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Jason Day experienced nerves he’d never felt before as Min Woo Lee was almost brought to tears on day one of the men’s Olympic Golf competition at Le Golf National.
Day and Lee were out in some of the first groups of Round 1 golf for Paris 2024, and as they crossed the walkway to the first tee, both competitors were astounded by what they saw.
The enormous crowds lining the fairways seemed to inspire Day as he began his round with an opening birdie. His Aussie teammate hit his second shot into the water, a portent of the struggles to come.
A birdie on the final hole was one of the few bright spots in Lee’s round of 5-over 76, while Day was inside the top-10 until the final stages.
Making a double bogey on 18 for a round of 2-under 69, attributing it to two “uncommitted swings”, Day is six shots back of Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama (8-under), the first player on the range at Le Golf National last Saturday, with defending Olympic champion Xander Schauffele (65) just two shots off the lead.
There were 13 different nationalities within the top-14 when play was suspended due to lightning. Day left disappointed that he couldn’t keep the Aussie flag flying quite so high
“It’s just two uncommitted swings,” was Day’s frank assessment of his final hole.
“Just back off, readjust, and hit it again. Just don’t hit a shot you’re not committed to and pay the price for it.”
Open since selection about his regret at skipping the Rio Olympic Games, the Queenslander was taken aback by the emotions he experienced at the start of his round.
“The first couple of holes caught me off guard quite a lot actually,” he said.
“I was quite nervous standing over the first tee shot and then it took me a few holes to get over it.
“This is the most nervous I’ve felt standing on a tee box wearing a set of clothes that I’m wearing for the first time.
“It’s a good feeling because it just shows that it means a lot to me.”
Min Woo was also struck by his emotions on the first tee as he joined sister, Minjee, as an Australian Olympian.
“I never really feel it on the first hole but, emotionally, I felt it on the first hole when I got announced,” Lee said.
“That just shows how much it means to me.
“I nearly had a tear in my eye, which is not normal.”
Former world no.1 Day’s bright start suffered a setback when he three-putted the par-3 second to drop back to even par but he was in red figures again with a birdie on three.
He moved to 2-under with a birdie on the par-4 fifth and closed out his front nine with a superb chip shot to set up birdie at the par-5 ninth.
A bogey on 12 saw Day move back to 2-under but he charged into a tie for seventh with birdies at 14 and 16.
Day was in a tie for 23rd and Lee tied for 59th when lightning again halted play with 12 players still to complete their opening rounds before play was resumed a little over an hour later, with the Day sharing 21st and Lee remaining T59 heading into the final day.
Min Woo will begin Round 2 on Friday at 7:33pm AEST with Day to tee off two groups later at 7:55pm AEST.
Tony Webeck is on site at Le Golf National as media liaison for the Australian team.
Playing partners Kyle Michel and Cameron John shared top spot in the Belle Property Bulimba Pro-Am in Brisbane today, mastering the par-3 layout with matching rounds of 5-under-par 49.
Always a great test of a player’s wedge game, Bulimba’s nine holes range in distance from 83m to 102m, providing a challenge with a difference in the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series.
The winner of The National Tournament on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia earlier this year, John now has three pro-am titles on his 2024 list of achievements.
Michel, who is heading for a stint on the Asian Development Tour, has two victories this year to go with six other top-three adidas PGA Pro-Am Series finishes.
Third placegetter Aiden Didone aced the 90m fifth in his round of -4.
HOW THE WINNERS’ ROUNDS UNFOLDED
Starting on the eighth hole, Michel grabbed the outright lead with three birdies in his first four holes. He then picked up shots both times he played the fifth.
The duo’s only bogey for the day came when John dropped a shot at their 92m opener, but he made six birdies from then on, including on their 17th hole of the day – the sixth – to draw level with his playing partner.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
Michel: “I got off to a hot start by hitting a few close and rolling in some putts. Missed a few greens coming but managed to keep it bogey-free. This event is a little bit different, a bit of fun and nice to get a round out of the way in less than three hours.”
John: “When Kyle made the good start, birdie-birdie, I thought “well he’s going to play well so I have to try and follow his lead. He kept going well and I just made a few at the end which was nice. This is one of the better pro-ams we get to play. It’s a quick format and it’s a lot of fun. You have to be really dialled in with the wedges.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-5: Cameron John (Vic), Kyle Michel (Vic)
-4: Aiden Didone (Vic)
-3: Jack Munro (Qld), Jay Simpson (Qld), Nathan Barbieri (NSW), Gavin Fairfax (Qld)
-2: Dillon Hart (Qld), Jay Mackenzie (NSW), Brady Watt (WA),
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series returns to the Gold Coast for the Southport Pro-Am on Friday.
If one of Australia’s four golfers creates history in Paris in the next fortnight by winning an Olympic medal, golf fans will witness a side to Karrie Webb that they may have never seen before.
A seven-time major champion and World Golf Hall of Famer, Webb is at Le Golf National for the men’s and women’s golf competitions in a supporting role.
As Team Captain, she has been tasked with creating the environment that will enable Jason Day, Min Woo Lee, Hannah Green and Minjee Lee to each play to their absolute potential while also forging a deep connection to the Olympic Games.
It is a connection that Karrie first made as a five-year-old watching the Moscow Games from her childhood home in Townsville.
Four years later, that Olympic passion grew further when her cousin, Patricia Cockrem, was a member of the Opals basketball team that competed at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.
In 2000, having won three majors inside 12 months to become the undisputed number one in women’s golf, Webb was given the honour of lighting the Olympic community cauldron at Sydney’s Town Hall.
The flame was passed to her by none other than four-time Olympic gold medal winner, Dawn Fraser.
“Even as a young person, I understood the magnitude of that,” said Webb, who was just 25 at the time.
“On our bus getting shuttled to the drop-offs for the relay were all past Olympians and here I am getting this last leg.
“Dawn’s from Sydney; it really should have been her.”
When golf’s submission for readmission to the Olympic Games was denied for London 2012, the newly-renamed International Golf Federation acknowledged that they needed the backing of the leading players of the day.
Webb and current IGF President and fellow Hall of Famer, Annika Sorenstam, were recruited to represent the women’s game and, in August 2009, the International Olympic Committee voted in favour of golf’s inclusion for the 2016 Games in Rio.
Arguably Australia’s greatest ever golfer, Webb was destined to fulfill her Olympic dream; until, at the very last minute, she wasn’t.
In an extraordinary chain of events, young Victoria Su Oh – a Karrie Webb Scholarship recipient in 2013 and 2014 – rose 164 places in the world rankings between February 7 and June 12 to move past Webb a month out from selection and join Minjee Lee as Australia’s representatives at the Rio Games.
“It was tough,” Webb conceded on the eve of the men’s competition teeing off on.
“I didn’t watch the women play at Rio. I couldn’t do it. I wanted to be there so badly.
“I had planned to be there, but it wasn’t meant to be for whatever reason.
“And I’d been pushing for so long to grow the next generation of female golfers so, in a way, I’d gotten what I’d asked for with two great young players coming through.”
Which brings us to the Paris 2024 competition at Le Golf National.
It is where, 30 years ago, Webb played her final event before turning professional and where she now stands dreaming of Olympic glory.
There will be no medal hung around her neck, yet should Australia crown its first Olympic golf medallist, the captain will be the one leading the celebrations.
“I’ll probably celebrate it more than any of the four players. It’s become apparent to me that that’ll happen,” said Webb, who was one of the first onto the green when Hannah Green won the 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
“It was great that Min and the two caddies, Stu (Davidson) and Luke (Reardon), were able to attend the Opening Ceremony and Jason is really embracing the team aspect of it.
“He is sharing a lot of his experience with all of us and been very open, and I think that’s what being in a team is. Everyone is learning off one another and supporting one another.
“It would be super special to be a part of that team because the first medal winner is always going to be that.”
Tony Webeck is on site at Le Golf National as media liaison for the Australian team.
Inspirational words from a couple of Australia’s golfing greats provided some extra impetus for Matt Guyatt to score a victory in the 2024 PGA Professionals Championship of South-East Queensland at his old home club.
Thanks to a bogey-free round of 4-under-par 68 on Nudgee Golf Club’s Kurrai Course, Guyatt’s prize haul also included an exemption into the 2024 Queensland PGA Championship, back at Nudgee on October 31-November 3, and a start in the PGA Professionals National Championship at Heritage Golf and Country Club (October 22-24).
“I was inspired by the meeting prior to golf, hearing from the likes of Charlie Earp and Rodger Davis, and winning today has made it even more memorable,” said Guyatt, who is now the Assistant/Teaching Professional at Gailes Golf Club.
Earp (70 years) and Davis (50 years) were among a group of PGA Professionals who had been recognised at the Qld/NT Annual State Member Forum earlier in the day for achieving huge milestones as PGA of Australia members.
“I’ve been battling some shoulder injuries though as Nudgee is my former home club I still had high expectations for today,” Guyatt said.
“I love this place. Nudgee certainly feels like a family environment for me and I have no doubt that it has contributed to the way I played.
“I’m thankful not only for the exemption to the National Final, but also the position in the QLD PGA Championship.
“As PGA Professonals, it’s great to have the support of each of the event partners from Club Car, Acushnet, Coca Cola and other sponsors of the PGA. We certainly don’t take their investment for granted”.
Joining Guyatt with exemptions into the 2024 Queensland PGA were Lachlan Wood and Alex Simpson, who shared second on 2-under 70.
The top 14 finishers qualified for the PGA Professionals Championship National Final with Neville Hogan unlucky to miss out on a countback from those on 1-over-par.
The captain of the Australian team for the PGA Women’s Cup in Oregon this year, Katelyn Must, won through to the National Final as the leading woman in the field.
Meanwhile, Wayne Rostron was the leading player over the age of 50 and receives an exemption into the Australian PGA Seniors Championship at Richmond Golf Club (November 8-10)
Leaderboard
68: Matt Guyatt
70: Lachlan Wood, Alex Simpson
71: Jamie Rooney, Angus Porter
72: Chris Duke, Brenton Fowler, Mitchell Smith, Cameron Kelly, Dylan Gardner
73: Wade Hooper, Jared Love, TJ King, Sam Eaves, Neville Hogan
Photo: Kevin Gates (Club Car), Matt Guyatt (winner) and Darren Richards (Nudgee GC General Manager).
Murray Lott has enjoyed a day out in his home state, with the Queenslander taking out the first leg of the Moreton Bay swing of the PGA Legends Tour at Wantima Country Club today.
Producing a flawless round of golf, Lott’s 4-under 66 was enough to win the Wantima Legends Pro-Am in partnership with the City of Moreton Bay by a shot over Michael Harwood, Andre Stolz and Brad Burns.
The win is Lott’s third for 2024, adding to the NZ PGA Senior Championship and St Clair Legends Pro-Am, and likely moves him up from his current fourth on the Order of Merit.
Wantima is a new event on the PGA Legends Tour, but it is no stranger to Australian golf royalty, being the home of 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith.
The club today welcomed more royalty, in Peter Senior OAM, who shot a tidy 1-under round the day after his 65th birthday, featuring a run of five birdies in a row, for a top-10 finish.
HOW THE WINNING SCORE UNFOLDED
Starting his day on the par-5 15th at Wantima, Lott opened with a birdie, and added another at the short par-4 third.
An eagle at the par-5 13th, Lott’s second last hole, was certainly one of the Queenslander’s highlights, the other being the fact that he had no blemishes on his card.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Great score for today, I felt like that was actually the highest score I could’ve shot, so I actually had everything going today,” said Lott.
“I felt calm, stayed calm and kept out of my way. I actually missed a whole bunch of putts but hit a lot of good shots.
“Made one good par save and was fortunate to eagle my second last hole, driver, five-iron and holed a putt from the back of the green.
“I’ve probably played here twice in my life, so about 10-15 years ago I think we had a ‘flat-bellies’ event and I played alright around here then, so good memories.
“I had a wonderful group, extremely well-run event and I sincerely hope we have this event year after year.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
66 Murray Lott (QLD)
67 Michael Harwood (VIC), Andre Stolz (QLD), Brad Burns (QLD)
68 Terry Price (QLD), Adam Henwood (VIC), Mark Boulton (VIC), Ben Jackson (ENG)
NEXT UP
The Moreton Bay swing continues tomorrow, with the PGA Legends Tour heading to the Bribie Island Legends Pro-Am.
All eyes are on Paris this week, with the men kicking off the Olympic Golf in the first week of the 2024 Games.
Australians Min Woo Lee and Jason Day are joined by New Zealanders Ryan Fox and Daniel Hillier, along with many of the world’s best male golfers at Le Golf National.
All four Australasians have managed to score very friendly tee times for Southern Hemisphere viewers, so be sure to tune in on Thursday night and cheer them on.
Both Day and Lee have expressed their strong desires for an Olympic medal, that desire intensifying since they have been on the ground in France.
“Before I came over, all my mates were like, ‘Dude, you’re an Olympic athlete.’ They kept saying it,” said Day.
“I’m like, ‘Man, whatever, that’s fine.’ After they kept saying it, I can understand how important and cool it is to call yourself an Olympic athlete.
“Once you’re an Olympic athlete, you’re always an Olympic athlete.
“To have the opportunity to win a medal is very exciting to think about.”
Elsewhere on tour, Australia has a strong contingent of seven players teeing it up at the Portland Classic on the LPGA Tour.
Notable absentees at Portland are Hannah Green and Minjee Lee, who are deep in preparations for their shot at Olympic glory next week.
Karl Vilips headlines another strong group of Aussies at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Utah Championship, where he looks to back up his runner-up finish from last week.
Upon qualifying earlier this month in Fort Worth, Texas, senior amateur Sue Wooster is playing in the US Senior Women’s Open at Fox Chapel Golf Club.
One of the world’s best senior amateurs, Wooster this week gets a chance to test her game against past Australian Open winners Laura Davies and Annika Sorenstam.
Tee times (AEST)
Olympic Golf (Men)
Paris 2024
Le Golf National, France
5:22pm Ryan Fox (NZ)
5:33pm Min Woo Lee
5:55pm Jason Day
6:22pm Daniel Hillier (NZ)
Defending champion: Xander Schauffele (USA)
Past Aussie winners: Nil
TV times: Rounds One-Four: Thursday-Sunday from 5pm (Nine, 9Now, Stan).
LPGA Tour
Portland Classic
Columbia Edgewater CC, Portland, Oregon
1:21am* Gabriela Ruffels
1:43am* Su Oh
6:10am* Grace Kim
6:21am Hira Naveed
6:21am* Sarah Kemp
6:54am* Robyn Choi
7:05am Sarah Jane Smith
Defending champion: Chanette Wannasaen
Past Aussie winners: Hannah Green (2019)
Prize money: US$1,750,000
TV times: Friday and Saturday 8am-11am Fox Sports 3 and Kayo. Sunday and Monday 7am-10am Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Challenge Tour
Irish Challenge
The K Club, Palmer South, Kildare
4:30pm* Thomas Power Horan
10:40pm* Connor McKinney
10:50pm* Hayden Hopewell
Defending champion: Brandon Robinson Thompson
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €270,000
PGA TOUR Americas
BioSteel Championship
Ambassador Golf Club, Windsor, Ontario
10:50pm Grant Booth
10:50pm* Harry Hillier (NZ)
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Prize money: US$225,000
Korn Ferry Tour
Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank and Intermountain Health
Oakridge Country Club, Farmington Utah
10:55pm* Karl Vilips
11:25pm* Rhein Gibson
11:45pm Curtis Luck
4:30am* Dimi Papadatos
4:40am* Brett Drewitt
5:10am* Charlie Hillier (NZ)
Defending champion: Roger Sloan
Past Aussie winners: Jeff Woodland (1992)
Prize money: US$1,000,000
TV times: Friday and Saturday 6am-8am Fox Sports 3 and Kayo. Sunday and Monday 5am-8am Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
US Senior Women’s Open
Fox Chapel Golf Club, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
10:32pm* Sue Wooster (a)
Defending champion: Trish Johnson
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: US$1,000,000
TV times: Sunday and Monday 4am-7am Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
European Legends Tour
Staysure PGA Seniors Championship hosted by Colin Montgomerie
Trump International Golf Links, Scotland
5:25pm* Peter Fowler
5:36pm Scott Hend
5:47pm Michael Long (NZ)
9:30pm* Jason Norris
10:25pm Michael Campbell (NZ)
Defending champion: Peter Baker
Past Aussie winners: Kel Nagle (1971, 1973, 1975), Peter Thomson (1988), Terry Gale (1996), Ross Metherell (1999), Ian Stanley (2001), Peter Fowler (2015)
Prize money: €750,000
A moving heart-to-heart from Deputy Chef de Mission, Kyle Vander-Kuyp, has infused Australian golf stars Jason Day and Min Woo Lee with Olympic spirit ahead of their Games debut at Le Golf National starting Thursday.
No strangers to golf fans worldwide, Day and Lee spent time with Vander-Kuyp on Sunday night, the dual Olympian bringing the Olympic spirit into the team room within their hotel in Versailles.
Having attended Friday’s Opening Ceremony and with a soon-to-be three-time Olympian for an older sister, Lee has immersed himself in Olympic life since arriving in Paris.
For Day, hearing the story of Vander-Kuyp’s rise from childhood adoption to Olympic finalist at Atlanta in 1996 and semi-finalist at Sydney 2000 has further fuelled his quest to become the first Australian golfer to win an Olympic medal.
“I remember watching him as a kid, which was really cool,” said Day.
“He told us a story about when he was watching the Olympics and he went to his mum and said,
‘Hey, I want to become an Olympic athlete and I want to wear the green and gold.’
“Showing that determination from such a young age… no one teaches that. It’s something that’s within you.
“And making the actual dream happen is another story. It was really inspiring.”
Lee spent Tuesday night in the stands watching Alex de Minaur and Alex Popyrin at Roland Garros, absorbing what he could on how they handle sport’s grandest stage.
The 26-year-old will also carry some extra fire in the belly after speaking with Vander-Kuyp on Sunday.
“Just what it means to him,” Lee said of his key takeaway from spending time with Vander-Kuyp.
“It’s special. It definitely brings a little extra motivation.
“I’m just excited to go and play.”
The additional lure awaiting either is the chance to become Australia’s first Olympic medallist in golf competition.
For Lee, that represents a rare chance to get one up on his sister, Minjee, before she tees it up in the women’s competition next week.
It would be a form of redemption for Day who has expressed regret at having declined the chance to compete at Rio 2016.
“The rarity of winning a medal in golf; they only give out three,” said the former world No.1 and 2015 US PGA champion.
“Before I came over, all my mates were like, ‘Dude, you’re an Olympic athlete.’ They kept saying it.
I’m like, ‘Man, whatever, that’s fine.’ After they kept saying it, I can understand how important and cool it is to call yourself an Olympic athlete.
“Once you’re an Olympic athlete, you’re always an Olympic athlete.
“To have the opportunity to win a medal is very exciting to think about.”
“It would be unbelievable,” Lee added on winning an Olympic medal.
“It would be amazing. I know it would mean the same for both of us, but yeah, podium would be nice.
“If it does happen, it will be a very special moment that will be in our lives forever.”
Round 1 of the men’s competition tees off Thursday at 5pm AEST.
Lee begins his Olympic campaign at 5:33pm with Day to follow two groups later at 5:55pm.
PHOTO: Jason Day and Min Woo Lee soak up the atmosphere at Le Golf National on Tuesday. Image: Getty
Two Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia regulars showed their class to share top spot at today’s Panasonic Air Conditioning Burleigh Pro-Am.
Sam Brazel and Jake McLeod negotiated the Gold Coast layout in 4-under-par 67 in gusty winds to finish one ahead of Cameron John on an adidas Pro-Am Series leaderboard laden with Tour talent.
For McLeod, it was his second joint title for July, joining his win with Jack Murdoch and Will Florimo at Windaroo Lakes.
The experienced Brazel’s last adidas PGA Pro-Am Series victory came last year in Mackay with Burleigh making it 12 overall for the former Hong Kong Open champion on the pro-am circuit.
It was nice confidence boost for the NSW pro ahead of some bigger events to come. He’s off to the US$2,000,000 International Series England event at Close House in Newcastle, starting August 17, before concentrating on Asian events.
HOW THE WINNERS’ ROUNDS UNFOLDED
McLeod started his round on the 11th hole and moved quickly to 2-under with birdies on the 14th and 15th. His only bogey for the day came on the par-4 16th. He then picked up shots on both par-5s on the front nine.
Brazel’s round was highlighted by a run of four birdies in five holes on the back nine before he almost undid his good work with a double-bogey on the par-4 16th. A birdie on his second last hole, the par-5 first, gave him a share of top spot.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
McLeod: “I hit it nicely again today which was good. I played the par-5s pretty well and holed a few putts today. It was all pretty stress-free really. You have to hit fairways around here because it’s super tight.”
Brazel: “It’s my first time in a long time around here. I tried to keep it on the short stuff which always helps. I had a great group so it was a fun day.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
67: Jake McLeod (Qld), Sam Brazel (NSW)
68: Cameron John (Vic)
69: Darcy Brereton (Vic), Aiden Didone (Vic), Deyen Lawson (WA), Michael Sim (Qld)
70: Ed Donoghue (Vic), Kade McBride (Qld), Brady Watt (WA), Matt Dowling (Qld), Tom Robinson (Eng), Bailey Arnott (Qld), Tim Hart (Qld), Lucas Higgins (NSW)
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series heads back to Brisbane for the Belle Property Bulimba Pro-Am on Thursday then it’s a return to the Gold Coast for the Southport Pro-Am on Friday.
Andre Stolz’s domination of the PGA Legends Tour continued today as the Queenslander took out his seventh title this year at the William (Bill) Beattie Henderson Memorial Cup at Meadowbrook Golf Club.
A joint winner in Toowoomba last week, Stolz was the sole winner today by one shot over Grahame Stinson and Tod Power, after a 3-under 69.
Stolz is now cruising at the top of the Order of Merit.
HOW THE WINNING SCORE UNFOLDED
Playing holes 10-27 at Meadowbrook, Stolz started his day on ten, which he birdied, and another birdie came at 12.
A bogey followed at 14 followed, however when Stolz made eagle at the par-5 16th, he looked as if he may go super-low.
Coming down the last however, Stolz found himself at 2-under, needing something special to take the outright win.
Special is just what Stolz produced, managing a clutch up-and-down for birdie on the last to clinch the cup.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I actually checked the leaderboard a couple times there,” Stolz admitted due to the tight competition.
“I actually played really good tee to green, I was hitting it great, I just hadn’t played that new nine up the top of the hill there and where those pins where everything was pretty dicey.
“The surrounds of the greens were fantastic, and the green surfaces were pretty good, that weren’t too quick but you wouldn’t want these greens quick.
“I was keen to have a good day, and I actually won the young boys pro-am here a million year ago.
“The last two or three months I feel like I’ve clicked with a few things.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
69 Andre Stolz (QLD)
70 Grahame Stinson (NSW), Tod Power (QLD)
71 Wade Brunjes (QLD), Nigel Weldon (QLD), David Fearns (QLD)
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour next heads to the City of Moreton Bay region later this week, with Wantima the host on Thursday and Bribie Island on Friday.
The inaugural Men’s World Sand Greens Championship will tee off at Binalong in New South Wales on September 27, with Australia’s best professional golfers competing for a $140,000 purse.
Proudly supported by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, the 36-hole championship at Binalong Community Club in the NSW Southern Tablelands is a first for professional men’s golf in Australia and globally.
General Manager of Golf at Golf NSW Olivia Wilson said the concept of a men’s professional tournament on sand greens was a first in Australia and sure to attract a lot of interest, adding that the style of play required to compete on sand surfaces took some adjusting.
“Sand greens golf plays an important part in Australia’s golfing landscape, especially in rural communities, and it will be great to showcase this side of our game,” she said.
“Playing and putting on sand is quite a different experience for many players. There are fundamental differences between landing approach shots and knowing how to ‘smooth’ a putting line.
“If a player has doubts on what to do, plenty of locals will be ready to offer free advice on the correct way to chip, smooth a line, and even hole a putt,”
Ms Wilson added that fans of the sport who were curious about golf on sand greens could tune into the live broadcast on 7Plus, courtesy of the Channel Seven network and the Sports Entertainment Network, SEN, to catch the action live.
“It’s great to have the final round of any tournament live, but with many people curious about playing and putting on sand surfaces, we expect the broadcast to be well received.”
PGA of Australia General Manager of Tournaments and Global Tour Relationships Nick Dastey said the Men’s World Sand Greens Championship would be an exciting opportunity to showcase this distinct style of playing golf.
“Australia’s unique environment offers a variety of terrain and weather conditions across its vast landscapes,” he said.
“Playing on sand greens will present a distinctive challenge for a professional event, one that will undoubtedly highlight the creative talents of our players.
“The World Sand Greens Championship will be a great way to kickstart what is sure to be a huge Summer of Golf on the 2024/25 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.”
Binalong Golf Club has a long and rich history. Founded in 1857, the club’s original nine-hole layout was carved through the middle of a now-defunct horse racing track.
At 500 metres above sea level, the 18-hole, par-72 course is considered one of the best examples of a sand greens layout in regional New South Wales.
Located 37km north-west of Yass, about one hour from Canberra and three hours from Sydney, Binbalong is a hub for sporting activities and an integral part of the surrounding community.
Host Venue: Binalong Community Club
Dates: September, 27-29
Prize Fund: $140,000
Tournament Format: 18 Hole Pro-Am (day one) followed by 36 Hole Championship (day two and three)
Website: https://www.golfnsw.org.au/events-champs/mens-world-sand-greens/
TV Broadcast: Final round Sunday, September 29, LIVE on 7Plus
The Men’s World Sand Greens Championship is supported by the NSW Government via its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
