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His great mate has moved on to the United States yet Haydn Barron will lean on the advice of fellow West Australian Min Woo Lee as he begins his debut DP World Tour season in Bahrain.
Barron officially began his 2024 DP World Tour season the week after securing a card at the Final Stage of Qualifying School when he teed it up at the co-sanctioned Fortinet Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland.
Following a gruelling travel schedule that had him travel to St Andrews, back to Kalgoorlie, back to Spain and then Brisbane, Barron missed the cut at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open in Sydney a week later.
Now refreshed after a Christmas break, Barron is back on the road and at the Royal Golf Club in the Kingdom of Bahrain eager to make an early impression that will open up further playing opportunities throughout the season.
With Lee now a full member of the PGA TOUR, Barron won’t be able to share practice rounds as they did at The Open Championship last July. He will instead draw upon the experience of a player he says has always been a couple of steps ahead.
“It’s definitely inspiring,” Barron said of Lee’s progression in world golf.
“Growing up with Min, he was always a few rungs ahead of me because I picked it up quite late.
“I was always trying to chase him down but being so close with him and being able to draw on his experiences and speak to him about things that I’m not so certain on definitely helps.”
Barron and Lee both qualified for The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool last year by virtue of their finishes at the 2022 Australian Open.
It was Barron’s first start in a major championship and said that time spent early in the week with 2022 US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick helped to feel comfortable in golf’s top echelon.
“I was fortunate enough to play with Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick on the Monday,” Barron said.
“They were booked in by themselves and Connor McKinney and I decided to jump in and crash their party.
“Playing with Matt – who I think was No.5 in the world – and seeing the way he played and how genuine of a guy he is… I was probably more nervous in the first couple of holes of that practice round than I was during the tournament.
“But after playing with him and seeing that it wasn’t too far away definitely calmed me down a bit.”
Barron will have no shortage of Aussies to bounce ideas off in Bahrain.
Good friends Jason Scrivener and David Micheluzzi are also in the field along with PGA TOUR Q School medallist, Harrison Endycott.
The second Signature event of the PGA TOUR season will see Jason Day, Adam Scott and Cam Davis vying for a slice of the $US20 million prize purse while Lucas Herbert makes his Ripper GC debut at LIV Golf Mayakoba in Mexico.
Photo: Kurt Thomson/Kurtogram
Round 1 tee times AEDT
PGA TOUR
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, California
Spyglass Hill
4:33am* Sahith Theegala, Adam Scott
4:57am Cam Davis, JT Poston
5:21am Wyndham Clark, Jason Day
Defending champion: Justin Rose
Past Aussie winners: Bruce Crampton (1965), Brett Ogle (1993)
TV times: Live 4:30am-11am Friday, Saturday; Live 5am-11am Sunday; Live 5am-10:30am Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
DP World Tour
Bahrain Championship
Royal Golf Club, Kingdom of Bahrain, Bahrain
11:10pm* Nicolas Colsaerts, Matteo Manassero, Harrison Endycott
11:50pm* David Micheluzzi, Ross Fisher, Freddy Schott
12:10am* Andrew Wilson, Saud Al Sharif, Sam Jones (NZ)
12:10am Jacques Kruyswijk, Cole Madey, Haydn Barron
3:10am* Jens Dantorp, Jason Scrivener, Marcus Armitage
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
TV times: Live 7:30pm-12:30am Thursday, Friday; Live 8pm-12:30am Saturday; Live 7:30pm-12:30am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Korn Ferry Tour
The Panama Championship
Club de Golf de Panama, Panama City, Panama
11:32pm Brandon Harkins, Dimi Papadatos, Ryan Gerard
12:04am* Brett Drewitt, Tommy Gainey, Alistair Docherty
4:37am Curtis Luck, Ryan Armour, Ryan Blaum
4:48am Rhein Gibson, Jared Wolfe, Cooper Dossey
5:19am* T.J. Vogel, KK Limbhasut, Charlie Hillier (NZ)
Defending champion: Pierceson Coody
Past Aussie winners: Mathew Goggin (2011, 2015)
LIV Golf
LIV Golf Mayakoba
El Camaleón Mayakoba Golf Course, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Aussies in the field: Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Matt Jones, Lucas Herbert.
Defending champion: Charles Howell III
Past Aussie winners: Nil
TV times: Live from 4:15am Saturday, Sunday, Monday on 7 Plus.
Challenge Tour
SDC Open
Zebula Golf Estate & Spa, Limpopo, South Africa
4:40pm * Wynand Dingle, Björn Akesson, Hayden Hopewell,
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Just one month into 2024 and rookie professional Kazuma Kobori has ticked off one of his major goals for the year.
He wanted to get to Christmas will two victories on his resume.
At the Vic Open at 13th Beach Golf Links starting today, he can keep working on another goal that will set up his future in the game – finishing in the top three on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.
With back-to-back victories at Webex Players Series Murray River and Victoria, the 22-year-old New Zealander has rocketed to No.2 in this season’s OOM standings, trailing only Min Woo Lee, to be well on the way to earning a DP World Tour card for 2024/25.
The Vic Open, with double OOM points on offer compared to a regular Tour event, and the New Zealand Open, with quadruple points like the Australian PGA and Australian Open, are big ticket items on the February schedule for Kobori and the rest of the field as they chase the end-of-season pot of gold to progress their careers.
Whoever finishes at No.1 will also snare an Open Championship berth at Royal Troon in July.
Kobori said one of his premier goals for 2024 was to grab two victories – and even he’s a little bit surprised it has happened so soon.
“At the start, my expectations about turning pro was about trying to make cuts, try to get all four rounds in, because it’s all about experience,” he said.
“And if you can play four rounds a week over two weeks, then you’re getting double the experience, right?
“So that was my goal going in and then at the Vic PGA I got close and I thought ‘I can do it for real, be in contention week in, week out’.
“It feels great to get two wins on the board early.
“I set some goals for the New Year, what I wanted to get out of the rest of the season and one of them was getting two wins specifically.
“The Order of Merit was also on that goals list, to get in the top three, and now I’m second. I’ll just keep going and see where I finish up at the end.”
What has attracted plenty of attention in Kobori’s winning run in Australia, which started at last year’s Qualifying School in Moonah Links, is his exceptional putting which came to the fore again at the weekend at Rosebud Country Club where his red-hot blade was the prime reason he held on for a one-shot win.
But has Kobori always been an excellent putter? Not so, said the man who has jumped almost 600 places on the Official World Golf Ranking since the start of January.
“I never used to be a good putter, I never practised it,” he said.
“But obviously I don’t hit the ball a long way, so I’ve got to do something to make up for that.
“That’s when I started practising my putting a little bit.
“I was a streaky putter in my junior days; I would have hot rounds and cold rounds.”
With everyone now well aware of what he is capable of achieving, Kobori will start his Vic Open campaign alongside another Kiwi, defending champion Michael Hendry, on the Creek course on Thursday morning before heading over to the Beach course on Friday afternoon.
“I’m just trying to conserve as much energy as possible because being in contention two weeks in a row is pretty draining,” he said after his pro-am round.
Entry to the Vic Open is free on all four days.
The only place to watch every upcoming event on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia live is on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
Kiwi Kazuma Kobori’s chase for a third consecutive Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title, a feat not achieved in almost two decades, and the appearance of a couple of women’s major golf champions will provide two of the major storylines at the Vic Open this week.
The tournament that spawned the mixed-gender format has reached 11 years at one of the country’s premier facilities, 13th Beach on the Bellarine Peninsula, with men and women once again playing together but in two separate tournaments, each worth $420,000, across the Beach and Creek courses.
Still in the early months of his professional career, Kobori has ridden consistent ball striking and a hot putter to highly impressive back-to-back wins in the Webex Players Series events at Cobram Barooga and Rosebud and will be attempting to match the three-in-a-row feat of Robert Allenby who clinched the “big three” of Australian Open, PGA and Masters in 2005.
Former world No.1s Jiyai Shin and Karrie Webb, who share nine major championships between them, head a women’s field that also includes two Webex Players Series victors from last year – Min A Yoon and Sarah Jane Smith.
Now ranked 15th in the world, Shin contended strongly in two majors in 2023 as well as collecting another three victories for the year, taking her career win tally to 64 since turning professional in 2005.
She will be defending her title this week and attempting to become the first back-to-back Vic Open women’s champion.
Webb, the winner of more major championships than any other Australian golfer, has only a limited playing schedule these days but is keen to play more tournament golf in the year she turns 50.
Also among the chief women’s contenders are LPGA Tour member Karis Davidson, last year’s runner-up Cassie Porter, two-time WPGA Tour of Australasia winner Sue Oh and last week’s Webex Players Series Victoria runner-up Ashley Lau.
The men’s field is also stacked as the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit race heats up with Kobori surging to the No.2 spot behind Min Woo Lee.
The champion at 13th Beach in 2014 and third in 2022, Matthew Griffin is a perennial Vic Open contender and is already a winner in 2024 at the Heritage Classic.
He is joined by eight other tour winners this season in Kobori, Lachlan Barker (PNG Open), Daniel Gale (NT PGA), Simon Hawkes (WA Open), Ben Eccles (WA PGA), Austin Bautista (Webex Players Series SA), Kerry Mountcastle (Gippsland Super 6) and amateur star Phoenix Campbell (Qld PGA).
Adding to the depth are three former PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit champions in Jed Morgan, Jake McLeod and Brett Rumford, reigning NZ Open champion Brendan Jones, and the highest-ranked player in the field, Travis Smyth, who is coming off a career-best year on the Asian Tour.
In a Vic Open built upon inclusivity, the world’s No.1-ranked player with a disability and former Australian All Abilities Championship winner, England’s Kipp Popert, will tee it up in the men’s field.
Fans can walk the fairways with pooches and players throughout the course of the four days or watch the enthralling action unfold each and every round on Foxtel and Kayo Sports.
HOW TO FOLLOW
For live scoring and the latest news visit https://www.golf.org.au/vicopen/scores Exclusive content and tournament updates will also be posted regularly on Golf Australia’s social media channels.
Instagram: @VicOpenGolf @golfaust
Twitter: @VicOpenGolf @GolfAust
Facebook: @GolfAustraliaVIC @GolfAust
Official hashtag: #VicOpen
HOW TO WATCH
The Vic Open is live on Foxtel and Kayo.
Round 1: Thursday, 3pm – 7pm (AEDT)
Round 2: Friday, 3pm – 7pm (AEDT)
Round 3: Saturday, 3pm – 7pm (AEDT)
Round 4: Sunday, 3pm – 7pm (AEDT)
RECENT CHAMPIONS
Men:
2023: Michael Hendry
2022: Dimitrios Papadatos (2)
2021: Not played
2020: Min Woo Lee
2019: David Law
2018: Simon Hawkes
2017: Dimitrios Papadatos
2016: Michael Long
2015: Richard Green
Women:
2023: Jiyai Shin
2022: Hannah Green
2021: Not played
2020: Park Hee-young
2019: Celine Boutier
2018: Minjee Lee (2)
2017: Melissa Reid
2016: Georgia Hall
2015: Marianne Skarpnord
COURSE RECORD
Beach Course Men’s: 62, Braden Becker
Beach Course Women’s: 65, Soo Jin Lee an Su Oh.
Creek Course Men’s: 61, Jake McLeod and Ryan Ruffels.
Creek Course Women’s: 64, Cassie Porter.
COURSE DESIGNER
Beach Course: Tony Cashmore
Creek Course: Sir Nick Faldo and Tony Cashmore
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Women:
Jiyai Shin: Defending champion and two-time major champion
Karrie Webb: Seven-time major champion
Karis Davidson: LPGA Tour member
Ashley Lau: Top-3 in last two Webex Players Series events
Cassie Porter: 2023 WPGA Melbourne International champion
Momoka Kobori: 2023 Women’s NSW Open champion
Men:
Kazuma Kobori: Winner the last two weeks in both Webex Players Series events
Travis Smyth: Highest ranked men’s player in the field
Michael Hendry: Defending champion
Jak Carter: Currently sixth on the order of merit
Matthew Griffin: 2024 Heritage Classic winner and 2014 Vic Open champion
Brendan Jones: 2023 NZ Open champion
When Jarryd Collis began exploring ways to bring new golfers into Curlewis Golf Club, his primary motivation was to expand his own coaching capabilities.
Graduating from the PGA of Australia’s Membership Pathway Program just before the COVID-19 pandemic, Collis had an unusual first few years in the industry.
Working at Yarra Yarra Golf Club in Melbourne, Collis was fostering his passion for coaching yet remained uncertain where his particular niche would be.
Starting a family, and a move to the Bellarine, landed Collis at Curlewis, which is where his career as a coach took an unexpected yet but endlessly rewarding turn.
“When I first landed at Curlewis, for me at the beginning it was ‘How can I get customers in the door so I can have a coaching business?’,” Collis explains.
“I had no real prior experience working with All Abilities players or multicultural youth programs, but I just thought, Why not?
“To be honest, it’s now my favourite part of my week.
“When I have my All Abilities players come through the door, it’s a very humbling and eye-opening experience.”
Under the guidance of Collis, Curlewis now boasts one of the most successful All Abilities golf programs in the country.
The progressive club near Geelong has upwards of 20 participants taking part in its All Abilities program every week where they not only learn about the game, but have dinner, interact with others around the club, and develop relationships.
Curlewis is working with genU, a profit-for-purpose organisation who offer a diverse range of services that include disability support, senior services, training, and employment across Australia.
The partnership has blossomed and been able to thrive due largely to Curlewis’s willingness to open its doors with the aim to make golf as inclusive and welcoming as possible.
Collis explains that beyond just golf, this program has provided these All Abilities golfers with something that genU refer to as a “third place”.
A “third place” is an environment where the participants feel safe and isn’t their home or work. Unfortunately, many people living with a disability do not have a third place, but Collis and Curlewis have helped create one through this program.
“When they first walked in, they were very quiet and weren’t very familiar with the space they were in,” Collis adds.
“Now, fast-forward 20-odd weeks, seeing these participants walk up to a staff member and feel comfortable ordering their own dinner is awesome.”
The feedback from the participants has been humbling for Collis and is inspiring he and the team at Curlewis to do all they can to keep growing the program.
“For them to come to me and say, ‘We just want to part of a club’… It’s a good reminder that these little things can be such big things,” he adds.
“My motto now is, ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way’. If I want to do these programs, and these participants want to keep going with golf, we just keep finding ways to make it happen.”
Becoming an All Abilities-accredited coach has helped Collis to become a more well-rounded coach and made him think about swing mechanics and other facets of traditional golf in completely different ways.
It also highlighted that there is opportunity within the unknown; an opportunity to impact the lives of people purely through the game of golf.
“I’d be lying if I said it was any more difficult than it is to do any other program that golf clubs offer,” he said.
“For other PGA members, if you think you could be interested in jumping into this space, or doing an All Abilities program, it’s actually quite simple.”
Collis urges all PGA members to consider obtaining All Abilities coaching accreditation and for club boards and management to consider how their club can facilitate an All Abilities program.
For information on obtaining All Abilities coaching accreditation, visit pga.org.au/play/all-abilities-coaches/
Fresh off an outstanding 2023, Travis Smyth is kicking off the new year with high expectations at this week’s Vic Open where he arrives as the highest ranked player in the men’s field.
Although a win proved to be elusive, the New South Welshman had four top-three finishes on the Asian Tour, as part of a haul of six top-10s overall, to climb to a career-high of No.242 on the Official World Golf Ranking by the end of the year.
His 2023 campaign also included an appearance in his first major, The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, where he produced one of the shots of the tournament – a hole-in-one on the much talked about redesigned par-3 17th hole.
“It was definitely a career-best year,” Smyth said after a practice round at 13th Beach Golf Links today ahead of his first tournament for 2024.
“From start to finish, last year was the most consistent I’ve been by far.
“I didn’t miss a cut in 2023 and I don’t ever want to miss a cut again although I’m sure I’m going to miss a cut some day.
“I guess this year comes with a lot of high expectation.
“The game feels good. I’m working on some things and it feels pretty nice.
“I’m more motivated than ever so it’s an exciting period of my career.”
In the last two years, Smyth has really started to make moves in the professional game. Back in 2021, he was outside the top 700 in the world and now he has arrived on the Bellarine as the highest-ranked player in a Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia tournament for the first time and a joint favourite in betting markets.
“I guess you never really know when the peak period of your career is,” he said.
“You always strive for more. Hopefully I can become one of the world’s best golfers.
“I don’t know when I’m going to get there, but I’m going to do as much as I can to try and get there.”
The 29-year-old has had mixed results at this week’s venue – the Beach and Creek courses – with a best finish of a tie for third coming in 2020 when he finished at 14-under-par, four shots behind the winner, Min Woo Lee.
He didn’t play in last year’s event and missed the cut by two shots in 2022.
“That year (2020) was my best result here by far. I hadn’t had much success around here before then, but it brings back good memories.
“I can remember the final round like it was yesterday – my shots plus some of Min Woo’s shots. It was a fun afternoon.
“To win around here requires such good golf. If you can win around here, you can probably play around most places on any tour.
“This golf course is a pretty strong test, especially when the wind blows.
“You’ve got to golf your ball pretty well.”
Smyth’s one win on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia came in 2017 by an impressive six shots at the NT PGA Championship.
The Vic Open will be one of two appearances he will make on his home tour with the NZ Open presented by Sky Sports to follow in Queenstown later in February.
“I haven’t played that event for a number of years now. It’s going to be awesome to be back there and I’m playing with a good friend who’s going to be my amateur partner,” he said.
“It will then be Asian Tour all the way this year before most likely I go to a Q School. I want to be playing on the best tours so I need to try to break away from Asia and go to a Q School somewhere to take my game up a level.”
Also a high priority for Smyth in the coming weeks is the Malaysian Open (February 15-18) which offers three automatic qualifying positions for this year’s Open Championship at Royal Troon.
Entry to the Vic Open is free on all four days.
The only place to watch every upcoming event on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia live is on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
Thanks to a new strategic collaboration, PGA Institute diploma graduates will now receive credits from Torrens University, Australia’s fastest growing university, to further their studies.
All students undertaking the Diploma of Golf Management, Diploma of Sport, or Diploma of Business, will be able to use the new pathway to continue their education.
PGA of Australia General Manager for Membership and Education, Geoff Stewart, said the Torrens University partnership was another great example of how opportunities for students in the golf industry were growing.
“These new pathway options for our PGA Institute Diploma graduates are great news for anyone who wants to turn their passion for golf into a career,” he said.
“Having a highly regarded university partner such as Torrens University further validates the education and employment pathways we have in place for our PGA Institute students.
“The education and workforce development opportunities we can offer via the PGA Institute are growing every year and they’re important for our game’s future.
“A well educated workforce is vital in converting golf’s current popularity into sustainable, long-term growth.”
The PGA Institute offers education, combining business, golf training, hospitality and sport, as well as practical golf skills, to prepare students for a career in the golf industry.
Torrens University is also the first and only partner of the PGA Institute to offer bachelor degrees online, further broadening the flexible study opportunities for students.
Darryn Melrose Chief Marketing Officer, Industry Partnerships at Torrens University echoed Stewart’s excitement about the collaboration.
“This partnership not only enhances educational prospects but also establishes a seamless pathway for students transitioning from the PGA Institute to Torrens University,” he said.
“By leveraging the combined expertise of PGA and the academic excellence of Torrens, this collaboration is set to cultivate well-rounded, skilled individuals poised for a successful career in the sports industry.”
The collaboration is not only of benefit to PGA Institute students, but also PGA Members, while also offering opportunities for current Torrens University students.
“The alliance further extends to PGA Australia members, providing them with the opportunity to pursue higher education at Torrens University for future-proofing their careers,” said Melrose.
“Additionally, an exciting prospect for Torrens University students is the chance to undertake work-integrated learning at PGA Australia, equipping them with industry-specific skills and knowledge to advance in their chosen careers.”
Find out more about what the PGA Institute has to offer HERE.
The New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport has announced that the professional players
who take part in the 103rd edition of the iconic event will compete for a total prize purse of $2 million
when the tournament tees off at Millbrook Resort in Queenstown between February 29 and March 3.
Since taking over the running of the New Zealand Open in 2014, Millbrook Tournaments Ltd, the
tournament promoter, has regularly increased the overall purse, and this latest raise will see the prize
fund grow by a further 21% over 2023, surpassing $1.2m USD, and $180m YEN.
New Zealand Open chairman John Hart is thankful to the new and current sponsors of the tournament
who’s support have allowed the tournament to reach this significant milestone.
“We are delighted to be able to announce another increase in the purse for the New Zealand
Open. This only happens through the ongoing support of our fantastic sponsorship family. Without
their support the tournament would not be in the position we are today.”
“We have always aimed to ensure the balance between the New Zealand Open being a financially
attractive tournament across our three tour partners, the PGA Tour of Australasia, the Asian Tour and
the Japan Golf Tour, whilst also maintaining and securing the long-term future for the event” said Hart.
As part of this the New Zealand Open is also adopting a relatively new concept in the world of
professional golf, ensuring that every professional that competes in the tournament, and doesn’t make
the cut, will take away at least $1000 NZD to help support their travel and other related costs in
attending.
“We love the idea of supporting the professionals as much as we can, which is why we believe that
ensuring that the players who miss the cut are not left solely to bear the ever increasing costs of travel
that they face.
“From the conversations we have had with some of the regular players at the New Zealand Open, this
is a welcome addition, and one many players hope other tournaments across the world will adopt,”
said Hart.
The 103rd New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport will take place at Millbrook Resort in
Queenstown between February 29 and March 3, 2024.
Aussie Robyn Choi has marked her full-time return to the LPGA Tour with her best result in the US at the LPGA Drive On Championship in Florida.
Possessing a LPGA Tour card for the first time since 2019, Choi entered the final round in a tie for fifth and contending with the likes of Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko and Meghan Kang.
After a 5-under 66 in Round 3 the Gold Coaster struggled in the final round, going out in 5-over on her way to a closing 77 and a tie for 16th.
Outside of her tie for sixth at the co-sanctioned Vic Open in 2020, it is Choi’s best finish on the LPGA Tour and provides a strong foundation from which to launch her season.
Following the heartbreak of just missing out on promotion through the Epson Tour in 2023, the 25-year-old was medallist at Q-Series in December and feels far more settled playing among the world’s best on a weekly basis.
“I think if it was my rookie year this year I think I would’ve been a little bit intimidated,” Choi said.
“There are world class athletes. You see them on TV. They’re famous. I feel like I would be in their way.
“Because I kind of have some relationship, I know their faces and they know mine, I think it’s a little bit easier to kind of make a relationship with them and kind of get into the LPGA a little bit more easily.
“I think that will help with my performance as well, just being used to this environment a little bit. Having the chance to have a glimpse of it in 2019 it will help my performance as well not to be too intimidated.”
Gabriela Ruffels also made her debut as a LPGA Tour member but didn’t survive the cut-line, Grace Kim and Sarah Kemp also playing just the two rounds.
At the PGA TOUR’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, Aaron Baddely’s tie for 37th was the best of the Aussies, West Australian Jason Scrivener the lone Aussie to make the cut at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship on the DP World Tour.
Photo: Julio Aguilar/Getty Images
Results
PGA TOUR
Farmers Insurance Open
Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Cse), San Diego, California
1 Matthieu Pavon 69-65-72-69—275 $US1.62m
T37 Aaron Baddeley 69-72-73-70—284 $40,050
T43 Min Woo Lee 72-68-72-73—285 $28,530
MC Ryan Fox 70-73—143
MC Jason Day 74-71—145
MC Harrison Endycott 72-74—146
DP World Tour
Ras Al Khaimah Championship
Al Hamra GC, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE
1 Thorbjørn Olesen 69-62-63-67—261 €392,416.52
T23 Daniel Hillier 70-67-71-68—276 €21,929.16
T47 Jason Scrivener 69-68-72-70—279 €9,925.83
T68 Sam Jones 66-68-73-77—284 €4,732.08
MC David Micheluzzi 73-70—143
LPGA Tour
LPGA Drive On Championship
Bradenton Country Club, Bradenton, Florida
1 Nelly Korda 65-67-68-73—273 $262,500
Won on the second hole of sudden death playoff
2 Lydia Ko (NZ) 65-70-69-69—273 $163,689
T16 Robyn Choi 71-68-66-77—282 $21,585
MC Grace Kim 71-75—146
MC Gabriela Ruffels 72-75—147
MC Sarah Kemp 75-75—150
Korn Ferry Tour
The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club
The Abaco Club on Winding Bay, Great Abaco, Bahamas
1 Aldrich Potgieter 72-70-71-65—278 $US180,000
T52 Rhein Gibson 71-72-75-75—293 $4,220
T60 Dimi Papadatos 72-72-75-76—295 $4,050
MC Brett Drewitt 71-78—149
MC Curtis Luck 72-81—153
Kazuma Kobori holed a 12-foot putt down the hill at Rosebud Country Club’s 18th green and the 72nd hole of the Webex Players Series Victoria to write his own little piece of history today.
The brilliant, young New Zealander, just eight tournaments into his professional career, completed back-to-back wins on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, a feat not managed since Adam Scott in 2013.
The 22-year-old from Christchurch had won his first tournament as a professional in Cobram Barooga last weekend and now jumps to second in the Order of Merit, giving himself a strong chance of earning a DP World Tour card for next season.
At 18-under, he beat Malaysia’s Ashley Lau by a shot, with veteran Mat Goggin outright third at 16-under.
“They always say the first win’s hard, and I’ll tell you what, I can speak about it now that the second one’s just as hard,” Kobori said.
“But I’m glad to get the job done.”
It was Goggin who presented the biggest challenge for the Kiwi today, playing in the same group.
From the first hole when Kobori three-putted to give the Tasmanian a share of the lead, to the very last, it was a dogfight.
Ultimately the New Zealander led by a shot from Goggin when they reached the 18th tee, a shortish par-4, and Goggin hit a nice approach to 25 feet, pin-high. Once Kabori dumped his second shot into the right greenside trap, it was game-on.
But Kobori hit a decent bunker shot to just beyond the hole, and Goggin ran his birdie putt – potentially for the win – six feet by.
Now it came down to Kobori’s par putt, which was for the outright win and the $45,000 first prize cheque.
It rolled in dead centre, much like a lot of important putts that have fallen for him this past two weeks.
“I was very nervous as you probably saw,” he said. “A few tips that my coach gave me just came back to me. I just took my time, and then the putt wasn’t difficult. It was dead straight. I had it there, and I knew it was going to drop.”
Kobori has had an amazing past 12 months, winning the Australian Amateur, the World Amateur with New Zealand, the Australian tour school, and now two tournaments as a pro
Emigrating from Japan to New Zealand as an infant, it was his elder sister Momoka who he followed into the sport and fittingly it was his touring professional sibling who greeted him with a hug soon after the last putt dropped today.
Goggin, 49, who was remarkable this week for a man who has hardly played any professional golf in the past four years, ultimately missed his par putt coming back to drop to third place.
It would have been his first tournament win since 2015 and it was close.
Kobori began with a one-shot lead and carded a 2-under 69 on the day. Goggin shot 70.
Lau played in the second-last group and appeared to be out of the running until she started rolling in birdies on the back nine. At the 18th, she had a 60-footer up the hill that could potentially have put her in a playoff, and it sat on the lip of the hole.
Todd Sinnott, the 2022 winner here, rattled home with a 64 to finish fourth.
Meanwhile New South Welshman Cam Pollard won the Webex All Abilities event by two shots, shooting a 3-over 74 for a 147 total, and beating Wayne Perske by two shots.
Perske, a long-time touring professional with a, had won in Cobram Barooga last week, but Pollard said his appearance in the All Abilities ranks had pushed him to perform.
“It’s pushing me to play a lot better,” he said. “It’s not easy because they’ve been on the big stage before. I enjoy it.”
Shepparton teenager Bailey Goodall won the Webex Junior Players Series with rounds of 72-72, ahead of Huntingdale’s Rupert Toomey.
PHOTO: Winners Cam Pollard, Kazuma Kobori and Bailey Goodall celebrate. Image: Henry Peters
New Zealander Kazuma Kobori is already the hottest player on tour and the Kiwi jumped out of the pack at the Webex Players Series Victoria in Rosebud today to give himself a chance of consecutive tournament wins.
The 22-year-old from Christchurch playing his first season as a professional, will take a one-shot lead into the final round on Sunday after bursting into the lead on the back nine on Saturday.
His 6-under 65 in today’s third round puts him at 16-under overall and into the final group with 49-year-old Australian veteran Mathew Goggin, who relived former glories with a 65 to reach 15-under.
Malaysia’s Ashley Lau, who set a new women’s composite course record with a remarkable 61 with 10 birdies today, is next best at 14-under on a highly eclectic leaderboard.
But Kobori, winner of the event at Cobram Barooga last week, looks the man to beat.
His game mimics Australian Cameron Smith in the sense that he does not overpower courses but brings them to their knees with his beautiful hands.
His putting is world class, as he crowd at Rosebud witnessed as he rolled a string of birdie putts into the hole in the afternoon.
He had eight birdies, putting just one damper on his day with a bogey from behind the green at the 18th.
Afterward he paid tribute to his caddie for the weekend, Japanese professional Ren Yonazawa. “He gave me some great reads.”
But Kobori’s prowess with the short stick is well known already and does not require outside help.
If he wins on Sunday, he will jump to second on the Challenger PGA Tour Order of Merit and effectively, with Min Woo Lee not eligible, he would be first and in position to claim a DP World Tour card for next season.
It was another windy day on the Mornington Peninsula, but players found a way to post scores, starting with Lau’s 10-under.
Kobori said he was hitting 8-irons 100 metres at times, working the mantra: “Take more club and hit it soft. If you get it spinning and up in the air, you’re waiting on luck.”
The 40 km/h gusts scarcely bothered Lau, the 23-year-old from Sarawak in Malaysia.
She turned in 29 and then birdied the last three holes for a new composite course record for women, the low round of a career that rolled along in 2023 on the Epson Tour in America.
Goggin was no less impressive, rolling in a bomb at the par-4 17th and missing an opportunity for another birdie at the last in his 65.
The Tasmanian has been developing the Seven Mile Beach golf course in his native Hobart but is not done as a player just yet. Turning 50 later this year, he has his eyes on senior golf; he lives in Charlotte, North Carolina which makes it accessible.
“You know that chasing the dream’s gone, but there’s this other opportunity at 49-and-a-half,” he said.
“I know if I play decent it’s nice to know you’re still competitive.
“It’s been forever. It’s just another good opportunity to test your game under pressure and see where it is.”
Overnight leader Kristalle Blum dropped two shots on the day but remains in the mix at 11-under with James Marchesani and Justin Warren.
In the Webex Junior Players Series, Metropolitan’s Rupert Toomey leads by three shots at 1-under par.
In the Webex All Abilities Series, Cameron Pollard shot an opening 73 to lead last week’s winner, Wayne Perske, by four shots.
Sunday’s final round is broadcast live on Foxtel and Kayo Sports from 2pm.
Entry is free.
PHOTO: Kazuma Kobori drives during his 65 today. Image: Henry Peters
