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<\/p>\nAfter all, the South Australian great, a life member of Kooey and renowned elite golf analyst, knows exactly what it feels like to lead Australia\u2019s national championship. And more importantly, how to stay there.<\/p>\n
Crafter\u2019s victory in the 1997 Women\u2019s Australian Open at Yarra Yarra Golf Club remains one of the most composed performances by an Australian in the event\u2019s history. She led from the opening round but still had to fight desperately to secure what was only the second Australian win, two decades after another Aussie golf icon, Jan Stephenson\u2019s victory.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was so long ago,\u201d she said with a laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut when I looked back at the highlights years later, the thing that stood out to me was how calm I looked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really did look very matter-of-fact. I knew I was playing nice golf, and I felt very calm emotionally. Nothing really surprised me that week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crafter opened the championship with the best round of her professional career, a brilliant course-record 65 that immediately established her as the player to beat. Solid back-to-back rounds of 72 in difficult conditions followed, giving her a three-shot cushion heading into the final round.<\/p>\n
But the closing stages were anything but comfortable.<\/p>\n
South Korea\u2019s Soo-Yun Kang produced a blistering final day charge on the back nine, reeling off four consecutive birdies to briefly snatch the lead and threaten to derail the Australian\u2019s dream.<\/p>\n
Rather than panic, Crafter simply reminded herself she was still in control of her own game.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe put a lot of pressure on me, for sure,\u201d Crafter recalled.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The great Jane Crafter in action at the 2001 Australian Open. PHOTO: Getty Images.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you have to keep reminding yourself that you\u2019re not doing anything wrong. She was just playing really well.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll I had to do was keep doing what I was doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
A crucial birdie at the 11th hole quickly steadied the Australian and restored her advantage before she closed out a three-shot victory \u2014 one that still ranks among the proudest moments of her career.<\/p>\n
\u201cWinning your own national championship is probably the greatest thrill,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeing your name on that Patricia Bridges Bowl means a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is precisely that kind of controlled thinking that Crafter believes will decide the 2026 championship at Kooyonga.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s hard to imagine a pro who knows this course better. Crafter honed her game on the immaculate layout after joining the club as a junior and, under the watchful eye of her legendary father Brian and alongside her brother Neil, spent countless hours attempting to answer the questions first posed by course founder and designer H. L. \u201cCargie\u201d Rymill.<\/p>\n
\u201cShort game, definitely,\u201d Crafter said when asked what Herbin must get right on the weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cAround the greens, you\u2019ve got to leave the ball in the right spots because there are some really tricky little chips if you\u2019re above the hole.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep the ball below the hole and work on your bunker shots.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like many of the great sandbelt courses, Kooyonga punishes poor positioning.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really have to think your way around the course,\u201d Crafter said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTry to leave the ball in the smart spots because if you\u2019re above the hole, you can end up with some very delicate chips and putts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey generally slope from back to front with some subtle undulations. To make your putts, you first have to leave the ball in the right position.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crafter couldn\u2019t commit to selecting a winner but believes Western Australians like Hannah Green and Kirsten Rudgeley, in particular, understand the style of golf required.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the sort of course most of our players grew up on,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether it\u2019s the sandbelt or courses in Perth like Royal Perth Golf Club or Fremantle Golf Club, they all reward smart golf.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like the 43-year-old Herbin, Crafter was a veteran of the game in the 17th year of her professional career and already beginning to prepare for life beyond full-time competition when she completed her triumph.<\/p>\n
1997 featured a hot start, a tense Sunday charge, and the calm confidence that carried her through it all.<\/p>\n
For whoever lifts the trophy at Kooyonga this week, Crafter suspects the winning formula will look very familiar.<\/p>\n
Celine, if you\u2019re listening \u2026<\/p>\n
\n \u00a9 Golf Australia. All rights reserved.
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