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Two late birdies and a judicious decision on the final hole has secured Brady Watt a one-stroke victory at the 50th playing of the Mitchell and Brown Spalding Park Open in Geraldton.
A round of 6-under 66 gave Watt a one-stroke lead after Round 1 at Spalding Park Golf Club, an advantage he extended to three courtesy of a 4-under par round of 68 in Round 2.
Paired with Ryan Peake and Scott Strange for the final round, Watt was somewhat slow out of the blocks.
Six pars and a bogey in his opening seven holes gave the likes of Jordan Doull (64) and rwo-time champion Daniel Fox (68) a glimmer of hope that Watt could be reined in.
Birdies at eight, nine and 11 re-established Watt’s ascendancy, building a two-stroke buffer with further birdies at 15 and 16.
He dropped a shot at the par-4 17th to reduce the deficit to one but used a conservative approach to secure the par he needed for his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win in close to a year.
“It’s always hard to win wire-to-wire,” Watt said post-round.
“I felt a little nervous this morning but how the course was set-up was kind of tricky, so you’ve got to hang in there.
“I didn’t look at the live scoring too much. I looked after nine and saw that a few guys were going quite well so just tried to have a couple more birdies coming home, checked it on the last and managed to get it done.”
Although not quite wire-to-wire, it was a solid performance from PGA Legends Tour Order of Merit leader Chris Taylor to claim the Mitchell and Brown Spalding Park Legends Open.
One back of Terry Pilkadaris after Round 1, Taylor opened up a four-stroke buffer with a second straight round of 3-under 69 on day two.
Two early birdies in the final round saw that lead balloon to six early, Taylor completing a comfortable three-stroke win despite making bogey at each of the final two holes.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
With Watt out in front, it did not take long for contenders to make their move in the final round.
New South Welshman Alex Edge made three birdies and an eagle in his first four holes after starting on the 10th tee while Cameron John threatened to make it three wins on the WA swing when he used two birdies and an eagle to draw within two of Watt.
As Watt struggled early, Doull made his move.
A week into his professional career, Doull started the final round seven shots back of Watt but had drawn to within one courtesy of an outward nine of 5-under 31.
He added three further birdies in a bogey-free round that would ultimately come up one shot shy.
Watt’s two birdies prior to the turn proved crucial in building momentum into the back nine.
He took advantage of the short par-4 11th to edge further ahead and following a dropped shot at 13, responded with birdies at 15 and 16.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I try to make as many (birdies) as I can while limiting the bogeys,” said Watt.
“I like playing quite aggressive so it’s hard sometimes to aim away from the pin but on the last, being in the middle of the fairway, it’s 100 metres, it’s actually hard to aim right of the flag and try to make a four.
“But that’s how you close out golf events and really happy that I did today.
“I got my card back at Q School and I’ve just been continuing to work and tie in these pro-ams to test how I’m going.
“It’s all starting to come back to where it can be so it’s exciting to get a win, especially at a place I’ve been coming since I was a junior.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Brady Watt 66-68-70—204
T2 Jordan Doull 68-73-64—205
T2 Daniel Fox 68-69-68—205
4 Tom Addy (a) 69-72-65—206
5 Scott Strange 68-69-70—207
T6 Cameron John 70-70-68—208
T6 Kim Felton 69-71-68—208
T6 James Marchesani 70-70-68—208
NEXT UP
The WA swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series moves on to Watt’s junior club, Sun City Country Club, on Wednesday for the Total Tree Services Perth Sun City CC Pro-Am where he is also the defending champion. On the east coast of the country, the Queensland run begins on Thursday with the $50,000 Lexus Townsville Classic.
Sydney professional Josh Clarke broke through for his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series victory by shooting a Sunday 65 to claim the Cowra Lamb Pro-Am by a single shot.
Coming off two top-three pro-am finishes in February and regaining his Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia card at Qualifying School in April, Clarke posted a 36-hole total of 9-under-par to overtake the first-round leader James Conran (66-68),
Matthew Docking (68-67) and Blake Windred (68-67) shared third place.
With the Asian Tour Qualifying School as his next major target, Clarke said he is seeing the results of plenty of time on the practice fairway with coach Blake Dowd at Castle Hill.
Former Australian amateur representative Jye Pickin made his professional debut at Cowra and finished in 12th at 3-under-par.
HOW THE LEADING SCORE UNFOLDED
Clarke rode a hot putter across the two days, collecting 13 birdies.
Six of those came on day one when he also mixed in three bogeys.
In his 6-under 65 on Sunday, which matched John Lyras for low round of the day, Clarke rolled in another seven birdies with his sole bogey coming on the 383m par-4 ninth which he also bogeyed in round one.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I putted pretty well on both days,” Clarke said.
“I didn’t hit it the greatest on day one but much better day two and still just holed heaps of putts whether it was pars or birdies and even a couple of bogey putts. I just putted really good.
“I’ve been continuing to work hard with my coach Blake who is now at Castle Hill. Working on the same type of swing stuff. Still trying to hit fades just control the flight a little bit better.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
133: Josh Clarke (68-65)
134: James Conran (66-68)
135: Matthew Docking (67-68), Blake Windred (67-68)
136: Jack Walden (69-67)
137: Andrew Evans (71-66), Nathan Page (70-67), Anthony Choat (69-68), Justin Warren (68-69)
(*all NSW)
NEXT UP
The next adidas PGA Pro-Am series event in New South Wales is the Northbridge Pro-Am in Sydney on July 26.
West Australian Min Woo Lee believes he is a step closer to a major championship breakthrough after finishing as the leading Aussie at the US PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club.
American Xander Schauffele had to birdie the 72nd hole to earn his own maiden major victory with a record score of 21-under par, edging Bryson DeChambeau (64) by a single stroke.
Tied with two-time major champion Collin Morikawa entering the final round, Schauffele holed a birdie putt from 27 feet at the first to take the outright lead.
He would never trail from that point on, yet had to navigate a treacherous final hole to better DeChambeau’s clubhouse mark of 20-under par.
His tee shot at the par-5 18th came so close to the fairway bunker that he was forced to play his second shot with both feet in the sand. An awkward 7-iron from 247 yards hooked into the fairway 36 yards short of the green, his subsequent pitch coming up six feet short of the hole.
Raise it high, Xander Schauffele! You're a PGA Champion! 🏆#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/onxnK4f0ZC
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 19, 2024
As DeChambeau thundered driver swings on the practice range in preparation of a possible three-hole playoff, Schauffele stepped in and found enough of the left edge of the hole to make birdie and join the pantheon of major champions.
At 25 years of age, it is a place Lee wants to one day occupy and he left Valhalla feeling confident that he remains on the right path.
“Definitely trending in the right direction,” Lee told the PGA of America after a round of 4-under 67 that elevated him into a tie for 26th.
“I feel like I’m slowly becoming a better player.
“I left some out there but that’s just how it is. I think we can learn from that; solid week.”
A shot to just three feet at the first hole on Sunday set Lee up for a Sunday flurry.
He converted that birdie opportunity and a second from nine feet at the second to begin his final round in the best possible fashion.
There would be a dropped shot at the par-4 fifth but birdies at seven, nine and 10 had Lee 4-under on his round with eight holes to play.
He was unable to get up and down when he came up short of the green at the par-3 11th but got that back with a birdie from 17 feet at the 520-yard par-4 16th.
Thirteenth for the week in Strokes Gained: Putting, Lee was left to lament a 57% driving accuracy off the tee that restricted his birdie chances throughout the week.
“My driving wasn’t too good the last couple of days,” he admitted.
“If my driving’s up to scratch then I can definitely attack and make some more birdies. It didn’t feel comfortable the last two days so it was quite tough to make some birdies.
“I thought I did pretty good with my recovery the last few days, very happy.”
Tied for 16th through three rounds and chasing a first top-10 finish in a major, Lucas Herbert was on the back foot early with a double-bogey at the first, falling to a tie for 43rd with a closing 3-over 74 alongside fellow Aussie Jason Day (71).
Cameron Smith had six bogeys and four birdies in his round of 2-over 73 while Kiwi Ryan Fox shot 74 to finish 75th.
Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images
US PGA Championship
Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Kentucky
1 Xander Schauffele 62-68-68-65—263 $US3.3m
T26 Min Woo Lee 72-66-70-67—275 $113,962
T43 Jason Day 71-67-69-71—278 $48,969
T43 Lucas Herbert 69-67-68-74—278 $48,969
T63 Cameron Smith 68-70-70-73—281 $25,202
75 Ryan Fox (NZ) 72-68-72-74—286 $22,350
MC Adam Scott 72-73—145
MC Cam Davis 78-71—149
MC Kazuma Kobori (NZ) 73-77—150
West Australian Hannah Green has fallen just short in her quest to win for a third time this season in an epic showdown with world No.1 Nelly Korda at the Mizuho Americas Open.
Seeking to join Jan Stephenson and Karrie Webb as the only Australians to win three times in a single LPGA Tour season, Green began the final round two shot back at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey.
Green’s birdie at the opening hole and Korda’s bogey on two brought the two together at the top of the leaderboard and it quickly turned into a two-horse race.
The 27-year-old took the outright lead when Korda dropped a shot at the par-4 seventh but joined Korda again at 11-under when she made bogey at the par-5 eighth.
The pair made a trio of matching birdies at 10, 13 and 15 to move out to 14-under and four strokes clear of the field.
They are neck and neck! 🏃♀️@HannahGreenGolf birdies and @NellyKorda follows 🐥 pic.twitter.com/t5LAZvAdik
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 19, 2024
Each hole was an absorbing round of a heavyweight title fight.
Every time that Green landed a body blow, Korda countered with one of her own.
In a possible precursor to the US Women’s Open in two weeks’ time, two players with seven wins between them this season battled until the 72nd hole when Green’s fourth missed fairway of the day would prove costly.
The deep rough left of the fairway grabbed hold of her club as she played her second shot, the ball diving left and short of the putting surface.
The 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA champion showed great touch to give herself a par putt of some 10 feet but it missed on the low side as Korda clinched her sixth win in her past seven starts.
Although disappointed to come up agonisingly short, Green was proud of how she stood up against one of the greatest stretches by anyone in golf history.
“To lose to Nelly… it’s sad, but then it’s also Nelly Korda,” Green reflected.
“She’s obviously so dominant right now. To feel like second behind her is quite nice.”
Green is looking toward the US Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club where she attended as a spectator in 2015 as a Karrie Webb scholarship holder.
“I’m super excited for the next stretch of events,” Green added.
“To go back to somewhere that I haven’t actually played but been outside the ropes, that was the thing that made me want to become a professional golfer, watching Karrie there.
“I’m really excited for Lancaster.”
Green wasn’t the only outstanding performance from an Australian woman this week.
Gabriela Ruffels continued her outstanding rookie season on the LPGA Tour with a third third-place finish to will propel her inside the top 50 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings while Kirsten Rudgeley shot 65 in the final round to finish tied for fourth at the Amundi German Masters on the Ladies European Tour.
Another very solid week at a major for @Minwoo27Lee.
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) May 19, 2024
He breaks down his @PGAChampionship ⬇️
📹 @PGA pic.twitter.com/FhuUdsuOyA
A final round of 4-under 67 saw Min Woo Lee finish as the leading Australian at the US PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club.
Lee’s four-round total of 9-under earned the 25-year-old a tied for 26th as American Xander Schauffele (65) birdied the 72nd hole to win his maiden major championship by a single stroke from Bryson DeChambeau (64).
It was another winning week too for the Kiwis, with Harry Hillier shooting 59 on his way to an eight-shot win on the PGA TOUR Americas and Fiona Xu winning the Copper Rock Championship on the Epson Tour by seven.
Results
US PGA Championship
Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Kentucky
1 Xander Schauffele 62-68-68-65—263 $US3.3m
T26 Min Woo Lee 72-66-70-67—275 $113,962
T43 Jason Day 71-67-69-71—278 $48,969
T43 Lucas Herbert 69-67-68-74—278 $48,969
T63 Cameron Smith 68-70-70-73—281 $25,202
75 Ryan Fox (NZ) 72-68-72-74—286 $22,350
MC Adam Scott 72-73—145
MC Cam Davis 78-71—149
MC Kazuma Kobori (NZ) 73-77—150
LPGA Tour
Mizuho Americas Open
Liberty National Golf Club, Jersey City, New Jersey
1 Nelly Korda 70-68-65-71—274 $US450,000
2 Hannah Green 71-71-63-70—275 $277,738
T3 Gabriela Ruffels 68-70-68-72—278 $146,358
T21 Minjee Lee 69-72-71-69—281 $30,238
T51 Karis Davidson 71-70-71-77—289 $10,189
T51 Sarah Kemp 73-67-72-77—289 $10,189
T53 Stephanie Kyriacou 74-69-71-76—290 $9,427
MC Grace Kim 72-72—144
MC Robyn Choi 73-74—147
MC Lydia Ko (NZ) 72-77—149
Japan Golf Tour
Kansai Open Golf Championship
Meishin Yokaichi Country Club, Shiga
1 Takahiro Hatachi 69-65-65-67—266 ¥16m
T14 Michael Hendry 72-67-70-66—275 ¥1.376m
MC Brad Kennedy 77-67—144
MC Anthony Quayle 70-76—146
Korn Ferry Tour
AdventHealth Championship
Blue Hills Country Club, Kansas City, Missouri
1 Harry Higgs 71-67-65-66—269
Won in sudden-death playoff
MC Rhein Gibson 72-71—143
MC Dimi Papadatos 75-70—145
MC Brett Drewitt 75-70—145
MC Steven Bowditch 75-78—153
Ladies European Tour
Amundi German Masters
Golf and Country Club Seddiner See, Berlin, Germany
1 Alexandra Forsterling 70-70-69-67—276 €45,000
Won in sudden-death playoff
T4 Kirsten Rudgeley 73-74-68-65—280 €12,150
T24 Momoka Kobori (NZ) 74-73-68-72—287 €3,510
MC Amy Walsh 73-79—152
Korean PGA
SK Telecom Open
Pinx Golf Club, Seogwipo, South Korea
1 K.J. Choi 71-64-72-74—281
Won in sudden-death playoff
MC Wonjoon Lee 77-74—151
MC Junseok Lee 78-73—151
MC Kevin Chun (NZ) 84-73—157
PGA TOUR Americas
Inter Rapidisimo Golf Championship
Club El Rincón de Cajicá, Bogotá, Colombia
1 Harry Hillier (NZ) 68-59-68-67—262 $US40,500
T45 Jason Hong 70-70-76-69—285
Epson Tour
Copper Rock Championship
Copper Rock Golf Course, Hurricane, Utah
1 Fiona Xu (NZ) 67-63-64—194 $US37,500
T30 Cassie Porter 74-68-71—213 $2,166
MC Su Oh 74-72—146
MC Amelia Garvey (NZ) 77-72—149
Victorian Lucas Herbert is poised to push for his best finish in a major championship as he continues to lead the Aussie charge at the US PGA Championship.
Herbert’s 3-under 68 has him at 9-under through 54 holes, six shots back of co-leaders Xander Schauffele (68) and Collin Morikawa (67) as Northern Ireland’s Shane Lowry joined the fray by equalling the low majors mark with his round of 9-under 62.
Herbert likely needs something similar to join the list of genuine contenders for the Wanamaker Trophy yet the 28-year-old remains determined to fight for the best finish possible.
A tie for 13th at the PGA Championship two years ago is Herbert’s best result in a major to date and a maiden top-10 is among a handful of boxes he would like to tick at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky.
“There’s plenty to play for,” Herbert told the PGA of America.
“There’s a stack of exemptions based on wherever you finish so I’ve got that to think about.
“Even just getting to double digits under par in a major is pretty cool and something that not many people can say they’ve done.
“If I was able to get to that score I think that would be a pretty good achievement.
“I’ve done a lot of work this year on my game so I’d love to play a nice, solid round tomorrow, at worst, and if we finish in the top 10 that would give me a lot of satisfaction for the hard work that I’ve put in.”
At 9-under par Herbert is three shots clear of Jason Day (69) as the leading Aussie, Min Woo Lee (70) and Cameron Smith (70) both tied for 38th at 5-under par and 10 strokes off the lead.
Once Round 2 was completed and a short suspension due to heavy fog was lifted, Herbert set about making an impression on the leaderboard.
He hit his approach shot from 196 yards at the second to 10 feet and made the putt for birdie and then backed that up with a 26-foot putt for birdie at the par-3 third.
He erased a dropped shot at six with a birdie at the par-5 seventh, his final birdie of the day coming from 20 feet at the short par-4 13th.
Herbert received a free drop when his tee shot on 18 went left but made a par putt from nine feet to carry momentum into the final round.
“It’s nice to get off to a good start like that and obviously you want to continue it, but you do have to check yourself and make sure you don’t get too far ahead of yourself,” Herbert said of his bright start on Saturday.
“Off to a good start and, to be honest, I’m reasonably happy with the day. I probably left two shots out there – missed a short one on 10 and then made a bogey on six. Any time you can say you left two shots on the course you’ve had a pretty good day.
“I just need to iron out a couple of things to get ready for tomorrow and shouldn’t be too far away from things.”
Min Woo Lee is the first of the Aussies out at 12:55am AEST followed by Cameron Smith at 1:15am. Jason Day is paired with Zac Blair from 1:35am with Herbert to begin his final round at 3:15am alongside Belgian Thomas Detry.
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
An eagle on his final hole has pushed Brady Watt three strokes clear heading into the final round of the Mitchell and Brown Spalding Park Open in Geraldton.
A day after holing a gap wedge for albatross on the same hole, Watt had to be content with eagle at the par-5 ninth on Saturday to close out his round of 4-under 68 at Spalding Park Golf Club.
At 10-under par through two rounds Watt has a three-stroke lead from Ryan Peake (70), Scott Strange (69) and two-time Spalding Park Open champion Daniel Fox (69).
Kathryn Norris followed up her course record of 5-under 67 with a round of 1-under 71 to sit in outright fifth at 6-under, one clear of Cottesloe Open winner Nathan Barbieri (70) and Victorian Andrew Kelly (70).
Seeking his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win in close to a year, Watt began his second round with seven straight pars before trading a bogey with a birdie at 17 and 18 to complete his front nine.
Birdies at one and three continued that momentum into his back nine, momentum that he fully capitalised with his closing eagle on nine.
Three bogeys on his outward nine appeared to end Fox’s hopes of a third Spalding Park Open crown but after a birdie on nine lit up the back nine, keeping Watt within reach with four birdies in his final five holes as he played his final 10 holes in 6-under par.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the Spalding Park Open the inaugural Mitchell & Brown Spalding Park Legends Open is being played in conjunction.
PGA Legends Tour and adidas PGA Pro-Am Series players were paired together on Saturday and it was Order of Merit leader Chris Taylor who sits on top through two rounds.
One back of Terry Pilkadaris after Round 1, Taylor went bogey free in his second straight round of 3-under 69.
At 6-under par he is four strokes clear of Brendan Chant (69) with Jason Norris (74) and Pilkadaris (75) five shots off the lead in a tie for third.
On a rainy and dramatic second day of the PGA Championship which included delays, a tragic accident, an arrest and failure to complete the second round, Lucas Herbert emerged as Australia’s No.1 contender for the weekend.
Herbert shot a 67 in the second round to move to 6-under and in a share of 16th place, six shots behind leader Xander Schauffele.
Play was delayed early Friday at Valhalla Golf Club after a fatal road accident, which caused world No.1 Scottie Scheffler to be arrested after attempting to bypass the built-up traffic to enter the club. The American returned in time for his tee time to shoot a composed 66 and sit three back of Schauffele’s 12-under mark.
Three shots back of Scheffler, Herbert is two ahead of Cam Smith, Jason Day and Min Woo Lee in a tie for 29th. The trio at 4-under are the only other Australians who will make the halfway cut which will likely fall at 1-under when 18 players complete the second round Saturday.
Kiwi Ryan Fox will also play the weekend through his 2-under tournament total, while Adam Scott (3-over), Cam Davis (7-over) and Kazuma Kobori (8-over) will have a couple of days off.
Herbert’s climb up the leaderboard came primarily on Valhalla’s front nine, with the Victorian’s birdie at the fourth immediately given back with bogey at the next, before a hat-trick of birdies saw him turn in 3-under.
Taking on the par-5 seventh in two, Hebert got up-and-down for birdie, followed by a beautiful iron from the tee of the par-3 eighth settled to nine feet. The 28-year-old’s approach at the next finishing at almost the same distance.
“I felt like I got off to a solid start through the front nine. Obviously, a good finish there with birdie in the last three holes,” Herbert said.
“Sort of put me in some good momentum for the back nine where you weren’t really scrambling to make cut anymore.”
Some handy scrambling saved pars early in the back nine, before Herbert delivered his fifth birdie of the day for a 4-under round at the par-5 18th when his eagle try from 17 feet failed to drop.
“Scrambled really nicely, holed out really nicely from sort of three to eight feet again. So yeah, that’s given me the opportunity to be in the position I’m in now,” he said.
”Hopefully we can build into some contention on the weekend.”
Of the three at 4-under, it was Lee who provided the most excitement having opened the tournament with a 1-over 72, and in danger of missing the cut.
Starting on the 10th, Lee made an opening birdie before recording three chip-ins during a 5-under-par round of 66.
The first from long of the 12th green, with Lee’s best coming at the 16th from the long rough left of the green. His fortune, and skill, continuing on the front nine when holing out again from the fairway of the par-3 third.
“It is a weird one. The last couple weeks I haven’t chipped as good as I normally do,” Lee said.
“Normally I would have a chip-in around a tournament and I would chip it on a decent lie, I would probably nearly close to hole it or be around the hole, but the last couple weeks it’s been pretty average.
“It’s nice for the confidence to hole three of them and they weren’t easy ones. Sixteen was pretty special. It was in deep rough into the grain and I was just trying to get it on the green to close and it ended up going in.”
Noting a need for his iron play to improve over the weekend, Lee added three more birdies to his chip-in holes, while it was a more up-and-down day for Smith, who recovered from an opening bogey to shoot 1-under 70.
Mixing three birdies against the same number of bogeys through 13 holes, it was a second consecutive birdie at the 18th that took Smith under par for the day, but eight shots adrift of Schauffele.
For Day, things appeared promising as he made the turn in 3-under after opening his second round with a birdie at the 582 yard par-5 10th.
Making a third par-5 birdie of the round at the seventh, Day dropped his first shot at the par-3 eighth before getting it back at the ninth for a 4-under 67.
Fox was another to make birdie at the 10th to get his round started in the best way possible, before dropping that shot at 11 with two birdies at 17 and 18 creating some momentum for a back nine that included birdies at four and seven for a 3-under 68.
Finally registering a first birdie for the tournament at the 10th, Scott made another on 15, but it was too little too late for the major champion who was unable to convert birdie chances at 16, 17 and 18 too draw closer to the cutline.
After a horror opening day, Davis fought back admirably and improved his score by seven shots in an even par 71 that included five birdies, while Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner Kobori ended his major championship debut with a birdie at the 18th.
The PGA Championship is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
The West Australian swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series continues over the weekend at the Mitchell & Brown Spalding Park Open, where Brady Watt leads after opening with a 6-under 66 that included an albatross on Friday.
Played over three rounds, Watt was out in the early groups and made immediate headway with a birdie at the par-5 first hole and truly came to life with the two at the par-5 ninth.
“Driver, gap wedge from 131, one bounce and rolled in I think, pretty simple,” Watt said describing the albatross.
Asked after his round about the level of excitement from his playing partners, Watt described the atmosphere with a laugh having not seen the ball go in from the fairway.
“Nah, we were talking about the footy, the whole way,” he joked. “It was actually pretty uneventful; we weren’t actually sure if it went in or not because of the shade.”
Watt continued to push on the back nine, where he mixed four birdies, including three straight from the 15th, against one bogey at Spalding Park Golf Club, a course the West Australian is extremely familiar with.
“I’ve been coming here since I was 15, back when Sean McKay was winning. Been here a bunch.”
Watt’s fellow West Aussies, Ryan Peake, Kathryn Norris and Josh Greer share second place, one shot back on 5-under, with four players another shot back, including Daniel Fox who initially was sharing the lead with Watt before a rules clarification post round.
On the fast rolling Spalding Park greens, and in high wins, an ant moved Fox’s ball that he then replaced, rather than playing from where the ball came to rest.
Played concurrently, the PGA Legends Tour at Spalding Park sees Terry Pilkadaris in front on 4-under, with Chris Taylor and Jason Norris in joint second on 3-under, while Murray Lott and Stephen Herbert are tied for fourth at 1-under.
“I’ve played Legends Pro-Am in Mount Gambia the end of last month or start of May. But I haven’t picked up the clubs since, so we just get up and go again. But no, good start,” Pilkadaris, who had his own hole-out moment of excitement, said.
“Birdied 10, 11 and then I holed my wedge for eagle on 13 and then nearly holed another shot on 15. I was 5-under through six. It was a good start. And then the putter went cold.”
That cold putter played its part with three bogeys in five holes on the front nine, Pilkadaris’ back nine, before he finished strongly with birdies at the seventh and ninth for 68.
Now coaching and running golf tours, Pilkadaris echoed the thoughts of both fields on the quality of Spalding Park.
“Best greens we put on anywhere in Australia. Unbelievable. They’re the best,” he said.
“They pretty fast. They’re quick and they’re roll true and they’re perfect.”
Cameron Smith tops the Australian challenge at the PGA Championship at Valhalla, where American Xander Schauffele recorded a course record 62 to sit 9-under with a three-shot lead over Sahith Theegala, Tony Finau and Mark Hubbard.
Signing for a 3-under 68 and share of 18th, Smith made four birdies against one bogey during the opening round, with Lucas Herbert also under par at the year’s second men’s major after a 2-under 69.
Jason Day is the next best Australian at even-par, one in front of Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee, with Cam Davis rounding out the Australians on 7-over. Kiwi pair Ryan Fox and Kazuma Kobori, the reigning Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit champion, opened with 1-over and 2-over rounds respectively.
Starting his round on the 10th tee, Smith got to work early with a birdie at the long par-3 11th before making the turn in 2-under courtesy of another birdie at the par-5 18th.
The Queenslander added more birdies at the third and fourth to reach 4-under, and a spot in the top-10, before his lone bogey of the day came at the fifth after his drive found the native area.
“I actually hit the ball quite well. Probably the first 12 or 13 holes there,” Smith said.
“Kind of let go of it a little bit at the end, but everything felt really good. Managed to get a few good par saves and kind of keep the momentum going for tomorrow.”
Among those momentum maintaining pars was Smith’s going without his shoes and socks to strike his second shot at the par-5 seventh on the way to an unlikely five.
The major champion headed for the driving range followed by some rest on Thursday afternoon ahead of what could be a long tournament with rain predicted for much of the week in Kentucky.
“It’s going to be a long week. I think you know that at the start of the week anyway. It’s a major week,” he said.
“It’s always more demanding, so plenty of rest this afternoon. Maybe get a few balls, clean some stuff up and yeah, get a good sleep tonight.”
The first Australian on course, Herbert’s round got off to a rocky start when the Victorian bogeyed the par-4 10th, his opening hole of the day.
Another bogey at the 256 yard par-3 14th was an ominous sign, before an impressive fightback from the 28-year-old who made four straight birdies starting at the 15th before an even-par back nine left him tied for 32nd.
“I think everything was kind of decent, but nothing was amazing,” Herbert said.
“I think I holed out really well, holed some sort of nice five-footers, five sort of eight-footers just to keep momentum through the round.
“Obviously got off to a poor start there, but then caught that back up with four birdies. So just to keep that momentum going through the back nine and not drop any shots.”
Like Herbert, Day opened his account with a bogey in a front nine where pars were rare for the 2015 champion, who made three birdies against three bogeys to turn in even par. The Queenslander was yet another to drop a shot at the long 14th before birdie at the 18th for even-par would have made Day’s dinner taste a little sweeter.
Playing alongside Tiger Woods, Scott experienced a frustratingly consistent day where he made 17 pars, failed to make a single birdie and dropped a shot at the 14th, while Lee fought back from a 17th hole bogey with a birdie at the last to join Scott in T85.
Davis, who was without a birdie in his 78, has his work cut out in the second round to make the weekend.
Making his major championship debut, Kobori will no doubt be proud of his 73 on the game’s biggest stage, while compatriot Fox leaked oil in a bogey-bogey-double stretch from the 11th before righting the ship with birdie at the last.
The PGA Championship is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
He expects the week to be long and rounds to be disrupted yet Australian Cameron Smith has found a positive in the heavy conditions predicted for this week’s US PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky.
Being played less than 30 minutes from the home of the Kentucky Derby, heavy rain early in the week, predicted thunderstorms late in Round 2 and further rain for Round 3 on has the course shaping to play as a ‘Soft 7’ rather than a ‘Good 3’.
Fresh from back-to-back LIV Golf team wins with Ripper GC in Adelaide and Singapore, Smith knows that an adjustment will have to be made.
For a player with documented struggles with the driver the past 12 months, the 30-year-old understands that soft conditions could help to avoid the thick rough that abuts Valhalla’s fairways and greens.
“The rough doesn’t seem that long but it’s just really dense. It’s quite patchy so it’s hard to say whether it’s a good or a bad thing,” Smith told the PGA of America, his best finish in the PGA Championship coming 12 months ago where was tied for ninth.
“Obviously coming off the fairways will be far easier but I think the course is going to soften up a lot and probably be easier to hit those fairways and hit those greens.
“It’s probably going to be a long week if you look at the forecast this week. I think there’s going to be a few early mornings so probably keeping it a little bit lighter at the start of the week, conserving some energy will be good.”
Smith completed just nine holes of his practice round on Tuesday before play was suspended.
Having not played when Rory McIlroy won at Valhalla in 2014, he knows any time not spent playing will be dedicated to studying.
“I’ve only managed to play the first nine so far – we’ve got a little weather here today – so I’ll see as much of the course as I can today,” Smith added.
“The course is great, it’s in great shape and it’s tough.
“I haven’t been around here yet so there’ll be a ton of study to go over the next couple of days and a ton of rest.
“Everything feels good. Game feels great. I feel like it’s just been improving this whole year basically.
“I’m pumped and ready for this week.”
Smith is off in Round 1 at 10.26pm on Thursday night AEST with Lucas Herbert the first off the Aussies in action from 9:31pm.
Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner Kazuma Kobori makes his major championship debut from 2:40am Friday morning followed by Cam Davis (3:07am), 2015 champion Jason Day (3:18am) and Min Woo Lee (3:29am).
There are eight Aussies competing in the Mizuho Americas Open on the LPGA Tour while Gold Coast amateur Grace Williams will make her Epson Tour debut in Utah.
A recent graduate of Utah Tech University, Williams was granted a tournament invite to pit her game against those on the verge of playing the LPGA Tour.
“Being able to compete this week is unbelievably exciting,” said Williams, who joins fellow Aussies Cassie Porter and Su Oh in the Copper Rock Championship field.
“Having the opportunity compete and test my game against the pros is something I have been looking forward to all year.
“I believe that college golf in Utah has allowed my course management skill to evolve, as well just being able to play numerous different shots, especially when the weather changes so quickly out here in the desert!
“You really just need to be prepared for everything.”
Photo by Maddie Meyer/PGA of America/PGA of America via Getty Images
Round 1 tee times AEST
US PGA Championship
Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Kentucky
Round 1
9:31pm* Lucas Herbert
9:37pm Ryan Fox (NZ)
10:04pm* Adam Scott
10:26pm* Cameron Smith
2:40am* Kazuma Kobori (NZ)
3:07am Cam Davis
3:18am Jason Day
3:29am Min Woo Lee
Round 2
9:15pm Kazuma Kobori (NZ)
9:42pm* Cam Davis
9:53pm* Jason Day
10:04pm* Min Woo Lee
2:56am Lucas Herbert
3:02am* Ryan Fox (NZ)
3:29am Adam Scott
3:51am Cameron Smith
Defending champion: Brooks Koepka
Past Aussie winners: Jim Ferrier (1947), David Graham (1979), Wayne Grady (1990), Steve Elkington (1995), Jason Day (2015)
Prize money: $17.5 million
TV times: Live 9pm-10am Thursday, Friday; Live 3am-9am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
LPGA Tour
Mizuho Americas Open
Liberty National Golf Club, Jersey City, New Jersey
9pm Karis Davidson
9:33pm* Sarah Kemp
9:55pm* Lydia Ko (NZ)
10:06pm Gabriela Ruffels
10:17pm Hannah Green
2:05am* Stephanie Kyriacou
3am* Grace Kim
3:11am Minjee Lee
3:44pm Robyn Choi
Defending champion: Rose Zhang
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $3 million
TV times: Live 5am-8am Friday on Fox Sports 506; Live 5am-8am Saturday, Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 507 and Kayo.
Japan Golf Tour
Kansai Open Golf Championship
Meishin Yokaichi Country Club, Shiga
8:20am Anthony Quayle
1:30pm Brad Kennedy
1:40pm* Michael Hendry (NZ)
Defending champion: Yasuka Hanamigawa
Past Aussie winners: Brad Kennedy (2013)
Prize money: ¥80,000,000
Korn Ferry Tour
AdventHealth Championship
Blue Hills Country Club, Kansas City, Missouri
9:56pm* Dimi Papadatos
10:07pm* Rhein Gibson
10:18pm* Steven Bowditch
10:29pm Brett Drewitt
5:22am Charlie Hillier (NZ)
Defending champion: Grayson Murray
Past Aussie winners:
Prize money: $1 million
Ladies European Tour
Amundi German Masters
Golf and Country Club Seddiner See, Berlin, Germany
5:54pm* Momoka Kobori (NZ)
10:12pm* Amy Walsh
10:45pm* Kirsten Rudgeley
Defending champion: Kristyna Napoleaova
Past Aussie winners: Karrie Webb (2013)
Prize money: €300,000
TV times: Live 7pm-10pm Thursday, Friday; Live 8:45pm-11pm Saturday on Fox Sports 505; Live 8pm-11pm Sunday on Fox Sports 507 and Kayo.
PGA TOUR Americas
Inter Rapidisimo Golf Championship
Club El Rincón de Cajicá, Bogotá, Colombia
9:50pm Harry Hillier (NZ)
3:20am Jason Hong
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $225,000
Epson Tour
Copper Rock Championship
Copper Rock Golf Course, Hurricane, Utah
11:30pm* Amelia Garvey (NZ)
4:31am* Grace Williams (a)
5:04am Fiona Xu (NZ)
5:15am* Cassie Porter
5:59am* Su Oh
Defending champion: Savannah Vilaubi
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $250,000
