Last year Zander Lombard enjoyed his time down under and recorded a fourth-place finish at the Australian PGA Championship, which will boost his confidence ahead of this week’s World Super 6 in Perth.

The 22 year old was a rookie when he competed against Australia’s best and has made eight cuts on the European Tour since, including a runner-up finish at the Joburg Open last March.

This week he faces a new layout at Lake Karrinyup Country Club, where Alex Noren and Louis Oosthuizen headline the field.

Lombard is yet to win a professional tournament, but he’s been close enough to record 10 top-10s on the Sunshine Tour in his 14 months as a professional.

Most of the South Africans are in George this week for the Dimension Data Pro-Am, so his usual support group of peers will not be there for a morale boost after each round.

Lombard will need to look within himself in order to find the confidence required to compete in a full European Tour field, but that’s the best way for him to develop as a professional.

He’s proven before that he can make it work in Australia and needs to do so again this week in Perth.