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The top six finishers from last year’s Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit have the chance to become more permanent members of the DP World Tour at this week’s Porsche Singapore Classic.
With 2022/2023 Order of Merit winner David Micheluzzi exempt through a separate category, the top five Order of Merit finishers not otherwise exempt were eligible to enter. Tom Power Horan, Andrew Martin, John Lyras, Michael Hendry and Deyen Lawson have all taken up the opportunity just a week after the 2023/2024 season drew to a close at The National Tournament.
West Australian Jason Scrivener is the only other Australian in the field at Laguna National Golf Resort Club in Singapore, Haydn Barron currently fourth emergency.
Starting with the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship and ISPS HANDA Australian Open, Micheluzzi (pictured left with Power Horan) has made five starts on the 2024 DP World Tour season to date, his best result a tie for 16th at the Bahrain Championship.
As the Order of Merit champion, Micheluzzi can plot a relatively full schedule in 2024.
That is not necessarily the case for the likes of Power Horan, Martin, Lyras, Hendry and Lawson.
By finishing in the top three, Power Horan and Martin both have status for the 2024 season but Lyras, Hendry and Lawson will have only individual exemptions for particular tournaments.
Martin will be the first of the Aussies out on course on Thursday at a course with a par-3 17th modelled on the 17th at TPC Sawgrass that was the site of so much drama last week at THE PLAYERS Championship.
The prize on offer this week for a hole-in-one at the 17th 🤩#PorscheSingaporeClassic pic.twitter.com/DVkVpoiiIZ
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) March 19, 2024
Of those who played TPC Sawgrass last week, Aussies Min Woo Lee and Aaron Baddeley and Kiwi Ryan Fox will be joined by Harrison Endycott at the PGA TOUR’s Valspar Championship in Florida.
A week after perhaps the most exacting test on the PGA TOUR each year, players must come to terms with the ‘Snake Pit’ at Innisbrook, a three-hole closing stretch as demanding as any on tour.
Led by HSBC Women’s World champion Hannah Green, there is a strong Aussie presence at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship in California and Greg Chalmers is one of nine Australians in the field for the Hoag Classic on the Champions Tour.
Chalmers was tied for seventh on debut at the Cologuard Classic, thus earning a start this week in California.
The only place to watch our Aussies in action around the world is on Fox Sports, through Foxtel and Kayo.
Round 1 tee times AEDT
PGA TOUR
Valspar Championship
Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead Cse), Palm Harbor, Florida
12:03am Kevin Tway, Aaron Baddeley, Hayden Buckley
3:50am Aaron Rai, Thomas Detry, Ryan Fox (NZ)
4:12am Peter Malnati, Doug Ghim, Min Woo Lee
5:51am Harrison Endycott, Alejandro Tosti, Joe Highsmith
Defending champion: Taylor Moore
Past Aussie winners: John Senden (2014)
Prize money: $US8.4 million
TV times: Live 11:15pm-9am Thursday; Live 2am-9am Saturday; Live 1am-9am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
DP World Tour
Porsche Singapore Classic
Laguna National Golf Resort Club, Singapore
10:30am Marco Penge, Andrew Martin, Lorenzo Scalise
10:50am Irvyn Tan, Alejandro Del Rey, John Lyras
11:20am Michael Hendry (NZ), Joshua Berry, Tom Power Horan
11:30am Deyen Lawson, Paul Waring, Niklas Norgaard
12pm Jens Dantorp, Matthew Jordan, Jason Scrivener
4:20pm Daniel Hillier (NZ), Adrian Otaegui, Joost Luiten
4:45pm* Freddy Schott, Filippo Celli, David Micheluzzi
Defending champion: Ockie Strydom
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €2 million
TV times: Live 4pm-9pm Thursday, Friday; Live 2:30pm-6pm Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
LPGA Tour
Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship
Palos Verdes Golf Club, Palos Verdes Estates, California
1am* Robyn Choi, Gina Kim, Polly Mack
1:22am Olivia Cowan, Karis Davidson, Arpichaya Yubol
1:55am* Hannah Green, Brooke Henderson, Nelly Korda
2:06am Carlota Ciganda, Nasa Hataoka, Grace Kim
2:28am Stephanie Kyriacou, Mary Liu, Hee Young Park
6:33am Hannah Darling (a), Maria Fassi, Sarah Kemp
7:39am Gemma Dryburgh, Ryann O’Toole, Gabriela Ruffels
8:01am Nataliya Guseva, Lauren Hartlage, Hira Naveed
Defending champion: Ruoning Yin
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US2 million
TV times: Live 9am-12pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503; Live 6am-9am Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
PGA TOUR Americas
Bupa Championship at Tulum
PGA Riviera Maya, Tulum, Mexico
11:23pm Matthew Anderson, Harry Hillier (NZ), Sam Jean
5:12am Jason Hong, Taylor Funk, Tyler Strafaci
5:23am* Michael Sweeney, Johnny Travale, Charlie Hillier (NZ)
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US225,000
Challenge Tour
Kolkata Challenge
Royal Calcutta Golf Club, Kolkata, India
12:25pm* Subash Tamang, Daniel Young, Hayden Hopewell
5pm Jiri Zuska, Connor McKinney, Kiet Van Der Weele
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US300,000
Epson Tour
Atlantic Beach Classic
Atlantic Beach Country Club, Atlantic Beach, Florida
11:22pm Jennifer Chang, Rina Jung, Fiona Xu (NZ)
11:33pm* Haylee Harford, Cassie Porter, Teresa Toscano
11:44pm* Jenny Bae, Amelia Garvey (NZ), Sarah White
4:02pm Su Oh, Alisa Rodriguez, Mariah Stackhouse
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $300,000
Champions Tour
Hoag Classic
Newport Beach CC, Newport Beach, California
Australasians in the field: Steven Alker (NZ), Steve Allan, Stuart Appleby, David Bransdon, Greg Chalmers, Richard Green, Mark Hensby, Rod Pampling, John Senden, Michael Wright
Defending champion: Ernie Els
Past Aussie winners: Rodger Davis (2003)
Prize money: $US2 million
TV times: 12pm-1pm Saturday; 12pm-1pm Sunday; Live 9am-11am Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Qualifiers from the seven events staged across Australia will play for an increased prize purse when the PGA Professionals Championship National Final returns to Heritage Golf and Country Club in October.
Tasmania’s Claremont Golf Club will host the first 2024 PGA Professionals Championship qualifier on April 5 to be followed by the PGA Professionals Championship of North Queensland at Townsville Golf Club on April 22.
The PGA Professionals Championship of South-East Queensland on July 31 will finalise the National Final field where the total prize money has increased to $65,000.
There are also two places in the field at the Australian PGA Championship up for grabs and, for the first time in the event’s history, female PGA Professionals will have an opportunity to play for the Women’s PGA Professionals Championship trophy.
The Women’s PGA Professionals Championship will see at least one female from each state qualifying event advance to the National Final, where they too can showcase their exceptional abilities on the golf course.
“Our PGA Professionals are often feted for the way they help golfers to play better but they are just as passionate about their own games,” said PGA of Australia General Manager of Membership and Education, Geoff Stewart.
“To become a PGA Professional you must display a high level of playing proficiency.
“While that may not be their primary focus as they work within the industry, we are proud to provide our PGA Members with the platform to showcase their skills and play their way into our flagship event, the Australian PGA Championship.”
The $65,000 total prize money is a 30 per cent increase on the 2023 PGA Professionals Championship won for a fourth time by Matt Docking.
Now the Head PGA Professional at Murray Downs Golf and Country Club, as defending champion Docking is exempt from state qualifying and excited about the prospect of a return to Heritage Golf and Country Club.
“I am looking forward to defending my title,” said Docking.
“Although I have been fortunate enough to win the event on four occasions, I haven’t necessarily played as well as I would have liked at the Australian PGA Championship once I have qualified.
“I would love to change that in 2024 and therefore the first step is getting there.”
The PGA is proud to partner with championship partners Acushnet and Club Car.
Both partners have supported PGA Vocational Professionals for extended periods, be it at their golf facilities or their professional playing ambitions.
2024 PGA Professionals Championship schedule
Friday, April 5
PGA Professionals Championship of Tasmania (Claremont GC)
Monday, April 22
PGA Professionals Championship of North Qld (Townsville GC)
Friday, June 28
PGA Professionals Championship of South Australia (West Lakes GC)
Monday, July 8
PGA Professionals Championship of Western Australia (The Western Australian GC)
Thursday, July 11
PGA Professionals Championship of NSW/ACT (Concord GC)
Monday, July 22
PGA Professionals Championship of Victoria (Keysborough GC)
Wednesday, July 31
PGA Professionals Championship of South East Qld (Nudgee GC)
October 22-24
PGA Professionals Championship National Final (Heritage G&CC)
A new program has been launched to help Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and WPGA Tour players with progressing their careers on and off the golf course.
And it has found a willing ambassador in multiple tournament winner Brett Rumford, who has experienced just about every aspect of professional golf.
The Tournament Player Development Program has been established to offer professional development and educational resources for all current players on the men’s and women’s tours.
Aimed at enhancing players’ long-term career success, whether that is on the golf course or not, the program includes a wide variety of webinars and practical sessions.
Along with the practical and online sessions, the program is designed to provide players pastoral care and guidance.
Rumford, a six-time winner on the DP World Tour, has come on as an ambassador for the program, and while participants will be treated to a short-game masterclass from one of golf’s best around the greens, he has a lot more off-course wisdom to impart as well.
Along with a decorated playing career, over the last few years Rumford has broadened his golf knowledge and qualifications by completing his bridging course to become a full PGA Member, as well as a Diploma of Golf Management at the PGA Institute.
“It was always in the back of my mind that I wanted to remain in the golf industry when I finished full-time tournament golf. One, because I love it. I’m passionate about it. Two, I want to give back to the game,” said Rumford.
After a relatively smooth run through most of his playing days, a number of injury setbacks beginning in 2015 forced Rumford to think about life after professional golf.
“It was like ‘wow, what’s going on here’,” he said.
“Right in the thick of my prime of my career, you know, I’ve just had these two major surgeries that have just completely derailed my momentum.”
While Rumford looked towards study and future-proofing his career at a point when his playing days were winding down, this new program is specifically catered for players at all stages of their journeys.
“Golf is a marathon. It’s not a sprint. I think a lot of kids get caught up with the mentality that if you haven’t made it by the time you’re 20 these days, it’s over,” he said.
“Continuing your education is a fantastic avenue to learn the industry, to get some qualifications, to get some backing.
“It can free up the mind to sort of just go play too, knowing that you’ve got a bit of a fallback.”
PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman is excited for the program and the support it will offer Australian players.
“Golf is a game for life and we want our tournament players to have the best possible career opportunities to succeed whether it’s when they’re playing professionally full time or when they’re focussing on life away from the tour,” he said.
“The Tournament Player Development Program is specially designed with a healthy mix of on-course and off-course sessions, making it a fantastic resource for all players on our home tours.
“From our rookies looking to soak up as much wisdom and learning as possible, to players beginning to think about the transition in their career, this program caters to everyone.”
As well as Rumford’s short-game masterclass, other sessions range from financial tips to mental health strategies, to playing at the highest level.
The first session is on Tuesday the 26th March with Dr Alison Curdt. Titled The performance of people – reach your potential , this session will focus on harnessing golf psychology.
Jenna Hunter, the head golf coach at Mt Derrimut Golf Club in Melbourne’s north-west, has been selected as the inaugural winner of the Karrie Webb Coaching Scholarship.
Adding to the two player scholarships that the seven-time major winner has offered each year since 2008, the coaching scholarship aims to acknowledge, support and further develop young female golf coaches who have aspirations to excel in their coaching careers,
Twenty nominations from across Australia were received in the coaching scholarship’s inaugural year.
A PGA Professional since 2012, Jenna’s submission received the highest marks from the selection panel of Karrie Webb, PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman, Golf Australia Women and Girls Pathway Manager Stacey Peters and PGA of Australia Senior Manager – Coaching Programs Nick Bielawski.
Jenna has worked as a teaching pro in New Zealand and Australia, and has a love for coaching with players of all levels and abilities. She has also competed on the WPGA Tour of Australasia.
As the first scholarship recipient, Jenna will receive $7,500 to help enhance her high-performance coaching skills.
“I am so grateful, honoured and humbled to be the first ever recipient of the Karrie Webb Coaching Scholarship,” Jenna said.
“I wish to express my deepest gratitude to Karrie, the selection committee, and everyone who made this possible.
“I’m keen to continually develop my coaching career and the resources from this scholarship are going to give me the opportunity to learn from some world-class coaches and mentors.”
Karrie Webb said she was impressed by the number of applicants who submitted applications in the first year of the scholarship.
“It was encouraging to see how many great female coaches we have in Australia who also want to continue to up-skill and grow their business,” she said.
“It was a really tough decision to make but I’m excited for Jenna to be our first ever recipient and look forward to watching her career continue to grow.”
PGA of Australia Senior Manager – Coaching Programs Nick Bielawski said: “We’re really happy with both the number and quality of applications received. The decision was challenging as there were so many worthy recipients.
“It’s fantastic to see so applicants running great programs in both their local communities and in a high performance environment.”
Meanwhile, the race to win this year’s Karrie Webb Scholarships, awarded annually to two of Australia’s best women golfers based on their performances in the KW Series and place on the Women’s Amateur Golf Ranking, is close to the finish line.
The 2023/24 KW Series presented by Nippon Shaft wraps up at the South Australian Amateur Classic this week with last week’s Riversdale Cup winner Caitlin Peirce currently heading the series rankings. Maddison Hinson Tolchard, who is in her senior year at Oklahoma State University, is the No.1 Australian in the world rankings.
The playing scholarship winners will get the chance to spend a week with Karrie Webb, as well as receiving $15,000.
“This year’s KW Series presented by Nippon Shaft has witnessed some superb golf across the 11 events so far with Caitlin the standout so far with two event wins and a high finish at the Women’s Australian Open,” Stacey Peters said.
“Maddison continues to put together an outstanding amateur record, including playing in the US Open for the first time last year and winning the Big 12 Championship.
“We’re very grateful for the increased support that our partners Nippon Shaft have provided to our player scholarship winners, who will enjoy a fantastic week with Karrie.”
Although they weren’t quite able to make it into the top three on the Order of Merit to earn a DP World Tour card, there were plenty of players on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia who definitely trended in the right direction in season 2023/24.
Here’s a look at some of our biggest improvers in the top 20.
Andrew Campbell – Up 88 to No.14
The winner of this year’s adidas PGA Pro-Am Series Order of Merit also made the biggest jump into the top 20 of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit. Campbell’s Tour campaign featured six top-10s, including a runner-up finish at Webex Players Series South Australia at Willunga. Until this season, he hadn’t produced a top 10 on Tour, making the Coffs Harbour professional a prime contender for status as the most improved touring professional in the country.
Ben Eccles – Up 85 to No.8
The feel good story of the first half of the season was the Victorian pro who broke through for his first win in eight years at the CKB WA PGA Championship in Kalgoorlie where he had a five-shot margin over runner-up Haydn Barron. He almost made it a double at the Vic PGA, eventually finishing second behind a charging David Micheluzzi after weekend rounds of 66-68.
Austin Bautista – Up 67 to No.16
Bautista produced a brilliant final day 64 to claim the inaugural Webex Players Series South Australia title by a shot, riding a hot putter to come from four shots back on Sunday. He was back in the mix three events later at the Vic PGA at Moonah Links, claiming a tie for sixth to be right in the hunt for a DP World Tour card into the second half of the schedule.
Matt Griffin – Up 57 to No.4
The former Order of Merit champion was a frequent presence on leaderboards, especially after the Christmas-New Year break. He kicked off January with a runaway win at The Heritage Classic, starting with a brilliant 61 before going on to post a 72-hole total of 24-under-par. The Victorian was also in final day contention at the New Zealand Open, eventually finishing in a tie for third before also challenging at the season finale at The National..
Cameron John – Up 56 to No.7
On his way back from wrist surgery that curtailed his end to the 2022/23 season, the Victorian was having a solid but unspectacular campaign until he arrived at The National Tournament presented by BMW. An impressive 16-under-par tally around the Moonah Course gave him a three-shot margin over Daniel Gale and opened the door to some new career possibilities.
Lachlan Barker – Up 50 to No.10
One of the first-time winners on Tour in 2023/24, Barker was the early leader in the Order of Merit race. He backed up his maiden success at the PNG Open with a share of third at the CKB WA PGA Championship and a T9 at the Tailor-Made Building Services NT PGA.
Jak Carter – Up 49 to No.6
The South Australian’s fine form started in Western Australia with a T6 at the WA Open followed by a T9 at the WA PGA. All up, he had five top-10 finishes across the season, highlighted by a tie for second behind Matt Griffin at The Heritage Classic and a third at the Gippsland Super 6. Not only did he finish just outside the DP World Tour cards, his world ranking halved from No.1899 to No.900.
Nick Voke – Up 26 to No.13
The New Zealander was the joint 36-hole leader after a day two 62 at the Queensland PGA Championship, eventually figuring in an eight-way tie for second behind amateur Phoenix Campbell, and was again well in the hunt on the final day of the Vic Open, sharing top spot after 54 holes, before finishing T6. A share of 14th at the NZ Open presented by Sky Sports solidified his place inside the top 15 on the Order of Merit.
Strong weekend scores of 62 and 64 gave Lucas Herbert a third-place finish at the International Series Macau on the Asian Tour on Sunday.
The Victorian only missed out on a playoff with David Puig, and eventual winner John Catlin by two shots, while Kiwi Ben Campbell finished T5.
Finishing at 21-under for the week, Herbert picked up US$126,000 ahead of a short trip home to Australia, while Maverick Antcliff also had another good payday after closing with a 62 to climb into a share of 10th place – his second top-10 in three weeks.
Antcliff sits in eighth place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, two places behind the leading Australian, New Zealand Open runner-up Scott Hend.
Jason Day was the top Australasian at THE PLAYERS Championship, finishing in a tie for 35th as American Scottie Scheffler continued his season dominance with another win.
It was a somewhat disappointing finish for Day, who opened his week with a 5-under 67, but faded on the weekend at the famous TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course.
On the Epson Tour, New Zealand’s Fiona Xu finished T15 at the IOA Golf Classic in Florida, while Cassie Porter finished T23.
West Australian Hayden Hopewell picked up a top-20 finish on the Challenge Tour in India.
PGA TOUR
THE PLAYERS Championship
TPC Sawgrass (Stadium Cse), Ponte Vedra Beach
1 Scottie Scheffler (USA) 67-69-68-64—268 US$4,500,000
T35 Jason Day 67-71-72-72—282 $119,286
T45 Adam Scott 70-72-71-71—284 $70,063
T54 Min Woo Lee 73-70-73-70—286 $57,500
MC Ryan Fox (NZ) 69-76
MC Aaron Baddeley 74-76
MC Cam Davis 79-82
Asian Tour
International Series Macau
Macau Golf and Country Club, Macau
1 John Catlin (USA) 67-66-59-65—257 US$360,000
3 Lucas Herbert 67-66-62-64—259 $126,000
T5 Ben Campbell (NZ) 67-66-63-65—261 $68,533.33
T10 Maverick Antcliff 70-65-67-62—264 $33,975
T14 Travis Smyth 69-64-64-68—265 $25,414
T28 Deyen Lawson 71-65-66-65—267 $16,833.33
T34 Jed Morgan 73-63-68-64—268 $14,000
T60 Kevin Yuan 68-67-68-71—274 $6,100
70 Scott Hend 65-68-72-72—277 $4,600
MC Andrew Dodt 67-70
MC Zach Murray 71-67
MC Aaron Wilkin 69-69
MC Todd Sinnott 67-72
MC Wade Ormsby 68-73
MC Marcus Fraser 71-70
MC Brendan Jones 72-70
MC Michael Hendry (NZ) 69-73
MC Justin Warren 74-70
MC Danny Lee (NZ) 71-74
Epson Tour
IOA Golf Classic
Alaqua Country Club, Longwood, Florida
1 Jessica Peng (USA) 66-69-67—202 US$30,000
T15 Fiona Xu (NZ) 73-69-70—212 $2,728
T23 Cassie Porter 70-69-74—213 $2,190
MC Su Oh 78-69
MC Amelia Garvey (NZ) 75-82
Challenge Tour
Delhi Challenge
Classic Golf & Country Club, Gurugram, Haryana, India
1 John Parry (Eng) 66-69-68-65—268 €44,119
T17 Hayden Hopewell 69-70-68-68—275 €3336
MC Connor McKinney 72-71
PHOTO: Asian Tour.
Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit champion Kazuma Kobori will get a head start on his DP World Tour exemption after receiving invites to play two tournaments in the next six weeks.
Kobori was presented with the Von Nida Medal as Order of Merit champion and the Rookie of the Year trophy at the completion of the season-ending The National Tournament presented by BMW at The National Golf Club on Sunday.
Brett Coletta and Daniel Gale secured the two remaining DP World Tour exemptions for 2025 on an enthralling final day of a season that will be remembered primarily for Kobori’s three Webex Players Series wins.
As Order of Merit champion, Kobori receives status for the 2025 DP World Tour season and a start at this year’s Open Championship at Royal Troon.
The 22-year-old will have just a week, however, to prepare for the move having received tournament invites to play both the Hero Indian Open (March 28-31) and ISPS HANDA Championship (April 25-28) in Japan.
“It’s actually really nice because I basically get a free run at it,” said Kobori of his upcoming starts.
“I can almost play those and see how it goes.
“Having played those, I will be better for when my exemption category through the Australasian Order of Merit starts.
“Really looking forward to it.”
And that’s the season done for our Order of Merit champion Kazuma Kobori. A 71 today for the three-time tournament winner 🏆 👏#TheNationalTournament pic.twitter.com/tCN0nxdgPv
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) March 17, 2024
It’s a remarkable rise for a young player who won the NZ PGA Championship as a 17-year-old amateur in 2019 but didn’t set amateur golf alight until 2023.
The Australian Amateur champion in January, he earned his Tour card by winning Qualifying School last April. With the lure of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in October, Kobori retained his amateur status and became just the second Kiwi after Phil Tataurangi to win individual honours at the Eisenhower Trophy.
After leading into Round 2, Kobori finished sixth at the Asia-Pacific Amateur at Royal Melbourne and turned professional a week later.
In his second start as a professional, Kobori let a six-shot lead slip at the Victorian PGA Championship but returned ready to win after the Christmas break.
He won Webex Players Series events at Cobram Barooga and Rosebud in consecutive weeks and a third inside four weeks at Castle Hill Country Club in Sydney.
That all but guaranteed he would win the Order of Merit and dramatically speed up his career trajectory.
“That’s a testament to everyone,” Kobori said of his rapid ascension.
“To be fair, I played good in amateur golf my last year but before that my world ranking had stalled between 70-100 for two years.
“It feels like I wasn’t making any progress, but I probably was. If you just keep putting in the work, it just goes to show that you can make that quick jump and you’ve got to be ready for it.
“Apart from the Vic PGA, I was able to make the most of the opportunities when they presented themselves and that allowed me to get to this position that I am today.”
Victorian Cameron John absorbed every punch Daniel Gale could throw to claim a breakthrough professional victory at The National Tournament presented by BMW at The National Golf Club.
Three shots clear of Kyle Michel at the start of the final round on the Moonah Course, it soon became clear that John’s greatest threat would come from Gale.
A two-time winner already this season on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, Gale made eagle at the par-5 second and birdie at the par-4 fourth to turn a five-shot deficit into a two-shot inconvenience.
Michel’s double-bogey on four would effectively end his charge, leaving John and Gale to fight it out over the final 14 holes.
John took twice as many shots on the par-3 fifth as he did a day earlier but the birdie edged him three shots clear of Gale, who countered with birdies on seven and eight to draw within one.
But as hard as he fought, Gale would get no closer, John’s three straight birdies from the 10th hole and a crucial up and down on 14 effectively keeping Gale at arm’s length.
The 24-year-old needed just 11 putts on the back nine for a round of 3-under 69 and 16-under total, two clear of Gale (67) with veterans Josh Younger (68) and Aaron Townsend (68) sharing third.
Congratulations @CamGolf99, the 2024 #TheNationalTournament Champion! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/IU1vC0r66d
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) March 17, 2024
“I didn’t think pars were going to be enough,” John said of the inward nine.
“As much as I played that stretch really well the whole week, ‘Galey’ was playing great. He’s never making bogey, and if he did make a bogey, he’d bounce back with a birdie the next hole.
“It was very much back and forth that back nine. It was good fun.”
It marked the end to an outstanding season for Gale who had earlier victories at the NT PGA and Webex Players Series Hunter Valley.
His runner-up finish meant that he moved past Brett Coletta into second on the Order of Merit, the pair joining Order of Merit champion Kazuma Kobori as the recipients of DP World Tour cards for the 2025 season.
“Cam won that event. I threw my best shot at him but just a few bogeys that killed me,” said Gale.
“Gave it my best shot and he went out and made the putts when he had to.
“I’m pretty chuffed for him because it was a good battle.
“The big goal was to lock up that Europe card for next year, that category, and I’m pretty chuffed.
“Obviously worked really hard for that. Never really succeeded at the Q Schools internationally when I had opportunities but made some good strides this season and getting better and better.”
As the leaders battled it out in the final group, players throughout the field were playing for their immediate futures on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
Over the course of a gorgeous afternoon on the Mornington Peninsula Nathan Barbieri (70), Jack Munro (71), Kit Bittle (68), Townsend and Younger moved in and out of the top-50 cut-off who keep their category for next season.
Ultimately it would be only Younger who finished the season inside the top 50, Munro (51), Bittle (52), Townsend (53) and Barbieri (54) now facing the prospect of a return to Qualifying School next month to improve their category.
It could not have come at a better time for Younger whose five-year winner’s exemption has now expired and who 18 months ago thought a foot injury had ended his career.
“When I originally stopped, I thought that might be it, only because it was giving me grief,” said Younger, who chipped in on both 16 and 17 on Sunday.
“Pitched in on 16 and then chipped in on 17 so who knows, maybe it’s meant to be.”
We are just hours away from crowning the final champion of the 2023/2024 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season at The National Tournament presented by BMW. To celebrate the season that was, we are counting down 14 shots that defined this season.
Here are the top three defining shots of the season.
3. JESS WHITTING – Third Round, Webex Players Series Murray River
West Australian Jess Whitting had a weekend to remember on the Murray River in early 2024.
Turning 26 on Friday during the Webex Players Series Murray River, the WPGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School graduate netted a present the following day. One she had previously spoken of believing was in her future.
Standing on the tee of the par-3 third at Cobram Barooga Golf Club, Whitting struck the perfect iron that found the bottom of the cup for a hole-in-one and a BMW i4 eDrive35 Grand Coupe valued at $93,000.
“I kept saying to people, the next time I make a hole-in-one it’s going to be when there’s a car,” Whitting said.
“I’ve said it for years. The one that matters is when there’s going to be a car.
“Still gobsmacked.”
2. MIN WOO LEE – Second Round, Australian Open
Immediately after claiming the Joe Kirkwood Cup, Lee set his sights on an Aussie double and the Australian Open.
Playing alongside Hoshino again, Lee once again set the crowds alight on Friday at The Australian Golf Club with an eagle at a par-5, this time with a simple tap-in from two feet.
Unleashing a monster drive at the 18th and left 174 metres to the pin, Lee hit a swooping hook 9-iron from the pine straw that landed and spun towards the hole to setup another memorable moment of the summer.
“Ended up in the nice pine straw out there and had a really good number for a 9-iron, like really big 9-iron and I’ve been hitting draws all week and it kind of sat up really nicely,” Lee said.
“I saw the (TV) coverage and it spun left towards the hole and nearly actually went in, so really happy with that finish. It’s always nice to make an eagle whenever, but on the last hole, it’s even nicer.”
1. MIN WOO LEE – Final Round, Australian PGA Championship
Entering the final round with the lead, Min Woo Lee got off to an inconsistent start on Sunday at Royal Queensland.
Giving primary challenger Rikuya Hoshino glimmers of hope, Lee caused a crowd eruption at the par-5 ninth.
Missing his second shot short and right of the green, the West Australian floated a perfect pitch up the length of the green that found the bottom of the cup for eagle.
““That was probably the best atmosphere shot I’ve ever hit,” Lee said.
“I’ve had a few chip ins, but at that point it was getting close and I was in a pretty average position after the tee shot. So, to chip that in, it was amazing.
“I want to see it straight away. I would like to see it. It was one of the best shots I’ve probably hit.”
Jason Day’s hopes of a second victory at THE PLAYERS Championship stalled on Saturday as Xander Schauffele assumed the lead late in Round 3.
The champion in 2016, Day went out in 2-over 38 but played the back nine in 2-under, the highlight a shot to five feet at the par-3 17th which he converted for birdie.
His even-par round of 72 saw him lose touch with the lead groups, however, dropping 15 spots to be tied for 29th and a distant 11 shots from the lead with just one round to play.
One more round to go… lets make it count 👊🏽 @theplayers pic.twitter.com/A8i9EnJxbh
— Jason Day (@JDayGolf) March 16, 2024
Adam Scott (71) and Min Woo Lee (73) also lost ground on the leaderboard in Round 3, Scott dropping six spots to be 3-under and tied for 51st, Lee having two bogeys and a single birdie to end the round at even par and tied for 66th.
While an Aussie win is now highly unlikely at TPC Sawgrass, Lucas Herbert played his way into contention with a round of 8-under 62 at the International Series Macau at Macau Golf and Country Club.
As John Catlin played his way to a two-stroke lead with the first 59 in Asian Tour history, Herbert closed with five birdies in his last seven holes to sit three strokes off the lead.
A winner on both the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR, Herbert is excited at the prospect of a Sunday showdown and possible first Asian Tour triumph.
“John has won plenty of tournaments, I have won plenty of tournaments and a few other boys have played plenty as well, and we all know how to get it done,” said Herbert.
“Hopefully I can get in with a sniff with nine to play and do the best I can do.
“It should be a good battle out there.”
Last year’s Hong Kong Open champion Ben Campbell (63) from New Zealand, Martin Trainer (64) and Carlos Ortiz (65), who won the International Series Oman last month, are four behind Catlin, in a tie for fifth.
Australian Travis Smyth (64) is five shots off the lead in a tie for eighth, Maverick Antcliff and Deyen Lawson the next best down in a tie for 41st at 8-under.
