Want to recieve exclusive news, videos, tournament highlights, golf important tips and more ?
Want to recieve exclusive news, videos, tournament highlights, golf important tips and more ?
Despite entering the week with an injured back, Australia’s Anthony Quayle has opened the Shinhan Donghae Open in Korea with a 7-under 65 to sit in a share of second after Round 1.
Tri-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, Japan Golf Tour and Korean Tour, Spain’s David Puig leads the tournament by one after his own bogey-free eight-under 64. It was a score that Quayle very nearly matched, while Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai shares second with the Queenslander.
Out in the second group of the day from the first tee, Quayle set a hot pace early following an opening birdie after dropping a 50-foot putt, adding three more in a row from the third hole and another at the ninth to turn in 5-under 31.
More birdies followed at the 11th, 12th and 17th before the world No.338 made a rare bogey at the par-5 18th that saw him end the day in second rather than a share of the lead.
Going long of the final green with his third shot, Quayle came up short with his chip from the back, however, he was simply happy to be somewhat pain free after receiving treatment earlier in the week.
“It was nice. I didn’t have the best prep coming into the week. I hurt my back last week, so I tried to be a little bit more low-key in my preparation and be a little bit more cautionary,” Quayle said.
“Not sure what the back issue is. I saw the physio yesterday, my self-diagnosis was wrong – which is probably not uncommon for a professional golfer.”
An issue potentially caused by an extended period of overloading the back of the pelvis, Quayle will no doubt be cautious with his back for the remainder of his week.
However, his first round performance suggests the old adage to beware the injured golfer could prove true around Sky 72’s Ocean Course.
“Came out today, back felt great, everything felt pretty good. I probably had low expectations, so was able to play freely and roll a few in,” said Quayle, who is chasing his third pro win after the 2020 Queensland Open and 2021 Queensland PGA.
Quayle was joined in the top-10 by compatriots Won Joon Lee and Junseok Lee after the pair signed for opening rounds of 5-under 67 to sit in a share of eighth in Incheon.
Meanwhile, Minjee Lee made a good start to her Kroger Queen City Championship campaign in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Starting the day with a hat-trick of birdies from the first hole, the two-time major champion added another at the par-3 eighth to create an ominous presence on the LPGA Tour leaderboard.
The West Australian could only manage one more birdie on the back nine though among eight pars to record a bogey-free round of 5-under 67 and share of sixth, two shots back of solo leader, China’s Ruixin Lin.
“I’m just really enjoy playing the courses (in Ohio),” Lee, who missed the cut here last year, said.
“I think it really suits my eye. I’ve played well at Dana (Open), and hopefully I can finish well here.
“I started really well. I had three birdies off the bat… so it was really nice to have a fast start.
“Made one more on the front and then one more on the back, so it was pretty steady, pretty solid all day.”
Gabi Ruffels continues to impress as she broadens her LPGA experience, the 23-year-old 3-under and four strokes off the lead.
Photo: Courtesy JGTO Images
Players have arrived for a very different challenge as they prepare to tee it up at the inaugural Port Moresby Legends Classic at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club.
On the back of last week’s PNG Senior Open at Lae Golf Club, the SParms PGA Legends Tour has made the 300-kilometre trek to Port Moresby for a tournament worth $80,000 in prizemoney.
Following the deluge in Lae, the presentation of the course at Royal Port Moresby is firm and fast, presenting the Legends with a style of golf perhaps more familiar to many.
“It’s great to see the Legends Tour at Royal Port Moresby for the first time,” said Club General Manager, Josh Dixon.
“The members and sponsors are excited to have players from the past such as course record holder Chris Taylor along with first timers to PNG like US PGA Tour winner Andre Stolz.”
On the back of his PNG Senior Open last week and his history in Papua New Guinea, Taylor shapes as the man to beat.
He has won three of the past four Legends Tour events and has been visiting Papua New Guinea for more than 25 years.
But there are threats throughout the field.
Stolz is expected to revel in the firm conditions while Richard Backwell and Scott Barr have joined the field after missing last week’s PNG Senior Open..
The event kicks off on Thursday with the Sponsors Pro-Am with the opening round of the 54-hole event to start Friday.
Ashley Anh Dinh is an international student studying a Diploma of Golf Management through the PGA Institute, and studies on-site at the PGA Learning Hub at Sandhurst.
Originally from Vietnam, the now 20-year-old also spent time in Canada while she was growing up. Like many others, Ashley’s golfing passion started at a young age.
Her dad was one of the top amateurs in Vietnam, and he helped Ashley make the decision to come to Australia to study.
Ashley was studying a business degree at home but wanted to align her future career more with her true passions. Tossing up between fashion and golf, her father asked her a simple question; ‘which do you prefer?’
“Obviously golf! I would always choose golf,” she said.
“Since I was young, the environment golf has given me has always been good. I get to meet a lot of new people playing golf and learn about their job and their life.”
Her father did some online research, along with talking to others in the Vietnamese golf industry and worked out the PGA Institute, based at Sandhurst, was the perfect place for Ashley to harness and build on her passion for golf.
Ashley is loving being in Melbourne and especially at Sandhurst. The kind hospitality and facilities have been a stand-out.
“We get unlimited range balls, and access to 36-holes, the North Course and the Champions Course,” said Ashley excitedly.
“All of the staff are so nice and have been helpful in planning my next journey.”
And plans for her next journey are well under way. Once she completes her Diploma in Golf Management, Ashley hopes to undertake the Membership Pathway Program to become a PGA Professional.
Being around Sandhurst has been incredible for Ashley’s golf, and the inviting community of members have also welcomed her as one of their own.
She was approached on the range by a Sandhurst member to join their regular playing group, and after learning Ashley was on the search for a new place to live, this same member invited her to move into their spare room.
Her new home overlooks the 17th green of the Champions Course, and being only walking distance from classes, it’s the perfect place for Ashley to make her golf career aspirations come true.
Ashley’s passion for the PGA Institute is evident, and as for her advice for those thinking about studying:
“Just do it! Everything happens for a reason, so just do it,” she said.
The PGA Institute provides a wide range of career outcomes from school leavers to those currently working in the industry and looking to upskill. It is the perfect place to combine your passion for golf with your career.
If you want to find out more about studying at the PGA Institute, there is an upcoming Careers in Golf Open Day at the PGA Learning Hub in Sandhurst on Saturday, September 23. RSVP Here.
Adam Scott will tee it up in Ireland’s national open for the first time in 21 years when the Horizon Irish Open begins at The K Club in County Kildare on Thursday.
The Irish Open played an integral role in establishing Scott as a world-class player, finishing tied for 10th at Ballybunion in his rookie season in 2000.
Remarkably, it was his third top-10 finish in his first four starts on the DP World Tour as he went on to finish 103rd on the moneylist to retain his status.
A year later he played his way into the final group alongside eventual champion Colin Montgomerie at Fota Island Resort (inset) and in 2002 was tied for 27th at the same venue, his second round of 66 bettered only by Alex Cejka’s 65.
But it has been more than two decades since he has returned, an earlier than anticipated end to his PGA TOUR season allowing him to add it to the schedule leading into next week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
Scott is not the only Aussie dusting off the sticks in Ireland after a short hiatus.
On the back of his breakout summer in the United States and following a month back home in Perth watching his beloved Fremantle Dockers, Min Woo Lee returns to Europe for his 12th start on the DP World Tour this season.
Bolstered by top-five finishes at both co-sanctioned Australian PGA and Australian Open tournaments and a tie for second at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Lee enters this week sixth in the Race to Dubai standings.
Currently No.50 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Lee can earn one of 10 PGA TOUR cards that will be given to the highest finishers not already exempt on the Race to Dubai standings at season’s end.
More than 5,500 kilometres on the other side of the Atlantic, Lee’s sister Minjee Lee will spearhead the Aussie charge at the Kroger Queen City Championship in Ohio.
Now ranked No.13 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking, Lee has just one top-10 finish to her name since her runner-up result at the Cognizant Founders Cup in May when she lost to Jin Young Ko in a playoff.
LPGA Tour-bound in 2024, Gabi Ruffels has accepted a tournament invitation to play along with fellow Aussies Karis Davidson, Sarah Kemp, Stephanie Kyriacou, Grace Kim and Su Oh.
There are 10 Australians playing the Japan Golf Tour-Asian Tour co-sanctioned Shinhan Donghae Open in Korea while Sydney’s Jason Hong can secure an exemption into Second Stage of PGA TOUR Qualifying School at the PGA TOUR Canada season finale in Alberta.
Entering the Fortinet Cup Championship 22nd in the Fortinet Cup standings, Hong can earn conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2024 if he can climb inside the top five but needs only to stay inside the top 25 to secure a spot at Second Stage of Q School.
Round 1 tee times AEST
DP World Tour
Horizon Irish Open
The K Club, Straffan, Co. Kildare, Ireland
4.50pm* Shane Lowry, Min Woo Lee, Ryan Fox (NZ)
5.20pm* Thriston Lawrence, Daniel Hillier (NZ), Aaron Rai
6pm* Jason Scrivener, Matt Wallace, Søren Kjeldsen
10pm Tyrrell Hatton, Luke Donald, Adam Scott
Defending champion: Adrian Meronk
Past Aussie winners: Ossie Pickworth (1950), Brett Rumford (2004), Lucas Herbert (2021)
TV times: Live 10pm-3am Thursday, Friday; Live 11pm-2.30am Saturday; Live 11pm-3am Sunday on Fox Sports 503.
LPGA Tour
Kroger Queen City Championship
Kenwood Country Club (Kendale Cse), Cincinnati, Ohio
10.03pm Karis Davidson, Brianna Do, Frida Kinhult
10.14pm Minjee Lee, Andrea Lee, Linnea Strom
10.14pm* Grace Kim, Cheyenne Knight, Chanettee Wannasaen
10.36pm Stephanie Kyriacou, Gaby Lopez, Alexa Pano
10.47pm* Brooke M. Henderson, Lydia Ko (NZ), Amy Yang
2.30am Dottie Ardina, Jaravee Boonchant, Sarah Kemp
2.52am* Yuna Nishimura, Haru Nomura, Su Oh
4.31am Yaeeun Hong, Gabriela Ruffels, Mariah Stackhouse
Defending champion: Ally Ewing
Past Aussie winners: Nil
TV times: Live 6am-9am Friday, Saturday; Live 4am-7am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503.
Japan Golf Tour/Asian Tour
Shinhan Donghae Open
Club 72 Country Club (Ocean Cse), Incheon, South Korea
8.10am Anthony Quayle, Byeong Jin Jae, Viraj Madappa
8.30am Yonggu Shin, Brad Kennedy, Tomoyasu Sugiyama
8.40am* Yang Ji Ho, Riki Kawamoto, Kevin Yuan
9am* Taehoon Ok, Scott Hend, Yubin Jang (a)
9.30am* Won Joon Lee, Minkyu Kim, Taihei Sato
1.10pm* Taehee Lee, Shintaro Kobayashi, Zach Murray
1.20pm* Sanghee Lee, Todd Sinnott, Inhoi Hur
1.20pm Sanghyun Park, Brendan Jones, Seungbin Choi
1.50pm Guntaek Koh, Ryo Katsumata, Travis Smyth
1.50pm* Ryuichi Oiwa, Junseok Lee, Jinsung Kim
Defending champion: Kazuki Higa
Past Aussie winners: Nil
TV times: Live 2pm-6pm Thursday, Friday; Live 3pm-5pm Saturday; Live 1pm-5pm Sunday on Fox Sports 503.
Ladies European Tour
Big Green Egg Open
Hilversumsche Golf Club, Netherlands
Australasians in the field: Kirsten Rudgeley, Momoka Kobori (NZ), Hanee Song (NZ), Wenyung Keh (NZ)
Defending champion: Anna Nordqvist
Past Aussie winners: Corinne Dibnah (1993), Stephanie Kyriacou (2021)
Challenge Tour
Challenge de España
Club de Golf Playa Serena , Almería, Spain
6.30pm Blake Windred, Alejandro Aguilera, Vitor Lopes
Defending champion: Jens Dantorp
Past Aussie winners: Nil
PGA TOUR Canada
Fortinet Cup Championship
Country Hills Golf Club, Calgary, Alberta
3.40am Noah Steele, Jason Hong
Defending champion: Wil Bateman
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Epson Tour
Black Desert Resort Championship
Soldier Hollow Golf Club (Silver Cse), Salt Lake City, Utah
Australasians in the field: Robyn Choi, Hira Naveed, Amelia Garvey (NZ), Cassie Porter
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Champions Tour
Ascension Charity Classic
Norwood Hills Country Club, St Louis, Missouri
Australians in the field: Stuart Appleby, Richard Green, Mark Hensby, David McKenzie, Rod Pampling, John Senden
Defending champion: Padraig Harrington
Past Aussie winners: Nil
TV times: Live 3am-6am Saturday; Live 7am-9am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503.
Legends Tour
WCM Legends Open de France
Golf de Saint-Cloud, France
5.30pm Peter Fowler, Philip Walton
6.30pm* Paul Streeter, Jason Norris
7.06pm Michael Campbell (NZ), Thomas Levet
7.18pm* Robert Coles, Michael Long (NZ)
Defending champion: Gary Marks
Past Aussie winners: Nil
LET Access Series
Rose Ladies Open
The Melbourne Club At Brocket Hall, England
9.50pm Kristalle Blum, Clara Moyano Reigosa, Cecilie Leth-Nissen
10.30pm* Georgina Blackman, Kelsey Bennett, Corinne Viden
10.40pm* Amy Walsh, Ebba Hellman, Clara Young
Defending champion: My Leander
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Photos: Logan Whitton/Getty Images; Stephen Munday/Getty Images (inset)
Victorian Deyen Lawson has bounced back from a near miss in Vietnam on Saturday to record a one-stroke victory at the inaugural Deniliquin Pro-Am at Deniliquin Golf Club.
Staged with the support of the Edward River Council, the Deniliquin Golf Club staff and members laid out the welcome mat for their first event on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series.
It was an especially warm welcome for Lawson whose good friend Noel Swainger is a member at Deniliquin and coach Darrell Brown made the trip up from Geelong.
On top of spending some time practising in the morning, Brown caddied for Lawson in the afternoon as he stormed home to post 8-under 64 and a one-stroke win from rookie Toby Walker.
Lawson led going into the final round of the BRG Open Golf Championship Da Nang on the Asian Development Tour but was run down by fellow Australian Aaron Wilkin.
He was quick to shrug that disappointment off and tap into the good form he has displayed for much of the year.
“I feel like most of the year I’ve been trending and then to come here – one of my good mates is a member here – so I was pretty relaxed.
“I did some work with my coach this morning and he was on the bag so felt quite good.”
Lawson praised the presentation of the golf course on Wednesday, matching up his speed perfectly late to separate himself from the field.
Ruben Lal’s 4-under 68 was the best of the morning players, Lawson making birdie at three of his final four holes to move clear of Walker (65) and Matt Millar (66).
“The greens were rolling good, quite quick,” added Lawson, who will defend his WA Open title at Joondalup Country Club next month.
“There’s only four or five greens staff so to get the greens in the condition they are is absolutely fantastic.
“I had a look with three holes to go and saw that there were a few of us at 6-under.
“Rolled a couple of good putts in late. It’s always good to win, hole a few putts and get over the line.”
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series continues its stretch along the Murray River with Thursday’s Stuart Appleby Cohuna Golf Club Pro-Am in Cohuna.
New South Welshman Harrison Crowe has made the decision to turn professional, bringing to a close a stellar amateur career both in Australia and abroad.
Due to turn 22 next month, Crowe, a member of St Michael’s Golf Club in Sydney, declared his desire to turn professional today, capitalising on the PGA Tour of Australasia exemption he received for winning the 2022 NSW Open at Concord Golf Club.
That exemption was due to expire at the end of the 2023/2024 season, prompting Crowe to join the pro ranks starting from the Nexus Advisernet Bowra & O’Dea WA Open at Joondalup Country Club in Perth from October 5-8.
The decision to go pro means that Crowe will forgo the opportunity to defend his Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship title at Royal Melbourne Golf Club from October 26-29, instead setting his sights on a full season on home soil before taking his game to the world.
With three DP World Tour cards and exemptions to international Qualifying Schools on offer through the Order of Merit – not to mention DP World Tour co-sanctioning of the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship and ISPS HANDA Australian Open – Crowe knows the path forward starts on home soil.
“To have the goals that I want to achieve, I need to be playing a full season,” said Crowe, who has not played either of the first two tournaments of the season, the PNG Open and NT PGA.
“If I was to wait any longer and miss those additional events, I could be starting behind the eight ball with regards to the Order of Merit.
“I don’t feel like I should be trying to skip any of the steps; I need to earn my right to play on certain tours.
“For the time being, it’s getting myself on the PGA Tour of Australasia where I do feel comfortable and letting my golf do the talking.
“I think I’m more than mentally ready to make that jump and it’s shaping up to be a nice schedule.”
The timeline on Crowe’s move into the professional ranks has been closely monitored since he edged Blake Windred by a shot to claim the NSW Open in March last year.
It was expected that he would turn professional following the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Thailand last October yet a victory sealed with an up-and-down on the 72nd hole opened the doors to major championship starts at both The Masters and The Open Championship.
“I think the decision would have been made a lot earlier if I didn’t make that up-and-down,” Crowe conceded.
“The perks of playing two majors is pretty cool but regardless of the two majors, the extra experience that I got and continuously learning really opened my eyes.
“The people that I got to meet, the people that I got to play with and the advice I was given is pretty priceless and I definitely wouldn’t have gotten that if it wasn’t for the Asia-Pacific Amateur last year.
“It made me more and more ready the more I played and the more I travelled.”
As he enters the next phase of his golf career, Crowe expressed his gratitude to parents Shaunaugh and Tony, long-time coach John Serhan, his immediate team and the support he has received from both Golf NSW and Golf Australia.
“The opportunities that I have been given in amateur golf representing my state, representing my club, representing my country, it’s been truly unforgettable,” he added.
“Playing Interstate Series or playing Eisenhower Trophy, it’s something that you’re holding onto no matter where you are and where you’re playing.
“That you did get to play for your country, you did get to play for your state, you played for your club. There are plenty of golfers out there that haven’t got the chance and it’s something huge that I can take forward.
“That I’m one of those players that did get the opportunity to play those events, to travel the world as an amateur golfer.
“It’s been a pretty crazy journey, but it’s been awesome.”
Graeme Phillipson, Chief Operating Officer at Golf NSW, was effusive in his praise for Crowe as he entered this exciting stage of his career.
“Harrison leaves the amateur ranks with a distinguished record matched by only a few in our game,” said Phillipson.
“It will be a thrill to see his career flourish in the pro ranks and we hope that he emulates the careers of several who have gone before him, including PGA TOUR winner Cam Davis, LPGA Tour winner Grace Kim and his St Michael’s club match, Steph Kyriacou.”
PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman said Crowe would be a very welcome new face on the PGA Tour of Australasia.
“Harrison is a great example of the pathways that exist in Australian golf for our young men and women to progress from junior golf through to the High Performance Squads and then professional golf,” he said.
“Harrison has had an outstanding amateur career and is already shown what it takes to be a Tour winner thanks to his memorable victory at the NSW Open.
“We look forward to seeing his game continue to grow in the professional game.”
Golf Australia High Performance Director Tony Meyer said: “Harrison has shown throughout his amateur career that he has the game to compete with the pros.
“We’re really excited to see him continue to develop his game over the summer in Australia and look forward to seeing his continued progress.”
Harrison Crowe
Age: 21 (October 15, 2001)
Home club: St Michael’s Golf Club, Sydney
Coach: John Serhan
Major appearances: 2023 Masters (MC), 2023 Open Championship (MC)
Professional wins: 2022 NSW Open
Amateur wins: 2022 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship; 2022 Master of the Amateurs; 2022 NSW Amateur; 2021 Victorian Amateur; 2020 Victorian Amateur; 2019 Asia-Pacific Junior; 2018 Riversdale Cup; 2018 Bonville Champions Trophy.
Australia’s best professional golfers and elite amateur stars are set to test their games in a way very few have ever done at the inaugural World Sand Greens Championships for men and women in regional New South Wales in 2024.
Each tournament, the women’s championship in April and men’s event in September, will carry $140,000 in prizemoney, be contested over 36 holes and are sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia and WPGA Tour of Australasia.
Walcha Golf Club in the New England area will host the Women’s World Sand Greens Championship from April 9-10, and from September 28-29, Binalong Golf Club in the Yass Valley will host the Men’s World Sand Greens Championship.
Golf NSW will partner with the Sports Entertainment Network (SEN), The Home of Sport, to livestream the final round of both tournaments on the Golf NSW website, social media, and via the SEN App.
Golf NSW General Manager – Golf Olivia Wilson said the concept of playing two professional tournaments on sand surfaces was a first in Australia, and certain to attract a lot of interest, from both local and overseas competitors.
“Playing and putting on sand greens is a very different experience for many players, with two impressive purses on offer, interest should be high,” she said.
PGA Tour of Australasia Tournaments Director Nick Dastey, said the dual events would be an exciting opportunity to showcase the distinct style of golf.
“The PGA Tour of Australasia looks forward to the World Sand Greens Championship coming to life in late September 2024,” he said.
“Our unique country provides for various course and weather conditions across the vast lands we play. Sand greens golf will provide for a very different test to play a professional event on and one I am sure will showcase the creative talents our players possess.
“The World Sand Greens Championship will be a great way to kick-start what is sure to be a huge 2024/25 Summer of Golf.”
WPGA Tour of Australasia CEO Karen Lunn shared her excitement for the upcoming golfing spectacle which will count towards the WPGA Tour’s Order of Merit.
“The WPGA Tour is very much looking forward to having the World Sand Greens Championship on our schedule from 2024,” she said.
“All golf is golf, and this new and innovative event will provide our players and international visitors with a completely different test of golf from what they are used to.
“Sand greens golf plays an important part in Australia’s golfing landscape, especially in rural communities, and it will be great to showcase this side of our game.”
The 2024 World Sand Greens Championships is proudly supported by Destination NSW, the tourism and major events agency for the NSW Government.
FAST FACTS:
Women’s World Sand Greens Championship
Date: April 10-11, 2024
Purse: $140,000
Course Par: 71 (Red)
Length: 5389 m (Red Tees)
Walcha Golf Club: regarded as one of NSW’s best sand greens courses. Just one hour east of Tamworth and 3/4 hour from Armidale, the town is halfway between Sydney and Brisbane.
More info: https://www.golfnsw.org.au/golf-clubs/walcha-golf-club/
Men’s World Sand Greens Championship
Date: September 28-29, 2024
Purse: $140,000
Course Par: 70 (Blue)
Length: 5280 m (Blue Tees)
Binalong Golf Club: Just an hour from Canberra, the club has a long and rich history dating to 1857. The 18-hole layout is a picturesque mix of holes with some long par-threes but reachable par-fives.
More info: https://www.golfnsw.org.au/golf-clubs/binalong-golf-club/
Jayden Cripps’ first preference was to have a PGA Tour of Australasia card, however, when Qualifying School failed to go to plan, he circled the upcoming Four Nations Cup on the calendar.
A teams event contested between Australia, South Africa, Canada and New Zealand, the Four Nations Cup is for vocational PGA members without a Tour card and will be played at Victoria’s Moonah Links from September 19-21.
Cripps something of a contestant with a difference, and an important one at that.
Hailing from Sydney’s south, Cripps is a rare Indigenous golf professional, one who is relishing the chance to provide a visible example of an Indigenous golfer representing his country to young aspiring players.
Growing up in a sporting family that has included relatives playing NRL, and even a golf pro in great uncle Graham Lester, Cripps is aware of both his uniqueness, and welcomes added responsibility both as an example and potential agent of change.
The graduate of the PGA Membership Pathway Program via The Ridge Golf Club reminded of both while thoroughly enjoying recent involvement in an Indigenous clinic at the Tailor-Made Building Services NT PGA for a second time.
“Anytime you can be a role model for anyone let alone being Indigenous or anyone is pretty cool,” Cripps said.
“I guess doing the indigenous clinic at the NT PGA and giving back to the Indigenous community, that was pretty rewarding … To have a golf influence in the Indigenous community would be huge.”
That influence will come in part when he suits up for Australia at the Four Nations Cup this month, but is also achieved through his training as a vocational member of the PGA of Australia and through simply being present.
“Watching the Indigenous kids at Palmerston, it was amazing how much talent was there in that little group.
“I think it was Lorenzo, he absolutely killed it. He was smashing the ball, his putting was unbelievable. I gave him a signed glove, some balls and he was in awe. He didn’t take the glove off.
“To see something like that, to give back to someone like that is probably the most rewarding. And for him to go back to his family and say, ‘Look what I got’, that could promote golf in his family or community somewhere down the line.”
Promoting the game is a core element to every PGA member’s role, achieved in a wide variety of ways, including for Cripps and the rest of the Australian Four Nations Cup team through physically playing the game.
The event’s importance despite only recently coming into existence clear for Cripps when describing his aspirations to represent his country.
“Once I knew I wasn’t going to get my Tour card because I played so well at Q School (laughing), that was on my radar big time,” Cripps said. “Once I knew I was illegible to qualify for it, I wanted to make it straight away.”
That qualifying occurred via last year’s PGA Professionals Championship National Final at Yarra Yarra Golf Club where Cripps earned his first chance to represent Australia in anything alongside veteran Tour pro turned Royal Hobart Golf Club Teaching Professional Scott Laycock.
The remainder of the four-man team comprising of Cripps’ good friend TJ King, who returns to the Aussie side after playing the 2022 event won by Canada, with Melbourne-based professional Bradley McLellan, another new face.
Relishing the chance to return to a team environment like his days as young man playing Australian rules football, Cripps is also looking forward to playing under team captain Laycock, who selflessly gave up his exemption into the 2022 Fortinet Australian PGA Championship for King and Cripps to allow both to tee it up.
“When you have someone who was a great player like him and the calibre of his class, you’re going to learn a lot,” Cripps said of the one-time world No.69.
“Watching him shoot bogey-free 66 in the second round at Yarra Yarra last year was some of the most impressive golf I have ever seen.”
Competing across the difficult Open Course at Moonah Links will require more of the same from Laycock, as well as his teammates who will contest daily singles matches in the morning and two fourball matches in the afternoon.
The goal for the Aussie charge quite simple according to Cripps.
“I just want to win.”
The PGA Careers in Golf Open Day will return this year, showcasing everything a career in golf has to offer.
The PGA Careers in Golf Open Day will return this year, showcasing everything a career in golf have to offer.
The Golf Learning Hub at Sandhurst will again open its doors on September 23 to highlight the PGA’s education offerings.
However you want your career in golf to look, the PGA Institute, the Membership Pathway Program and the PGA Academy are here to make it happen.
This year’s open day will provide you with an insight into each of the educational offerings and will also allow you to experience the fantastic facilities on offer for students at the Learning Hub.
By attending, you will also have the opportunity to speak with past and current students and get a sense of where these educational programs can take you.
Offering Australia’s ONLY Diploma of Golf Management, the PGA Institute provides an unrivalled golf-education program. It combines golf management, business and practical golf training to leave graduates best-placed to thrive in their own golfing career.
At the open day, you will have the chance to chat to past and current students, who are setting themselves up for success at the PGA Institute.
What can I study?
One of the world’s most respected golf training programs, the Membership Pathway (MPP) provides a valuable platform to attain the training and education required to become a PGA Professional – Australia’s accredited experts in golf.
For anyone keen to turn their passion for golf into a rewarding career in the industry, the MPP provides real-life skills in the workplace, in addition to undertaking a nationally recognised diploma.
At the Open Day, you will meet:
The PGA Academy boasts a high quality team of PGA qualified coaches and the latest in golf performance technology to take your game to the next level. In addition to coaching services, the PGA Academy offers the Golf Performance Program and the Train Like A Tour Program.
At the Open Day you can…
If you are thinking about coming along to the open day, RSVP now.
We look forward to seeing you on September 23, as you come and learn how to tee up your career in golf!
The PGA Golf Learning Hub is based at Sandhurst Club, 75 Sandhurst Blvd, Sandhurst VIC 3977
It’s an often-repeated phrase from friends to those thinking about starting a family: If you wait until you’re ready to have kids, you’ll never have them.
Part of that truth belongs to the simple fact that nothing can prepare you fully for what comes with being a parent; part of it is the reality of how much you have to learn along the way.
Mark Lazenby, a PGA Professional for the past 21 years, questioned whether his skill set was enough to make a move into management.
Did he have the knowledge to read a balance sheet? Could he cast a critical eye over the food and beverage operation and suggest improvements? Did he have the capacity to bring a staff together and have them all working towards a common goal?
The role of a General Manager is diverse and fluid and it wasn’t until Lazenby heard Oatlands Golf Club General Manager, Sam Howe, speak at a PGA leadership seminar that he understood that no one is completely ready to take that step.
“What really stood out for me was understanding that sometimes we can be too self-critical in feeling like we need to know everything,” Lazenby says.
“One of the things Sam said was that it is absolutely OK at times to not be the smartest person in the room.
“It’s OK to sit back and listen, take on board rather than having to be the messiah who knows absolutely everything.
“During a PGA webinar with fellow PGA Professionals David Tapping and David Wren (General Manager of Melbourne Golf Park and Executive General Manager at Rosanna Golf Club respectively), the question was asked as to when they knew they were ready to take on that role.
“Dave Tapping said it was two years into the job.
“To hear people talk like that, who I respect greatly, gave me that bit of confidence to throw my hat in the ring and take that next step, which is what I did.”
The position that Lazenby applied for was as General Manager of Cardinia Beaconhills Golf Club in Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges, a position he was appointed to in July.
Lazenby undertook his PGA training at Royal Fremantle Golf Club south of Perth before seeking opportunities within the golf industry overseas.
After four years in Europe, Lazenby broadened his professional perspective by spending 11 years in Asia.
That included stints at the prestigious Singapore Island Country Club and Sentosa Golf Club, experiences that emphasised the importance of the customer experience.
“Incredibly high-end facilities that came with expectations of how you dealt with people with various needs, be they high net-worth individuals or not,” Lazenby explained.
He put that knowledge to good use when he joined Anthony Sinclair at Federal Golf Club in Canberra.
The General Manager at Federal and the 2021 NSW/ACT Management Professional of the Year, Sinclair was embarking on enhancing the member-value proposition when Lazenby joined as Golf Operations Manager in October 2018.
“It was a change of culture that we tried to instil to create a facility that was financially strong but also had that real feeling of a facility where people wanted to spend time,” Lazenby adds.
“We increased the membership, we increased the number of rounds and turned it into a facility where people really wanted to be.”
In the early stages of the next phase of his career, Lazenby is already advancing his education.
The Board at Cardinia Beaconhills recently supported his attendance at a business management conference, confident it will lead to a stronger club in future.
That week of education advancement also highlighted to Lazenby the willingness of other General Managers to share their accumulated wealth of knowledge anytime he cares to ask.
And when he is confronted by a situation he is not particularly sure how to handle, Lazenby will call upon two decades of trying to help people solve the problems with their golf swing.
“No one comes and has a lesson when they’re playing their best; they tend to only come to you when they’re at their worst,” Lazenby reasons.
“It’s having that idea of how to deal with people and make sure that everyone’s needs are respected and being looked after.”
