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A host of Australia’s best up and coming female talent will be out to join the likes of Hannah Green and Sarah Jane Smith as a Webex Players Series winner at this week’s Webex Players Series South Australia hosted by Greg Blewett.
Returning to Willunga Golf Course in the scenic McLaren Vale region of South Australia for the second straight year, this week marks the first in the five-event Webex Players Series on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
Not only does it showcase men and women playing against each other on the same golf course for the same prize purse but incorporates the Webex All Abilities Players Series and the Webex Junior Players Series across the weekend.
After stellar amateur careers, Queensland pair Quinn Croker and Justice Bosio will make their respective debuts as professionals while WA Open champion Elvis Smylie will be eager to bolster his position at the top of the Order of Merit.
South Australian hopes will rest with WA PGA champion Jack Buchanan, WA Open runner-up Jak Carter, LET Access Series winner Kristalle Blum and rising amateur stars Amelia Whinney and Raegan Denton.
Play begins on Thursday morning with the final two rounds broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo.
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Austin Bautista (New South Wales)
PRIZEMONEY: $200,000
LIVE SCORES: www.pga.org.au
TV COVERAGE: Webex Players Series South Australia is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
*All times AEDT.
Round 3: Saturday 3pm-6pm (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
Final Round: Sunday 1pm-6pm (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
HEADLINERS
Elvis Smylie – 2024 WA Open champion and current Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit leader
Jack Buchanan – 2024 WA PGA champion
Kristalle Blum – 2021 The Athena champion, 2022 LET Access Series winner
Daniel Gale – 2023 Webex Players Series Hunter Valley champion
Adam Bland – Japan Golf Tour and Canadian Golf Tour winner
Justice Bosio – 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur competitor making pro debut
Jak Carter – Fleurieu local and 2024 WA Open runner-up
The leading 66 Vocational PGA Professionals from across the country will this week descend on The Heritage Golf and Country Club in the Yarra Valley for the 2024 PGA Professionals Championship National Final.
With an increased prize purse this year, players will be competing for $65,000, with the two leading PGA Professionals after three rounds also earning an exemption into the 2024 BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland from November 21-24.
Vying for an incredible fifth title in 15 years, defending champion Matt Docking will undoubtedly be the player to beat as he seeks to return and improve on his showing at RQ 12 months ago.
“Playing the BMW Australian PGA Championship is an amazing experience, especially to play in front of such huge crowds,” said Docking.
“Although I didn’t play as well as I had hoped last year, it certainly gives me strong motivation to get back there again this year.
“Heritage Golf and Country Club is a really strong layout and with softer conditions due to recent rain, I expect that to win this year you will have to have a good ball-striking week.”
The BMW Australian PGA Championship is not the only lure for competitors this week.
The leading two males from the 2024 PGA Professionals Championship will represent Australia in the 2025 Four Nations Cup and the leading two females from the event will represent Australia in the 2026 PGA Women’s Cup.
The National Final will be played over three days (Tuesday to Thursday) on Heritage’s St John course, which is also the home to the Heritage Classic on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
PRIZE MONEY: $65,000
LIVE SCORES: www.pga.org.au
THE COURSE
The St John course at Heritage was originally designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 2000. It plays as a par-72 and, measuring more than 6,500 metres, can prove a challenging layout.
Designed in an American parkland style, the St John course is also the home to the Heritage Classic on the PGA Tour of Australasia, where earlier this year winner Matt Griffin demonstrated that despite the challenge, there are certainly plenty of scoring opportunities.
HEADLINERS
Matt Docking: Four-time and defending champion, Docking is the Head Professional at Murray Downs Golf Club which is the host of this year’s NSW Open. Last year Docking came from behind with a final round 67 to triumph by one shot. His win also earned him an invitation to this year’s Heritage Classic on the PGA Tour of Australasia where he made the cut.
TJ King: Leading for 50 holes in last year’s championship before Docking overtook him, TJ King is a two-time runner-up at the National Final. The Assistant Professional at Mt Coolum Golf Club, King is a two-time Australian representative at the Four Nations Cup. Despite still receiving the exemption into the BMW Australian PGA Championship the past two years, King will be hungry to go one better this year and etch his name onto the trophy.
Lachlan Wood: Making waves on the All Abilities circuit in recent years, Hervey Bay Teaching Professional Lachlan Wood has taken his game around the world to the highest level of All Abilities golf. Winner of the 2023 Australian All Abilities Championship and the Tin Can Bay Pro-Am on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series last year, Wood knows how to close out a tournament and will be one to watch at The Heritage.
Grace Lennon: While Lennon can be found coaching at Melbourne Golf Park more than playing these days, her playing credentials make her a player to watch this week. Winner of the 2023 Athena against some of the top WPGA Tour of Australasia players, Lennon also travelled to the US this year to represent Australia in the Women’s PGA Cup, helping her country to a third-place finish.
Larry Austin: A regular on the touring circuits in Australia and Asia in the 2000s, Queanbeyan’s Austin will be hoping to turn the clock back this week at The Heritage. Having competed in multiple Australian Opens and indeed several national opens around the world, Austin has more experience playing in strong fields than a lot of his competitors this week.
Katelyn Must: Based on the Sunshine Coast, Must has built her own successful golf coaching business over a number a of years. As a player, Must still plays in a number of WPGA Tour of Australasia events, making the cut at Webex Player Series Hunter Valley earlier this year, and was the Australian Team captain at this year’s Women’s PGA Cup.
Scott Barr: Former Asian Tour player and multiple pro-am winner, Barr is a regular on the PGA Legends Tour. Based in WA, Barr also played in the last two events on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, recording a tie for 21st at the WA PGA Championship to demonstrate that his game is still in incredible shape.
Adam Migur and Damon Stephenson have a share of the first-round lead at the Queensland PGA Associate Championship being played at Windaroo Lakes golf course.
The Canadian Migur, who is based in Melbourne, and Stephenson opened with a pair of 2-under 71s to sit on top in the $40,000, 72-hole tournament.
Three players – Ben Hollis, Justin Morley and Michael Schimak-Orrell – are a shot farther back at 1-under par.
Migur had three birdies and an eagle at the short par-4 sixth hole in his round.
“I just tried to stay really patient. I knew looking at years past, it was tough challenge this week and just tried to take my chances when I could and stay pretty keel throughout the whole round and not let bogey get me down,” he said.
Migur said Windaroo Lakes “plays right into my strength” as a venue, and paid tribute to his coach, Andrew Cooper, for making the adjustment from the Melbourne Sandbelt to a Queensland course.
“He (Cooper) is really a smart guy and we kind of work on looking forward and saying, ‘okay, this is a different type of grass and technique for chipping is usually a little different up here’.
“And honestly the greens are so cute today. I didn’t even think that they were anything in my mind of what Queensland greens are like. So didn’t really have to worry about that. And chipping has been pretty comfortable. I mean, I’ve been getting some good lies, so we’ll see how the week goes.”
Stephenson, 32, had four birdies but a double bogey 6 at the par-4 eighth hole marred what otherwise would have been a sensational day.
PHOTO: Adam Migur drives during his opening round at Windaroo Lakes.
A third win in a stellar LPGA Tour season by Hannah Green has put the Australian within touching distance of a No. 1 world ranking for the first time.
Green, the 27-year-old Mt Lawley product won the BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea by a shot to become the first Australian since Karrie Webb in 2006 to win three times in a season on the LPGA Tour.
She joins Nelly Korda and Lydia Ko as three-time winners in 2024.
Green started the week ranked No. 8 in the world but she will likely jump to a new career-high inside the top five when this week’s rankings are released.
“I did not know that about Webby’s statistics,” she said after closing out the victory with rounds of 64-64-70-71. “But yeah, I’ve playing really solid this year. Obviously having two wins and a runner-up and things like that. But I just felt really different this off-season. I felt much more motivated.
“I got married in January. So this has been a very special year. But it helps that I’ve been hitting the ball well, and when the putter goes well, it does go well. So just making sure that I can stay consistent. But I still have four or five more tournaments for the rest of the year, so I want to continue to work hard and have myself in these type of positions.”
France’s Celine Boutier made a determined final-day run with a 66 but Green’s birdie at the 17th hole proved to be the difference.
“It was a crazy finish, I guess,” Green said. “I think I had 127 metres to the pin, and so I hit my 8-iron. The wind was a little bit swirly. It was sometimes into the wind, sometimes from the right. So I wasn’t sure if it was 8-iron but I got lucky with the timing of when I hit my shot.
“I left myself a very difficult putt down the hill, and I guess I was fortunate enough to see Ashleigh Buhai’s putt and she didn’t hit a great putt. So I knew that it was going to be very quick and felt confident even though I was very nervous, and yeah, it went into the middle. So that was really nice, and I knew that gave me the one-shot lead.”
The LPGA Tour has five more events for the season concluding with the tour championship in Florida after which Green will jump on a plane to Melbourne to take her place in the field for the ISPS HANDA Australian Open at Kingston Heath and The Victoria Golf Club.
Meanwhile nine Australians and Kiwis have made it through to the next round of the PGA Champions playoffs, with David Bransdon (third) and Rod Pampling (tied-fifth) showing strong form in Richmond, Virginia over the weekend. The top 54 players advanced, with Michael Wright grabbing the 54th and final place.
Results
PGA TOUR
Shriners Children’s Open
TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada
1 JT Poston 64-65-66-67 – 262 $US 1.26 million
T34 Ryan Fox (NZ) 70-69-65-69 – 273 $36,470
MC Aaron Baddeley 70-76 – 144
MC Cam Davis 75-78 – 153
LPGA Tour
BMW Ladies Championship
Seowon Valley Country Club, Seowon Hills, Republic of Korea
1 Hannah Green 64-64-70-71—269 $US330,000
T12 Lydia Ko (NZ) 67-66-71-71—275 $37,438
T33 Minjee Lee 67-73-66-77—283 $13,901
T46 Gabriela Ruffels 72-69-70-74—285 $8,559
T57 Grace Kim 67-71-75-74—287 $6,405
T67 Hira Naveed 70-72-70-78—290 $4,804
DP World Tour
Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters
Real Club de Golf Sotogrande, Andalucía, Spain
1 Julien Guerrier 62-72-63-70—267 €509,516.60
Won on ninth hole of sudden-death playoff
T43 Daniel Hillier (NZ) 68-69-72-72—281 €15,285.50
WD David Micheluzzi
Asian Tour
Black Mountain Championship
Black Mountain Golf Club, Thailand
1 Michael Maguire 68-64-68-65—265 $US360,000
T4 Ben Campbell (NZ) 68-70-66-64—268 $82,866.67
T7 Nick Voke (NZ) 68-67-69-65—269 $53,000
T33 Aaron Wilkin 66-71-69-69—275 $14,000
T44 Todd Sinnott 64-72-72-69—277 $10,600
T59 Kevin Yuan 65-68-76-71—280 $6,300
MC Douglas Klein 67-72—139
MC Jack Thompson 69-70—139
MC Kazuma Kobori (NZ) 73-67—140
MC Andrew Dodt 70-70—140
MC Justin Warren 70-71—141
MC Jed Morgan 73-69—142
MC Travis Smyth 70-72—142
MC Jordan Zunic 68-74—142
MC Sam Brazel 71-72—143
MC Wade Ormsby 71-74—145
MC Marcus Fraser 73-72—145
MC Deyen Lawson 77-68—145
MC Zach Murray 72-74—146
MC Lachlan Barker 73-74—147
MC Maverick Antcliff 74-75—149
MC Taewook Koh (NZ) 72-80—152
WD Brendan Jones
WD Harrison Crowe
PGA TOUR Champions
Dominion Energy Charity Classic
The Country Club of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia
1 Tim O’Neal 71-67-65—203 $US350,000
3 David Bransdon 70-69-67—206 $165,000
T5 Rod Pampling 74-67-68—209 $80,650
T20 Mark Hensby 72-73-67—212 $26,333
T26 Cameron Percy 71-75-67—213 $19,122
T26 Stuart Appleby 71-71-71—213 $19,122
T37 Steven Alker (NZ) 71-75-69—215 $12,190
T37 Greg Chalmers 67-72-76—215 $12,190
T51 Richard Green 73-76-69—218 $6213
T54 John Senden 72-74-73—219 $6213
T61 Steve Allan 73-78-70—221 $3565
T65 Michael Wright 78-67-77—222 $2875
Challenge Tour
Hangzhou Open
Hangzhou West Lake Golf Club, Hangzhou, China
1 Conor Purcell 63-69-67-67—266 €73,776.16
T54 Hayden Hopewell 67-73-68-75—283 €1,683.02
MC George Worrall 77-68—145
Korean PGA Tour
The Charity Classic 2024
Sulhaewon CC, Republic of Korea
1 Wooyoung Cho 69-67-64—200
T38 Scott Hend 71-67-74—212
MC Sungjin Yeo (NZ) 68-76—144
MC Kevin Chun (NZ) 75-75—150
MC Junseok Lee 76-75—151
MC Wonjoon Lee 76-75—151
Sunshine Tour
Fortress Invitational
Glendower Golf Club, Edenvale, South Africa
1 Robin Williams 64-65-70-67—266
T48 Austin Bautista 70-68-72-76—286
The Queensland PGA Associate Championship will continue to call the City of Logan and Windaroo Lakes Golf Club home after a new three-year deal was struck on the eve of the 2024 event.
This year’s championship began with a pro-am on Sunday with Round 1 to begin at 7am Monday morning.
The 2024 champion will be crowned on Thursday afternoon with the final round to feature its very own ‘party hole’, marking the sixth year in succession that the Queensland PGA Associate Championship has been held at Windaroo Lakes in the City of Logan.
That run will extend to nine years by the completion of the 2027 event as more than 250 attendees including players, spectators and industry officials from Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia converge on the City of Logan.
With past winners including Greg Norman and Rod Pampling, City of Logan Mayor, Jon Raven, is thrilled that the championship will continue to feature on the City of Logan sporting calendar.
“It’s great to have visitors come from all over the region for this fantastic event in Logan,” Mayor Raven said.
“Locking this is in for another three years demonstrates what a great asset Windaroo Lakes Golf Course is for our city.”
The three-year extension was also warmly received by Windaroo Lakes Golf Club owners Kevin Dilks and Henri Vanbaak.
“We see great value in this event not just for our club, but the community,” Mr Dilks said.
“This being our sixth straight year in hosting, it has become the big event of the year that our members get behind and make it a real spectacle for spectators and players alike.
“To lock it in until 2027 and hopefully beyond is fantastic.”
Murwillumbah’s Riley Taylor triumphed in 2023 but won’t be back to defend his title having completed the PGA’s Membership Pathway Program.
Last year’s runner-up, Jack Wright (Coolangatta-Tweed), Damon Stephenson (Parkwood), Zach Ion (Virginia) and Dylan Knox (Indooroopilly) are the best of the Queensland chances yet will face stiff competition from West Australian Aaron Dobson, New South Welshman Hayden Gulliver and the Victorian quartet of Matthew Stenson, Joel Mitchell, Luke Porritt and Lachlan Robinson.
As for the local hopes based in the City of Logan, Mt Warren Park trio Yevin Samararatne, Kai Oide and Tiger Boontang will have plenty of hometown support along with Anand McCullum from Meadowbrook Golf Club.
A total of 130 players will tee off in Round 1 on Monday with the winner to be crowned on Thursday, October 24.
In a dramatic final day at Mandurah Country Club, Elvis Smylie has claimed his first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia win at the Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet WA Open in its 100th year and remarkable conditions.
For the second straight week on Tour, extra holes were needed to decide the champion, with Smylie edging out eventual runner-up Jak Carter on the first play-off hole after both were tied at the top at 19-under after 72 holes.
Also playing in the final group, local West Australian hope Curtis Luck finished in solo third one back at 18-under, with Victorian Matias Sanchez fourth at 15-under.
It was all about the final group today however, with all three players trading the lead at various points, and with scoring made difficult on the final day as the rain settled in over Mandurah, no player further back in the field was able to make a charge.
While overnight leader Carter started slow with two early bogeys, both Luck and Smylie started charging early and found themselves tied at the top.
A Carter birdie at six kept him in the hunt, as all three players played the next seven holes in even par. Keeping the friendly golf going, all players birdied 14, Smylie remaining two shots ahead of Carter and one of Luck.
Smylie and Luck made their first bogeys of the day on 16 and 17, Smylie’s lead now cut to one over both his playing partners coming up 18 after multiple delays due to the weather.
Both Smylie and Luck found the green safely with their second shots, but faced lengthy birdie putts which neither would convert, while Carter hit his second to a metre and drained the birdie putt to force the play-off in high winds and intermittent rain.
Heading back down 18, Carter took the honour and leaked his tee shot right finding a bare lie in the trees and some casual water he eventually got relief from, before Smylie piped his first down the right-centre finding the short grass.
A punch into the left greenside bunker was the best Carter could manage, while Smylie stepped up and almost holed his wedge, spinning it to two feet and placing one hand on the Roy Paxton Bowl.
As Carter holed out eventually for bogey, all there was left to do for Smylie was roll in his short putt and make his first Tour win official.
For those who have watched Smylie grow up, this win is a long time in the making, and the Queenslander’s relief as that final putt dropped was evident as he took his cap off and let out a primal scream to the skies.
“It means absolutely everything,” said Smylie. “I’ve been busting my backside out here for the last three years and to be able to get my first win, it means absolutely everything.
“I’m just so grateful and appreciative for all the people that have been by my side since day one, and the people that have me right now, I wouldn’t be in this position without them.”
Speaking to the wedge that sealed his victory, Smylie says he turned to a club that has been faithful to him all week.
“I actually used the exact same club that I used on 16 in the third round to hole-out with. So definitely have some good vibes with the 50-degree wedge at the moment,” he said.
“Hit a nice low flighted wedge shot and I’m not sure exactly where it landed. It’s an elevated green, but obviously hit it to about two foot and really nice knock it in and notch my first win that way.”
With Hannah Green winning on the LPGA tour today, it makes it two worldwide wins for Ritchie Smith coached players on the same day, Smylie revealing that his game has gone to another level under the star West Australian coach.
“It speaks volumes to the quality of coach that Richie is and the amount of great players that he has in his stable is really strong and I really enjoy being in that environment and practising and training with him,” said Smylie.
Coming off a third place finish at the CKB WA PGA Championship presented by TX-Civil & Logistics, Smylie now shoots to the top of the Order of Merit, with Jack Buchanan having a solid week to only drop to second.
Young West Australian Ollie Marsh was the low amateur of the tournament, taking home the prestigious Terry Gale Cup, while NSW’s Lochie Smith made it back-to-back wins in the All Abilities championship.
Searching for his first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia victory, Jak Carter holds the 54-hole lead at the Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet WA Open in its 100th year, after a third-round 6-under 65 at Mandurah Country Club.
Starting his day one behind overnight leader Zach Maxwell, Carter continued to attack the pin with his wedges and short irons, including at the last where he rolled in a final birdie putt to snatch the outright lead at 18-under.
Also searching for his first Tour win, Elvis Smylie will begin the final round one-shot behind Carter at 17-under, after a 65 of his own today highlighted by a hole-out eagle on 16 which catapulted him up the leaderboard after a slowish start.
Joining Carter and Smylie in the final group on Sunday will be 2016 WA Open champion Curtis Luck, who fired a bogey-free 66 on Saturday, putting himself in a great position at 15-under to capture a second Roy Paxton Bowl.
Overnight leader Maxwell was unable to advance his charge significantly in the third round and sits fourth at 14-under, with Victorian Matias Sanchez solo fifth at 12-under after a tidy 69 today.
The Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet WA Open is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
Carter was unstoppable with his wedges, and all week, a trend he would love to continue tomorrow.
“I’m flagging the wedges real tight, which is just making the game a whole lot easier,” he said.
When he is playing well and in contention, Carter says he gets into a real flow-state, able to block out everything around him and just focus on his game.
“I started the day at 12-under and then I looked at the leaderboard and I was like ‘how am I at 17-under?’,” he said
“It happens more often when I’m playing in the last groups.
“Whenever I am playing in these situations I’ll just completely switch off to everything, and the only thing I’m trying to focus on is just to make sure that I’m one shot better than the group.”
After Carter spent most of Saturday extending his lead, a three-shot swing on the 16th courtesy of the Smylie hole-out, which Carter said “Never looked like missing”, meant the pair were tied at the top coming down the final two holes, before Carter separated himself again on 18.
Smylie describing his eagle two on the par-4 in a very matter of fact manor … “It was 98 metres, I flighted a really nice 50-degree, and I knew as soon as it came out it was going to be pretty good.”
Carter had a breakout season on the Tour last year, but despite several top-10 finishes, could not break through for his first win.
Tied sixth at both the WA Open and Webex Players Series Murray River, third place finishes at the Gippsland Super 6 and Queensland PGA Championship, as well as a tied-second at the Heritage Classic, Carter is desperate to finally breakthrough tomorrow and has certainly set himself up well.
Other than Smylie, Carter’s main challenge will come from local hope Luck, who is showing no signs of rust despite not playing much tournament golf at all in 2024.
“I still don’t really know what to say about the form. I guess I’m just riding a bit of luck at the moment,” the West Australian said.
“My wedge play and putting’s been quite good, so if I hit a couple more fairways, keep it inside the tree line, I think we’re in a good place.”
It was eight years ago that Luck triumphed at the WA Open as an amateur and recalls how important it was getting him to where he is today.
“I mean obviously that was an exciting week that really kicked off my professional career, so very thankful that it happened and it’s a very nice memory for me to have,” he said
“I would love to hit some more form I had at that point in time. That’d be really great.”
Slightly further down the leaderboard at 11-under is last week’s winner Jack Buchanan, who had a 65 of his own today in the first group of the day, and may pose an outside threat.
“I’m going to have to,” Buchanan said on improving on his Saturday score. “I reckon I can though, I didn’t make a bogey the last two days, so it’s been good.
“Just got to go out there with the same game plan, try and make as many birdies as I can.”
If Buchanan were not able to make it back-to-back wins tomorrow, he’s getting behind fellow South Australian Carter, although says he will be trying to set the pace ahead.
“If I don’t win, if I wanted anyone to win it would probably be him, but I hope I can chase him down. We’ll see what happens.”
After escaping from “la-la land” on day one, Andre Stolz turned the Cowra Lamb Legends Pro-Am into yet another PGA Legends Tour victory today.
The 2024 Order of Merit leader made it back-to-back 36-hole wins this week by shooting rounds of 66-65 for an 11-under-par total on the NSW Central West layout to secure a four-shot win over Victorian Adam Henwood (65-70) and fellow Queenslander Chris Taylor (68-67).
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
The ACT Senior PGA winner from Wednesday started round two a shot behind Henwood but proceeded to shoot the low round of Saturday to overcome the overnight leader’s challenge.
Three birdies on the front nine saw him turn in 33 and he then picked up shots at the par-4 10th and 12th holes to seize the lead.
While Henwood played the back nine in +1, Stolz was blemish-free, adding in another birdie on the par-4 17th to seal his 10th PGA Legends Tour title for 2024.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
Stolz said: “Coming here after Fairbairn I was feeling pretty flat actually and had a slow start on day one. I was hitting it nice but I was a bit in la-la land. Just managed to spark something earlier on the back nine yesterday by knocking a few close.
”It was good fun playing with Adam today. I thought we were going to have one of those days where we’d make eight birdies each. He started on fire but cooled off a bit luckily for me.
“The way we started out I thought we were in for a bit of hustle and bustle all day.
“My short game has been a bit off lately so I’ve been doing a bit of work on it and it’s probably why there’s been a lack of bogeys the last couple of days.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-11: Andre Stolz (Qld) 66-65
-7: Chris Taylor (Qld) 68-67; Adam Henwood (Vic) 65-70
-3: Mark Boulton (Vic) 71-68; Euan Walters (Vic) 70-69; Nigel Weldon (Qld) 70-69; Lucas Bates (Qld 70-69
-2: Guy Wall (NSW) 66-74
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour’s next stop is the Kent Relocation Group NSW Senior PGA Championship at Cromer Golf Club on October 21-22. Stolz is the defending champion.
Young Queenslander Zach Maxwell has backed up his impressive opening round with a 5-under 66 at Mandurah Country Club to snatch the outright lead at the halfway mark of the Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet WA Open in its 100th anniversary.
Playing in one of the final groups on Friday, Maxwell stole the lead from overnight leader Jak Carter (68) late on day two. Sitting at 13-under, he is one ahead of Carter, with the pair joined in Saturday’s final threesome with Elvis Smylie.
A shot back of Carter on 11-under, Queenslander Smylie will head out in the last group of a third round for the second straight week after one of the low-rounds of day two, a 7-under 64.
A quartet of players, Matias Sanchez, Josh Armstrong, Connor McDade and Curtis Luck tied-fourth at 10-under, with Luck riding the home support for a 64 of his own today that included a back nine of 29.
Luck’s presence on the leaderboard perhaps an ominous one after the former amateur standout played holes 13-17 in 6-under on Friday afternoon as he returns from injury, with the 2016 champion falling one short of 2015 WA Open champion Daniel Fox’s 8-under 63 round of the day to sit solo eighth at 9-under.
The Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet WA Open is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
Despite the likes of past champions Fox and Luck and leaderboard regulars such as Smylie forming part of the chasing pack, Maxwell feels right at home at Mandurah Country Club thanks to his best friend living around the corner.
“Ever since I was playing the Perth events as an amateur, I would always base myself in Mandurah and practise here, so I feel like I’ve known the boys and somewhat grown up here,” Maxwell said.
Having taken the Mandurah back-nine apart on day one, Maxwell did the majority of his scoring on the front nine today, demonstrating that he can make shots up all over the golf course.
“It was the same formula as yesterday,” he said. “I was beyond patient out there, did nothing on the front nine and thankfully swapped it around and went nuts on the other nine today.
“I’m just grateful that I got the right tools to hold myself in there and get it done.”
When asked about his grouping with Carter, who is also looking for his first win on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, Maxwell gave a response likely many on the Tour would when asked the same question.
“I love Jak,” he smiled. “He’s probably going to make this the cruisiest final pairing for a round three, couldn’t ask for a better pairing to go into some TV coverage and just be there having some fun with Jak.”
Maxwell’s suggestion of the relaxed atmosphere alongside Carter showcased by the South Australian’s planned approach for Saturday.
“We’re just going to head out tomorrow and just, I don’t know, just going to head out tomorrow and just keep playing some good golf hopefully, just see what happens,” Carter said.
“I’d absolutely love it to just go nine (under), nine (under),” he added referencing his opening round being repeated twice over the weekend.
Smylie also looking for a continuation after picking up five shots on the four par-5s today courtesy of his new more aggressive approach under coach Ritchie Smith that paid dividends last week and through 36 holes this week.
“I’m taking advantage of the par-5s just like I did last week in Kalgoorlie off the tee,” Smylie said.
“I’m hitting a lot of fairways and obviously therefore I’m hitting a lot of greens. I’m setting myself up for a lot of birdie opportunities and yeah, I mean I really like the course.”
No one knows the course better than local boy Jason Scrivener, who again had a strong following all day at his home club but was unable to build on his blistering opening round, with playing partner Luck now the frontrunner of local hopes in the West.
Jak Carter had a morning to remember on day one of the Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet 100th WA Open, breaking the championship course record at Mandurah Country Club to grab the solo lead after day one.
Carter’s 9-under 62 on day one gives him a one-shot lead over three players, Connor McDade, Zachary Maxwell, and local Mandurah hope Jason Scrivener all tied second at 8-under.
Another player making memories on day one was West Australian Ryan Peake, with a perfect 8-iron leading to a hole-in-one on the 149-metre fifth on his way to a 7-under 64, sitting in solo fifth.
Singapore’s Ryan Ang and Matias Sanchez one shot further back in a tie for six, with defending champion Simon Hawkes, Mandurah member and 2021 winner Braden Becker and Josh Armstrong on 5-under.
Much of the scoring came from the morning groups today at Mandurah, and out early, Carter capitalised on the benign conditions.
The Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet WA Open is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
“I’d say the majority of the day I was just flagging anything from inside sort of 120 metres, I was hitting those to inches,” Carter said.
“It was just a nice solid day with shorter clubs, the wedges were good today.
“The course is mint, I absolutely love it, it’s pure.”
Starting birdie-eagle, Carter was out for the course record early, and further birdies at four and five continued the charge.
A dropped shot at seven looked like it may slow the South Australian down, however it was evidently quickly forgotten, Carter not recording another bogey for the day. He stormed home with a 5-under 30 on his back-nine, including a near tap-in on the last.
Despite a strong rookie-season last year on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, Carter is yet to secure his first win, a milestone he is eager to tick-off.
“Absolutely starving,” he said of his hunger for that first win. “Just got to keep just rocking up and yeah, who knows what’ll happen.”
Hot on Carter’s tail is Scrivener, whose back fence borders the course and has returned home from the DP World Tour with a keenness to flex his muscles on the course he knows so well.
Playing in a West Australian all-star grouping alongside Curtis Luck and Haydn Barron, Scrivener had much of the Mandurah faithful following him and was pleased to see so many members out supporting.
“I wasn’t sure what we were going to get early on a Thursday, but it was nice to see a few of the members out there and a bit of family,” Scrivener said.
“I was a little nervous to start the day, obviously at my home course there’s a fair bit of pressure on me. Built into the round nicely though and yeah, happy with the day.
“Waking up this morning in my own bed was weird doing warmup in my gym at home and just little things like that. It’s just unusual when most of the year I’m away, but to be honest it was really cool.”
Playing a social round with another Mandurah local in Braden Becker a few months ago, Scrivener managed a 13-under 58 at Mandurah, and although some low scores have come in already this week, he doesn’t believe a round like that will be seen during the tournament.
“No,” he laughed. “That was a one-off and my best score around here by quite a few.”
