It is evident Wollongong golfer Lincoln Tighe is very happy with where his game is at.
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Heading into the Australian PGA Championship on Thursday, the 33-year-old isn't contend just to be playing at Royal Queensland Golf Club.
"I want to try and win," Tighe said, buoyed by "probably the best start to my career ever".
Tighe has been hampered by injuries in recent years but has started the season in fine fashion. Earlier this month he fell agonisingly close to winning the Victorian PGA Championship at Moonah Links, finishing in second-place after a drama-filled five-hole playoff.
Four days later he had a share of the lead after day one of the Queensland PGA Championship in Brisbane.
Tighe finished in equal 12th position, a performance which has him primed to perform well in the Australian PGA this week and the Australian Open in Melbourne next week.
"Because of my solid start to the season I won the mini order of merit for guys who weren't already qualified for the Australian PGA and Australian Open. So I'm playing those two big ones now, which is great," he said.
Tighe was also happy to be injury-free and playing well heading into two big tournaments.
"With my wrist and my hand late last season I tore a tendon in my wrist and sort of juiced it up on cortisone and it's been okay ever since," he said.
"It has probably been the best start to the season I've ever had in my career. I think I'm sitting sixth or seventh in the Australian order of merit after the first four [tournaments] so everything is going good."
Tighe said returning to swing coach Warwick Dews was one of the main contributors to his good start to the season.
"I made some changes just before the season started and late last year I went back to my old coach Warwick Dews, who is at NSW Golf Club and started focusing a bit more on my mental stuff with my mental coach Ben Roberts.
"I went back to Srixon as well, they sponsor me for clubs and all my gear now.
"I had some success with them earlier in my career so I went back to them and I really love their gear and it has been good.
"Those sort of changes are starting to come together and my game feels good."
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His good form to date has Tighe thinking about returning to America again after just missing out by two for the first stage of qualifying last month.
"My game felt good but I just needed more time and since then I've worked my ass off and feel really good heading into the Australian PGA," he said.
"Everything has sort of come together, my putting has come together and my iron play has been good.
"My driver has always been my strength and that's going really well so yeah everything has just tidied up and I'm shooting a lot better scores, everything has been good.
"I want to try and win. After losing in the fifth playoff in the Victorian PGA, that was a bit hard but I lost to a guy who made five birdies in a row in the playoff and I made four in a row but I couldn't make five.
"I definitely have the game to win around Royal Queensland, it suits my game but we have just got to see how we go."
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Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
