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Kristalle Blum continued to dominate Rosebud Country Club today but she is under significant challenge from behind as the Webex Players Series Victoria heads into the weekend.
The South Australian today added a second-round 67 to her blistering first-round 62 despite tough, windy conditions on the Mornington Peninsula.
She is at 13-under, two shots ahead of Thailand’s Saraporn Chamchoi, giving women the top two spots on the leaderboard in the mixed tournament.
Chamchoi who shot a sensational 8-under 63 in the second round and is 11-under, while Rosebud local James Marchesani (69 today), Kiwi Kazuma Kobori (66), Sydney’s Justin Warren (68) and South Australian Lachie Barker (66) are at 10-under and right in the mix.
The low round of the day belonged to Brett Coletta, the Victorian finishing his day birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie for a 9-under 62 that saw him vault up to tied-fifth.
Blum, 26, was just happy to back up her first day heroics when she broke the women’s composite course record.
“I was really happy,” she said. “I just wanted to go out and back it up. It’s not easy to go back after you’ve shot 9-under and basically done nothing wrong the day before.
“One bogey, which wasn’t great, a three-putt which was disappointing. I knocked it close again, gave myself lots of chances. You have to take advantage of the par-5s here. They’re not very long.”
The Adelaide professional has never won a traditional four-round tournament; her principal victory was in The Athena event in 2021.
But she has given herself a chance this week on the back of some swing changes over the Christmas period including a new overlapping putting grip she uncovered out practising with her mother. “She thinks it’s horrendous but it actually feels good for me.”
The wind blew at up to 50km/h throughout the day and sideways rain bothered the morning players, but it scarcely bothered Thailand’s Chamchoi, who carded two eagles in her 63.
Her front nine was just 29 shots. “Today my putter was very good,” she said afterward.
Warren’s 68 followed an opening 64 on Thursday and continues a theme established at the Asian Tour School where he qualified to play on that tour this year inside the top five.
The Sydneysider’s only bogey today came at the par-4 18th where he drove into the trees down the right.
“It’s a course if you’re hitting the ball well and rolling the putts nicely, there are a lot of birdie chances out there. It’s a good spot going into the weekend,” he said.
Warren is looking forward to the change-up of playing in Asia.
“The money’s improved a lot the last two years,” he said.
“For me, personally, I’ve done a lot in America and Europe the last two years, so I’m pretty knackered with the flying and stuff. With Asia you can fly over on a Sunday, you’re in a good time zone and you can plan to go for a three week stretch and then come home.”
More difficult weather is forecast for Saturday’s third round, with the Webex Junior Players Championship beginning in earnest, as well as the Webex Players Series All Abilities.
When play concludes, around 6.30pm, there will be another leg of the Australian Long Drive Championship.
Both Saturday and Sunday’s play is broadcast live on Foxtel and Kayo Sports.
PHOTO: Kristalle Blum drives on her way to a 67 today. Image: Henry Peters
Kristalle Blum eviscerated Rosebud Country Club in perfect conditions with a course record 62, her career-low, to push hometown hero James Marchesani off the top of the leaderboard when the Webex Players Series Victoria began today.
Adelaide’s Blum, winner of the inaugural Athena event in 2021 but who struggled in Europe last year, surprised herself with a stunning nine-birdie round including a hole-out eagle from 55 metres at the par-4 second hole.
Two bogeys were thrown in for entertainment value, and her 62 displaces the Rosebud women’s course record of 63 set by Kirsten Rudgeley in 2021.
The 26-year-old Blum is a shot ahead of Marchesani, who reprised his opening 63 in the 2023 iteration of this tournament with the same score, featuring eight birdies and not a single blemish. The Rosebud local and New South Welshman Nathan Barbieri are tied-second at 8-under.
Justin Warren closed with four straight birdies and at 7-under is tied-third with veteran Mat Goggin, while a group of nine players is at 6-under, three shots from the lead.
Blum started out hot on the back nine and rolled in five consecutive birdies from 13 to 17.
“I knew that I wanted to take advantage of today,” she said. “The weather was always looking like it wasn’t going to be too windy, and tomorrow’s not looking that great, so I was hoping afternoon-morning (draw) would be good.
“I would definitely take that. I was very nervous beforehand. I had a chat with Mum, and it was like ‘I don’t feel great, my heart’s racing, I can’t get it under control’, but she was like ‘it’s adrenaline, it’ll be fine, just use that and trust that and the ball will go further’.
“I’ve made a few changes in my swing over the last few weeks and it’s good to see that coming to fruition.”
Scoring was low in round one with the course in near-perfect condition and no wind to speak of.
Marchesani, with 12-year-old Rosebud junior Jude Farrelly on his bag, delivered for the locals with his 8-under round.
Last year he was joint leader through the first round, staying on top into the final day only to be reeled in by South Korea’s Min A Yoon who closed with a 63.
This time, he hopes to go one better, and he has enthusiastic support from his fellow club members not to mention his mother’s home-cooked gnocchi.
He holed a couple of long putts and even when he hit his “worst shot of the day”, a pushed drive into the sandy wasteland at his last hole, the ninth on the course, he got up-and-down to save par.
“If you can do that for four days, you’re going to go a long way, because there are a lot of birdies out here,” he said. “Eight -under bogey-free first round’s a good start. Three more of those and I’ll probably go pretty close.”
McKinney was the one of his closest challengers who threatened the most.
The Western Australian had a long birdie putt from the fringe at the 18th which almost went in, and would have given him a 62 and the outright lead. He then missed from short range once, then twice for a double bogey and an opening 65.
Marchesani appreciated the support and love that was there for him.
“Everyone here wants me to play well, for good reason,” he said. “But I know if I play as good as I can, it’s going to be pretty close to winning, which it was last year. I got beaten by a better player on the week. But if I can shoot a similar score it’s going to be pretty close again.
“It’s nice to play in front of friends and family because it doesn’t happen too often. Which makes it a little bit more relaxed.”
PHOTO: Kristalle Blum bombs her drive on No. 8 today. Image: Monica Marchesani
Elvis Smylie, one of Australian golf’s brightest young talents, has made the difficult and significant decision to leave his life-long coach and join Ritchie Smith’s star-laden troupe as he continues the search for his optimum performance.
The 2019 Australian Junior Amateur champion and third-year PGA Professional contacted his previous coach, world-renowned Ian Triggs, late last year to tell him that he was joining the likes of Minjee Lee, Min Woo Lee and Hannah Green in Smith’s camp.
The 21-year-old Queensland lefty spent two weeks working with Smith in Perth over the Christmas break – his first extended period of instruction with a new coach.
The decision could not have been more difficult, albeit that professional golfers almost inevitably change coaches at some point. Triggs, who has worked with Karrie Webb, John Senden and numerous world class players over 40 years in the game, was his first coach from the age of just eight years old.
Smylie insisted on visiting his original coach personally with the news. “I think that’s the way to do it,” he said. “I think you’ve got to show a person the respect that they deserve.”
Down the track, he fervently hopes that their close relationship will be sustained. “It was a tough decision because everything that I’ve built in my game and everything I’ve learned has been through Triggsy,” said Smylie.
“The relationship moving forward will always be the same as it was.”
Smylie said he felt he was “stagnating” in his difficult early years on tour, which included a stint on the DP World Tour and some injury difficulties.
He is still seeking his first win as a professional, including at Rosebud this week for the Webex Players Series Victoria from Thursday. Thus far he has managed a string of top-10s and a couple of runner-up finishes, notably third at Rosebud last year and second in 2021, his last event as an amateur.
Like so many young pros it has been a battle, with his Christian faith sustaining him. “I believe in God and I know that he has a plan and it’s about him giving me the tools in order for me to do what I need. I want to go along for the ride and do what I can with what’s in my control and see what the outcome is from there.”
Smith is one of the world’s foremost coaches and was an obvious choice. “I’ve been on a couple of Aussie teams with Ritchie previously, and I knew his style,” Smylie said. “His players have really good structures with their swings, and I think he’s structured with how he goes about coaching his players. He doesn’t sugar coat anything which I don’t expect the person who’s coaching me to be.
“He’ll always tell me the way it is, which is important, and he’ll always be 110 percent for me always which is what you want in a coach-player relationship.”
They are already tinkering, in particular with the set-up.
Smylie is focusing on using his body more in the swing, and putting less strain on his back for purposes of injury-prevention. At a pencil-thin 71 kilograms, he is desperate to put on more bulk.
“I’ve got quite a fast metabolism,” he said. “I’ve just got to eat quite frequently, especially in tournament weeks.”
He intends playing all the remaining events on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season, hopefully finishing strongly in the Order of Merit to pick up any benefits that he can.
Later this year he plans travelling to Europe to take up some status on the Challenge Tour.
“I think as soon as I turned pro I went straight up to the European Tour and just got everything thrown at me at once,” he said. “It was tricky dealing with that. Stepping back a bit, what has happened has been a blessing in disguise.
“It’ll help shape me into the person I’ll be in five or 10 years time.”
When David Northey was presented with a list of 63 grievances by a member at Castle Hill Country Club in Sydney’s north-west, he didn’t see a problem.
He saw opportunity.
With more than 20 years’ experience having completed the Membership Pathway program under Joe Moore at Glenmore Heritage, Northey understood the situation clearly.
Satisfy this member and not only will that win them over but set a tone that would permeate throughout the entirety of the membership.
Following 16 years at Castle Hill Country Club, Northey was appointed the Director of Golf at Concord in January 2021.
Last November, he was named the 2023 PGA National Club Professional of the Year at the annual PGA Awards, largely due to the connection he set about forming with the members at Concord from day one.
A concerted effort to deliver a warm and friendly atmosphere within the pro shop that has been a hallmark of Northey’s career as a PGA Professional saw Concord rank No.1 of 40 clubs – consisting of 20,000 member responses – who participated in the 2023 Member Survey.
How he achieved that was to simply inform the members that the lines of communication were now open.
“Listen to them,” is Northey’s simple piece of advice.
“I advocate for an open door policy. They can come and see me anytime of the day if they’ve got something they would like to discuss.
“Provide them with someone to lean on, talk to, vent their frustrations or express some ideas.
“Members just want to be heard.”
More than opening his door, Northey instilled responsibility on his staff to enhance the experience of every member at Concord.
Typically, there will be a staff member near the entry to the pro shop to welcome members and guests.
Every tee time on competition days is announced to the tee. That not only delivers clear communication of who is on the tee next but further embeds the sense that the pro shop staff know exactly what is happening at all times.
“The first few days at Concord I heard that members were frustrated because they didn’t know who was on the tee, whether they were behind this person or that person,” explains Northey, pictured with wife Kim at the PGA Awards last November.
“I explained to the staff that the members like to know exactly where they are. When there’s no calling to the tee, they feel like they’re watching the clock all the time.
“It’s giving members the confidence to know that the pro shop knows exactly who’s on what tee and at what time.”
With an attention to detail instilled by a father who built motorbikes and which has manifested outside of golf in the build of an award-winning Datsun 1600, Northey’s pro shops are renowned for their presentation.
Each month he asks staff to move the displays to give the shop a fresh look, further adding to the experience of members when they walk in.
That, and the trust he and the staff have built up, translates to a profitable business.
Northey allows for members to order items such as clothing with no obligation to buy if they are unhappy with the fit.
It is an extension of the member experience that Northey is trying to enhance every single day.
“It’s providing our members with the confidence to purchase through us with a level of service they won’t get anywhere else,” Northey adds.
As for that list of ‘suggestions’, Northey was able to ensure 59 were acted upon before his departure and has plans to institute a permanent suggestion box within the pro shop at Concord.
“I said to him, ‘Look, I can’t do anything until you write it down.’ So he wrote them down,” he says.
“I got 59 of those 63 fixed. He never complained again.
“All he wanted was for someone to hear what he had to say.
“They were all miniscule things that members typically notice but there was nothing where I didn’t think, ‘That’s fair enough.’
“A chipped paver, a slightly bent bubbler, a ball-washer leaking water, just little 1 per centers that were easy to fix.
“But the important thing was that someone took the time to listen.”
Two of the front-runners to represent Australia in the golf competition for the Paris Olympics in August have been drawn to play together for the first two rounds of the PGA TOUR’s Farmers Insurance Open.
Starting Thursday morning AEDT, the Farmers Insurance Open represents the second start for Min Woo Lee as a full member of the PGA TOUR.
He has been drawn to play with fellow Aussie Jason Day and American Keegan Bradley in rounds one and two, Day a two-time winner at Torrey Pines who has finished tied 16th or better in five of his past six starts at the venue.
Day also enters this week as 18th in the Official World Golf Ranking and the highest-ranked Australian, which carries with it first option on one of two Olympic spots provided he holds that status on June 17.
Tokyo Olympian Cameron Smith is the next highest Aussie at No.30 followed closely behind by Lee at 36.
The 25-year-old was tied for 21st in his first start as a member last week at The American Express and has made no secret of his Olympic ambition.
Another player who seems destined for Paris is Kiwi Ryan Fox.
A former Order of Merit winner on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, Fox makes his first start as a PGA TOUR member this week but falls well shy of Allen Doyle and Jim Rutledge who were both 47 when they first qualified for the PGA TOUR.
“It kind of feels strange to be officially a rookie at 37,” admitted Fox, who is currently No.32 in the world golf ranking.
“It’s obviously a different place and there are different golf courses but in the end it’s still Tour golf and hopefully I can treat it that way.
“I played a bunch over here last year, played a few majors and been on tour for a while so to be honest I’m probably not expecting it to be that much different.
“To be a rookie at 37 and be out here and have everything new is kind of cool and I’m looking forward to the experience of it.”
The father of two will have his family join him on his US adventure in the coming weeks and admits there is one tournament in particular that he hopes to play for the first time.
“Hopefully I get into Phoenix in a couple of weeks,” said Fox.
“I’ve heard that’s an event you either love or it can be quite difficult. I’m looking forward to experiencing that.
“I was lucky enough to play a few of the Signature events last year and they were bucket-list events. Hopefully I can play my way into a few of those this year and see what happens.”
Reigning PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner David Micheluzzi makes his third start as a member of the DP World Tour at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship as Gabi Ruffels debuts as a member of the LPGA Tour at the LPGA Drive On Championship in Florida.
Photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Round 1 tee times AEDT
PGA TOUR
Farmers Insurance Open
Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Cse), San Diego, California
North Course
3:50am Matt NeSmith, Justin Lower, Ryan Fox (NZ)
4:56am* Harrison Endycott, Rico Hoey, Raul Pereda
5:18am* Aaron Baddeley, Chesson Hadley, Sam Ryder
South Course
5:51am Keegan Bradley, Jason Day, Min Woo Lee
Defending champion: Max Homa
Past Aussie winners: Jason Day (2015, 2018), Marc Leishman (2020)
TV times: Live 4am-11am Thursday; Live 4:30am-11am Friday; Live 4:45am-12pm Saturday; Live 6am-12pm Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
DP World Tour
Ras Al Khaimah Championship
Al Hamra GC, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE
3:30pm* Jason Scrivener, Julien Brun, Louis De Jager
6:35pm Sebastian Garcia, Tom Lewis, Samuel Jones (NZ)
6:55pm Thriston Lawrence, Alex Fitzpatrick, Daniel Hillier (NZ)
8:15pm* Ivan Cantero, Joel Girrbach, David Micheluzzi
Defending champion: Daniel Gavins
Past Aussie winners: Nil
TV times: Live 7pm-12am Thursday, Friday; Live 7.30pm-12am Saturday; Live 7pm-12am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
LPGA Tour
LPGA Drive On Championship
Bradenton Country Club, Bradenton, Florida
12:09am* Grace Kim, Madelene Sagstrom, Patty Tavatanakit
12:31am Ally Ewing, Sarah Kemp, Gaby Lopez
4:05am* Yan Liu, Mel Reid, Gabriela Ruffels
8:38am* Lydia Ko (NZ), Hae Ran Ryu, Lilia Vu
Defending champion: Celine Boutier
Past Aussie winners: Nil
TV times: Live 4am-7am Friday, Saturday; Live 2:30am-5:30am Sunday on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo; Live 6am-9am Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Korn Ferry Tour
The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club
The Abaco Club on Winding Bay, Great Abaco, Bahamas
After Round 3
1 Kyle Westmoreland 66-74-68—208
T30 Rhein Gibson 71-72-75—218
T42 Dimi Papadatos 72-72-75—219
MC Brett Drewitt 71-78—149
MC Charlie Hillier (NZ) 74-79—153
MC Curtis Luck 72-81—153
Former world tennis number one Ash Barty is confirmed to headline the Ambassador line up for the 103rd New Zealand Open, set to take place between February 29 and March 3, 2024 at Queenstown’s Millbrook Resort.
By Mike Hadnett
Barty, who attended the New Zealand Open in 2023 as a spectator, is a three-time Grand Slam singles champion with an impressive competitive streak. She played on the world’s stage across her 12-year professional tennis career in which she was ranked world singles number one for 121 weeks overall.
Barty is also a very accomplished golfer who plays off a 4 handicap. In 2022 she played in the Icons Golf Series in New Jersey alongside other international sporting icons like American swimming legend Michael Phelps, English footballer Harry Kane and former Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting.
“The New Zealand Open is a fantastic event and I really enjoyed my time there this year supporting our friend Louis Dobbelaar,” said Barty. “New Zealand is a beautiful country and somewhere I always love to visit.
“Having the opportunity to play in the pro-am event in 2024 is something I’m excited about, though I definitely need to start practising! Golf has always been a passion of mine, I feel fortunate to be able to play in events like the New Zealand Open and experience an incredible course like Millbrook.
“I imagine that first tee shot in front of everyone will be quite nerve-wracking, but once the first ball hits the fairway, hopefully things should settle down. My aim is to go out there and enjoy every minute of it and hopefully make the weekend pro-am cut.”
Joining Barty in the Ambassador line up for 2024 is Australian media personality Andy Lee. He is one half of the Hamish & Andy duo, Australia’s highest-rating and most popular radio presenters.
Lee is a well-known comedian, television and radio host, musician and children’s writer and is also pretty handy with his golf clubs holding a 6 handicap at his home course of Peninsula Kingswood in Melbourne. A self-confessed golf tragic, Lee is also an ambassador for Social Golf Australia where he helps host events for amateur players across the country.
“Yeah, I would say I’m pretty hooked on golf. I started playing when I was at University and just never stopped. I even put a simulator into my house, so maybe the right phrase is obsessed. But I just love the game for what it gives you, and takes from you, physically and mentally,” said Lee.
“I’m really looking forward to the New Zealand Open. It’s my first time playing in a national Open like this, so it’s going to be quite an experience.
“Playing alongside the pro’s in such an important tournament for them and their careers and is not something many people get to do, so I feel very privileged to have this opportunity.”
Tournament Chairman John Hart is excited to welcome Barty and Lee to the New Zealand Open and is looking forward to seeing them tee it up alongside the pro’s.
“We’re delighted to have Ash and Andy join us this year as part of our Ambassador line up. Both will bring lots of excitement and enthusiasm to the tournament and I have no doubt they will add to the quality on and off the course,” said Hart.
“Our fantastic group of returning ambassadors do such a great job helping with all our events and functions that run alongside the tournament. Without their support we wouldn’t be able to provide the high level of spectator and guest experience we’re well known for.”
Barty and Lee will tee it up alongside former New Zealand representatives Jeff Wilson (rugby and cricket), Sean Fitzpatrick (rugby), Israel Dagg (rugby), Stephen Fleming (cricket), Ella Gunson (hockey) as well as international rally driver Hayden Paddon, former Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting, and former England cricket legend Sir Ian Botham.
The tournament is one of New Zealand’s leading sporting events with a long and prestigious history. It was founded in 1907 and will now be played for the 103rd time between February 29 – March 3, 2024.
The tournament, which is the only National Open in world golf played in a Pro-Am Format, is a co-sanctioned event on the PGA Tour of Australasia and Asian Tour schedules and has a partnership agreement with the Japan Golf Tour.
A professional field will play the first two rounds alternately at Millbrook Resort’s Coronet and Remarkables courses. The final two rounds will be played on the Coronet course (incorporating the closing par-3 from the Remarkables course).
The New Zealand Open Champion will be the leading player after 72 holes of stroke play.
The tournament also hosts 156 amateur players, each partnering with a Professional in a two-man best-ball event, competing for the NZ Pro-Am Championship. The New Zealand Open, presented by Sky Sport, will be live on the home of golf, Sky Sport 6, February 29 – March 3, 2024
PHOTO: Ash Barty will tee it up in the New Zealand Open Pro-Am next month at Millbrook Resort –
Credit: Getty Images
Jarryd Felton married Hannah Green last Friday, but there was no time for a honeymoon let alone any normal home life in Perth for Australian golf’s power couple.
That’s because Felton had a tournament to travel to, which is a familiar feeling for both of them.
Felton is teeing it up in the Webex Players Series Victoria at Rosebud Country Club this week and chasing a prominent Order of Merit position on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
As for major winner and LPGA Tour star Green, she’s preparing to begin her 2024 season in Asia in a couple of weeks’ time.
The pair, who have been engaged for more than two years and conducted their relationship mainly from a distance, had 80 guests to their wedding in beautiful Yallingup, 250 kilometres south of Perth.
Su Oh, Green’s fellow LPGA Tour professional for the past few years and a constant travelling companion, was matron of honour.
“Nothing’s changed,” said Felton, out practising at Rosebud today for this week’s $250,000 mixed tournament.
“We were just trying to find the time when we could both do it and try to get everyone to come down. It was really good, lots of highlights.
“There were some happy tears. It was really good, but now it’s back on with the job. I had a couple of days being married, flew on Sunday night and now back to the grind.
“We’ll have a honeymoon eventually. Just need to find some time when we can do it.”
Felton, 28, is a four-time winner on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia but has not been at his best over the past 12 months, since he won the 2022 Players Series event in Sydney.
Having spent a few years on the Challenge Tour in Europe where he saw “the bad side of golf”, he is focusing on the domestic tour with its big rewards in the OOM race – top three getting DP World Tour cards and top 10 having access to tour schools overseas.
Felton has always been regarded as a pure ball-striker; he and coach Ritchie Smith have been working more on the mental side of the game.
A T11 finish in the Heritage Classic was an encouraging start to 2024.
“I’ve got some momentum coming into this week,” he said.
“I love the course. I was T15 last year.
“They’ve added some length out there. Nine’s about 50 further back, 16’s 50 further back. If the wind stays this way it’ll be really hard.
“I’ll be going to the USA around the middle of the year. Hannah’s schedule is full-on with the Olympics being in there, but I’ll try to get to Q School at the end of the year and see how we go.
“I’m working on things and it’s getting better. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel kind of thing. I’ve been struggling for a year or so but I’m getting through to the other side of it, I think. I want to put some good results together and try to get another win.”
Rosebud is in pristine condition for this week’s fourth playing of the mixed event here.
Last week’s Webex Players Series Murray River winner Kazuma Kobori from New Zealand is here along with most of the tour’s best players, along with the best of the WPGA Tour of Australasia who are playing on the same course for the same prize pool, $250,000.
Some of Australia’s top amateurs, including adidas Australian Amateur winner Quinn Croker and women’s runner-up Amelia Harris, are also playing alongside the professionals in an event that is meant to draw the strands of golf together.
As is tradition in the Players Series events, there will also be an All Abilities championship and a Junior Players Series event over the weekend as well as a leg of the Australian Long Drive Championship.
Entry at Rosebud Country Club is free and the tournament is live over the weekend on Fox Sports and Kayo.
PHOTOS: (Above) Jarryd Felton is chasing his best form at Rosebud this week and (below) The happy couple last Friday.
Now that a first-time win as a professional is in the books, Kiwi Kazuma Kobori has outlined his two targets for the remainder of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season.
Kobori was a two-shot winner at the Webex Players Series Murray River at Cobram Barooga Golf Club on Sunday, his second on the PGA Tour of Australasia after taking out the NZ PGA Championship as a 17-year-old amateur in 2019.
A decorated amateur who counts the 2023 Australian Amateur as one of his many triumphs, Kobori turned professional prior to the Queensland PGA Championship in November where he finished tied for ninth.
A week later he was the 54-hole leader at the Victorian PGA Championship but had to settle for third when he was run down by David Micheluzzi.
A three-shot leader after Round 3 at Cobram Barooga, there was no such stumble on Sunday, the 22-year-old moving up to seventh on the Order of Merit.
Realistically, Kobori is fourth among those to have played the minimum four events required to be eligible for the Order of Merit and now has one of the three DP World Tour cards in his sights.
“I might just be outside top 10 but definitely a step in the right direction,” said Kobori prior to the Order of Merit update.
“Really just want to get that top three for the DP World Tour card and hopefully get rookie of the year as well.
“That’s one of my goals at the start of the season, even though I started later than the other guys.”
Kobori moved up six spots into the No.1 position on the Rookie of the Year standings after his win, edging past fellow New Zealander and Gippsland Super 6 champion Kerry Mountcastle with Josh Greer, Chris Crabtree and Connor McKinney rounding out the top five.
The Order of Merit race continues this week with the Webex Players Series Victoria at Rosebud Country Club, Kobori one of six of the current top-10 all eager to advance their positions.
Order of Merit (after Webex Players Series Murray River)
1. Min Woo Lee 1,044 (2)
2. David Micheluzzi 359.40 (5)
3. Ben Eccles 353.30 (11)
4. Adam Scott 326.67 (2)
5. Jak Carter 321.59 (11)
6. Marc Leishman 314.93 (2)
7. Kazuma Kobori 297.51 (6)
8. Kerry Mountcastle 278.20 (12)
9. Austin Bautista 277.01 (11)
10. Lachlan Barker 273.94 (11)
Must play minimum of four events to be eligible for the Order of Merit
In the brief but blossoming history of the Webex Players Series, Rosebud is becoming a ‘traditional’ venue.
This week’s Webex Players Series Victoria hosted by Geoff Ogilvy is the fourth to be played in consecutive years at Rosebud Country Club on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula.
Some of the major highs of the series – which pits men and women against each other on the same course for the same prize – have come at Rosebud, including the withering final-day victory last year by South Korea’s Min A Yoon.
Yoon, a sometime LPGA Tour player and Epson Tour regular, shot a final-round 63 and 24-under par overall to deny hometown hero James Marchesani by a shot. She became the second woman – behind Hannah Green – to win a Players Series event.
Marchesani had been the story of the week having taken the 54-hole lead playing at the club which spawned him before he went to the United States on a college scholarship and later turned professional.
Hundreds of locals and golf club members followed his every move but the fairytale could not be written.
Perhaps that will be saved for 2024, when the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia member tees it up on the composite course at Rosebud trying to achieve the dream of winning at home in front of family and friends.
Yoon, 21, is back to defend her title among 62 women in an event that is co-sanctioned by the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and the WPGA Tour of Australasia.
Sarah Jane Smith, the former LPGA Tour star and another woman to have tasted Webex Players Series success (at Cobram Barooga last summer) is another in the field, along with New Zealander Momoka Kobori, who finished tied-third in Cobram last weekend, as well as former LPGA Tour player Su Oh.
Most of the domestic men’s tour’s winners of recent times are in the field including Kazuma Kobori, last week’s Webex Players Series Murray River winner and Heritage Classic winner Matt Griffin.
Western Australian Jarryd Felton gets a start and will play his first tournament since his marriage to LPGA Tour star and major champion Hannah Green in Perth last week.
Veterans Marcus Fraser and Mat Goggin also are looking to turn back the clock.
Some of Australia’s best amateurs are playing at Rosebud, including the Masters-bound Jasper Stubbs, adidas Australian Amateur champion Quinn Croker and also the runners-up from Yarra Yarra last week, Phoenix Campbell and Amelia Harris.
The event is supported by the Ogivly Foundation, which has at its core the desire to bring golfers of all age ranges and genders together for the enhancement of the game.
In keeping with that, the weekend will see some of the country’s best young amateurs hold their own competition and mix with the seasoned pros in the Webex Junior Players Series. Nine all abilities golfers will joint the field in their own 36-hole competition over the weekend as well.
At the conclusion of play on Saturday night the third round of the popular Australian Long Drive Championship will take place at the course.
The Challenger PGA Tour of Australia’s Order of Merit race continues to rumble with the eligible players (having competed in four or more tournaments) headed by David Micheluzzi, Ben Eccles and Jak Carter with Kazuma Kobori now looming in fourth. The latter three are all playing this week.
The Webex Players Series Victoria has a prize pool of $250,000
HOW TO FOLLOW
For live scoring and the latest news visit www.pga.org.au. Exclusive content and tournament updates will also be posted regularly on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia’s social media channels.
Instagram: @pgatouraus @WPGATour
Twitter: @PGAofAustralia @WPGATour
Facebook: @PGAofAustralia, @PGATourAus @WPGATour/
Official hashtag: #WebexPlayersSeries
HOW TO WATCH
Watch the final two rounds of the Webex Players Series Victoria live on Kayo and Fox Sports on Foxtel.
Round 3: Saturday 4pm-7pm AEDT
Round 4: Sunday 2pm-7pm AEDT
FORMER CHAMPIONS
2021: Brad Kennedy
2022: Todd Sinnott
2023: Min A Yoon
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Matthew Griffin, 2024 Heritage Classic winner
Momoka Kobori, 2023 Women’s NSW Open winner
Kazuma Kobori, 2024 Webex Players Series Murray winner
Min A Yoon, defending champion
Kerry Mountcastle, 2023 Gippsland Super 6 winner
Amelia Harris, runner-up adidas Australian Amateur
Quinn Croker, adidas Australian Amateur champion
Daniel Gale, 2023 Sandbelt Invitational winner
PHOTO: James Marchesani’s prominence ensured there were good crowds at Rosebud Country Club in 2023.
A blistering third round of 9-under 62 has catapulted New South Welshman Justin Warren to a full status on the Asian Tour in 2024.
By Tony Webeck
Warren was one of six Australians to finish inside the top 35 at Final Stage of Asian Tour Qualifying School in Thailand, Kiwi Nick Voke enduring the heartbreak of a playoff defeat for the 35th and final card.
Warren’s hopes looked decidedly slim when he opened with rounds of 72-74 but two eagles in his final four holes in Round 3 put him in position to stay within the threshold over the course of the five rounds.
He played the back nine in Round 3 in 7-under 29 and then posted 68 in both Round 4 and Round 5 to finish in a tie for third.
Veteran Sam Brazel and Maverick Antcliff were inside the top 30 all week and ultimately finished tied for 15th. The only Aussie to advance from the final round of First Stage qualifiers, Jordan Zunic finished in a tie for 21st while recent Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia winners Harrison Crowe and Lachlan Barker were also successful in obtaining cards for the 2024 season.
Elsewhere this week Min Woo Lee made an encouraging start to his first full season on the PGA TOUR with a tie for 21st, Q School medallist Harrison Endycott using a third round of 62 to start his season on the right note.
Making his first start since his Cathedral Invitational victory, Adam Scott finished in a tie for seventh at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour, Mark Hensby shot 65 in the final round to finish tied for 12th at the PGA TOUR Champions’ Mitsubishi Electric Championship and Grace Kim was 29th at the LPGA Tour Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
Results
PGA TOUR
The American Express
PGA West, La Quinta, California
1 Nick Dunlap (a) 64-65-60-70—259 ——–
T21 Min Woo Lee 65-66-70-67—268 $US99,120
T34 Jason Day 68-66-68-68—270 $45,780
T39 Harrison Endycott 70-68-62-71—271 $34,020
MC Aaron Baddeley 74-66-65—205
MC Cam Davis 68-65-73—206
DP World Tour
Hero Dubai Desert Classic
Emirates GC, Dubai, UAE
1 Rory McIlroy 71-70-63-70—274 €1,406,040.93
T7 Adam Scott 69-71-70-69—279 €201,394.69
T31 Ryan Fox (NZ) 75-67-70-74—286 €66,166.63
MC Daniel Hillier (NZ) 77-69—146
MC Jason Scrivener 74-72—146
LPGA Tour
Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions
Lake Nona Golf and Country Club, Orlando, Florida
1 Lydia Ko (NZ) 69-67-68-70—274 $225,000
29 Grace Kim 69-74-75-75—293 $14,784
PGA TOUR Champions
Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai
Hualalai GC, Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii
1 Steven Alker (NZ) 65-63-63—191
T12 Mark Hensby 67-73-65—205
T30 Rod Pampling 75-70-67—212
Asian Tour
Qualifying School – Final Stage
Springfield Royal Country Club and Lake View Resort and Golf Club, Thailand
Top 35 players earned 2024 Asian Tour cards
1 Kristoffer Broberg 71-69-68-66-66—340 $US7,500
3 Justin Warren 72-74-62-68-68—344 $1,000
T15 Sam Brazel 69-67-74-70-68—348
T15 Maverick Antcliff 69-69-69-70-71—348
T21 Jordan Zunic 74-69-68-67-71—349
T26 Harrison Crowe 74-71-71-68-66—350
T26 Lachlan Barker 74-68-69-67-72—350
T36 Nick Voke (NZ) 65-75-69-71-72—352
T39 Jared Edwards (NZ) 73-70-70-69-71—353
T63 Douglas Klein 72-72-68-68-77—357
T68 Peter Wilson 69-74-71-70-75—359
T68 Denzel Ieremia (NZ) 70-70-73-71-75—359
MC Cameron Harlock (NZ) 78-70-67-70—285
MC Shae Wools-Cobb 73-72-73-67—285
MC Kyle Michel 74-71-71-70—286
MC Lawry Flynn 75-69-72-70—286
MC Jeff Guan 73-74-70-70—287
MC Max Charles 71-72-73-74—290
MC Nathan Barbieri 70-73-72-75—290
MC Andre Lautee 73-75-74-69—291
MC James Mee 76-73—149
MC William Bruyeres 77-73—150
MC Jake Hughes 75-84—159
