Sixteen-year-old Bill Eppelstun, fresh off his first win at the South Coast Junior Masters, is gearing up for a new challenge at his home course of Catalina Club—this time, at the South Coast Open, his first-ever professional tournament.
Eppelstun’s confidence is high following his recent success, and the stakes are even higher. A win here could land him a spot in the prestigious NSW Open at Murray Downs in November, where he’d rub shoulders with some of golf’s biggest names, including former world number two Cameron Smith.
“It’s a great opportunity, especially being at my home club,” Bill shared, visibly excited about the tournament ahead.
“I’ve been playing here for years, so I’m hoping to use that local knowledge to my advantage.”
While looking forward to the tournament, Bill remains humble, noting how much he learned from playing alongside Coffs Harbour professional Andrew Campbell during today’s Pro-Am event.
“He was a flusher, so I was thankful to be in the same group,” Bill said. “It was a great learning experience, seeing how he stays calm and takes it shot by shot.”
“It was a good opportunity to have a one-on-one while he’s not in tournament mode.”
For the young golfer, this is also a learning opportunity, and he’s determined to soak up as much knowledge as possible from his fellow competitors.
“That’s one of the reasons I wanted to play, just to see what I could pick up from the pros,” he said.
“I’ll be definitely looking at the three players I’m playing with and see what I can learn.”
With a heavy workload in the lead-up to his final year of high school, he admits balancing golf with his academic responsibilities has been no easy feat.
“The last few weeks have been packed with exams, so I haven’t had much time to practice,” he said.
As his sister Sophie Eppelstun, a member of the Junior and Open NSW State Teams, wraps up her final year of school, Bill mentioned that he’s finding inspiration in her journey.
“But I’m just going to see how it goes and try my best. I’m going to try and do similar to what Sophie did, juggling school and golf.”
When asked about his game plan for the next two days, Bill keeps it simple: “Just miss it in the right spots, trust my up-and-down game, and hopefully roll in a few good putts.”
“It would be huge to get one of those NSW Open spots, but I’m not predicting anything,” he said.
“I’m just going to play my game and hope it works out.”
For now, Bill’s goal remains focused on what he can control. “I’m just aiming to commit to every shot and stay in the moment,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s golf—anything can happen.”
No matter the outcome, with his determination and local advantage, he’s set to make the most of his first foray into professional competition.
The first round of the South Coast Open will begin just before 7 AM tomorrow.
