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Rising stars Gabi Ruffels and David Micheluzzi both got a glimpse of breakthrough wins on major tours before coming up just short.
Ruffels had a birdie putt on the 72nd hole to join the playoff at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship on the LPGA Tour while Micheluzzi led early on the back nine on Sunday at the DP World Tour’s Porsche Singapore Classic.
In danger of missing the cut late on Friday, Ruffels surged into contention with a third round of 6-under 65, putting her just two shots off the lead heading into Round 4.
When eventual champion Nelly Korda made eagle at the par-5 14th Ruffels trailed by five, clawing her way back within three with birdies at 15 and 16.
With Korda playing in the group ahead, Ruffels was unaware that the American had dropped shots at both 17 and 18.
That gave the Aussie the simple equation of needing to make birdie at the final hole to match Korda and Ryann O’Toole’s total of 9-under par.
The 23-year-old had a good look from around 20 feet but her putt came up just short and left, her tie for third her best LPGA Tour result and a taste of what it takes to win at the highest level.
“Standing over the putt, I did realise that was to get into a playoff,” Ruffels revealed post-round.
“It’s cool. It’s really cool to be in that situation.
“Unfortunately didn’t make the putt, but thought I hit a pretty good putt.
“Not a great start to the year I guess in Bradenton, but worked hard these past couple weeks and I really feel like my game is in a good place.
“Just goes to show this week and excited for the next couple weeks.”
Early strruggles aren't stopping @GabiRuffels 💪
— LPGA (@LPGA) March 24, 2024
BTW, tune in on @GolfChannel for a master class on how to play through some insane wind 🌬️ pic.twitter.com/yBRYE9ih5X
It was a matter of ‘what if’ too for Micheluzzi in Singapore.
A one-stroke leader through 54 holes, Micheluzzi maintained his advantage as he began the back nine at Laguna National Golf Resort Club.
After a par at 10, the Victorian suffered a stroke of misfortune when he was forced to play out sideways from a bunker at the par-3 11th that led to a double-bogey.
Current leader @DavidMicheluzzi is forced to go sideways after an awkward bunker lie 😡#PorscheSingaporeClassic pic.twitter.com/Rct559mGHd
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) March 24, 2024
He lost his tee shot right at the par-4 12th on his way to a second double-bogey, climbing back into a tie for seventh with birdies at 16 and 18 for his best finish in a DP World Tour event.
Veteran Aaron Baddeley had a one-stroke lead early in Round 2 of the PGA TOUR’s Valspar Championship, bouncing back from a 74 in Round 3 with a 2-under 69 to finish tied 17th.
Photos: Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images (Ruffels), Jason Butler/Getty Images (Micheluzzi)
Results
PGA TOUR
Valspar Championship
Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead Cse), Palm Harbor, Florida
1 Peter Malnati 66-71-68-67—272 $US1.512m
T17 Aaron Baddeley 67-70-74-69—280 $104,020
MC Ryan Fox (NZ) 76-69—145
MC Harrison Endycott 75-73—148
MC Min Woo Lee 74-75—149
DP World Tour
Porsche Singapore Classic
Laguna National Golf Resort Club, Singapore
1 Jesper Svensson 68-73-67-63—271 €392,403.78
T7 David Micheluzzi 67-70-66-73—276 €56,206.07
T29 Jason Scrivener 74-68-68-70—280 €19,504.78
MC Deyen Lawson 70-74—144
MC John Lyras 71-73—144
MC Tom Power Horan 73-71—144
MC Andrew Martin 74-74—148
MC Daniel Hillier 72-74—146
MC Michael Hendry 80-73—153
LPGA Tour
Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship
Palos Verdes Golf Club, Palos Verdes Estates, California
1 Nelly Korda 72-67-67-69—275 $US300,000
T3 Gabriela Ruffels 72-69-65-70—276 $120,026
T27 Karis Davidson 73-69-71-70—283 $15,179
MC Hira Naveed 70-74—144
MC Hannah Green 73-72—145
MC Sarah Kemp 74-74—148
MC Stephanie Kyriacou 75-74—149
MC Grace Kim 73-76—149
MC Robyn Choi 73-77—150
PGA TOUR Americas
Bupa Championship at Tulum
PGA Riviera Maya, Tulum, Mexico
1 Clay Feagler 69-70-74-71—284
T63 Charlie Hillier (NZ) 69-75-80-76—300
MC Harry Hillier (NZ) 74-76—150
MC Jason Hong 78-80—158
Challenge Tour
Kolkata Challenge
Royal Calcutta Golf Club, Kolkata, India
1 Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen 68-65-68-71—272 €44,318.54
T38 Hayden Hopewell 70-71-74-71—286 €1,689.64
MC Connor McKinney 76-69—145
Epson Tour
Atlantic Beach Classic
Atlantic Beach Country Club, Atlantic Beach, Florida
1 Briana Chacon 67-70-69—206 $US45,000
11 Fiona Xu (NZ) 68-70-72—210 $6,091
T55 Amelia Garvey (NZ) 68-74-78—220 $1,149
MC Cassie Porter 73-74—147
MC Su Oh 76-77—153
Champions Tour
Hoag Classic
Newport Beach CC, Newport Beach, California
1 Padraig Harrington 63-67-69—199 $US300,000
T9 David Bransdon 67-69-70—206 $54,000
T15 Steve Allan 71-69-68—208 $26,383
T15 Steven Alker (NZ) 72-67-69—208 $26,383
T27 Richard Green 70-68-71—209 $16,233
T33 Greg Chalmers 72-68-70—210 $12,600
T33 Rod Pampling 68-71-71—210 $12,600
T57 Michael Wright 69-75-72—216 $3,800
T62 Stuart Appleby 76-70-70—216 $2,900
75 John Senden 72-75-78—225 $1,240
WD Mark Hensby 69-69—138
The continued excellence of Minjee Lee and emergence of Min Woo Lee as Australian golf’s next superstar have seen Ritchie Smith earn a seventh nod as Coach of the Year – High Performance at the Western Australian Golf Industry Gala Dinner on Friday night.
Representatives from throughout the WA golf industry gathered at Crown Casino in Perth to recognise outstanding performers across all aspects of the game in 2023.
A record number of rounds at Busselton Golf Club saw Grant Williams named Hilary Lawler WA PGA Club Professional of the Year, Nicole Martino was awarded PGA Management Professional of the Year for her work at The Western Australian Golf Club and Wembley Golf Course’s Andrew Thomas edged a strong list of finalists to be again named Game Development Coach of the Year.
Smith (Royal Fremantle Golf Club, pictured with PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman) and David Milne (Lake Karrinyup Country Club) were the two nominees for High Performance Coach of the Year, Smith’s stable of players all advancing their development around the world.
Maddison-Hinson Tolchard continued her outstanding college career and made her US Women’s Open debut at Pebble Beach, Hannah Green won a third LPGA Tour title, Ryan Peake enjoyed his best season on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series circuit and amateurs Abbie Teasdale and Josiah Edwards excelled locally and abroad.
But perhaps Smith’s greatest feat was to oversee a putting change in his star pupil that saw Minjee Lee win twice towards the end of 2023 and return to the top five in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking.
“Sometimes when you have a problem like this you need to make a big change and we got rid of a putter that we won two majors with,” Smith said as he accepted the Greg Norman Medal on Minjee’s behalf last November.
“We looked at the reasons why we had problems from about 15 different angles and we’ve found a formula that we think is going to work.
“So far it has been a good change.”
This past year will also be remembered for the way Min Woo Lee announced himself on the world stage.
He played his way into the final group alongside world No.1 Scottie Scheffler at THE PLAYERS Championship, won on the Asian Tour in record fashion and sent shockwaves throughout Brisbane with his pulsating victory at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship.
Named in honour of a PGA Professional who had a strong focus in the servicing of his customers, being a mentor to other PGA Professionals and an absolute custodian of the sport, Williams received the Hilary Lawler Club Professional of the Year for the impact he has had at Busselton in a short space of time.
The Head PGA Professional at Busselton since April 2022, Williams has instituted major improvements to tee sheets to cater for the record number of rounds played, a 90 per cent conversion from evaluation lessons to coaching packages sold, a stronger retail offering and a new prepayment policy for group bookings which delivered the club $100,000 in additional revenue.
Thomas was named Game Development Coach of the Year for the second year running not only for the enormity of lessons conducted at Wembley Golf Course but also his visit to Newman to coach indigenous youth at Clontarf Aboriginal College and students at Newman Primary School.
A member satisfaction rating of in excess of 80 per cent highlighted the impact that Nicole Martino had this past year at The Western Australian Golf Club.
As Golf Manager, Martino successfully managed a club calendar of more than 70,000 rounds and various special events, empowered her team with development budgets and worked collaboratively with course, house and admin teams to ensure the best possible member experience.
Two WA legends were honoured for their contribution to the game over many years with Ross Metherell awarded the WA Golf Industry Distinguished Service Award and Stephen Leaney inducted into the WA Golf Industry Hall of Champions.
2023 WA Golf Industry Award Winners
WA PGA Coach of the Year – High Performance
Ritchie Smith, Royal Fremantle Golf Club
WA PGA Coach of the Year – Game Development
Andrew Thomas, Wembley Golf Course
Hilary Lawler WA PGA Club Professional of the Year
Grant Williams, Busselton Golf Club
WA PGA Associate of the Year
Fritz Arnold, Lake Karrinyup Country Club
WA PGA Tournament of the Year
Mitchell and Brown Spalding Park Open
WA PGA Management Professional of the Year – Proudly sponsored by Golf Car World
Nicole Martino, The Western Australian Golf Club
Course Apprentice of the Year – Proudly sponsored by AFGRI Equipment
Beschen Pou, Rockingham Golf Club and Links Kennedy Bay
Course Superintendent of the Year – Proudly sponsored by AFGRI Equipment
Tom Tristram, Secret Harbour Golf Links
WA Golf Industry Distinguished Service Award
Ross Metherell
WA Golf Industry Hall of Champions Inductee
Stephen Leaney
Outstanding Game Development Program of the Year Award
Womens 22 Week Beginner Program at Lake Karrinyup Country Club
Employee of the Year – Proudly sponsored by MiClub
Jessie Krznaric, Royal Fremantle Golf Club
Volunteer of the Year – Proudly sponsored by Bowra and O’Dea
Graeme Durward, Busselton Golf Club
Regional Golf Course of the Year – Proudly sponsored by ADH Club Car
Bunbury Golf Club
Metropolitan Golf Course of the Year – Proudly sponsored by ADH Club Car
Joondalup Resort
Regional Golf Facility of the Year
Karratha Country Club
Metropolitan Golf Facility of the Year – Proudly Sponsored by Golf Car World E-Z-Go
Wembley Golf Course
Outstanding Golf Achievement Award – Proudly sponsored by NGI Insurance
Minjee Lee
Five players shared the honours after Jason Norris let a two-shot lead slip late at the Metro Homes Glenn Joyner Memorial Legends Pro-Am at Thaxted Park Golf Course.
The first staging of the Memorial Pro-Am since the passing of the much-loved Glenn Joyner last August, Glenn’s father Barry and son Brad were part of the pro-am and were on hand to congratulate all five of the winners.
On the back of his win at Flagstaff Hill the day prior, Norris looked set to make it two-from-two when he arrived to the 18th tee at 5-under par.
The South Australian would three-put his final hole, however, for a double-bogey, his 3-under 67 matched by David Crawford, Brad Burns, Tim Elliott and Lucien Tinkler.
HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED
All five scores of 3-under 67 would come in the afternoon groups and in vastly different fashion.
With a birdie at his opening hole and eagle at the short 206-metre par-4 sixth, Norris was the one to set the early pace.
He pushed out to 5-under on his round with birdies at 10 and 13 but a birdie on 17 wedged between a bogey and double-bogey would restrict Norris to a 3-under total.
Burns had just one bogey in his round of 67 highlighted by an eagle at the par-5 first while Tinkler made his run late, playing the front nine in 4-under 30 after starting his day from the 10th tee.
Elliott had four birdies and a single bogey to match the best score of the day as Crawford earned his first PGA Legends Tour win courtesy of four birdies, an eagle and three bogeys.
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 David Crawford 67
T1 Brad Burns 67
T1 Jason Norris 67
T1 Tim Elliott 67
T1 Lucien Tinkler 67
T6 David Fearns 68
T6 Euan Walters 68
T6 Mark Boulton 68
T6 Peter Fowler 68
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour has a short break now before the SA PGA Senior Foursomes Championship at Mount Gambier Golf Club, David McKenzie, Peter Senior and Terry Price among the entries.
A hole-in-one was the highlight of a colourful scorecard as Jason Norris earned a share of victory at the Living Choice Flagstaff Hill Legends Pro-Am at Flagstaff Hill Golf Club in Adelaide’s south.
Norris had five birdies, five bogeys, seven pars and his eagle on 13 in a round of 2-under 70, tied at top spot with playing partner Nicholas Robb (70) and Euan Walters (70).
Tied for 37th at The National Tournament presented by BMW, the final event of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season, Norris took pitching wedge at the 128-metre 13th, a shot that would ultimately elevate him into a three-way tie for the win.
“The hole-in-one was fantastic,” said Norris.
“I was actually all over the joint today. I had a lot of bogeys, a lot of birdies and then the ‘one’ to top it off.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED
Paired together and starting from the fifth tee, the pattern of scoring was established early.
Norris went bogey-birdie-bogey-birdie-bogey-birdie over his first six holes, Robb going about things very differently.
Robb had the one birdie and 10 pars in his opening 11 holes but found himself two back when Norris followed a birdie at 12 with his hole-in-one on 13.
Back-to-back bogeys at 15 and 16 dropped Norris to 1-under on his round and with a one-stroke advantage over Robb.
A birdie on 18 saw Robb draw level, the pair closing out their rounds with matching birdies at the par-5 fourth.
With bogeys at two and three Walters found himself on the back foot early. He birdied four and seven to get back to 1-over but climbed into contention with three birdies in the space of five holes to start the back nine.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
Jason Norris: “It was a good day and a good group with Nicholas and a couple of the sponsors from Ray White.
Euan Walters: “We did use to play here a lot in the South Australian Pro-Am circuit so I know the course pretty well.
“It is pretty tight but you do get rewarded for good shots so it’s great to be back here.
“I love this place and I love playing golf in South Australia.”
Nicholas Robb: “It’s great to play with a quality player like Jason. I saw the draw and I was really pleased to see that I was playing with him.
“We know each other from a long way back and when you’re playing with a top-level player like Jase, it certainly helps you to focus a little bit more.
“I just tried to stay calm on the golf course and play the shots the best I could. Two-under and it worked out, which was quite a nice surprise.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 Jason Norris 70
T1 Nicholas Robb 70
T1 Euan Walters 70
T4 Adam Henwood 71
T4 Michael Long 71
T4 Paul Powell 71
7 Mark Boulton 72
NEXT UP
It will be an emotional day for those on the PGA Legends Tour at Thaxted Park Golf Course on Friday with the first Metro Homes Glenn Joyner Memorial Legends Pro-Am since the passing of Glenn Joyner last August.
One of Australia’s finest golf courses, Cape Wickham Golf Links, is coming to Trackman.
The integration is expected to be available in Trackman simulators starting in the second quarter of 2024, offering golf enthusiasts worldwide the opportunity to virtually play the renowned King Island layout and enhance their skills in a lifelike and engaging environment.
“Trackman is proud to partner with Cape Wickham Golf Links, a true gem in the golfing world,” said Peter Tabor, General Manager Australia and New Zealand at Trackman.
“Our advanced simulation technology aims to authentically capture the essence of this remarkable course, allowing golfers to experience its beauty and challenges in unprecedented detail.”
Thanks to Trackman’s advanced technology, golfers can look forward to experiencing every nuance of Cape Wickham’s layout, from the stunning oceanside holes to the strategically designed fairways and greens that have earned the course its reputation as a top golf destination.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Trackman to bring the magic of Cape Wickham Golf Links to golfers everywhere,” said Thuan Quach, General Manager at Cape Wickham Golf Links.
“The partnership with Trackman allows us to share the unique beauty and challenges of our course with a global audience, providing an authentic and immersive virtual golfing experience.”
Golfers can look forward to experiencing every nuance of Cape Wickham’s layout, from the stunning ocean-side holes to the strategically designed fairways and greens that have earned the course its reputation as a top golf destination.
Queenslander Quinn Croker will be one of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia’s rookies to watch in 2024/25 but before then he has his sights on some big amateur events in the United States.
With a sequence of outstanding results in the recently completed Tour season, Croker locked up the Future Tour Order of Merit by a wide margin to secure a Tour card which ensures he can bypass the upcoming Qualifying School at Moonah Links.
A member of Australia’s team at last year’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, Croker made the cut in all nine Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia tournaments he contested, highlighted by a second-place finish at The Heritage Classic in January.
And he finished outside the top 15 in only two events, gaining great experience to take into the next stage of his career and impressing those who saw his game first-hand and on the Fox Sports telecasts.
PGA.org.au caught up with the 21-year-old after his final Tour event as an amateur, The National Tournament, to get some key takeaways on his fantastic season.
What reflections do you have on the 2023/24 season overall?
I enjoyed it this year. It was fun. I played plenty of different tournament and got the chance to go to plenty of different places. It was a good year.
What did you learn most about what life as a touring professional would be like?
Something that sticks out the most is the uncontrollables. There’s so many things you can get mad at or angry at, your feelings towards them, that don’t really matter. You can deal with them after if you have to.
It’s no use getting annoyed about something that doesn’t really matter and then bringing that out on the golf course. You just have to go out and play the 18 holes.
I played a couple of events and realised that ‘my game is kind of there so if I just let it happen it will turn into a good result’. I showed myself that I could play out here and some good golf, not perfect golf, can get it done some times.
What was your favourite event of the season?
I really liked the two events in WA, the Open and the PGA. Joondalup was a really cool course.
Heritage was obviously the best finish, the most I was under-par, and it was good to get used to the TV cameras following me and having to manage my time with some extra requirements. That was a learning curve that week.
Who sticks in your mind as someone who was really enjoyable to play with?
Playing with Griffo (Matt Griffin) in the final round at The Heritage was pretty big. Just being able to have a good chat with him while he’s trying to win a golf tournament. You just can’t chat like two mates walking down the fairway because you still have a job to do, but I really enjoyed his company. He’s a good bloke who knows a lot and is open to helping you. He has so much knowledge.
Also what comes to mind is the Sandbelt Invitational. I played with Geoff Ogilvy the first day and then Nico Colsaerts the next day. To with able to play with them on back-to-back days, and play some pretty good golf in front of them, was really good. I thought ‘wow, I’m playing with a US Open winner and the vice-captain of Europe’s Ryder Cup team’. That was pretty cool.
What’s your plans for the next few months?
We’re going to work pretty hard on my game in the next couple of months and hopefully get some progression then there’s some amateur events in the US that I hope to tap into and play. It’s going to be tough in terms of knowing a schedule.
We’ll try to play as many events as we can over there in their summer and then come home. I think by that time, it might be the start of the new season here so then I might be looking to use the Future card and play a season as a professional on this Tour.
Three late bogeys have relegated David Diaz to a three-way tie for victory at the QUBE Logistics Legends Pro-Am at Aston Hills Golf Club.
The first event in the PGA Legends Tour’s South Australian swing, Scott Ford and Michael Isherwood both posted rounds of 1-under 69 to lead the way in the morning groups.
When Diaz made birdie on the back of a brilliant approach shot into the par-4 18th to go 4-under, those morning scores didn’t look to be anywhere near good enough.
But arguably the toughest stretch of the tight, twisting Aston Hills Golf Club layout would bring Diaz undone, dropping shots at each of his final three holes to finish tied with Ford and Isherwood.
HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED
Isherwood and Ford were out early on Wednesday, Isherwood starting his round from the third hole, Ford from the sixth.
Courtesy of birdies at six, seven and 10, Isherwood was 3-under through his first eight holes but back-to-back three-putts at 14 and 15 saw him drop back to 1-under.
While Isherwood made his charge early, Ford left his run until late.
He traded a birdie with a bogey at 10 and 11 and after a bogey at one found himself 1-over with two holes to play.
He got back to even par with a birdie at the par-3 fourth and then found the crucial final birdie at the par-5 fifth to match Isherwood’s round.
Diaz signalled his intent early in the afternoon wave, making birdie at his second and third holes.
He moved to 4-under with an eagle at the 274-metre par-4 11th but gave one back at the next, the par-3 12th.
He got back to 4-under with his birdie on 18 but would give up three shots in his final three holes.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
Michael Isherwood: “I was 3-under early but with these greens it’s pretty difficult not to have a three-putt at some point. I had a couple of those and hung on for the rest of the way.
“I played here about 30 years ago and it’s a brilliant course. Great condition, beautiful setting but tricky. The fairways, greens, very difficult to keep it in the right position.
“First win on the Legends Tour so very, very pleased.”
Scott Ford: “Lovely golf course. Pleasure to be here.
“You had to golf your ball really well. “Very tricky golf course. Lot of local knowledge needed but I’ve never been here before so I had no idea.
“It all comes down to Terry Price. He’s a great coach.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 Michael Isherwood 69
T1 Scott Ford 69
T1 David Diaz 69
4 Michael Long 70
5 Jason Norris 71
T6 Shane Johnson 72
T6 Ian Devlin 72
T6 Adam Henwood 72
T6 Steve Conran 72
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour South Australian leg continues on Thursday with the Living Choice Flagstaff Hill Legends Pro-Am at Flagstaff Hill Golf Club followed by the Metro Homes Glenn Joyner Memorial Legends Pro-Am at Thaxted Park Golf Course.
The top six finishers from last year’s Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit have the chance to become more permanent members of the DP World Tour at this week’s Porsche Singapore Classic.
With 2022/2023 Order of Merit winner David Micheluzzi exempt through a separate category, the top five Order of Merit finishers not otherwise exempt were eligible to enter. Tom Power Horan, Andrew Martin, John Lyras, Michael Hendry and Deyen Lawson have all taken up the opportunity just a week after the 2023/2024 season drew to a close at The National Tournament.
West Australian Jason Scrivener is the only other Australian in the field at Laguna National Golf Resort Club in Singapore, Haydn Barron currently fourth emergency.
Starting with the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship and ISPS HANDA Australian Open, Micheluzzi (pictured left with Power Horan) has made five starts on the 2024 DP World Tour season to date, his best result a tie for 16th at the Bahrain Championship.
As the Order of Merit champion, Micheluzzi can plot a relatively full schedule in 2024.
That is not necessarily the case for the likes of Power Horan, Martin, Lyras, Hendry and Lawson.
By finishing in the top three, Power Horan and Martin both have status for the 2024 season but Lyras, Hendry and Lawson will have only individual exemptions for particular tournaments.
Martin will be the first of the Aussies out on course on Thursday at a course with a par-3 17th modelled on the 17th at TPC Sawgrass that was the site of so much drama last week at THE PLAYERS Championship.
The prize on offer this week for a hole-in-one at the 17th 🤩#PorscheSingaporeClassic pic.twitter.com/DVkVpoiiIZ
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) March 19, 2024
Of those who played TPC Sawgrass last week, Aussies Min Woo Lee and Aaron Baddeley and Kiwi Ryan Fox will be joined by Harrison Endycott at the PGA TOUR’s Valspar Championship in Florida.
A week after perhaps the most exacting test on the PGA TOUR each year, players must come to terms with the ‘Snake Pit’ at Innisbrook, a three-hole closing stretch as demanding as any on tour.
Led by HSBC Women’s World champion Hannah Green, there is a strong Aussie presence at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship in California and Greg Chalmers is one of nine Australians in the field for the Hoag Classic on the Champions Tour.
Chalmers was tied for seventh on debut at the Cologuard Classic, thus earning a start this week in California.
The only place to watch our Aussies in action around the world is on Fox Sports, through Foxtel and Kayo.
Round 1 tee times AEDT
PGA TOUR
Valspar Championship
Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead Cse), Palm Harbor, Florida
12:03am Kevin Tway, Aaron Baddeley, Hayden Buckley
3:50am Aaron Rai, Thomas Detry, Ryan Fox (NZ)
4:12am Peter Malnati, Doug Ghim, Min Woo Lee
5:51am Harrison Endycott, Alejandro Tosti, Joe Highsmith
Defending champion: Taylor Moore
Past Aussie winners: John Senden (2014)
Prize money: $US8.4 million
TV times: Live 11:15pm-9am Thursday; Live 2am-9am Saturday; Live 1am-9am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
DP World Tour
Porsche Singapore Classic
Laguna National Golf Resort Club, Singapore
10:30am Marco Penge, Andrew Martin, Lorenzo Scalise
10:50am Irvyn Tan, Alejandro Del Rey, John Lyras
11:20am Michael Hendry (NZ), Joshua Berry, Tom Power Horan
11:30am Deyen Lawson, Paul Waring, Niklas Norgaard
12pm Jens Dantorp, Matthew Jordan, Jason Scrivener
4:20pm Daniel Hillier (NZ), Adrian Otaegui, Joost Luiten
4:45pm* Freddy Schott, Filippo Celli, David Micheluzzi
Defending champion: Ockie Strydom
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €2 million
TV times: Live 4pm-9pm Thursday, Friday; Live 2:30pm-6pm Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
LPGA Tour
Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship
Palos Verdes Golf Club, Palos Verdes Estates, California
1am* Robyn Choi, Gina Kim, Polly Mack
1:22am Olivia Cowan, Karis Davidson, Arpichaya Yubol
1:55am* Hannah Green, Brooke Henderson, Nelly Korda
2:06am Carlota Ciganda, Nasa Hataoka, Grace Kim
2:28am Stephanie Kyriacou, Mary Liu, Hee Young Park
6:33am Hannah Darling (a), Maria Fassi, Sarah Kemp
7:39am Gemma Dryburgh, Ryann O’Toole, Gabriela Ruffels
8:01am Nataliya Guseva, Lauren Hartlage, Hira Naveed
Defending champion: Ruoning Yin
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US2 million
TV times: Live 9am-12pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503; Live 6am-9am Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
PGA TOUR Americas
Bupa Championship at Tulum
PGA Riviera Maya, Tulum, Mexico
11:23pm Matthew Anderson, Harry Hillier (NZ), Sam Jean
5:12am Jason Hong, Taylor Funk, Tyler Strafaci
5:23am* Michael Sweeney, Johnny Travale, Charlie Hillier (NZ)
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US225,000
Challenge Tour
Kolkata Challenge
Royal Calcutta Golf Club, Kolkata, India
12:25pm* Subash Tamang, Daniel Young, Hayden Hopewell
5pm Jiri Zuska, Connor McKinney, Kiet Van Der Weele
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US300,000
Epson Tour
Atlantic Beach Classic
Atlantic Beach Country Club, Atlantic Beach, Florida
11:22pm Jennifer Chang, Rina Jung, Fiona Xu (NZ)
11:33pm* Haylee Harford, Cassie Porter, Teresa Toscano
11:44pm* Jenny Bae, Amelia Garvey (NZ), Sarah White
4:02pm Su Oh, Alisa Rodriguez, Mariah Stackhouse
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $300,000
Champions Tour
Hoag Classic
Newport Beach CC, Newport Beach, California
Australasians in the field: Steven Alker (NZ), Steve Allan, Stuart Appleby, David Bransdon, Greg Chalmers, Richard Green, Mark Hensby, Rod Pampling, John Senden, Michael Wright
Defending champion: Ernie Els
Past Aussie winners: Rodger Davis (2003)
Prize money: $US2 million
TV times: 12pm-1pm Saturday; 12pm-1pm Sunday; Live 9am-11am Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Qualifiers from the seven events staged across Australia will play for an increased prize purse when the PGA Professionals Championship National Final returns to Heritage Golf and Country Club in October.
Tasmania’s Claremont Golf Club will host the first 2024 PGA Professionals Championship qualifier on April 5 to be followed by the PGA Professionals Championship of North Queensland at Townsville Golf Club on April 22.
The PGA Professionals Championship of South-East Queensland on July 31 will finalise the National Final field where the total prize money has increased to $65,000.
There are also two places in the field at the Australian PGA Championship up for grabs and, for the first time in the event’s history, female PGA Professionals will have an opportunity to play for the Women’s PGA Professionals Championship trophy.
The Women’s PGA Professionals Championship will see at least one female from each state qualifying event advance to the National Final, where they too can showcase their exceptional abilities on the golf course.
“Our PGA Professionals are often feted for the way they help golfers to play better but they are just as passionate about their own games,” said PGA of Australia General Manager of Membership and Education, Geoff Stewart.
“To become a PGA Professional you must display a high level of playing proficiency.
“While that may not be their primary focus as they work within the industry, we are proud to provide our PGA Members with the platform to showcase their skills and play their way into our flagship event, the Australian PGA Championship.”
The $65,000 total prize money is a 30 per cent increase on the 2023 PGA Professionals Championship won for a fourth time by Matt Docking.
Now the Head PGA Professional at Murray Downs Golf and Country Club, as defending champion Docking is exempt from state qualifying and excited about the prospect of a return to Heritage Golf and Country Club.
“I am looking forward to defending my title,” said Docking.
“Although I have been fortunate enough to win the event on four occasions, I haven’t necessarily played as well as I would have liked at the Australian PGA Championship once I have qualified.
“I would love to change that in 2024 and therefore the first step is getting there.”
The PGA is proud to partner with championship partners Acushnet and Club Car.
Both partners have supported PGA Vocational Professionals for extended periods, be it at their golf facilities or their professional playing ambitions.
2024 PGA Professionals Championship schedule
Friday, April 5
PGA Professionals Championship of Tasmania (Claremont GC)
Monday, April 22
PGA Professionals Championship of North Qld (Townsville GC)
Friday, June 28
PGA Professionals Championship of South Australia (West Lakes GC)
Monday, July 8
PGA Professionals Championship of Western Australia (The Western Australian GC)
Thursday, July 11
PGA Professionals Championship of NSW/ACT (Concord GC)
Monday, July 22
PGA Professionals Championship of Victoria (Keysborough GC)
Wednesday, July 31
PGA Professionals Championship of South East Qld (Nudgee GC)
October 22-24
PGA Professionals Championship National Final (Heritage G&CC)
A new program has been launched to help Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and WPGA Tour players with progressing their careers on and off the golf course.
And it has found a willing ambassador in multiple tournament winner Brett Rumford, who has experienced just about every aspect of professional golf.
The Tournament Player Development Program has been established to offer professional development and educational resources for all current players on the men’s and women’s tours.
Aimed at enhancing players’ long-term career success, whether that is on the golf course or not, the program includes a wide variety of webinars and practical sessions.
Along with the practical and online sessions, the program is designed to provide players pastoral care and guidance.
Rumford, a six-time winner on the DP World Tour, has come on as an ambassador for the program, and while participants will be treated to a short-game masterclass from one of golf’s best around the greens, he has a lot more off-course wisdom to impart as well.
Along with a decorated playing career, over the last few years Rumford has broadened his golf knowledge and qualifications by completing his bridging course to become a full PGA Member, as well as a Diploma of Golf Management at the PGA Institute.
“It was always in the back of my mind that I wanted to remain in the golf industry when I finished full-time tournament golf. One, because I love it. I’m passionate about it. Two, I want to give back to the game,” said Rumford.
After a relatively smooth run through most of his playing days, a number of injury setbacks beginning in 2015 forced Rumford to think about life after professional golf.
“It was like ‘wow, what’s going on here’,” he said.
“Right in the thick of my prime of my career, you know, I’ve just had these two major surgeries that have just completely derailed my momentum.”
While Rumford looked towards study and future-proofing his career at a point when his playing days were winding down, this new program is specifically catered for players at all stages of their journeys.
“Golf is a marathon. It’s not a sprint. I think a lot of kids get caught up with the mentality that if you haven’t made it by the time you’re 20 these days, it’s over,” he said.
“Continuing your education is a fantastic avenue to learn the industry, to get some qualifications, to get some backing.
“It can free up the mind to sort of just go play too, knowing that you’ve got a bit of a fallback.”
PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman is excited for the program and the support it will offer Australian players.
“Golf is a game for life and we want our tournament players to have the best possible career opportunities to succeed whether it’s when they’re playing professionally full time or when they’re focussing on life away from the tour,” he said.
“The Tournament Player Development Program is specially designed with a healthy mix of on-course and off-course sessions, making it a fantastic resource for all players on our home tours.
“From our rookies looking to soak up as much wisdom and learning as possible, to players beginning to think about the transition in their career, this program caters to everyone.”
As well as Rumford’s short-game masterclass, other sessions range from financial tips to mental health strategies, to playing at the highest level.
The first session is on Tuesday the 26th March with Dr Alison Curdt. Titled The performance of people – reach your potential , this session will focus on harnessing golf psychology.
