Tasmanian Mat Goggin is set to take his first swing on the Legends Tour when the NSW Senior Open gets underway at Thurgoona Country Club Resort this Friday.
A five-time web.com winner, Goggin had been looking to tee it up in this week’s Queensland PGA to get some competitive golf under his belt, but in a savvy shift, he realised he’d be better off taking his chances against the over-50 brigade.
“I wanted to play a few tournaments, and I was looking at the schedule thinking I’ll play the Queensland PGA.
“It dawned on me that I should check the Legends Tour schedule, so instead of trying to beat up on those 20 year olds, here I am.”
Like several of the growing Aussie presence on the US Champions Tour, Goggin hopes to use this week’s NSW Senior Open and the Australian Senior PGA (next week at Richmond Golf Club) to springboard himself onto the lucrative senior tour.
The NSW Senior Open has become a launchpad for a bunch of Aussies looking to the US, and allowing players like Goggin to hone their skills before Champions Tour Qualifying School.,
The contingent Stateside now includes several players who made their local tour debut in this event before heading to the Qualifying School. Richard Green (the 2022 NSW Senior Open Champ), former Australian Open Champion Stephen Allen (who made his senior debut in the NSW SNR OPen in 2023), Michael Wright, and David Bransdon are leading the way.
Goggin, who made his senior debut at this year’s US Senior Open and finished tied 51st, said playing on the US Champions Tour felt like Deja Vu.
“It’s like a time warp out there,” he explained. “The funny thing is, the caddies are the same, so it’s like the players they work for all the way through are still out there.
“It’s a little bit of a Twilight Zone feeling. But it is good to see everyone and run into a few guys who I played quite a bit through the years,” Goggin added.
Although unfamiliar with this week’s venue, Goggin said he was excited to play this week and revisit some places he hadn’t played in since his amateur days.
“I played the (NSW Open) at Rich River last year, and I played Cobram-Barooga back in my amateur days but I haven’t played much golf along the Murray. So it’s nice to get up here and have a look around.”
Despite some expected ‘rust,’ Goggin is set on finding his form.
“I haven’t played a tournament for a couple of months, so you always feel a bit not so sharp, and you don’t know what to expect.
“Hopefully, I’ll get into the week, and put a few good scores together.”
Beyond the grind of prepping for the Qualifying school, Goggin is immersed in bringing a world-class course to life in Tasmania with his Seven Mile Beach project. He balances the complexities of course design with his athletic ambitions, frequently travelling back from Charlotte, North Carolina.
“I come back seven or eight times a year. to work on the project. It’s a Clayton, DeVries & Pont design, It’s my development, so I’ve sort of been doing all the permitting and organising.”
“I come back seven or eight times a year. to work on the project. It’s a Clayton, DeVries & Pont design, my development, so I’ve been doing all the permit handling and organising.”
Goggin admitted the process had been a steep learning curve, but it was a challenge he had become engrossed in.
“I’ve had to become an expert in things I had no desire to be an expert in,” he laughed.
