Dimi Papadatos is in contention to win the Golf Challenge NSW Open at Concord, but the Sydney professional has more things on his mind than golf.
That’s because Papadatos is Best Man for his great mate and fellow-professional Lincoln Tighe at his wedding in Wollongong tomorrow afternoon.
All of which means that Papatatos, who is inside the top-three on the PGA Tour of Australasia order of merit, has to get in and out of Concord as quickly as possible tomorrow to perform his duties, including the speech.
Papadatos opened with a seven-under-par 64 in the first round at Concord today, holing out for eagle with a pitching wedge from 128 metres at the par-four ninth.
Tomorrow he has a 7.30 am tee time, which helps. He also has some company: Louis Dobbelaar is also going to the wedding, so too Mitch Davis and Tim Hart, all of whom are playing this week.
But the one hour, 20-minute drive to the Novotel North Coast means it will be a rush.
Still, Vic Open winner Papadatos has kept it all in perspective.
He refused to pull out of the event so that he could attend the wedding, given that the $400,000 prize pool gives him an opportunity to close out a top-three Order of Merit finish which would give him DP World Tour status for next season.
“That’s going to be a pretty awesome day for one of my best mates,” Papadatos said. “I’m really looking forward to that.”
He’ll be planning his day to the minute. “I’m first out tomorrow morning which is fortunate. Louis Dobbelaar is coming as well, same as Mitch Davis, Tim Hart and my caddie ‘Fordy’ (Dan Ford).
So we’ll all be getting suited up in the locker room after our round and head down to Wollongong.
“It’s a 2.30 kickoff I think, so fingers crossed, it’s not too slow out there.”
“It’s going to be a busy afternoon, but I’ve been looking forward to it for a while. I missed my cousin Frankie’s wedding last weekend because of the Hunter Valley, and I was in the bridal party there, and I missed my very good mate James Gibellini’s wedding for Cobram a few weeks ago as well.”
“I made the reception but I had to fly down after Sunday. There’s a lot of sacrifice with what we do, just trying to squeeze everything in as much as we can.”
