On the back of his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win of the year at Griffith on Friday, Jay Mackenzie held the Round 1 lead at Leeton courtesy of a 7-under 65 on Saturday.

He began a bogey-free second round of 4-under 68 with seven straight pars, opening the door just enough for Townsend to make a move.

Three bogeys against two birdies in his first seven holes stalled his charge but birdie at the par-5 eighth would prove to be the catalyst for a brilliant finish.

With a round of 5-under 67, Townsend was the first to post 11-under, Mackenzie needing to birdie the last to join him, the pair finishing two strokes clear of Toby Walker (67).

Turning point

As first Townsend and then Mackenzie came through the eighth hole, Mackenzie looked like following up his first win of the season at Griffith with a second at Leeton.

He held a two-stroke advantage after both made birdie at the 468-metre par 5 but it would prove to be a launch pad for Townsend.

It was the first of six birdies in seven holes for the Newcastle native that gave him a one-stroke advantage.

He would hold that until he waited for Mackenzie to finish, who birdied the par-4 18th to claim a share of victory.

Quick quotes

“I’m trying to work a little harder on some putting consistency,” said Townsend.

“It’s been very poor at times. My good is good but my poor is very poor so the last couple of days have been good.

“I still made too many mistakes. I made too many bogeys over the last two days but there was enough good stuff that I’ve enough to take out of that.”

Leading scores
T1        Aaron Townsend          66-67—133
T1        Jay Mackenzie              65-68—133
3          Toby Walker                 68-67—135
4          Bryce Hohnen              67-69—136
5          Matthew Millar             66-71—137

April 11

Mackenzie claims first win for 2025

Jay Mackenzie became a winner on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series for the seventh consecutive year after scoring a four-stroke victory in the B&C Plumbing Griffith Charity Pro-Am.

With just one bogey across the 36 holes at Griffith Golf Club, the NSW professional shot rounds of 68-65 to finish at 9-under-par and secure his first title for 2025 after a mixed campaign on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.

Two other Tour regulars, Tim Hart (66-71) and Jye Pickin (71-66), shared second place.

Back travelling in his grandad’s old troop carrier after it had some repairs, Mackenzie set up camp next to the driving range at the Riverina course, giving him easy access to work even more on his game which started to turn around towards the end of the Tour season.

Turning point

After starting the second round two shots from the overnight lead held jointly by Hart and James Gibellini, Mackenzie birdied two of his first five holes to keep him well in touch. However it was a run of three birdies in five holes on the back nine – 11, 13 and 15 – which saw the former WA PGA champion kick clear.

Meanwhile, Hart played the back nine in 2-over and Gibellini faltered with four bogeys on the way back to the clubhouse.

Quick quotes

Mackenzie said: “It’s nice to finally play some good golf. It’s been a while. I’ve been working at it.

“The greens are tricky. You have to chip and putt well around here. I just hit driver on every hole and tried to find the fairways. That was basically my gameplan. Pretty simple really.”

Leading scores

1 Jay Mackenzie 68-65 (-9)

T2 Tim Hart 66-72 (-5)

T2 Jye Pickin 71-66 (-5)

4 Marcus Fraser 68-70 (-4)

T5 Alexander Simpson 69-70 (-3)

T5 James Gibellini 66-73 (-3)

T5 Matt Millar 67-72 (-3)

April 9

Brereton, Walker on top at Yenda

Victorian duo Darcy Brereton and Toby Walker could not be separated on the quirky 12-hole layout, both finishing at 5-under at the Orora Yenda Pro-Am.

With the Tasmanian Open last week, Yenda marks the official start of a long adidas PGA Pro-Am Series, with Walker and Brereton getting off to the perfect start.

Both players did the bulk of their scoring early, taking advantage of the two par-5s on the opening six holes, Walker and Brereton both found themselves 4-under at “the turn”, and certainly the hot players on the course.

Queenslander Dillon Hart fired a bogey free 4-under round to secure solo third ahead of a trio of players tied fourth at 3-under.

Turning point

While Walker was able to keep bogeys off the card coming in, he was only able to make one further birdie at the eighth, the only par-5 on the closing six.

Brereton managed to get it to 5-under with a birdie at the par-3 seventh, but an untimely bogey at the same par-5 eighth Walker managed to birdie dropped the Royal Melbourne member back to 4-under.

With Walker already safely in the clubhouse, Brereton knew he needed to make up a shot coming in to tie, and managed to do just that at the short par-4 11th, the penultimate hole.

Quick quotes

“It was very different to what I’ve been playing recently, but it was a different kind of challenge, which I enjoyed,” said Brereton.

“I think I relished trying to play something a little different and yeah, it was a good test for myself.

“I hit it pretty good. I was in play pretty much off every tee really, apart from maybe the eighth.

“Made a little bit of a messy bogey there, but putted pretty solid.”

“I actually love playing 12 holes,” said Walker. “Being a big bloke, I don’t have to walk around 18-holes to spend five hours out here and it’s a lot more enjoyable. 12 holes is just nice. It was a really good day.

“I’ve just gotten a lot better mentally. I’ve been working with my coach of 14 years, Timmy Wood and it’s just doing the one percenters really well of late.

“Today I just hit driver as hard as I could and just prayed it got a good bounce near the green and I could chip it up and hole a couple of putts.”

Leaderboard scores

T1 Toby Walker 43

T1 Darcy Brereton 43

3 Dillon Hart 44

T4 Andrew Evans 45

T4 Jye Pickin 45

T4 Andrew Kelly 45

March 14

Gill earns first win at Heidelberg

Daniel Gill can look forward to a start in the final event of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season with confidence after taking out the De Bortoli Heidelberg Golf Club Pro-Am at Heidelberg Golf Club.

Playing through the morning fog, Gill posted 6-under 66 to claim his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win in the final event of the 2024/2025 season.

He can now look forward to taking part in The National Tournament starting March 27 at The National Golf Club and then Qualifying School at Moonah Links in April.

“It feels great,” Gill said of his breakthrough result.

“It was a bit of a nervous wait, but got there in the end.

“I was refreshing the scores non-stop all afternoon but happy to do it.”

Gill finished one shot clear of a trio of regular Tour players, Brady Watt, Aiden Didone and Jayden Cripps all sharing second with rounds of 5-under 67.

Turning point

An opening birdie at the par-5 14th was the ideal start but it wasn’t until Gill got to the front nine that his round gathered momentum.

He birdied the par-3 second and then made three in succession from the par-5 fourth, his final birdie at his second-to-last hole the difference at day’s end.

Quick quotes

“With the fog this morning, it’s obviously harder to see, so I played a bit more cautious than probably what I would have which probably worked out in my favour,” said Gill.

“Laying up a bit more, hit more fairways, hit more greens, holed a couple of putts. Everything just sort of turned out in my favour.”

Leading scores
1          Daniel Gill                    66
T2        Jayden Cripps              67
T2        Aiden Didone              67
T2        Brady Watt                   67
5          Toby Walker                 68

March 6

Choi still the king of Keysborough

He may not play often but when he does Michael Choi is invariably tough to beat at the Bendigo Bank Dingley Village Community – Keysborough Golf Club Pro-Am at Keysborough Golf Club.

With a young family, Choi is now an infrequent visitor to the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series but he continued his love affair with Keysborough with a superb 7-under 66 and two-stroke win.

It is Choi’s third win at Keysborough in the past decade as Jake Hughes (68) settled for second and Toby Walker shot 4-under 69 to snare third.

Turning point

Even par after starting birdie-bogey, Choi’s round gathered momentum around the turn.

He moved into red figures with birdie at the par-5 16th and then peeled off four on the trot from the par-4 18th, closing the deal with further birdies at seven and 10.

Quick quotes

“This course just fits my eye and I enjoy coming out here every year,” said Choi.

“Always just have good vibes when I’m out here so it was nice to get another win under the belt.

“I had a birdie on the first, bogey on the second, and then had a really good patch.

“I think it was like maybe four birdies in a row in the middle of the round and then a couple late.”

Leading scores
1          Michael Choi                66
2          Jake Hughes                68
3          Toby Walker                 69
4          Nathan Page                70
T5        Ryan Haywood            71
T5        Daniel Gill                    71
T5        Ben Ford                      71
T5        Peter Vassiliadis           71
T5        Michael Isherwood      71
T5        Jack Harrison               71
T5        Matthew Griffin            71

Next up
De Bortoli Heidelberg Golf Club Pro-Am at Heidelberg Golf Club on Friday, March 14.

February 28

Page turns it on at Yarrambat

Victorian Nathan Page refused to let an early double bogey hold him back as he completed a commanding victory at the Ray White Doreen Pro-Am at Yarrambat Park Golf Course.

Drawing inspiration from Harrison Crowe’s 9-under 63 in Round 1 at the New Zealand Open that also included a double bogey, Page bounced back from his early stumble to shoot 8-under 64 and win by five strokes.

“I was just taking inspiration from Harry Crowe yesterday with a double and shoot nine (under),” said Page.

Toby Walker, Max Charles, Ed Donoghue and Wade Lowrie shared second at 3-under par but there was no catching Page at the top of the leaderboard.

Turning point: With birdies at his opening two holes, the double bogey at the par-3 fifth dropped Page back to even par. He was back at 2-under with birdies at seven and nine but it was the birdie on 10 and eagle at the par-5 11th that separated Page from the pack. That he backed that up with another eagle just four holes later made it a simple procession to the clubhouse over the closing holes.

Quick quotes
“I wanted to get going early and did, but then I copped a pretty gnarly double bogey down five.

“I was hitting it all right off the tee and managed to get that going and didn’t make any more mistakes, which was good.

“Had the two eagles (on the back nine). They were playing slightly downwind when I played those par 5s, which helped a little bit. Kind of cut the corner. I had 9-iron and sand wedge in and stuck it pretty close.

“Didn’t make too many errors after that fifth hole and was able to bring it home nicely.”

Final scores
1          Nathan Page                64
T2        Toby Walker                 69
T2        Max Charles                 69
T2        Wade Lowrie                69
T2        Edward Donoghue       69

Next up: Bendigo Bank Dingley Village Community – Keysborough Golf Club Pro-Am at Keysborough Golf Club, Thursday, March 6.

January 22

Gordon takes crown at King Island

A few days out of the shop paid off for Corowa Golf Club PGA Professional James Gordon who claimed the Hewison Private Wealth King Island Pro-Am.

Played across the spectacular Cape Wickham Golf Links and Ocean Dunes Golf Course over two days, the King Island Pro-Am sees Professionals bring a team of amateurs for an unforgettable experience hosted by the team at Air Adventure Golf Tours.
A winner on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series three years ago at the Leeton Pro-Am, Gordon returned Stableford scores of 39 and 43 points for an 82-point total and seven-point win over Lachlan Wood (75) with Charlie Robbins (74) third.

Turning point
Leading by one point after day one at Cape Wickham, Gordon had a less than auspicious start to Round 2 at Ocean Dunes. Admitting that he “nearly missed my first tee shot of the day”, Gordon dropped a shot on his opening hole but made birdie on 18 and then eagled the par-5 first to build a hefty advantage.

Quick quotes
“The view on every hole is postcard material,” said Gordon of Cape Wickham.
“Every hole is different and what a stunning finish! Wind direction certainly changes the way you play each hole!
“The first hole tee shot (at Ocean Dunes) is daunting when you can see the green 500 metres away sitting on the ocean but another superb golf course with ocean views on nearly every hole. “Very fair for the members and certainly a challenge for the professionals.”

Leading scores
1          James Gordon             39-43—82
2          Lachlan Wood              38-37—75
3          Charlie Robbins           34-40—74
4          Ashley Hall                   31-42—73
5          Ryan Lynch                  33-39—72
6          Ben Ford                      34-36—70

Next up
Melville Glades BYOG Pro-Am at Melville Glades Golf Club, February 6   

January 5: Mee’s record-breaking win at Lonsdale Links

Queenslander James Mee will take winning form into the second half of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season after claiming the Geelong BMW Lonsdale Links Pro-Am.

A course record round of 8-under-par 62, which included two eagles and six birdies, gave Mee a one-shot victory over Austin Bautista (NSW) and a pair of Victorians, Ashley Hall and Andre Lautee.

It was a nice confidence boost for Mee who will head to this week’s Webex Players Series Perth hosted by Minjee and Min Woo Lee keen to improve on his 93rd position on the 2024/25 Order of Merit.

His only top-20 so far in his rookie season came in his opening event, the PNG Open.

Turning point

With Lautee waiting in the clubhouse after a morning round of 63, Mee needed a fast finish to take the winner’s cheque at Lonsdale. It came across the 11th to 13th holes, where the Queenslander went eagle-birdie-birdie to move to -8 for the day.

A par on his final hole, the par-3 14th, sealed his third adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win.

Quick quotes

“I came down here on Thursday to play these three pro-ams (Settlers Run, Portsea and Lonsdale Links) before the Tour season starts up again. I didn’t finish off too well at the end of last year.

“I wanted to get some reps in after Christmas because I didn’t touch a club for a couple of weeks.

“It all really started for me on my second hole, the 16th, where I hit a driver on a hole I probably wouldn’t go for if I’d known the course. I hit on to about 15 feet and rolled in the putt for eagle. That kickstarted the round.”

Leading scores

1 James Mee 62

T2 Andre Lautee 63

T2 Austin Bautista 63

T2 Ashley Hall 63

T5 Michael Choi 65

T5 Steven Jones 65

7 Matt Dowling 66

Next up

The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series takes a short break before the three-day Hewison Private Wealth King Island Pro-Am at Cape Wickham Links and Ocean Dunes Golf Course on January 19-21.

January 4: Wood wins by one at Portsea

Queenslander Chris Wood enjoyed more success on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula with a one-stroke win at the $40,000 Peninsula Sotheby’s Portsea Celebrity Pro-Am at Portsea Golf Club.

Winner of the 2020 Victorian PGA Championship at Moonah Links, Wood had six birdies and an eagle in his round of 7-under 64 to finish one clear of Victorian Andrew Kelly.

Eager to make a quick start to the new year on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, Wood’s win is the ideal preparation for next week’s Webex Players Series Perth tournament at Royal Fremantle Golf Club.

“I generally have a bit more of a break and come out of the blocks pretty slow in the new year,” said Wood.

“I wanted to get the clubs in hand and put a bit of work in and the last couple of days have been nice.”

Turning point
Level with the best of the morning wave with a birdie on 16 and eagle at the par-5 third, Wood made his move around the turn at Portsea Golf Club.

Starting with a birdie at the par-4 sixth, Wood added four more on the trot from the par-5 eighth to race out to 8-under before his lone bogey of the day at the short par-3 12th.

Quick quotes
“I got off to a bit of an adventurous start,” said Wood.

“Teeing off on 16, I hit my tee shot straight into a divot and then hit the next shot about 10 or 15 metres.

“I then chipped in for birdie so it was sort of the golfing gods paying me back there.”

Leading scores
1          Chris Wood      64
2          Andrew Kelly    65
T3        Todd Sinnott    67
T3        Brendan Smith 67
T3        Darcy Brereton 67

Next up
Geelong BMW Lonsdale Links Pro-Am at Lonsdale Links, Sunday, January 5.

January 3: Wright triumphs at Settlers Run

Heading into his second season on the Champions Tour in the US, Wright went bogey free in his round of 6-under 66, two clear of Victorian Jack Harrison (68) as nine players finished tied for third at 3-under par.

Starting with a birdie at his opening hole, the short par-4 17th, Wright methodically went about building his round, closing it out with a sixth and final birdie at the par-5 16th.

Turning point

Level with the best of the morning scores at 3-under through 10 holes, Wright made birdie at the 481-metre par-5 ninth and then picked up a further shot at the par-3 11th to build a handy buffer heading into the final few holes.

Quick quotes

“I started off by hitting it into about 12 feet on the 17th hole and rolled that in, so that was a nice start,” said Wright.

“Managed to put another five (birdies) on the card in patches throughout the round and kept the bogeys off the card. It’s always good to not have a bogey and then to finish with a birdie was nice, too.”

Leading scores
1          Michael Wright            66
2          Jack Harrison               68
T3        Cameron Kelly              69
T3        Tim Walker                   69
T3        Michael Choi                69
T3        James Mee                   69
T3        Ruben Lal                     69
T3        Josh Younger               69
T3        David Micheluzzi          69
T3        Douglas Klein               69
T3        Chris Wood                  69

Next up

Peninsula Sotheby’s Portsea Celebrity Pro-Am at Portsea Golf Club, Saturday, January 4.