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Back-to-back weeks of senior major championships will see 12 Aussies and two Kiwis tee it up in the 2025 Senior PGA Championship at famed Congressional Country Club.
Host to the US Open in 1964, 1997 and 2011, Congressional was chosen by the PGA of America to host eight championships across two decades, the first being the 2022 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship won by In Gee Chun.
A week after Michael Wright’s eighth-place finish led the Aussie contingent at the Regions Tradition, Brendan Jones, Scott Hend, Andre Stolz and Wisconsin-based PGA Professional Mick Smith, who qualified for a second consecutive Senior PGA Championship by finishing tied for 13th at the 2024 Senior PGA Professional Championship.
A 15-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour and a PGA TOUR Champions rookie in 2025, this week represents a senior major championship debut for Jones.
He has made five starts on the Champions Tour this season to date, his best finish a tie for 19th at the Hoag Classic.
Battling injury and illness playing on the Asian Tour last year, Jones saw an opportunity to join the seniors circuit in the US that he hadn’t seriously contemplated previously.
“I was injured, I was sick, and then you get to 50 and go, well, this is too hard, going to some of these countries that I’m going to,” conceded Jones, who earned his Champions Tour card at Qualifying School late last year.
“The Japan Seniors is always a fallback for me, but I just thought now’s the time to do something that I probably didn’t see myself doing.
“It’s exciting again. Getting beat up by those young kids on tour, it’s not a lot of fun when you’ve been one of those guys beating up on the young kids.
“Back when I was playing my best golf, every tournament that I turned up to, I felt that I was going to be competitive and I just haven’t had that feeling the last year or so.
“I’m going to be playing with the guys that I watched on TV growing up, which is going to be pretty cool.”
As the reigning PGA Legends Tour Order of Merit winner, Andre Stolz
Details
Senior PGA Championship
Congressional Country Club, Bethesda, Maryland
Past champion: Richard Bland
Past Aussie winners: Peter Thomson (1984)
Prize money: $US3.5m
TV times: Live 3am-6am Friday on Fox Sports 505; Live 3:15am-6am Saturday on Fox Sports 506; Live 5am-8am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
Australasians in the field
Steven Alker (NZ)
Previous appearances: 2 (2022-2023)
Best finish: 1st (2022)
Last start: T5 in 2023
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 9
Best finish in a senior major: Won, 2022 Senior PGA
Robert Allenby
Previous appearances: 1 (2022)
Best finish: MC (2022)
Last start: MC in 2022
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 0
Best finish in a senior major: 62nd, 2022 Regions Tradition
Stuart Appleby
Previous appearances: 3 (2022-2024)
Best finish: T14 (2024)
Last start: T14 in 2024
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 0
Best finish in a senior major: T3, 2022 Regions Tradition
David Bransdon
Previous appearances: 1 (2024)
Best finish: MC (2024)
Last start: MC in 2024
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 0
Best finish in a senior major: T38, 2025 Regions Tradition
Michael Campbell (NZ)
Previous appearances: 3 (2019, 2022-2023)
Best finish: T55 (2022)
Last start: MC in 2023
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 0
Best finish in a senior major: T41, 2023 Senior Open
Richard Green
Previous appearances: 3 (2022-2024)
Best finish: 2nd (2024)
Last start: 2nd in 2024
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 0
Best finish in a senior major: 2nd, 2024 Senior PGA and 2024 Senior Open
Scott Hend
Previous appearances: 1 (2024)
Best finish: T4 (2024)
Last start: T4 in 2024
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 0
Best finish in a senior major: T4, 2024 Senior PGA
Mark Hensby
Previous appearances: 3 (2022-2024)
Best finish: T8 (2022)
Last start: T67 in 2024
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 1
Best finish in a senior major: 3rd, 2022 US Senior Open
Brendan Jones
Previous appearances: 0
Best finish: N/A
Last start: N/A
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 0
Best finish in a senior major: First start
Rod Pampling
Previous appearances: 4 (2021-2024)
Best finish: T20 (2021)
Last start: MC in 2024
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 2
Best finish in a senior major: T3, 2022 Regions Tradition
Cameron Percy
Previous appearances: 1 (2024)
Best finish: T21 (2024)
Last start: T21 in 2024
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 0
Best finish in a senior major: T11, 2024 Kaulig Companies Championship
Mick Smith
Previous appearances: 1 (2024)
Best finish: T75 (2024)
Last start: T75 in 2024
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 0
Best finish in a senior major: T75, 2024 Senior PGA
Andre Stolz
Previous appearances: 1 (2023)
Best finish: MC (2023)
Last start: MC in 2023
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 0
Best finish in a senior major: MC, 2023 Senior PGA
Michael Wright
Previous appearances: 1 (2024)
Best finish: T17 (2024)
Last start: T17 in 2024
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 0
Best finish in a senior major: T7, 2024 Kaulig Companies Championship
We woke on Monday morning with a glimmer of hope that Adam Scott was going to turn back the clock and push for major No.2 only for Quail Hollow’s infamous ‘Green Mile’ to add the Masters champ to its lengthy list of casualties.
In a week that started with Cam Davis prominent in the PGA Championship in Charlotte, he and Scott had to ultimately settle for a share of 19th as Scottie Scheffler claimed major No.3.
Scott was just three strokes back when he made the turn in 2-under to be 6-under for the tournament but an untimely bogey on 14 and three dropped shots in his final two holes ended hopes of a top-10 finish.
With less than a week’s notice that he was in the field, Elvis Smylie squeezed every ounce of juice out of his second major championship, playing all four rounds for the first time in his career after making the cut on the number.
With no tournament to play it was a quiet week for our best women golfers, West Australian Maddison Hinson-Tolchard the only Aussie to play all three rounds of the Dutch Ladies Open on the Ladies European Tour.
10. Marc Leishman (Last week: 8)
The only member of Ripper GC with a LIV Golf individual win to his name the past two seasons. Next start is at LIV Golf Virginia, just three hours from his home in Virginia Beach.
9. Adam Scott (New)
Played his way into a share of second early in the back nine at the PGA Championship before succumbing to Quail Hollow’s treacherous ‘Green Mile’. Tied for 19th, Scott finished the week 13th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and 15th in Strokes Gained: Putting.
8. Elvis Smylie (New)
Another important step forward for the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner. Notified less than a week out that he had received a special exemption into the PGA Championship, Smylie showed great composure to make the cut in a major for the first time in his career.
7. Minjee Lee (7)
All eyes are on next week’s US Women’s Open at Erin Hills for the 2022 champion. Has five top-15 finishes from nine starts in 2025.
6. Jason Day (6)
Failed to make the weekend at the PGA Championship for just the second time since 2012. Tie for eighth at The Masters is one of three top-10s on the PGA TOUR this year.
5. Hannah Green (5)
In the midst of a two-week break to “knuckle down” and find the spark that can ignite her season. Has three top 10s from seven starts on the LPGA Tour this season.
4. Stephanie Kyriacou (4)
Has three top-six finishes in her past six starts, the most recent being a tie for fifth at the Mizuho Americas Open. Building nicely toward the US Women’s Open.
3. Karl Vilips (3)
All areas of Vilips’ game were put to the test at Quail Hollow as he made his first start in a major since turning professional. Took 66 putts across the first two rounds to miss the cut.
2. Min Woo Lee (2)
Fought bravely on the back nine in Round 2 but bogeys at 17 and 18 meant that Lee missed the cut by three at the PGA Championship. Taking the week off before returning to the Memorial next week.
1. Lucas Herbert (1)
Was likely a frustrated PGA Championship spectator on the back of his sixth career win at the International Series Japan on the Asian Tour. Was tied for eighth at International Series Macau and has three top-five finishes on LIV Golf this season.
The Australian Golf Power Rankings is a subjective list developed with input from members of the Australian Golf media team.
Brisbane’s Michael Wright made the most of a late call-up to record his second top-10 finish in a senior major at the Regions Tradition in Alabama.
Heavy rain that inundated Greystone Golf and Country Club on Sunday morning prevented the final round from reaching its conclusion, Angel Cabrera and Jerry Kelly tied for the lead at 18-under with three and four holes to play respectively.
Kiwi Steven Alker is within two shots of the lead with three holes still to complete, all 10 Aussies getting through 72 holes before play was suspended due to darkness.
Tied for seventh at the Kaulig Companies Championship last year, Wright played the weekend in 11-under par to sit in eighth position and guaranteed to finish as the lone Australian inside the top 10.
It is a performance made even more noteworthy given the 51-year-old was only added to the field when Scott Verplank withdrew from the tournament.
Inspired by a 7-under run on his final 11 holes on Saturday, Wright started with a birdie on Sunday and remained bogey-free the entire final round, making eagle at the par-5 13th for the second straight day to go with birdies at 11 and 15 in a round of 5-under 67.
Victorian Richard Green held the 36-hole lead after rounds of 63-68 but dropped from contention when he shot 3-over 75 on Saturday.
Leading the Legends Tour Order of Merit, Scott Hend was tied ninth at the OFX Irish Legends and Adam Scott and Cam Davis both finished tied 19th at the PGA Championship in Charlotte.
Seven strokes back of Scottie Scheffler through 54 holes, Scott was in a tie for second and just three off the lead early on the back nine but, like many, succumbed to Quail Hollow’s demanding closing stretch including a double-bogey on the 72nd hole.
Photo: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
Results
US PGA Championship
Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina
1 Scottie Scheffler 69-68-65-71—273 $US3.42m
T19 Cam Davis 66-74-70-72—282 $193,442
T19 Adam Scott 69-71-69-73—282 $193,442
T28 Ryan Fox (NZ) 67-71-72-73—283 $115,820
T72 Elvis Smylie 70-73-77-74—294 $23,655
MC Min Woo Lee 74-72—146
MC Jason Day 73-75—148
MC Cameron Smith 78-71—149
MC Karl Vilips 78-75—153
PGA TOUR Champions
Regions Tradition
Greystone G&CC, Birmingham, Alabama
To be completed Monday morning
8 Michael Wright 70-71-66-67—274
T15 Richard Green 63-68-75-71—277
T22 Mark Hensby 70-73-68-68—279
T27 Greg Chalmers 67-71-70-73—281
T36 Cameron Percy 70-69-73-70—282
T38 Stuart Appleby 72-71-69-71—283
T38 David Bransdon 69-71-72-71—283
T46 Steve Allan 73-68-73-71—285
T46 Rod Pampling 73-70-68-74—285
74 John Senden 76-75-75-84—310
Ladies European Tour
Dutch Ladies Open
Goyer Golf and Country Club, Eemnes, Netherlands
1 Mimi Rhodes 69-69-69—207 €49,500
T4 Momoka Kobori (NZ) 70-69-71—210 €11,550
T25 Amelia Garvey (NZ) 69-76-70—215 €3,545.14
T53 Maddison Hinson-Tolchard 77-67-75—219 €1,210
MC Kirsten Rudgeley 75-76—151
MC Wenyung Keh (NZ) 76-77—153
MC Kelsey Bennett 78-75—153
Korn Ferry Tour
AdventHealth Championship
Blue Hills Country Club, Kansas City, Missouri
1 S.H. Kim 66-65-66-71—268 $US180,000
T21 Rhein Gibson 69-73-68-70—280 $10,950
MC Harry Hillier (NZ) 73-78—151
Korea PGA Tour
SK Telecom Open
Pinks GC, Korea
1 Jaewoong Eom 66-69-67—202
MC Wonjoon Lee 71-71—142
MC Changgi Lee (NZ) 72-75—147
MC Junseok Lee 77-77—154
MC Sungjin Yeo (NZ) 76-78—154
Epson Tour
Copper Rock Championship
Copper Rock Golf Course, Hurricane, Utah
1 Gina Kim 69-65-69—203 $US37,500
MC Soo Jin Lee 80-74—154
Legends Tour
OFX Irish Legends
Mount Juliet Estate, Co Kilkenny, Ireland
1 James Kingston 66-72-66—204
T9 Scott Hend 67-69-72—208
T45 Michael Campbell (NZ) 75-74-71—220
T49 Michael Long (NZ) 75-75-72—222
Sunshine Tour
Kit Kat Cash & Carry Pro-Am
Irene Country Club, Centurion, South Africa
1 Luis Carrera 63-67-66-62—258
T31 Austin Bautista 69-69-69-71—278
His best major finish in six years slipped through Adam Scott’s fingers as American Scottie Scheffler survived a Sunday scare to claim the 107th PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.
The world No.1 seemed destined to convert a three-stroke lead into a third major championship triumph at the start of play, yet a front-nine struggle gave others a glimpse at causing a boil over.
Two-under on his round courtesy of birdies at four, seven and 10, Scott was briefly in a share of second and just three strokes off the lead as Scheffler played the front nine in 2-over to drop back to 9-under for the championship.
Tied with Spain’s Jon Rahm, Scheffler moved one clear again with birdie at the par-5 10th and then picked up shots at both 14 and 15 to apply a squeeze that crushed the hopes of Rahm and any other potential contenders, the five-stroke margin of victory testament to his toughness and pure will to win.
Scott’s hopes effectively ended with a bogey at the short par-4 14th.
In the right rough with his tee shot, the 44-year-old took a full swing with lob wedge but came up short in the greenside bunker, unable to get up-and-down to save par to drop back to 5-under.
He missed a birdie chance from 22 feet at the par-5 15th and then made bogey at the par-3 17th when his chip from the right of the green came up 18 feet short of the hole.
A blistered drive of 331 yards into the left fairway on 18 was squandered when Scott’s approach shot finished left of the hazard that runs along the left side, a miraculous chip from a downhill lie inside the penalty area a final piece of wizardry on his way to a double-bogey at the 72nd hole.
Those three dropped shots in two holes saw Scott fall to a tie for 19th with a round of 2-over 73 and level with fellow Australian Cam Davis (72) at 2-under.
Davis made three birdies in succession on the front nine as he made the turn 1-under, moving to 2-under on his round with birdie at the par-5 10th.
But after a birdie on 15, the infamous ‘Green Mile’ would hit Davis hard also, dropping shots at each of the final three holes to end the week at 2-under.
The week after a maiden PGA TOUR win, Kiwi Ryan Fox closed with a round of 2-over 73 to finish tied 28th as Elvis Smylie rounded out his first weekend at a major with a round of 3-over 74.
It took a blistering finish from world No.1 Scottie Scheffler to turn Adam Scott’s chances of a second major championship from hopeful to nigh on impossible at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.
Scott was just four strokes off the lead when he signed for a 2-under 69 to be 4-under through three rounds but Scheffler further separated himself from Scott and the rest of the field by playing the final five holes in 5-under par.
At 11-under, Scheffler will start Sunday with a three-stroke advantage from Swede Alex Noren, Scott the best of the Aussies seven shots from the lead and in a tie for 13th.
With just one top 10 in his past 21 major championship starts, Scott was happy to nudge towards the first page of the leaderboard, looking towards a more productive day with the putter to advance his position further in the final round.
“That’s a good position for me,” said Scott when told he was four strokes back at the completion of his round.
“That’s better than where I’ve been any time lately.
“I feel like I’ve played solid all week; it’s been hard work on the greens.
“I’ve had a few three-putts, and it feels a bit costly at the moment when it’s so bunched up like this.
“Overall my game feels really solid. I just need a day where the putts get rolling in tomorrow.
“I’ve just kind of fought being comfortable all week. You’re good for a few holes and then you hit one surprisingly short or something.
“It just knocks the confidence around a little bit and it’s those emotions I’m trying to manage the best I can out there.
“But if a few go in, it all changes quickly.”
A three-putt from outside 50 feet at the 221-yard par-3 sixth was Scott’s only dropped shot on Saturday, getting up-and-down all five times that he missed the green including three-of-three sand saves.
Kiwi Ryan Fox fought hard to keep himself in the mix and will start the final round in a tie for 17th alongside Australian Cam Davis, who made up four shots in three holes on the back nine in a round of 1-under 70.
Tied for seventh through 36 holes, Fox could only salvage par twice from the seven greens he missed, trading six bogeys with five birdies in his round of 1-over 72.
Playing the weekend of a major for the first time in his career, Elvis Smylie played his back nine in 5-over 40 in a round of 6-over 77.
Victorian Richard Green will need to conjure something special on Sunday after his flatstick failed him in Round 3 of the Regions Tradition in Alabama.
Chasing his first PGA TOUR Champions win in the first senior major of the year, Green will start the final round five back due to a frustrating day on the greens in a round of 3-over 75.
The silky left-hander was even par through eight holes of the third round but a bogey on nine followed by a double-bogey due to two poor chips at the par-3 10th saw him dethroned from the top of the leaderboard.
He would par his way in as American Jerry Kelly (65) charged, Green unable to find any joy with the putter as he hit 15 of 18 greens in regulation.
The 54-year-old will start the final round in a share of 10th at 10-under par, Brisbane’s Michael Wright just one shot further back at 9-under on the back of a productive Round 3.
Kelly’s 65 was the only round better than Wright’s 6-under 66 on day three, the 51-year-old making eagle at the par-5 13th and three birdies on the trot from the 15th hole to climb 19 spots and into a tie for 13th with one round to play.
Greg Chalmers (70) will start Sunday in a tie for 15th at 8-under par, Rod Pampling and Mark Hensby both rising into a tie for 32nd on the back of rounds of 4-under 68.
Photo: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
A birdie at Quail Hollow Club’s toughest hole will see Kiwi Ryan Fox start Round 3 inside the top 10 as the Aussies fell back on day two of the PGA Championship in Charlotte.
Fox was one of only 11 players to make birdie at the par-4 18th on Friday, his second shot from 152 yards dancing around the cup before coming to rest just outside two feet from the hole.
It was the ideal way to cap off an even-par round of 71 for the 2019 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner who enters the weekend in a tie for seventh.
Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas maintained his two-shot lead with a round of 1-under 70, Fox one of 15 players separated by just two strokes on a day in which 13 of the 18 holes played over their par.
Tied for second after a 66 in Round 1, Cam Davis made just one birdie in his round of 3-over 74 to drop into a tie for 27th at 2-under, level with fellow Aussie Adam Scott who tumbled down the leaderboard late with a double-bogey on 18.
Making his PGA Championship debut, Elvis Smylie was 3-under for the tournament thanks to early birdies at one and three but, like Scott, made double on 18 along with a bogey on 17 for a round of 73 to make the cut on the number at 1-over.
After fighting back with four birdies early on the back nine, Min Woo Lee (72) dropped shots at both 17 and 18 to miss the cut, 2015 champion Jason Day (75), Cameron Smith (71) and Karl Vilips (75) falling well short of the cut-line.
Fox was the last player in the field courtesy of his victory at the PGA TOUR’s ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic on Sunday, the 38-year-old’s PGA Championship preparation limited to 18 holes on Wednesday.
He called upon memories of playing all four rounds at the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in an opening round of 67 on Thursday and kept himself in the mix with three back-nine birdies at 10, 15 and 18 on Friday.
Scott began Round 2 with nine straight pars before also picking up three birdies on the back nine at 10, 14 and 15.
Playing in his 25th PGA Championship, the 44-year-old was just four strokes off the lead when disaster struck on Quail Hollow’s infamous finisher.
He found the centre of the fairway with a tee shot of 313 yards but then turned his approach shot over, his ball bouncing into the creek that lines the left side of the green.
After taking his penalty, Scott chipped down to three feet but then barely touched the right side of the hole with his bogey putt.
On a day in which he needed 30 putts compared to just 24 in Round 1, Davis’s highlight was the only hole in which he didn’t need any, chipping in for birdie from 53 feet at the 252-yard par-3 sixth.
Showing growing confidence in elite company, Smylie hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation on Friday but endured a day of frustration on the greens.
He converted birdie chances from nine and 10 feet on one and three but needed an additional 31 putts on the remaining 16 holes, five more than he took on Thursday.
A birdie-birdie finish secured Victorian Richard Green a one-stroke lead at the halfway mark of the Regions Tradition at Greystone Golf and Country Club in Alabama.
Tasked with following a sublime 9-under 63 in Round 1 that matched the low round in tournament history, the Aussie left-hander struggled to convert birdie opportunities for much of Round 2 before a final flurry yielded a round of 4-under 68 and 13-under total through 36 holes.
That is a new 36-hole low since the tournament moved to Greystone in 2016 and gives the 54-year-old a one-shot advantage from Kiwi Steven Alker (67) who, in turn, has a three-stroke buffer from YE Yang (68), Chris DiMarco (65) and Alex Cjeka (69).
Green was 10-under for the championship when he birdied the par-3 10th to start day two but bogeys at 12 and 14 either side of a birdie on 13 brought him back to even par for the day.
Three straight birdies from the ninth hole saw Green return to the top of the leaderboard before taking another step back with a dropped shot at the par-4 sixth.
A silky approach to three feet set up a birdie at the par-4 eighth and then Green finally got a putt to fall on nine from 30 feet.
“It felt a little bit like probably what I should have got out of the day,” Green said of his closing birdies.
“I hit a lot of great iron shots and set up a lot of birdie chances and just missed them all.
“They’re a bit tricky, some of the reads today, so I was pleased to have finished well.”
A runner-up on the PGA TOUR Champions six times, Green is poised yet again to be in contention deep into Sunday.
Admitting that he was unlikely to match his score from Round 1, the three-time DP World Tour winner was content to continue to play well.
“It’s just the law of averages really, with the amount of times you actually do shoot blinding rounds of golf like that,” Green added.
“It’s rare to do that, and then to come and try to do it again, it’s hard to do mentally.
“It’s possible, it’s always possible, but law of averages say otherwise, don’t they.
“I’m happy to have gone out and had a few birdies still and set up a lot of chances. Lots of good signs.”
A frustrating day on the greens saw Greg Chalmers (71) drop outside the top 10 and into a tie for 13th at 6-under, Cameron Percy tied for 18th at 5-under after a round of 3-under 69.
David Bransdon (71) is in a tie for 26th through two rounds and Steve Allan (68) and Michael Wright (71) are tied 32nd heading into the weekend.
Photo: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
Cam Davis defied a dry spell dating back to the first week in February to sit just two strokes off the lead after Round 1 of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte.
With just one top-50 finish in an eight-tournament stretch that included five straight missed cuts, Davis did not present as the obvious Aussie contender leading into the second men’s major championship of 2025.
Yet the 30-year-old gained six strokes on the field on the greens to shoot 5-under 66 and trail unlikely front-runner Jhonattan Vegas (64) by two by day’s end.
The last man in the field after his first PGA TOUR win on Sunday, Kiwi Ryan Fox (67) is just one back of Davis in a share of fourth as two late bogeys saw Adam Scott (69) drop back into a tie for 20th at 2-under.
Playing alongside Vegas, Elvis Smylie impressed in his first PGA Championship round, missing a par putt on his final hole from 14 feet in a round of 1-under 71 for a share of 29th.
Admitting that his game “just kind of left me” after three top-20 finishes in his first four starts in 2025, Davis felt vindicated that hard work paid off on the sport’s biggest stage.
“I haven’t been having the best results on course over the last few months and been working really hard to turn that around,” said the two-time PGA TOUR winner.
“To see the first real sign that it’s turning around happen in the first round of a major, it’s very encouraging.
“It’s just constantly trying to go back to things that have worked, trying to keep the head in a place where you’re not feeling like you’re banging your head against the wall all the time.
“It’s letting it organically come, good processes, good routines. All those little one per centers add up to good golf eventually, and I feel like this week has been a week of good preparation.”
In addition to the three birdie putts he holed from outside 15 feet, Davis saved par from outside nine feet on four separate occasions, a formula he believes is essential for success in major championships.
“Rolled a lot of putts that went in and kept the momentum going,” said Davis, who was tied for fourth at the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club.
“I feel like for a major, when you’re playing a difficult golf course, if you can do that, you can keep things moving forward.
“Very happy with my work today, but it’s still a four-round event. But you can definitely help yourself a lot by having a good first round.”
Starting his round from the 10th tee, Davis had the outright lead at 6-under when he holed a putt from just inside 22 feet for birdie at the par-3 sixth, part of the 164 feet and 8 inches of putts he holed for the day.
Forced to play away from the pin after just clearing the water with his second shot on his way to par at the par-5 seventh, Davis missed a 20-footer for birdie on eight and then made just his second bogey of the day when he was unable to get up-and-down from short of the green at the par-4 ninth.
Three birdies in his first five holes gave Fox the early lead, three birdies and two bogeys in his final five holes resulting in a final total of 4-under for the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic winner.
Scott’s round got rolling when he made birdie from 42 feet at the par-3 sixth, following that up with further birdies at seven and eight to turn in 3-under.
Four-under and bogey-free when he picked up another shot at the par-4 14th put Scott within one shot of the lead.
But the 2013 Masters champion was unable to make par when his second shot into 16 fed into the rough behind the green and then three-putted from 70 feet for bogey at the par-3 17th.
An early chip-in at the par-4 11th was the highlight of Jason Day’s 2-over 73, Min Woo Lee’s 74 consisted of an eagle, four birdies, seven bogeys, a double bogey and five pars and Karl Vilips and Cameron Smith both shot 78.
A round equal to the best recorded at the Regions Tradition has earned Richard Green a two-stroke lead after Round 1 of the first senior major for 2025.
The Victorian left-hander had eight birdies and an eagle at the par-5 13th to post 9-under 63, two strokes clear of Kiwi Steven Alker and American duo Jerry Kelly and Stewart Cink.
An eagle at the par-5 15th was the highlight of Greg Chalmers’ opening round of 5-under 67 that has the West Australian in a tie for seventh as David Bransdon (69), Cameron Percy (70), Mark Hensby (70) and Michael Wright (70) finished day one inside the top 25.
Green’s 63 at Greystone Golf and Country Club matched that by Alker in Round 4 last year and Robert Karlsson in Round 3 of the 2023 championship and puts him in a front-running position in pursuit of a first PGA TOUR Champions victory.
The 54-year-old has been a runner-up on six occasions – including twice in senior majors last year – and knows that knocking on the door often enough will eventually nudge it open.
“It’s been a lot of good stuff last year and in big tournaments,” said Green, who has coach Darrell Brown with him in Birmingham, Alabama.
“I’ve taken that into this year and trying to find little improvements that I can try to make from last year, which is very difficult to do.
“I’ve just got to keep putting myself in there. I like four rounds. I’ve put myself in a great position today, so you never know.
“Just got to keep doing your thing, keep battling your own battles and hopefully I’m there at the end.”
Green’s 63 was just one shy of his lowest round on the Champions Tour to date, a 62 in Round 2 of the 2024 Regions Charity Classic where he finished second.
A birdie at the opening hole on Thursday set the perfect tone, following that up with three on the trot starting from the par-5 fifth.
Two birdies after the turn continued Green’s momentum and when he made eagle on 13 and birdie at 14, scoring records were poised to fall.
A missed fairway led to his lone bogey for the day at the par-4 16th, a shot he earned back courtesy of a superb pitch over a bunker and birdie putt from nine feet at the par-5 18th.
Photo: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
