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International Team Captain Geoff Ogilvy will tap into the spirit of Australian icon Peter Thomson as he seeks to end the US team’s almost three-decade dominance of the Presidents Cup next year in Chicago.
A three-time International Team representative and an Assistant Captain in the past four Presidents Cups, Ogilvy has been handed the reins for the 2026 matches to be played at Medinah Country Club in Chicago from September 24-27, 2026.
Ogilvy was only just beginning to make his way as a professional when Thomson led the International Team to a dominant victory at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club in 1998.
With the exception of the tied matches in South Africa in 2003, the star-studded American team has won all 11 Presidents Cups since, Ogilvy looking to sprinkle some ‘Thommo’ magic into a team that continues to grow in identity.
As two major champions who both played out of The Victoria Golf Club, Thomson took a keen interest in Ogilvy’s early development in the professional game.
Some 30 years on, Ogilvy wants to meld some Thomson methodology with modern data analytics to break the US stranglehold.
“He just had a way of making the complicated so simple,” said Ogilvy, the 2006 US Open champion.
“He used to wonder why I made it so complicated. ‘Tee the ball up Geoff and hit it that way. It’s not that hard.’
“When you’re 19 and 20, it’s too simplistic. It is hard to hear that. But now I think back and I’m like, well, 30 years later, he was right. He was spot on. Why am I making it so complicated?
“He was the one captain that we’ve ever had on this team that’s made the job look pretty simple. And he did it with typical ‘Thommo’ class.
“He didn’t make it too complicated and they just went and smashed them.
“An amazing guy. I feel very privileged and lucky that I got to spend a bit of time with him.”
While Thomson (pictured) espoused keeping it simple decades before it became a popular acronym, Ogilvy acknowledges that he can’t purely go on gut instinct.
South African great Ernie Els leant heavily on data analytics as he very nearly engineered an Internationals victory at Royal Melbourne in 2019 and it will be an element Ogilvy uses in the lead-up to the 2026 matches.
“It’s the way the world is now, and you can go either way with that world these days,” said Ogilvy of data analysis.
“It’s easy to get lost in the weeds and the numbers sometimes, but you’re not turning over every stone if you don’t at least have a look at that side of things.
“You’ve got to approach it with, ‘How can I use analytics to make this simpler rather than make it more complicated?’
“You see that with great coaches of footy and of anything, they make the complicated simple.
“We’ll be using it, but I’ll be certainly doing my utmost to not get lost in the weeds.”
A long-time favourite to lead the Internationals when the Presidents Cup returns to the Melbourne Sandbelt that he knows so well in 2028, Ogilvy is refusing to look beyond his first assignment as Team Captain.
“We just want to win this one and then we’ll circle back and see about Kingston Heath,” added Ogilvy, whose course design firm, OCM (Ogilvy, Cocking, Mead), recently completed a redesign of Medinah’s No.3 course that will host the Presidents Cup.
“Maybe if I win, I get another go. Maybe if I lose, I don’t get another go.
“We’re just focused on this one. Let’s start winning this thing first and then we’ll get to Kingston Heath.”
Gold Coast’s Elvis Smylie will make his US major tournament debut after being granted a special exemption to play the US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in North Carolina from May 15-18.
Smylie’s late addition is his latest reward for winning the 2024-2025 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit. He follows on from the previous two Order of Merit winners, David Micheluzzi and Kazuma Kobori, who were also granted late exemptions to play the year’s second major.
While it has represented major championship debuts for Micheluzzi and Kobori in 2023 and 2024 respectively, Smylie enters having played The Open Championship at Royal Troon last year.
He earned that spot through Final Qualifying and, although he narrowly missed the cut, has shown since that he is not overawed by the game’s biggest tournaments.
A win in the third event of the season, the Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet WA Open, was a precursor to the 23-year-old’s stirring victory at the BMW Australian PGA Championship, where he went toe-to-toe with Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman in the final group at Royal Queensland Golf Club.
That win secured immediate status on the DP World Tour where the Golf Australia Rookie Squad member has since accrued three top-16 finishes, including in back-to-back events in his two most recent starts in China.
“I’m really excited for this opportunity,” Smylie said in a post to Instagram.
“Thank you to the PGA of America for the invite and to Chairman, Ian Baker-Finch, and his team at the PGA of Australia for all the help with this process.
“I can’t wait and I’ll see you all at Quail Hollow.”
Smylie’s inclusion takes the total number of Australians to seven, joining 2015 champion Jason Day, 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith, Adam Scott, Cam Davis and 2025 PGA TOUR winners Min Woo Lee and Karl Vilips.
As the reigning Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia champion, Smylie will also be in the field at The Open Championship at Royal Portrush in July.
PGA of Australia General Manager of Tournaments & Global Tour Relationships, Nick Dastey, said: “We’re delighted Elvis has received another opportunity to play against the world’s best players,” said Dastey.
“Our thanks go to the PGA of America for again recognising our Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit with a place in the PGA Championship field.”
It may not have been enough to get her a maiden LPGA tour title, but Steph Kyriacou’s remarkable albatross at the 72nd hole helped her swoop on a second top-10 finish of the year.
Finishing T6 at the inaugural Black Desert Championship presented by Greater Zion earned the Sydneysider a cool US$88,000 and has boosted her to 28th on the Race to the CME Globe standings.
“I just nailed my driver. My second shot was actually a pretty good number. It was 212 metres to the flag and my 5-wood carries like 195, so it just landed short, bounced up,” Kyriacou said of her two on the closing par-5.
“I was just trying to hit on the green to be honest. Then I smoked it and it went in. But like I kind of stopped watching it and everyone was like ‘whoa, whoa, whoa’, and then they cheered. I was like ‘oh, that’s pretty good’.”
Kyriacou was joined in the top 10 by fellow New South Wales pro Grace Kim (T9), who bookended her week with rounds of 65-66 but struggled to score on Friday and Saturday.
Top-10s at the weekend were also recorded by Ripper GC captain Cameron Smith at the inaugural LIV Golf Korea, and Steve Allan on the PGA Tour Champions.
Queenslander Smith finished T7 after shaking off a slow opening round 73, with a 66 and 69 coming home, while Allan’s second-round 65 was the highlight, the Victorian still riding on the momentum of his drought-breaking win a few weeks ago.
PGA TOUR
THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson
TPC Craig Ranch, McKinney, Texas
1 Scottie Scheffler 61-63-66-63—253 US$ 1,782,000
T49 Karl Vilips 65-72-69-70—276 $25,509
T60 Cam Davis 69-67-72-71—279 $21,978
T60 Ryan Fox (NZ) 66-71-70-72—279 $21,978
MC Aaron Baddeley 66-73
MC Harrison Endycott 70-75
LPGA Tour
Black Desert Championship presented by Greater Zion
Black Desert Resort, Ivins, Utah
1 Haeran Ryu 63-67-68-64—262 US$450,000
T6 Steph Kyriacou 71-68-66-67—272 $88,616
9 Grace Kim 65-70-72-66—273 $68,186
T20 Robyn Choi 71-70-70-65—276 $31,630
66 Karis Davidson 70-71-72-76—289 $6,742
MC Gabi Ruffels 75-68
MC Cassie Porter 72-72
MC Hira Naveed 75-70
MC Sarah Kemp 72-76
MC Fiona Xu (NZ) 74-76
WD Minjee Lee 70
Asian Tour
The 44th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship
Namseoul Country Club, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
1 Doyeob Mun 74-67-70-63—274
T24 Travis Smyth 71-70-76-68—285
T30 Jed Morgan 70-73-71-72—286
T30 Nick Voke (NZ) 69-72-72-73—286
T58 Maverick Antcliff 73-71-73-74—291
T61 Scott Hend 72-71-71-78—292
MC Jun-Seok Lee 75-71
MC Ryan Peake 72-74
MC Won Joon Lee 73-74
MC Sungjin Yeo (NZ) 73-74
MC Aaron Wilkin 76-75
LIV Golf
LIV Golf Korea
Jack Nicklaus Golf Club, South Korea
1 Bryson DeChambeau 65-66-66 US$4,000,000
T7 Cameron Smith 73-66-69 $470,500
T13 Lucas Herbert 71-67-72 $311,250
T34 Marc Leishman 71-75-69 $146,500
T42 Matt Jones 74-74-70 $128,666
54 Danny Lee (NZ) 73-77-78 $50,000
Japan Golf Tour
The Crowns
Nagoya Golf Club Wago Course, Japan
1 Yosuke Asaji 70-72-62-69—273 ¥22,000,000
T17 Brad Kennedy 73-69-65-72—279 ¥1,523,500
T21 Michael Hendry (NZ) 70-72-69-69—280 ¥1,045,000
PGA Tour Champions
Insperity Invitational
The Woodlands Country Club, Texas
1 Stewart Cink 71-66-68 US$450,000
T4 Steve Allan 72-65-70
T11Richard Green 71-73-66
T11 Cameron Percy 70-74-66
T22 Mark Hensby 71-70-70
T28 Greg Chalmers 72-72-68
T40 Rod Pampling 72-72-71
T45 Steven Alker (NZ) 73-68-75
T61 Stuart Appleby 73-78-68
T65 Vijay Singh (FIJI) 73-78-69
69 David Bransdon 75-73-73
PGA Tour Americas
Diners Club Peru Open
Los Inkas Golf Club, Lima, Peru
1 Hunter Wolcott 64-70-66-69—269 US$40,500
65 Grant Booth 73-69-74-70—286
MC Charlie Hillier (NZ) 73-73
Korn Ferry Tour
Tulum Championship at PGA Riviera Maya
PGA Riviera Maya, Tulum, Mexico
1 Bryson Nimmer 71-67-73-68—279 US$180,000
T29 Harry Hillier (NZ) 71-74-73-70—288
T67 Rhein Gibson 78-68-77-76—299
Epson Tour
Reliance Matrix Championship presented by Epson
Spanish Trail Country Club, Las Vegas
1 Yana Wilson 67-72-64-68—271
T26 Amelia Garvey (NZ) 65-74-69-77—285
MC Su Oh 74-73
Jay Mackenzie continued his winning run through regional New South Wales in the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series by claiming a share of the Highlands Pro-Am title with fellow NSW professional Lincoln Tighe on Friday.
A 5-under-par 65 on the Mittagong layout gave Mackenzie and Tighe a two-shot margin over Andrew Evans with Corey Lamb and Cameron Bell a further shot back in a share of fourth.
It’s a third win is as many weeks for Mackenzie who was also victorious at Griffith and Leeton in the Riverina, totalling a combined 25-under-par thanks to five rounds in the 60s.
For Tighe, it was his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series title since 2023.
Turning point
There was a five-way tie for the lead at Highlands Golf Club until Mackenzie, who started his round on the par-5 14th hole, birdied the short par-4 10th and par-3 12th to move clear of the pack. He finished with seven birdies for the afternoon.
Meanwhile, Tighe, who is working on getting a more dependable swing, finished in a flourish with birdies on his final two holes, the par-3 fourth and par-5 fifth, to capture his share of top of the leaderboard. His round that featured eight birdies.
Quick quotes
Tighe said: “I haven’t been hitting it great but I was really keen to come out here today and have a bit. It’s a bit weird to be that keen to get out so early and play golf. You just miss it when you don’t play. I sort of surprised myself. It was good to have a good round.”
Leading scores
T1 Jay Mackenzie 65
T1 Lincoln Tighe 65
2 Andrew Evans 67
T4 Corey Lamb 68
T4 Cameron Bell 68
T6 Larry Austin 69
T6 Sung Park 69
T6 Neven Basic 69
T9 Arthur Barakat 70
T9 Will Daibarra 70
T9 Daniel Nesbitt 70
T9 Kieran Jones 70
April 24
Martin a cut above at Axedale
Fond memories and some last-minute fine-tuning paved the way for Andrew Martin to claim a one-stroke win at the Symes Motors Axedale Pro-Am at Axedale Golf Club.
Just 20 minutes from his home-town of Bendigo, Martin started brilliantly paired with great mate Marcus Fraser, holding on over the back nine to win with a round of 4-under 65.
Two late bogeys cruelled Alex Edge’s hopes of an adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win, finishing outright second with Bradley Kivimets at 3-under 66.
While he finished well down the leaderboard, Michael Bainbridge delivered one of the day’s highlights, making a hole-in-one at the par-3 11th, just his second hole of the day.
Turning point
Three-under through six holes, it was back-to-back birdies around the turn that ultimately proved the difference.
A birdie at the 335-metre par-4 ninth saw Martin turn in 4-under, pushing out to an even larger advantage with birdie at the 309m par-4 10th.
While that would be Martin’s last birdie of the day – there was a lone bogey at the par-3 14th – it would prove just enough to claim victory.
Quick quotes
“Not quite my home course, but it’s one of my home courses back here,” said Martin.
“It’s been a bit quiet and then to come out and practise for a couple of days and come here and shoot that, that was pretty good.
“I probably played better on my back nine and probably didn’t score as good.
“Knowing the course definitely helps on a few shots. Definitely the more you play here helps but even then, you still sort of can’t get your head around it.
“The course is probably the best I’ve ever seen it. It’s always a pleasure coming back here.”
Leading scores
1 Andrew Martin 65
T2 Alex Edge 66
T2 Bradley Kivimets 66
T4 Marcus Fraser 68
T4 Will Florimo 68
Next up: Belmont Golf and Bowls Club Pro-Am, April 27-28
April 10
Townsend, Mackenzie split Leeton win
A spectacular stretch around the turn has secured Aaron Townsend a share of victory at the two-day Leeton Golf Club SunRice Pro-Am.
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.
Jessica Cook and Shane McHenry have earned exemptions into the $100,000 PGA Professionals Championship National Final in November by finishing as the top two in the PGA Professionals Championship of North Queensland.
Contested at Mirage Country Club in Port Douglas, the first PGA tournament played at the facility in more than 20 years, Cook took out the NQ title with an even-par round of 72 that included five birdies to sit alongside five bogeys.
A member of the Australian team at last year’s Women’s PGA Cup in the United States, Cook has recently accepted a role as an Assistant Professional at Mt Coolum Golf Club.
“I really want to make the Australian Team for the PGA Women’s Cup in 2026 and I knew to give myself a chance, I needed to qualify via the National Final,” Cook said.
“Having a place on the team in 2024 was amazing and to represent my PGA and my country was certainly a career highlight.
‘Being the leading qualifier in Norh Queensland has given me a lot of confidence going to the final and although there are several months to prepare, I’ll be focussing my efforts to peak at the right time.”
McHenry, the owner of indoor golf facility Cairns Golf Academy, earned the second national final exemption with a 3-over 75.
The PGA Professionals Championship National Final will be played at Heritage Golf and Country Club with the winner earning a start in the BMW Australian PGA Championship.
The PGA Professionals Championship of North Queensland was supported by event partners Acushnet, CCEP and Club.
Christine Shin’s dreams of representing Australia and of becoming a fully qualified PGA Professional are a step closer thanks in part to the Women in Golf Scholarship.
The Women in Golf Scholarship was founded in 2021 with the intention of increasing the representation of women within the ranks of PGA Professionals and to promote women into leadership positions within the golf industry.
In the short time since it was established, it has already produced a number of success stories.
Having completed the MPP at Barnwell Park Golf Club in Sydney, Sarka Seifertova is employed as a PGA Teaching Professional at Education City Golf Club in Qatar while Nicole Martino was last year named PGA Management Professional of the Year for her contribution at The Western Australian Golf Club and represented the PGA of Australia at the 2022 Women’s PGA Cup.
A recipient in 2023, Shin is one of four to be awarded the Women in Golf Scholarship this year along with Nina Bohan (Toowoomba Golf Club), Julie Crafter (South Lakes Golf Club) and Aleisha Weidmann (Melville Golf Centre).
Each receive partial scholarships to assist their progress through the Membership Pathway Program, of which Shin is in her third year at Terrey Hills Golf and Country Club in Sydney.
Born with congenital deafness, Shin’s path has presented more challenges than most, yet she has overcome them all.
Eager to pursue playing opportunities and advance inclusive programs through coaching once she has completed the MPP, the Women In Golf Scholarship has played an important role in her development.
“As someone with a hearing impairment, effective communication is especially important in my role as both a coach and aspiring professional,” Shin said.
“The scholarship has allowed me to invest in developing these skills, helping me to connect more confidently with players, students and colleagues.
“Beyond the practical support, the scholarship has also given me the freedom to focus on my growth and learning without the constant stress of financial pressure.
“It’s bringing me one step closer to becoming a fully qualified PGA professional – ready to contribute meaningfully to the sport and help make golf more inclusive, accessible, and inspiring for others, especially women and people with disabilities.”
After learning of golf’s place within the Deaflympics just last year, Shin set her sights on representing Australia at Tokyo this November.
She was recently selected in the first Australian golf team to contest the Deaflympics from November 15-26 where Shin will have to compete without the use of her cochlear implants.
“Competing in the Australian Deaf Championship back in 2019 was the first time I played without my Cochlear implants, and it was a truly eye-opening experience,” she said.
“It felt different at first, but it also helped me grow as an athlete. I became more attuned to body language, timing, and staying focused in the moment.
“Training without my cochlear implants has now become an important part of my preparation for the Deaflympics.
“Beyond the competition itself, I’m inspired by the sense of community the Deaflympics fosters.
“It’s a space where barriers are broken and athletes with hearing impairments are celebrated for their talent and determination.
“I’m especially driven by the opportunity to inspire others – particularly women and those with hearing loss – to chase their goals and challenge perceptions.
“For me, this is about more than sport; it’s about proving that hearing impairment is not a limitation, and I’m proud to take this step forward.”
The PGA Women in Golf Scholarship Fund is proudly supported by PGA of Australia partners Acushnet and Callaway.
Courtesy of his now famous win at the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sports, Ryan Peake gained winners category status on the Asian Tour, and makes his debut as a Tour member at this week’s GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship in South Korea.
Peake, who also gained DP World Tour status thanks to his second-place Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit finish, will likely play as much as he can in Asia before that European status comes into effect at the BMW Australian PGA Championship later this year.
It marks the beginning of the next chapter for the left-handed West Australian, whose comeback story of resilience and perseverance has been well documented, and one which is likely to crescendo at The Open Championship at Royal Portrush in July — another spoil from his win at Millbrook.
Peake is joined by a host of his fellow countrymen, including Travis Smyth, and last week’s Legends Tour champion Scott Hend, who his always out to prove he can still mix it with the young guys.
Staying in Korea, the Ripper GC boys are ready to take on the inaugural LIV Golf Korea. The Rippers currently sit third on the season-long team standings, in great position to successfully defend their 2024 title.
The LPGA Tour heads to Black Desert in Utah for the first time, with seven Australians playing, many keen to shake off a lacklustre week at the Chevron Championship. While the PGA TOUR’s CJ CUP Byron Nelson, which has been a happy hunting ground for Australians in the past, heads back to TPC Craig Ranch.
Round 1 tee times AEST
PGA TOUR
THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson
TPC Craig Ranch, McKinney, Texas
10:01pm Ryan Fox (NZ)
10:45pm* Karl Vilips, Cam Davis
11:51pm Harrison Endycott
3:22am* Aaron Baddeley
Recent champion: Taylor Pendrith
Past Aussie winners: Peter Thomson (1956), Bruce Devlin (1969), Adam Scott (2008), Jason Day (2010, 2023), Steven Bowditch (2015).
Prize money: $US 9.9million
TV times: Live Thursday and Friday 9:45pm-9am Fox Sports 503 and Kayo. Saturday and Sunday 10:30pm-8am Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
LPGA Tour
Black Desert Championship presented by Greater Zion
Black Desert Resort, Ivins, Utah
11pm* Robyn Choi, Sarah Kemp
11:44pm* Cassie Porter
12:06am* Minjee Lee
12:17am* Steph Kyriacou
12:50am Fiona Xu (NZ)
1:01am* Karis Davidson
4:26am* Gabi Ruffels
4:37am* Hira Naveed
5:43am* Grace Kim
Recent champion: Inaugural event
Prize money: $US 3million
TV times: Live Friday 8am-11am Fox Sports 506 and Kayo. Saturday 8am-11am Fox Sports 505 and Kayo. Sunday and Monday 8am-11am Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Asian Tour
The 44th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship
Namseoul Country Club, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
7:52am Junseok Lee
8:03am Ryan Peake
8:36am Jed Morgan
8:58am Sungjin Yeo (NZ)
9:09am Maverick Antcliff
12:41pm Nick Voke (NZ)
1:14pm Wonjoon Lee
1:25pm Travis Smyth
1:58pm Aaron Wilkin
2:31pm Scott Hend
Recent champion: Kim Hong-taek
Past Aussie winners: Mike Clayton (1984)
Prizemoney: KRW1,300,000,000
TV times: Live Thursday, Friday and Saturday 2pm-6pm Fox Sports 503 and Kayo. Sunday 1pm-5pm Fox Sports 506 and Kayo.
LIV Golf
LIV Golf Korea
Jack Nicklaus Golf Club, South Korea
Australasians in the field: Cameron Smith, Lucas Herbert, Marc Leishman, Matt Jones, Danny Lee (NZ).
Recent champion: Inaugural event.
TV times: Live Friday, Saturday and Sunday 7Plus.
Japan Golf Tour
The Crowns
Nagoya Golf Club Wago Course, Japan
Australasians in the field: Michael Hendry (NZ), Brad Kennedy.
Recent champion: Ren Yonezawa
Past Aussie winners: Peter Thomson (1969, 1972), David Graham (1976), Graham Marsh (1977, 1981), Greg Norman (1989), Peter Senior (1993), Roger Mackay (1994), Brendan Jones (2011).
Prizemoney: ¥110,000,000
PGA Tour Champions
Insperity Invitational
The Woodlands Country Club, Texas
Australasians in the field: Steven Alker (NZ), Steve Allan, Stuart Appelby, David Bransdon, Greg Chalmers, Richard Green, Mark Hensby, Rod Pampling, Cameron Percy, Vijay Singh (FIJI)
Recent champion: Scott Dunlap
Past Aussie winners: Nil.
Prizemoney: US$ 3million
TV times: Live Saturday 2:30am-5:30am Fox Sports 505 and Kayo. Monday 5am-8am Fox Sports 507 and Kayo.
PGA Tour Americas
Diners Club Peru Open
Los Inkas Golf Club, Lima, Peru
10:15pm Grant Booth
2:40am Charlie Hillier (NZ)
Recent champion: Stuart Macdonald
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prizemoney: US$ 225,000
Korn Ferry Tour
Tulum Championship at PGA Riviera Maya
PGA Riviera Maya, Tulum, Mexico
3:30am Rhein Gibson
4:40am* Harry Hillier (NZ)
Prizemoney: US$ 1million
Epson Tour
Reliance Matrix Championship presented by Epson
Spanish Trail Country Club, Las Vegas
1:50am* Amelia Garvey (NZ)
4:50am* Su Oh
Recent champion: Inaugural event
Prizemoney: US$ 250,000
Australia will provide its fourth captain of the International Team at the Presidents Cup with major winner Geoff Ogilvy to take on the role at Medinah in the United States in 2026.
The former US Open champion follows David Graham (1994), Peter Thomson (1996, 1998, 2000) and Greg Norman (2009, 2011) as Aussie captains of the Internationals.
Ogilvy, 47, played on three consecutive International Teams (2007, 2009, 2011), where he amassed a 7-6-1 record.
He also served as a captain’s assistant in the last four iterations of the event. The Australian owns eight career PGA TOUR victories, in addition to winning two of Australia’s biggest titles – the 2008 Australian PGA and 2010 Australian Open.
“The Presidents Cup has been a significant part of my career. I am honored to now take on the role of Captain of the International Team for the 2026 Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club’s Course #3, a place that means a great deal to me,” Ogilvy said.
“Since Ernie Els debuted the shield in 2019, the International Team’s spirit has intensified and grown as we have rallied around this symbol, which embodies our shared ambition and unifies both players and fans.
“I intend to carry that momentum forward, just as the captains before me have, to build strong support for our international players in the lead-up and throughout the event.”
Ogilvy’s golf course design firm, OCM, oversaw the renovation of Course #3 – a two-year project that delivered a much larger scale to match the topography of the property. The course, now punctuated by larger greens, scale bunkering and wider fairways, along with a new routing, re-opened to play in the summer of 2024.
PGA TOUR Commissioner Joel Monahan said: “Geoff Ogilvy is the perfect captain to lead the International Team into Chicago in 2026, drawing on both his great history with the Presidents Cup and a vast knowledge of Medinah.
“Geoff will capitalise on the upward trend of the International Team, where we have seen a passionate level of support from players and fans over the years.
“With his pedigree as a major champion and experience in the team room, Geoff was primed to take on this role for the 16th edition of the event.”
Brandt Snedeker was named captain of the defending champion United States team.
There were plenty of players on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia who definitely trended in the right direction in season 2024/25.
Here’s a look at some of our biggest improvers in the top 20.
Cory Crawford (pictured above) – up 118 to No.13
The highlight of Crawford’s summer was a one-shot win at the Vic PGA Championship at Moonah Links in December, his first on Tour in more than seven years. In a consistent run in the first half of the 2024/25 season, the 32-year-old had top-20s in five consecutive events. He added a tie for seventh at Webex Players Series Victoria after the Christmas-New Year break.
Tyler Hodge – up 101 to No.20
With thoughts of retirement from Tour life in his head, the New Zealander produced the best result of his career with a win at the Wallace Development NZ PGA Championship at Hastings. His other big point hauls came with an 11th at the Ford NSW Open and share of eighth at the Heritage Classic.
Ryan Peake – up 79 to No.2
The West Australian’s thrilling one-shot win at the NZ Open presented by Sky Sport was one of the big highlights of 2024/25. It changed his life. Less than 12 months after playing in the Tour Q School, the lefthander earned a winner’s category on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and Asian Tour and a 2025/26 DP World Tour card. He also had five other top-10s on his summer record.
Jack Buchanan – up 65 to No.6
In his second year as a professional, Buchanan was one of the stars of the first half of the 2024/25 season, beating Jordan Doull in a playoff for his first Tour win at the CKB WA PGA Championship presented by TX Civil & Logistics before coming from behind to claim Webex Players Series South Australia in front of a home crowd. He also produced a T5 finish at the Ford NSW Open and a season-ending T6 at The National Tournament.
James Conran – up 64 to No.15
Conran came close to his first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title last August, finishing as runner-up to Will Bruyeres in the PNG Open. When he next made it into contention at the Heritage Classic, he completed the job, producing a fantastic wedge shot on the final hole to set up a tournament-clinching birdie and a one-shot margin over Nathan Page.
Jack Thompson – up 60 to No.16
The South Australian cashed in at the NZ Open presented by Sky Sport, coming within a shot of forcing a playoff with Ryan Peake after closing with a brilliant 63 at Millbrook. That result came after a T9 at Webex Players Series Sydney and gives him plenty of confidence for an Asian Tour campaign in 2025.
Corey Lamb – up 53 to No.9
The phrase “knocking on the door” was made for Lamb who was equal second at Webex Players Series SA and the Ford NSW Open and third at the Gippsland Super 6. He was also well in contention at Webex Players Victoria before finishing tied for 11th. A place inside the top 10 on the Order of Merit represented a huge jump for the NSW pro who came through Qualifying School last April.
Elvis Smylie – up 30 to No.1
Two victories, including an Aussie major, plus another five top-10 finishes made it a season to remember for the young Queenslander who now has a DP World Tour card and a position in The Open Championship at Royal Portrush. Smylie also produced arguably the shot of the year – an approach in near-gale force winds to inside a metre, setting up a birdie to clinch the Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet WA Open at Mandurah Country Club.
Blake Proverbs – up 24 to No.17
The Queenslander was one of 13 first-time winners on Tour this season, triumphing in a playoff against Jason Norris at Webex Players Series Murray River. Earlier in the season, he again showed his linking for Nudgee Golf Club with a tie for third at the Queensland PGA Championship after being a joint runner-up in the same event 12 months earlier.
Harrison Crowe – up 18 to No.8
A victory at the season-ending National Tournament was a just reward for a strong season from the former Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion and GA Rookie Squad member. He fired in the big events with a T5 at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open, T7 at the Ford NSW Open and T8 at the BMW Australian PGA Championship. His bogey-free 68 in strong winds to close out the win at The National was one of the rounds of the season given the circumstances.
He may not have a win to his name yet in 2025 yet Lucas Herbert’s consistently strong performances for Ripper GC have finally made his claim to No.1 spot undeniable.
Winner of the Ford NSW Open during the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season and tied for fifth at the Australian Open, Herbert shot a stunning 10-under 61 in the final round at LIV Golf Mexico City to finish tied for second.
With Min Woo Lee taking the week off in Las Vegas and Hannah Green missing the cut at the Chevron Championship, Herbert’s third top-five finish of the year elevates him to top spot in this week’s Power Rankings.
PGA TOUR rookie and Puerto Rico Open winner Karl Vilips also moved up the rankings courtesy of his tie for fourth alongside Michael Thorbjornsen at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
10. Kelsey Bennett (Last week: 10)
Holds onto 10th spot despite cooling her heels back home in Mollymook ahead of the Aramco Korea Championship next month. Tied for eighth and tied for third in her two most recent starts, Bennett sits 16th on the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit.
9. Marc Leishman (8)
A winner at LIV Golf Miami, Leishman was tied 30th at LIV Golf Mexico City as Ripper GC finished two shots back in second place in the teams event.
8. Stephanie Kyriacou (9)
Continues to solidify her place within the upper echelon of the women’s game. On a day in which only four players broke 70, Kyriacou’s even-par 72 in the final round saw her climb into a tie for 30th at the Chevron Championship in Texas.
7. Elvis Smylie (6)
Began the final round of the Hainan Classic just two strokes off the lead but three bogeys on the trot early on the front nine on Sunday cruelled any hopes of a second DP World Tour win. A closing 2-over 74 saw Smylie drop into a tie for 16th after he was tied for 15th at the Volvo China Open.
6. Minjee Lee (5)
The only Aussie ever in the mix at the first LPGA major of the year. Lee began the final round of the Chevron Championship five strokes off the lead in a share of 10th but shot 74 in the final round, finishing tied for 14th.
5. Jason Day (4)
Tied for eighth at The Masters and holding steady at No.32 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Day’s next start is likely to come at next week’s Truist Championship at The Philadelphia Cricket Club.
4. Hannah Green (3)
Missed the cut at the Chevron Championship for the third consecutive. A tie for ninth at the JM Eagle LA Championship is one of three top-10 finishes this season.
3. Karl Vilips (7)
It’s either feast or famine for ‘Koala Karl’. The Puerto Rico Open winner had missed three cuts and finished tied 54th at RBC Heritage before teaming up with former Stanford University teammate Michael Thorbjornsen to finish tied fourth at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Moves up to 53rd on the FedEx Cup standings.
2. Min Woo Lee (1)
Took to the socials to whip up support for sister Minjee ahead of the Chevron Championship in his week off. Will skip this week also before teeing it up at the Truist Championship in Philadelphia.
1. Lucas Herbert (3)
Dating back to his win at the Ford NSW Open and tie for fifth at the Australian Open, no Aussie has put themselves in contention more than Herbert in 2025. Shot 10-under 61 to finish tied for second at LIV Golf Mexico City, his third top-four finish in six starts on LIV Golf this season. A win beckons.
The Australian Golf Power Rankings is a subjective list developed with input from members of the Australian Golf media team.
