Aussies Abroad: Jones chasing 100 in Bermuda - PGA of Australia

Aussies Abroad: Jones chasing 100 in Bermuda


A second PGA Tour title and a spot back inside the Top 100 in the Official World Golf Rankings go on the line when Matt Jones heads a list of five Australians who will contest this week’s Bermuda Championship at Port Royal Golf Course.

The idyllic locale was not enough to lure any of the Aussies preparing for The Masters in two weeks’ time but for those who have made the trip there is a golden opportunity to secure their immediate playing futures.

It’s been six years since Jones chipped in to defeat Matt Kuchar for the 2014 Shell Houston Open crown but his consistent play has seen him qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs the past two years.

Currently 101st in the FedEx Cup and 109th in the world rankings, the two-time Australian Open champion is out in the first group of the tournament at 9.35pm AEDT Thursday alongside three-time Major champion Padraig Harrington and 2011 US Amateur champion Kelly Kraft.

A top-10 finish at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship has Cameron Percy well positioned early in the season at 53rd in the FedEx Cup standings, a chance to again display his mastery in the Bermuda winds and improve on that further.

The other Aussies in the field are John Senden, Aaron Baddeley and Rhein Gibson along with Kiwi Tim Wilkinson.

The European Tour breaks new ground this week with the inaugural Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Open, Cyprus becoming the 50th nation to host a European Tour event.

South Australian Wade Ormsby has returned to Australia and begun his two-week stint in quarantine, leaving just Maverick Antcliff and Jason Scrivener to chase glory in what is also a spectacular setting.

Stephen Leaney, David McKenzie and Rod Pampling are teeing it up in the first TimberTech Championship on the Champions Tour and Robyn Choi, Stephanie Na and Hira Naveed are at the famed Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina to contest the Carolina Golf Classic.

Round 1 tee times (AEDT)

PGA Tour
Bermuda Championship
Port Royal Golf Course, Southampton, Bermuda
9.35pm Matt Jones, Padraig Harrington, Kelly Kraft
9.55pm John Senden, Camilo Villegas, Peter Uihlein
10.35pm              Aaron Baddeley, Ben Martin, Arjun Atwal
2.25am Tim Wilkinson, Cameron Percy, Josh Teater
3.35am Rhein Gibson, Roger Sloan, Eric Dugas

Defending champion: Brendon Todd
Top Aussie prediction: Cameron Percy
TV times: Live 3am-6am Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503

European Tour
Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Open
Aphrodite Hills Resort, Paphos, Cyprus
4.35pm Michael Campbell, David Drysdale, Julian Suri
6.05pm Maverick Antcliff, Niklas Lemke, Jamie Donaldson
7.10pm Jason Scrivener, David Horsey, Lorenzo Gagli

Defending champion: Inaugural event
Top Aussie prediction: Maverick Antcliff
TV times: Live 8.30pm-1.30am Thursday, Friday; Live 9pm-1.30am Saturday; Live 8.30pm-1am Sunday on Fox Sports 503

Champions Tour
TimberTech Championship
The Old Course at Broken Sound, Boca Raton, Florida
Aussies in the field: Stephen Leaney, David McKenzie, Rod Pampling

Defending champion: Inaugural event
Top Aussie prediction: Rod Pampling
TV times: Live 6am-8.30am Saturday, Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503

Symetra Tour
Carolina Golf Classic
Pinehurst No.9, Pinehurst, North Carolina
11.03pm Robyn Choi, Julie Aime, Samantha Wagner
11.25pm              Hira Naveed, Casey Danielson, Vicky Hurst
12.42am              Stephanie Na, Katelyn Dambaugh, Cindy Ha

Defending champion: Inaugural event
Top Aussie prediction: Robyn Choi


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