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Photo: The Australian
The Australian golf community extends its deep condolences to the family and friends of John Kinghorn, who has passed away aged 81.
A dedicated and passionate golfer, Kinghorn’s most significant contribution to the game came through the foundation he and his wife Jill started, the Kinghorn Foundation, which has supported Golf Australia’s Rookie Program with contributions of over $14 million since 2009 to create a bright future for Australian golf. Additionally, the Foundation has made significant contributions to the Jack Newton Junior Golf Foundation.
The Foundation has helped foster the development and opportunities for the next generation of elite Australian players, with the Rookie Program graduates a testament to his contribution.
Those graduates including Cameron Smith, Minjee Lee, Hannah Green, Cameron Davis, Grace Kim, Lucas Herbert, and Min Woo Lee, with the Rookie Program playing an important role for all as they cemented themselves as the bright lights for Australian golf’s future.
Beyond the Rookie Program, the Kinghorn Foundation through John and Jill’s generosity, played an integral part in the creation and activity of the Australian Golf House that has ensured Australian players have a place to feel at home in Orlando, Florida.
“I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of John Kinghorn, and wish to express my condolences to his family, especially his wife Jill,” Golf Australia CEO James Sutherland said.
“The Kinghorn Foundation has been integral in ensuring the future of Australian golf is a bright and prosperous one through the support of both the Rookie Program and Australian Golf House.”
The Foundation is also a significant supporter of Jack Newton Junior Golf, a foundation delivering golf opportunities for all junior golfers in his home state of New South Wales started by the late golfer it is named for.
“John’s character and generosity is demonstrated by his significant and tireless contribution towards numerous community causes, charities, foundations, children, minority groups and many other philanthropic campaigns. We are extremely fortunate that the Jack Newton Junior Golf Foundation has been one of the lucky beneficiaries of his generosity over the last 10 years,” Jack’s son Clint Newton said.
“On behalf of the Newton family and Jack Newton Junior Golf, both past and present, I want to pass our deepest condolences to his wife Jill, and the entire Kinghorn family.
“John’s values, principles, and legacy will live on because of the seeds he planted over the past several decades, and we are grateful to have known such a giant of man, but the world is a little less bright for now with his passing.”
Through his philanthropy in the golf space, and via the many golfers who have benefited from his generosity, Kinghorn’s legacy will live on in Australian golf.
Sarah Kemp’s 15-year search for her first LPGA Tour victory will continue, but the veteran Australian completed her week in Indian at least calm in the knowledge that she has a chance of reaching the Tour Championship.
Kemp, 37, shot a closing 69 at The Colony in Texas but the 54-hole deficit she conceded to South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim was too much for her.
Ultimately Kim also shot a 69 to win by four shots.
The former Australian junior champion finished fourth – her third top-10 finish of the season and the 12th of a career that dates back to the 2009 season in America.
Her best-ever finish on the main tour was tied-second at the 2019 Vic Open at 13th Beach.
The top 60 players on the tour’s points list will qualify for the CME Group Championship in Naples, Florida next month, worth $US7 million.
Kemp began the week ranked 72nd and is headed for the Asia swing to lock up her place in the field for the season-ender, a group that already will include Minjee Lee, Hannah Green, Grace Kim and possibly Stephanie Kyriacou.
“I’m definitely having one of my better years for sure,” she said. “I didn’t play well last week but I wasn’t too worried about it. Yeah, just been playing nice and solid this year. Nothing too crazy. Been putting well.
“I looked at my stats and they were some of the better ones this year than previous years, so just keeping it together and having a better attitude than I have in the last few years. Sometimes I think I have been trying a little too hard and wanting it a bit too bad, which is not a bad thing, but I think it sort of turned around and hurt some of my game at one point.”
Meanwhile Australia will have another player on the LPGA Tour next season after the conclusion of the Epson Tour today, with Gabriela Ruffels finishing the No. 1 player with her three wins.
Queenslander Robyn Choi needed a strong finish in the Tour Championship and ended up tied-14th, but narrowly missed jumping into the top 10 on the points list and missed out on her LPGA card.
Elsewhere overseas Rhein Gibson (ranked 40th) finished the Korn Ferry Tour as the top-ranked Australian but none of the Aussies found their way into the top 30 who pick up PGA TOUR cards for 2024.
Results
PGA TOUR
Sanderson Farms Championship, Country Club of Jackson
LPGA Tour
The Ascendant, The Colony, Texas
Korn Ferry Tour
Tour Championship, Victorian National Golf Club, Indiana
Japan Tour
ACN Championship, Sanko Golf Club
Ladies European Tour
Aramco Series, Hong Kong GC
DP World Tour
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
PGA Champions
Constellation Furyk and Friends, Jacksonville
Asian Tour
International Series Singapore, Tanah Merah Country Club
LET Access Series
Lombardia Ladies Open, Golf Club Varese, Italy
Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia
WA Open, Joondalup Country Club
Epson Tour
Tour Championship, LPGA International, Florida
PHOTO: Sarah Kemp drives on her way to a closing 69 on the LPGA Tour today. Image: Getty
Recent good form and the memories of his thrilling win 12 months ago are driving Bailey Arnott ahead of the defence of his Queensland PGA Associate Championship starting Monday.
A field of 92 players drawn from across the country will compete for the Carnegie Clark Cup at Windaroo Lakes Golf Club, the fifth time the championship has been hosted by the City of Logan.
In the third year of the Membership Pathway Program under his dad, Tom, at Caloundra Golf Club on the Sunshine Coast, Arnott knows his defence won’t come easy.
A strong field of first year Associates led by nine-time winner Jack Wright (Coolangatta Tweed Heads Golf Club) and a host of interstate challengers will ensure compelling competition over the coming four days.
And Arnott knows he will need more than happy memories to hold them at bay.
“It was a thrilling finish last year, holing that long putt on the 72nd hole,” said Arnott, who won by two strokes from Sheradyn Johnson (The National Golf Club) in 2022.
“The memories of the Windaroo layout are positive so I am hoping for another great week.
“I have been building throughout the year and feel I am coming into some form at the right time.”
Among Wright’s 2023 wins was last month’s NSW/ACT PGA Associate Championship at Tura Beach Country Club while Dylan Gardner (Pelican Waters) is a perennial contender in the big events.
Leading the interstate charge is Joe Kim (Concord Golf Club), the New South Welshman currently fourth on the National Average rankings with -1.50 under par over 34 rounds.
Other players to watch include Baxter Droop (Yarrawonga Mulwala Resort), Liam Reaper (The National Golf Club) and recent Pampling Plate winner, Lachlan Wood (Hervey Bay Golf Club).
As the history of the Queensland Associate Championship at Windaroo Lakes continues to grow, Head Professional Tanner Jackson said the club is thrilled to once again be hosting Associates from across Australia.
“We absolutely love having the Queensland PGA Associate Championship here,” said Jackson.
“All the members get behind the event and we have a great group of club sponsors who support it.”
City of Logan Mayor Darren Power said the championship was a welcome part of the city’s event calendar.
“Logan is a sport-loving city and we look forward to welcoming the event once again,” Cr Power said.
“I’m sure we will witness another great year of competition and I wish all players the very best.”
Play begins at 7am AEST Monday morning at Windaroo Lakes Golf Club.
Tasmanian Simon Hawkes is now a two-time winner on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia thanks to a brilliant up-and-down on the 72nd hole of the Nexus Advisernet/Bowra & O’Dea WA Open.
Hawkes arrived at Joondalup Country Club on Sunday with a four-stroke lead, an advantage that would be halved to just two by the time the lead group reached the third tee.
He and veteran Jason Norris went toe-to-toe for the next 14 holes before a dramatic two-shot swing at the par-4 16th.
As local hope Connor McKinney rode a wave of home-club support to put himself in the mix, the stalemate between Hawkes and Norris was broken on 16.
On the toughest hole all week, Hawkes piloted in a 40-foot putt down the hill for birdie as Norris made bogey after missing the green with his approach.
A dropped shot by Hawkes at the par-3 17th gave McKinney a sniff with an eagle putt from just outside six feet on 18, the 21-year-old mystified when the ball stayed outside the left edge.
McKinney’s tap-in birdie was enough to set the mark in the clubhouse at 15-under but he could only watch as Hawkes navigated his way down the 18th.
A drive that trickled into the left rough gave Hawkes a daunting second with water all down the left side of the green.
The 34-year-old drilled a 4-iron down the right side but was faced with every amateur golfer’s worst nightmare when it trickled into the right-hand bunker some 40 metres short of the green.
In an eerily similar scenario to his 2018 Vic Open victory, Hawkes opened the face of a 9-iron, played an exquisite explosion shot and then watched on as his ball travelled down the tier to just inside five feet, sealing the deal with a closing birdie and for a round of 70 and 17-under total.
“The weirdest thing for me is that it was identical to the Vic Open,” said Hawkes, who works full-time on the grounds crew in the construction of Seven Mile Beach golf course in Hobart.
“I had a driver and I had a 4-iron into the green. I hit into a greenside bunker and then got up-and-down from the greenside bunker to win the tournament.
“I don’t know if that’s my formula for winning golf tournaments but I said to my caddie, ‘I wish I could make it a little easier.’ Four-shot lead up the last next time please.”
Hawkes appeared to have the chasing pack at arm’s length when he led by three through six holes of the final round but dropped shots at nine and 10 opened the door.
Norris and Kiwi Kerry Mountcastle looked the two most likely until McKinney thundered into the frame.
Three straight birdies from the seventh hole elevated him to 13-under and he kept the foot to the floor.
Bogeys at 10 and 16 would ultimately prove his undoing yet McKinney had the Joondalup members on tenterhooks as he lined up his eagle putt on the last.
A Sunday 66 was enough for a share of second alongside Norris (68) with Mountcastle (69) tied with former champion Braden Becker (65) in fourth spot.
For Hawkes, the victory is further validation of his status on the PGA Tour of Australasia.
“To win once on tour is something but when you become a multiple tour winner it’s that next level of recognition,” said Hawkes.
“To now be a multiple tour winner… It’s still sinking in. What that means is that I can now set a schedule for the next three years and I look forward to playing the Australian PGA and the Australian Open again this year.
“I was going to play in Australia until my category runs out and fortunately now that’s now another 10 years. So well done Simon, signed yourself up for another 10 years of this.”
Queensland amateur Quinnton Croker claimed the Terry Gale Cup as leading amateur, finishing in a tie for ninth, his second consecutive top-10 finish on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
It was an enthralling finish to the WA All Abilities Open Championship also held on Sunday, Lachlan Wood holding off two-time champion Cameron Pollard for a two-stroke win.
Leading by one heading into the final round, Wood made a double bogey on the difficult par-5 fourth to hand Pollard a one-shot advantage, the pair locked together at the top when Pollard dropped a shot on seven.
Nothing separated the two most dominant All Abilities players in Australia until Pollard found trouble from the tee on the par-4 16th.
With a three-stroke lead playing the final hole, Wood watched on as Pollard hit 4-iron from 180 metres to set up an eagle chance.
That putt slid by the left edge and Wood was able to two-putt from the front of the green for a par and his first WA All Abilities crown.
“There was a lot of pressure, it was head-to-head, back and forth,” said Wood, who will travel cross country to tee it up in the Queensland PGA Associate Championship in Brisbane on Monday morning.
“I’m just glad to be over here and playing this event. It’s a big event and thanks to a couple of really important sponsors back home in Enzo’s and Mark from Hervey Bay Hotel and Journal18 Golf.
“Without them I wouldn’t be here, that’s for sure.”
Tasmanian Simon Hawkes has just teed off in the final round as he seeks to close out victory at the Nexus Advisernet/Bowra & O’Dea WA Open at Joondalup Country Club.
Awarded to the WA Open champion, the Roy Paxton Bowl carries names such as Greg Norman, Kel Nagle, Gary Player, Graham Marsh and Ian Baker-Finch.
Terry Gale is a six-time WA Open champion and will be on hand for the official presentations to present the Terry Gale Cup to the leading amateur.
Following three successive rounds of 5-under 67, Hawkes is in prime position to add to his only previous victory on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, the 2018 Vic Open.
Veteran Jason Norris is his nearest challenger while rookies and Joondalup members Connor McKinney and Josh Greer will be out to produce some Sunday fireworks on their home course.
Final round coverage is live and exclusive on Fox Sports through Foxtel and Kayo, with coverage to start at 2.30pm AEDT.
Just one dropped shot in his past 48 holes has given Tasmanian Simon Hawkes a four-stroke lead heading into the final round of the Nexus Advisernet/Bowra & O’Dea WA Open at Joondalup Country Club.
As blustery winds that switched and cooled during the round kept scoring in check for most players, Hawkes separated himself with a third straight round of 5-under 67 to be 15-under through 54 holes.
Veteran Jason Norris (69) is Hawkes’ nearest challenger at 11-under, one clear of Perth’s Jarryd Felton (71) with Joondalup local Connor McKinney (71), Blake Windred (70) and Kiwi Kerry Mountcastle (71) all at 9-under and six strokes from the lead.
A winner on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia five years ago at the Vic Open, Hawkes now juggles part-time tournament golf with his full-time job on the ground crew at Seven Mile Beach golf course in Hobart.
He says that perspective should hold him in good stead as he seeks to close out a second Tour win on Sunday.
“If I win tomorrow, great, I go back to work. If I don’t win, I go back to work. It’s a bit different now,” said Hawkes.
“I imagine if this was three or four years ago where this was my sole, primary living there’d be a much different attitude.
“It’s interesting, as soon as you take that stress away of trying to make money at this game, if you just play golf to win tournaments, it’s a shitload easier than playing golf for money, I can tell you that.
“If someone shoots 62 tomorrow and jumps over me, then good on ‘em, that’s just golf. My perspective tomorrow is to just have the same attitude and process that I did today.”
For most of Saturday’s third round there was jostling for top spot on the leaderboard before Hawkes separated himself late on the back nine.
Felton joined Hawkes at 10-under with a birdie at the first but dropped back to 9-under with a bogey on two.
Norris also made bogey on two but responded with three birdies in the space of four holes to join Hawkes at 10-under.
After starting his third round with five straight pars, Hawkes made birdies on six and eight to move to 12-under and a two-stroke lead through eight holes.
The 34-year-old missed a golden opportunity to extend his lead to two at 12, leaving a birdie putt from five feet dead centre on the edge of the hole, Felton converting his chance from close range to join Norris at 11-under and one back.
Back-to-back birdies on 13 and 14 saw Hawkes extend his lead to three at 14-under and when he poured in a 15-footer from the back of the 16th green his advantage pushed out to four.
A two-time winner on the PGA Tour of Australasia, Norris spent four months this year playing the Legends Tour in Europe, the 51-year-old excited at the prospect of trying to chase down Hawkes in the final round on Sunday having been convinced to play by a mate from Adelaide.
“I wasn’t coming to Perth; my mate Shannon ‘Ace’ Aistrope talked me into it,” Norris revealed.
“I thought about going to the seniors events and playing a few of those but I still think I’m good enough to play on the Tour.
“I love being in the mix and I love the pressure of it. You either will or you won’t perform but I love that aspect of it, it’s good fun.
“If Hawkesy plays well again and shoots another 4 or 5-under no one will catch him, but I just want to be in there with a chance with nine holes to go.”
Another player in with a chance is South Australian Jak Carter.
Carter’s 6-under 66 was the best of Round 3 and catapulted him into a tie for seventh with one round to play.
“Through my past two rounds I was not able to hit an iron shot that well at all and just somehow have made it work,” said Carter, who is currently completing the PGA’s Membership Pathway Program.
“Today it was actually nice to find the middle of the clubface.”
McKinney kept alive his hopes of a win on home soil with three birdies in his final five holes, fellow Joondalup member Josh Greer one stroke further back in a share of seventh after finishing his round with three straight birdies.
Saturday also saw the first round of the WA All Abilities Open Championship where Queenslander Lachlan Wood leads by one from Coffs Harbour’s Cameron Pollard.
A triple-bogey at the par-4 ninth was Wood’s greatest miss-step in a round of 3-over 75, Pollard bouncing back from a triple-bogey at the par-5 eighth to shoot 76.
The final round of the Nexus Advisernet/Bowra & O’Dea WA Open will be broadcast live on Foxtel and Kayo on Sunday, with coverage starting at 2.30pm through to 7.30pm AEDT.
Foxtel and Kayo Sports will be bringing more golf to homes across the country than ever before with 18 tournaments from the 2023/24 Australasian Summer of Golf to be broadcast live.
Headlined by 16 broadcast tournaments on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, including seven co-sanctioned tournaments with the WPGA Tour of Australasia, the Summer of Golf also features the innovative Athena event and the Australian PGA Senior Championship to culminate in 182 hours of golf coverage spread across Australia and New Zealand.
Beginning today at the WA Open, the coverage will hit innovative new heights with the introduction of TrackMan ball-tracking and a variety of new fan-focused data and statistical insights.
A shift in broadcast times will give golf fans the chance to enjoy their golf later on Saturday and Sunday afternoons in prime-time twilight slots.
The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia features 16 broadcast events in a season played for almost $9 million in prizemoney, headlined by the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship and ISPS HANDA Australian Open where Cam Smith will headline the field.
The only place to watch every upcoming event on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia live is on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo, with broadcast times below (all times displayed are AEDT):
Nexus Advisernet Bowra & O’Dea WA Open
Saturday October 7 4.30pm – 7.30pm
Sunday October 8 2.30pm – 7.30pm
CKB WA PGA Championship presented by TX Civil & Logistics
Saturday October 14 5pm – 8pm
Sunday October 15 2.30pm – 7.30pm
Webex Players Series South Australia
Saturday October 21 3.30pm – 6.30pm
Sunday October 22 1.30pm – 6.30pm
Queensland PGA Championship
Saturday November 4 2.30pm – 5.30pm
Sunday November 5 12.30pm – 5.30pm
Australian PGA Senior Championship
Saturday November 11 1pm – 4pm
Sunday November 12 11am – 2pm
Gippsland Super 6
Saturday November 11 4pm – 7pm
Sunday November 12 2pm – 7pm
Victorian PGA Championship
Saturday November 18 4pm – 7pm
Sunday November 19 2pm – 7pm
Fortinet Australian PGA Championship
Thursday November 23 12pm – 5pm
Friday November 24 12pm – 5pm
Saturday November 25 12pm – 5pm
Sunday November 26 12pm – 5pm
The ISPS HANDA Australian Open
Thursday November 30 12pm – 5pm
Friday December 1 12pm – 5pm
Saturday December 2 2pm – 7pm
Sunday December 3 1pm – 6pm
2024 Heritage Classic
Saturday January 13 4pm – 7pm
Sunday January 14 2pm – 7pm
Webex Players Series Murray River
Saturday January 20 4pm – 7pm
Sunday January 21 2pm – 7pm
Webex Players Series Victoria
Saturday January 27 4pm – 7pm
Sunday January 28 2pm – 7pm
2024 Vic Open
Thursday February 1 3pm – 7pm
Friday February 2 3pm – 7pm
Saturday February 3 3pm – 7pm
Sunday February 4 3pm – 7pm
Webex Players Series Sydney
Saturday February 10 4pm – 7pm
Sunday February 11 2pm – 7pm
Webex Players Series Hunter Valley
Saturday February 17 4pm – 7pm
Sunday February 12 2pm – 7pm
The Athena
Saturday February 23 3pm – 7pm
Sunday February 24 3pm – 7pm
New Zealand Open
Thursday February 29 1pm – 5pm
Friday March 1 1pm – 5pm
Saturday March 2 1pm – 5pm
Sunday March 3 1pm – 5pm
The National
Saturday March 16 1pm – 5pm
Sunday March 17 4pm – 7pm
Three straight birdies on the back nine have enabled Tasmanian Simon Hawkes to snatch a one-stroke lead from local hope Jarryd Felton at the halfway mark of the Nexus Advisernet/Bowra & O’Dea WA Open at Joondalup Country Club.
Two-over through the first six holes of the tournament, Hawkes has played his subsequent 30 holes in 12-under par to sit at 10-under through two rounds, one clear of Felton (65) with local hope Connor McKinney (71), Kiwi Kerry Mountcastle (65) and veteran Jason Norris (68) a further shot back at 8-under par.
Now a part-time golfer who works on the ground crew building the new Seven Mile Beach golf course in Hobart, Hawkes followed up his 5-under 67 on day one with a second 67 on Friday, making four birdies in his final six holes to snare the 36-hole lead.
Given his practice schedule consists of two hours each day after work, Hawkes said his early blunders on Thursday helped to narrow his focus to the task at hand.
“It really did narrow a lot of my focus back in,” said Hawkes, who played holes five and six in 11 shots on Thursday but needed just six on Friday.
“It switched me into the mindset to play this golf course for the rest of the two days to be in the right sections of the greens, otherwise you’re highly likely to three-putt.
“I’m not really working with a golf coach at the moment but what that has allowed me to do is to focus back on what I haven’t been doing well enough the last couple of years, which is just picking a target and hitting a golf shot at the target.
“It’s worked really well the last two days.”
Felton also left his run late to take the clubhouse lead at 9-under after the morning groups had finished.
One of seven players in the top 11 on the leaderboard with Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia wins to his name, Felton closed out his round with an audacious flop shot for eagle at the par-5 eighth and a 15-footer for birdie on nine for a round of 5-under 67.
“I was playing really well, I just wasn’t getting as much out of the round as I thought,” said Felton, a four-time winner on the PGA Tour of Australasia.
“Even yesterday I played really good in the wind. A nice chip-in and to finish off with a birdie caps off a really good two days.”
Round of the day belonged to Kiwi Kerry Mountcastle, who built his score of 7-under 65 on pin-point iron shots that he converted for birdies on eight separate occasions.
After starting his second round with three pars, Mountcastle peeled off five birdies in his next six holes, earning a share of third with a final birdie at the par-5 18th.
“I hit it close on every hole out of the front nine. The first eight holes I was within 15 feet on every hole,” said Mountcastle, who has been working with Australian coach Dom Azzopardi for the past year.
“I got up-and-down on four after being able to get there into the wind, which surprised me. And then hit it close on five, hit it close on six, rolled in a putt on seven and then it was like, Here we go.
“Yesterday I finished with bogey on eight and bogey on nine but today I had par on eight and birdie on nine. Instead of being 2-under I was 5-under for the nine and I could keep going with it.”
Given his blistering start on Thursday, Joondalup member Connor McKinney remains confident sitting just two shots off the lead.
With an expected influx of members to follow his progress on Saturday, the 21-year-old hopes to put on a show as he chases a maiden professional victory.
“I keep saying this but I’ve played enough times around here and pretty confident in my chances,” said McKinney, who birdied his final two holes to shoot 71.
“All of the members have been saying all week that they’ll be out there on the weekend so make sure you’re up there.”
A total of 69 players made the cut at 1-over including nine amateurs.
Saturday also sees the commencement of the WA All Abilities Open Golf Championship where two-time defending champion Cameron Pollard will put his title on the line against Lachlan Wood and eight other competitors.
The nominee finalists have been confirmed for the NSW/ACT PGA Vocational Awards, with winners set to be announced at the NSW Golf Industry Awards Night at The Crown, Barangaroo on Monday, November 6.
The awards night is the perfect chance to celebrate the extensive contribution of PGA Professionals across the state whose tireless dedication helps to grow the game every day.
Winners will be named in four categories – Coach of the Year; High Performance Coach of the Year; Game Development Club Professional of the Year; and Management Professional of the Year.
A fifth category, PGA State Tournament of the Year, will also be awarded on the night.
The winners of each will also become eligible to win the national awards in their respective categories at the PGA Awards Night, held in conjunction with the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship in November.
The full list of nominee finalists is below:
PGA Coach of the Year – High Performance
Zach Churcher – Pioneer Golf Performance Centre
Ben Paterson – Avondale Golf Club
Khan Pullen – Golf NSW
John Serhan – St. Michael’s Golf Club
PGA Coach of the Year – Game Development
Bryce Alexis – Liverpool Golf Club
Jason Laws – Jason Laws Golf Academy
Jeremy Ward – Oatlands Golf Club
Grant Kenny – Thornleigh Golf Centre
Paige Stubbs – Castle Hill Country Club
PGA Club Professional of the Year
James Macdonald – North Turramurra Golf Course
David Northey – Concord Golf Club
Jeremy Ward – Oatlands Golf Club
Lee Hunt – Bankstown Golf Club
Luke Ryan – Gunnedah Golf Club
Rodney Booth – Club Catalina
PGA Management Professional of the Year
Stewart Hardiman – Hurstville Golf Course
Ben Russell – Long Reef Golf Club
Sam Howe – Oatlands Golf Club
James McDonald – North Turramurra Golf Course
Robert Hurley – Magenta Shores Country Club
Tristan Morey – Thornleigh Golf Centre
PGA NSW Tournament of the Year
PSC Insurance Brokers Wagga Wagga Pro-Am
B&C Plumbing Griffith Charity Pro-Am
Cowra Motors Pro-Am
Better Homes Port Macquarie Pro-Am
Hawks Nest Beachside Pro-Am
Tickets to the event can now be purchased via the NSW Golf Industry Awards Night webpage on Eventbrite (click here).
Their customary bet is 5-5-10 but Joondalup locals Josh Greer and Connor McKinney now have much more at stake following a blistering first day at the Nexus Advisernet/Bowra & O’Dea WA Open.
Playing together like it was a Thursday club competition in perfect conditions in the second group of the day, McKinney set the early pace to be 5-under through five holes.
Bogey-free for his opening round, Greer (pictured, left) saved his charge until late, holing a 30-foot eagle putt up the ridge on the final green for a round of 8-under 64, just one shy of equalling the Joondalup Country Club course record that dates back to the 2000 WA PGA Championship.
McKinney (pictured, right) is just one stroke further back after signing for a 7-under 65 with Queenslanders Jack Munro (66) and Lawry Flynn (66) the best of the interstate competitors.
With $175,000 in prizemoney and pathways to international tours on offer, Greer admitted that there was an expectation the pair would play well on their home course.
“Obviously everyone expects us to play good but we expect ourselves to play good when you know the course so well,” said Greer.
“Once you get out there, you’re a bit more relaxed but leading up to it you’re probably thinking that I should be doing well this week.”
McKinney’s expectations were even greater following his storming start.
He and Greer have both shot rounds of 11-under 61 in club competitions at Joondalup and when he reached 5-under after holing a wedge from 123 metres for eagle at the par-4 fifth, McKinney thought he might give that number a run for its money.
“When you’re 5-under after five and you’ve played this course a thousand times, you expect at least a 10,” said the 21-year-old rookie.
“I’m pretty used to doing it most weekends so I’d expect more of the same.
“It’s four rounds though, not one round, so it’s fine.”
Led by Munro and Flynn, the chasing pack know the two front-runners will take some catching.
After reaching 7-under through 13 holes, Flynn suffered a “gut punch” with a dropped shot at the par-5 eighth but believes he has seen enough to negate any home-ground advantage.
“For those guys, they’ve got a big advantage,” said Flynn, whose preparation consisted of marrying long-time partner Asha Hargreaves and a honeymoon in Queenstown.
“I was lucky enough to play a full practice round and then the pro-am so I got two good looks at it. I’m glad I did because there’s a lot going on with those greens.
“I’ve got enough of an idea now I think I can give it a crack against those boys.”
One-over through his first six holes in his first tournament at Joondalup, Munro’s round kicked into gear with a birdie at the 203-metre par-3 seventh.
It was the first of four straight birdies to put himself in contention for a maiden win on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, despite having spent the past few months hosting clients of a betting company at Brisbane racecourses.
Further hampering Munro’s preparation was a cancelled flight en route and an unscheduled night in Adelaide that meant he only arrived in Perth late Tuesday night.
“I said to Kade (McBride) a couple of times, someone who knows this course will do well,” Munro said post-round.
“There are sections that you’ve got to hit it in. If you hit it in the wrong spot, you can be miles away.
“They’ve got a good head start but you’ve still got to play well.”
Making his first start since turning professional last month, it was a round to remember too for New South Welshman Harrison Crowe.
Crowe is one of 14 players in a tie for 16th at 3-under par but was the only one to snare a hole-in-one in Round 1, the first of his career courtesy of a 7-iron at the 169-metre par-3 17th.
“I’ve had one or two in practice but nothing in tournaments so that was the first one,” said Crowe, who joins Tiger Woods (1996 Greater Milwaukee Open) in recording a hole-in-one in their first tournament as a professional.
“I saw it the whole way. It was a little bit of an awkward distance so it wasn’t quite enough for a 7 (iron). I had to hit a little trap-draw and chase it up to the pin and it did exactly that.
“It landed probably 12 feet short, skipped up and everyone was going, ‘This has got to go in, this has got to go in’. When it went in I just started laughing.
“There was plenty of good golf out there. I definitely missed out on some opportunities around the greens but first tournament as a professional, I’m not too disheartened.
“It’s a great score, I played well and there’s plenty to build on.”
Kiwi Tyler Wood had two eagles in his round of 5-under 67 to be tied with Simon Hawkes, Aaron Pike and Rockingham Golf Club Professional Joshua Herrero, three strokes off the lead.
The final two rounds of the WA Open will be broadcast live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo. Coverage starts at 4.30pm AEDT Saturday and 2.30pm AEDT Sunday.
Photo: Monica Marchesani/PGA of Australia
