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There were enough encouraging signs at last week’s Women’s Scottish Open that we can dare dream of a third straight women’s major win at the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl starting Thursday.
The stunning Welsh links will welcome eight Aussies for the final women’s major of 2025, two of whom were inside the top 10 going into the final round at Dundonald Links on Sunday.
Cassie Porter and Karis Davidson were both tied ninth through three rounds in Scotland, Davidson continuing her recent strong run of form highlighted by a tie for seventh at the Meijer LPGA Classic.
While both dropped shots on the back nine to finish tied 21st alongside fellow Australian Minjee Lee, it should instil hope that they have what it takes to counter what Porthcawl throws at them and add to recent wins by Lee (KPMG Women’s PGA) and Grace Kim (Amundi Evian Championship).
Amongst the Aussie men this past week, Marc Leishman built on his four rounds at The Open Championship with a tie for 11th, enough to edge ahead of Ripper GC teammate Lucas Herbert in this week’s Power Rankings.
10. Min Woo Lee (9)
Texas Children’s Houston Open winner celebrated his 27th birthday on Sunday and is not expected to tee it up again until the FedEx St Jude Championship next week.
9. Hannah Green (8)
A tie for 12th at the US Women’s Open is the lone bright spot for Green in the 2025 major championships to date. She can rectify that at this week’s AIG Women’s Open where her best finish is a tie for 16th in 2019.
8. Karis Davidson (new)
A superb 6-under 66 in Round 3 catapulted Davidson inside the top 10 heading into the final round of the Women’s Scottish Open. Although she closed with a 74 for a tie for 21st, is in the type of form that should instil confidence heading into a major.
7. Stephanie Kyriacou (7)
Tied for 14th at the Evian Championship, Kyriacou copped a couple of bruises inflicted by the vagaries of links golf to miss the cut at the Women’s Scottish Open. Has the chance to bounce back quickly at the AIG Women’s Open.
6. Jason Day (6)
Has missed his past two cuts – including The Open Championship – after finishing tied fourth at the Travelers Championship. Has made just six starts since the Masters and is not in the field for this week’s Wyndham Championship.
5. Lucas Herbert (4)
Arguably Australia’s best-performing men’s golfer for the first half of the year, Herbert’s struggles continued at LIV Golf UK. A winner on the Asian Tour this year, Herbert struggled to keep pace at JCB Golf and Country Club, finishing tied 34th, 15 strokes back of the winner, Joaquin Niemann.
4. Adam Scott (3)
Dusted himself off after a missed cut at The Open to be the lone Aussie to play all four rounds at the 3M Open. Tied for 25th after shooting 5-under 66 in Round 3, Scott made two late bogeys in his round of 1-over 72 to drop into a tie for 53rd.
3. Marc Leishman (5)
The lone Aussie to make the cut at The Open, Leishman carried his consistent form into LIV Golf UK. Tied sixth going into the final round, the LIV Golf Miami champ lost ground with a closing 1-under 70, ultimately finishing in a tie for 11th.
2. Grace Kim (2)
With her head perhaps still spinning from what transpired at Evian Resort Golf Club, Australia’s latest major champion missed the cut at the Women’s Scottish Open. Back in action this week at the AIG Women’s Open.
1. Minjee Lee (1)
A tie for 21st at the Women’s Scottish Open was Lee’s 10th top-25 finish from 12 starts this year. A three-time major winner after her victory at the KPMG Women’s PGA, Lee’s worst result this year is a tie for 35th at the T-Mobile Match Play.
The Australian Golf Power Rankings is a subjective list developed with input from members of the Australian Golf media team.
Jeremy Ward obtained full membership of the PGA of Australia 15 years ago and now sits at the centre of a three-generational tradition that is as old as the PGA itself.
Applications for the 2026 Membership Pathway Program have been open since July 1, providing not only an opportunity for enthusiastic and dedicated golfers to pursue a career in the golf industry but for existing PGA Members to help mould the next generation of PGA Members.
Ward learned the true value of mentorship first under Bruce Burrows and then David Northey at Castle Hill Country Club, Ward and Northey continuing to catch up to talk life and pro shop retail operations over dinner.
Ward has other mentors whom he seeks out to talk coaching and is now sharing that knowledge with Associates he supervises in his role as Head Professional at Oatlands Golf Club in Sydney.
Currently, Ward has Sam Reece at Oatlands in the second year of the MPP while 2025 graduate Max Dakic recently moved to the United States to take up the position of Assistant Professional at the prestigious Montecito Club in California.
It is this progression that Ward values most as a Supervising Professional.
“I’m so proud of him for that,” Ward said of Dakic, who only left Oatlands in April. “I just love that part of it.
“We have FaceTime calls every couple of weeks and he’s telling me what it’s all about.
“With Sam, I have watched this young man grow. His personality has come out over the last two years and he’s just a completely different human being.
“I’m always receiving positive feedback from members about Sam, which is awesome. That’s why I do it.”
As a Supervising Professional, Ward endeavours to instil a high level of professionalism within his Associates while offering opportunity to explore areas of the business and take responsibility for particular areas of the shop.
During his time under Ward, Dakic was trusted with the responsibility of food and drink ordering for the pro shop while, in a short space of time, Reece has become the go-to man for club repairs at Oatlands.
“A lot of the members go to Sam now for repairs,” Ward explained.
“He’ll complete the work, I’ll go and have a look at it, make sure that he’s on the right track, but that’s it. For the most part, I just let him go because he has earned that right over the past 12 months to be the repair guy.
“He’ll zip off to the repair bench and spend an hour or two there doing whatever work that needs to be done and he can do that completely unsupervised.”
It is Ward’s view that by providing an opportunity for growth, Associates don’t only become more highly-skilled, they absorb an element of the daily workload that provides the Supervising Professional time to conduct lessons and circulate amongst the membership.
Crediting former Oatlands General Manager and fellow PGA Professional Sam Howe for understanding the value of a PGA Professional, Ward invests the time saved through his Associates to better serve the Oatlands members.
“Knowing that they’re capable of doing the work allows me to do my job properly and frees me up to build relationships with members and coach,” Ward added.
As for his role within the chain of accumulated knowledge within the PGA of Australia Membership, Ward believes it is a duty that every PGA Professional should seek to accept.
“I’m a direct result of a guy like David Northey, who I learned so much from,” said Ward.
“I’m sure he felt a responsibility over me, to make sure that I finished with some idea as to how to run a golf shop and how to be a Head Professional or a Director of Golf.
“It’s the same with the Associates that I take on. I see myself as being responsible for the finished product after three years and I also feel a continued responsibility to mentor them even after their time with me has ended.
“I feel like that is my duty as a PGA Professional.”
There is still time to apply for the Membership Pathway Program. For more information click here.
Scott Hend consolidated his position at the top of the Legends Tour Order of Merit with his career-best finish in a senior major at the ISPS HANDA Senior Open in London.
Irishman Padraig Harrington became just the fifth player to win both The Open Championship and the Senior Open as Hend matched the low round of the final round – 5-under 65 – to snare outright fourth.
It betters the 51-year-old’s tie for fourth at the 2024 Senior PGA Championship and extends his advantage as the Legends Tour Order of Merit leader from Dane Thomas Bjorn and South African Keith Horne.
While they couldn’t push into contention on Sunday, the Aussie flag was prominent throughout the final men’s senior major of 2025.
Cameron Percy matched Hend’s Sunday 65 to move up into a tie for fifth, Kiwi Steven Alker (68) was outright seventh and Steve Allan (66) and Greg Chalmers (69) tied for eighth at 9-under par.
An Aussie charge also failed to materialise in the final round of the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open at Dundonald Links.
Queensland pair Karis Davidson and Cassie Porter began the final round in a tie for ninth but both shot 2-over 74 to drop into a tie for 21st alongside fellow Australian Minjee Lee (71).
Captain Cameron Smith’s tie for 10th led the way for Ripper GC at LIV Golf UK, Marc Leishman a shot further back in a tie for 11th as Ripper GC finished sixth in the teams event.
Photo: Luke Walker/Getty Images
Results
PGA TOUR Champions
ISPS HANDA Senior Open
Sunningdale GC, Sunningdale, Berkshire, United Kingdom
1 Padraig Harrington 67-65-65-67—264 €381,190.20
4 Scott Hend 68-71-64-65—268 €114,316.20
T5 Cameron Percy 69-65-70-65—269 €88,405.82
7 Steven Alker (NZ) 63-73-66-68—270 €68,512.09
T8 Steve Allan 68-67-70-66—271 €51,335.54
T8 Greg Chalmers 70-66-66-69—271 €51,335.54
T12 Richard Green 68-69-70-66—273 €37,943.66
T17 Michael Wright 72-65-68-70—275 €28,685.80
T24 Mark Hensby 64-72-69-72—277 €22,361.39
T47 Mark Brown (NZ) 70-69-74-67—280 €11,418.68
T61 Stuart Appleby 70-68-74-72—284 €5,446.52
MC Rod Pampling 68-74—142 €2,426.07
MC Michael Long (NZ) 71-72—143 €2,096.12
MC Michael Campbell (NZ) 70-76—146 €1,581.79
MC David Bransdon 75-76—151 €1,263.49
LPGA Tour/Ladies European Tour
ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open
Dundonald Links, Gailes, Ayrshire, Scotland
1 Lottie Woad 67-65-67-68—267 €255,554.10
T21 Minjee Lee 68-74-70-71—283 €22,391.41
T21 Cassie Porter 70-70-69-74—283 €22,391.41
T21 Karis Davidson 70-73-66-74—283 €22,391.41
MC Hira Naveed 71-75—146
MC Gabriela Ruffels 73-73—146
MC Momoka Kobori (NZ) 73-74—147
MC Kelsey Bennett 76-72—148
MC Kirsten Rudgeley 73-75—148
MC Grace Kim 73-76—149
MC Amelia Garvey (NZ) 78-75—153
MC Robyn Choi 79-75—154
MC Stephanie Kyriacou 72-83—155
PGA TOUR
3M Open
TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minnesota
1 Kurt Kitayama 65-71-60-65—261 $US1.512m
T53 Adam Scott 69-67-66-72—274 $20,118
MC Karl Vilips 70-71—141
MC Cam Davis 71-72—143
MC Aaron Baddeley 73-73—146
MC Harrison Endycott 73-73—146
MC Thomas Campbell (NZ) 73-77—150
LIV Golf
LIV Golf UK
JCB Golf and Country Club, Rochester, England
1 Joaquín Niemann 65-63-68—196 $US4m
T10 Cameron Smith 68-70-67—205 $405,000
T11 Marc Leishman 67-69-70—206 $322,143
T34 Lucas Herbert 69-72-70—211 $147,667
T40 Matt Jones 70-70-73—213 $134,000
T42 Ben Campbell (NZ) 70-74-70—214 $127,750
T50 Danny Lee (NZ) 72-72-74—218 $60,000
Korn Ferry Tour
NV5 Invitational
The Glen Club, Glenview, Illinois
1 Johnny Keefer 65-63-61-69—258 $US180,000
T30 Harry Hillier (NZ) 65-67-66-69—267 $6,155
MC Rhein Gibson 67-71—138
PGA TOUR Americas
Commissionaires Ottawa Open
Eagle Creek Golf Club, Ottawa, Ontario
1 Brett White 71-64-68-59—262 $40,500
Won on second hole of sudden-death playoff
MC Grant Booth 72-67—139
MC Tony Chen 70-70—140
Greg Chalmers will have to conjure a Grace Kim-like miracle finish as he looks to rein in runaway leader Padraig Harrington at the ISPS HANDA Senior Open at Sunningdale Golf Club.
While fellow Australian Scott Hend was the big mover in Round 3 – an equal-low round of the day 6-under 64 rocketing the Queenslander 28 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for eighth – Chalmers also made inroads.
A bogey-free 4-under 66 moved Chalmers up six spots into a tie for fourth at 8-under through three rounds, five strokes back of Harrington (65) who leads by two as he seeks to make it consecutive senior major championship victories.
Conscious of the class of the man leading the pack, Chalmers knows it will take something out of the ordinary – like Kim at the Amundi Evian Championship – to come out on top.
“He’s obviously very confident at the moment and a world-class player,” said Chalmers.
“Ultimately it’s going to take, I would imagine, some really good golf from me, regardless of who is leading or what’s going on because you rarely get to just coast around and win the Senior British Open.”
With just one bogey from consecutive rounds of 4-under 66, Chalmers again took advantage of Sunningdale’s two par 5s on day three along with birdies at the par-4 ninth and par-4 17th.
After a somewhat slow start to the week, the West Australian is now in position to better his previous best finish in a senior major, a tie for third at the 2024 Senior PGA.
“I really didn’t play that well on Monday. I didn’t strike the ball very well at all,” said Chalmers. “Sometimes stress can sort of make you go to work, and so I had a really good practice session yesterday morning before my round and shot another 4-under there yesterday and continued that today.
“I’m pleased with how I’m holing out from sort of four to six feet, and things have been going nicely. I’m happy the last two days.”
It was hard to tell whether Hend was happy despite his round of 64 that elevated him inside the top 10.
Bemoaning the poa annua greens that he says is his least favourite surface to putt on, Hend’s main motivation on Sunday will be a win that opens the door to more time in the United States.
“It means I can stay at home a lot more in the States and play the Champions Tour,” Hend said of the prospect of a Senior Open triumph.
“That’s the end goal. Just keep cracking at it.
“Just got to have my week and hopefully it’s the right week where I’m situated and playing at a Champions Tour event.”
An even-par 70 saw Cameron Percy drop six spots into a tie for 10th, Aussie trio Michael Wright (68), Mark Hensby (69) and Steve Allan a shot further back in a tie for 13th at 5-under.
Photo: Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images
Round 3 Australasian scores
T4 Greg Chalmers -8
T4 Steven Alker (NZ) -8
T8 Scott Hend -7
T10 Cameron Percy -6
T13 Michael Wright -5
T13 Mark Hensby -5
T13 Steve Allan -5
T22 Richard Green -3
T61 Stuart Appleby +2
T65 Mark Brown (NZ) +3
MC Rod Pampling +2
MC Michael Long (NZ) +3
MC Michael Campbell (NZ) +6
MC David Bransdon +11
Round 4 tee times AEST
9pm Mark Brown (NZ)
9:20pm Stuart Appleby
9:55pm Richard Green
10:35pm Steve Allan
10:45pm Mark Hensby, Michael Wright
11pm Cameron Percy
11:20pm Scott Hend
11:30pm Greg Chalmers, Steven Alker (NZ)
Cameron Percy dusted off the rust after a week of sightseeing in London to lead the Aussie charge at the halfway mark of the ISPS HANDA Senior Open at Sunningdale Golf Club.
On the back of his victory at the US Senior Open, Irishman Padraig Harrington (65) moved out to a one-stroke lead through two rounds, his closest challengers coming from defending champion KJ Choi (67) and Thomas Bjorn (63).
Percy is one of four players in a share of fourth at 6-under par, fellow Australians Steve Allan (67), Mark Hensby (72) and Greg Chalmers (66) and Kiwi Steven Alker (73) also well placed heading into the weekend.
Tied for ninth at the US Senior Open, Percy conceded that school holidays and family time in London had limited his preparation but found a spark just prior to teeing off in Round 2.
“I actually haven’t touched a club for three weeks,” said Percy after a 5-under 65.
“I’ve been hanging out with the kids. They’re on school holidays. Haven’t done much at all. I’ve been over here in London sightseeing with the kids.
“I’ve been really quite rusty and really showed the way I finished yesterday.
“I found something on the range this morning with about five minutes to go and I’ve rolled with it and drove really, really nicely today.”
Percy took no time in transferring good feels on the range to the golf course in Round 2.
He hit his approach shot into the par-5 first to three feet to set up eagle, steadying after making bogeys at two and four to go bogey-free over his final 14 holes.
Perhaps indicative of the strong Aussie presence at the top of the leaderboard, Percy sees similarities between Sunningdale and the courses back home in Australia.
“It’s definitely not easy, but it’s just brilliant,” was Percy’s Sunningdale summary.
“It’s an actual golf course. It’s not a housing development.
“It reminds me so much of Australia. We water the fairways and greens, rough is whatever it is, either bare or dry, and then you got the rough rough if you really hit it off-line.
“It looks wide, but it’s not. You get off the beaten track you could be in all sorts of trouble. Fantastic.”
One back at the start of the day after a 6-under 64 on day one, Hensby was 8-under for the championship through 12 holes but dropped four shots in his final six holes to fall four shots from the lead.
Four straight birdies around the turn provided the backbone of Allan’s 3-under 67 while, playing in the same group, Chalmers had the one bogey and five birdies in his 66 to join the eight-way tie for 10th.
Last year’s runner-up, Richard Green (69), enters the weekend at 3-under alongside Queenslander Michael Wright, who kept bogeys off the card in his second round of 5-under 65.
Photo: Luke Walker/Getty Images
Round 2 Australasian scores
T4 Cameron Percy -6
T8 Steve Allan -5
T10 Mark Hensby -4
T10 Greg Chalmers -4
T10 Steven Alker (NZ) -4
T18 Richard Green -3
T18 Michael Wright -3
T25 Stuart Appleby -2
T36 Scott Hend -1
T36 Mark Brown (NZ) -1
MC Rod Pampling +2
MC Michael Long (NZ) +3
MC Michael Campbell (NZ) +6
MC David Bransdon +11
Round 3 tee times AEST
7:45pm Scott Hend
8:30pm Mark Brown (NZ)
9:35pm Stuart Appleby
9:55pm Michael Wright
10:05pm Richard Green
10:25pm Greg Chalmers
10:45pm Steven Alker (NZ)
11pm Mark Hensby
11:20pm Steve Allan
11:40pm Cameron Percy
Tamworth native Mark Hensby is poised to make another run at a senior major championship after a near flawless first day at the ISPS HANDA Senior Open in London.
An area populated by many Aussies who played the European Tour around the turn of the century, Hensby looked right at home at Sunningdale Golf Club, starting the final senior major of 2025 with five straight birdies.
That hot streak would cool somewhat with two further birdies and a lone bogey over the following 13 holes, Hensby’s round of 6-under 64 just one stroke off the lead held by Kiwi Steven Alker (63).
A quartet of Aussies – Rod Pampling, Steve Allan, Scott Hend and Richard Green – all shot 2-under 68 to be tied 14th as defending champion KJ Choi (66), US Senior Open winner Padraig Harrington (67), Ernie Els (67) and Miguel Angel Jimenez (67) all made bright starts.
Hensby was tied with Harrington and Stewart Cink going into the final round of the US Senior Open before finishing fourth late last month, an experience he intends to draw upon over the coming three days.
“I learned a lot playing with Pádraig and Stewart the last day,” Hensby said.
“You don’t have to be perfect and, unfortunately, we feel like we have to. Pádraig played great the last nine holes and it was fun to be there and watch and competing, even though I wasn’t in contention the last nine holes.
“I haven’t played here before, but I love the golf course and my game has been kind of trending at times.
“Thank goodness it was good today.”
Out in 6-under 29, Hensby peppered the pins early on Thursday, aware that the front nine was more scoreable than the back.
“The first three holes I wasn’t outside three feet,” said the 54-year-old, who withdrew after Round 1 of the 2024 Senior Open.
“To be honest, the back nine probably is a little bit more difficult,. I mean, you’ve only got one par 5 and you’ve got that long par 3 and there’s a couple of tricky tee shots on the back nine. Not that the front is easy. But it’s definitely a little bit tougher today.”
Alker, who turns 54 on Monday, is bidding to win his second senior major title, three years on from his first at the Senior PGA Championship.
He mixed three birdies with a bogey over the front nine, before producing a flawless back nine that featured three further birdies and an eagle at the par-5 13th.
“I was just efficient today,” he said.
“Drove it in the fairway when I needed to and iron play was solid and just made some putts, especially on the back nine, just kind of kept things rolling.
“I bogeyed seven and after that, I just got a bit of momentum and kept it going.”
Photo: Luke Walker/Getty Images
Round 1 Australasian scores
1 Steven Alker (NZ) -7
2 Mark Hensby -6
T14 Steve Allan -2
T14 Scott Hend -2
T14 Rod Pampling -2
T14 Richard Green -2
T26 Cameron Percy -1
T42 Greg Chalmers E
T42 Stuart Appleby E
T42 Michael Campbell (NZ) E
T42 Mark Brown (NZ) E
T69 Michael Long (NZ) +1
T87 Michael Wright +2
T126 David Bransdon +5
Round 2 tee times AEST
4:35pm Cameron Percy
5:13pm Mark Brown (NZ)
6:30pm Stuart Appleby
6:46pm Richard Green
9:25pm David Bransdon
9:36pm Mark Hensby
9:52pm Michael Long (NZ)
10:03pm Rod Pampling
10:25pm Scott Hend
10:58pm Steven Alker (NZ)
11:25pm Michael Campbell (NZ)
11:36pm Greg Chalmers, Steve Allan
12:31am Michael Wright
The AirBnB is adjacent to his old stomping ground, son Liam is on the bag and long-time friend Greg Chalmers will share the tee when the ISPS HANDA Senior Open tees off at Sunningdale Golf Club on Thursday.
It’s little wonder Steve Allan is feeling right at home.
The foundation of Allan’s professional career was built in London when he joined the European Tour in the late 1990s.
He shared a house with fellow Victorian Geoff Ogilvy and Kiwi Michael Long lived just around the corner.
Such is the reminiscing that has taken place this week, Long and Allan dragged Liam around on a tour of the old neighbourhood, the eldest of the three Allan boys feigning interest just long enough to convince the old man that it was genuine.
“He was at least pretending to be interested,” Allan conceded.
“Before we went to the supermarket yesterday, we did take a little drive around and yeah, it was cool.
“It’s funny how some of the things come back to you, the names of places… it’s been a long time.”
A step back in time is a far cry from the future the 2002 Australian Open champion is building for he and his family on the PGA TOUR Champions.
And it is very much a family affair.
Liam was on the bag when dad had his breakthrough win at the Galleri Classic in March before younger brother Joey subbed in for Allan’s four-stroke win at the DICK’s Open two weeks ago.
Wife Bridget and youngest son Zac were also on site for both wins, making them treasured memories for the entire family.
“The support I got from my wife, Bridget, through those tough times when we didn’t really have much money and were just ticking along was amazing,” said Allan.
“She always believed in me and thought that I could do it and then to have the kids grow up and be around when I’m competing, it’s been great.”
That two of the kids have shared the stage and rubbed shoulders with some of golf’s greatest names for Dad’s two wins is no coincidence, according to Allan.
“It doesn’t feel like I do anything different when they’re on the bag, but clearly it helps,” said the 51-year-old.
“I guess the only thing you would do different is you probably keep yourself a bit more composed, especially with them being golfers. You’re not going to lose your temper as quickly. That’d be the only thing. It just gives you a comfort level when you’re out there.
“The fact that the whole family was at both wins was amazing. It was very cool.”
School commitments back in Scottsdale mean it’s just Steve and Liam in London this week, the surroundings familiar if not the golf course.
Despite his proximity to a layout regarded as the first truly great golf course to be built on the magical Surrey/Berkshire sand-belt during his days on the European Tour, Allan only played Sunningdale for the first time this week.
First impressions have been positive as he seeks to transfer his form in the US into the final senior men’s major championship of 2025.
“My four years in Europe, we always based ourselves in this area, really close to Sunningdale and never went out for a hit there, which is kind of crazy,” Allan admitted.
“I’ve heard nothing but good things about it before I got here and it’s lived up to it. It’s a brilliant course. It’s spectacular as well as being a good test.
“If you’re ranking it in the courses that we have in Australia, it would be right up there.
“There are a few open holes towards the clubhouse, but a lot of tall trees, a lot of land movement, really good bunkering. You couldn’t ask for a much better course, really.
“I’m a long way from an expert on British courses but if you take the links courses out, it’s the best course I’ve played here, without playing the seaside courses.”
And when he and Liam step onto the first tee at 6:57pm AEST Thursday, the friendly face of Greg Chalmers will be there to greet them.
“He’s one of my best friends on the tour. He is a great guy,” added Allan, who teamed up with Chalmers at the two-man American Family Insurance Championship.
“He’s pretty serious when he plays though, so we’re out here to do a job and try to play our best.
“Having the Aussies on the tour has been fantastic. Most weeks there’s 10 or more guys you’ve known for a long time.
“It makes it a lot more welcoming and easy to just be on the tour, so it’s great.”
All four rounds of the ISPS HANDA Senior Open will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo from 10:30pm-4am starting Thursday.
ISPS HANDA Senior Open
Sunningdale GC, Sunningdale, Berkshire, United Kingdom
4:46pm David Bransdon
4:57pm Mark Hensby
5:13pm Michael Long (NZ)
5:24pm Rod Pampling
5:46pm Scott Hend
6:19pm Steven Alker (NZ)
6:46pm Michael Campbell (NZ)
6:57pm Steve Allan, Greg Chalmers
7:52pm Michael Wright
9:14pm Cameron Percy
9:52pm Mark Brown (NZ)
11:09pm Stuart Appleby
11:25pm Richard Green
Recent champion: KJ Choi
Past Aussie winners: Ian Stanley (2001)
Prize money: $US2.85m
TV times: Live 10:30pm-4am Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
Golfers, fans and industry professionals will soon have a new digital home to engage with the sport as the launch of the golf industry’s new one-stop shop website, GOLF.com.au, is confirmed to go live on Thursday, October 2, 2025.
A joint initiative by the PGA of Australia and Golf Australia, GOLF.com.au brings together seven legacy websites including golf.org.au, pga.org.au and wpga.org.au, into a centralised, modern and mobile-friendly platform, delivering a unified digital experience for the first time in the sport’s history.
GOLF.com.au will serve as the digital home for everyone to connect around the game: from Australia’s 460,000-plus club members, the almost 4 million Australians who played golf last year, newcomers to the sport, fans of the professional tours and the more than 30,000 people who are employed or volunteer in the golf industry, including more than 3,000 PGA Professionals.
Whether you’re booking a tee time or finding a golf lesson, joining a clinic, tracking your handicap, following the latest leaderboard, or simply discovering where to play, GOLF.com.au brings it all together in one place, making it easier than ever to connect with the game.
“It puts every part of the golf experience at your fingertips, bringing together the tools, services and inspiration to help more people get into the game, stay connected as a player or immerse yourself as a fan,” PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman said.
“By uniting the industry around a single platform, we’re creating new opportunities to grow the sport and support everyone who plays, works, or enjoys golf in Australia.
“For the PGA of Australia, it gives fans and golfers the opportunity to connect with our Members like never before, whether it be following our Tours or finding their closest PGA Professional for expert golf advice.”
The new website will be the new home for golfers to access their GA Handicap, with an improved experience that allows golfers to track their progress and connect with friends.
The site also features a powerful “finder” tool, helping users discover places to learn, play or practice, whether that’s an 18-hole course, driving range, indoor golf centre, community clinic or their nearest PGA Professional.
“From long-time club members to those just picking up a club for the first time, we’ve designed this new digital experience for all golfers and fans,” Golf Australia CEO James Sutherland said.
“We know today’s golfers expect convenience, connection and a great experience, on and off the course.
“GOLF.com.au and the new handicap experience is built to meet those expectations now, while laying the foundations for more features and innovations to attract, engage and grow the golf community into the future.”
From launch on October 2, 2025, GOLF.com.au users will be able to:
It is a rare delicacy in the modern menu of professional golf yet self-confessed foodie Minjee Lee is ready to savour her annual taste of links golf starting with this week’s ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open.
A week out from the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl in Wales, Lee is making her 10th start in the Women’s Scottish Open, absorbing almost all of Scottish culture with the guidance of new caddie and Edinburgh native, Mikey Patterson.
The pair already have a major championship together courtesy of Lee’s third major championship win at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship last month, Patterson’s efforts to tempt Lee into eating haggis and black pudding less of a success.
On the back of her third-place finish at the Amundi Evian Championship Lee “ate my way through London” before turning her attention to sweet Scottish strawberries and the links courses for which she has become so fond.
The world No.5 has finished top 20 in each of her past three starts at Dundonald Links and is ready to sink her teeth into more links-style creativity.
“I like when we do get the opportunities to play links golf, just the creativity,” said the 29-year-old.
“I really enjoy this type of golf I guess. I just like the cool weather.
“Sometimes we’re hit with a ton of wind, rain, the conditions are much harder usually, like the surface.
“Just being able to like picture it in your mind and executing it gives me a lot of joy when I can do it.”
The 2025 championship marks the seventh time that Dundonald Links has hosted the Women’s Scottish Open and the fourth year in succession.
It breeds a familiarity that Lee hopes to use to her advantage.
“We’ve been here quite a few times now, so I know the course really well,” said Lee, who has the added luxury of staying on site this week.
“I know where to miss it and where it’s best to play from. When the wind does get up, I just kind of know my way around the course now.
“I think that really helps, playing it more than a couple times now.”
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Cassie Porter and Kelsey Bennett will make their tournament debuts, Porter out in the first group of the day alongside fellow Australian Kirsten Rudgeley.
As is the case at Dundonald Links, there are 10 Australians in the field for the final senior major of 2025, the ISPS HANDA Senior Open at Sunningdale Golf Club in London.
Steve Allan comes in on the back of his second PGA TOUR Champions win of the year at the DICK’s Open while Richard Green will be hoping to go one better than his runner-up finish to KJ Choi 12 months ago at Carnoustie.
Photo: Monica Marchesani/LET
Round 1 tee times
PGA TOUR Champions
ISPS HANDA Senior Open
Sunningdale GC, Sunningdale, Berkshire, United Kingdom
4:46pm David Bransdon
4:57pm Mark Hensby
5:13pm Michael Long (NZ)
5:24pm Rod Pampling
5:46pm Scott Hend
6:19pm Steven Alker (NZ)
6:46pm Michael Campbell (NZ)
6:57pm Steve Allan, Greg Chalmers
7:52pm Michael Wright
9:14pm Cameron Percy
9:52pm Mark Brown (NZ)
11:09pm Stuart Appleby
11:25pm Richard Green
Recent champion: KJ Choi
Past Aussie winners: Ian Stanley (2001)
Prize money: $US2.85m
TV times: Live 10:30pm-4am Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
LPGA Tour/Ladies European Tour
ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open
Dundonald Links, Gailes, Ayrshire, Scotland
4:30pm Cassie Porter, Kirsten Rudgeley
5:14pm Minjee Lee
5:25pm* Hira Naveed
6:09pm* Gabriela Ruffels
9:31pm* Karis Davidson, Momoka Kobori (NZ)
9:53pm Robyn Choi
9:53pm* Stephanie Kyriacou, Amelia Garvey (NZ)
10:15pm Kelsey Bennett
10:26pm* Grace Kim
Recent champion: Lauren Coughlin
Past Aussie winners: Rebecca Artis (2015)
Prize money: $US2m
TV times: Live 6:30pm-10:30pm Thursday, Friday on Fox Sports 505; Live 11pm-2am Saturday; Live 9pm-1am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
PGA TOUR
3M Open
TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minnesota
11:13pm Aaron Baddeley
11:46pm Harrison Endycott
3:43am Adam Scott
3:54am* Cam Davis
4:16am* Karl Vilips
Recent champion: Jhonattan Vegas
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US8.4m
TV times: Live 10pm-9am Thursday; Live 10:30pm-9am Friday; Live 2am-8am Sunday; Live 1am-8am Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
LIV Golf
LIV Golf UK
JCB Golf and Country Club, Rochester, England
Australasians in the field: Cameron Smith, Lucas Herbert, Marc Leishman, Matt Jones, Ben Campbell (NZ), Danny Lee (NZ)
Recent champion: Jon Rahm
Past Aussie winners: Cameron Smith (2023)
Prize money: $US20m
TV times: Live from 9.30pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday on 7 Plus
Korn Ferry Tour
NV5 Invitational
The Glen Club, Glenview, Illinois
10:14pm* Rhein Gibson
11:14pm* Harry Hillier (NZ)
Recent champion: Thomas Rosenmueller
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US1m
PGA TOUR Americas
Commissionaires Ottawa Open
Eagle Creek Golf Club, Ottawa, Ontario
10:12pm* Tony Chen
2:46am Grant Booth
Recent champion: Barend Botha
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US225,000
One of the most trusted voices in world golf is preparing to step back from the microphone with Ian Baker-Finch announcing the end to his 30-year career in television.
An analyst with US broadcaster CBS for the past 19 years, Baker-Finch became a staple of the CBS Masters coverage, fittingly on hand when Adam Scott became the first Australian to win the green jacket in 2013.
Across a career that spanned three decades, Baker-Finch’s proclamation that Scott had gone, “From Down Under to on top of the world,” only served to elevate the poignancy of the moment for Australian golf fans.
“I could barely get it out,” Baker-Finch told the Subpar podcast.
“I’d been sitting down on the 12th tower, it was dark, it was raining, I’d been sitting out there since they’d gone through 12. The cleaners had come through, that’s how late it was.
“Jimmy (Jim Nantz) threw it over to me and he said, ‘Ian, just a fantastic effort for Adam Scott,’ and I said, ‘From Down Under to on top of the world, Jimmy.’
“It was really all I could say. It’s really all I could get out.
“That was something pretty special.”
In announcing his retirement from the commentary booth, the 1991 Open champion and current Chair of the PGA of Australia expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to stay connected with the sport after he retired from playing.
“Golf has been an enormous part of my life,” Baker-Finch said in a post to Instagram.
“I was fortunate to compete against the best players in the game and more recently work with the very best in television.
“To my colleagues across the industry and golf fans around the world, your support and shared love for this game over these decades have meant everything.
“As I step away, I carry with me immense gratitude and pride for the moments we’ve shared on and off the course.
“Here’s to new adventures and the enduring love of golf.”
Baker-Finch’s announcement was met with great appreciation from across the golf globe, with many posting their congratulations.
“Amazing career Finchy – a true professional,” wrote European Ryder Cup captain, Luke Donald.
“Congratulations on two great careers mate. You were a true champion at both, your voice will be missed by many,” Robert Allenby posted.
“You will be missed,” said Suzy Whaley, current President of the PGA of America.
“It’s always been wonderful listening to you. Congratulations on a fabulous career and our very best for your next endeavour.”
Baker-Finch will be on hand for the final two PGA TOUR events of CBS’s 2025 season, signing off at the completion of the Wyndham Championship on Sunday, August 3.
