Professional golfer puts NorthTec in spotlight across the Tasman

In the coming days and weeks NorthTec’s Sport and Recreation degree is to get added attention across Australasia as former student and high-achiever Caroline Bon, makes a bid to win both the Handa Australian Open and the ANZ Masters golf majors.

The product of a NorthTec Sport and Recreation degree, Caroline has already been making waves as a rookie on the Australian Ladies Pro Golf Tour (ALPG) which has seen her qualify for both majors in Australia.

The 23 year-old is currently competing in the Handa Australian Open which got underway yesterday at the Commonwealth Golf Club in Melbourne. She will follow that up by competing in the ANZ Masters four days later at the Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast, before heading back across the Tasman to play in New Zealand’s premier tournament the Pegasus New Zealand Open.

Caroline’s first tournament as a professional back on January 12 saw her place a credible 13th that was followed up in her next tournament with a two under-the-card round for a finish of eighth. Since then, she has quickly packed in three other tournaments and announcing to close friends she had qualified for both the prestigious Handa Australian Open and ANZ Masters majors.

Northland Golf Club professional Quinton Diment said after the first two tournaments Caroline had played in on the ALPG, the signs were there that she was going to make it as a pro golfer.

“There is good stuff going on there. She just has to learn the skill of playing golf as a professional. “I would consider her results at this time to be successful – it’s a good start,” he said at the time.

Caroline, who completed a Bachelor of Sport and Recreation Degree at NorthTec in 2009, had said being part of the ALPG came with the possibility of earning exemption to the majors which she had set her sights on.

Mr Diment, who has been coaching Caroline since she was 14 years-old, said the top ten rookies from six to eight events taking place around Sydney on the ALPG pro am circuit earned exemptions to those tournaments that come with the potential to earn substantial prize money.

As it is, he says each of the tournaments on the pro am circuit, have a prize pool of between $20,000 and $30,000 Australian, with first prize usually worth around ten per cent of that.

Although Caroline was a little disappointed to finish 35th in last weekend’s tournament on tour, she said she was still “very happy” that for the fifth tournament in a row, she had managed to make money while making improvements to her overall game.

A member of the Northland Golf Club and one of the top-ranked women golfers in Northland, Caroline was a part of the New Zealand team at the Espirito Santo Trophy or the Ladies Amateur World Cup in Argentina last year.

Not long after that Caroline was in Spain attempting to earn her playing card for the lucrative Ladies European Tour. At this qualifying tournament, she successfully made it through stage one and was inside the top 50 during the second stage after four rounds. Unfortunately, she fell just short of qualifying in the top 30 to make it through. Her efforts though saw her earn exemption to play in a few events on the European Tour which she will concentrate on after the Pegasus New Zealand Open on that gets underway on February 17 in Christchurch.

Caroline says she is really looking forward to that tournament which as the current New Zealand Strokeplay Champion, she received a sponsor’s invite to play in, after which, she will return to Whangarei for a month to consider her next move professionally.

“It is such an exciting time for me taking the chance to turn professional and to start making my living. I believe that my confidence and game will improve as I become more comfortable playing in big events,” she said.

She was appreciative of all the help and support those at NorthTec had given her while studying, which had enabled her to continue a path to becoming a world-class golfer.

Sport and Recreation Operations Manager, Paul Sykes said he couldn’t think of anyone better as an ambassador for the Sport and Recreation Programme at NorthTec.

He says as a student, Caroline stood out as someone who was dedicated and driven to achieving what she set her sights on. “She was really organised, dedicated and approached her studies with the discipline required to achieve at the highest level – like she does with her golf.”

He says Caroline has always had a very strong work ethic, was willing to share her knowledge, and enjoyed academic discussion with her tutors and peers.

Mr Diment says Caroline is self-driven and wants to be successful which bodes well for her moving forward with her game and playing on the European Circuit.

He says her move to turn professional was “a bit of a punt” but he has every faith in her with her ability to drive the ball fairly long and accurate and a short game that was improving all the time.

Head down and charging: Caroline Bon will be looking to do just that in the coming days when she looks to make her mark in the Handa Australian Open and ANZ Masters in Australia.

ENDS

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