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Bringing together PGA of Australia members from across the country with other golf industry professionals for two days of unmissable learning, sharing and more, the 2024 Golf Summit will be held from October 16-17.
Taking place in Melbourne, the event is the premier coming together of the entire golf industry in one place across the Asia-Pacific region, with tickets on sale now for PGA Professionals and other golf industry members.
Delivered through the on-going shared vision and work of the PGA of Australia and Golf Australia, the Golf Summit will see global golf leaders, fellow PGA members and other golf businesspeople as keynote speakers, leading sessions and networking.
“I couldn’t personally be more excited for the industry to come together in one place and share their experiences and knowledge for the betterment of the golf industry as a whole,” PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman said.
“The PGA of Australia network of professionals have always shared a cause and mission, however gathering in one place is not an easily achieved feat. With that in mind, I encourage as many PGA members as possible, and the rest of the industry, to join us in Melbourne.”
Held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, the Golf Summit will allow for greater expansion on how the PGA of Australia is working with Golf Australia under the shared driver of the Australian Golf Strategy, in addition to all the other amazing opportunities on offer.
With exhibitions of products and services, learning sessions and the chance to connect with fellow members of the golf industry, the event will see attendees leave with greater knowledge, best practices and greater networks to better support businesses and succeed in their respective jobs.
For PGA members, whether they are looking to grow their audience, diversify their coaching offering, learn how to best present and operate a shop, or manage businesses, the Golf Summit is unlike any other event in Australia.
Attended by representatives from clubs and facilities, government, organisations, tourism, suppliers, media and manufacturers, as well as PGA of Australia members, the two days of the Summit are supported with a social networking event delivering a chance to mix with delegates, industry leaders and partners.
Find tickets HERE.
Long-time Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia member Terry Pilkadaris bounced back from an injury layoff to figure in a three-way tie for top spot in the De Bortoli Heidelberg Golf Club Pro-Am on Friday.
The winner at Heidelberg in 2015, Pilkadaris shot a 4-under-par 68 that was matched by Jake Hughes and DJ Loypur on a crowded leaderboard that featured 13 players within two shots.
Ranked as high as 153rd in the world at the peak of his career, Pilkadaris has missed most of the Australian Summer of Golf after tearing a rib muscle “trying to hit it too hard” in November.
He made his comeback on the PGA Legends Tour earlier this week with a tie for sixth place at Southern Golf Club and then a share of second behind Terry Price at Settlers Run before heading back to the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series.
“I’m old so the body’s not working too well,” he joked.
One of the professionals who took part in the start of the Victorian Pennant season last weekend, playing in the No.3 spot for Kingston Heath, Jake Hughes brought in some hot form, clinching his match 4&3 before playing on to shoot 8-under for the 17 holes he played at The National.
Pilkadaris and Loypur will head to the season-ending National Tournament Presented by BMW on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia starting on March 14.
HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED
All three Heidelberg winners played in the afternoon wave with Hughes teeing off the fourth, Loypur the 10th and Pilkadaris the 17th.
Hughes was -4 after just six holes but bogeys on the 17th and third prevented him from going lower as he finished with six birdies for the day.
Loypur, who also mixed in six birdies with two bogeys, had a chance to win on his final hole. But after picking up shots on the three previous par-5s he played, could only manage a par on the 479m ninth.
The only bogey for Pilkadaris came on the par-4 eighth.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
Pilkadaris described his round as “nice and steady”.
“I kept the ball in play off the tee. Heidelberg is quite a tight course and tried to keep the ball below the hole because the greens were quite quick. I thought I had it there (a 67) on my final hole, but it wasn’t to be.”
DJ Loypur was thankful he holed some putts after being “a little all over the place”.
“I had to figure out where I was going out here because I hadn’t been here for a few years. Had a couple opportunities late to make another birdie but missed them unfortunately.”
Hughes said: “I started off hot, but then got into a bit of a lull with pars on two par-5s on the back nine. From there, I cruised on in.
“I’ve been playing solid, getting the handicap down to +5 at Kingston Heath. I’m hoping to get an invite into The National and continuing on in the Order of Merit.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
68: Jake Hughes, DJ Loypur, Terry Pilkadaris
69: Darcy Brereton, Wade Lowrie, Rick Kulacz, Steven Jones
70: Michael Dean
71: Dylan Higgins, Lachlan Aylen, Toby Walker, Matt Dowling, Alex Edge
NEXT UP
The 2023/24 adidas Pro-Am Series reaches its conclusion in Victoria next week with events at Northern, Keysborough, Eynesbury and Geelong.
Victorian Nathan Page secured his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win for 2024, shooting a bogey-free 6-under-par 65 to claim the Hahn Shelly Beach Pro-Am on the NSW Central Coast on Friday.
Birdies on his final two holes secured Page, who only turned pro last year, a one-shot win over a group of three NSW professionals – Bryce Hohnen, James Conran and Robbie Minns.
Page secured his Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia card at Qualifying School at Moonah Links in April and has had a best finish of equal eighth at the Heritage Classic in his rookie Tour season to sit 65th on the Order of Merit.
After missing out on qualifying for this week’s New Zealand Open, a pro-am victory with soothe some of that disappointment ahead of the Tour finale at The National in a fortnight.
Like Page, Hohnen and Minns posted their 66s in the morning wave, while Conran’s 5-under was the best of the afternoon field.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Starting his round on the second hole in the morning shotgun start, Page had five straight pars on one of the layout’s most testing stretches of holes before gaining some momentum with birdies on the seventh and ninth.
It was a late charge that secured his win, with the Victorian picking up four shots in his last five holes, including back-to-back birdies on the par-5 18th and first.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
“I had a quick look at the course with a mate when we drove up on Monday. It’s a lovely course with some great views,” Page said of the beachside course.
“I missed a couple of putts early but got it going late then drained a few nice 10-footers to keep things rolling.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
65: Nathan Page
66: Bryce Hohnen, Robbie Minns, James Conran
67: Sung Park, Luke Parker
68: William Bruyeres, Andrew Richards, Arthur Barakat, Alexander Simpson, Dillon Hart, Gavin Fairfax, Patrick Joseph
NEXT UP
The 2023/24 adidas PGA Pro-Am Series reaches its conclusion in Victoria next week with events at Northern, Keysborough, Eynesbury and Geelong.
Queensland’s Scott Hend is poised to extend the streak of veteran success at the New Zealand Open after moving out to a two-stroke lead on Friday.
Tied at the top with fellow Australian Matthew Griffin overnight at the Millbrook Resort in Queenstown, Hend followed up his opening round of 7-under 64 with 5-under 66 on the Coronet Course on Friday to establish a handy advantage from Aussies Marcus Fraser (66), Sam Brazel (67) and Griffin (68) and Kiwi hopes Daniel Hillier (65) and Josh Geary (65) at 10-under par.
The past two winners of the New Zealand Open – Brad Kennedy in 2020 and Brendan Jones in 2023 – were both on the other side of 45 when they won.
Hend, already a winner on the Legends Tour in Europe, turned 50 last August but has continued to split his time across both the Asian Tour and the senior circuit.
Twelve months ago, Hend was two shots off the lead going into the third round of the New Zealand Open and, as a 10-time winner on the Asian Tour, knows the reality of the task at hand.
“You can’t win every tournament but as long as you give yourself an opportunity come the weekend,” Hend reasoned.
“If someone shoots a better score than you, then that’s the way it goes.
“But just give yourself opportunities. The more opportunities you get, the more you’re going to win tournaments.”
No better spot to be on a Friday afternoon then atop of the leaderboard, hey Hendy?#NZOpen | Watch the coverage live on Sky Sports now. pic.twitter.com/IpWEV8pPzI
— New Zealand Open (@NZOpenGolf) March 1, 2024
Five years Hend’s junior, Fraser is taking advantage of his tournament exemption by virtue of his career prize money on the Asian Tour.
After stepping away from full-time professional golf just prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Fraser completed the PGA of Australia’s Tour Professional Articulation and was quickly elevated to Director of Coaching at Peninsula Kingswood Country Golf Club.
In late 2022, however, tour life came calling again.
Fraser has made just two cuts in his 19 starts over the past 12 months but seems to have unlocked the form that once took him to No.51 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
“Yesterday I felt like I played as good golf as I’ve played for a long time,” said Fraser, who bolstered his second round with an eagle at the par-5 first, his 10th hole of the day.
“To back it up again today and play pretty solid was nice. It’s been a long time for me to put one good round together, let alone two.
“Just trying to stay as positive as I possibly can and when your results are far from where they need to be, it’s hard to do that.
“But the appetite for the game and those competitive juices have been flowing pretty hard. Feel like I’ve made some big progress.”
Seeking to join Michael Hendry (2017) as the only home-grown winners of New Zealand’s national Open since Mahal Pearce in 2003, Hillier and Geary mastered the challenging conditions on the Coronet Course to play their way into title contention.
One-under through 10 holes of his second round, Hillier tried to stay patient through the middle of his round, taking full advantage of the scoring opportunities as the wind abated late.
“Definitely a bit of a grind out there but a few chances coming in and managed to make the most of them,” said Hillier, who for the second straight year has Tiger Woods’ former caddie, Steve Williams, on the bag.
“The key today was staying patient and hopefully I can keep that up tomorrow.”
There are a host of international challengers just three strokes from the lead in a tie for seventh, Indonesia’s Jonathan Wijono (66), Korean Soonsang Hong (68) and Japan’s Yuta Sugiura (65) level with Queenslander Kade McBride (67) and Kiwi Nick Voke (65) at 9-under par.
The 36-hole cut fell at 4-under with 75 players advancing to the weekend.
Not advancing was provisional Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit leader Kazuma Kobori, who shot rounds of 72-72 for a 2-over total.
That opens the door for Griffin, McBride, Voke, David Micheluzzi and Brett Coletta to advance their hopes of a DP World Tour card with strong performances across the final two rounds.
His upcoming wedding on Saturday will be double cause for celebration after Clayton Bridges broke the course record to win the Great Northern Toukley Pro-Am at Toukley Golf Club.
After making a rare appearance on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series at Waratah on Wednesday, Bridges found form in familiar territory at Toukley.
His 7-under 65 was five clear of Josh Clarke (70), Jonathan Pepper (70) and Gavin Fairfax (70) and is particularly well timed given he will marry Alexa this weekend.
“Managed to get a couple of days off. Played Waratah yesterday where I crumbled coming home but was able to get the win today,” said Bridges, who played regularly on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia from 2015-2018.
“Got my wedding coming up on Saturday so was able to get a couple of dollars to pay off the nice, cheap wedding that’s about to happen.”
HOW THE ROUND UNFOLDED
The Newcastle native wasted little time in making an impression on the leaderboard in the afternoon wave.
He birdied his opening hole – the par-4 18th – and then expertly navigated his way around the twisting, tight Toukley layout.
Bridges made it two-from-two when he birdied the par-5 first and then went one better when he made eagle at the par-5 fourth.
His lone bogey of the round came at the par-4 fifth but he made further birdies at seven, nine, 12 and 17 to win by five, capping off a spectacular round with a 50-footer for birdie on his final hole to better Mitchell Brown’s previous course record of 66 by one.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Everything just went my way today.
“I hit it really well and holed heaps of putts. When I put myself in a bad spot I was able to get away with it. And capped it off at the last with a nice 50-footer to shoot seven (under).
“It’s tight off the tee and you’ve got to shape your shots off the tee. I was able to get myself in the middle of the fairway on pretty much every hole. If I was off the fairway I was only just off.
“I was able to get myself in play and then give myself good chances and managed to hole them.
“It all lined up for me.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Clayton Bridges 65
T2 Josh Clarke 70
T2 Jonathan Pepper 70
T2 Gavin Fairfax 70
T2 Aaron Townsend 70
T6 Michael Smyth 71
T6 Dylan Grogan 71
T6 Larry Austin 71
T6 Alexander Simpson 71
T6 William Bruyeres 71
T6 Anthony Choat 71
T6 Robert Hogan 71
NEXT UP
There is a double booking of adidas PGA Pro-Am Series events on Friday with the Hahn Shelly Beach Golf Club Pro-Am on the NSW Central Coast and the De Bortoli Heidelberg Golf Club Pro-Am in Melbourne.
One was close to quitting while the other never stops playing and now Matthew Griffin and Scott Hend are co-leaders after day one of the 103rd New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sports.
Winner of the Heritage Classic on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia in early January, Griffin had eight birdies and a lone bogey in his round of 7-under 64 on the Remarkables Course in perfect conditions at the Millbrook Resort on Thursday morning.
It looked to be enough to hold the outright lead until Hend swooped late with a 64 of his own, also on the Remarkables, making five birdies in eight holes for a back nine of 5-under 30.
In a jam-packed leaderboard littered with international flags, there are a total of 36 players within just three strokes of the lead after Round 1, the Remarkables Course playing to an average of 69.03 and the Coronet 70.57.
Local favourite Ben Campbell, Korean pair Soonsang Hong and JungHyun Um, Thailand’s Gunn Charoenkul and Aussies Ben Wharton, Jay Mackenzie, Sam Brazel and Kevin Yuan all posted 6-under 65 to share third through 18 holes.
Now 40 years of age and a father of two, Griffin has recently pulled back from his long-time commitment to the Japan Golf Tour to spend more time at home.
He’d been exploring new opportunities outside of professional golf but went wire-to-wire at The Heritage Golf and Country Club last month.
Griffin again finds himself on top of the leaderboard at Millbrook as he seeks a second NZ Open title to go with his triumph at The Hills in 2016.
“It’s nice to roll a few putts in and make plenty of birdies and get right into the leaderboard,” said Griffin after his morning round.
“I feel like my game’s in great shape and feel like if I can continue playing the way I have, I’ll give myself a good chance.”
Strong opening round at @MillbrookNZ 👊#NZOpen | Leaderboard: https://t.co/cBJmS9dEZq pic.twitter.com/MTPezbjdXJ
— New Zealand Open (@NZOpenGolf) February 29, 2024
Hend only squeezed in one practice round after arriving from last week’s Asian Tour event in Oman.
Dividing his time between the Asian Tour – where he is a 10-time winner – and the senior circuit, Hend has not yet given up showing the young guys how it’s done.
“I still don’t want to admit that I’m 50,” Hend joked. “I keep telling myself I’m 18 and I can keep up with all these young guys.
“It’s more about being smart these days. I’m not too smart so it takes all I’ve got to keep up with them.”
A perennial Queenstown contender, Campbell is seeking to become just the second home-grown winner of the NZ Open since Mahal Pearce in 2003.
He was runner-up to Michael Hendry in a playoff in 2017 and climbed into contention with a long bomb for eagle at the par-5 18th on Thursday.
Campbell leads a group of six Kiwis within three strokes of the lead after Round 1 and content with where he finds himself heading into Round 2.
“It was good to finally hold one there on the last,” Campbell said of his final flurry.
“I probably had four or five putts sort of just come up short that I thought were in so nice to make one there on the last.
“My game wasn’t too far away today. It could have been a really low one so nice to start like that.”
Given the number of points on offer, this week is pivotal in determining the top three on the Order of Merit.
Projected No.1 Kazuma Kobori got off to a difficult start with a round of 1-over 72 while Brett Coletta (third), Daniel Gale (fourth) and David Micheluzzi (fifth) are among the 19 players at 4-under par.
“Played with ‘Micha’ today and we’re kind of just egging each other along towards the end there,” said Coletta.
Now plying his trade on the DP World Tour, reigning Order of Merit champion Micheluzzi shot 67 despite some struggles off the tee.
“I started off a bit all over the shop to be honest,” Micheluzzi conceded.
“I kind of hit it everywhere, but I managed to score all right.
“It’s close. If I can get the driver in play, which it has been of late, I like my chances of being up there in contention.”
Tournament host David Diaz showed the rest of the field how it’s done, shooting 9-under 61 to win The White Glove Mover Legends Pro-Am by three strokes at Albert Park Golf Course.
Tasked with the course set-up at the course he calls home, Diaz relaxed after an opening bogey and played his final 12 holes in 9-under par to finish three clear of Andre Stolz (64) and PGA Legends Tour Order of Merit leader Murray Lott (64).
Although not his best at the venue – Diaz boasts a 59 at Albert Park “a long time ago” – he was nonetheless thrilled to play so well in his home tournament.
“It was a bit of a shock but it’s all good,” Diaz said of his low score.
“That (the 59) was about 25 years ago when I had a bit of game.
“Bit of a surprise but I’m really happy, more so that everyone has a really great day when it’s your home event.”
HOW THE ROUND UNFOLDED
Starting from the par-4 13th, Diaz may have been the architect of his own demise as he began the day with a bogey.
He took just three holes to get that back with a birdie at the short par-4 16th, heading to the first tee at even par.
That was when the fireworks began.
He made three straight birdies, added a fourth at the sixth and then made eagle at the par-5 ninth for a front nine of 6-under 30.
Staying with the hot hand, Diaz birdied each of his final three holes to play his final four holes in 5-under par and 9-under total.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“The course scrubbed up pretty well given the weather has been quite dry.
“The course was good. I was in charge of the set-up so I tried to vary some of the par 3s and the pin placements on them.
“It’s a public golf course and it gets a ton of traffic so we’re pretty happy with how it was presented.
“I’ve been playing pretty solid. I putted pretty ordinary the second round at Rich River last week, came back here on Saturday morning and played in the comp and shot 64.
“I started with a bogey today and I thought I’d just relax and see what happens. Hit some good shots, made some putts and all of a sudden it was 61.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 David Diaz 61
T2 Andre Stolz 64
T2 Murray Lott 64
T4 Tim Elliott 65
T4 Adam Henwood 65
T4 John Wade 65
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour continues its Melbourne run with the Gardiners Run Legends Pro-Am on Friday to be followed by the Higgins Coatings Portsea Legends Pro-Am at Portsea Golf Club on Monday.
Six of West Australia’s top talents have been named as finalists for the Outstanding Achievement in Golf Award at next month’s WA Golf Industry Awards.
By Golf WA
Six of West Australia’s top talents have been named as finalists for the Outstanding Achievement in Golf Award at next month’s WA Golf Industry Awards.
The award recognises an individual as The Western Australian Golfer of the Year for their golfing achievements in 2023, with organisers spoilt for choice after numerous WA players produced standout years.
While superstar siblings Minjee and Min Woo Lee are the headline names, they are joined in the list by four more worthy contenders from the professional and amateur ranks, highlighting the strength in depth of golf in the state.
Alongside the Lees, the other finalists are LPGA Tour winner Hannah Green, DP World Tour rookie Haydn Barron and two rising stars from the women’s amateur game in Maddison Hinson-Tolchard and Abbie Teasdale.
The overall winner is decided upon by an expert panel of WA golf industry representatives. Minjee Lee has won the award in each of the past three years. Brief bios of all the finalists – and their 2023 achievements – can be read below.
Haydn Barron: The Western Australian Golf Club member won Rookie of the Year on the PGA Tour of Australasia standings for the 2022-23 season and made his Open Championship debut at Royal Liverpool. He earned fully exempt status on the DP World Tour for 2024 with a top-10 finish at the six-round final stage of Qualifying School.
Hannah Green: Mount Lawley’s Hannah Green won the JM Eagle LA Championship in a sudden-death playoff in April to earn her third title on the LPGA Tour. She also represented Australia in the International Crown team event and achieved five further top-20 finishes around the world.
Maddison Hinson-Tolchard: The Gosnells golfer excelled in US college golf for Oklahoma State University, winning the individual title at the Big 12 Championship in Dallas and finishing T4th at the season-ending NCAA Women’s Championship. She represented the International Team in the Palmer Cup and Australia in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. In addition, Maddison qualified for the US Women’s Open and secured her playing rights on the 2024 Epson Tour.
Minjee Lee: The two-time Major champion won two LPGA Tour events at the Kroger Queen City Championship in September and the BMW Ladies Championship a month later. She accrued five more top-10 finishes, including a playoff loss at the Cognizant Founders Cup, and T6th at the Evian Championship. Finished the year in 5th place in the Rolex Rankings.
Min Woo Lee: Won the Asian Tour’s Macau Open before a thrilling victory at The Australian PGA Championship in November. Achieved eight top-10 finishes in PGA Tour and DP World Tour events, including runner-up at the Abu Dhabi Championship; T6th at The Players Championship; T3rd at the Australian Open and T5th at the US Open – his best finish in a Major.
Abbie Teasdale: The Royal Fremantle member won the prestigious Concord Cup in February before making her Australian debut at March’s Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific. She subsequently claimed the Women’s Amateur Championship of WA for the second time and won the English Women’s Under 25 Open Amateur Strokeplay and English Women’s Open Strokeplay Championship titles in August.
When the eight girls taking part in the Australian Golf Foundation Junior Girls Scholarship program at Eastlake Golf Club get home on Tuesday evening, James Edge wants them to tell their parents two things.
“I had fun and I learned something new.”
After returning to Eastlake in Sydney’s eastern suburbs at the start of last year, Edge pushed strongly for the club to introduce the program that provides the opportunity for girls aged 9-16 to develop a love of golf in a nurturing environment.
And, as Edge is quickly discovering, it is as much about who they learn with as it is what they learn.
“In our second lesson, we split into two groups for a short period,” Edge says.
“When I left one group to their own they started their own conversations about whatever’s happening at school and what happened on the weekend.
“That’s a good thing and is important in building those social connections that are so valuable but then, from a coaching perspective, eventually you have to get them back on task.”
With an older brother, Alex, who plays on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, James grew up playing with his brother, his friends and his own friend group.
It was a ready-made golf group that he is aware is not available to all girls who play golf from a young age.
It is a big reason that Edge sees such value in providing a way not only for girls to get started in golf, but to establish their own cohort within the golf club.
“There doesn’t tend to be many girls of a similar age at golf clubs so they’re kind of just going it alone and it can become lonely for them,” Edge adds.
“With the way the AGF program is set up, you have girls pushing each other, they’re chatting to each other, asking each other for help on certain shots.
“That’s the best thing about it, they feel like they belong at the club with girls of a similar age. Golf is the vehicle for them to have that social connection.”
But it is not simply a way to bring girls together.
Edge believes that from a coaching perspective, the emotional attachment that comes from a fun experience with friends makes them much more likely to continue to play golf and to seek to improve even further.
“The way you deliver information is critical because there will be an emotion attached to it,” he explains.
“You might receive the best information available but if the way it is delivered is not great, then you will attach a somewhat negative emotion to it. And then when you consider having another lesson, you remember how it made you feel and are less likely to go back.
“If you can relay the information in a way that energises people and makes them feel good about themselves, they’re much more likely to want to do it again.
“It’s about sharing your passion with someone and giving them the space to share that with others.”
For more information on the Australian Golf Foundation Junior Girls Scholarship Program visit australiangolffoundation.org.au/women-and-girls
A hole-in-one proved the difference as Andrew Richards claimed a maiden adidas PGA Pro-Am Series victory at the 35 Latitude Waratah Pro-Am at Waratah Golf Club in Newcastle.
An ace at the 144-metre par-3 third was the major highlight in Richards’ round of 7-under 64, good enough to finish one clear of Victorian Nathan Page (65) with Josh Clarke (66) and Aiden Didone (66) sharing third.
With his driver wayward for much of the round, Richards leant on his wedge play to post a score in the morning wave, including a perfectly executed pitching wedge at the third hole.
“I hit a pitching wedge,” Richards said of the club selection that yielded his ace.
“I was in between clubs; had 9-iron and then switched back to the pitching wedge and gave it a good hit.
“I couldn’t see it, couldn’t see where the hole was exactly but it landed about eight feet behind it and spun back in.”
Pick it out of the hole and pose.
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) February 28, 2024
Congrats to Andrew Richards on his hole-in-one on the 144m 3rd hole at Waratah Golf Club in today's Waratah Pro-Am.#adidasPGAProAmSeries pic.twitter.com/Egx0F3bn4X
HOW THE ROUND UNFOLDED
Two bogeys in his opening five holes gave little indication of the fireworks that were to follow.
Starting his round from the 10th tee, Richards made bogey at 10 and 14, offset slightly by a birdie at the par-5 12th.
A birdie on 16 allowed the 27-year-old to make the turn at even par and then he unleashed a scoring blitz on the Waratah Golf Club front nine.
Birdies at one and two were trumped by the ace on three, adding further birdies on five, seven and nine for a front nine of 7-under 28 and a breakthrough win.
Nathan Page had a hot streak in the middle of his round of 6-under 65, peeling off five birdies in six holes around the turn to snare outright second.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“The course was soft but you could tell that the greens were going to be spinning but they held up really well all day.
“I hit a lot of good wedges today. Early on I hit some pretty bad drives so I would pitch it out and then pitch it close.
“I only hit one fairway on the par 5s and I made par on that one.
“Just wedging it close and being tidy around the greens.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Andrew Richards 64
2 Nathan Page 65
T3 Josh Clarke 66
T3 Aiden Didone 66
5 Nathan Miller 67
T6 Jason Perkin 68
T6 Jayden Cripps 68
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series remains in the NSW Hunter Valley on Thursday for the Great Northern Toukley Pro-Am at Toukley Golf Club before returning to Melbourne on Friday for the De Bortoli Heidelberg Golf Club Pro-Am at Heidelberg Golf Club.
