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Victorian Mark Boulton and Queensland’s Chris Taylor have shared the spoils at the Lovedale Farm Legends Pro-Am at Castle Hill Country Club.
After matching 5-under 67s, the pair finished two shots ahead of Brad Burns and Grahame Stinson, with Peter O’Malley third at 2-under.
In his astonishing 13th win on the Tour this year, Taylor has strengthened his second-place position on the SParms PGA Legends Order of Merit, but still has a ways to go to catch leader Andre Stolz.
HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED
Starting on the fifth, Boulton took advantage on the short par-4 sixth to claim an early birdie, and followed that with eight consecutive pars.
Boulton didn’t miss out on the par-5s however, making birdie fours at 15 and 18, before an eagle at Castle Hill’s first.
A further birdie at the par-4 third had Boulton 6-under on his day, before his only bogey of the day followed on his final hole.
Beginning his day on the 11th, Taylor took a while to get going, playing his first 12 holes in 1-under.
Four consecutive birdies from holes five through eight saw the Queenslander come home in a flurry to tie Boulton at the top.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
At the presentation Boulton was quoted saying, “Today was a really good day, some great playing and congratulations to Chris too on his 5-under par score.
“Each of us only having the one blemish on the card. Unfortunately for me, it was on my last hole, would have liked one shot less for the 6.”
Taylor was quoted saying at the presentation, “Great job to Castle Hil Country Club for hosting this event today, was really good to get out there on a golf course that was spectacular and presented wonderfully.
“Nice to get a solid round in and get a win, congratulations to Mark and everyone who was involved, particularly the sponsors for this event.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
67 Mark Boulton, Chris Taylor
69 Brad Burns, Grahame Stinson
70 Peter O’Malley
71 Matthew Ecob, Nigel Lane, Adam Henwood
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends tour heads to the Bondi Golf Club today (19/11/2024) for the Bondi Legends Pro-Am.
Seventy years a member of the PGA of Australia. Forty-five years as the Head Professional at Royal Queensland Golf Club. No person better encapsulates the union of Australia’s PGA Championship and Royal Queensland than Charlie Earp.
One of only four people to be elevated to PGA Immortal status, Earp is best known for guiding the game of a young Greg Norman, turning a raw talent from North Queensland into someone whose record as world No.1 has been bettered by only one golfer.
Yet Earp’s influence on Australian golf stretches far beyond the waters surrounding the Great White Shark.
Major champions Wayne Grady, Adam Scott, Jason Day, Karrie Webb and Cameron Smith have all spent time in Earp’s orbit, a man who applied the rhythm of horse-riding to how the body needed to move in the golf swing.
Days out from the start of the 2024 BMW Australian PGA Championship, Earp shares his unlikely rise from a dairy farm in northern New South Wales to one of the most revered members in the history of the PGA of Australia.
The second day that I set foot on a golf course was my first day of work to become an Assistant Professional under Reg Want, who was the Professional at Coolangatta and Tweed Heads Golf Club.
It was explained to me by my boss that you’re a professional, and you carry yourself like a professional because you are the backbone of the club. When the people first come in, you’re the guy they’re going to see. And you’re the guy that they’re going to see after they finish their game.
I used to ride horses a fair bit on our dairy farm and the coordination I learnt to work with the horse, not the horse work with me, helped in understanding what Reg was talking about with regards to the golf swing. It’s about finding the swing that suits them − for their body. There’s not two people in the world who swing the club the same. They’re all built differently, so you have to design a swing based on what they’ve got to work with.
The most important thing to me was to work on a pace. To get people to slow their swing down, you’ve got to find something for them to do. I would tell people that it’s like starting an outboard motor on a dinghy. You can pull it with your right hand and do it as quick as anything, because you’re trying to crank it over. Now do the same thing with your left hand and you can’t do it as fast. I used to get right-handed players to push the club back with their left arm. That would slow them down to a pace that suits them.
Norman Von Nida paved the way, a bit like Joe Kirkwood. I think he had 67 or 68 tournaments that he won over the years and he went over there without a pound to his name. He paved the way. I admired him so much for what he was capable of doing. He wasn’t a very big man but pretty strong in the arms and the legs. He set a great example. Always dressed very nicely, and he thanks Walter Hagen for that.
I really think the person who deserves more credit for what he’s done in the world of golf is Joe Kirkwood. He went overseas to America and he teed up with Walter Hagen and Joe Kirkwood was a big part of where the golf tour is today. The PGA of Australia is very lucky to have a person of that calibre to name our PGA championship after. He deserves more media, more respect.
When I first started at Royal Queensland, I wasn’t allowed in the clubhouse to have a drink or anything. You’d go out the back to be able to get a drink. I think we were the first golf club in the Commonwealth to allow the Professional into the bar.
I never seriously thought of leaving RQ in the 45 years that followed. Some of the guys asked me to go to Royal Sydney after Alex (Mercer) had finished there but they’ve been good to me. They’ve looked after me and been wonderful all the way through. It’s a wonderful club.
Greg (Norman) was so easy to teach. He was already a good golfer. I’d see him and might only say a few words while he was hitting balls. The good players are all easy to teach; it’s just finding out the solution that’s going to help them to get the result they want.
The story of Greg hitting a ball over the Gateway Bridge is absolutely true. Excuse me for dropping names but (Federal politician) Sir James Killen was with us. I said to Greg, ‘Do you reckon you could hit a ball over that bridge?’ He said, ‘Yeah, no problem.’ We went back to where the original tee was for the 12th and he hit six balls, three over and three under. And they were still rising as they went over the bridge. The gantry was still working, building the bridge, and so there’s the bridge and then the gantry on top of that, and he hit them over the gantry.
Corinne Dibnah had a silky swing. She won a British Open and a European Open. I never got to see Ben Hogan. One of my wishes in life was to see Ben Hogan and meet Ben Hogan but I never met him.
Karrie (Webb) used to come down here and come away on a couple of state trips with us. She had mongrel. She was determined. I don’t know where she picked it up from – it might have been born in her – but her attitude was that ‘this is my tournament and you’re not going to take it away from me’.
It never felt like a job; it felt like a pleasure to me. To be doing something that you like and something that you love, what more do you want in life? Helping people to enjoy themselves. Couldn’t get anything better than that.
Some of the biggest names in Queensland sport will show off their golfing talents when they join the professionals from the BMW Australian PGA Championship in Wednesday’s pro-am at Royal Queensland Golf Club.
The list of celebrities teeing it up includes Brisbane Lions AFL premiership-winning duo Cam Rayner and Will Ashcroft, Brisbane Broncos NRL captain Adam Reynolds, the Dolphins’ Tonga representative Isaiya Katoa, Brisbane Heat cricketers Matt Renshaw and Max Bryant and Queensland Reds centre Isaac Henry.
There are also two Queensland State of Origin legends in Cameron Smith and Paul Vautin who will feature in the same group with DP World Tour and Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia professional Daniel Gale and recently retired Broncos and Maroons winger Corey Oates.
The sporting stars are all in the morning field which tees off at 7am (Qld time) where they will be joined on the course by marquee players Jason Day, Cam Smith, Min Woo Lee, Cam Davis, Marc Leishman, Victor Perez and Jordan Smith.
The afternoon wave at 1pm (Qld time) is highlighted by Harry Higgs, Lucas Herbert, the past two Challenger PGA Tour of Order of Merit winners Kazuma Kobori and David Micheluzzi and former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy.
Entrance to the pro-am is free for the general public and a great chance to see the stars up close before they reach round one of the $2 million championship on Thursday.
Free parking is available at Curtin Ave West, under the Gateway Bridge.
The BMW Australian PGA Championship will be broadcast on Fox Sports and Kayo, as well as the NINE Network/9NOW.
For BMW Australian PGA Championship tickets, go to ticketek.com.au
The Australian PGA Championship is supported by the Queensland Government, through Tourism and Events Queensland’s Major Events Program and Brisbane City Council, through Brisbane Economic Development Agency.
One is on his first trip Down Under while the other is simply happy to be home as first players took to Royal Queensland Golf Club on Monday ahead of the 2024 BMW Australian PGA Championship starting Thursday.
In his long-awaited return to Queensland, former world No.1 Jason Day was one of the earliest on course on Monday morning, defending champion Min Woo Lee still en route after finishing tied for 24th at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai on Sunday.
American Harry Higgs spent last week in Melbourne familiarising himself with the famed sandbelt while West Australian Haydn Barron cancelled his plans to play the Monday qualifier at Wynnum Golf Club after receiving one of the last two tournament invites on Sunday night.
Higgs achieved social media infamy when he and Joel Dahmen ripped their shirts off at the 16th hole at the Phoenix Open in 2022 in celebration of Higgs making par.
If he was to make a hole-in-one at the Dabble Party Hole at RQ on Saturday, fans in attendance will share in $1 million, Higgs promising to make it a moment to remember.
“There’s no telling what I would do,” Higgs said of a million-dollar hole-in-one.
“I have been a staunch, I’m never doing it again, and I feel pretty confident that I wouldn’t now…
“A million-dollar hole-in-one and then just a hole-in-one in general, I can’t say for sure that I would keep that promise that I would never ever do it again.”
Headed back to the PGA TOUR in 2025 after a two-win season on the Korn Ferry Tour this year, Higgs also means business in his Australian debut.
The 32-year-old played both Kingston Heath and Victoria last week in preparation for the ISPS HANDA Australian Open and is ready to test his game in what he compared to major championship atmosphere.
“This week and next week I’m playing two major championships,” said Higgs.
“To see the folks that have basically, not noticed me, but maybe noticed me carrying my golf clubs through the hotels or whatnot, these two events are a big deal to them, so they should be a big deal to me.
“And it’s nice to travel to a different part of the world, play a little different golf and just see how you stack up and certainly play against still some phenomenal, phenomenal golfers.”
Barron is back at Royal Queensland after a rookie season on the DP World Tour that exposed him to every element of professional golf.
He narrowly missed out on retaining full playing rights at Qualifying School in Spain last week and was grateful to receive the invite that Lucas Herbert no longer needed after winning the Ford NSW Open at Murray Downs.
“I went and walked Wynnum yesterday and had a look around and kind of tried to get my head around a few of the tee shots,” said Barron.
“It looked pretty quirky but I managed to get the call-up last night, so straight in and straight here today, which is nice.”
The 28-year-old’s best finish in 2024 was a tie for ninth at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters and he will likely spend the majority of 2025 on the secondary Challenge Tour.
It’s why two tournaments on home soil to start the 2025 DP World Tour season present such a unique opportunity.
“I’m not going to get a whole lot of opportunity on main tour now. It’s going to be predominantly Challenge Tour,” said Barron, whose best finish at Royal Queensland was a tie for 12th when Jed Morgan won in January 2022.
“Hopefully you can get some points up these next couple of weeks and try and make something happen.”
For BMW Australian PGA Championship tickets, go to ticketek.com.au
The Australian PGA Championship is supported by the Queensland Government, through Tourism and Events Queensland’s Major Events Program and Brisbane City Council, through Brisbane Economic Development Agency.
Adam Scott’s remarkable resilience was on display again as he rallied to finish tied-third in the DP World Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship in Dubai.
The 44-year-old, who had already climbed into the top spot among Australian men on the world rankings at No. 20, shot a closing 68 at Jumeirah Golf Estates to slide into the top three behind winner Rory McIlroy and Rasmus Hojgaard.
Had the eagle putt from 15 feet that missed the left side of the hole by a fraction on Sunday dropped in, he would have been within a shot of McIlroy, who almost simultaneously birdied the par-4 16th hole and then iced his win with another birdie at the 18th.
McIlroy won both the tournament and the season-long Race to Dubai bonus prize, his sixth season triumph in Europe. Only Colin Montgomerie (eight) has more titles.
Scott has had an excellent but in some ways quirky year, with four top-10s on the DP World Tour and more than €2 million in earnings without a win in 11 starts, finishing eighth on the tour’s points standings. On the PGA Tour, he was twice runner-up and made 17 cuts in 19 events.
His most recent victory around the world was the Cathedral Invitational at home in 2023, and overseas he has not won since the Genesis Invitational in the US in 2020.
But he shows few signs of slowing up.
Meanwhile in the US, Minjee Lee shored up her place in the LPGA Tour’s CME Group Tour Championship in Florida this week by finishing tied-14th in The Annika tournament behind rampant Nelly Korda, who won her seventh event of the season.
Lee, a former world No. 2 and twice a major champion, began the week in 56th on the points rankings, needing to be inside the top 60 to get to Florida where the prize pool this week is $US10 million.
But she is safely inside at 54th after Sunday’s finish.
Hannah Green (who had a rare missed cut this weekend), Gabi Ruffels and Grace Kim have all qualified for the season-ender, but Steph Kyriacou’s missed cut saw her slide from 60th to 62nd and out of the tour championship field.
On the Asian Tour, Jack Thompson finished tied-fifth in Taiwan.
Kiwi Steve Alker won the Mexican Senior Open on the Legends Tour with a closing 66.
PHOTO: Adam Scott on his way to a T3 finish in Dubai to finish his year. Image: Getty
Results
DP World Tour
DP World Tour Championship
Jumeirah Golf Estates, Earth course, Dubai, UAE
1 Rory McIlroy 67-69-68-69 – 273 €2,842,443
T3 Adam Scott 69-71-69-68 – 277 €525,220
T24 Min Woo Lee 70-72-73-70 – 285 €74,732
PGA TOUR
Butterfield Bermuda Championship
Port Royal Golf Course, Southhampton, Bermuda
1 Rafael Campos 70-65-62-68 – 265 $US 1.242m
T70 Aaron Baddeley 73-66-73-74 – 286 $14,007
LPGA Tour
The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican
Pelican Golf Club, Belleair, Florida
1 Nelly Korda 66-66-67-67 – 266 $US 487,500
T14 Minjee Lee 66-69-69-70 – 274 $44,442
T14 Lydia Ko (NZ) 71-69-65-69 – 274 $44,442
T32 Gabriela Ruffels 68-69-71-70 – 278 $23,391
T69 Hira Naveed 72-69-73-77 – 291 $6672
MC Robyn Choi 68-75 – 143
MC Hannah Green 74-70 – 144
MC Stephanie Kyriacou 73-73 – 146
Asian Tour
Taiwan Glass Taifong Open
Taifong Golf Club, Taiwan
1 Suteepat Prateeptienchai 67-63-68-68 – 266 $US 72,000
T5 Jack Thompson 64-65-73-70 – 272 $14,860
T26 Justin Warren 70-69-71-70 – 280 $3520
T51 Zach Murray 69-73-76-68 – 286 $1640
68 Aaron Wilkin 71-71-76-74 – 292 $960
MC Sam Brazel 79-66 – 145
Japan Golf Tour
Dunlop Phoenix Tournament
Phoenix Country Club, Miyazaki
1 – Max McGreevy 66-62-65-69 – 262 ¥40,000
MC Michael Hendry (NZ) 73-71 – 144
Legends Tour
WCM Mexico Senior Open
Punta Mita Golf Club, Nayarit, Mexico
1 Steven Alker (NZ) 66-67-66-199
T34 Michael Campbell (NZ) 71-73-71 – 215
T40 Michael Long (NZ) 71-71-75 – 217
Australian brand SParms has joined Australia Golf’s commitment to championing a sun safety revolution by becoming the Official Sun Protection Supplier for the upcoming two Aussie majors, the BMW Australian PGA Championship and ISPS HANDA Australian Open.
SParms is renowned for its commitment to producing high quality wearable sun protection gear and more recently organic sunscreen ideal for wearing on the golf course.
Its iconic sun protection arm sleeves are already used by a wide range of players on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and WPGA Tour of Australasia.
For this summer’s majors, the sleeves have been added to the uniform for volunteers and staff in a bid to minimise the risks associated with prolonged UV exposure.
They will be protected from over 99.8% of UV rays where SParms UPF50+ certified products are worn. SParms’ proprietary material will also help keep them cool while they are on the golf course.
PGA of Australia and Golf Australia Chief Commercial Officer Michael McDonald said: “We are dedicated to equipping golfers, young and old, with better education and solutions to the dangers of prolonged UV exposure that every golfer faces.
“We are excited to work with SParms, an Australian-owned company promoting sun safety on and off the golf course.
“With about two in every three Australians diagnosed with some form of skin cancer before the age of 70, the importance of sun protection for golfers is something we are keen to lend our voice to alongside a trusted brand in SParms as a leader in the sun protection sleeves market.”
The SParms range has changed the way hundreds of athletes and, in particular, professional golfers around the world from all tours protect themselves from the harsh UV rays of the sun.
Australian golf legend Karrie Webb said: “It’s so great to see that Golf Australia and the PGA of Australia is leading the way in taking greater measures to protect golfers from the harsh UV rays.
“As golfers are out in the sun all day, it’s so important that our sporting bodies recognise and bring awareness to better ways to keep sun safe.
“With SParms, golfers, event staff and volunteers will have peace of mind that their arms will stay protected whilst staying cool.”
Photo: SParms ambassador Daniel Gale
He carried the hopes of a nation at the Paris Olympics and French star Victor Perez has urged Australian fans to be patient with the ascension of defending BMW Australian PGA champion, Min Woo Lee.
Lee returns to Royal Queensland Golf Club this week ranked No.46 in the Official World Golf Ranking but without a win in the past 12 months.
Lee’s three-shot win at RQ last year was one of the most electrifying displays from an Aussie on home soil since Adam Scott’s masterful summer in 2013, the ‘Let him cook’ calling card bringing its own sense of expectation among fans.
Given his experience playing with Lee first on the DP World Tour and the past two years on the PGA TOUR, Perez believes it is only a matter of time before the 26-year-old solidifies his place as one of the world’s best.
“He has got incredible length, which obviously plays a massive strength in his game,” said Perez, who returns to the Australian PGA for the first time since 2018 ranked No.74 in the world.
“He’s got really good hands around the greens so he is kind of the total package.
“Sometimes people have really high expectations and I always want their guy to break through and get on the front of the scene and stuff like that, but it’s not like the guys he’s playing against aren’t good either.
“Sometimes a bit of patience goes a long way when it comes to breaking through.
“I don’t think he needs to particularly do anything different than what he’s currently doing and obviously experience is only going to add to his package.”
Few players will appreciate what Perez himself experienced at Le Golf National in August.
With enormous and patriotic galleries flanking the fairways, Perez had the honour of hitting the first tee shot of the men’s Olympic golf competition.
Four days later he had the French faithful frothing at the prospect of an Olympic medal, shooting 29 on the back nine to fall an agonisingly one shot shy of a medal playoff.
“It was an incredible experience. I don’t think the players, and me included, expected quite the turnout that it was,” said Perez.
“It was great for golf in general to give people hope and a chance. Obviously, I was making a run on the back nine and feeling like it was worth watching and following the French guy; it was obviously really biased towards me.
“It was really, really fun and just a great experience besides the fourth-place finish.”
The 32-year-old will spend the majority of 2025 on the PGA TOUR for the second consecutive year, the lure of a Ryder Cup debut looming large in the distance.
While reluctant to project that far forward, Perez admits that banking some DP World Tour points in Australia the next two weeks could be crucial in reaching his ultimate goal.
“I’ve been doing this enough now to know that it’s not something you can get in January, February, March, and even in April, May, June,” said Perez, who spent 10 days in Sydney with his Australian wife’s family and a week in Melbourne prior to arriving in Brisbane on Sunday.
“You’ve just got to keep playing and then kind of just see where the chips fall.
“It’s obviously going to be a big talking point, but having been in that loop twice already, I know what you’re supposed to do; I just haven’t been able to do it the last couple of times.
“This would be kind of a start of DP World, an opportunity to get some points on the board early when some of the guys are resting.
“There’s plenty of things coming that good performances are going to bring along so there’s lot to play for sure.”
For BMW Australian PGA Championship tickets, go to ticketek.com.au
The Australian PGA Championship is supported by the Queensland Government, through Tourism and Events Queensland’s Major Events Program and Brisbane City Council, through Brisbane Economic Development Agency.
Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Starting four shots back on the final day at Murray Downs, Lucas Herbert has clawed his way back to lift the Kel Nagle Cup at the 2024 Ford NSW Open by three strokes and claim his first win on home soil.
Signing for the low round of the day, a 4-under 67, Herbert finished the championship at 15-under, with the entire final group of Alex Simpson, Corey Lamb and Cameron Smith all tied second at 12-under.
The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit leader Jack Buchanan and Kiwi Josh Geary sharing fifth on 9-under, while four players found themselves in a tie for seventh another shot further back.
In his first round of the week separated from his mate and Ripper GC captain Smith, Herbert was able to set the pace in the penultimate group as he went about making up ground early.
An unsuccessful equipment change on Saturday meant Herbert’s trusty putter was back in the bag, and it didn’t let him down, pouring in three birdies on his opening nine, including back-to-back on eight and nine.
“To be honest I was struggling with the putter all week,” he said. “I really didn’t feel comfortable the first two rounds, especially over left or right putts.
“Went to the putting green after the round on Friday and we knew then we were going to switch putters for the next day, unfortunately it looked like I was holding a rattlesnake out there for a while.
“Came off the course, grabbed the other one. I reckon I hit two putts and was like, yep, this is going back in tomorrow, and it just felt incredibly better.”
With Smith making two bogeys and turning in 1-over, Herbert had drawn level with the major champion, and the shootout he predicted – and hoped for – came to fruition, albeit in separate groups.
With another birdie on 13, Herbert stood tall as the outright leader for the first time on Sunday, and never looked back, steadily coming home in even-par from there as Smith and others misfired on the bid to catch him.
“I just set my expectations in the right places. Dom (Azzopardi) and I said walking to the first tee, like 2-under today is going to be a great score, hitting shots on the range and they’re getting smashed sideways,” Herbert said referencing Sunday’s strong winds.
“You just had to take your chances when you could get one close and then just scramble for pars as well as you could at all other opportunities.”
Already a PGA TOUR and DP World Tour winner, this is remarkably Herbert’s first win in Australia, and while it comes across the river in New South Wales and not his home state of Victoria, the proximity to Bendigo makes this one extra special for him.
“Very, very special to win in front of all my friends from Bendigo, some family in there as well,” he said
“To beat Cam starting four shots back on Sunday. Yeah, pretty special feeling.
“I was thinking that today a little, maybe a couple of times I let my mind slip a little bit and I was like, ‘geez, I’ve never won a Tour event in Australia’, like something of this stature. So very, very cool to tick that one off the list.”
With the first Aussie win under his belt, Herbert has his sights firmly on the next two weeks as he heads to the BMW Australian PGA Championship, and then onto the ISPS HANDA Australian Open.
“The next two weeks are going to be stronger fields, tougher golf courses,” he said.
“I’m going to have to be sharper with the game, but we’re definitely on the right track if we’re producing the results we had this week.”
Photo: Golf NSW.
A sharpened short game came up trumps as David Van Raalte matched Marcus Cain to share top honours at the Roseville Golf Club Mashie & Pro-Am.
The par 67 layout and blustery conditions presented quite a test for the PGA Legends Tour regulars, Van Raalte and Cain both posting a two-round total of 2-under-par to edge Adam Henwood, Chris Taylor and Tim Elliott by a single stroke.
Without a win in 2024 to date, Van Raalte credited an improved short-game showing for his return to the top of the leaderboard.
“My short game has been pretty ordinary for a little while,” said Van Raalte.
“Yesterday I actually got it up and down a few times, hit some nice chip shots.
“Been a few guys give me a bit of a hand over time with that side of things so it was nice to actually have a bit of success with it.
“You’ve just got to miss it in the right spot. If you can miss it in the right spot, leave yourself a decent chip shot or a putt, makes it a lot easier.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED
Tied for the lead at 1-under at the start of Round 1, Van Raalte had dropped back to even par after going out in 1-over with two bogeys and a lone birdie.
He stayed level with the card when he traded a birdie on 11 with a bogey on 12, birdies at two of the three par-5s on the back nine elevating him to 2-under at day’s end.
One-over after Round 1, Cain could ill afford any backward steps as he also sought his first win of the year.
Two birdies in the opening three holes was an ideal start, moving to 2-under with birdies at 11 and 14 along with a bogey on 13.
Cain’s round finished with nine consecutive pars, enough to join Van Raalte on the winner’s dais.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“This afternoon was pretty blustery,” said Van Raalte.
“The greens were a little bit quicker this afternoon than they were yesterday morning.
“I hit a lot of good shots around the back nine to give myself some nice opportunities and got a couple to drop in here and there.
“Long time since I’ve been in the winner’s circle so happy to be there.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 Marcus Cain 68-64—132
T1 David Van Raalte 66-66—132
T3 Chris Taylor 66-67—133
T3 Adam Henwood 66-67—133
T3 Tim Elliott 69-64—133
6 Mark Gilson 66-69—135
7 Nigel Lane 70-66—136
NEXT UP
The Sydney swing of the PGA Legends Tour continues on Monday with the Lovedale Farm Legends Pro-Am at Castle Hill Country Club to be followed by the Bondi Legends Pro-Am on Tuesday.
Cameron Smith has pulled away from the field today at Murray Downs after a 5-under 66, to secure a two shot lead heading into the final round of the Ford NSW Open.
While it has been Smith versus Ripper GC teammate Lucas Herbert all week, after a frustrating 1-over 72 from Herbert today, Smith will be joined by two new playing partners for Sunday’s round.
Hunter Valley’s Corey Lamb and 41-year-old Alexander Simpson, who plays much of his golf on the adidas Pro-Am series, will stroll the fairways with major-champion Smith tomorrow.
Lamb is Smith’s closest challenger at 13-under, the 23-year-old fired a 67 today to continue his quest for a maiden Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia victory.
While tied third with Herbert and Kiwi Josh Geary at 11-under, it is Simpson who makes up the final group after a steady 3-under 68 today to continue his magical week thus far.
With his biggest pay-day in professional golf currently $3600, Simpson is in uncharted waters. Having already demonstrated he has the game to match it some of the world’s best this week, one more low one is far from out of the question.
The penultimate grouping on Sunday consists of Herbert and Geary, alongside former NSW Open champion Harrison Crowe, who carded a 3-under 68 today.
While Herbert held a two-shot overnight lead, Smith was able to flip the script early, playing his first five holes in 4-under. The highlight an eagle on the par-5 fourth, his second knocked in close.
Three more birdies on the back nine for Smith, while Herbert made two frustrating doubles, meant his lead was continuing to stretch.
After looking like his game was on cruise control for 16 holes today, Smith tugged an iron off 17 tee and found the fairway bunker left.
As if to rub salt into the wound, an overhanging tree meant Smith’s backswing was impeded, and in the blink of an eye the 2022 Open Champion walked off with a double bogey of his own, just letting the rest of the field back in slightly.
“It was really a shame to not finish as good as I wanted to,” said Smith. “Did what I needed to do today and on 17 there it was just, I don’t know. I don’t even know what it was to be honest. It’s all a blur.”
It was the only mistake Smith made all day, and while it could have been more comfortable lead, the Queenslander knows any 54-hole lead is a blessing, considering he will have the rest of the field hunting him, including Herbert.
“Leading into the last day is where you want to be, you want to be there thereabouts. I just need to do more of the same as what I did today,” he said.
“With Herbie having the day he did today, I expect that he’s probably going to come out with a good one tomorrow.
One of the players out to hunt down Smith, and not daunted by the prospect, is his Sunday playing partner Lamb.
“I want to be the best, and you’ve got to play with the best to be the best,” Lamb said of his Sunday pairing.
Hunting his first Tour win, Lamb has come close, with back-to-back runner-up finishes at the last two Webex Players Series South Australia events.
Having taken out the NSW Amateur and Queensland Amateur in consecutive weeks in his junior years, Lamb has a winning mentality, and knows it is only a matter of time out here.
“I think if I can get off to a solid start, it’ll give me a lot of confidence to go through to just play good golf,” he said.
“I’ve played well the last three rounds, and I feel like I’ve sort of left a few out there.
“The last two days I could have went a bit lower, so hopefully they can all drop tomorrow and I have a perfect round.”
Photo: Golf NSW.
