'Sticking to my game plan' - Martin on his path to PGA Australasia season finale

The 37-year-old Neangar Park product has five events left to play - first up this week is a return to New South Wales to compete at TPS Sydney.

The event, hosted by Bonnie Doon Golf Club, isn't just any other tournament on the schedule, it's where Martin locked in his first ever win as a professional.

Flashback: Martin savours first tour win after remarkable final round

The victory in 2021 was sealed with a world record equalling (of any major world tour) 61-off-the-stick final round which included four eagles.

"That fourth round is all still quite a blur," Martin said.

"It will be nice this week to head back to a course where I've got plenty of good memories, especially as I am playing so solidly at the moment.

"It's a new week and I will approach it like I would any other tournament."

Martin heads to Sydney after a busy few months which has included a win last November at the Victorian PGA Championship where he went head-to-head against Lincoln Tighe over five sudden death playoff holes, in addition to a few top-five finishes which has seen him shoot up the PGA Tour of Australasia order of merit.

During the summer break he also found time to return home to Bendigo to compete in both the Neangar Park and Axedale pro-am tournaments.

He finished T3 (-7) at Neangar, one stroke behind joint winners Lucas Herbert and Chris Wood.

The following day he then secured a (-5) win at Axedale, two shots ahead of runner-up Ryan Lynch.

Most recently last weekend he finished T3 (-14) at the Victorian Open, seven shots behind winner Michael Hendry (-21).

"Yesterday (final round Vic Open) wasn't my best day on course as it was a bit of a grind," he said.

"I was a bit surprised to see how far I moved up the leaderboard.

"They were very challenging windy conditions at 13th Beach."

Martin has put his recent success down to a few aspects of his game: chipping, putting and short irons.

However, there's also one element that is shining through, plenty of hard work and experience.

"Everything is feeling good which is helping me play consistently," he said.

"It's about sticking to my game plan - that's how I play."

The results also come from a long-standing partnership with his Traralgon Golf Club-based coach Darren Cole.

"Definitely during the past three years he's getting steadier and steadier out there on course," Cole said.

"He also has more self-belief, which is always the number one thing for any sportsman."

Whenever Cole and Martin get together for a fine tuning the pair always get straight back to the basics of his swing such as set-up and posture.

One part of Martin's game which Cole said had always been a strong point is arguably the most important - putting.

"He's always been a good putter and doesn't have to do too much work on that," Cole said.

"He's built trust within his own method and couldn't be more comfortable out there.

"He doesn't let the noise and all that's happening at the events interfere with what he's doing and just lets his performances take care of it all."

This year's PGA Tour of Australasia season is unlike other years gone by as there's plenty on offer for the top standing players after the last event.

The top three (not already exempt) on the order of merit will receive DP World Tour cards, and as it stands Martin is third on the rankings.

Several of the players on the standings are already exempt or will be ineligible which leaves Martin in prime position for the final stretch.

However, he's not getting too far ahead as "there's still plenty of golf to be played".

"Especially as the New Zealand Open is offering high points for a win," Martin said.

"Anything can happen and I am not really thinking about it too much.

"From here I am taking it one shot at a time."

Martin's schedule for the remainder of the season includes TPS Sydney before he takes a break and will skip TPS Hunter Valley.

He's then all hands on deck for three weeks at the NZ Open, NZ PGA Championship followed by the NSW Open.

The tour then pauses for a week ahead of the season finale on March 30 at the National Golf Club. Martin tees up at TPS Sydney at 12.55pm AEDT on Thursday alongside T. Power Horan and M. A Yoon.

Order of Merit (Ahead of TPS Sydney)

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