With a lemon squash then home early to bed, of course.

“It wouldn’t have happened in my day,” club captain Rick Marsh said, breaking into a laugh. “But good on him, he’s a great kid, very humble.”

There was a good reason for the early night.

At 4.30am the next morning Hayden, 22, and A grade runner up Clayton Small, were on the way to Newcastle Airport before flying to Brisbane in a bid to qualify for the Queensland Open.

“It’s an 18-hole shootout and there are about 100 players vying for 10 positions,” Gulliver said.

The talented right-hander was speaking to The Mercury by phone as he walked the course, then hoped to squeeze in nine holes in the afternoon – his only look at the Nudgee course before tee-off on Monday morning. 

So, what were his first impressions?

“It looks a pretty open course,” he said.

“I would think you’d have to shoot about 4-under, so the pressure is going to be on.”

Gulliver went into Saturday’s final round of the championship with a comfortable eight-shot lead and while it wasn’t his best round – he fired a four over par 75 – he was never really threatened, edging out Small by five strokes.

“I felt a bit of pressure and didn’t play the best … I scrambled a fair bit,” Gulliver explained.

“It means a lot to me and maybe the nerves kicked in.

“Fortunately I had a good lead after the earlier rounds.”

The victory means he has claimed the title in 2015, 2017 and 2018, finishing second in 2016 to Mitch McPhee.

So where does Gulliver see his game right now?

“It’s close,” he said. “I just don’t think I’ve quite put it all together yet in the same round.”

Other championship winner were:

A Grade handicap - Greg Eyb;

B Grade scratch and handicap – Steve Wooderson;.

C Grade scratch – Tony Gannon; handicap Dave Saunders;

Senior scratch – Peter Callingham; handicap Steve Woodison;

Veterans scratch – Ian Jeffrey; handicap Stuart Johnstone; 

Junior champion – Bowen Small; runner up Lachie Charnock.