Rhein Gibson will draw inspiration from Newcastle favourite Nick Flanagan at this week’s TPS Hunter Valley as he plots a return to the US PGA Tour in 2024.
On Tuesday, Gibson set foot on Australian soil for the first time since early 2020, catching the train from Sydney airport to Hurstville station where Japan Tour player Andrew Evans was waiting to offer a lift to the Hunter Valley.
The 2019 Australian PGA Championship was Gibson’s last start on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, coincidentally another year in which he tasted success on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Some four years later Gibson won again just two weeks ago at the Astara Golf Championship in Colombia, resulting in an elevation of 1,113 spots in the Official World Golf Ranking.
That makes the Lismore native the second-highest ranked player in the field behind only two-time winner this season David Micheluzzi. But it is another of his competitors this week who Gibson is seeking to emulate in the months to come.
Flanagan, the 2003 US Amateur champion, earned direct promotion to the PGA TOUR when he won three times on the then Nationwide Tour in 2007. After two Covid-interrupted seasons on the PGA Tour in 2020-2021, Gibson now has aspirations to accelerate his return to the big time.
“I’d like to get in position again to win,” Gibson said.
“I know Nick Flanagan who is here, he’s done it and won three times. They said there have been 11 or 12 guys to do it (earn ‘battlefield’ promotion).
“Don’t get me wrong, it’s one of the toughest tours to play and it’s tough to win once let alone three times. But if I can get myself back in contention, I know I’m playing well, I think I can maybe knock off another one.
“You always start out the season with the end goal of getting one of the 30 cards for the PGA TOUR but to win early is massive.
“It takes a lot of stress off now that I’m back fully exempt. I know I have a job for next year no matter what and I can work towards that goal of accruing enough points.”
Winning on home soil, however, is Gibson’s immediate priority.
Given his recent victory, the 37-year-old has added next week’s New Zealand Open to his itinerary before spending time with family and friends in northern New South Wales and the Gold Coast.
It’s been a decade since he finished in a tie fourth behind only Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott and John Senden at the 2013 Australian Open, one of five top-five finishes he has recorded on his home tour.
“I’ve never won on the Australasian Tour,” Gibson added.
“I’ve always thought it was important to support the home tour and I’ve tried to do that. Obviously Covid has put a squash to that and I haven’t been able to get back down.
“It’s always been a goal of mine. I’ve come close for sure. I’ve had a bunch of top-fives but it would be nice to knock one off.”
Gibson has been drawn to play with Micheluzzi and Stephanie Bunque in Round 1 at Oaks Cypress Lakes Resort on Thursday, their 12.30pm tee time dependent on how the course recovers from Wednesday’s deluge.
The course copped more than 110mm of rain which forced the cancellation of the pro-am, tour officials confident that the majority of Round 1 – if not all – will be completed on Thursday. Play is scheduled to begin at 7.30am AEDT on Thursday with Flanagan paired with Dimi Papadatos and Japan’s Ayaka Sugihara at 7.45am, defending champion Aaron Pike to follow at 7.55am with Jarryd Felton and Kelsey Bennett.
