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The “worst tee shot I could possibly hit” somehow provided the spark that Adam Henwood needed to claim victory at the The Links Shell Cove Legends Pro-Am.
The Links Shell Cove south of Wollongong was making its debut on the PGA Legends Tour with players raving not only about the quality of the golf course but the facility as a whole.
The windswept layout would see just three players break par for the day, Henwood’s 3-under 68 securing a two-shot win from Mark McFadden (70) and John Onions (70).
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Starting his round from the sixth tee in the morning wave, Henwood was even par through 12 holes as he mixed three birdies in with three bogeys.
Henwood was disgusted with the tee shot he hit at the par-5 18th yet after a stroke of luck was able to salvage a birdie.
He backed that up with an eagle at the par-5 first and then, after a bogey at the par-3 third, finished his round with a birdie at the short par-4 fifth to close out a two-shot win.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I finished pretty strong. I didn’t have a great start – was having a few jiggles here and there and a few extra putts, couple of poor chips.
“I hit probably the worst tee shot I could possibly hit off one hole and got away with it unbelievably and made a birdie.
“I chucked a quick eagle in on the next and then a birdie on the one after that and all of a sudden I was looking not too bad.
“This place is amazing. Incredible property and a great golf course although it was pretty tough out there today.
“It was just one of those days. It was tough, it was a grind and I ground it out pretty well.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Adam Henwood 68
T2 Mark McFadden 70
T2 John Onions 70
T4 Grahame Stinson 71
T4 Paul Powell 71
T4 David Diaz 71
T4 Robert Mitchell 71
T4 Lucas Bates 71
T4 Scott Ford 71
NEXT UP
Henwood is among a strong field that will next contest the $25,000 Fidelity Capital Group Charity Legends Pro-Am at Springwood Country Club on Thursday, October 19.
In Japan for this week’s PGA TOUR ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP on a sponsor’s exemption, Min Woo Lee has been announced as the latest player on the roster of the TGL presented by SoFi.
A collaboration with the PGA TOUR, TGL is an innovative golf league mixing advanced technology and live action, with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy among its creators.
Launching in January 2024 with a 15-match regular season then finals, Lee, who won last week on the Asian Tour at the SJM Macao Open, joins the likes of major winners Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Justin Rose, Collin Morikawa and compatriot Adam Scott on the TGL roster.
“It’s going to be a team game, I’m not sure what team I am going to be on, I am excited for that,” Lee told Australian media.
“It’s going to be special, you can see that roster, obviously with Tiger and Rory, and most of the top players in the world, which is really awesome. I’m really excited for that; I hope I can show out and play some of my best golf there.”
There will be six teams, featuring 24 players, with four announced to date – New York, Los Angeles Golf Club, Atlanta Drive GC and Boston – and investors include Serena and Venus Williams, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Fenway Sports Group.
Lee’s place amongst the big name players and in the highly anticipated new league yet another sign of his rising star in world golf.
The West Australian is set to play full-time on the PGA TOUR in 2024, from a likely Las Vegas base, after securing status following his PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP and U.S. Open top-10s this year leading to Special Temporary Membership.
Marking his third professional win, his Asian Tour success last week was the first time the 25-year-old claimed a tournament as the top billed player.
“It’s not easy, there’s not many times where I was the top player in the tournament, there is only a few times that it has happened, but I guess I just learnt from the Aussie events to not get too far ahead of myself,” Lee said.
“I felt like it could come easier, but in a case it came even harder, so I felt like I had to chill out and take a deep breath and in Macao last week, there was a lot of pressure. But the only thing I could do is handle the things I could have done. I just try to do the best I can, and it worked out.”
That is a feeling he will experience again as one of the announced players for the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship and ISPS HANDA Australian Open on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia. Lee also recently announced as co-host with sister Minjee of the newest Webex Players Series event at their home club of Royal Fremantle in early 2025.
“I feel like Royal Fremantle you can go low, but for four days in a row, it’s pretty darn good,” he joked when asked about repeating last week’s 30-under-par total at the ZOZO.
“If I could do that most of the time, I would be probably the No.1 player in the world.”
Lee will have plenty of company in that class of player in the TGL and on the PGA TOUR, with a stated goal for 2024 of making his first Presidents Cup team. A goal he says was heightened watching the recent Ryder Cup in Italy.
The match play format of that event, and the TGL which sees three players of each team in a match play format over two hours at a purpose-built venue called SoFi Centre in Florida suiting the World No.45 perfectly.
“It seems like everyone and then there’s me,” Lee said of the TGL.
“These guys, obviously major champions and best in the world. I guess a bit of my fun personality and hopefully I can play some good golf there, too. I really like that, like type of format, team event.”
Queenslander TJ King has shot out to a strong first-round lead at the PGA Professional Championship at The Heritage in Melbourne, with only two players managing to break par on a tough opening day.
The 26-year-old Assistant Professional from Mount Coolum fired a 5-under 67 to lead the field by two shots ahead of Royal Hobart’s Matt Docking who began with a 69.
Despite the wet weather on Monday, King (pictured today) still managed to get a full practice round in, and was happy with how the conditions turned around for the better.
He was runner-up at Yarra Yarra in this tournament last year.
“I enjoyed the course, the greens rolled awesome,” he said.
“I managed to hole a few putts and birdie three of the par threes, which really helped gain a few on the field.”
Part of the winning Four Nations Cup team this year, King said that tournament had helped coming into this week.
“It was good to have some sort of competitive golf before I teed it up this week. That team environment of golf is fun, which definitely helped and lifted my spirits.”
King has been at Mount Coolum since he was a junior, a place he truly loves.
“I started out there washing the carts. When I graduated school I got a job in the shop, started my traineeship there and now I’m the Assistant Pro,” he said.
Defending champion Scott Laycock was one of those who struggled in round one, carding a 78.
The top two finishers in this 54-hole event receive a start in the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland next month.
Docking, 42, is the Head PGA Professional at Royal Hobart but not for long; he is going home to Swan Hill on the Murray in a fortnight with his family to take up a position as Director of Golf at Murray Downs Country Club.
He made a bomb for birdie on the first green to set the tone. Adding another three birdies on the front nine he took a share of the lead but battling a ‘stinger’ in his right hand, he gave back shots at the 10th and the 17th before scrambling a par from left of the 18th green to post his 3-under.
Docking is originally Victorian and has played plenty of golf on the Murray. “It’s a homecoming of sorts for me. I’ve spent a lot of time on the Murray and I can’t wait.”
The Australian Golf Industry Council (AGIC) has today unveiled a report that reveals golf provides $3.3 billion in total annual benefits to the Australian community, economy and environment.
The 2023 Community Benefits of Golf in Australia report was commissioned by the AGIC, comprising the key national bodies of the golf industry in Australia, including the PGA of Australia, Golf Australia and the WPGA Tour of Australasia,
It was conducted by SGS Economics & Planning and details the wide-ranging and sizeable benefits of golf through quantified data and a robust methodology.
Headlining the report’s findings are the $3.3 billion in total annual benefits of golf; the growing and deepening participation in all forms of golf; and golf’s estimated annual household expenditure of $10.3 billion.
It also shows that 37 percent of adult Australians – a total of 7.23 million people – say they have visited a golf facility as a non-player.
The health benefits of golf are highlighted by the fact Australian golfers walk 280 million kilometres annually, or the equivalent to more than 7000 laps between the Earth and our moon.
On-course golfers are also happier than those who don’t get outdoors to play the game, rating 7.1 percent higher in subjective health and wellbeing compared to non-round golfers.
“Golf is big, it is different and it is changing, and this report quantifies that statement while providing the necessary, and enlightening, data to help change the perception of golf,” WPGA Tour of Australasia CEO and AGIC Chair Karen Lunn said.
“Golfers are happier and healthier because of this great game, and they are providing significant benefits to their communities and the wider Australian economy and environment through their participation.”
The benefits outlined in the report are partly created by the 3.5 million Australians who play a form of golf – 2.2 million on course, 1.3 million off course – across 1603 places to play around Australia.
These numbers make golf one of the country’s largest participation sports.
Golf’s contribution to the Australian economy is valued at $394 million for businesses and $122 million for industry workers, while the best example of sport’s huge economic impact is the $336 million of benefits provided via golf tourism.
Annually, 1.6 million domestic overnight trips are made by Australians, and another 150,000 international tourists visit, for the purpose of golf, with their spending covering items such as green fees, food, accommodation, and transportation.
“We know golf is huge in Australia and this report provides all the evidence,” PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman said.
“For the PGA, golf is a sport that provides a livelihood to our members through employment and running businesses where customer experience is of the highest priority.
“But golf is much more than that as this report explains – its social benefits, health benefits and environmental benefits are enormous.”
The report shows an additional 166,000 Australians would be considered physically inactive without golf, saving the health system $49 million, and the physical health benefits for all golfers total $423 million.
Meanwhile, through the physical exercise, social interaction and time in natural landscapes, the annual mental health benefit derived from golf is calculated at $439 million.
“The health benefits of golf are well established, including reduced risk factors for several chronic illnesses. This report adds to other academic research with detailed findings on just how beneficial golf is to the Australian community,” Golf Australia CEO James Sutherland said.
“Golf is different and getting bigger, and with this data showcasing its benefits we hope this continues to encourage more people to engage with our sport, experience our places to play and experience improved health and wellbeing.”
Like every element of society, a key focus for golf in the current day and moving forward is how the game interacts with and helps the environment.
The Community Benefits of Golf in Australia report details an annual environmental benefit of $890 million created by golf.
These benefits include water filtration and purification, flood and stormwater protection, carbon sequestration, urban cooling and significantly higher biodiversity than public parks.
Clearly outlining the significant detail of these benefits, and more, the Community Benefits of Golf in Australia is available at golf.org.au and it is hoped will serve as valuable resource to the industry and reference point for broader conversations about golf and its place and value in for Australian community.
“This report has been a significant undertaking for the Australian Golf Industry Council and it will prove to be of high value moving forward,” Lunn said.
“Golf as a game, lifestyle and its facilities as community hubs, shares undeniable and substantial benefits to Australia and the details found in the report show that in a way and depth that has never previously been available.”
The Australian Golf Industry Council (AGIC) was established in 2006 as a group comprising the key national bodies of the golf industry in Australia, designed to work together for the common good of the game and the industry.
The AGIC includes representatives from PGA of Australia, Golf Australia, WPGA Tour of Australasia, Australian Sports Turf Managers Association, Australian Sporting Goods Association, Golf Management Australia and Society of Australian Golf Course Architects.
South Australian Lachlan Barker will treat a rare home game like any other week on tour after climbing into the top spot on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.
Champion Ben Eccles was the big mover at the WA PGA Championship as the chase for Order of Merit points heats up, the 28-year-old Victorian climbing into third place with his five-stroke win in Kalgoorlie.
Victorious at the PNG Open in May, Barker was in the pack of those giving chase to Eccles in Sunday’s final round, shooting 2-under 70 to finish tied for third with New Zealand’s Kit Bittle.
Earning 61 Order of Merit points saw Barker leapfrog both Daniel Gale and Simon Hawkes into first spot ahead of this week’s latest addition to the Webex Players Series, the Webex Players Series South Australia.
Host course this week, Willunga Golf Club, is across the road from Barker’s childhood home, providing the rare opportunity to sleep in his own bed, enjoy mum’s home-cooked meals and walk to the golf course each day.
But despite the unique circumstances, Barker is determined to stick to his routine and extend his advantage in the season-long points race.
“The way I’m going to go ahead and treat it is just like any other week,” Barker insisted.
“I’m sure there might be some external things that I’ll be doing away from golf but apart from that, treating it like every other week.
“Being in routine is when I play my best. Yes, it means a lot, I’m definitely in the points race and points mean a lot at this point but the way to get them is to do the same thing I do every week.
“If I go and treat it differently I don’t see myself getting the result I want.
“No added pressure, treat it like any other week, do my thing.”
Eccles’ sudden elevation into third bears a remarkable similarity to that of last year’s Order of Merit winner and fellow Kalgoorlie conqueror, David Micheluzzi.
After spending more than five years playing in Europe and a year split between the Asian Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia last year, Eccles was close to quitting altogether.
After earning his Australasian Tour card back in April, he and coach Grant Field made the Aussie summer his sole focus.
It yielded the ultimate result with a win that was eight years in the making and which has provided even greater clarity for what is to come.
“I can book all my travel now,” said Eccles, whose Q School category did not guarantee him starts in every event this summer.
“I may not have even gotten into the Australian Open and the Australian PGA and New Zealand Open but this changes a lot.
“It puts me in a position on the Order of Merit that I have wanted to be in for a while.”
The top three on the Order of Merit at the completion of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season earn cards on the DP World Tour in 2025. The winner of the Order of Merit also receives a spot in the field at The Open Championship.
Order of Merit through WA PGA Championship
1 Lachlan Barker 235.64 (4)
2 Simon Hawkes 196.21 (3)
3 Ben Eccles 194.42 (3)
4 Daniel Gale 190.00 (1)
5 Chris Crabtree 114.31 (3)
6 Haydn Barron 107.00 (2)
7 Jason Norris 89.00 (2)
7 Connor McKinney 89.00 (2)
9 Michael Wright 83.29 (4)
10 Andrew Campbell 80.58 (4)
Photo: Jarrod Lucas/PGA of Australia
The PGA Professional Championship national final heads to The Heritage Golf and Country Club for the first time this week, with 60 of the country’s best vocational PGA Professionals vying for $50,000 in prizemoney, and two spots in the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship.
Three rounds will be played on the Jack Nicklaus-designed St. John course, with recent rain making the tough layout play slightly longer this week.
Defending champion Scott Laycock (pictured) will be hoping to make it three wins in six years, with the Royal Hobart Golf Club Teaching Professional receiving an automatic exemption into the National Final.
Captain of this year’s winning Four Nations Cup team, Laycock will be joined by teammates TJ King and Jayden Cripps in the championship, all in terrific form on the back of their win.
Other players to watch this week are:
Scott Laycock (Assistant Professional – Royal Hobart GC)
• Defending champion (from last year at Yarra Yarra GC) and winner of the 2018 PPC (Hamilton Island GC)
• Didn’t play in the Australian PGA Championship last year as a result of his win, owing to a clash of dates with his honeymoon
• Former Japan Tour Winner and PGA TOUR (US) player
• Australian captain and representative in the winning Four Nations Cup this year.
Chris Duke (Director of Golf – Nudgee GC)
• Winner of the 2016 PPC (Hamilton Island GC)
• Moved from South Australia to Queensland in 2022 and now employed at the venue for the Queensland PGA Championship
Matt Docking (Head Professional – Royal Hobart GC)
• Winner of the 2014, 2015 and 2017 PPC (Hamilton Island GC)
• Recently announced he is returning to his former club of Murray Downs CC as the Director of Golf
TJ King (Assistant Professional – Mt Coolum GC)
• Runner-up in 2022 PPC (Yarra Yarra GC)
• Two-time Australian representative in the 4 Nations Cup
• Multiple pro-am winner
Ethan Andrews (Assistant Professional – Marangaroo Golf Course)
• Leading Qualifier from the PGA Professionals Championship of WA
Darren Spencer (Head Professional – Ulverstone Golf Club)
• Winner of the 2001 and 2002 PPC (Royal Pines Resort)
• Multiple pro-am winner
Scott Barr (Teaching Professional – Collier Park Golf Course)
• Former Asian Tour player
• Multiple pro-am winner
Euan Walters (Assistant Professional- Riversdale Golf Club)
• Former US Tour player
• Winner of the 2004 Jacob’s Creek Open on the Nationwide Tour
The full field can be found HERE.
Photo: Scott Laycock on his way to victory at last year’s championship.
Australians Min Woo Lee and Rod Pampling have fired in round one and continued the momentum to take home trophies at the SJM Macao Open on the Asian Tour and the SAS Championship on the PGA Tour Champions.
Lee smashed the tournament scoring record of 20-under set by fellow Aussie Scott Hend in 2015 but his 30-under total would only just prove to be enough, triumphing over Thailand’s Poom Saksansin.
Two strokes clear heading into the final round, Lee carded an 8-under par 63, a score matched by Saksansin in an absorbing Sunday afternoon duel.
After a string of top-10s against high quality fields including at the US Open and Players Championship, it was Lee’s first win since the 2021 Scottish Open.
“Poom played unbelievable today, he’s a bad mofo!” said Lee in his inimitable style.
“I played wonderful, really flawless golf for a lot of the holes. There was only a few holes that I could really look back on.
“I’m really proud of the way I handled myself.”
On the PGA Tour Champions, Pampling was able to edge out Kiwi Steven Alker by two shots, finishing at 15-under in North Carolina to claim his second title in the over-50s.
Pampling never looked back after an opening round 66, on his way to a US$315,000 payday.
“We’ve been working hard and it’s finally – got rid of our bad stuff about a month and a half ago and it’s just been getting closer and closer, and this week was just great,” Pampling said
“Great ball-striking day – week I should say and putting as well. Everything was just nice. Yeah, it’s a great feeling to win again, that’s for sure.”
On the LPGA Tour, Karis Davidson had a strong week in China, finishing in a season’s best T8 at the Buick LPGA Shanghai after being in a share for the lead on a tight leaderboard for most of the back nine.
It was a huge result for the Queenslander who moved from 97th to 88th on the season-long Race to the CME Globe to just about ensure her full playing rights inside the top 100 for 2024.
On the PGA TOUR, Cam Davis made it five top-tens in his last six starts, finishing T7 at the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas.
Meanwhile Brad Kennedy finished T3 – his best result for 2023 – at the Japan Open Golf Championship on the Japan Golf Tour to bank around A$100,000.
PGA TOUR
Shriners Children’s Open
TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada
1 Tom Kim (USA) 68-68-62-66—264 US$1,512,000
T7 Cam Davis 67-67-67-66—267 US$238,000
T56 Harrison Endycott 70-68-71-69—278 US$19,236
MC Lucas Herbert 71-70
MC Craig Hocknull 75-77
DP World Tour
acciona Open de España
Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
1 Matthieu Pavon (FRA) 63-68-66-64—261 €523,823.04
T9 Daniel Hillier (NZ) 71-67-66-66—270 €53,229.66
T20 Jason Scrivener 69-71-66-67—273 €33,470.75
LPGA Tour
LPGA Buick Shanghai
Qizhong Garden Golf Club, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
1 Angel Yin (USA) 70-69-65-70—274 US$315,000
T8 Karis Davidson 71-69-68-68—276 US$43,644
T13 Minjee Lee 70-69-69-69—277 US$32,539
T36 Grace Kim 73-74-69-67—283 US$11,933
T50 Lydia Ko (NZ) 74-69-73-70—286 US$7,063
Asian Tour
SJM Macao Open
Macau Golf and Country Club, Macau
1 Min Woo Lee 62-64-65-63—254 US$180,000
T9 Ben Campbell (NZ) 63-68-68-69—268 US$20,250
T11 Andrew Dodt 65-67-72-65—269 US$15,066.67
T11 Nick Voke 72-65-65-67—269 US$15,066.67
T17 Zach Murray 70-65-65-70—270 US$12,083.33
T23 Jack Thompson 65-69-72-66—272 US$9,700
T28 Sam Brazel 67-68-69-69—273 US$8,166.67
T34 Kevin Yuan 68-68-69-69—274 US$7,200
T34 Tom Power-Horan 70-65-69-70—274 US$7,200
T40 Josh Younger 69-68-68-71—276 US$6,033.33
MC Todd Sinnott 67-72
MC Scott Hend 70-69
MC Harrison Gilbert-Wong 67-73
MC Douglas Klein 73-68
MC Terry Pilkadaris 70-72
MC Marcus Fraser 71-72
MC John Lyras 72-71
MC David Gleeson 71-76
Japan Golf Tour
Japan Open Golf Championship
Ibaraki Country Club (West Cse)
1 Aguri Iwasaki 68-72-67-65—272 ¥42,000,000
T3 Brad Kennedy 68-69-69-68—274 ¥9,828,000
T36 Anthony Quayle 71-70-69-74—284 ¥1,260,000
MC Adam Scott 73-73
MC Jeffery Yu Guan 76-71
MC Adam Bland 77-73
PGA TOUR Champions
SAS Championship
Prestonwood CC, Cary, North Carolina
1 Rod Pampling 66-68-67—201 US$315,000
2 Steven Alker (NZ) 67-68-68—203 US$184,800
T11 Richard Green 70-67-71—208
T20 Stuart Appleby 72-69-70—211
T35 David McKenzie 70-72-72—214
T60 Mark Hensby 73-69-78—220
T68 John Senden 71-74-77—222
Photos: Mike Mulholland/Getty Images | Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour
Australian Min Woo Lee had to stave off a determined final-round fight from Thailand’s Poom Saksansin to complete a wire-to-wire win at the $US1 million SJM Macao Open in Macau.
The 25-year-old smashed the tournament scoring record of 20-under set by fellow Aussie Scott Hend in 2015 but his 30-under total would only just prove to be enough.
Two strokes clear heading into the final round, Lee carded an 8-under par 63, a score matched by Saksansin in an absorbing Sunday afternoon duel.
Lee’s two-shot lead remained intact as the pair both made the turn in 4-under par but the turning point would come just four holes later.
For the second straight day, Lee made eagle at the par-5 13th. When Saksansin had to settle for just a par, the West Australian had a four-stroke lead with five holes to play.
Despite a wild drive on 15, Lee recovered to make par but Saksansin refused to yield, drawing to within two again with birdies at 16 and 17 to set up a thrilling finish.
Such was the quality of play on display all day, both players made birdie on the 72nd hole for Lee to clinch his first win since the 2021 Scottish Open.
“Poom played unbelievable today, he’s a bad mofo!” said Lee in his inimitable style.
“He never left, he just stayed around.
“I tried my best and ended up on top, but he was giving it to me for the whole time.
“I played wonderful, really flawless golf for a lot of the holes. There was only a few holes that I could really look back on.
“I’m really proud of the way I handled myself.”
Lee’s 30-under total was just two shy of the Asian Tour scoring record set by Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat at the SAIL Open in 2009, although preferred lies were in play for the first two rounds in Macau.
Photo: Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour
Ben Eccles didn’t dare look at the leaderboard once as he endured “the most uncomfortable” round of his life to win the CKB WA PGA Championship at Kalgoorlie Golf Course.
A six-shot leader through 54-holes, Eccles’ 23-under total and five-stroke victory masks the turmoil of a restless night’s sleep, two chats with coach Grant Field between rounds and a host of challengers who bridged the gap to just three before the final group made the turn.
If he’d cared to look, Eccles would have known that Haydn Barron (65), Lachlan Barker (70), Kit Bittle (70), James Gibellini (67) and James Marchesani (69) fancied their chances of reeling in the runaway leader at various times in the final round.
Par putts at seven and eight would prove crucial in Eccles holding his nerve, but it was a holed bunker shot on nine that he called the “best shot I’ve ever hit” and a duffed approach that went to a foot to set up birdie on 10 that would ultimately keep the pack at bay.
Barron loomed as the greatest threat had Eccles lost his nerve, but birdies at 16 and 17 ensured the 28-year-old would play the final hole five strokes clear.
Not that he knew that.
“I had no idea,” Eccles said of the leaderboard that changed furiously below his name.
“I knew I had to keep pushing. There are so many good players in there… I haven’t even looked at the leaderboard. Who came second? When you’ve got someone like that (Barron) in contention, you know he’s going to shoot a good score.
“You know he’s made for that moment so I said to myself on the 10th tee, ‘Stick to what you’ve been doing, keep applying yourself the way you want, keep trying to play the game the way that you want to play it.’”
Although it is Eccles’ second win on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, it is his first as a professional.
He won the 2015 NSW Open as a 20-year-old amateur and seemingly had the golf world at his feet.
As he contemplated what that 20-year-old expected life to be like, the enormity of what he had achieved and how far he has had to go to achieve it came flooding to the surface.
“At that age I thought everything was to come,” said Eccles.
“I thought things would be pretty easy, to be honest. And it’s been absolutely far from that.
“It’s been a tough road.
“It’s such an uncomfortable feeling, being in contention and leading, constantly backing yourself.
“It’s really, really hard to do, particularly not having been there for a while.
“I’m pretty lost for words.”
Barron’s 65 for outright second at 18-under was a remarkable result for a player who only arrived from Scotland on the morning of the tournament.
He credited that 72 on day one for providing the foundation for a strong week that was suggested he would be better off missing.
“I spoke to a few people that were close to me coming back from Scotland and they said maybe skip it. But I said I wanted to play,” said Barron, who will tee it up next week at the inaugural Webex Players Series South Australia.
“I needed to come and try and get some points and we’ll get a few points this week so that’s a good start.
“Probably makes the remainder of the year less stressful.”
It’s been a whirlwind week, too, for Lachlan Wood, winner of the WA PGA All Abilities Championship.
Victorious in the WA All Abilities Open at Joondalup last Sunday, Wood flew back to Brisbane to play the 72-hole Queensland PGA Associate Championship where he finished fourth.
He then made the mad dash back to Perth and flew out to Kalgoorlie the day before the first round.
He led Cameron Pollard by one heading into the final round but had to fight back late to earn a seven-shot win.
Pollard played the front nine in 1-under on Sunday to take the lead but a 2-under back nine sparked by an eagle at the par-5 11th saw Wood complete the WA quinella for the first time.
“He was definitely putting up a good challenge and took the lead pretty early on,” Wood said of Pollard’s early salvo.
“On the back nine I managed to regroup, flicked the switch and rolled a really nice putt in.
“I’m definitely beyond tired. I’m looking forward to a good rest that’s for sure.”
Photo: Jarrod Lucas/PGA of Australia
A change to his putting grip and a new strategy on the greens proved a winning combination for Nicholas Robb at the Mollymook NSW Senior Masters.
Trailing by two at the start of Round 2, Robb’s putter proved pivotal in his second round of 1-under 71, the second-best of the day at Mollymook Golf Club’s Hilltop Course.
His 36-hole total of even par 144 was just enough to edge defending champion Chris Taylor (72) by a single shot with Adam Henwood (74) and Mark Boulton (75) sharing third.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Playing the second round with Steven Conran and Roland Baglin, Robb turned in 2-under thanks to birdies on two, six and nine, his birdie at the par-3 ninth a mere formality after hitting his tee shot to just two feet.
Bogeys at 11 and 12 brought a host of players into the mix but a birdie on 14 and another brilliant tee shot at the par-3 17th secured a one-shot win.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I’m really happy with how I played. The game-plan going in was to try and minimise three-putts. I walked off scratching my head last year when I had three-putts and four-putts but this year I had one three-putt both rounds this time so I was pretty happy with that.
“I changed my putting grip recently which made a big difference. I felt much more solid over the short ones and my driver behaved. Hit the driver straight, make a few putts, you’re probably going to end up with a good score.
“I hit a really good shot into the ninth. I just held a 6-iron off on the wind and it ended up about two feet away. And then on 17 I hit an 8-iron and it just held up perfectly to about a foot behind the hole.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Nicholas Robb 73-71—144
2 Chris Taylor 73-72—145
T3 Adam Henwood 72-74—146
T3 Mark Boulton 71-75—146
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour stays on the New South Wales South Coast for the inaugural Links Shell Cove Legends Pro-Am at Links Shell Cove on Monday.
