Adam Scott’s remarkable resilience was on display again as he rallied to finish tied-third in the DP World Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship in Dubai.
The 44-year-old, who had already climbed into the top spot among Australian men on the world rankings at No. 20, shot a closing 68 at Jumeirah Golf Estates to slide into the top three behind winner Rory McIlroy and Rasmus Hojgaard.
Had the eagle putt from 15 feet that missed the left side of the hole by a fraction on Sunday dropped in, he would have been within a shot of McIlroy, who almost simultaneously birdied the par-4 16th hole and then iced his win with another birdie at the 18th.
McIlroy won both the tournament and the season-long Race to Dubai bonus prize, his sixth season triumph in Europe. Only Colin Montgomerie (eight) has more titles.
Scott has had an excellent but in some ways quirky year, with four top-10s on the DP World Tour and more than €2 million in earnings without a win in 11 starts, finishing eighth on the tour’s points standings. On the PGA Tour, he was twice runner-up and made 17 cuts in 19 events.
His most recent victory around the world was the Cathedral Invitational at home in 2023, and overseas he has not won since the Genesis Invitational in the US in 2020.
But he shows few signs of slowing up.
Meanwhile in the US, Minjee Lee shored up her place in the LPGA Tour’s CME Group Tour Championship in Florida this week by finishing tied-14th in The Annika tournament behind rampant Nelly Korda, who won her seventh event of the season.
Lee, a former world No. 2 and twice a major champion, began the week in 56th on the points rankings, needing to be inside the top 60 to get to Florida where the prize pool this week is $US10 million.
But she is safely inside at 54th after Sunday’s finish.
Hannah Green (who had a rare missed cut this weekend), Gabi Ruffels and Grace Kim have all qualified for the season-ender, but Steph Kyriacou’s missed cut saw her slide from 60th to 62nd and out of the tour championship field.
On the Asian Tour, Jack Thompson finished tied-fifth in Taiwan.
Kiwi Steve Alker won the Mexican Senior Open on the Legends Tour with a closing 66.
PHOTO: Adam Scott on his way to a T3 finish in Dubai to finish his year. Image: Getty
Results
DP World Tour
DP World Tour Championship
Jumeirah Golf Estates, Earth course, Dubai, UAE
1 Rory McIlroy 67-69-68-69 – 273 €2,842,443
T3 Adam Scott 69-71-69-68 – 277 €525,220
T24 Min Woo Lee 70-72-73-70 – 285 €74,732
PGA TOUR
Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Port Royal Golf Course, Southhampton, Bermuda
1 Rafael Campos 70-65-62-68 – 265 $US 1.242m
T70 Aaron Baddeley 73-66-73-74 – 286 $14,007
LPGA Tour
The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican
Pelican Golf Club, Belleair, Florida
1 Nelly Korda 66-66-67-67 – 266 $US 487,500
T14 Minjee Lee 66-69-69-70 – 274 $44,442
T14 Lydia Ko (NZ) 71-69-65-69 – 274 $44,442
T32 Gabriela Ruffels 68-69-71-70 – 278 $23,391
T69 Hira Naveed 72-69-73-77 – 291 $6672
MC Robyn Choi 68-75 – 143
MC Hannah Green 74-70 – 144
MC Stephanie Kyriacou 73-73 – 146
Asian Tour
Taiwan Glass Taifong Open
Taifong Golf Club, Taiwan
1 Suteepat Prateeptienchai 67-63-68-68 – 266 $US 72,000
T5 Jack Thompson 64-65-73-70 – 272 $14,860
T26 Justin Warren 70-69-71-70 – 280 $3520
T51 Zach Murray 69-73-76-68 – 286 $1640
68 Aaron Wilkin 71-71-76-74 – 292 $960
MC Sam Brazel 79-66 – 145
Japan Golf Tour
Dunlop Phoenix Tournament
Phoenix Country Club, Miyazaki
1 – Max McGreevy 66-62-65-69 – 262 ¥40,000
MC Michael Hendry (NZ) 73-71 – 144
Legends Tour
WCM Mexico Senior Open
Punta Mita Golf Club, Nayarit, Mexico
1 Steven Alker (NZ) 66-67-66-199
T34 Michael Campbell (NZ) 71-73-71 – 215
T40 Michael Long (NZ) 71-71-75 – 217
Australian brand SParms has joined Australia Golf’s commitment to championing a sun safety revolution by becoming the Official Sun Protection Supplier for the upcoming two Aussie majors, the BMW Australian PGA Championship and ISPS HANDA Australian Open.
SParms is renowned for its commitment to producing high quality wearable sun protection gear and more recently organic sunscreen ideal for wearing on the golf course.
Its iconic sun protection arm sleeves are already used by a wide range of players on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and WPGA Tour of Australasia.
For this summer’s majors, the sleeves have been added to the uniform for volunteers and staff in a bid to minimise the risks associated with prolonged UV exposure.
They will be protected from over 99.8% of UV rays where SParms UPF50+ certified products are worn. SParms’ proprietary material will also help keep them cool while they are on the golf course.
PGA of Australia and Golf Australia Chief Commercial Officer Michael McDonald said: “We are dedicated to equipping golfers, young and old, with better education and solutions to the dangers of prolonged UV exposure that every golfer faces.
“We are excited to work with SParms, an Australian-owned company promoting sun safety on and off the golf course.
“With about two in every three Australians diagnosed with some form of skin cancer before the age of 70, the importance of sun protection for golfers is something we are keen to lend our voice to alongside a trusted brand in SParms as a leader in the sun protection sleeves market.”
The SParms range has changed the way hundreds of athletes and, in particular, professional golfers around the world from all tours protect themselves from the harsh UV rays of the sun.
Australian golf legend Karrie Webb said: “It’s so great to see that Golf Australia and the PGA of Australia is leading the way in taking greater measures to protect golfers from the harsh UV rays.
“As golfers are out in the sun all day, it’s so important that our sporting bodies recognise and bring awareness to better ways to keep sun safe.
“With SParms, golfers, event staff and volunteers will have peace of mind that their arms will stay protected whilst staying cool.”
Photo: SParms ambassador Daniel Gale
He carried the hopes of a nation at the Paris Olympics and French star Victor Perez has urged Australian fans to be patient with the ascension of defending BMW Australian PGA champion, Min Woo Lee.
Lee returns to Royal Queensland Golf Club this week ranked No.46 in the Official World Golf Ranking but without a win in the past 12 months.
Lee’s three-shot win at RQ last year was one of the most electrifying displays from an Aussie on home soil since Adam Scott’s masterful summer in 2013, the ‘Let him cook’ calling card bringing its own sense of expectation among fans.
Given his experience playing with Lee first on the DP World Tour and the past two years on the PGA TOUR, Perez believes it is only a matter of time before the 26-year-old solidifies his place as one of the world’s best.
“He has got incredible length, which obviously plays a massive strength in his game,” said Perez, who returns to the Australian PGA for the first time since 2018 ranked No.74 in the world.
“He’s got really good hands around the greens so he is kind of the total package.
“Sometimes people have really high expectations and I always want their guy to break through and get on the front of the scene and stuff like that, but it’s not like the guys he’s playing against aren’t good either.
“Sometimes a bit of patience goes a long way when it comes to breaking through.
“I don’t think he needs to particularly do anything different than what he’s currently doing and obviously experience is only going to add to his package.”
Few players will appreciate what Perez himself experienced at Le Golf National in August.
With enormous and patriotic galleries flanking the fairways, Perez had the honour of hitting the first tee shot of the men’s Olympic golf competition.
Four days later he had the French faithful frothing at the prospect of an Olympic medal, shooting 29 on the back nine to fall an agonisingly one shot shy of a medal playoff.
“It was an incredible experience. I don’t think the players, and me included, expected quite the turnout that it was,” said Perez.
“It was great for golf in general to give people hope and a chance. Obviously, I was making a run on the back nine and feeling like it was worth watching and following the French guy; it was obviously really biased towards me.
“It was really, really fun and just a great experience besides the fourth-place finish.”
The 32-year-old will spend the majority of 2025 on the PGA TOUR for the second consecutive year, the lure of a Ryder Cup debut looming large in the distance.
While reluctant to project that far forward, Perez admits that banking some DP World Tour points in Australia the next two weeks could be crucial in reaching his ultimate goal.
“I’ve been doing this enough now to know that it’s not something you can get in January, February, March, and even in April, May, June,” said Perez, who spent 10 days in Sydney with his Australian wife’s family and a week in Melbourne prior to arriving in Brisbane on Sunday.
“You’ve just got to keep playing and then kind of just see where the chips fall.
“It’s obviously going to be a big talking point, but having been in that loop twice already, I know what you’re supposed to do; I just haven’t been able to do it the last couple of times.
“This would be kind of a start of DP World, an opportunity to get some points on the board early when some of the guys are resting.
“There’s plenty of things coming that good performances are going to bring along so there’s lot to play for sure.”
For BMW Australian PGA Championship tickets, go to ticketek.com.au
The Australian PGA Championship is supported by the Queensland Government, through Tourism and Events Queensland’s Major Events Program and Brisbane City Council, through Brisbane Economic Development Agency.
Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Starting four shots back on the final day at Murray Downs, Lucas Herbert has clawed his way back to lift the Kel Nagle Cup at the 2024 Ford NSW Open by three strokes and claim his first win on home soil.
Signing for the low round of the day, a 4-under 67, Herbert finished the championship at 15-under, with the entire final group of Alex Simpson, Corey Lamb and Cameron Smith all tied second at 12-under.
The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit leader Jack Buchanan and Kiwi Josh Geary sharing fifth on 9-under, while four players found themselves in a tie for seventh another shot further back.
In his first round of the week separated from his mate and Ripper GC captain Smith, Herbert was able to set the pace in the penultimate group as he went about making up ground early.
An unsuccessful equipment change on Saturday meant Herbert’s trusty putter was back in the bag, and it didn’t let him down, pouring in three birdies on his opening nine, including back-to-back on eight and nine.
“To be honest I was struggling with the putter all week,” he said. “I really didn’t feel comfortable the first two rounds, especially over left or right putts.
“Went to the putting green after the round on Friday and we knew then we were going to switch putters for the next day, unfortunately it looked like I was holding a rattlesnake out there for a while.
“Came off the course, grabbed the other one. I reckon I hit two putts and was like, yep, this is going back in tomorrow, and it just felt incredibly better.”
With Smith making two bogeys and turning in 1-over, Herbert had drawn level with the major champion, and the shootout he predicted – and hoped for – came to fruition, albeit in separate groups.
With another birdie on 13, Herbert stood tall as the outright leader for the first time on Sunday, and never looked back, steadily coming home in even-par from there as Smith and others misfired on the bid to catch him.
“I just set my expectations in the right places. Dom (Azzopardi) and I said walking to the first tee, like 2-under today is going to be a great score, hitting shots on the range and they’re getting smashed sideways,” Herbert said referencing Sunday’s strong winds.
“You just had to take your chances when you could get one close and then just scramble for pars as well as you could at all other opportunities.”
Already a PGA TOUR and DP World Tour winner, this is remarkably Herbert’s first win in Australia, and while it comes across the river in New South Wales and not his home state of Victoria, the proximity to Bendigo makes this one extra special for him.
“Very, very special to win in front of all my friends from Bendigo, some family in there as well,” he said
“To beat Cam starting four shots back on Sunday. Yeah, pretty special feeling.
“I was thinking that today a little, maybe a couple of times I let my mind slip a little bit and I was like, ‘geez, I’ve never won a Tour event in Australia’, like something of this stature. So very, very cool to tick that one off the list.”
With the first Aussie win under his belt, Herbert has his sights firmly on the next two weeks as he heads to the BMW Australian PGA Championship, and then onto the ISPS HANDA Australian Open.
“The next two weeks are going to be stronger fields, tougher golf courses,” he said.
“I’m going to have to be sharper with the game, but we’re definitely on the right track if we’re producing the results we had this week.”
Photo: Golf NSW.
A sharpened short game came up trumps as David Van Raalte matched Marcus Cain to share top honours at the Roseville Golf Club Mashie & Pro-Am.
The par 67 layout and blustery conditions presented quite a test for the PGA Legends Tour regulars, Van Raalte and Cain both posting a two-round total of 2-under-par to edge Adam Henwood, Chris Taylor and Tim Elliott by a single stroke.
Without a win in 2024 to date, Van Raalte credited an improved short-game showing for his return to the top of the leaderboard.
“My short game has been pretty ordinary for a little while,” said Van Raalte.
“Yesterday I actually got it up and down a few times, hit some nice chip shots.
“Been a few guys give me a bit of a hand over time with that side of things so it was nice to actually have a bit of success with it.
“You’ve just got to miss it in the right spot. If you can miss it in the right spot, leave yourself a decent chip shot or a putt, makes it a lot easier.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED
Tied for the lead at 1-under at the start of Round 1, Van Raalte had dropped back to even par after going out in 1-over with two bogeys and a lone birdie.
He stayed level with the card when he traded a birdie on 11 with a bogey on 12, birdies at two of the three par-5s on the back nine elevating him to 2-under at day’s end.
One-over after Round 1, Cain could ill afford any backward steps as he also sought his first win of the year.
Two birdies in the opening three holes was an ideal start, moving to 2-under with birdies at 11 and 14 along with a bogey on 13.
Cain’s round finished with nine consecutive pars, enough to join Van Raalte on the winner’s dais.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“This afternoon was pretty blustery,” said Van Raalte.
“The greens were a little bit quicker this afternoon than they were yesterday morning.
“I hit a lot of good shots around the back nine to give myself some nice opportunities and got a couple to drop in here and there.
“Long time since I’ve been in the winner’s circle so happy to be there.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 Marcus Cain 68-64—132
T1 David Van Raalte 66-66—132
T3 Chris Taylor 66-67—133
T3 Adam Henwood 66-67—133
T3 Tim Elliott 69-64—133
6 Mark Gilson 66-69—135
7 Nigel Lane 70-66—136
NEXT UP
The Sydney swing of the PGA Legends Tour continues on Monday with the Lovedale Farm Legends Pro-Am at Castle Hill Country Club to be followed by the Bondi Legends Pro-Am on Tuesday.
Cameron Smith has pulled away from the field today at Murray Downs after a 5-under 66, to secure a two shot lead heading into the final round of the Ford NSW Open.
While it has been Smith versus Ripper GC teammate Lucas Herbert all week, after a frustrating 1-over 72 from Herbert today, Smith will be joined by two new playing partners for Sunday’s round.
Hunter Valley’s Corey Lamb and 41-year-old Alexander Simpson, who plays much of his golf on the adidas Pro-Am series, will stroll the fairways with major-champion Smith tomorrow.
Lamb is Smith’s closest challenger at 13-under, the 23-year-old fired a 67 today to continue his quest for a maiden Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia victory.
While tied third with Herbert and Kiwi Josh Geary at 11-under, it is Simpson who makes up the final group after a steady 3-under 68 today to continue his magical week thus far.
With his biggest pay-day in professional golf currently $3600, Simpson is in uncharted waters. Having already demonstrated he has the game to match it some of the world’s best this week, one more low one is far from out of the question.
The penultimate grouping on Sunday consists of Herbert and Geary, alongside former NSW Open champion Harrison Crowe, who carded a 3-under 68 today.
While Herbert held a two-shot overnight lead, Smith was able to flip the script early, playing his first five holes in 4-under. The highlight an eagle on the par-5 fourth, his second knocked in close.
Three more birdies on the back nine for Smith, while Herbert made two frustrating doubles, meant his lead was continuing to stretch.
After looking like his game was on cruise control for 16 holes today, Smith tugged an iron off 17 tee and found the fairway bunker left.
As if to rub salt into the wound, an overhanging tree meant Smith’s backswing was impeded, and in the blink of an eye the 2022 Open Champion walked off with a double bogey of his own, just letting the rest of the field back in slightly.
“It was really a shame to not finish as good as I wanted to,” said Smith. “Did what I needed to do today and on 17 there it was just, I don’t know. I don’t even know what it was to be honest. It’s all a blur.”
It was the only mistake Smith made all day, and while it could have been more comfortable lead, the Queenslander knows any 54-hole lead is a blessing, considering he will have the rest of the field hunting him, including Herbert.
“Leading into the last day is where you want to be, you want to be there thereabouts. I just need to do more of the same as what I did today,” he said.
“With Herbie having the day he did today, I expect that he’s probably going to come out with a good one tomorrow.
One of the players out to hunt down Smith, and not daunted by the prospect, is his Sunday playing partner Lamb.
“I want to be the best, and you’ve got to play with the best to be the best,” Lamb said of his Sunday pairing.
Hunting his first Tour win, Lamb has come close, with back-to-back runner-up finishes at the last two Webex Players Series South Australia events.
Having taken out the NSW Amateur and Queensland Amateur in consecutive weeks in his junior years, Lamb has a winning mentality, and knows it is only a matter of time out here.
“I think if I can get off to a solid start, it’ll give me a lot of confidence to go through to just play good golf,” he said.
“I’ve played well the last three rounds, and I feel like I’ve sort of left a few out there.
“The last two days I could have went a bit lower, so hopefully they can all drop tomorrow and I have a perfect round.”
Photo: Golf NSW.
It took him until the 16th hole today, but Lucas Herbert was eventually able to snatch the Ford NSW Open lead from his Ripper GC teammate Cameron Smith, as the crowds continued to pour into Murray Downs Golf & Country Club.
36-hole leader over Smith, Herbert carded a blemish-free 6-under 65 to sit atop the leaderboard at 12-under in his first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia start of this Summer, with Smith solo second at 10-under.
In a frustrating day in the heat combatting flies, Smith still managed a 3-under 68 today, but did not look his usual self, especially on his closing holes.
Four players are within reach at 9-under tied for third, with Josh Geary, Matias Sanchez, Corey Lamb and Dillon Hart all nipping at the heels of the two men at the top.
Geary, who had a 6-under 65 today including two eagles, will be joining Herbert and Smith in the final group tomorrow, the Kiwi no stranger to playing with the world’s best, his tied third finish in his home open earlier this year his most recent result.
With Smith continuing to make birdies today, he was able to hold onto his one-shot overnight lead for the majority of the round, even with Herbert finding another gear today.
In an incredible change of momentum however, Smith’s wayward drive and resulting bogey on the par-5 16th gave Herbert just the opportunity he needed to overtake. And take the opportunity he did.
Pouring in a long downhill eagle putt, to the delight of the packed hospitality tent behind the green, Herbert suddenly found himself with a two-shot lead with two holes to play on Friday, a lead he would not give up.
“I think he (Smith) was probably grinding a little bit there on the back nine and it did feel like somewhat of a match play situation,” said Herbert.
“I missed one on nine that I was kind of frustrated with because it was a bad putt, and I don’t really hit bad putts.
“It was a bit of a kick in the ass though and got things into gear for the back nine. Got a little lucky there a couple of times and made some nice putts when I needed to as well.”
With a potential showdown with Smith on the cards for Sunday, Herbert is relishing the opportunity to go toe-to-toe with the 2022 Open Champion.
“I hope we both play really well tomorrow, break away from the field and it becomes a shootout. Push each other to play the golf,” he said.
“Whether I win or lose, I’ll learn a hell of a lot and it’ll be a hell of a lot of fun.”
Two players who uncharacteristically find themselves in the final few groups on Saturday, tied with each other for seventh at 8-under, are Alexander Simpson and Brett Drewitt.
Their reasons for not appearing in weekend feature groups on this Tour vary greatly however. Drewitt because he has carved out a career in the US between the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour, Simpson because he doesn’t play much Tour golf at all.
Having pre-qualified for the Ford NSW Open at Club Barham on Monday, Simpson mainly features on the adidas Pro-Am series, the 41-year-old just happy to be playing well.
“I don’t sort of tend to get too far ahead of myself,” said Simpson “Yeah, I’ve been playing nicely coming into the week, but mostly without any sort of putts falling.
“Fortunately, that sort of turned around the last few days so that’s been good.”
Teeing off minutes before the likes of Smith and Herbert is a thrill for many of the guys on Tour, and Simpson is looking forward to a weekend he’ll never forget.
“Yeah, it’s pretty cool really isn’t it?”, he said.
“It’s funny, I’m happy with how I played but yeah, I hadn’t considered any of that until I went into town, grabbed some lunch and just thought, ‘yeah, it’s cool'”. “
While it might not be everyday Simpson plays alongside a major champion, it is something that Drewitt feels extremely comfortable with and he’ll not be in awe of neither the Ripper GC teammates nor the crowds on the weekend.
“I’d say it gives you a little bit more confidence,” he said of his experience in the US. “I’ve played against some very strong fields, I’ve played with (Rory) McIlroy, I’ve played with Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffle.
“I’ve played with all those guys, so I know what it’s like out there, and coming back home here, just knowing that I can compete with those guys over there as well gives me a boost of confidence.”
The only thing that may hinder Drewitt over the weekend is his lack of reps in recent weeks, the Sydneysider taking some time off towards the end of the year.
“Legs are a little sore. It’s been a while since I played, so walking around the course and stuff is harder than usual,” he said.
“It’s one reason why I came back, come back, just remember where I’m from, obviously see my parents and all that kind of stuff, but it’s just a nice way to hopefully build some momentum going into next year.”
Photo: Golf NSW
Kiama Golf Club’s Wil Daibarra has overcome a six-shot deficit to take out the PGA Associate National Championship at Cobram Barooga Golf Club.
Not proficient enough to join the Playing stream of the Membership Pathway Program at the start of his final year in the program, Daibarra matched the round of the week at Cobram Barooga’s West Course to finish three clear of South Australian Joe Hodgson (70) with 36-hole leader Ethan Chambers (70) third.
Overnight leader Zach Ion (Virginia Golf Club) fell out of contention with a round of 5-over 77 on Friday, paving the way for Daibarra to make his charge to the top of the leaderboard.
Only 2-under at the turn courtesy of birdies at four and five, Daibarra caught fire early in the back nine.
He made four birdies in the space of five holes and then added a seventh at the par-3 16th to reach 15-under-par.
A nervy eight-foot par putt on the last provided a final test, Daibarra passing in flying colours to complete a round of 7-under 65 and a three-stroke win.
Without a strong resume of tournament wins, Daibarra credited a more relaxed approach for his ability to claim the national crown in his final year in the program.
“Still can’t really believe it to be honest,” said Daibarra.
“Just a little bit of a different head space. Just relaxing a little bit more, don’t get so worked up on the good or bad shots and just kind of hit one shot at a time.
“That was mainly the difference
“I was pretty nervy but felt a lot better today than yesterday and I’m just really, really happy.
“Over the moon.”
Unsure whether his game was up to the standard to make it on tour, Daibarra began the Membership Pathway Program at Kiama in 2022.
When he fell short of the criteria needed to enter the Playing stream this year, Daibarra chose Game Development but showed his game stands up against the best Associates in the country.
Final leaderboard
1 Wil Daibarra 68-71-69-65—273
2 Joseph Hodgson 68-70-68-70—276
3 Ethan Chambers 68-65-74-70—277
4 Zach Ion 65-69-68-77—279
5 Daniel Gill 68-73-70-70—281
Ghanaian-born Danny List will make his debut as a member of the DP World Tour at next week’s BMW Australian PGA Championship.
Rain had caused delays to the final two rounds of the six-round Qualifying School marathon in Spain but it may have been a blessing for List.
The 26-year-old bounced back from rounds of 71-72 in rounds four and five to shoot 8-under 63 in the final round, climbing 22 spots to clinch one of the final cards on offer for the 2025 DP World Tour season.
That season begins at Royal Queensland Golf Club and in a celebratory post to Instagram List revealed that he would be taking up the opportunity to play both the Australian PGA and the ISPS HANDA Australian Open.
“I checked off a huge childhood dream today. Locking up my DP World Tour card for the 2025 season!” List posted.
“I’m thankful to the Lord, I felt his calming presence on every shot.
“Thanks to my beautiful mother who shared tears of joy with me when the last putt dropped, she knows just how much has gone into this.
“Thank you to everyone on my team and all that have supported me, it means the world.
“Get to go home to San Diego for a few days before we head down under for the Australian PGA Championship and Australian Open!
“Let’s go!”
Born in Ghana to an Australian father who is the CEO of BCM Ghana, List developed his golf at Cottesloe Golf Club in Perth, coming close to selection in a number of Golf Australia national programs on a number of occasions.
List completed his schooling in Berkshire west of London and attended college at the University of Washington before settling in San Diego.
He earned status on the Latin America tour in 2018 and has played sporadically in Canada since 2020.
A win at the California Open in July gave a hint that he had returned to some of his best golf, coming through all three stages of Qualifying School among the most difficult examinations any golfer can pass.
He has established the Danny List Foundation that runs youth programs, encourages player development and does community outreach work in Ghana but remains equally proud of his Australian upbringing.
“Golf Australia has always been great to me and I wish I could have two flags on there,” List told DP World Tour Media.
“I love my heritage, love representing the Aussies.”
Fellow West Australian Haydn Barron shot 65 in the final round but was unable to retain his 2024 status, finishing in a tie for 30th.
DP World Tour Qualifying School – Final Stage
T18 Danny List 72-63-69-71-72-63—410
T30 Haydn Barron 77-61-71-69-69-65—412
WD Hayden Hopewell 68-74-68-69—279
MC Brett Coletta 66-74-66-74—280
MC Todd Sinnott 74-68-68-72—282
MC Matthew Griffin 72-77-69-66—284
MC Andrew Kelly 72-70-72-73—287
MC Tom Power Horan 70-73-69-77—289
MC Cameron John 71-71-74-79—295
Photo: Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images
A timely lesson with good friend Andrew Welsford has propelled Scott Barr to a one-stroke win at the David Mercer Senior Classic at Killara Golf Club in Sydney.
The legacy of David Mercer draws icons of Australian golf to Killara each year, 1991 Open champion Ian Baker-Finch, three-time Australian PGA champion Peter Senior, Rodger Davis, Peter Lonard, Mike Harwood and Peter O’Malley just some of the big names to tee it up on Thursday.
No one played better than Barr, however, the now West Australian converting recent good form into a rewarding win at the richest one-day event on the PGA Legends Tour calendar.
“This is the crown in the jewel for our one-dayers, for sure,” said Barr.
Barr had seven birdies in his bogey-free round of 7-under 65 to finish one clear of Senior (66), Lonard sharing third with Adam Henwood and David McKenzie with rounds of 5-under 67.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Back-to-back birdies at his second and third holes was the ideal start for Barr, who began his round with a par at the par-4 11th.
He went back-to-back again with birdies at 18 and 1 and, after a fifth birdie at four, birdied both nine and 10 to post 7-under, both of which play as par 5s.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Had a great ball-striking day today,” said Barr.
“I holed a couple of nice putts but I hit all the par 5s in two.
“I had a lesson from a mate, Andrew Welsford at The Australian, and it came good today, so I’m very pleased.
“I’d been playing well for a while but a nice little tune-up there was needed.
“I’d been playing well but just couldn’t get it done. I got close at the New South Wales Senior Open but didn’t hole any putts.
“Got it going today and then just full steam ahead.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Scott Barr 65
2 Peter Senior 66
T3 Peter Lonard 67
T3 Adam Henwood 67
T3 David McKenzie 67
T6 Nigel Lane 68
T6 Murray Lott 68
T6 David Bransdon 68
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour is at Roseville Golf Club in Sydney Friday and Saturday for the Roseville Golf Club Mashie & Pro-Am.