Mitchell, Wooster reign supreme at Srixon NSW Mid-Amateur Championship

Mitchell, from the Links Shell Cove, triumphed in a nail-biter, winning by a shot at the end of regulation play, while the highly credentialed Wooster required a fighting par in a sudden death playoff to claim the women's crown.

In a historic turn of events, the National Mid-Am title was held in conjunction with the Srixon NSW Mid-Amateur Championship for the first time.

This meant a double triumph for Mitchell and Wooster, who were crowned the Srixon Mid-Amateur Champions and the national champions for 2024.

For Mitchell, 48, the victory was his first national title after an exemplary amateur career, first in his native Scotland where he represented in a Home Nations Championship at the senior level, and in his adopted homeland.

The Shell Cove gun first claimed the lead outright on the 11th and was determined to keep his nose in front until the end, with a clutch downhill par putt at the 16th after finding trouble from the tee hardening his resolve over the closing holes.

"I'm really happy, it's the first national title I've won," a delighted Mitchell said.

"I've been in a few of these back home, and never got it over the line, but now it's done. There was definitely tension on everyone's part.

"The lead went back and forth; I think we were all tied at one point. It's always a little harder in the last round, but I knew I had to stick to my game plan when I got in front.

"I holed a couple of putts, which were crucial on the back nine, but then on 16 I hit it in the trees and had to pitch out. I holed about a 15-footer downhill just to save par

"That was the decider, I reckon. I knew from there I just had to stay out of trouble and a par-par finish would be good enough."

The Women's Championship contest quickly became a two-horse race between Wooster and overnight leader Gemma Dooley from NSW GC.

The pair were quick out of the gates and established a comfortable buffer over their playing partners by the ninth hole. Wooster, however, proved to be the steadier player on the homeward run, edging to a two-shot lead with just a couple of holes to play.

It was at this point the contest took a dramatic turn, and when the Victorian missed the green on the short par three 17th and could only make bogey, Dooley was back in the contest.

Wooster compounded the problem on the last, missing the green long and again failing to get up and down to give Dooley her chance of a playoff, which she took with a clutch putt of about eight feet for par.

"I didn't hit a good second shot on the last and had to hit a full rescue into the green," Wooster said.

"It went over the back, and it was pretty hard to get up and down."

Thankfully for the Victorian, and equally sadly for Dooley, the contest for the Crown ended on the first playoff hole. After being forced to take a penalty drop after finding the water with her second shot, Dooley couldn't make par, and all that was left for Wooster to do was two-putt from the front of the green for the win.

"Gemma and I had a really good day, it was neck-and-neck, all the way," she said.

"I wasn't that nervous in the playoff. I just wanted to get that first putt not too far away, which I did."

The win augers well for the highly credentialed Victorian who will soon head to the US to take on the northern hemisphere's best seniors.

"This is my third national Mid-Amateur, I think, and my first NSW Mid-Amateur, so it's quite exciting. I haven't been playing much golf lately, so this week bought the form back a bit.

""It's been a while between tournaments; that's one of the reasons I came up."

Over 220 players competed in this year's Championship at Wollongong, and the Links Shell Cove, with officials delighted with the tournament's growing popularity.