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Danny List makes his PGA TOUR debut this week at The Genesis Invitational, thanks to being chosen by tournament host Tiger Woods as this year’s Charlies Sifford Memorial Exemption recipient.
Having grown up largely outside of Australia in Ghana and later in the UK, List’s time on Australian shores as a child is often overlooked.
With an Australian father, List harnessed his game in Perth, and says it was in Western Australia where he first began to take his game to new heights.
“Golf in Australia was where I really could get a good taste of what competition golf was,” List said at Torrey Pines today.
“I learned what proper conditions would be like and learning how to play in the wind and various things.
“Australia is, I feel like it’s perfect conditions for any golf course. You can keep the greens fast, you can get it windy, you can get all sorts of different conditions.
“Being from Perth, I also worked a bit with Ritchie Smith in the past and he had taught me a lot. He really played a big role in me being able to advance in the game of golf.”
List joins a quartet of Australians in the field this week, among them close friend and fellow West Australian, Min Woo Lee, who his also under the tutelage of Smith.
“Min Woo is a good mate of mine, I’ve known him for a long time,” he said. “We were just chatting, talking a little bit of smack, and then I got to say hi to Scotty and J Day too, they were really, really good to me.”
Public golf facilities represent the entry point for many beginners looking to take their first steps into playing golf. Those first steps can often be tentative.
‘What do I wear?’ ‘What do I do?’ ‘Who can help me to get started?’
These are questions swirling around the minds of many first-timers who walk into a golf facility, and why Anne-Marie Knight ensures the environment they find at The Pat GC in Adelaide is a welcoming one.
A PGA Professional for the past 17 years after an accomplished playing career, Knight has seen thousands of potential golfers come through the public driving range formerly known as West Beach Park Golf to see if the golf bug bites.
Through her friendly nature and carefully structured programs, Knight’s coaching calendar is booked out weeks in advance as she converts curiosity into committed golfers.
“It is a lot more relaxed at a public facility, so they are more comfortable in that environment,” Knight said of beginners getting started.
“I’ve always had a philosophy that I need to make my environment friendly and open and be engaging.
“You are often the first person that they run into when it comes to their decision whether they want to take up golf. If you’ve got that friendly nature where they do feel welcomed, then you can present a range of programs that they may be interested in.”
While there are some who start golf with the intention of advancing to club membership, there is a growing population of golfers motivated more by the social element that is available.
In conjunction with West Beach Parks, Knight has developed a range of beginner programs designed to meet the market in how they want to participate in golf.
“The idea behind “Bucket and Bubbles” was to get that entire practise range full of women hitting golf balls, feeling comfortable in that environment and to have fun,” explains Knight, the PGA South Australia Coach of the Year – Game Development in 2024.
“Women take up golf for different reasons, and they like the idea of that social aspect.
“It’s not always the beginner player, but certainly it’s a great foundation for those that want to give it a go. They’ve got an hour-and-a-half of coaching and having a champagne and mixing with other women.
“Whether that feeds into playing at other clubs or feeds into my other programs, it is another little pathway that you can provide.
“You just want to grow the game and allow people to experience the game and to decide how they want to be involved in the game.”
The Pro Will Know. To find a PGA Professional to help you get more out of golf, click here.
Golf fans across the nation will be able to watch the 2025 Australian WPGA Championship live on the 9Network, and Fox Sports available on Foxtel and Kayo.
By Alanna Mullan
In what is a major coup for the new standalone women’s golf event set to be hosted at Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club on March 6-9, the 9 Network, Foxtel and Kayo will showcase 10 hours of action-packed golf during the final two days of play. The domestic rights compliment the global reach provided through the event’s Tour co-sanctioning partner in the Ladies European Tour (LET).
The 9Network has been the free to air home of Australia’s major golf tournaments including the BMW Australian PGA Championship and the Australian Open for last three years, alongside Foxtel and Kayo who have helped to drive the largest amount of Australian golf on television in the sports history as the broadcast partner of the Australian majors, the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and WPGA Tour of Australasia.
The Saturday and Sunday of the 2025 Australian WPGA Championship will be broadcast live from 12pm-5pm AEDT on 9GEMHD and 9Now, and on Fox Sports available on Foxtel and Kayo.
PGA of Australia and Golf Australia’s Chief Commercial Officer, Michael McDonald, said:
“We’re excited to have both the 9Network and Foxtel group simulcast the 2025 WPGA Championship,” McDonald said.
“Our broadcast partners understand the unprecedented growth and demand for golf across the country, and we are excited to showcase more elite women’s golf to our fans through this broadcast.
“We are excited that Grace Kim will headline an elite field from Australia and around the world tackling the sensational The Palms golf course layout at Sanctuary Cove, and we look forward to showcasing Gold Coast golf through the broadcast.”
The 2025 Australian WPGA Championship will be played at Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club on the Gold Coast from March 6-9.
The Gold Coast Festival of Golf will also be held as part of the event, combining the thrill of the game with an unforgettable festival atmosphere. Featuring live music, pop-up bars, dedicated participation zones, interactive experiences, plus golf and lifestyle displays showcasing the latest and greatest in golf.
Tickets to the 2025 Australian WPGA Championship are now available via Ticketek and are just $15 or adults, with kids 17 and under free.
The 2025 Australian WPGA Championship is supported by Experience Gold Coast and the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland.
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) confirmed today that the New Zealand Open will join the Open Qualifying Series offering one entry into the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush
The entry will go to the winner (or leading non-exempt player) of the 104th New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport later this month.
Tournament Chairman John Hart is delighted that the hard work put in has seen the New Zealand Open join the Open Qualifying Series and hopes we will see another Kiwi on golf’s biggest stage.
“This certainly signals that our event has continued to grow in stature on the world stage and we are delighted that the R&A have opened the door for us to be a part of the Open Qualifying Series. This has been one of the tournament goals for some time, and it’s great to see it now come to fruition” said Hart.
“My thanks to Golf New Zealand, the R&A and our Tour partners for all their efforts in making this happen.
“This will act as extra motivation for our Kiwi professionals to not only win the New Zealand Open but then to make their mark at Royal Portrush next year. We certainly hope that this is the year that sees another Kiwi winner.”
Sir Bob Charles, the only New Zealander to have won The Open Championship, commended the tournament on this achievement.
“I’m very pleased that the R&A have recognised the growth that the New Zealand Open has achieved in recent years, and I have no doubt that the winner will cherish this opportunity to tee it up at Royal Portrush next year,” said Charles.
Golf New Zealand CEO Jeff Latch is thrilled by the announcement, calling it a defining opportunity for the sport in this country.
“This is a massive moment for golf in New Zealand. To have a direct pathway from Queenstown to The Open at Royal Portrush is huge – not just for the players, but for the prestige of the event itself.
“It reinforces our place on the global stage and provides a dream opportunity for a rising star to compete for the Claret Jug.”
As per official Open Qualifying Series criteria, the tournament winner or leading player not already exempt at the New Zealand Open in Queenstown next year will earn a place at the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush to be held on July 13-20.
The New Zealand Open tees off at Millbrook Resort in Queenstown between February 27 and March 2. For more information, please visit nzopen.com.
The stars are coming out to play as our Aussies continue to exert their influence on the world stage.
A three-time winner last season, Hannah Green had her first top-five finish of the new LPGA year at the Founders Cup in Florida as NSW Open champion Lucas Herbert kicked off the LIV Golf season with a tie for fourth in Riyadh.
The chef, Min Woo Lee, brought the heat to the 16th hole at the WM Phoenix Open on his way to a tie for 12th as Kelsey Bennett continued her strong form on home soil with a tie for fourth at the Vic Open.
There are Aussies in the mix everywhere you look, and they’re just getting started.
10. Anthony Quayle (Last week: 8)
Handled the hurricane that swept through 13th Beach better than most on Sunday, climbing into a share of 12th courtesy of a round of 1-over 73. Remains seventh on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit and in the hunt for one of three DP World Tour cards at season’s end.
9. Min Woo Lee (New entry)
Quietly building into his work in 2025. Tied for 17th in his first two starts in Dubai and at Pebble Beach, Lee brought his world-renowned showmanship to the WM Phoenix Open. He sent the crowd into a frenzy with a near ace at the par-3 16th on Saturday on his way to a tie for 12th.
8. Lucas Herbert (New entry)
Led the charge for Ripper GC in the LIV Golf season opener in Riyadh. On the back of his NSW Open and tie for fifth at the Australian Open, Herbert was in the hunt for a first LIV Golf individual win right up until the final hole, ultimately finishing in a tie for fourth.
7. Kelsey Bennett (10)
Kelsey’s climb up the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking is set to continue after the 2025 Ladies European Tour rookie was tied for fourth at the Vic Open. Has finished inside the top seven in each of her past four starts on the WPGA Tour of Australasia.
6. Elvis Smylie (5)
A second straight missed cut on the DP World Tour for the BMW Australian PGA Championship. Due to return to the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia where he continues to lead the Order of Merit at the New Zealand Open in a fortnight’s time.
5. Minjee Lee (7)
Rounds of 68-69 across the weekend saw Lee finish in a share of 28th at the Founders Cup in Florida. On the back of a top-five finish first up at the Tournament of Champions, it is another building block in a bigger and better 2025 campaign.
4. Jason Day (4)
Skipped the WM Phoenix Open after finishing tied for 13th at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Holds his spot at No.32 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
3. Adam Scott (3)
Like Day, took the week off ahead of this week’s Genesis Invitational. At No.24, remains Australia’s highest-ranked player on the Official World Golf Ranking.
2. Cam Davis (2)
Producing a level of consistency on the PGA TOUR befitting his talent. The New South Welshman missed the WM Phoenix Open after earning a share of fifth with an all-world birdie on the 72nd hole at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
1. Hannah Green (1)
Giving every indication that she intends to follow-up her three-win season last year with more of the same in 2025. Tied for 20th in the LPGA season opener, Green was tied for fourth at the Founders Cup. Her next event will be the defence of her HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore starting February 27.
The Australian Golf Power Rankings is a subjective list developed with input from members of the Australian Golf media team.
It took just two starts for Hannah Green to earn her first top-five finish of the LPGA Tour season as Lucas Herbert opened his year on LIV Golf with a tie for fourth at LIV Golf Riyadh.
In the mix on the back of rounds of 65-66 in rounds two and three, Green endured a frustrating final day on the greens to post 2-under 70 and secure a share of fourth at the Founders Cup in Florida.
Tied for 20th in the season-opener with new caddie David Buhai on the bag, Green is content with her first two weeks of the 2025 season but is headed home to Perth for a training block with coach Ritchie Smith ahead of the defence of her HSBC Women’s World Championship title in Singapore.
“I don’t typically play these events,” said Green of the slight change to her schedule.
“I’ve made the trip over, so it’s nice to have had some good results, but also see what I need to work on to get ready for Singapore for a title defence.
“I’m going to try and catch up with my coach as much as possible. Try and see him at home before we both head on the road.
“I think I need to play a little bit more while I’m home. I felt like when you’re on the range you always hit it good, when you’re on the putting green. Just experience some wind or whatever it may be.
“Trying to play a little bit more before I get to Singapore is probably my goal.”
Herbert is also headed home to Australia this week with a focus on both individual and team success at LIV Golf Adelaide before playing the NZ Open in Queenstown.
The 29-year-old shot 64 in Round 2 under the lights at Riyadh Golf Club to play his way into the final group for Round 3.
He endured a rollercoaster round that included one eagle, five birdies, three bogeys and one double bogey at the 10th that seemingly took the win out of reach.
A brilliant second shot set up eagle at the par-5 13th which Herbert followed up with three consecutive birdies at 15, 16 and 17.
Trailing 2022 Australian Open champion Adrian Meronk by two playing the final hole, Herbert took an aggressive approach but made bogey to drop to a tie for fourth.
With all four scores now counting, it was a strong start to Ripper GC’s team title defence, the quartet of Herbert, Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman and Matt Jones earning a spot on the podium.
Photos: James Gilbert/Getty Images (Green); Abdullah Ahmed/Getty Images (Herbert)
Results
PGA TOUR
WM Phoenix Open
TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Cse), Scottsdale, Arizona
1 Thomas Detry 66-64-65-65—260 $US1.656m
T12 Min Woo Lee 70-66-68-67—271 $195,500
T63 Ryan Fox (NZ) 72-66-71-72—281 $19,964
DP World Tour
Commercial Bank Qatar Masters
Doha GC, Doha, Qatar
1 Haotong Li 69-67-67-69—272 €409,592.05
T25 Daniel Hillier 71-70-70-74—285 €21,804.75
MC Kazuma Kobori 73-71—144
MC Danny List 77-68—145
MC David Micheluzzi 75-71—146
MC Daniel Gale 74-74—148
MC Jason Scrivener 76-74—150
MC Elvis Smylie 74-78—152
LPGA Tour
Founders Cup presented by US Virgin Islands
Bradenton Country Club, Bradenton, Florida
1 Yealimi Noh 68-64-63-68—263 $US300,000
T4 Hannah Green 70-65-66-70—271 $86,932
T28 Minjee Lee 70-72-68-69—279 $15,923
T39 Gabriela Ruffels 72-68-73-68—281 $10,122
T48 Lydia Ko (NZ) 74-68-70-71—283 $6,595
T48 Fiona Xu (NZ) 70-70-72-71—283 $6,595
T48 Stephanie Kyriacou 70-72-69-72—283 $6,595
T56 Hira Naveed 70-68-72-74—284 $5,887
MC Karis Davidson 72-74—146
MC Cassie Porter 74-81—155
LIV Golf
LIV Golf Riyadh
Riyadh Golf Club, Saudi Arabia
1 Adrian Meronk 62-66-71—199 $US4m
T4 Lucas Herbert 68-64-70—202 $900,000
T6 Marc Leishman 67-68-68—203 $534,500
T15 Ben Campbell (NZ) 68-69-69—206 $292,500
T25 Wade Ormsby 68-72-69—209 $185,000
T25 Cameron Smith 67-72-70—209 $185,000
T33 Matt Jones 74-68-69—211 $145,572
T33 Danny Lee (NZ) 68-74-69—211 $145,572
Team Scores
1 Legion XIII 50-under
T2 Ripper GC 39-under
T2 Rangegoats GC 39-under
PGA TOUR Champions
Trophy Hassan II
Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, Rabat, Morocco
1 Miguel Angel Jiménez 70-69-69—208 $US400,000
2 Steven Alker (NZ) 69-70-71—210 $220,000
T9 Richard Green 76-71-70—217 $60,000
T14 Scott Hend 71-73-74—218 $42,550
T14 Greg Chalmers 72-71-75—218 $42,550
T28 Mark Hensby 72-75-74—221 $19,800
T39 Rod Pampling 74-79-71—224 $12,250
T47 Stuart Appleby 80-74-73—227 $8,000
T53 Cameron Percy 78-69-81—228 $6,125
Ladies European Tour
Lalla Meryem Cup
Royal Golf Dar Es Salam (Blue Cse), Morocco
1 Cara Gainer 71-70-69—210 €67,500
Won in sudden-death playoff
MC Momoka Kobori (NZ) 79-71—150
MC Maddison Hinson-Tolchard 76-75—151
Korn Ferry Tour
Astara Golf Championship
Country Club de Bogota, Bogota, Colombia
1 Kyle Westmoreland 70-64-61-70—265 $US180,000
T13 Rhein Gibson 68-65-68-70—271 $17,583
T26 Harry Hillier (NZ) 64-72-69-68—273 $7,476
HotelPlanner Tour
Cell C Cape Town Open
Royal Cape Golf Club, Cape Town, South Africa
1 Jamie Rutherford 69-69-67-69—274 €57,282.65
T4 Sam Jones (NZ) 70-69-69-70—278 €13,010.57
T47 Hayden Hopewell 72-69-69-76—286 €2,204.57
MC Haydn Barron 77-70—147
After a windswept final round he described as “super, super tough”, New Zealand’s Josh Geary clinched the 2025 Vic Open at 13th Beach Golf Links, his first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title in almost 12 years.
The leader after rounds two and three, Geary would never have thought a closing 6-over-par 78 to finish on 13-under-par would be good enough. But it was, by four strokes over West Australian Connor McKinney.
Only three men shot under-par rounds on Sunday – two-under-par 70s from McKinney, New Zealand’s Kerry Mountcastle, who took equal third, and local favourite Ben Eccles, who soared to a share of eighth.
Former Vic Open champion Michael Hendry (74) and NSW’s Austin Bautista (79) also had a share of third.
The afternoon of unyielding, buffeting winds from the Southern Ocean blew the scoring average for Sunday to 76.5 shots.
“It’s the hardest round of golf I’ve had to play,” the new champion said.
“It’s hard enough trying to close out a tournament, let alone in those conditions which meant literally you can make any score from anywhere.
“If you’d asked me if I shot 78 tomorrow if I’d still have a four-shot margin, I’d tell you you’re dreaming, but that’s just how hard it was.
“I’m super happy, obviously, and stoked to get it done.”
It was always going to be extremely difficult for Geary to match his near-faultless first 54 holes, a double-bogey on his final hole of the Creek Course on Friday were his only dropped shots in rounds of 64-65-68.
He bogeyed the first hole on Sunday but was impressively under par for the day after back-to-back birdies at the fifth and sixth.
It was at the par-four eighth, playing as the toughest hole of the day at almost a shot over par, where Geary’s round threatened to unravel – a penalty drop after a wayward approach shot into the greenside bush and three putts leading to a triple-bogey.
But a bounce-back birdie on No.9 ensured he would take a five-shot lead into the final nine holes of the tournament.
As his potential challengers fell away, the 2013 WA Open champion only had to avoid a catastrophe. Five bogeys on the way to the clubhouse didn’t create too many concerns.
“Even when you got downwind, you couldn’t hold the greens. You’d have a sand wedge and 180 metres and it’s going through the back of the green,” Geary said.
“I was just trying to keep it out of the real trouble.”
McKinney’s 70 allowed him to climb from a tie for 23rd overnight to second place, his best finish on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, just surpassing his tie for second at the 2023 WA Open.
The Scottish-born West Australian turned in 3-under 33 and finished his round with a total of four birdies.
Defending champion Brett Coletta (Vic) closed with a 72 to end in a share of 18th place.
The next Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia tournament is Webex Players Series Sydney, starting on Thursday, February 20.
The ultra-steady play of New Zealander Josh Geary has him in the box seat to win the 2025 Vic Open at 13th Beach Golf Links on Sunday.
A two-shot leader at the start of the third round, Geary adopted a conservative approach and played exceptional bogey-free golf in difficult, windy conditions to record a 4-under-par 68.
Chasing a first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia victory since the 2013 WA Open, he moved to 19-under for the tournament and a four-stroke advantage over NSW’s Austin Bautista (69).
NSW Amateur champion Declan O’Donovan (71) showed great resilience after a tough start to stay in the hunt at 14-under, while another shot behind is the Queensland duo of Kade McBride and Aaron Wilkin, who both posted 4-under 68s.
Thanks to birdies on the fourth, 10th and 13th holes, Geary was as many as five shots up before a late rally from Bautista slightly improved his chances of winning on Sunday.
“I’m really happy with the way I handled myself today,” Geary said after closing his day with a birdie at the last.
“My long game hasn’t been great, so a lot of times I played quite conservative, but you sort of could today.
“It was windy enough for 4-under to be a good score and to keep the bogeys off the card was good.
“Got a bit loose near the end but it was just hard. It was very hard.”
Back in contention for the first time in more than a year, Bautista has been in a similar mindset to the leader.
He’s had just one bogey and one double-bogey in the first 54 holes, the double coming on the par-4 14th on Saturday, but he bounced back with birdies on 15 and 17.
Bautista has been adopting the “when it’s breezy, swing easy” approach to playing in the winds on the Bellarine, which proved to be a real challenge late on day three and will be a factor again in the final round.
“I’ve focused really hard just on just tempo and transition and noticed a big difference,” the 2023 Webex Players Series South Australia champion said.
“I remember when I’m playing well, that is the tempo. It’s just funny when you start playing bad, you’re just trying to hit it so hard.”
In his first start on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia this season, Wilkin’s 68 included birdies on three of his last four holes to get him into the mix for his second Tour title.
“Hit it very well in the wind. Had a lot of chances, but also had to save a few for par, so I sort of just hung in there,” the former Queensland PGA champion said.
“It’s great to be in contention. That’s why I’ve come back and played.
“I love this golf course and the tournament set-up is really, really cool. I’m going to have to produce a pretty good one tomorrow by the looks of it but you never know.”
First-round leader McBride described his 68 as “about as bad a score as I could have shot out there today”.
“It’s always nice to have a chance. That’s all you want. And then you’ve just got to make sure the cards fall your way,” the Queenslander said.
The big morning moves came from Victorian Todd Sinnott (64) and Tasmania’s Simon Hawkes (66) who both moved to 11-under-par and a share of seventh.
After making the halfway cut on the number, Sinnott’s bogey-free round included just 31 strokes on the back nine, while Hawkes collected seven birdies with just the one dropped shot.
Defending champion Brett Coletta (72) made it through to Sunday’s play at 4-under.
LIVE SCORES: www.golf.org.au; www.pga.org.au; www.wpga.org.au
TV COVERAGE: The Vic Open is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
Kiwi Josh Geary’s preparation for another New Zealand Open tilt later this month may just include victory at the 2025 Vic Open.
Rounds of 64-65 on the first two days at 13th Beach Golf Links have handed Geary a two-stroke lead over NSW amateur Declan O’Donovan (65-66) as he tries to secure his first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title since the 2013 WA Open.
Not that there hasn’t been success in recent years. The 40-year-old has won the Order of Merit on the Charles Tour in his homeland the past two seasons, including claiming four event titles.
“My plan was to come over here and get ready for the New Zealand Open in a few weeks and the New Zealand PGA,” Geary said.
“I wasn’t feeling great about the way things felt coming into this week and, to be honest, some of the long stuff’s still pretty rough. But I managed to get it around and the scoring clubs are really sharp.”
Geary played 35 holes without a bogey across the Beach and Creek courses the past two days.
He was leading by five shots when he made double-bogey on his final hole, the par-4 18th on the Creek, when he missed the green to the right.
Two chips later, he was facing a bogey putt that lipped out.
“It all kind of turned to custard on one hole. To be honest, it was kind of coming,” said Geary.
“I had a few loose ones out there so it wasn’t that surprising.
“It just would’ve been nice to have it earlier on and finish on a better note. It always makes lunch taste a bit off.
“I’ve got a pretty poor history over on the Creek course. It was nice to get a good score there today, regardless of the last hole.”
Playing in his eighth Tour event as an amateur, O’Donovan has continued the form that took him into the last group of the final day of the Australian Amateur Championship at Commonwealth Golf Club followed by successfully defending his NSW Amateur title and then claiming the Avondale Amateur.
He played in the final group in Round 3 of the Queensland PGA Championship last November and has made just one bogey through 36 holes at 13th Beach.
“I’m not going to change anything,” the 21-year-old said of his plans for the weekend.
“My mate (Sean Ryan) and I have been doing a really good job. We’re just focusing on my processes and trying to stay away from the result as much as possible and I think I’ll just try to have as much fun as I can.”
Sharing third place at 12-under-par are two former Tour winners, South Australian Lachlan Barker (66-67) and NSW’s Austin Bautista (65-67).
With just one bogey across the two days, Bautista is delighted to be back in the mix at the weekend. The Sydney professional has endured a difficult run, with just one top 10 on Tour since his victory at the 2023 Webex Players Series South Australia.
“This is where I want to be. I mean, this is why I play golf,” Bautista said of his lofty position on the leaderboard.
“You want to be in the mix and be in contention. So yeah, definitely very excited about it.
“I’ve been working really hard. It’s definitely not just one thing with golf. I find that it’s not by chance you have good golf that comes out of nowhere.”
Overnight leader Kade McBride (Queensland) followed up his opening 62 with a second round of 1-over 73 in the afternoon wind on the Beach course to sit at -9-under overall.
Defending champion Brett Coletta (Vic) safely made the weekend play with rounds of 69-71, but is 11 shots from the lead. Order of Merit No.4 Jack Buchanan (72-69) is 12 behind.
Among those to miss the halfway cut at -3 were Order of Merit No.8 Corey Lamb (71-75) and two-time Vic Open champion Dimi Papadatos (73-75).
The final two rounds will be played on the Beach Course.
The leading group will tee off at 2pm on Saturday.
LIVE SCORES: www.golf.org.au; www.pga.org.au; www.wpga.org.au
TV COVERAGE: The Vic Open is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
Players can take the first step towards joining the elite of world golf by earning a place on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia through Qualifying School at Moonah Links Resort in April.
Entries are now open for both First and Final Stage to be played in consecutive weeks at Moonah Links Resort on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
First Stage will be held across both the Open Course and Legends Course at Moonah Links from April 9-11 with Final Stage to follow on the Open Course from April 14-17.
The reward on offer is playing rights for the 2025-2026 season; the opportunity is a place on the DP World Tour for the top three finishers on the Order of Merit at season’s end.
Kiwi Kazuma Kobori was an amateur when he conquered Q School in 2023. Less than two years on, he has won three times on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, contested two major championships and is now in his rookie season on the DP World Tour.
Those to secure status at Q School in 2024 included Jack Buchanan, Jordan Doull and Ben Henkel who have four wins between them this season already.
“The pathway from the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia to global tours and major championships is now clear and Qualifying School is the first step on that path,” said General Manager of Tournaments & Global Tour Relationships for the PGA Tour of Australasia, Nick Dastey.
“Kazuma showed what is possible when you give players that opportunity and how quickly they can advance their careers.
“Players such as Jordan Doull, Corey Lamb, Jack Buchanan and Ben Henkel have made a big impression on our Tour this season after coming through Q School.
“We’re excited to see who tees it up at Moonah Links in April and secures their place on Tour for the 2025-2026 season.”
While the introduction of the Future Tour has allowed amateurs to secure status on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia through strong showings the previous season, Q School is the primary pathway to begin a professional career.
“We have been able to showcase our best amateur talent through our Tour events but Q School is where they can earn Membership and lock in playing opportunities for the next 12 months,” Dastey added.
“Rather than heading overseas, our best young players can now start their careers in Australia and play their way onto global tours, just as Kazuma did.”
Co-sanctioning of the BMW Australian PGA Championship and Australian Open with the DP World Tour increases the importance of Category status for those already on tour and who wish to improve their Category through Q School.
Entry for Q School is now open with a deadline of March 25 for First Stage and April 1 for Final Stage.
For more information and to enter, click here
