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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.
The NSW Open Regional Qualifying Series, a series of six $50,000 36-hole tournaments across the State, is ready to roll.
In a boost to the economies of several important regional centres across NSW, the tournaments also provide an opportunity for Australia’s best up-and-coming talent to secure their place in the 2025 Ford NSW Open.
This year’s series will kick off at Teven Valley, with formalities beginning on July 24. The pro-am will be followed by 36 holes of championship golf on the 25th and 26th.
The second stop will be Lismore Workers from July 27-29, followed by South West Rocks Country Club from July 30 to August 1.
The North Coast Open at Coffs Harbour will host the fourth tournament from August 4 to 6 in what should be an exciting finale of almost two weeks of golf.
After a brief break, the series heads to Catalina Club Batemans Bay for the penultimate tournament from September 17-19, eventually concluding at Queanbeyan Golf Club from September 21-23.
Stuart Fraser, CEO of Golf NSW, said six regional centres should receive a timely economic boost again.
“The NSW Open Regional Qualifying Series brings plenty of much-needed dollars to regional New South Wales,” Mr. Fraser said. “Competitors are in town for up to three nights at each centre, filling motels, eating at restaurants, and enjoying some of the State’s best hospitality.”
“Not only do locals witness some of Australia’s best golfers, but the tournaments are a significant economic boost for the surrounding areas,” Mr. Fraser added.
With a $50,000 purse on offer at each (professionals only), the top three placegetters (professional or amateur not otherwise already qualified) at each tournament will also secure a start in the Ford NSW Open, played over 72 holes from November 13-16 at the Vintage Golf Club in the NSW Hunter Valley.
Ripper GC’s Lucas Herbert won last year’s Ford NSW Open at Murray Downs in fantastic fashion by three shots from his Ripper GC teammate and former Open Champion Cameron Smith, Sydneysider Alex Simpson, and Branxton’s Corey Lamb.
The Regional Qualifying Series has become a popular addition to the Australian domestic golf scene, with many of the country’s top players participating.
Graeme Phillipson, General Manager of Operations, Golf NSW, said the six-tournament $300,000 series would again bring several of the sport’s best golfers to regional NSW.
“All of the tournament fields contain some fantastic names,” Mr. Phillipson said.
“Players like Jordan Zunic, a former New Zealand Open Champion, Marcus Fraser, who represented Australia at the Rio Olympics, and Deyen Lawson, a regular on the Asian Tour, are all competing over the next few weeks.”
Defending his title at the North Coast Open is Queenslander Brett Rankin, who used his victory last year to springboard himself onto the Asian Tour for 2025.
“Results like his regional qualification and his subsequent win in the World Sand Greens title certainly helped Brett to one of his best years on tour,” Mr. Philipson added.
Teven Valley: July 24-26
Lismore Workers: July 27-29
South West Rocks Country Club: July 30 – August 1
Coffs Harbour – North Coast Open: August 4-6
Catalina Club Batemans Bay – South Coast Open: September 17-19
Queanbeyan Golf Club: September 21-23.
The Ford NSW Open Regional Qualifying Series is proudly supported by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
Australia’s drought in senior major championships will stretch into a 24th year unless one of 10 Aussies can claim victory at this week’s ISPS HANDA Senior Open at famed Sunningdale Golf Club in London.
Designed in 1900 by two-time Open champion Willie Park Snr, the Old Course at Sunningdale has crowned a host of Australian winners dating back to Norman von Nida at the 1948 British Masters.
Twenty years later, Peter Thomson joined “The Von” as a British Masters champion at Sunningdale while both Greg Norman (1986) and Peter Senior (1990) enjoyed European Open wins at Sunningdale.
Prior to it being bestowed major championship status, Karrie Webb was triumphant in the Women’s British Open staged at Sunningdale in 1997, finishing eight strokes clear of American Rosie Jones.
Seventeen Aussies endeavoured to play their way into the field at Final Qualifying across four venues on Monday, Brisbane PGA Professional Murray Lott still hopeful of a start as sixth alternate having finished sixth at Burhill Golf Club.
It has been 24 years since Ian Stanley became the first and only Australian to date to win the Senior Open, Stewart Ginn’s Senior Players Championship victory a year later the last Australian success in senior majors.
With a heavy presence on the PGA TOUR Champions this year, hopes will be high that the drought can be broken.
Victorian Steve Allan has won twice on the PGA TOUR Champions this season, Mark Hensby had a share of the lead all week at the US Senior Open and Richard Green returns to the Senior Open having finished second to KJ Choi last year at Carnoustie.
All four rounds of the ISPS HANDA Senior Open will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo, coverage to begin at 10.30pm each night through to 4am.
ISPS HANDA Senior Open
Sunningdale GC, Sunningdale, Berkshire, United Kingdom
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.
Australasians in the field
Steven Alker (NZ)
Age: 53
Senior wins: 10
Senior Opens: 3
Best Senior Open finish: T3, 2022
Steve Allan
Age: 51
Senior wins: 2
Senior Opens: 1
Best Senior Open finish: MC, 2024
Stuart Appleby
Age: 54
Senior wins: 0
Senior Opens: 3
Best Senior Open finish: 19th, 2022
David Bransdon
Age: 51
Senior wins: 0
Senior Opens: 0
Best Senior Open finish: N/A
Mark Brown (NZ)
Age: 50
Senior wins: 1
Senior Opens: 0
Best Senior Open finish: N/A
Michael Campbell (NZ)
Age: 56
Senior wins: 0
Senior Opens: 5
Best Senior Open finish: T41, 2023
Greg Chalmers
Age: 51
Senior wins: 0
Senior Opens: 1
Best Senior Open finish: T17, 2024
Richard Green
Age: 54
Senior wins: 3
Senior Opens: 3
Best Senior Open finish: 2nd, 2024
Scott Hend
Age: 51
Senior wins: 2
Senior Opens: 1
Best Senior Open finish: T52, 2024
Mark Hensby
Age: 54
Senior wins: 1
Senior Opens: 1
Best Senior Open finish: WD, 2024
Michael Long (NZ)
Age: 56
Senior wins: 0
Senior Opens: 3
Best Senior Open finish: T35, 2021
Rod Pampling
Age: 55
Senior wins: 2
Senior Opens: 2
Best Senior Open finish: T48, 2023
Cameron Percy
Age: 51
Senior wins: 0
Senior Opens: 0
Best Senior Open finish: N/A
Michael Wright
Age: 51
Senior wins: 0
Senior Opens: 1
Best Senior Open finish: T64, 2024
Photo: Ben Hoskins/R&A via Getty Images
It was something of a power outage for Australian golfers this past week with our top women taking the week off in the wake of the Amundi Evian Championship and Marc Leishman the sole Aussie to play all four rounds of The Open Championship.
Playing The Open for the first time since 2022, Leishman entered the final round at Royal Portrush in a tie for 22nd but shot 4-over to fall into a tie for 52nd, receiving a bump of 53 spots up the Official World Golf Ranking for his efforts.
With a tie for eighth at the Barracuda Championship, West Australian Jason Scrivener moved up 39 spots on the world ranking as three Aussies – Minjee Lee (5), Hannah Green (11) and Grace Kim (25) – retain their places inside the top 25 of the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking.
10. Gabriela Ruffels (10)
The 54-hole leader at the Evian Championship, Ruffels’ tie for ninth was her best finish in a major championship and her second top-15 finish in her past three starts. One of 10 Aussies in the field for this week’s ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open.
9. Min Woo Lee (9)
Tie for 13th at the Rocket Classic remains Lee’s sole top-20 finish since his first PGA TOUR win at the Texas Children’s Houston Open in March. Missed the cut at Portrush with rounds of 74-73.
8. Hannah Green (8)
Has opted to skip the Women’s Scottish Open ahead of the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl in Wales next week. Tie for 12th at the US Women’s Open is Green’s only top-30 finish in her past six starts.
7. Stephanie Kyriacou (6)
Flashed home at Evian to earn a share of 14th before leading the cheer squad for Grace Kim’s major breakthrough. Holding steady at 39th in the world ranking.
6. Jason Day (5)
Missed the cut on the number at Royal Portrush to end the men’s majors season with two missed cuts, a tie for 23rd at the US Open and tie for eighth at the Masters. At No.32, remains Australia’s highest-ranked male player.
5. Marc Leishman (7)
Renewed his affinity for links golf with a spirited performance at The Open. Returning to The Open for the first time in three years, Leishman shot 68 in both Round 2 and Round 3 to play his way inside the top 25 going into the final round. Backs up this week for the LIV Golf UK event at JCB Golf & Country Club.
4. Lucas Herbert (4)
After making a bright start where has 2-under through eight holes, Herbert was unable to match the performance of his Ripper GC teammate in Leishman and missed the cut at The Open. Will be eager to bounce back for Ripper GC at LIV Golf UK.
3. Adam Scott (3)
A strong showing at the Scottish Open did not transfer to success at Scott’s 25th appearance at The Open Championship. Following a 72 on day one, Scott made an early double-bogey at the par-3 third on day two and was unable to turn it around in an 8-over 79 to miss the cut.
2. Grace Kim (2)
No doubt still coming to terms with her elevation into major champion status following the astonishing finish Kim conjured to win the Amundi Evian Championship in a playoff. Steps out for the first time as a major champion this week at Dundonald Links.
1. Minjee Lee (1)
A resurgent Lee enters the Women’s Scottish Open on the back of victory at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and a tie for third at the Amundi Evian Championship. Has finished top 20 in each of the past three Women’s Scottish Opens.
The Australian Golf Power Rankings is a subjective list developed with input from members of the Australian Golf media team.
He’d have much preferred to be at Royal Portrush yet West Australian Jason Scrivener made the most of the opportunity Stateside to record his career-best finish on the PGA TOUR.
Playing in the opposite-field Barracuda Championship on the opposite side of the Atlantic, Scrivener accumulated 25 points in rounds two and three of the Modified Stableford format to enter the final round in a tie for seventh, six points off the lead.
Four bogeys on the front nine quelled any hope of a maiden PGA TOUR win but the two points for a closing birdie elevated the 36-year-old inside the top 10, bettering his previous best of a tie for 10th alongside Jason Day at the 2022 Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
After a spectacular run of recent success, it was an otherwise quiet week for Aussies globally.
Marc Leishman was the lone Australian to play all four rounds at The Open Championship, struggling to a 4-over 75 in the final round to fall to a tie for 52nd.
“Some days you have it, and some days you don’t. Today I didn’t,” was Leishman’s summation of his last trip around Royal Portrush that included a double-bogey, four bogeys and two birdies.
“You have days like that sometimes, and obviously you don’t want them to be on Sunday of a British Open. We’d like to have had a better score but didn’t.”
It was a failure to take advantage of the par 5s, which he played in 2-under for the week and ranked 77th in the field, that hurt the Victorian, who also identified his slow starts halting his charge up the leaderboard and potentially more major starts in 2026.
“I didn’t start very well any round. Like today, I had to get off to a good start and didn’t, and sort of everything seemed a little bit out of reach and just struggled after that,” he said.
“My ball-striking was decent. I missed a few drives right. I’ve had a few driver issues this year just with them breaking. Not me breaking them, but them breaking.
“I had one break on the way over here, and I finally found one which is good. I’ll take that as a positive this week. I found a driver that I love, just couldn’t string enough good holes together, I guess.
“Par 5s needed a bit of improvement this week. Apart from that, I thought it was pretty decent.”
Photo: Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images
Results
The 153rd Open Championship
Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland
1 Scottie Scheffler 68-64-67-68—267 €2,668,467.60
T52 Marc Leishman 73-68-68-75—284 €38,176.30
MC Jason Day 73-71—144 €10,630.83
MC Ryan Fox (NZ) 75-69—144 €10,630.83
MC Daniel Hillier (NZ) 71-73—144 €10,630.83
MC Elvis Smylie 75-70—145 €9,062.27
MC Lucas Herbert 74-72—146 €7,913.18
MC Min Woo Lee 74-73—147 €7,531.96
MC Curtis Luck 80-70—150 €7,531.96
MC Ryan Peake 77-73—150 €7,531.96
MC Cameron Smith 72-78—150 €7,531.96
MC Adam Scott 72-79—151 €7,531.96
PGA TOUR
Barracuda Championship
Tahoe Mountain Club (Old Greenwood), Truckee, California
1 Ryan Gerard 7-15-12-13—47
T8 Jason Scrivener 3-13-12-6—34
MC Cam Davis 3-2—5
MC Aaron Baddeley 1-(-3)—(-2)
Korn Ferry Tour
Price Cutter Charity Championship
Highland Springs Country Club, Springfield, Missouri
1 Chandler Blanchet 62-62-69-68—261 $US180,000
T47 Harry Hillier (NZ) 70-67-70-70—277 $4,357
MC Rhein Gibson 70-73—143
HotelPlanner Tour
German Challenge
Wittelsbacher Golfclub, Neuburg an der Donau, Germany
1 JC Ritchie 67-66-65-66—264 €48,000
T18 Sam Jones (NZ) 69-66-73-70—278 €3,378
T59 Tom Power Horan 75-66-73-80—294 €960
MC Danny List 71-74—145
Epson Tour
Casella Golf Championship
Pinehaven Country Club, Guilderland, New York
1 Briana Chacon 69-68-67—204 $US30,000
MC Jess Whitting 78-71—149
MC Su Oh 75-79—154
LET Access Series
Islantilla Open
Islantilla Golf Resort, Spain
1 Fernanda Lira 69-70-69—208 €16,000
T37 Stephanie Bunque 74-75-76—225 €940
50 Belinda Ji 73-77-80—230 €570
MC Abbie Teasdale 79-74—153
MC Kristalle Blum 77-81—158
MC Justice Bosio 76-82—158
The R&A and The PGA Australia Institute are pleased to announce the launch of the Women in Golf Foundation Program, in Australia.
The Women in Golf Leadership Foundation Program forms a significant part of The R&A’s and Australian Golf’s ongoing commitment to the Women in Golf Charter.
This program provides women across the golf industry with opportunities to enhance their leadership capability confidence and connect with a growing alumnae globally.
Over 300 women having graduated from around the world and over 75% of them gaining promotion after graduation.
What is the program:
An exciting program specifically designed for women looking to develop a foundation level of leadership capability and confidence, where you will:
Who should apply:
How to apply:
Step 1: by 14 August
Register your interest completing the form via the following link : R&A WIGLFP Expression of Interest Form
Step 2: by 28 August
E-mail [email protected] with:
– An up-to-date CV (please include your email).
– A letter of support from your nominating organisation, and signed by your line manager.
– A personal statement covering:
(i) Why you want to participate in this programme.
(ii) What you hope to achieve from a personal development perspective from attending the programme.
(iii) The continued contribution and impact you would like to make to The R&A Women in Golf Charter aims and objectives.
Step 3: by 11 September
Those who are successful will be invited to attend the programme. Confirmation of attendance will be announced once the agreement has been signed.
Marc Leishman had a simple summary of his 4-over final round of 75 at The 153rd Open Championship that saw him finish tied for 52nd as Scottie Scheffler added the third leg of a potential career grand slam.
“Some days you have it, and some days you don’t. Today I didn’t,” was Leishman’s summation of his last trip around Royal Portrush that included five bogeys and two birdies.
“You have days like that sometimes, and obviously you don’t want them to be on Sunday of a British Open. We’d like to have had a better score but didn’t.”
It was a failure to take advantage of the par-5s, which he played in 2-under for the week and ranked 77th in the field, that hurt the Victorian, who also identified his slow starts halting his charge up the leaderboard and potentially more major starts in 2026.
“I didn’t start very well any round. Like today, I had to get off to a good start and didn’t, and sort of everything seemed a little bit out of reach and just struggled after that,” he said.
“My ball striking was decent. I missed a few drives right. I’ve had a few driver issues this year just with them breaking. Not me breaking them, but them breaking.
“I had one break on the way over here, and I finally found one which is good. I’ll take that as a positive this week. I found a driver that I love, just couldn’t string enough good holes together, I guess.
“Par-5s needed a bit of improvement this week. Apart from that, I thought it was pretty decent.”
Disappointed but far from down and out, Leishman will be immediately back in action playing the LIV Golf League’s UK event next week, but not before some downtime and perhaps a little more of the local flavours.
“Yes,” he said with a laugh when asked if a Guinness was in his near future plans as part of letting his hair down.
“Actually going to Dublin tomorrow. My family fly out Tuesday out of Dublin … Probably do a little tour of Dublin with the kids and do another tour of Dublin later in the nighttime, us boys.”
At the top of the leaderboard, Scheffler was never truly challenged as he added a birdie at the first to reach 15-under with Rory McIlroy’s challenge peaking at 10-under through nine before a double bogey ended the home hopes.
Scheffler recovering from a double bogey of his own at the eighth with birdie at the next and eventually finishing on 17-under and four shots clear of runner-up Harris English, while last week’s Scottish Open winner Chris Gotterup made it an all-American podium with his 12-under total.
Scheffler, who only made three bogeys all week to go with his Sunday double, has now won four majors in 39 months and only needs the US Open title to join McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen as winners of the career grand slam.
“It’s a very special feeling, it takes a lot of work to get to this point in my career,” Scheffler said of his win.
The world No.1 not overly engaging in talk of joining Rory in one of golf’s smallest clubs in the immediate aftermath of his win with his own national Open at Shinnecock Hills some 11 months away.
“I don’t focus too much on that stuff (career grand slam).”
Australasian Scores
T52 Marc Leishman, (Ev)
MC Jason Day, (+2)
MC Daniel Hillier (NZ), (+2)
MC Ryan Fox (NZ), (+2)
MC Elvis Smylie, (+3)
MC Lucas Herbert, (+4)
MC Min Woo Lee, (+5)
MC Curtis Luck (+8)
MC Cameron Smith, (+8)
MC Ryan Peake, (+8)
MC Adam Scott, (+9)
As the only Australian left at Royal Portrush, Marc Leishman has low Aussie honours wrapped up but the Victorian is aiming for more major starts after another strong performance on the Northern Irish links in the third round of The 153rd Open.
Rested, and having enjoyed the flavour of Ireland in the form of a Guinness (or two) on Friday evening, Leishman fired a 3-under 68 on Saturday to sit 4-under overall and 10 back of leader Scottie Scheffler in a tie for 22nd.
Opening his day with two perfectly struck, and placed, irons, Leishman would three putt the first hole as roars went around the Northern Irish coast for a hole-in-one to England’s John Parry before the Aussie nearly followed suit at the third.
There was just over a foot left for his tap-in birdie at the par-3 before Leishman added another at the par-4 fifth in a 1-under front nine.
“Felt really good today actually. Played good, hit good shots into the first and then three-putted, but hit two shots exactly where I wanted to hit them, and the putt was actually good,” Leishman said.
“Hopefully I can do something silly tomorrow and try to sneak into that top 5 or 10.”
The back nine got off to a better start for Leishman when birdieing the 11th, however a fairway bunker at the 12th halted his climb up a congested leaderboard as he seeks what would be the most unlikely Claret Jug, but more realistically more time at the game’s biggest events.
“I deserved to make 6 on 12. Hit three bad shots, so you don’t mind making sixes if you deserve to make them,” he said.
A top four finish at Portrush this week would pave the way for Leishman’s return to Augusta National and The Masters, while a top 10 ensures he will play The Open for a 13th time when it returns to Royal Birkdale in 2026.
“Obviously there’s the carrot dangling to try to get into the top 4 but also to try to get in The Open next year,” Leishman said of his Sunday motivations.
“Yes, you want to do something silly and try to go crazy low, but you also want to make sure you try to get back in … and give yourself a chance to get into the other majors.
“Probably more so looking at that. I’m nine back. Probably going to be more than ten back at the end of the day the way he (Scheffler) is playing. That will be too many, unless I do something really, really silly. He’s probably going to get to 20-under. I’m not going to shoot 56.”
Doing those chances no harm were birdies at the back nine par-3s –13 and 16 – with the latter perhaps feeling like more than a shot against par and the field given the difficulty of ‘Calamity Corner’.
“It feels like a birdie if you walk out of there with a par … It’s a very difficult hole. Not just difficult for me, difficult for everyone,” Leishman said of the 16th that he has played par-par-birdie this week,
It was a par at the penultimate hole before Leishman’s birdie putt at the 18th hole ran out of steam short of the hole, with the 41-year-old off to follow his Friday post round hydration.
“What time is it?,” Leishman quipped when asked if he would enjoy a beer again on Saturday and confirming it was on the cards.
His Guinness likely enjoyed while undergoing a post round debrief with golf mad eldest son Harvey.
“He loves it. Inquisitive, I guess I would say, and he really wants to learn,” he said of Harvey.
“He’ll ask me about some shots I hit today, maybe good or whether it was bad. Maybe the driver I hit off 12, might ask me why I did that.”
Also headed for some relaxation after his round was Rory McIlroy, who elated the local crowds during a 5-under 66 that lifted him to 8-under overall.
The Australian bound Masters champion starting his day by watching the British and Irish Lions defeat the Wallabies before a round where he birdied three of the first four holes, unearthed a long ago lost buried golf ball on the 11th and gave him an extremely outside chance of a second 2025 major and denying Scheffler the same feat.
“I played well. I rode my luck at times, but yeah, it was an incredible atmosphere out there. I feel like I’ve at least given myself half a chance tomorrow,” McIlroy said.
All four rounds of The 153rd Open Championship will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo.
Australasian Scores
T22 Marc Leishman, (-4)
MC Jason Day, (+2)
MC Daniel Hillier (NZ), (+2)
MC Ryan Fox (NZ), (+2)
MC Elvis Smylie, (+3)
MC Lucas Herbert, (+4)
MC Min Woo Lee, (+5)
MC Curtis Luck (+8)
MC Cameron Smith, (+8)
MC Ryan Peake, (+8)
MC Adam Scott, (+9)
