk his putts with aplomb.
David Bransdon won the event, shooting 17-under par 271 (72, 66, 69, 64) with Matthew Griffin two shots behind.
Other Kiwis in the field were Hamish Robertson, tied for 34, Brenden Stuart 38= and Scott Hill 54th.
"With the winner gaining exemption to the JB Were Masters and through other defections Dougie moved up from first reserve to qualify," Doyle said, claiming Holloway was very capable of making the cut.
