Reece Black has putted through hailstones and 50 mile per hour winds. A wet Friday forecast at Queanbeyan Golf Club is not going to rattle him.
The Northern Irishman is among the field teeing off tomorrow in the final regional qualifier for the 2026 Ford NSW Open, a two-round event where three spots in the championship are on the line. Conditions are expected to turn for the final round, with a top of 19 degrees and 6 to 20mm of rain forecast, and Black, who grew up playing in Northern Ireland, says that suits him fine.
“Some of our tournaments you’re playing and putting through hailstones and 50 mile per hour winds,” Black said.
“I can deal with it. Obviously it’s hard, but I’m a bit more used to it than maybe the Aussies here.”
The weather could yet force a one-round shootout, which shapes his plan for day one.
“I’m really going to have to take my opportunities tomorrow and try to get a score, try to get that top five, and hopefully it plays on Friday. If it doesn’t, at least I’ll have myself in a good spot.”
The now Melbourne-based Black is in his first season on the PGA Tour of Australasia after coming through the final stage of Q-School. He didn’t earn a full card, but he has playing status and has been entering every event he can. It’s a waiting game each week, checking in a week or two out to see whether he’s got a start.
He arrives in form. Black has yet to finish a tournament over par in his first six events, and he came close to qualifying at Catalina Club, playing in the final group before narrowly missing out. He says the experience taught him plenty.
“It was my first time in the final group, so the first few holes had a lot of adrenaline. I definitely learned from it. Just breathe more, take it easier, don’t go for as much.”
He credits a big shift in his mental game to advice from David McKenzie, a colleague who once played on the PGA Tour of Australasia: stay calm, whatever happens, happens.
“Before I came to Oz, if I hit a bad shot I would lose my temper. Now I just breathe. It’s okay, find the ball, hit it.”
It’s a long way from where his career began. In 2017, Black became the youngest-ever winner of the East of Ireland Amateur Open at just 17. He later worked as an assistant professional at Holywood Golf Club, the Northern Ireland club that is also home to Rory McIlroy, before chasing a career on the course.
He says the standard in Australia has lifted his game and changed his mindset.
“Back home, if you shot three under you’d move a few places up the leaderboard. If you shoot that here, someone’s going to come in eight or nine under. You really have to be on your game and take your chances when they come.”
On Queanbeyan, Black says the course rewards a sound plan. It’s generous off the tee for those who find the fairway, but quick to punish anything wayward. He’s already mapped out which holes to attack and which call for “taking your medicine” with an iron off the tee.
Qualifying would earn him a first Ford NSW Open start, and he knows how much it would mean.”
“Definitely the biggest event I’ve ever played in. If you do well there, it helps finance the rest of the year.”
If it doesn’t happen this week, he has a back-up plan: the Monday qualifier ahead of the championship.
Round one will tee off at Queanbeyan Golf Club from 10AM tomorrow, with the final round broadcast live on Kayo Sports on Friday.
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