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Kiwi Kazuma Kobori has buried the demons of a final round collapse at the Victorian PGA Championship to complete a two-stroke victory at the Webex Players Series Murray River at Cobram Barooga Golf Club.
Admitting that his three-stroke overnight lead made for a restless night’s sleep, Kobori conquered hot and blustery conditions at Cobram Barooga’s Old Course to close with a 3-under par round of 68 and 21-under total.
That was enough to hold off a spirited charge from Singapore’s Shannon Tan (65) in her maiden event as a professional with older sister Momoka Kobori (68) tied for third with Aussie pair Aaron Wilkin (68) and Andrew Martin (69).
Although Kono Matsumoto (8-iron, 134 metres) and Zach Murray (pitching wedge, 151 metres) both made hole-in-ones at the par-3 ninth on Sunday, low scores were the exception to the rule.
Tan and Jake McLeod returned the day’s best with rounds of 6-under 65, Kobori having to adjust his pre-round strategy of patience being his greatest virtue.
“At the start I did think I was going to just try and take advantage of the par 5s and hang on but soon realised that Shannon was moving up pretty quickly,” Kobori conceded.
“That strategy changed pretty quickly.”
Congratulations Kazuma Kobori the 2024 #WebexPlayersSeries Murray River Champion 🏆 pic.twitter.com/UijJAiTS3G
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) January 21, 2024
After a birdie at the par-5 first, a poor chip at the par-4 second was the first squeeze of pressure placed on the 22-year-old.
With Ashley Lau in tight at the back pin, Kobori was forced to stare down a 15-foot putt for par to keep his advantage from all but disappearing.
“That one was big because Ashley hit it in close and I was like, She’s probably going to make that,” said Kobori.
“I flubbed my chip and I was like, we can’t have a two-shot swing this early in the round.
“Holed that, gave it a wee fist pump so that was nice and then went from there.”
Birdies at six and 10 ensured Kobori had a three-shot buffer for much of the afternoon.
A three-putt for bogey on 11 – just his fourth bogey of the week – briefly gave Tan and others a glimpse at the top of the leaderboard, his birdie from the fringe on 12 restoring a two-shot advantage with six to play.
Six pars would prove to be enough, sister Momoka joined by fellow Kiwi Hanee Song and young South Australian Jack Buchanan in showering her younger brother in champagne.
“It was just nerve-wracking because I had that experience at Moonah, blew a six-shot lead,” Kobori said of his final round of 77 at Moonah Links in November.
“But I realised that it doesn’t change my life. It’s just another round of golf and having that experience freed me up today to be able to unleash on every single shot.”
Sunday’s win is Kobori’s second on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia having won the 2019 New Zealand PGA Championship as a 17-year-old amateur.
It was that experience that he drew upon to earn his first victory as a professional.
“It does feel like a lifetime ago because a lot has changed since then but it’s something that I still draw confidence from too,” said Kobori, who turned professional at the Queensland PGA Championship last November.
“I’ve done it once, why can’t I do it again.”
Making his first appearance in the Webex All Abilities Players Series, Wayne Perske shot rounds of 80-71 to win the Murray River leg by seven shots from defending champion Cameron Pollard.
In the Webex Junior Players Series, Nicholas Horvath produced two superb rounds of 70-68 for a 4-under total, six clear of Shepparton junior Bailey Goodall with Australian Amateur runner-up Amelia Harris third.
Photo: Candice High
Kiwi rookie Kazuma Kobori will try to fend off the threat posed by big sister Momoka and Tour winners Andrew Martin and Aaron Wilkin to complete a maiden win as a professional at the Webex Players Series Murray River.
Paired together for the first time in a Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia event, the talented Kobori siblings shot 64 and 66 respectively to both sit inside the top five with one round to play at Cobram Barooga Golf Club.
On a day in which West Australian Jess Whitting won a $93,000 BMW for a hole-in-one and Victorian Matias Sanchez matched Tom Power Horan’s course record with a 9-under 62, the younger Kobori surged to the top of the leaderboard.
He was four shots clear when he made his eighth birdie through 12 holes but played his final three holes in 1-over. At 18-under par through 54 holes he is three clear of Martin (68) and Malaysian Ashley Lau (63).
Momoka Kobori is in a share of fourth with Wilkin (64), Singapore debutant Shannon Tan (63), Barooga local Steffi Vogel (66), Zach Murray (66) and Michael Hendry (69) a shot further back at 13-under.
Although disappointed not to turn a blistering start into an almost unassailable lead, Kazuma will start Sunday exactly where he wants to be.
“If you gave me 64 at the start of the day without hitting a single shot, I would have taken it,” said the 2023 Australian Amateur and 2019 NZ PGA champion.
“That being said, 8-under through 12, I kind of wanted a few more.
“I don’t know actually how many shots clear I am but pretty happy. There’s still a lot of golf to play.”
Moving day brought the goods at #WebexPlayersSeries Murray River 📈
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) January 20, 2024
We're set for a big final round at Cobram Barooga Golf Club
📺 Catch all the weekend action LIVE on @FOXSportsAUS , available on @Foxtel & @kayosports@WPGATour
He also knows all too well what his sister is capable of.
The reigning Women’s NSW Open champion shot 66 in the final round of the Taranaki Open on the Charles Tour in 2020 to run down her younger brother, and has him in her sights yet again.
“I’ll be trying,” Momoka warned.
“I’ve always been a fan of this format, being able to compete against the guys.
“It’s a cool opportunity. It’s a pretty unique opportunity. While we’re both here it’s good to enjoy it and make the most of it for sure.”
ACE ALERT 🚨
— WPGA Tour of Australasia (@WPGATour) January 20, 2024
Jess Whitting has won a brand new BMW i4 eDrive35 with a hole in one on the 164m 3rd hole at Cobram Barooga Golf Club !@bmwau#WebexPlayersSeries Murray River pic.twitter.com/jmJLR4S7BK
Yet there are contenders beyond the Kobori clan.
Lau was 6-under through her first six holes as she played her way into contention, somewhat shocked to see her name near the top of the leaderboard as she played the 18th hole.
A decorated player at the University of Michigan, Lau earned status at WPGA Tour Qualifying School a week ago and is making an instant impression in her first visit to Australia.
“I was telling my parents before the tournament started that I’m really, really nervous playing against the guys because I feel like there’s a different standard, girls and guys,” said Lau.
“Playing good out here gives a sense of accomplishment that hard work is paying off.
“Played well at Qualifying but never thought I would be in contention.
“Happy to be in the position that I’m in right now. Just want to go out and have fun and play some good golf tomorrow.”
The Queensland PGA champion in 2022, Wilkin had eight birdies Saturday in his round of 7-under 64, Martin making birdie at each of his final two holes to keep his hopes alive of a third PGA Tour of Australasia win.
Saturday also saw the opening round of the All Abilities and Junior Players Series events.
Coffs Harbour’s Cameron Pollard leads Wayne Perske by one in the All Abilities while Shepparton’s Bailey Goodall posted 2-under 69 to lead Nicholas Horvath by one in the Junior tournament.
The second leg of the Australian Long Drive Series was conducted at the close of play on Saturday, New Zealand’s Chris Charlton winning the final against Jordan Bovalina with a blow of 340 metres.
He is loath to use the word ‘cured’ but a Christmas bonus from doctors has given Kiwi Michael Hendry cause to look forward, including a guaranteed start at this year’s Open Championship.
Hendry qualified for the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool but was forced to withdraw when he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia last April.
Entering the third round of the Webex Players Series Murray River played in honour of Jarrod Lyle just one shot off the lead on Saturday, Hendry has spoken publicly for the first time about his latest results and the exemption issued by the R&A to take his place in the field for The Open at Royal Troon in July.
After a six-month fight for his life, Hendry’s return to the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia last October has been punctuated by trips back to New Zealand for biopsies. A phone call while on holiday with his family over Christmas has given him renewed hope that he is winning the battle.
“Prior to getting that news, I was expecting to have to get a bone marrow transplant. Thinking about whether it was going to work, how long have I got,” said Hendry, who was told that no cancer cells were visible in his latest biopsy.
“You get that news and then all of a sudden it’s, shit, maybe I can think about two, three, five, 10 years down the track and where I want to be.
“I don’t want to speak too soon but things are looking really positive.”
“I would’ve loved to have played this year but my goal is to be there again.”
— Tony Webeck (@TonyWebeck) July 18, 2023
Privilege to be able to share an update on Michael Hendry's cancer battle ahead of @TheOpen for which he qualified to play in.@PGAofAustralia @GolfAust @golfnewzealand_ https://t.co/erUAZJUPeN
The significance of playing his way into contention on the eve of ‘Yellow Day’ at Cobram Barooga Golf Club with a second round of 5-under 66 is not lost on Hendry.
He trails Victorian pair Andrew Martin and Andrew Kelly by just one shot and is tied with fellow Kiwi Kazuma Kobori and Japan’s Kotono Fukaya.
Lamenting that he didn’t have anything yellow to wear, Hendry wants to add to the legacy of Jarrod Lyle that is celebrated regularly within Australian golf.
Born in Shepparton less than an hour from Cobram Barooga, Lyle was first diagnosed with leukaemia as a teenager.
His gregarious personality and ongoing fight endeared him to the golf world, defying the odds to play his way onto the PGA TOUR before passing in 2018 at age 36.
Hendry now has a unique perspective of the enormity of what Lyle was able to achieve.
“No one knows what Jarrod went through more than I do,” Hendry adds.
“Jarrod struggled through it and it kind of never went away. I’ve been fortunate that at this point it has gone away. Hopefully it will stay that way for my sake.
“I’m acutely aware of what Jarrod went through and to do what he did while he was alive and suffering, I know how hard that would have been for him.
“I know people are acutely aware of what he did but maybe they don’t appreciate just how hard it actually was for him.
“I don’t want to take anything away from Jarrod’s legacy but if I could add to his legacy by telling a story as well and being able to relate it back to what Jarrod went through, that would be a really cool thing.”
Photo: Candice High
Two players with extensive histories playing golf along the Murray River share the lead heading into Round 3 of Webex Players Series Murray River played in honour of Jarrod Lyle.
Saturday is ‘Yellow Day’ at Cobram Barooga Golf Club, players and spectators alike honouring the legacy of Jarrod Lyle by donning their best yellow attire for day three.
Andrew Kelly (63) and Andrew Martin (66) are tied at the top through 36 holes at 12-under par, one clear of Kiwi pair Michael Hendry (66) and Kazuma Kobori (66) and Japan’s Kotono Fukaya (68), the leading player among the WPGA Tour contingent.
Eighteen WPGA players made the cut which went out late to 3-under, a total of 51 players advancing to the weekend rounds where they will be joined by competitors in the All Abilities and Junior Players Series tournaments.
Kelly is spending the week commuting between Barooga and his parents’ house in Wangaratta little more than an hour away.
Tied for third at the NT PGA Championship in the second event of the season, the 36-year-old had five birdies in his first six holes on Friday morning.
He made the turn in 6-under and moved to 7-under with a birdie at the par-5 first. A dropped shot on two would be his only blemish of the day as he matched the low mark of the week set by Lincoln Tighe on Thursday.
Conceding that it is the best sustained period of golf he has ever produced on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, Kelly was grateful for a birdie early in his round that somewhat set the tone.
“Fifteen, the par 5, was playing a little longer today so I tried to lay up and I hit my lay-up into the trees,” said Kelly.
“I was pretty happy just to get it on the green and then holed a 10 or 12-footer down the hill for four.
“That’s when you kind of think, Things are going my way for sure. It’s not just good golf.
“As you start to get older you realise that’s just part of the deal.”
Runner-up to Sarah-Jane Smith 12 months ago, Martin (pictured) defeated Lyle at the Australian Amateur 20 years ago, the pair growing up just 90 minutes apart in Bendigo and Shepparton respectively.
Now a two-time winner on Tour with status on the DP World Tour this season, Martin admitted that victory this week would have a home-town feel to it.
“Not being far from where I grew up, I played a lot of junior stuff here, it’s close to home so it’s nearly a home game,” said Martin.
“I like playing up on the Murray. I don’t think they get enough recognition up here but the course this week is one of the best we have played all year, condition-wise as well.”
Making his first start of 2024, Martin said his opening tee shot in his round of 64 on Thursday helped him to settle into his work.
“Over the break I did a little bit of technique stuff and spent more time on the range rather than out playing. I did say to my coach last Friday that I just had to get out and play now,” he added.
“My driver was probably the one that let me down a little bit late last year so I saw the Titleist boys on Tuesday. It was feeling good, just wanted reassurance really.
“I started on 10 and when I hit my tee shot and it was a good one I was like, we’re sorted. It was just good to see.”
The Kobori siblings – who will play together in Round 3 – are separated by just one shot ahead of Round 3, younger brother Kazuma edging one clear of Momoka who is in a tie for sixth along with Austin Bautista (69) and South Australian Jak Carter (66).
Barooga local Steffi Vogel followed up her round of 65 on Thursday with 69 Friday to be in a tie for ninth, Malaysia’s Ashley Lau and part-time pro Brendan Smith each posting 7-under 64 to play their way into the top-20.
The final two rounds of the Webex Players Series Murray River will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo.
Round 3 coverage begins at 4pm on Saturday with the final round to be broadcast live on Sunday from 2pm-7pm AEDT.
It’s a question that even Wayne Perske’s father had to ask, and who is still unsure of the answer he was given. Geoff Ogilvy gave him a quizzical look when Perske mentioned during the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship in November that he was contemplating entering All Abilities tournaments in 2024.
So why is a former touring professional with a Japan Golf Tour win and an appearance at The Open Championship teeing it up in a tournament with eight others for no prize money?
The same reason others have been drawn to play Webex All Abilities Players Series events.
“Purpose,” said Perske, who will make his All Abilities debut at the Webex Players Series Murray River this weekend at Cobram Barooga Golf Club.
Accompanying Perske on his return to tournament golf is his wife Vanessa, who will juggle duties as both his caddie and carer.
Even before hitting his first shot, Vanessa has seen something return that has been lacking since he was forced to retire from professional golf at the end of 2015.
“Just to get out of bed for Wayne now, he’s got this little burning passion deep down,” Vanessa adds.
“It’s nice to have that spark back in him. He’s got that little twinkle in his eye again. It’s fun.”
‘Tiger’s had one, I’ve had four’
This is not a story of an old pro with a crook back looking to recapture former glories.
Perske was born with scoliosis, a curvature of the spine not conducive to hitting thousands of golf balls a day.
After his second spinal fusion, Perske was told to never play golf again; his fourth was just 18 months ago.
It is a condition that has plagued him throughout his career and put a strain on his family.
Picking up his kids – now 17 and 18 – was fraught with danger; bending down to put a cup in the dishwasher could cause such pain that he would be laid up for days.
Wayne would spend family holidays lying in bed while Vanessa and the kids explored. They have recently downsized to an apartment in Brisbane so maintaining a lawn is not a family concern.
“Bulging discs, ruptured discs, bone-on-bone, bits of disc floating in the spinal column, nitrogen bubbles. It got to the point where I would twist and I could hear it,” Perske explains.
“Then nerve stuff. I started to have a drop-foot. I was falling over because I couldn’t lift my leg properly.
“They had to relieve that nerve pain by doing a fusion but where they fused wasn’t actually where the pain was coming from. They had to go in again but from the front because it was quite low.
“They cut me from the belly button down to my groin. They take your guts out; slap it on a thing beside you and they drill into your spine from the front.
“About halfway through the operation, I was bleeding quite badly so they had to abandon it.
“When I came out of that surgery, not only did I have to recover from the trauma of surgery from the front, but the back pain was worse.”
Ultimately, Perske would go under the knife for a third time to have four rails inserted that stretch from the base of his spine to halfway up his back, held together by eight screws.
“I’ve now got four fusions in my spine. Tiger had one fusion, I’ve got four,” he adds.
‘It was a dilemma for me’
The idea of playing in All Abilities tournaments was first sparked in Perske by watching the 2022 Australian All Abilities Championship at Victoria Golf Club.
It was a new avenue into a world that he formerly inhabited and which is becoming more and more populated by outstanding golfers playing in events all around the world.
After making contact with Golf Australia, he was assigned National Eligibility Assessor Sam Taylor, who conducted a physical assessment to ensure that Perske met the minimum impairment criteria set by the International Golf Federation (IGF).
After this physical examination, Perske was determined to meet the minimum impairment criteria for a World Ranking Pass (WR4GD).
Then it was a matter of making it public.
“I was a little anxious in terms of a lot of people who don’t know the full story,” Perske admits.
“People on Facebook just know me from my previous careers as an elite professional and now a coach.
“I post something about my back operation, people say ‘Get well soon’, but they don’t really understand the extent of it. They still expect me to shoot really good scores. And to be honest, I still have that expectation that I’m going to go out and hopefully win.
“I just want to get out there and enjoy it without the expectation of performance.
“It’s always going to be there, underlying, so it’s a dilemma for me.”
Yet while he can’t deny the competitive instinct that fuelled his former playing career, Perske wants to impact All Abilities golf in a broader sense.
He has signed on as the Touring Professional for Gunabul Homestead in Gympie that caters specifically to All Abilities golfers, has sponsorship deals with Wellness Group Australia and CRE Insurance and is playing Wilson Staff golf clubs.
Combined with his coaching commitments at Golf24 in Brisbane, Perske wants to leverage his past to give others a prosperous future in golf.
“Once I was told that I don’t have to feel guilty, that I do have a significant impairment that stops me from playing with the big boys, why not play?” Perske says.
“And now I see myself as potentially raising the profile of that area of golf.
“Events such as the Webex Players Series are amazing and probably the future of golf in Australia with the inclusion of women, juniors and All Abilities players.
“The vibe around here is amazing and I hope I can be part of making it even bigger and better.”
A summer stint working in his dad’s jewellery shop and an impromptu putting lesson from Kiwi Michael Hendry has propelled Lincoln Tighe to a share of the lead on day one of the Webex Players Series Murray River played in honour of Jarrod Lyle.
Out in one of the early morning groups in cool, breezy conditions at Cobram Barooga Golf Club, Tighe flirted with Tom Power Horan’s course record but left his par putt on the lip on 18 for an 8-under 63, tied with WPGA Tour rookie Kotono Fukaya who birdied her final two holes.
After turning in 3-under, Tighe peeled off five consecutive birdies from the par-5 10th, moving to 9-under on his round with birdie at the 327-metre par-4 17th.
But with the course record at his mercy, Tighe left a downhill putt for 62 agonisingly short, ending Round 1 level with Fukuya and one clear of Jake McLeod (64), Austin Bautista (64), Andrew Martin (64) and Momoka Kobori (64).
Barooga local Steffi Vogel was one of six players to end the first round at 6-under par, one of seven WPGA Tour members in the top 18 on the leaderboard.
A top-three finisher three times last season, Tighe downed tools at the completion of the ISPS HANDA Australian Open and went to work in the jewellery store that his father, Darryl, has operated in Wollongong for the past 45 years.
It was a stark reminder that playing golf for a living is not all bad.
“It’s quite humbling. You go from inside the ropes at the Australian Open to cleaning windows at your dad’s jewellery shop,” said Tighe.
Renowned as one of the longest hitters on tour, Tighe smashed his drive down the middle at the first hole on the Old Course. Despite being regarded as a tight layout, Tighe drew confidence to compile a round that was flawless until his final hole.
“It would have been good to have no blemishes because it was pretty unreal out there,” added Tighe, who asked Hendry to look at his putting stroke after Wednesday’s pro-am.
“I took advantage of the par 5s really well and just made a couple of good 12-footers.
“If I’m in position with my driver and I’m pitching it good, I normally play pretty good because I give myself a lot of opportunities.
“I did that today and it worked out.”
Queenslander Jake McLeod is in Barooga due to missing out on qualifying for the Final Stage of Asian Tour Q School.
He flew back from Thailand on Sunday, listened to rap music and the ‘Levels’ NRL podcast on the drive from Brisbane to Barooga and then rode a hot putter Thursday to be one stroke back.
After playing the back nine in 4-under, McLeod lipped out for eagle at the par-5 first and then moved to 6-under with a birdie on two.
He dropped a shot at the par-3 third but hit a superb shot into the treacherous par-3 fifth and made birdie on six to post 64.
“I birdied all the par 5s which was nice but, to be honest, all I did well today was putt well,” said McLeod.
“I putted unbelievably well, holed pretty much everything I looked at.”
One of nine Japanese players to attend WPGA Tour Qualifying School last week, Fukaya is in her first month as a professional.
The 25-year-old birdied her opening two holes in the afternoon wave before playing the back nine in 5-under 31 to join Tighe at 8-under.
Buoyed by a top-15 finish at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open and retention of her Ladies European Tour card at Qualifying School to end 2023, Kobori also finished in a flurry.
A 9-iron to eight feet set up birdie at the par-3 fifth which she followed with an eagle at the par-5 sixth. A final birdie at the par-3 ninth not only made her the leading WPGA player in the morning field but was one better than younger brother Kazuma (65).
Vogel also earned bragging rights in her household, thrilling the Barooga faithful with her best round in a professional tournament to be two off the lead.
Close to completing the PGA’s Membership Pathway Program, Vogel drew upon her best round at Cobram Barooga – an 8-under on New Year’s Day – to finish level with Jessica Boyce and the Kiwi trio of Kazuma Kobori, Michael Hendry and Kerry Mountcastle at 6-under.
The final two rounds of the Webex Players Series Murray River will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo, the third round coverage to begin at 4pm on Saturday with final round to be broadcast live from 2pm-7pm AEDT.
Photography: Candice High
He’s got new clothes, a new home base and a new place to play but Min Woo Lee has more firsts in mind as he makes his debut as a PGA TOUR member this week at The American Express.
Heading out for the opening round alongside another young rising star with a Korean background in Tom Kim on Friday morning, Lee noted his desire to follow Kim’s example by making the Presidents Cup later this year.
So too representing his country at the Olympic Games in Paris.
“There’s a couple of goals, obviously the Presidents Cup for the International Team, and the Olympics are on the radar,” said Lee on the eve of his debut as a PGA TOUR member.
“A couple of those goals and just be a little bit better in my approach play would be good.
“I just wanted to make it (the Presidents Cup) a couple of years ago and felt like I just missed out by maybe a couple of people, so had a little bit of fire in my belly.
“Just want to represent Australia, the International Team and just play some team sports.
“It’s been a while since I played in a team environment. It would be good to have a locker room and to be with guys that I really get along with.”
Practice round prep with @MinWoo27Lee 🏌🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/krhg6bFc9p
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 18, 2024
Noting the exciting prospect of potentially being an Olympian at the Paris Games with sister Minjee, Min Woo has been in a group environment of late as he prepares to cash in on his best year to date that sees him as the world No.37 and a fully-fledged member of the PGA TOUR.
Taking time off post his third at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open that followed a win at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship, Lee went camping in Esperance.
Back to work around Christmas, the hard work with coach Ritchie Smith began as Lee looks to win for the first time on the PGA TOUR.
“Took a few weeks off after the Aussie events, felt like I needed it. I played a lot of golf towards the end of the year, needed a bit of a break,” Lee admitted.
“Practiced with the usual fellas back home, Hayden Hopewell, Elvis Smylie has joined ‘Team Ritchie’, so he came over from Queensland to Perth, we showed him the ropes. It was nice to have another competitor around us.”
Working on his approach play that was a constant area of focus during the Aussie summer, Lee’s break also allowed him to sure up his living situation ahead of his first full year in America.
Deciding Florida might be too “chill”, Lee will take residence in Las Vegas, the 25-year-old living with 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational winner Kurt Kitayama while continuing to spend time with major winner Collin Morikawa.
“Golf is wonderful there, great golf courses, great people, great food and great entertainment,” said the two-time DP World Tour winner.
“It’s got pretty much everything. You can make it as hectic or as chill as you want, which is great.
“So while I’m young, I will probably go hang out in Vegas, enjoy my time there and then maybe move over there (Florida) later.”
Despite all the new experiences, Lee reminded he is the same old Min Woo when asked if he will keep up his highly popular social media content as a PGA TOUR member.
“I’m always doing good social content, aren’t I?”
Lee is joined by Aaron Baddeley, Cam Davis, Jason Day and Harrison Endycott at The American Express that is played in a pro-am format across La Quinta Country Club and the Pete Dye Stadium and Nicklaus Tournament courses of PGA West.
This week also marks the start to the 2024 season for Adam Scott, Jason Scrivener, Grace Kim, Rod Pampling and Mark Hensby.
Scott and Scrivener are both playing the DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic, Kim starts her second LPGA Tour season at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions while Pampling and Hensby are also playing a winners-only event, the PGA TOUR Champions Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hawaii.
Photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Round 1 tee times AEDT
PGA TOUR
The American Express
PGA West, La Quinta, California
La Quinta
3:41am* Shane Lowry, Jason Day
Stadium Course
3:52am Hayden Springer, Harrison Endycott
4:36am Aaron Baddeley, Thomas Detry
Nicklaus Tournament
4:14am* Andrew Putnam, Cam Davis
5:31am* Tom Kim, Min Woo Lee
Defending champion: Jon Rahm
Past Aussie winners: Bruce Devlin (1970)
TV times: Live 4am-11am Friday; Live 4:45am-11am Saturday; Live 6am-11am Sunday; Live 5:45am-11am Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
DP World Tour
Hero Dubai Desert Classic
Emirates GC, Dubai, UAE
3:10pm* Rory McIlroy, Nicolai Hojgaard, Adam Scott
6:40pm* James Morrison, Clément Sordet, Jason Scrivener
6:50pm Connor Syme, Daniel Hillier (NZ), Nick Bachem
7:20pm Tommy Fleetwood, Cameron Young, Ryan Fox (NZ)
Defending champion: Rory McIlroy
Past Aussie winners: Richard Green (1997), Lucas Herbert (2020)
TV times: Live 3pm-12.30am Thursday, Friday; Live 7pm-12am Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
LPGA Tour
Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions
Lake Nona Golf and Country Club, Orlando, Florida
2:04am* Grace Kim
2:48am Lydia Ko (NZ)
Defending champion: Brooke Henderson
Past Aussie winners: Nil
TV times: Live 5am-8am Friday, Saturday, Monday on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo; Live 6am-9am Sunday on Fox Sports 507 and Kayo.
Korn Ferry Tour
The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club
The Abaco Club on Winding Bay, Great Abaco, Bahamas
Australasians in the field: Brett Drewitt, Rhein Gibson, Curtis Luck, Dimi Papadatos
Defending champion: Ben Silverman
Past Aussie winners: Nil
PGA TOUR Champions
Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai
Hualalai GC, Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii
7:55am Mark Hensby, Harrison Frazar, Paul Broadhurst
8:17am Dicky Pride, Mike Weir, Rod Pampling
9:01am Miguel Angel Jiménez, Steven Alker (NZ), Stephen Ames
Defending champion: Steve Stricker
Past Aussie winners: Peter Thomson (1985), Bruce Crampton (1991)
TV times: Live 11am-2pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Results
Asian Tour
Qualifying School – Final Stage
Springfield Royal Country Club and Lake View Resort and Golf Club, Thailand
After Round 2
1 Jeunghun Wang 65-68—133
3 Sam Brazel 69-67—136
T8 Maverick Antcliff 69-69—138
T21 Nick Voke (NZ) 65-75—140
T21 Denzel Ieremia (NZ) 70-70—140
T34 Lachlan Barker 74-68—142
T45 Peter Wilson 69-74—143
T45 Jordan Zunic 74-69—143
T45 Max Charles 71-72—143
T45 Nathan Barbieri 70-73—143
T45 Jared Edwards (NZ) 73-70—143
T63 Lawry Flynn 75-69—144
T63 Douglas Klein 72-72—144
T84 Shae Wools-Cobb 73-72—145
T84 Kyle Michel 74-71—145
T84 Harrison Crowe 74-71—145
T99 Justin Warren 72-74—146
T120 Jeff Guan 73-74—147
T138 Cam Harlock (NZ, a) 78-70—148
T138 Andre Lautee 73-75—148
MC James Mee 76-73—149
MC William Bruyeres 77-73—150
MC Jake Hughes 75-84—159
Korn Ferry Tour
The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay
Sandals Emerald Bay Golf Club, Great Exuma, The Bahamas
1 Jeremy Paul 70-67-67-67—271 $US180,000
T50 Rhein Gibson 65-78-77-68—288 $4,288
62 Brett Drewitt 71-70-81-71—293 $4,060
MC Dimi Papadatos 80-73—153
MC Curtis Luck 77-82—159
DQ John Lyras
Victorian Andrew Kelly has taken advantage of ideal conditions to shoot 63 in Round 2 and take a one-stroke lead at Webex Players Series Murray River at Cobram Barooga Golf Club.
Kelly leads by one at 12-under from Japan’s Kotono Fukaya (68) while two of the pacesetters on day one, Lincoln Tighe and Michael Hendry have moved up into a share of third early in their second rounds.
Tied for third at the NT PGA Championship in the second event of the season, the 36-year-old had five birdies in his first six holes on Friday morning.
He made the turn in 6-under and moved to 7-under with a birdie at the par-5 first. A dropped shot on two would be his only blemish of the day as he matched the low mark of the week set by Tighe on Thursday.
Andrew Kelly is the clubhouse leader at 12-under at Cobram Barooga GC
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) January 19, 2024
#WebexPlayersSeries Murray River pic.twitter.com/ODv4iTh9MS
Fukaya, a 25-year-old who earned her WPGA Tour card at Qualifying School last week, heads the strong Japanese contingent at Cobram Barooga.
She holed out with 9-iron from 130 metres for eagle at the par-4 seventh to build on her opening round of 8-under 63 that saw her share the lead with Tighe after Round 1.
A recent graduate of the University of Michigan, Malaysia’s Ashley Lau played her way into contention on Friday morning, her round of 7-under 64 moving her into a tie for 12th as the afternoon groups get to the midway point of their rounds.
The projected cut is 2-under with 52 players currently inside the number.
The final two rounds of the Webex Players Series Murray River will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo, the third round coverage to begin at 4pm on Saturday with final round to be broadcast live from 2pm-7pm AEDT.
The weekend also sees the playing of the Webex All Abilities Players Series and Webex Junior Players Series.
Applications are open for the first Karrie Webb Coaching Scholarships for 2024.
The Karrie Webb Coaching Scholarship aims to acknowledge, support and further develop young female golf coaches who have aspirations to excel in their coaching careers.
It includes valuable opportunities for the winner to enhance their coaching skills and learn from world-class coaches and mentors from Australia and around the world.
The Golf Australia High Performance team will select the successful applicant based on their potential and passion for coaching.
The coaching scholarship will add to Webb’s continuing support of the successful playing scholarships which are awarded annually to two of Australia’s best women golfers based on their performances in the KW Series and Women’s Amateur Golf Ranking.
Nippon Shaft has joined as a partner of the 2023/24 series which will be known as the KW Series presented by Nippon Shaft.
“It’s such an honour to be a part of the journey of young Australian players,” said Webb.
“And this new coaching scholarship is a great addition to the series for the players.
“It’s about fostering the next generation of female coaches, giving them guidance and resourcing so that they move forward and thrive.”
Applications close on 29 February, with the winner chosen on 21 March to align with the conclusion of the KW Series.
Wodonga product Zach Murray will embrace all the comforts of home as he seeks to break a five-year win drought at this week’s Webex Players Series Murray River at Cobram Barooga Golf Club.
Murray has been playing courses along the Murray River since his junior days, the Stuart Appleby Murray River Junior Masters at Cobram Barooga his earliest touchstone to a player at the highest level of the game.
When he triumphed at the 2019 New Zealand Open in his first few months as a professional, Murray’s career appeared headed on a similar trajectory.
Yet the disruption caused by COVID-19 and the anxiety he felt spending so much time away from home saw Murray’s Official World Golf Ranking fall to as low as 1,174 in early 2022.
Yet nine top-25 finishes on the Asian Tour in 2023 and the familiarity he feels playing Cobram Barooga’s Old Course has Murray buoyant about what lies ahead this week and beyond.
“I just love playing golf so it’s nice to be able to compete somewhat close to home,” said Murray.
“If I’m in contention on Sunday, hopefully a few people from Wodonga can pop up and have a look because I do enjoy playing in front of friends and family.
“You just want to ultimately try and have that success to share it with them. It sucks when you don’t, but at the end of the day you play to try and win and have those cool memories.
“Hopefully that’s something that can happen.”
Live on Fox Sports, available on Kayo and Foxtel
Eschewing the commute to and from Wodonga that he made each day for the inaugural tournament in 2022, Murray is this week staying at a house nearby owned by his partner Amy’s family.
The 26-year-old believes that will only enhance his chances of winning a tournament he hopes will have a long future in the region.
Caddieing for local PGA Professional, Bernie Squire, at the Wodonga Pro-Am as a kid remains a treasured memory and Murray knows the impact exposure to professional golf has on country kids.
“It’s funny how you remember certain things. I can vividly remember it,” Murray said of his introduction to pro golf.
“To see a professional play when you’re 12 or 13 years old, to see how they work around the golf course and the shots they hit, you go home and just want to play. You want to get better.
“That’s a real reason why it’s important to have these events in some of these more rural areas.
“Hopefully an event like this, a few kids come out and it inspires them to keep going on their journey of playing golf.
“To have a tournament and to have sports events in regional towns is really great.”
No one will have greater course knowledge than Course Superintendent Terry Vogel, who accepted an invitation to join his daughter, Steffi, as a participant this week.
A former Victorian State representative, Vogel is indicative of the type of people who make regional events such a success, according to Murray.
“What’s great about this event is that the club embraces it,” Murray said, Cobram Barooga Golf Club hosting the tournament for the third straight year.
“You’ve got someone like Terry Vogel who is a really well-known name in Victorian golf.
“It’s great to see him playing this week because that’s the type of support that you need to elevate the tournament.
“It’s important to come to areas like this to showcase the game. And you can definitely see that the course has benefited from having a tournament here over the last three years.”
Play begins at 7:30am on Thursday with Murray to tee off at 1:15pm alongside promising New South Wales amateur Jye Pickin and WPGA Tour member Amelia Mehmet-Grohn.
The Webex Players Series sees men and women compete on the same course for the one prize purse, Hannah Green creating a world-first with her victory at Cobram Barooga in 2022.
For the final two rounds professionals are joined by 16 juniors who compete in the Webex Junior Players Series. The Webex All Abilities Players Series is also contested on Saturday and Sunday.
Entry is free for spectators all four days and the final two rounds are broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo, with coverage starting at 4pm AEDT Saturday and 2pm AEDT Sunday.
