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They purposefully paired up at the American Family Insurance Championship a fortnight ago and now Cameron Percy and David Bransdon will tee off together in Round 1 of the Kaulig Companies Championship.
Formerly known as the Senior PLAYERS Championship and to be played at Firestone Country Club for the seventh straight year, 10 Australians will contest the third senior major of 2025 starting Friday.
Including Bransdon and Percy, eight Aussies have been paired together for the opening two rounds with Brisbane boys Michael Wright and John Senden to tee off at 12:10am Friday AEST, followed 11 minutes later by Bransdon and Percy.
A couple of country boys in Stuart Appleby and Mark Hensby will tee off at 12:42am while Victorians Richard Green and Steve Allan are in the same group off the first tee at 1:13am.
Rounding out the Aussie contingent this week are Rod Pampling (12:21am) and Greg Chalmers (12:42am), the influx from Down Under not going unnoticed each week on the PGA TOUR Champions.
“You hear all the time, ‘Not another Aussie’ when you’re going into the equipment truck or the gym,” said Wright, who is in his second year on the over-50s circuit.
“I took a few little mini Aussie flags over with me this year and I plant them all over the gym and put them in the equipment truck, just to stir them up.”
A journeyman who had never played on an international tour until earning his Champions Tour card in dramatic fashion in late 2023, Wright has been pleasantly surprised by the reception he has received, and not just from his fellow Aussies.
“The biggest thing that shocked me over here was how welcoming they were,” Wright said.
“I thought they’d just sort of snub me a bit, but they’ve done the opposite.
“Fred Funk went welcomed me. He almost took me under his wing, Freddy. I’m starting to talk quite a bit now with Bernard Langer; Stewart Cink’s a really nice guy.
“They’re all really good guys, to be honest. I think they’ve just left their ego at the door.”
While legendary figures Peter Thomson (1984), Bruce Crampton (1986, 1987) and Graham
Marsh (1999) have all finished runner-up, only one Australian has ever won the Kaulig Companies Championship, Stewart Ginn in 2002.
Like the seniors, there is a strong group of Australians contesting the third women’s major of 2025, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in Texas, as Adam Scott and Jason Day dust themselves off after going four rounds with Oakmont Country Club to back up for the Travelers Championship, the final Signature Event of the PGA TOUR season.
Photo: David Berding/Getty Images
Round 1 tee times AEST
KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco, Frisco, Texas
10:27pm* Robyn Choi
10:38pm* Grace Kim
11:28pm Lydia Ko (NZ)
11:44pm* Hira Naveed
11:50pm Minjee Lee
3:54am Cassie Porter
4:27am Stephanie Kyriacou
4:49am Gabriela Ruffels
5:28am* Hannah Green
5:33am Karis Davidson
Past champion: Amy Yang
Past Aussie winners: Hannah Green (2019)
Prize money: $US12m
TV times: Live 1am-5am Friday, Saturday; Live 1am-8:30am Sunday; Live 1am-8am Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
PGA TOUR
Travelers Championship
TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut
10:30pm Min Woo Lee
11:10pm Jason Day
12:05am Adam Scott
12:45am Ryan Fox (NZ)
2:10am Cam Davis
Past champion: Scottie Scheffler
Past Aussie winners: Greg Norman (1995), Marc Leishman (2012)
Prize money: $US20m
TV times: Live 9:30pm-8am Thursday, Friday: Live 10pm-8:30am Saturday; Live 9:30pm-8am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
PGA TOUR Champions
Kaulig Companies Championship
Firestone Country Club, Akron, Ohio
12:10am* Michael Wright, John Senden
12:21am David Bransdon, Cameron Percy
12:21am* Rod Pampling
12:42am Stuart Appleby, Mark Hensby
12:42am* Greg Chalmers
1:13am Richard Green, Steve Allan
1:34am Steven Alker (NZ)
Past champion: Ernie Els
Past Aussie winners: Stewart Ginn (2002)
Prize money: $US3.5m
TV times: 10:30am-12pm Friday; 10am-11:30am Saturday on Fox Sports 503; Live 6am-8am Sunday on Fox Sports 506; 1:30pm-3:30pm Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Ladies European Tour
Tipsport Czech Ladies Open
Royal Beroun Golf Club, Czech Republic
Australasians in the field: Kirsten Rudgeley, Momoka Kobori (NZ), Kelsey Bennett, Amelia Garvey (NZ), Maddison Hinson-Tolchard, Amy Walsh
Recent champion: Marta Martin
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €300,000
Korean PGA Tour
68th KPGA Championship
A-One Country Club, Yangsan
8:20am* Changgi Lee (NZ)
8:40am* Matthew Griffin
9:15am* Wonjoon Lee
1pm Sungjin Yeo (NZ)
1:20pm Junseok Lee
Recent champion: Jeon Ga-lam
Past Aussie winners: Andrew McKenzie (2008), Matthew Griffin (2014), Wonjoon Lee (2019)
Prize money: KRW1.6b
Korn Ferry Tour
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open
Crestview Country Club, Wichita, Kansas
10:20pm Rhein Gibson
5:05am Harry Hillier (NZ)
Past champion: Taylor Dickson
Past Aussie winners: Jeff Woodland (1992), Bradley Hughes (2004), Mathew Goggin (2011)
Prize money: $US1m
HotelPlanner Tour
Blot Play9
Golf Bluegreen de Pléneuf Val André, Pléneuf, France
4pm* Hayden Hopewell
9:20pm* Sam Jones (NZ)
Past champion: John Parry
Past Aussie winners: Scott Arnold (2015)
Prize money: $US1m
Epson Tour
Island Resort Championship
Sweetgrass Golf Club, Harris Michigan
Australasians in the field: Su Oh, Jess Whitting
Past champion: Soo Bin Joo
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US225,000
Tim Elliott has booked his place in two major events this summer after navigating wet and windy conditions at the Victorian PGA Professional Championships at Portsea Golf Club.
A prolific winner on the PGA Legends Tour for more than a decade – including recently besting the likes of Jason Norris and Scott Barr at the Cottesloe Senior Invitational – Elliott birdied his final two holes in a round of even-par 71 and a one-stroke win.
A regular on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia since graduating from the Membership Pathway Program, Lachlan Armour had earlier surged to the lead on the back of three straight birdies late in his round.
But disaster would strike on his final hole, making a triple bogey at the par-4 14th to finish tied second with David Tapping with matching rounds of 1-over 72.
By virtue of his win, Elliott not only earns a spot in the PGA Professionals Championship National Final at The Heritage Golf and Country Club from November 11-13, he is also exempt into the Vic PGA Championship at Moonah Links Resort and the Australian PGA Senior Championship at Richmond Golf Club. Armour and Tapping also receive invites to the Vic PGA.
A field of 74 PGA Professionals teed it up at Portsea with the top 15 to advance to the National Final.
Sheradyn Johnsonwas one of five players who finished tied 14th but secures a spot at the National Final as the highest-finishing woman in the field.
Qualifiers for National Final: Tim Elliott, David Tapping, Lachlan Armour, Shane Johnson, Simon Angliss, Alex Pitty, Matthew Howell, Levi Burns, Ben Ford, Ben Murphy, Daniel Defilice, Matt Voglas, Nick Dastey, Michael Isherwood, Jack Chrystie. Reserves: Finlay Bellingham, Kevin Conlong.
For 63 holes of the US Open, Adam Scott had Australian golf fans on the edge of their collective seats.
After contending deep into the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, Scott again showed that a second major championship remains within reach at the US Open.
Tied for the lead early in the back nine at Oakmont Country Club, missed fairways ultimately caught up with Scott as he dropped five shots in his final five holes to fall out of the top 10.
This week, the women are in major mode with the likes of Hannah Green, Minjee Lee and Stephanie Kyriacou hunting victory – and a Power Rankings boost – at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
10. Kelsey Bennett (New)
Bounced back from two missed cuts and a tie for 39th with a tie for 10th at the Hulencourt Women’s Open. Her fourth top-10 finish of her rookie season on the Ladies European Tour saw Bennett climb to 20th on the LET Order of Merit and seven spots on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking.
9. Stephanie Kyriacou (6)
Faded over the weekend at the Meijer LPGA Classic. At 39th is the third-highest ranked Australian in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking.
8. Minjee Lee (7)
A tie for 14th at the Meijer LPGA Classic was Lee’s seventh top-15 finish from 11 starts on the LPGA Tour this year. Arguably Australia’s in-form player in the women’s game despite world ranking dropping to No.24.
7. Min Woo Lee (5)
Missed cut at the US Open at Oakmont a continuation of Lee’s struggles since winning the Texas Children’s Houston Open in April.
6. Jason Day (8)
Continued his strong season in the majors with a tie for 23rd at the US Open. Tied for eighth at the Masters before a missed cut at the US PGA Championship, Day’s 67 in Round 2 at Oakmont was one of the best of the day. Best US Open result since he was tied 21st in 2019.
5. Karl Vilips (4)
After failing to make the field for the US Open, the Puerto Rico Open champion may be left on the sideline again this week, currently an alternate for the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands.
4. Hannah Green (2)
Was Australia’s best at the US Women’s Open with a tie for 12th but an opening round of 75 kept Green from contending at the Meijer LPGA Classic. The 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA champion did shoot 68 in rounds two and four to finish tied 36th.
3. Marc Leishman (3)
Carried the momentum through from US Open qualifying and a tie for 10th at LIV Golf Virginia to impress in his first major championship since 2022. After 2-under 68 in Round 3, began the final round at Oakmont tied for 11th but, like many, struggled in the awful conditions.
2. Adam Scott (10)
The 44-year-old found himself in the hunt for a second major with nine holes to play for the second straight major championship. The 2013 Masters champ was part of a five-way tie for the lead early in the back nine Sunday at Oakmont but tangled with the dense rough too often to finish tied 12th.
1. Lucas Herbert (1)
Will be chomping at the bit when the LIV Golf season continues next week at LIV Golf Dallas. Boasts three top-five finishes on LIV Golf in 2025 to go with victory at the International Series Japan on the Asian Tour.
The Australian Golf Power Rankings is a subjective list developed with input from members of the Australian Golf media team.
A late bogey and a 15-year-old amateur conspired to deny Queensland’s Justice Bosio a maiden professional win at the Amundi Czech Ladies Challenge.
Defeated in a playoff on the LET Access Series two starts back, the Caboolture product held a narrow, one-stroke advantage late in Sunday’s final round.
She dropped a shot at the par-4 16th, two-putted for par at the par-5 17th and then got up-and-down for par at the final hole to join England’s Gemma Clews, Austria’s Katharina Muehlbauer and teenage French amateur Alice Kong in the playoff.
It would need just one extra hole as Kong denied the three professionals with a birdie from 13 feet.
Despite the disappointment of not winning, Bosio earned a three-way share of the winner’s prize money and the crucial Order of Merit points.
Given her other runner-up finish, Bosio now leads the LET Access Series Rookie of the Year standings and has climbed to fifth on the Order of Merit, the top seven last season earning promotion to the Ladies European Tour.
There was an Aussie top 10 again on the Ladies European Tour this week with Kelsey Bennett tied 10th at the Hulencourt Women’s Open in Belgium.
It is the fourth top-10 finish of Bennett’s rookie season and elevates her to 20th on the Order of Merit.
There were a host of Aussie women jockeying for positions near the top of the leaderboard early at the Meijer LPGA Classic in Michigan.
Karis Davidson led and there were six Aussies inside the top 11 through 36 holes, Davidson’s tie for seventh the best by week’s end and her best ever finish on the LPGA Tour.
Adam Scott began the final round of the US Open with high hopes of a second major championship only to fade late with a 9-over 79 while Scott Hend grabbed a share of 10th at the Costa Navarino Legends Tour Trophy.
Results
US Open
Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, Pennsylvania
1 JJ Spaun 66-72-69-72—279 $US4.3m
T12 Adam Scott 70-70-67-79—286 $348,967
T19 Ryan Fox (NZ) 72-73-73-69—287 $242,532
T23 Jason Day 76-67-72-73—288 $161,132
T38 Marc Leishman 71-75-68-77—291 $90,408
T64 Cam Davis 74-73-82-73—302 $42,351
MC Cameron Smith 75-73—148
MC Min Woo Lee 77-72—149
LPGA Tour
Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give
Blythefield Country Club, Belmont, Michigan
1 Carlota Ciganda 69-67-69-67—272 $US450,000
T7 Karis Davidson 66-70-71-69—276 $75,376
T14 Gabriela Ruffels 67-71-73-67—278 $38,877
T14 Minjee Lee 67-70-72-69—278 $38,877
T24 Grace Kim 65-73-71-72—281 $26,616
T36 Hannah Green 75-68-72-68—283 $16,039
T44 Cassie Porter 68-70-74-72—284 $12,095
T54 Stephanie Kyriacou 70-68-76-72—286 $7,755
72 Sarah Kemp 69-73-75-73—290 $5,859
MC Robyn Choi 69-76—145
MC Hira Naveed 74-77—151
MC Fiona Xu (NZ) 75-77—152
Ladies European Tour
Hulencourt Women’s Open
Hulencourt, Belgium
1 Darcey Harry 71-68-68-68—275 €45,000
3 Amelia Garvey (NZ) 71-70-72-66—279 €18,000
T10 Kelsey Bennett 67-71-71-74—283 €6,300
T17 M. Hinson-Tolchard 70-71-71-73—285 €4,788
MC Kirsten Rudgeley 74-74—148
MC Momoka Kobori (NZ) 73-76—149
MC Amy Walsh 79-77—156
MC Wenyung Keh (NZ) 76-84—160
Japan Golf Tour/Korean PGA Tour
Hana Bank Invitational
The Heaven Country Club, South Korea
1 Shaun Norris 66-69-69-66—270 ¥27,352,000
Won on second hole of sudden-death playoff
MC Michael Hendry (NZ) 72-69—141
MC Brad Kennedy 72-72—144
MC Junseok Lee 72-73—145
MC Sungjin Yeo (NZ) 73-78—151
Epson Tour
Great Lakes Championship
The Highlands, The Heather, Harbor Springs, Michigan
1 Riley Smyth 72-66-66—204 $US37,500
T23 Su Oh 71-70-72—213 $2,634
MC Soo Jin Lee 77-74—151
MC Jess Whitting 82-80—162
HotelPlanner Tour
Raiffeisenbank Golf Challenge
Kaskáda Golf Resort, Brno, Czech Republic
1 Palmer Jackson 65-67-67-64—263 €48,000
MC Jye Pickin 75-74—149
MC Hayden Hopewell 86-72—158
LET Access Series
Amundi Czech Ladies Challenge
Panorama Golf Resort, Kacov, Czech Republic
1 Alice Kong (a) 74-71-70—215 ——
Won on first hole of sudden-death playoff
T2 Justice Bosio 73-71-71—215 €5,115
T26 Abbie Teasdale 77-69-75—221 €630.90
T26 Stephanie Bunque 73-71-77—221 €630.90
T26 Kristalle Blum 76-75-70—221 €630.90
T44 Belinda Ji 76-74-76—226 €363.38
Legends Tour
Costa Navarino Legends Tour Trophy
Costa Navarino, Greece
1 Peter Baker 67-67-66—200
T10 Scott Hend 68-69-73—210
T14 Michael Campbell (NZ) 73-69-69—211
T50 Michael Long 73-75-75—223
In the end, even “old-man-par” would have fallen just short as too many tussles with Oakmont Country Club’s gnarly rough denied Adam Scott a career-defining second major at the US Open.
Shortly before heavy rain forced a 99-minute suspension of play in the final round, Scott had drawn level with 54-hole leader Sam Burns on the top of the leaderboard at 2-under par.
As Mother Nature and Oakmont applied a squeeze that at one point pushed every player in the field over par, five players – including Scott – were tied for the lead as the final group walked from the 12th green.
It was a moment for Scott to lean on experience gleaned from 96 consecutive major starts but missed fairways at 14 and 15 and two hacks from deep stuff right of the 16th green saw the 44-year-old drop four shots in three holes and suddenly out of contention.
In a chaotic finish in fading light, 34-year-old American JJ Spaun shrugged off bogeys on five of his first six holes to finish birdie-birdie and win at 1-under-par, holing the longest putt made by anyone all week on the 72nd hole, a 64-foot-five-inch roll into golf immortality.
Admitting that he didn’t adjust to the condition of the golf course after the rain delay, Scott said that missed fairways were fatal as he finished with 9-over 79 and tied for 12th.
“I hadn’t done that all week really. Then I did, and I paid the price and lost a lot of shots out there,” Scott said.
“Couldn’t recover. Conditions were just tough. They were tough at the start. Then once the fairways were soaked, it was very hard controlling the golf ball.
“It was borderline unplayable. The water was like so close to the surface. Like the shot I hit on 11, it’s bizarre. I just don’t know. It was like an aquaplane on the ground.
“It’s a tough call, but we played. Everyone had to deal with it.”
It was a win Scott craved to deem himself worthy of Hall of Fame status.
The 2013 Masters champion hit his opening tee shot 302 yards into the left-centre of the fairway to set a positive tone, but he would hit just six more in the ensuing 17 holes.
After a bogey on one, Scott squandered a rare birdie chance from 12 feet on two and then dropped a shot on three to fall two back of Burns.
A thunderous drive of 341 yards and a fortunate drop from a sprinkler head beside the green gave Scott an eagle look at the par-5 fourth, the Queenslander unleashing a rare premature fist pump when his putt from 46 feet hooked below the front of the hole late.
A par putt from five feet at five was enough to join Burns at 2-under but a three-putt on six would be Scott’s third bogey in his opening six holes.
He came up two inches short of a birdie at the par-4 seventh and was waiting on the eighth tee when USGA officials suspended play at 4:01pm local time.
Upon resumption, Scott was confronted with one of the toughest shots on arguably golf’s toughest golf course, his tee shot at the 301-yard par-3 eighth nestling down deep in the rough to the right of the green.
An up-and-down from right of the ninth green saw Scott go out in 3-over, coming up six inches short of a much-needed birdie from 44 feet at the par-4 10th.
Despite an impressive putt from 14 feet for bogey, a dropped shot after traipsing through knee-high fescue rough behind the 11th green the first of four bogeys along with the double-bogey on 16 marking the beginning of the end.
Birdie chances from 21 feet and 38 feet would stay above ground at 12 and 13, Scott suffering at the hands of Oakmont once again when his tee shot on 14 became semi-buried near the front lip of the right fairway trap, leaving nothing but a sideways blast that travelled just 30 feet into the rough again.
Playing as a single after Canadian Corey Conners withdrew pre-round through injury, Kiwi Ryan Fox continued his hot run with a closing 1-under 69 to finish in a tie for 19th at 7-over par.
Jason Day shot 73 on Sunday to finish in a tie for 23rd, Marc Leishman (77) was tied 38th and Cam Davis – also playing as a single – making four birdies on the back nine in a round of 73 to be tied 64th.
Final Australasian scores
T12 Adam Scott 70-70-67-79—286
T19 Ryan Fox (NZ) 72-73-73-69—287
T23 Jason Day 76-67-72-73—288
T38 Marc Leishman 71-75-68-77—291
T64 Cam Davis 74-73-82-73—302
MC Cameron Smith 75-73—148
MC Min Woo Lee 77-72—149
Photo: Chris Keane/USGA
Adam Scott can cement his legacy as an icon of Australian golf and take a place among the game’s greats after playing his way into the final group for championship Sunday at the US Open.
Heavy rain that forced a late suspension of Round 2 made Oakmont Country Club somewhat more agreeable in Round 3, Scott shaking off “old-man-par golf” to match the low round of the day and trail 54-hole leader Sam Burns (69) by just one.
Scott’s 3-under 67 and a late bogey by American JJ Spaun (69) gives the 44-year-old Australian the opportunity to stare down Burns in the final group (4:15am AEST) and seek to add to his 2013 Masters triumph.
No other player inside the top 10 – or within seven shots of the lead – has a resume boasting a major title and Scott can significantly add to his if he joins a jaw-dropping list of US Open winners at Oakmont.
With a win, Scott would:
In shooting 67 on Saturday, Scott joined Curtis Strange (1994) and Shane Lowry (2016) as the only players to post 70 or better in each of the first three rounds of a US Open at Oakmont, doing so with a mix of thunderous drives and impeccable bunker play.
As needed to succeed in a US Open, Scott saved pars with exceptional bunker shots at six, eight and 15 and then converted a bunker shot to 14 feet into a birdie at the par-4 17th to join the leaders at 3-under.
Burns would also birdie 17 to reclaim the outright lead but will share the main stage with Scott in what shapes as a Sunday to remember.
“It would be super fulfilling,” Scott said when asked to ponder the possibility of a US Open victory.
“Everyone out here has got their journey. Putting ourselves in these positions doesn’t just happen by fluke. It’s not easy to do it.
“I really haven’t been in this kind of position for five or six years, or feeling like I’m that player. But that’s what I’m always working towards.
“It’s not that easy to figure it all out. But if I were to come away with it tomorrow, it would be a hell of a round of golf and an exclamation point on my career.”
A par putt from 16 feet came up three feet short after Scott just missed the green left with his approach at the par-4 first but he would get back to level par soon after with birdie at the 600-yard par-5 fourth.
Scott hit his second shot from 280 yards just inside 60 feet from the hole, putting down to four feet on his way to his first birdie of the day.
He missed a birdie chance from five feet at seven when his ball nibbled at the right edge of the hole and then two-putted from 50 feet to make pars at both nine and 10.
Another birdie opportunity from 10 feet slipped by at 11 before vintage Adam Scott emerged with iron shots to five feet at the par-3 13th and tap-in range at the par-4 14th, almost spinning his wedge from 97 yards back into the hole for eagle.
A birdie try from 22 feet at the par-3 16th died on the right side of the hole but his birdie on 17 and two-putt par from 53 feet on 18 secured Sunday’s final tee time.
Playing in his first major championship since 2022, Victorian Marc Leishman also has a late start (3:20am AEST) after posting 2-under 68 in Round 3.
A holed bunker shot for birdie at the par-3 eighth was the centrepiece of a round that was 4-under through 13 holes only to have Oakmont hit back with three straight bogeys from the 14th hole.
Like Scott, Leishman got up-and-down for birdie from the bunker right of the 17th green and is relishing the chance to showcase his game on the biggest stage.
“There’s nothing bad about contending in a major,” said Leishman, who needed 38 holes at Final Qualifying to book a spot in the field this week.
“It has been a while, but I’ve been playing some really good golf.
“Just happy to make the most of qualifying. Sometimes you can get in and you think it’s a done deal and away you go.
“Really wanted to make the most of getting in and doing that hard work, so hopefully a good round tomorrow will do that.
“Hopefully I can get off to a start like I did today and give (the leaders) something to look at.”
A near ace at the par-3 eighth was the high point of Jason Day’s round of 2-over 72, the 2015 US PGA champion to start the final round in a tie for 21st.
Final round coverage of the US Open is 1am-9am AEST on Monday morning on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo Sports.
Round 3 Australasian scores
T2 Adam Scott 70-70-67—207
T11 Marc Leishman 71-75-68—214
T21 Jason Day 76-67-72—215
T39 Ryan Fox (NZ) 72-73-73—218
67 Cam Davis 74-73-82—229
MC Cameron Smith 75-73—148
MC Min Woo Lee 77-72—149
Round 4 tee times AEST
9:52pm Cam Davis
12:20am Ryan Fox (NZ)
1:58am Jason Day
3:20am Marc Leishman
4:15am Adam Scott
Veteran Adam Scott has made friends with “old-man-par” golf to ignite his hopes of a second major championship on another day of drama at the US Open at Oakmont Country Club.
Tied for 11th after opening with an even-par 70, Scott will tee off in the second-to-last group in Round 3 on Saturday after refusing to yield ground for a second straight day.
The only player in the field without an over-par round through the first two days, Scott’s 70 on Friday consisted of three birdies, three bogeys and 12 hard-earned pars, putting him just three back of 36-hole leader Sam Burns (65).
Playing in his 96th consecutive major championship, the 2013 Masters champion has hit 27 of 36 greens in regulation at the halfway point to build belief that experience may be his greatest asset over the weekend.
“I’m playing old-man-par golf at the moment,” Scott joked.
“I guess I would have expected to be in this position if you said even par through two rounds.
“It’s just hard out there. It’s hard to keep it going when guys have got on a run. It seems like they’ve come back a bit.
“I’d be pretty proud of winning this thing on the weekend. Right now, that’s really what I’m here to do.
“I feel like there’s probably not been many signs to anyone else but me the last month or six weeks that my game is looking better. But I definitely feel more confident than I have been this year.
“I feel like this is what I’ve been working towards. I was kind of in the mix late at the PGA, and now kind of putting myself in this one for the weekend.
“It’s a long way to go, but I feel like my game is in good enough shape to do this.”
The 44-year-old’s second shot into one flirted with the right edge of the hole as he began day two with a birdie from six feet, ceding that shot and one more with back-to-back bogeys at four and five.
He started the back nine as he did the first by holing a birdie putt from 22 feet at the par-4 10th but dropped a shot when he failed to get up-and-down from the greenside bunker at the par-3 13th.
Scott took advantage of the short par-4 14th to make birdie and get back square with the card, securing his 70 with three par putts from four feet and one from 13 feet at 17 that elicited a subtle fist pump.
Fellow Queenslander Jason Day revitalised his hopes of a second major with a 3-under 67 made possible, in part, by a DIY putter adjustment.
Now 3-over for the championship, Day revealed post-round that he made an unconventional change to his putter after Round 1, his 27 putts in Round 2 six less than was necessary on day one.
“I bent my putter. I just manually bent it myself,” Day replied when asked whether he had made any changes between rounds.
“Stood on it. That’s kind of how I used to do it back in the day.
“It just hadn’t been looking very good to me personally. Kind of looks a little bit hooded, the grip’s on a little bit closed too, so that’s not a positive for me.
“I bent it enough to make it look more open, which is good.”
Six-over when he teed off early on Friday, Day took one step back before taking two steps forward.
The 37-year-old made bogey on 10 after missing a par putt from four feet but hit 3-wood from 330 yards to 20 feet at the par-5 12th as he became the first player to eagle the hole for the week.
He followed that with a perfectly executed birdie at the short par-4 14th and took advantage of another short four, the 305-yard 17th, to play the back nine in 3-under.
A visit to the famed ‘church pews’ led to a dropped shot at the par-4 third but the former world No.1 hit back with a superb shot to five feet at the par-3 sixth followed by a birdie putt from 24 feet at the par-4 seventh.
A final tangle with the gnarly rough left of the fairway led to a closing bogey at the par-4 ninth but Day did enough to believe he is now back in the championship.
“It was a big day to come back and shoot 3-under to make the cut,” said Day.
“I feel like you’re going to make bogeys out here and try and get the birdies when you can.
“Three-over right now, if I can just keep climbing the leaderboard, get into contention on Sunday that would be great.”
Kiwi Ryan Fox shot 73 on Friday to be tied 36th heading into the final two rounds, Marc Leishman (75) and Cam Davis (73) joining Scott and Day in advancing to the weekend.
Round 2 Australasian scores
T4 Adam Scott 70-70—140
T12 Jason Day 76-67—143
T36 Ryan Fox (NZ) 72-73—145
T45 Marc Leishman 71-75—146
T58 Cam Davis 74-73—147
MC Cameron Smith 75-73—148
MC Min Woo Lee 77-72—149
Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Lachlan Armour and Jack Sandic have taken out the Victorian PGA 4BBB Match Play Championship with a dominant victory in the final at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
A win on the 18th hole in the semi-final was the closest of the three matches Armour and Sandic played prior to facing off against Ryan Lynch and Kris Mueck.
Winners of this event in 2017, Lynch and Mueck endured a similar fate to those who had faced Armour and Sandic, going down 5&4 in the final on Friday.
This year marked the return of the Victorian PGA 4BBB Match Play Championship to the schedule for the first time since 2020.
An even-par 70 was enough to have Australian Adam Scott just outside the top 10 as the best players in the world were subjected to golf’s toughest test on day one of the US Open at Oakmont Country Club.
Tied for 18th when the US Open last visited Oakmont in 2016, Scott had five birdies across his opening nine holes to head to the front nine 2-under-par.
On a day in which he hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation but needed 34 putts across Oakmont’s wickedly quick and dramatically contoured greens, Scott missed a six-footer for par on three and then could only hack out to 13 feet from the rough right of the par-3 eighth, two-putting for bogey as Oakmont dragged another shot back.
Tied for 10th at LIV Golf Virginia days after coming through 38 holes to qualify to play the US Open, Victorian Marc Leishman marked his return to major championship golf with a 1-over 71, one better than Kiwi Canadian Open champion Ryan Fox (72).
Putts for birdie from 18 and 20 feet at the second and 13th holes were the highlight of Cam Davis’s 4-over 74 while there was just a solitary birdie across the three rounds of Cameron Smith (76), Jason Day (76) and Min Woo Lee (77).
Despite his struggles, Smith told LIV Golf reporter Mike McAllister that he was content with his work that included hitting eight of 14 fairways and nine of 18 greens.
“A couple of three putts, bogeys on the par-5s – switch those round, we’re right in it,” said Smith. “Plenty of good stuff there. Just need to keep doing what we’re doing, although it seems like you want to bash your head in out there.”
Scott gave as good as he got out among the early groups on Thursday morning.
Playing in his 96th consecutive major, Scott missed the fairway left on his way to bogey on 10 but hit a wedge to eight feet for birdie on 11 and then pummelled a 380-yard drive on his way to a second straight birdie at the par-5 12th.
The 44-year-old short-sided himself at the par-3 13th to drop back to even par but poured in a putt from 16 feet at 14 to get back into red figures.
Scott came up well short with his first putt from 48 feet to drop another shot at the par-3 16th but, as he had done the entire front nine, responded with a birdie after driving the green at the par-4 17th, turning in 2-under by hitting a superb second from 180 yards to just five feet at the par-4 18th.
Round 1 Australasian scores
T11 Adam Scott 70
T20 Marc Leishman 71
T33 Ryan Fox (NZ) 72
T62 Cam Davis 74
T79 Cameron Smith 75
T98 Jason Day 76
T119 Min Woo Lee 77
Round 2 tee times (AEST)
8:56pm* Ryan Fox (NZ)
9:18pm* Min Woo Lee
9:51pm* Jason Day
10:13pm Marc Leishman
3:03am Adam Scott
3:47am Cameron Smith
3:47am* Cam Davis
Photo: Logan Whitton/USGA
Seemingly out of contention after just three holes, Samuel Slater produced a sensational comeback to claim a share of top spot at the Foxleigh Mine Middlemount Golf & Country Club Pro-Am today.
The long-hitting Queenslander played his final 13 holes in 10-under-par to post a 6-under-par 66 and join Christopher Wood and Harrison Wills as the titleholders at Middlemount, the opening leg of the Central Queensland swing on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series.
Wood and Wills were the first to 6-under before eventually being joined by Slater when he birdied his second last hole of the day to cap his charge into contention.
While Wood, who had seven birdies and a solitary bogey in his round, has been a prolific pro-am winner for more than a decade, Middlemount is victory number one for Wills, an infrequent pro-am entrant who collected nine birdies.
Turning point
Slater was near the tail of the field when he double-bogeyed the sixth and seventh holes, his second and third of the day, and was still at 4-over-par when he began the back nine.
The first signs of a remarkable turnaround came when he reeled off four consecutive birdies and an eagle from the 10th hole to move under-par for his round before another four-birdie streak came on the 18th through to the third.
Quick quotes
Slater said: “I was a bit rattled, that’s for sure. But anything can happen out there. That’s the approach I took to it. I’ve been working really hard on the short game. That’s the thing that’s let me down for several years, so it’s good to finally get that on track.”
Wills said: “Being from out here, all these little tracks like Middlemount are like a second home. It’s nice to be able to come out here, catch up with everyone and put a round together. I’m going to play a fair bit over the next couple of months and see what comes.”
Wood said: “I spent a good part of the first probably three or four years when I turned pro out here, coming out and supporting these events so it was good to come back after a few years off. The course is definitely a lot better than I can remember. I would’ve liked to have probably got off the tee a bit better, but I putted well and holed some good putts to get the momentum going.”
Leading scores
T1 Sam Slater 66
T1 Christopher Wood 66
T1 Harrison Wills 66
4 Ben Hollis 67
5 Jay Mackenzie 68
T6 Nathan Page 69
T6 Brendan Smith 69
T6 Lachlan Wood 69
T6 Cameron Bell 69
T6 Anthony Choat 69
Next up
The Central Queensland swing continues with the ABM Blackwater Pro-Am on Saturday and Sunday with Jay Mackenzie as the defending champion.
