One down, three to go.
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That’s how Hahn Duntryleague Open winner Robert Payne is viewing his immediate future – if his left knee can handle the strain.
Payne won yet another (he believes it’s his 11th or 12th) Duntryleague title on Sunday by three strokes from young gun James Conran.
This Saturday he will tackle the NAB Open at the Ex Services’ Country Club course.
One week later there is the Blayney Open followed by the Wentworth tournament on December 3-4.
Payne is keen to play them but is managing a knee that needs serious surgery.
“ I’ve got to have a total knee replacement. I’ve got no cartilage in my left knee.”
He said monitoring the pain was determining when he could play – as he missed the Bathurst Open last month.
“I’ve gone from knowing I can play well to hoping I can play well,” Payne said.
He said he was hanging off getting the knee replaced on doctor’s advice.
“The doctor said that if I get it done now I’ll have to get another one done later.”
But he said if the pain gets too much he’ll go ahead and have the surgery.
He has resorted to attaching a magnet below his knee with velcro for pain relief after seeing an article on it in a motoring magazine.
“I’m pain free now. I don’t know whether its psychological or not. It might be more psychological but it’s working.”
He said adapting to his knee injury, including losing a lot of weight, has changed his game.
“That’s the big difference in my game. I’m hitting it a lot straighter now, which is better.”
Payne said he has won the NAB tournament at least six times but said each of the Orange courses had different aspects and different approaches were needed to play them.
The common denominator though is that the courses have dried out after the record winter and spring rainfall and were playing faster.
He said he was pleased with his play at Duntryleague although he had to battle strong winds which particularly effected putting.
“The winds played real havoc with some of the putts. It was tough both days. I like putting on the fast greens but it was hard to get close.”
He said that on the first day he didn’t have a bogey until the 13th hole and then bogeyed both the 17th and 18th.
On Sunday he said he birdied the 13th, 14th and 16th to get back on square.
“But then I double-bogeyed the last hole.”
So how does he rate his chances for another title?
“If the knee’s as good as it has been for the last week and a half then I’ll definitely give myself a chance.”
The NAB event will be played as a 36 hole stroke event with an individual stableford in conjunction for A grade.
The handicap limit for the event has been set at 36.4 The A grade handicap is up to 12, B grade 13 to 18 and C Grade 19-36.
B and C grade will play a 36 hole stableford event.
The total prizemoney is $3500 with prizes for winner to fourth in A grade.