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Victorian Steve Allan has joined a select group of some of the greats of Australian golf with a third PGA TOUR Champions win of the season at the Boeing Classic.
Trailing former Open Champion Stewart Cink by four strokes at the start of the final round in Washington, Allan didn’t take the lead until he got up-and-down from the bunker for birdie on the 18th hole to round out a 7-under 65 and post 15-under par.
It was then a waiting game, Cink making par at both of his final holes to come up one stroke short and secure Allan his third title in his past 13 starts in just his second year on the seniors circuit.
Given he hadn’t won anywhere since the 2002 Australian Open in his home state, it’s a run the 51-year-old is finding hard to fathom.
“I can’t explain it actually,” Allan said immediately after his victory.
“I would have probably laughed if you told me I would have won three times. I definitely thought that I had a win in me, but I wouldn’t have said three.
“I think I found a bit of a groove with my swing. I think I’m more aware of what I’m doing wrong when it goes wrong.
“I had a fairly tough few years there so when things do start to go wrong there, I’m not panicking anymore.
“Beginning of last year I had a few tournaments where I didn’t play very well, so I’m going into today, just let it happen.
“I’m not trying to force it, I’m not trying to push it, I’m just trying to play.”
Allan becomes just the fifth Australian with three or more wins in a single season on the Champions Tour, joining Peter Thomson (nine wins in 1985), Bruce Crampton (seven wins in 1986, four wins in 1987), David Graham (three wins in 1997) and Graham Marsh (three wins in 1997).
Allan’s earlier wins came at The Galleri Classic at Mission Hills in March and the DICK’S Open last month in New York, his latest victory taking his prizemoney haul for the year past the million-dollar mark.
Given the quality of company he now keeps on the Champions Tour, Allan began the final round with few expectations that a third win was in the offing.
“With Stewart being in that position, he could win by just having a really good round and we just have to sort of play well,” he added.
“In some ways it frees you up because you’re not really thinking about winning, you’re just trying to have a good round.
“When I birdied the ninth I saw that he hadn’t jumped out ahead, so it was going to be a chance so just had to knuckle down and played pretty well on the back nine.
“A couple long putts were really good to help me make easy pars after not good approach shots and then rolled in a few birdies.”
As Allan added to his winning tally, David Micheluzzi made a welcome return to form on the DP World Tour.
With just one top-20 finish to his name since the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January, Micheluzzi bounced back from two early bogeys to shoot 1-under 71 in the final round of the Nexo Championship in Scotland and move up eight spots into a tie for 10th.
Jason Day is the lone Aussie left in the FedEx Cup Playoffs after the FedEx St Jude Championship saw Min Woo Lee and Cam Davis both bow out.
Dropping from 37th to 44th, Day now has work to do to qualify for the Tour Championship reserved for the top 30 after the BMW Championship, Kiwi Ryan Fox needing a small jump from his current position of 32nd.
Photo: Stephen Brashear/Getty Images
Results
PGA TOUR
FedEx St Jude Championship
TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee
1 Justin Rose 64-66-67-67—264 $US3.6m
T50 Ryan Fox (NZ) 72-71-68-69—280 $49,300
T50 Cam Davis 69-72-67-72—280 $49,300
T56 Jason Day 71-68-71-72—282 $45,800
T68 Min Woo Lee 76-72-72-70—290 $41,200
DP World Tour
Nexo Championship
Trump International Golf Links, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
1 Grant Forrest 71-66-71-72—280 €401,607.28
T10 David Micheluzzi 71-71-75-71—288 €43,783.07
T31 Elvis Smylie 73-72-75-73—293 €17,095.15
T42 Jason Scrivener 76-71-77-70—294 €12,756.94
MC Kazuma Kobori 74-78—152
MC Danny List 78-79—157
MC Daniel Gale 83-78—161
MC Brett Coletta 80-82—162
LIV Golf
LIV Golf Chicago
Bolingbrook Golf Club, Chicago
1 Dean Burmester 68-65-71—204 $US4m
T13 Marc Leishman 71-69-70—210 $311,250
T25 Lucas Herbert 69-71-72—212 $187,500
T29 Cameron Smith 71-73-69—213 $165,000
T47 Ben Campbell (NZ) 73-70-74—217 $121,500
T49 Matt Jones 75-69-74—218 $60,000
51 Danny Lee (NZ) 72-71-76—219 $60,000
Ladies European Tour
PIF London Championship
Centurion Club, England
1 Laura Fuenfstueck 67-70-72—209 €192,997.13
T25 Momoka Kobori (NZ) 72-71-74—217 €14,950.84
T30 Amelia Garvey (NZ) 72-75-71—218 €12,030.16
T49 Kirsten Rudgeley 73-74-75—222 €5,194.84
T49 Kelsey Bennett 71-73-78—222 €5,194.84
T59 Sarah Kemp 75-74-75—224 €3,924.28
PGA TOUR Champions
Boeing Classic
The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge, Snoqualmie, Washington
1 Steve Allan 68-68-65—201
T14 Brendan Jones 69-73-67—209
T14 Steven Alker (NZ) 67-68-74—209
T30 Michael Wright 71-73-69—213
T30 Stuart Appleby 69-73-71—213
T37 David Bransdon 72-74-68—214
T62 Richard Green 71-71-79—221
T65 Rod Pampling 70-76-76—222
T71 Mark Hensby 77-74-73—224
T73 John Senden 73-76-77—226
DQ Greg Chalmers 69-71
Korn Ferry Tour
Pinnacle Bank Championship
The Club at Indian Creek, Omaha, Nebraska
1 Christo Lamprecht 67-67-65-66—265 $US180,000
T18 Harry Hillier (NZ) 65-68-68-73—274 $13,538
T28 Rhein Gibson 68-70-68-71—277 $6,491
HotelPlanner Tour
Irish Challenge
Killeen Castle, Co. Meath, Ireland
1 Oihan Guillamoundeguy 71-67-69-70—277 €48,000
MC Hayden Hopewell 76-70—146
MC Sam Jones (NZ) 76-73—149
MC Tom Power Horan 77-76—153
LET Access Series
Ahlsell Trophy by Destination Jonkoping
Gränna Golfklubb, Sweden
1 Amaia Latorre 72-70-66—208 €7,200
T13 Abbie Teasdale 74-71-71—216 €831.60
T45 Belinda Ji 73-75-76—224 €279
MC Justice Bosio 77-74—151
Sunshine Tour
FNB Eswatini Challenge
Arabella Country Club, Eswatini, South Africa
1 Michael Hollick 68-64-68—200
T19 Austin Bautista 69-66-73—208
PGA TOUR Americas
BioSteel Championship
Ambassador Golf Club, Windsor, Ontario
1 Michael Brennan 61-65-65-64—255 $40,500
MC Tony Chen 68-68—136
MC Grant Booth 69-70—139
Queenslander Jack Munro warmed up for the start of the new Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season by beating a host of his Tour rivals to score a two-shot victory in the EC Pohl & Co Southport Pro-Am on Friday.
Coming off two top-10s in recent NSW Open Regional Qualifying Series events, Munro put a new set of irons into play and went bogey-free in his 6-under-par 65 which included an eagle and four birdies.
Another Tour regular, 2024 National Tournament champion Cam John (Vic), and veteran Queenslander Steven Jeffress shared second place at 4-under.
Last year’s Vic PGA champion Cory Crawford was part of a seven-way tie for fourth.
Munro now heads off to the 2025/26 Tour season opener, the PNG Open in Port Moresby, starting on Thursday before a trip to Palmerston for the Tailor-made Building Services NT PGA Championship.
He’s looking to improve on finishing No.36 in last season’s Order of Merit.
Turning point
After Jeffress set the target of 4-under-par as the best score in Southport’s morning groups, Munro was sitting in a pack at 2-under after the first seven holes in his afternoon round.
But he grabbed a share of the lead with an eagle on the par-5 first and then secured the win thanks to back-to-back birdies at seven and eight.
Quick quotes
Munro said: “I had a good day, a good group and I’ve played a lot at Southport over the years here, so it was nice to play well and get a win.
“It’s always pleasing to get (a win) on the board and then hopefully get rolling into the season.
“I actually put a brand new set of irons in today and it’s always good to just try them out under the pump. So yeah, they’re probably going to stay in now for next week.”
Leading scores
1 Jack Munro 65
T2 Cam John 67
T2 Steven Jeffress 67
T4 Josh Edgar 68
T4 Max Ford 68
T4 Jake McLeod 68
T4 Aaron Wilkin 68
T4 Cory Crawford 68
T4 Josh Armstrong 68
T4 Will Florimo 68
Next up
The next event in the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series is at Mt Coolum in Queensland on Monday.
The final qualifiers for the PGA Professionals Championship National Final are locked in after the postponed NSW/ACT championship was completed at Castle Hill Country Club on Tuesday.
Rain in the lead-up again raised doubt as to whether play could go ahead but exceptional work by the Castle Hill Country Club grounds staff and sunny skies saw 50 players tee it up in their quest to qualify for the National Final at The Heritage Golf and Country Club in November.
Cumberland Country Golf Club’s Arthur Barakat secured his spot with a round of 2-under 68 to finish at the top of the leaderboard, one clear of reigning NSW/ACT champion Cody Harper (69).
Starting from the fourth tee, Barakat began his round with six straight pars followed by birdies at 10 and 16, remaining bogey free to complete a one-stroke win.
Ken Druce earned exemption into the Australian PGA Senior Championship with the low round of those over the age of 50 while WPGA Tour of Australasia regular Danni Vasquez-Boyd is also headed to Heritage as the leading female qualifier.
Vasquez-Boyd was one of five players to post 4-over 74, a playoff required to determine the 15th and final National Final qualifier.
Castle Hill’s own Head Professional Steve Gannon, Dean Mulley, Patrick Joseph and James Single joined Vasquez-Boyd in the playoff, Gannon edging Mulley on the third playoff hole to snare the final spot.
Boasting prizemoney of $100,000, the PGA Professionals Championship National Final will be played on the St John Course at The Heritage Golf and Country Club from November 11-13.
NSW/ACT PPC qualifiers
1 Arthur Barakat 68
2 Cody Harper 69
T3 Mitchell Harry 70
T3 Jake Kable 70
T3 Ken Druce 70
6 Clayton Bridges 71
T7 Michael Smyth 72
T7 Mitchell Kellehear 72
T7 Adam Kelleher 72
T7 Jason Perkin 72
T11 Daniel Nesbitt 73
T11 Sung Park 73
T11 Mitchell Gannon 73
T11 Benjamin Burge 73
15 Steven Gannon 74
Leading female qualifier
Danni Vasquez-Boyd
One just survived the initial cut while another will walk the FedEx Cup Playoffs tightrope when the PGA TOUR post-season begins with this week’s FedEx St Jude Championship in Tennessee.
Three Aussies – Jason Day, Min Woo Lee and Cam Davis – and Kiwi Ryan Fox earned their spots by finishing the regular season inside the top 70, Davis scraping in at No.69 after doing just enough at last week’s Wyndham Championship.
The task for Davis now gets much greater, needing to finish outright 13th or better to push into the top 50 who will play the BMW Championship in week two of the Playoffs.
One of those players potentially standing in his way is fellow Australian Min Woo Lee.
A breakthrough win at the Texas Children’s Houston Open provided the backbone to Lee’s season that sees him enter the Playoffs in 50th position.
A strong showing at TPC Southwind will aid the 27-year-old’s quest to make it to the Tour Championship but Lee will also have one eye over his shoulder as those outside the top 50 seek to force their way in.
Four top 10s will see Day just on the outside of the top 30 at No.37 while wins at the Myrtle Beach Classic and RBC Canadian Open has Fox 32nd and with an eye on a Tour Championship debut.
The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia is well represented on the DP World Tour this week with the three most recent Order of Merit winners all in the field for the Nexo Championship at Trump International Golf Links in Scotland.
Reigning Order of Merit champion Elvis Smylie is best placed on the Race to Dubai Rankings at No.29 with Kiwi Kazuma Kobori also on track to make the DP World Tour Playoffs in his rookie season.
With four missed cuts in his past five starts, 2022-2023 Order of Merit winner David Micheluzzi needs to generate some forward momentum and improve his current ranking of No.85.
Elsewhere this week, Cameron Smith will hope to tap into his LIV Golf Chicago win of three years ago and lead Ripper GC to a strong result in Chicago as Kirsten Rudgeley and New Zealanders Momoka Kobori and Amelia Garvey back up from the AIG Women’s Open alongside Kelsey Bennett and Sarah Kemp at the PIF London Championship
Round 1 tee times AEST
PGA TOUR
FedEx St Jude Championship
TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee
10:30pm Min Woo Lee
11:30pm Ryan Fox (NZ)
1:15am Cam Davis
2:20am Jason Day
Recent champion: Hideki Matsuyama
Past Aussie winners: Bruce Crampton (1970), David Graham (1976), Wayne Grady (1989), Adam Scott (2013), Jason Day (2015)
Prizemoney: $US20m
TV times: Live 10pm-8am Thursday, Friday; Live 11pm-8am Saturday; Live 10pm-8am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo Sports.
DP World Tour
Nexo Championship
Trump International Golf Links, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
4:10pm* Kazuma Kobori (NZ)
4:50pm Daniel Gale
5:10pm* Elvis Smylie
5:30pm Brett Coletta
9:40pm* Danny List
9:50pm Jason Scrivener
10pm David Micheluzzi
Recent champion: Adrian Otaegui
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prizemoney: $US2.75m
TV times: Live 9:30pm-2:30am Thursday, Friday; Live 9:30pm-2am Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo Sports.
LIV Golf
LIV Golf Chicago
Bolingbrook Golf Club, Chicago
Australasians in the field: Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert, Matt Jones, Ben Campbell (NZ), Danny Lee (NZ)
Recent champion: Jon Rahm
Past Aussie winners: Cameron Smith (2022)
Prizemoney: $US20m
TV times: Live from 2:25am Saturday; Live from 3am Sunday; Live from 12am Monday on 7 Mate.
Ladies European Tour
PIF London Championship
Centurion Club, England
Australasians in the field: Amelia Garvey (NZ), Kirsten Rudgeley, Momoka Kobori (NZ), Kelsey Bennett, Sarah Kemp
Recent champion: Leona Maguire
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prizemoney: $US2m
TV times: Live 11pm-3am Friday on Fox Sports 506; Live 11pm-2am Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 507 and Kayo Sports.
PGA TOUR Champions
Boeing Classic
The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge, Snoqualmie, Washington
Australasians in the field: Steven Alker (NZ), Steve Allan, Stuart Appleby, David Bransdon, Greg Chalmers, Richard Green, Mark Hensby, Brendan Jones, Rod Pampling, John Senden, Michael Wright.
Recent champion: Stephen Ames
Past Aussie winners: Rod Pampling (2021)
Prizemoney: $US2.3m
TV times: 11am-12:32pm Saturday; Live 8am-10am Sunday; 12pm-2pm Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo Sports.
Korn Ferry Tour
Pinnacle Bank Championship
The Club at Indian Creek, Omaha, Nebraska
4:50am Harry Hillier (NZ)
5:20am Rhein Gibson
Recent champion: Matt McCarty
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prizemoney: $US1m
HotelPlanner Tour
Irish Challenge
Killeen Castle, Co. Meath, Ireland
9:40pm* Tom Power Horan
10:30pm Sam Jones (NZ)
10:30pm* Hayden Hopewell
Recent champion: Joakim Lagergren
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prizemoney: €300,000
LET Access Series
Ahlsell Trophy by Destination Jonkoping
Gränna Golfklubb, Sweden
9:22pm Abbie Teasdale
9:33pm Justice Bosio
9:44pm Belinda Ji
Recent champion: Patricia Isabel Schmidt
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prizemoney: €45,000
Sunshine Tour
FNB Eswatini Challenge
Arabella Country Club, Eswatini, South Africa
Australians in the field: Austin Bautista
Recent champion: Daniel van Tonder
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prizemoney: R2m
PGA TOUR Americas
BioSteel Championship
Ambassador Golf Club, Windsor, Ontario
2:40am* Grant Booth
4:10am* Tony Chen
Recent champion: Barend Botha
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prizemoney: $225,000
Promising players from across the globe are starting to understand what young Australian golfers have known for some time: the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia is now a direct pathway to the top echelons of professional golf.
The past three Order of Merit champions – David Micheluzzi, Kazuma Kobori and Elvis Smylie – are all now domiciled on the DP World Tour and played major championships within months of the Australasian season coming to a close.
In a further boost to the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia’s international awareness, the first Qualifying School to be held in the US will see an increase in the American flags that populate leaderboards throughout the Summer of Golf.
Starting with next week’s PNG Open at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club, here are seven players under the age of 25 who will hope to use the 2025-2026 season as a launching pad for their professional careers.
Harrison Crowe
A familiar name to Australian golf fans whose victory at The National Tournament to close out the 2024-2025 season was his second on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia. Winner of the 2022 Asia Pacific Amateur Championship in Thailand, Crowe won the NSW Open the same year, the first player to win it and the NSW Amateur in the same year in more than 80 years. Has the pedigree to contend in the season’s biggest events having finished eighth on the 2024-2025 Order of Merit.
Phoenix Campbell
Like Crowe, Phoenix Campbell is a two-time winner on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, having won back-to-back Queensland PGA championships at Nudgee Golf Club. He birdied the par-3 18th on his way to winning as an amateur in 2023 and then backed that up by defeating Jak Carter in an enthralling playoff for his first professional win in 2024. Finished 2024-2025 season 21st on the Order of Merit.
Quinn Croker
A graduate of the Future Tour following some outstanding performances as an amateur across the 2023-2024 season, Croker’s best finish last year came in the final event, a tie for third at The National. Possessing incredible length and a soaring ball flight, the tall Queenslander is poised to be one of the breakout players of the coming season.
Jimmy Zheng
Kiwi countryman Kazuma Kobori delivered the blueprint as Jimmy Zheng seeks to turn medallist honours at Qualifying School in April into a DP World Tour card or better in the season ahead. An Economics graduate from Duke University, Zheng was an All-ACC Academic Team selection three years running and was fifth at the 2024 Western Amateur won by… Kazuma Kobori. Received the Bledisloe Cup as low amateur at the 2020 New Zealand Open… three years before Kobori achieved the same.
Jayce Hargrove
One of eight players to earn status for the 2025-2026 season via the international Final Qualifying School held in Georgia in July. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University after transferring from Texas Tech, the Texan-born Hargrove won the Silver State Amateur and was runner-up at the Easter Amateur during the 2022 season.
Samuel Espinosa
As a product of Pedrana in Spain where he and his family were friends with the Ballesteros family, Espinosa spent time with Seve Ballesteros as a youngster and was coached in his early days by Seve’s brother, Vicente. Espinosa represented his homeland at the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in 2019 and then embarked on a very successful college career in the US, including a third-place finish at the 2022 NCAA Division II championships. Was tied 16th at Qualifying School in Georgia to earn limited status and is entered for both the PNG Open and NT PGA.
Scotty Kennon
Joins the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia on the back of Monday qualifying for a PGA TOUR debut at last week’s Wyndham Championship. Kennon won the Drive Chip and Putt Championship at Promontory Nicklaus Golf Course in Utah in 2014 and he and his older brother Jackson and sister Cassie filled their spare time as kids caddying at acclaimed Bandon Dunes Resort. Kennon finished tied 13th at Qualifying School in the US after completing his fourth year at Wake Forest University No.27 in the PGA Tour University rankings.
The All Whites were on site for his RBC Canadian Open win, the Kiwi contingent was strong at The Open at Royal Portrush and now New Zealand No.1 Ryan Fox is looking forward to something of a home-town crowd at the BMW Australian PGA Championship in November.
Led by world No.34 Fox, the top three Kiwis on the Official World Golf Ranking all confirmed on Tuesday their places at Royal Queensland Golf Club from November 27-30, a tournament no New Zealander has won since Greg Turner in 1999 at Victoria Golf Club.
Ten years later, Fox made it all the way to the semi-finals of the Australian Amateur at Royal Queensland and this year makes his return to the BMW Australian PGA for the first time since 2022.
Tickets and hospitality packages are available at ticketek.com.au
A two-time winner on the PGA TOUR this season, Fox’s commitments in the US creates uncertainty around playing the New Zealand Open early next year. The 38-year-old is therefore hopeful that Kiwi golf fans will again be out in force when he tees it up at RQ.
“There always seems to be a bunch of random Kiwis at events,” said Fox, who broke through on the PGA TOUR at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic in May.
“You can hear the New Zealand accent from a mile away and at The Open at Portrush this year, it was unbelievable how many Kiwis were over there for that.
“I feel the love every week. I know there’s a pretty strong Kiwi contingent up in Queensland and hopefully there’s a few Kiwis fly over to watch the PGA as well.
“It’ll feel a little bit like playing at home maybe, just with some slightly better weather than we get the end of November.”
With his future now secure in the United States, Fox will have a significant break back home in New Zealand at the completion of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
It will ensure that he arrives at Royal Queensland in November fresh and primed to accumulate some early points on the DP World Tour season, a far cry from when he last stepped straight off a plane from Dubai to play the 2022 BMW Australian PGA.
“I’ve always wanted to play the events at the end of the year. It just hasn’t worked that well the last couple of years,” said Fox, the 2019 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner.
“I did it in ‘22 after a really big year and was absolutely cooked and struggled early ’23, not having enough of a break.
“Obviously Brisbane’s a great city, Royal Queensland’s a great golf course and I’m looking forward to coming back and giving it a crack at the end of the year.”
With Adam Scott confirming his place in the field last week and defending champion Elvis Smylie also locked in, Fox knows his potential status as the highest-ranked player in the field will count for little.
He is also aware of the recent success of his fellow Kiwis on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, including 2023-2024 Order of Merit winner Kazuma Kobori and recent tournament winners Tyler Hodge (NZ PGA), Josh Geary (Vic Open), Nick Voke (Webex Players Series Sydney) and Kerry Mountcastle (Gippsland Super 6).
“We’ve obviously got a lot of really good players at the moment,” said Fox.
“It was great to see Josh Geary get a win earlier this year, Kazuma’s obviously playing great and played great on the DP World Tour this year.
“Dan Hillier is another one, Mike Hendry is still carrying the flag nicely, Kerry’s turned himself into a great young player so we’ve got a lot of chances.
“It’s been 26 years (since Turner’s win) so hopefully we can change that this year. I’ll certainly be giving it my best crack and I’m sure all the other Kiwis in the field will be doing the same.”
Photo: Stuart Franklin/R&A/R&A via Getty Images
The BMW Australian PGA Championship is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland, and Brisbane City Council via Brisbane Economic Development Agency.
The very best of New Zealand men’s golf are en route to the BMW Australian PGA Championship with two-time PGA TOUR winner Ryan Fox to lead a resurgent Kiwi assault at Royal Queensland Golf Club.
The winner of the Canadian Open and Myrtle Beach Classic in 2025, Fox will return to Australia for the first time since 2022, joining fellow Kiwis Daniel Hillier and Kazuma Kobori as confirmed contenders for the Joe Kirkwood Cup from November 27-30.
The trio have a combined 31 victories worldwide in professional events, two Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit titles and will be trying to break a 26-year drought for New Zealanders at the BMW Australian PGA Championship.
Tickets and hospitality packages are available at ticketek.com.
Enjoying a career-best year, Fox’s Official World Golf Ranking has climbed to No.34 and he is currently ranked No.32 in the PGA TOUR’s FedEx Cup standings.
His list of 19 wins worldwide includes three Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia titles – the 2014 WA Open, 2015 Queensland PGA and 2019 World Super Six – on the way to becoming NZ’s long-time No.1 men’s professional and an established star on the DP World Tour and now the PGA TOUR.
Fox said: “It’s going to be a great Summer of Golf in Australia and being part of it at the BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland is something I’m very much looking forward to.
“I had some good success on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia in my very early days on Tour which helped to give my career a nice kick along. Winning one of the big tournaments like the PGA would be a real highlight.
“Brisbane is also close to home so lots of friends and family will hopefully get the chance to come out which should make for a really enjoyable week.”
Bound for the PGA TOUR if he continues his 2025 form on the DP World Tour, Hillier has seven professional victories on his resume, including the 2023 British Masters, and is currently 13th on the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai standings.
Hillier almost secured a second DP World Tour title earlier this year, finishing as the runner-up in the Dubai Desert Classic.
Like Fox, Kobori is a past winner of the Order of Merit and Player of the Year titles on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, claiming the honour for the 2023/24 season when he won three tournaments in his rookie year as a professional.
Kobori has consolidated his position on the DP World Tour, recently posting a season-best third place at the BMW International in Germany.
PGA of Australia Nick Dastey General Manager of Tournaments & Global Tour Relationships said he was delighted the top three Kiwis on the Official World Golf Ranking had signed on for this year’s BMW Australian PGA Championship.
“Having Ryan, Daniel and Kazuma in our field, representing the best of New Zealand men’s golf, is a huge plus for this year’s tournament,” Dastey said.
“Ryan is in the middle of the best year of his career, proving once again what an outstanding competitor he is by winning twice against the best in the world on the PGA TOUR.
“His presence is going to add tremendous interest, especially from Kiwi golf fans who will get to see their No.1 back on his home tour, the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
“Likewise, Daniel and Kazuma have already had great results in 2025 and would no doubt love to add the BMW Australian PGA Championship to their list of achievements.
“We haven’t had a Kiwi winner since Greg Turner in 1999, but with these three great contenders in the field, plus the other New Zealand pros who will join them from our Tour, you definitely can’t discount it this year.”
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said fans were ecstatic about the world-class talent coming to the iconic Royal Queensland fairways.
“As Australia’s lifestyle capital, Brisbane is proud to welcome some of New Zealand’s top golfing talent as part of this much-loved event,” Cr Schrinner said.
“Hosting the Australian PGA Championship isn’t just a sporting highlight – it’s a major economic win for our city, creating more to see and do for residents and visitors.
“With thousands of visitors expected to attend the tournament, our lifestyle precincts will be buzzing with people ready to support local businesses and explore everything Brisbane has to offer.”
The BMW Australian PGA Championship is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland, and Brisbane City Council via Brisbane Economic Development Agency.
A third straight LPGA major may have eluded the Aussie contingent but Stephanie Kyriacou ensured there was an Australian inside the top 10 at the AIG Women’s Open.
Kyriacou, who had a hole-in-one in Round 2, added to her top-15 finish at the Amundi Evian Championship with a tie for eighth to make it three women inside the top four in this week’s Australian Golf Power Rankings.
Named the 20205 Rolex ANNIKA Major Award winner, Minjee Lee rounded out a sensational majors campaign with a tie for 13th, Evian Championship winner Grace Kim the only other Aussie to make it to the weekend.
With the majors season now complete, attention turns back to the United States where Cam Davis, Min Woo Lee and Jason Day will contest the FedEx Cup Playoffs while the LPGA Tour will resume with The Standard Portland Classic next week.
10. Min Woo Lee (10)
Tees it up for the first time since The Open Championship in week one of the FedEx Cup Playoffs at the FedEx St Jude Championship. Needs to protect his current ranking of No.50 to advance to week two, the BMW Championship.
9. Karl Vilips (new)
Fighting for a spot in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, Vilips had a hole-in-one in the final round of the Wyndham Championship on his way to finishing in a tie for 19th. Completes an outstanding rookie season on the PGA TOUR highlighted by his win at the Puerto Rico Open.
8. Karis Davidson (8)
With rounds of 76-77 missed the halfway cut at the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl. Currently 70th in the Race to the CME Globe ranking with her next tournament The Standard Portland Classic next week.
7. Jason Day (6)
Two top-five finishes this season sees Day begin the FedEx Cup Playoffs in 37th position. Will be eager to advance that even further as he looks to lock in a spot inside the top 30 who will make it to the TOUR Championship.
6. Lucas Herbert (5)
Comes into this week’s LIV Golf Chicago event as the highest-ranked Ripper GC player on the individual LIV Golf standings in ninth place. With just two events left before the Team Championship in Michigan, the defending champion Ripper GC team is currently fifth on the team standings.
5. Adam Scott (4)
Was quick out of the blocks with 65 in Round 1 of the Wyndham Championship but faded to a tie for 55th, failing to qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs for just the second time in his career.
4. Stephanie Kyriacou (7)
Signed off on her 2025 major campaign with a tie for eighth at the AIG Women’s Open to lead the Aussies home. Comes on the back of a tie for 14th at the Amundi Evian Championship, form she will look to carry into the back half of the LPGA Tour season.
3. Marc Leishman (3)
Just one spot behind Herbert on the individual LIV Golf standings heading to LIV Golf Chicago. The LIV Golf Miami winner was the lone Aussie to make the cut at The Open Championship.
2. Grace Kim (2)
One of just three Aussies to play all four rounds at the AIG Women’s Open. The Amundi Evian Championship winner, Kim birdied her final hole in Round 2 to make the cut on the number, eventually finishing tied 67th.
1. Minjee Lee (1)
Crowned the first two-time winner of the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award on the back of her tie for 13th at Royal Porthcawl. The KPMG Women’s PGA champion was also tied third at the Amundi Evian Championship, tied 14th at the Chevron Championship and tied 22nd at the US Women’s Open.
The Australian Golf Power Rankings is a subjective list developed with input from members of the Australian Golf media team.
Stephanie Kyriacou produced a second miracle shot and Minjee Lee received a major honour as an historic season of majors reached its conclusion at the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl.
Arriving at Wales on the back of consecutive wins by Australians in LPGA major championships, Kyriacou and Lee ensured the Australian flag remained prominent on the final day.
After making an ace at the par-3 eighth in Round 2, Kyriacou came within inches of a second inside three days at the par-3 fifth on Sunday.
What happened next almost defied belief.
As Kyriacou’s ball sat just to the left of the hole, playing partner Mim Rhodes also took dead aim, bouncing off the Australian’s ball and into the hole for a major championship ace of her own.
“We actually just watched the video, and it hit my ball, and it went in. So I’m kind of claiming it, even though Mimi is probably not going to say that,” said the 24-year-old.
The good karma obviously rubbed off, Kyriacou tapping in for the first of five birdies on her run home to a tie for eighth, the fourth major championship top 10 of her career.
“The first hole was quite rough. It’s not ideal when you hit your second ball OB, onto the beach,” Kyriacou added with a laugh.
“I stuck in there, showed some grit, and finished 1-under today. I’m very happy.”
Winner of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June, Lee completed an outstanding major season with a tie for 13th, becoming the first two-time winner of the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award.
Although finishing outside the top 10 meant that Lee didn’t add to her points tally, the KPMG win and tie for third at the Amundi Evian Championship gave her 78 points to add to her win in 2022.
“From where I was at the beginning of the year and obviously winning KPMG and played Chevron
and had a good finish at Evian and all right at US Open and all right here… I’m going to say I’ve done pretty well,” was Lee’s summary of her season in the showpiece events after an even-par 72 on Sunday.
“Maybe like an 8.5 (out of 10).”
A tie for 19th by Karl Vilips was the best of the Aussies at the final event of the PGA TOUR’s regular season, not enough to force his way inside the top 70 who will now contest the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Adam Scott (T55) also missed out for just the second time since the inception of the FedEx Cup in 2007 while Cam Davis’s tie for 44th saw him squeeze into the Playoffs in 69th position.
Results
AIG Women’s Open
Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, Porthcawl, Wales
1 Miyu Yamashita 68-65-74-70—277 $US1.4625m
T8 Stephanie Kyriacou 74-70-69-71—284 $228,359
T13 Minjee Lee 70-76-68-72—286 $145,533
T36 Lydia Ko (NZ) 73-73-70-75—291 $57,632
T67 Grace Kim 71-75-74-80—300 $19,006
MC Amelia Garvey (NZ) 74-73—147
MC Gabriela Ruffels 71-76—147
MC Hira Naveed 78-71—149
MC Momoka Kobori (NZ) 74-77—151
MC Cassie Porter 79-73—152
MC Karis Davidson 76-77—153
MC Hannah Green 79-77—156
MC Kirsten Rudgeley 78-79—157
PGA TOUR
Wyndham Championship
Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, North Carolina
1 Cameron Young 63-62-65-68—258 $US1.476m
T19 Karl Vilips 67-67-69-67—270 $112,750
T44 Cam Davis 68-68-69-71—276 $23,951\
T55 Adam Scott 65-71-69-72—277 $19,106
T72 Aaron Baddeley 70-67-74-71—282 $16,564
MC Ryan Fox (NZ) 68-73—141
Japan Golf Tour
Richard Mille Charity Tournament
Noto Country Club, Ishikawa
1 Tomoyo Ikemura 65-66-69-64—264 ¥19m
MC Brad Kennedy 72-68—140
Korn Ferry Tour
Utah Championship
Ogden Golf & Country Club, Ogden, Utah
MC Rhein Gibson 70-69—139
WD Harry Hillier
HotelPlanner Tour
Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A
SCHLOSS Roxburghe, Heiton by Kelso, Scotland
1 Daniel Young 64-67-64-70—265 €46,196
T62 Hayden Hopewell 67-72-72-72—283 €851.74
T72 Tom Power Horan 71-69-71-76—287 €563.01
LET Access Series
Q-Tour Himmerland Championship
Himmerland Resort, Denmark
1 Fernanda Lira 74-64-69—207 €8,000
Won in sudden-death playoff
T26 Justice Bosio 74-71-73—218 €665.83
T26 Abbie Teasdale 68-78-72—218 €665.83
T36 Stephanie Bunque 73-74-74—221 €501.25
MC Belinda Ji 77-79—156
Epson Tour
Four Winds Invitational
South Bend Country Club, South Bend, Indiana
1 Leah John 63-70-74—207 $33,750
MC Jess Whitting 74-73—147
MC Su Oh 73-77—150
MC Jennifer Elliott 76-77—153
Legends Tour
Staysure PGA Seniors Championship
Trump International Golf Links, Aberdeen, Scotland
1 Bo Van Pelt 74-72-68-71—285
Won on first hole of sudden death playoff
3 Scott Hend 76-73-71-69—289
T24 Mark Brown (NZ) 79-75-74-70—298
T33 Michael Long (NZ) 75-77-68-81—301
MC Andre Stolz 78-83—161
MC Michael Campbell (NZ) 83-79—162
PGA TOUR Americas
Osprey Valley Open
TPC Toronto (Heathlands), Caledon, Ontario
1 Carson Bacha 65-67-65-64—261
Won on second hole of sudden death
MC Grant Booth 69-70—139
MC Tony Chen 74-69—143
Defending national champion Samuel Eaves is on course to go back-to-back after a commanding victory at the PGA Professionals Championship of South-East Queensland at Nudgee Golf Club on Tuesday.
As winner of the PPC National Final at The Heritage Golf and Country Club last November, Eaves’s place in the field for the 2025 National Final (November 1-13) was already secure.
Selected in the Four Nations Cup team that will travel to Canada next month, Eaves was a late entry in the field at Nudgee but ended the day first on the leaderboard with a superb 8-under 62 on the Bulka Course.
While he had played the adjacent Kurrai host that is home to the Queensland PGA Championship, Eaves was taking his first look at the Bulka, inhaling a hamburger on his way to the 10th tee before unleashing a four-stroke win in the field of 80 PGA Professionals.
“I didn’t necessarily know where the trouble was so was able to commit to a lot of the shots and gave myself a lot of birdie opportunities,” said Eaves, pictured with Club Car Vice President for Oceania, Kevin Gates.
“It was a late decision to play the local event knowing I had already qualified for the National Final although I am extremely glad I did and gives me plenty of confidence heading into the back half of the year.
“It’s a really big year for me not only representing Australia at the Four Nations Cup and being defending champion at the PGA Professionals Championship National Final though now also a start in the Queensland PGA Championship which is exciting.”
Nudgee’s own resident Professional Chris Duke shot 66 to finish second and secure the second exemption into the Queensland PGA and a spot in the National Final, Steve Vail (67) edging Andrew Brennan (67) on a countback to claim the third and final Queensland PGA exemption.
Matt Guyatt was the leading Professional over the age of 50 and therefore receives an exemption into the 2025 Australian PGA Senior Championship while Emily Byrne is also headed to the PPC National Final as the leading female Professional.
A big thank you to event partners Club Car, CCEP and Acushnet who help to make the day such a success, a day that also incorporates the Annual State Member Forum.
Queensland qualifiers for PPC National Final
1 Samuel Eaves 62
2 Chris Duke 66
T3 Steve Vail 67
T3 Andrew Brennan 67
T5 Cameron Bell 68
T5 Craig Davis 68
T5 Mitchell Smith 68
T8 Brenton Fowler 69
T8 Matthew Guyatt 69
T8 Luke Parker 69
T8 TJ King 69
T8 Zach Ion 69
T8 Peter Martin 69
T14 Dale Walker 70
T14 Leon Trenerry 70
T14 Zac Chipperfield 70
Emily Byrne (Leading Female Professional)
Qualifiers went down to 16th place as Eaves was already exempt into National Final
