In June, James Goffman will celebrate his university graduation with family and friends, treat himself to a couple of weeks of relaxation – and then head back to school.
Not postgrad studies. Not yet, anyway.
Instead, the Bachelor of International Relations student will join a group of the country’s top amateur golfers at Q School in a bid to earn a place on the professional tour.
And he will tee off in red hot form.
Goffman added another trophy to his growing collection over the weekend, taking out the Northern Territory Amateur at the Alice Springs Golf Club with a blistering back nine.
The Top End has been good to the Gold Coaster. The 22-year-old has previously won the NT Classic, the Darwin Open, and the Alice Springs Open.
“They call it the NT slam and now I’ve won it,” he said.
“I don’t know why but I just feel pretty comfortable up here. I have played the course a fair few times and I know it pretty well now and I feel confident there.”
That confidence, he admits, had deserted him when he woke up on the final day at four under, three strokes off the lead.
“At breakfast that morning I wasn’t confident I was going to win. The guys in front of me were good golfers and I was three back,” he said.
“And I didn’t start well, I was six back with eight to play.”
Then came an eagle on 10 that changed everything.
He carded four more birdies on the run to the clubhouse, putting together a sizzling back nine of 30 — including seven one-putts — to finish with a three-shot win.
“That eagle really got me going. I managed to pull it off and win by three.
“I played some really nice golf, especially with the putter. On the back nine I had seven one-putts.”
Goffman and his parents have recently chatted about the next stage of his life and when it was clear he wanted to put his full efforts into making it as a professional, he and coach Grant Field started to map out a plan.
He already knows he can compete at the level having broken through to beat a field of professionals at the Fiji Open last year.
“My coach and I have talked a lot about it and we have written out a plan on what we want to do and how to approach it,” Goffman said.
“I’ll be going to qualifying school, and that could take six months, it could take two years, who knows?
“But being off my studies has already helped out a lot.
“I feel like my game is in pretty good shape at the moment and I’m ready to give it my best shot.”
Goffman’s next event will be the Singapore Pro in July.