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Australian Cameron Smith made it five top-10s from eight starts as Cam Davis locked up his 2025 Masters invite on an enthralling final day at Augusta National Golf Club.
World No.1 and 2022 champion Scottie Scheffler further entrenched his status as the dominant figure in men’s golf with a four-stroke triumph, fending off the brave charge of Swedish debutant Ludvig Aberg (69) with a final round of 4-under 68 and 11-under total.
Exempt through until 2027 due to his 2022 Open Championship win, Smith’s tie for sixth added to his impressive record at The Masters, a hole-out eagle from the bunker at the par-5 second the highlight of his closing round of 1-under 71.
Playing in the group behind in just his second appearance at Augusta, Davis made bogeys at one and five to effectively end his charge before making the turn, a double-bogey on 17 an unfortunate end to his round of 3-over 75.
A tie for 12th ensures Davis will be in the field for the 2025 edition as Smith continued his love affair with a golf course that plays to his creative mindset.
Renowned as one of the world’s best putters, Smith endured a frustrating week with the flatstick, joining Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood as the only players in the field not to post an over-par round all week.
“It’s just a frustrating week I think. Can’t really say much more than that,” Smith told Fox Sports.
“I hit the ball how I know I needed to and put my ball in the right spots, the putts just didn’t fall this week.
“It was very frustrating. I feel like that’s as good as I’ve played around here.
“It’s a creative golf course and I’d love to think I play my best golf when I’m creative.
“There’s so many shots that you get around here that you don’t get the rest of the year.
“It’s just such a cool place.”
ICYMI: Cam Smith is doing Cam Smith things Sunday at Augusta.#themasters pic.twitter.com/jx1XKCvzdk
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) April 14, 2024
Like Smith, Min Woo Lee eagled the par-5 second on his way to a final round of 3-under 69 and tie for 22nd, level with fellow Australian Adam Scott (72) at 4-over for the championship.
Given he came into the week nursing a broken finger, it was another step forward in Lee’s ultimate ambition of one day donning the green jacket.
“There’s a couple things I need to clean up, but overall I think it’s a solid sign,” said Lee.
“Obviously not the best prep with the finger and the flu. I guess I can kind of say that one good week of practice there I couldn’t really do, so it was a bit of rest for me.
“Hopefully I can prep better for the next one.”
“If I’m in, I’ll play for sure.”@JDayGolf has put any conjecture to bed, confirming he wants to represent the @AUSOlympicTeam at @Paris2024, writes @TonyWebeck.https://t.co/nChw613BqI
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) April 14, 2024
Declaring his desire to represent Australia at the Paris 2024 Olympics publicly for the first time, Jason Day also left Augusta with a positive mindset after a round of 3-under 69 on Sunday.
“The short game’s nice. Putting’s nice,” Day surmised.
“I just made too many cheap errors out there, not enough capitalisation on the opportunities that I had, especially with the par-5s. And then just soft bogeys.
“Clean that up, tighten the swing up a little bit, and I should be good to go.”
Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Final scores
1 Scottie Scheffler 66-72-71-68—277
T6 Cameron Smith 71-72-72-71—286
T12 Cameron Davis 69-72-73-75—289
T22 Min Woo Lee 74-74-75-69—292
T22 Adam Scott 76-74-70-72—292
T30 Jason Day 75-73-76-69—293
MC Jasper Stubbs (a) 80-76—156
Darcy Brereton was rewarded for his decision to push through a bout of tonsilitis by taking out the Leeton Golf Club SunRice Pro-Am by one stroke.
Chasing his first victory on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series, Brereton made the trip up to the New South Wales Riverina from Melbourne despite battling illness early in the week.
Although he struggled at the two-day pro-am at Griffith, his health improved, and so did his scores.
He opened with a superb 7-under 65 on day one at Leeton and then backed it up with a 4-under 68 on Sunday to pip Blake Windred (68-66) by a shot.
“The start of the week was pretty ordinary but I thought given that I was up here, I might as well try,” Brereton said of his decision to play.
“I needed to blow some rust off after three or four weeks off after the end of the Tour season so I thought just gut it out and go play.”
Kick-started by an eagle at the par-5 eighth, Windred made a charge around the turn, picking up six strokes in the space of six holes to pile the pressure on Brereton.
But the tying birdie proved elusive over his final five holes, Brereton hanging on with Kyle Michel (67-69) closing with two straight birdies to snare outright third.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Four birdies and an eagle in his final six holes in Round 1 gave Brereton a two-shot buffer heading into the final round.
He had a birdie and six pars to start his second round before making bogey at the par-5 eighth for the second day in succession.
Brereton got that shot back and then some with an eagle at the par-4 10th and then picked up three birdies in the space of four holes from the 12th to keep the chasing pack at bay.
A bogey on 16 gave the likes of Windred and Michel a glimmer of hope but Brereton was able to close out a maiden win with two pars to finish.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I actually played OK at Griffith – a little sloppy here and there – but the game was still OK.
“Obviously yesterday and today it tidied up a little bit. Every day I started to feel five to 10 per cent better where now I’m feeling a lot better than when I got here.
“I drove it really well and cleaned up all my putts inside six feet pretty well.
“Never going to have many long putts but tidied up and drove it well.
“I finished the Tour season scraping into 50th on the Order of Merit so that was lucky and sets me up for next year.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Darcy Brereton 65-68—133
2 Blake Windred 68-66—134
3 Kyle Michel 67-69—136
T4 Tim Hart 69-68—137
T4 Aiden Didone 68-69—137
6 Alexander Simpson 70-68—138
T7 Cameron Kelly 72-69—141
T7 Adam Henwood 69-72—141
T7 Jayden Cripps 71-70—141
T7 Marcus Fraser 67-74—141
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series heads to Tasmania this week for the 54-hole Men’s Tasmanian Open, starting Friday at Launceston Golf Course.
Australia’s No.1-ranked male golfer has confirmed that he “made a mistake” by not competing at the 2016 Olympic Games and wants to make amends at Paris 2024.
Currently ranked No.21 in the world, Jason Day closed out his 2024 Masters Tournament with a round of 3-under 69 that is projected to see him finish in a tie for 30th.
It may be enough to move back inside the top 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking and, barring something extraordinary from his fellow countrymen, ensure he will don the green and gold at Le Golf National in August.
Since his resurgence the past 18 months, Day’s status as a potential Olympian has been a point of conjecture.
He was among a number of Aussie male golfers who chose to skip golf’s Olympic return in Rio eight years ago, citing concerns over the Zika virus and family.
The 36-year-old has been in regular contact with Australian Olympic Golf Captain, Karrie Webb, without publicly declaring his availability.
Less than four months before competition begins, that conjecture has now been put to bed.
“I’ll play. If I’m in, I’ll play for sure,” confirmed Day, pictured after winning the 2013 World Cup with Adam Scott at Royal Melbourne.
“I’m looking forward to it. I think I made a bit of a mistake not going down to Rio, even though part of it was family related.
“I kind of missed out on that, and I probably should have gone. But if I get the opportunity, I’m looking forward to going.”
If the Australian Olympic golf team were to be selected this week Min Woo Lee would be Day’s teammate in Paris.
The former world No.1 said that he has no preference for who he pairs with in Paris, acknowledging that Cameron Smith is reliant on strong showings in the majors given his commitment to LIV Golf.
“Whoever is playing the great, that would be great,” said Day.
“Min Woo is playing good solid golf, too. And obviously ‘Smithy’, playing in LIV, you don’t get World Ranking points. He needs to play well in the major championships, trying to shoot himself up the leaderboard.”
Entering the week feeling the effects of a broken finger, Min Woo Lee also signed off from The Masters with a round of 3-under 69.
Shortly after completing his round, he was told of his potential pairing with Day in Paris.
“When you’re a professional, you don’t really get to represent the Australian side,” said the world No.32.
“Obviously every week, week in and week out you represent Aus, but when you’re an amateur, I got to play for Australia a lot of times. I do miss putting on the green and gold.
“Jason as a playing partner and a teammate, that will be really special.
“My sister (Minjee Lee) is going to be in there, too, so it will be an unbelievable experience.
“Hopefully it can stay this way and I can play.”
Day had four birdies and a lone bogey in his final round of the 2024 championship at Augusta National, the highlight a near ace at the par-3 16th.
He hopes it will provide the foundation for a strong summer of majors and, ultimately, Australia’s first Olympic golf medal.
“The short game’s nice. Putting’s nice,” Day added.
“I just made too many cheap errors out there, not enough capitalisation on the opportunities that I had, especially with the par-5s. And then just soft bogeys.
“Just kind of clean that up, tighten the swing up a little bit, and I should be good to go.”
Photo: Robert Prezioso/Getty Images
Australian pair Cam Davis and Cameron Smith remain in the hunt to become their country’s second Masters champion on a day of wild fluctuations at Augusta National Golf Club.
Davis burst out of the blocks with birdies at two of his opening three holes but dropped four shots after the turn in a third round of 1-over 73.
Smith is among just a handful of players without an over-par round through 54 holes, his second straight round of even par 72 putting him in a tie for ninth and six shots off the lead.
There are just five players between Davis and the top of the leaderboard heading into Sunday’s final round, his 2-under par total enough to earn a share of sixth and five back of 2022 Masters champion and world No.1 Scottie Scheffler (71).
Two inside the top 10, one round to play.
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) April 13, 2024
Our hopes of a second green jacket are very much alive.#themasters
📺 Watch it LIVE on @FOXSportsAUS and @wwos, available on @Foxtel and @kayosports: https://t.co/sRHxrsY4FY pic.twitter.com/Fa2qqYlxkT
Conceding he may have paid the price for being slightly too aggressive after making the turn, Davis vowed to give Aussie golf fans back home something to cheer for when they awake in the early hours of Monday morning.
“I’m trying my hardest. It’s hard out there, but I’m giving it everything I’ve got,” said Davis, who is making just his second start at The Masters.
“I feel like today I wasn’t laying up, and I was giving it a good crack. Tomorrow hopefully we’ll make the right decisions in the moments and come away with a round that’s as good as we can make it.
“I’m trying, but it would be awesome to have a great day tomorrow.”
Just three strokes off the lead after his early birdies, Davis made double-bogey on 10 when he lost his tee shot left and was forced to chip out to return to the fairway.
He hit a perfect tee shot on 11 but left his approach shot short and right, unable to get up-and-down to drop another shot.
Davis came up short also with his second into the par-5 13th, finding Rae’s Creek on his way to bogey to drop to 1-under but got that shot back with a birdie from 10 feet on 14.
For the second time in three holes he hit a ball in the water, his second into 15 bouncing off the front of the green and trickling back into the pond. Thankfully he was able to get up-and-down to end the day within five of the lead.
“I was trying to make it happen on a couple of the par-5s and it didn’t,” Davis admitted.
“Just a few poorly executed shots turned it into a little bit of a mess for a little while there.
“I’m still in pretty good spirits despite not having my best stuff today. It will be fine. I’m looking forward to getting back out here as trying again as soon as I can.”
Seeking to join Adam Scott (2013) as Australia’s only Masters champion, Smith had 16 pars, a birdie at three and bogey on 18 to stay inside the top 10 with one round to play.
Renowned for his proficiency with the putter, Smith cut a frustrated figure after a day in which birdie putts refused to fall.
“I don’t think I hit bad putts; I just couldn’t get the ball in the hole,” said the 2022 Open champion.
“I probably hit a bad putt there on the last to be fair. Other than that, I can’t think of one that I’d want to have again.
“Just kind of frustrating. I feel like my game’s in a really good spot and I’ve done everything right and not much has gone right.”
Despite facing a six-shot deficit, Smith knows all too well that ground can be made up quickly on Sunday at Augusta.
“I think I’m still in the golf tournament,” said Smith.
“The way that the golf course is playing, I feel really confident with my ball-striking, probably the best I’ve felt in a while.
“I feel like I’m in the golf tournament. It’s only one or two their way and one or two my way, and it’s really close.”
Only Chris Kirk (68) and Collin Morikawa (69) went lower than Adam Scott on Saturday, the Queenslander climbing into a tie for 26th with a round of 2-under 70 after making the cut on the number.
West Australian Min Woo Lee dropped into a tie for 41st with a round of 3-over 75, one stroke to the better of fellow Aussie Jason Day (76) who is tied for 45th at 8-over.
Gold Coast’s Dillon Hart has claimed the biggest win of his career with a one-stroke win at the B&C Plumbing Griffith Charity Pro-Am at Griffith Golf Club.
Third on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series Order of Merit in his rookie season in 2023, Hart edged fellow Queenslander William Bruyeres by a shot after the pair ended day one tied on top with rounds of 5-under 66.
After a slow start to the second round, Hart came to his final hole tied with Bruyeres, a closing birdie at the par-5 17th enough to come out on top with a round of 2-under 69 and 7-under total. Bruyeres (70) claimed outright second at 6-under, one clear of Marcus Fraser (69-68) with Aiden Didone (72-66), Mark Panopolous (70-68) and Alex Simpson (67-71) sharing fourth at 5-under.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDEDBoth Hart and Bruyeres dropped a shot at their opening hole in Round 2 – Hart at the 18th, Bruyeres at one – but it was Hart who would steady the ship best.He made birdies at one and three to get to 6-under, Bruyeres dropping four shots back at 2-under after a bogey on one and double bogey at the par-4 fourth.Back-to-back birdies at five and six saw Bruyeres claw his way back into contention, drawing level with Hart again when he made birdie at the par-5 ninth.The lead changed hands again when Hart dropped a shot at the par-3 11th but he soon regained control, making birdies at both 12 and 13 to edge ahead at 6-under.Birdies at 15 and 16 earned Bruyeres the outright lead at 7-under but a bogey at the par-5 17th would prove fatal, Hart’s birdie on his final hole securing a one-shot victory.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID“I played well last year through the pro-ams so it’s nice to come back in 2024 and kick-start the way I did last year.“Drove the ball really well and short game saved me a lot of times.“I struggled a bit with the wedges but when the short game’s on that can keep you going along.“I’ll be back up in Queensland for the Mining Towns Series so it will be nice to play again having seen the courses for the first time last year.” LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Dillon Hart 66-69—135NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series remains in the Riverina region of New South Wales for the Leeton Golf Club SunRice Pro-Am where Darcy Brereton takes a two-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round.
Australia’s hopes of a second green jacket are alive and well after Cameron Davis and Cameron Smith both played their way inside the top-10 in brutal conditions on day two of The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.
Starting his second round as others completed their first, Davis looked to take advantage of the relatively benign early conditions at Augusta National before ultimately signing for even par 72 and a 3-under total.
Tied fifth at the halfway point, the Sydneysider is the best of the Aussies, three behind the leading trio of Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and Max Homa who are at 6-under, Nicolai Hojgaard outright fourth at 4-under.
On a day when Tiger Woods (1-over) set a new Masters record for consecutive cuts made (24), and Adam Scott extended his cut streak to 15, Davis burnt the edge at the first for birdie in an example of what could have been for the New South Welshman.
Smith is at 1-under and in a share of eighth, with Min Woo Lee and Jason Day, both 4-over, and Scott two further back. Amateur Jasper Stubbs (12-over) fell on the wrong side of the 6-over cutline.
Making his first birdie of the day at the second, and nearly another at the next when chipping with the flag out, Davis was edging closer to first round leader Bryson DeChambeau and his 7-under total.
Converting birdie from 11 feet at the par-3 sixth, Davis was 5-under and looking comfortable before an unforced error when the 29-year-old pitched into the front bunker of the seventh and walked away with double-bogey.
Recovering the shot at the next with a 30-foot birdie putt at the par-5 eighth, Davis would bogey the ninth to turn in even par.
“It’s a good test out there right now. I feel like pars are good scores,” Davis said.
“I had a couple of stumbles, but I felt like I battled well and made some nice putts to keep the momentum.”
One of those moments came at 10 after Davis dropped his club in frustration following a pulled approach to the par-4. A world class pitch helped to start a par run that ended at the 13th, when Davis charged his birdie putt off the back of the green.
Davis nearly holed the comeback chip for par before tapping in for the second time on the day with the leading edge of his wedge.
Despite a brilliant 3-wood from 260 yards at the 15th, Davis walked away a little disappointed after missing a 15-footer for eagle. The subsequent birdie returned him to 3-under that was solidified with a 15-foot par putt at the last.
“I feel like 3-under in the conditions I played in, I feel pretty proud of,” he said.
Headed to put his feet up and spend the afternoon with the large family contingent in Augusta this week, Davis might have had a wry smile watching as winds picked up to the point of sand blowing from bunkers.
No one got more of that wind than Smith, who was out in Friday’s final group.
Bogeying the first, Smith got back the shot at the next and made the turn in even par. The 2022 Open champion got under par for the day when he birdied the par-3 12th only to immediately give the shot back at the 13th with a three putt.
Smith, like Davis, missed an opportunity to improve his score at the 15th when a birdie try from seven feet slipped past the hole. His renowned short game and recovery skills came to the fore for pars at 16 and from the pine straw at 17, before a two-putt par at the last.
“I’m pretty proud of the way I hung in there, it was tough,” Smith said.
Unlike the first round, when the front nine beat Min Woo Lee to the brink of internal embarrassment, the West Australian had a fairly straightforward Friday where bogeys at the first, 12th and 18th were the only blemishes on a card that had a lone birdie at the eighth.
The 25-year-old’s final dropped shot came after his tee shot struck a tree and required a hybrid for his second to the 18th hole.
Completing five holes with a 48-minute turnaround to return to the first tee for Round 2, Day disappointingly closed Round 1 with a double bogey at the 16th and another dropped shot at 18.
The highlight of the Queenslander’s second round 73 coming at the ninth when he rolled in an 11-foot birdie to turn in 1-under. Bogeys at 11 and 18 perhaps unsurprising due to the wind, early start and extra holes.
“It was nice to get in the house, especially after this morning, shoot 3-over with five holes left,” Day told Fox Sports.
“To kind of grind out 1-over in the second round was quite nice.”
Scott also had extra holes to play early Friday and his hopes of a second green jacket, or even playing the weekend, took an immediate hit.
Hooking his tee shot at the 15th, the former world No.1 then found the water and an eventual double-bogey seven at the par-5, where Jordan Spieth also came unstuck with a nine in the morning.
Scott bogeying the 18th for a 4-over first round, before a second round comprising four birdies, four bogeys and what at the time appeared a missed cut deciding double-bogey six at the 11th.
Scott likely spending the afternoon stewing over missing the weekend for the first time at The Masters since 2009 before the wind took its toll on the final groups and brought the 43-year-old and other 6-overs back into the fold.
Having set the cut as his target, Stubbs made the perfect start to the second round with a birdie from seven feet at the first.
A trio of bogeys from the fourth and two more at 10 and 11, however, all but ended the dream of two more rounds at Augusta for the Asia-Pacific Amateur champion, who bravely fought back with birdies at the 14th and 16th before two bogeys and a 76.
“It’s been an amazing week,” Stubbs said. “It’s a pretty special place, and obviously the tournament was a bit tough itself with this wind.
“I’m still really happy with my week. It’s something I’ll remember forever for sure.”
The Masters is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo, as well as 9GemHD and 9Now.
Nathan Barbieri clinched the 2024/25 Challenger PGA Tour of Australia Qualifying School’s Final Stage by running down all-the-way leader Max Charles before winning a three-man sudden-death playoff at Moonah Links today.
The Sydney professional went birdie-birdie-birdie-birdie-eagle over his final five holes on the Open Course to card an 8-under-par 64 and finish the 72 holes at 16-under, level with Victorian Charles (69) and New Zealand’s Denzel Ieremia (65).
Ieremia birdied the par-5 final hole, while Charles could only manage a par.
After the first two playoff holes were squared with pars, Barbieri clinched the win by rolling in a metre-long birdie putt after a pinpoint gap wedge approach on the par-4 10th hole.
By winning Q-School, the 27-year-old from Monash earns a start in all Challenger PGA Tour of Australia tournaments next season, including the big three – the Australian Open, Australian PGA and New Zealand Open.
.@barbieri_nathan is victorious at the 2024-25 PGATA Q School following a three-hole playoff 🐤👏 pic.twitter.com/yQP2G3raAf
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) April 12, 2024
Although he has been a regular on leaderboards since turning professional in 2020, Barbieri was coming off a disappointing season on the 2023/24 campaign, falling to 54th place on the Order of Merit.
After losing his place in the top 50 on the final day of season, his Tour status for 2024/25 received a significant upgrade thanks to today’s success.
“I hadn’t been playing too good but I felt like it clicked maybe the second round in New Zealand and then I played well in the last event at The National,” Barbieri said.
“Winning here is massive.
“I can plan my schedule now which is awesome.
“I came here for one reason – to win it – and I’ve done it so that’s very good.”
Charles will consider himself very unlucky to miss out on the rewards that top spot offers after starting the day with a four-shot lead and shooting a steady 3-under 69.
He only dropped shots on three of the 75 holes he played, the majority of them as the joint or outright leader.
“Max and Denzel played great all day. It was a good battle,” Barbieri said.
“There were a few nerves on that final putt. I didn’t actually think I’d be that nervous and it almost went right on me as well. I was happy to get it.”
Thirty-six players gained Tour cards for 2024/25 – and inclusion in Category 14 – by finishing at 2-over-par or better, including amateurs Tyler Duncan (Qld), Segunda Oliva Pinto (Argentina), Siddharth Nadimpalli (Vic), Jordan Doull (WA), Ben Henkel (Vic), Jye Pickin (NSW) and Ryan Ang (Singapore).
After a two-and-a-half hour rain delay, Bryson DeChambeau leads the 88th Masters Tournament by one from Scottie Scheffler, with Cameron Davis the best of the Aussie contingent, while 27 players will complete their opening rounds on Friday.
“I’m very happy with the way I plotted my way around this place. I got the ball in the hole well, and yeah, walking off with a sub-70 round today feels like a big win,” Davis, who is 3-under and in share of sixth, said.
The rain that halted the start did not reappear, however, strong winds of 20-30 kmh whipped across Augusta National from the south-west, particularly as DeChambeau signed off on his 7-under 65.
Cameron Smith six back of the American after a 1-under 71, while Jason Day sits even after 13 holes with Adam Scott 1-overand a hole in front of his fellow Queenslander and Min Woo Lee opening with 74 (+2). Amateur Jasper Stubbs rounds out the Australians after an 80 (+8) on major debut.
Starting and finishing with three consecutive birdies, DeChambeau’s lone bogey of the day came at the 10th, while Scheffler looked ominous during a bogey-free 66.
Having made the turn in 3-under, the dogleg left 10th, like DeChambeau, was where Davis dropped his first shot of the day after a heavily struck greenside bunker shot from the 29-year-old.
Davis recording a second consecutive bogey at the 11th before he righted the ship with birdie at the par-5 13th, a feat he repeated at the 15th when a ripped long iron second shot barely hung on the front edge of the green.
Another birdie went begging at the par-3 16th for Davis when his three-metre putt slid by the right edge. The New South Welshman solidly holed two short par putts at 17 and 18 to sign for 69.
“I’m not even paying attention to the leaderboard right now,” Davis said.
“These are the sort of conditions where if you get nine holes where there’s not much and you can go and score, that’s great.
“I might not have that same opportunity, so I’m just really honestly going one shot, one hole at a time. It’s cliche, but it’s the only way to really play a golf course like this.”
Having entered the week slightly underprepared following food poisoning, Smith found himself in the top-10 early before the short par-3 12th, where the 30-year-old walked away with a double bogey five.
Clearing the water with his tee shot, Smith watched on as his ball trickled back into Rae’s Creek and with it the two shots he’d gained against par with birdies at the second and sixth.
The 2022 Open champion getting back into red figures at the par-5 15th, where he found the green in two and lagged his eagle putt to tap-in range. The Queenslander happy with the state of his game after three closing pars and 71.
“Honestly, it felt really good today,” Smith said.
“Not too much to complain about. I think like that shot on 12, obviously, is a poor one, but like I said, you’re going to get those around here. Probably a couple of putts that could have gone in.”
Playing alongside Tiger Woods, who is 1-underthrough 13 holes, Day experienced an up and down day after a promising birdie at the third had him under par early.
Finding the trees long and right of the par-3 fourth, Day took double-bogey and compounded the mistake with another dropped shot at the sixth. The Queenslander fought back with birdie at eight, before adding another at the 10th when his long putt poured in the front edge.
Day, who is tied for 32nd, nearly getting back under par before darkness stopped play when his chip from left of the 12th green came up a roll short of the centre of the cup.
Whereas Day’s front nine twisted and turned, it was a lesson in patience early for Scott.
The 2013 Masters champion made seven straight pars to start, with his wedge play and putter doing much of the work. The flatstick provided an early highlight when the Queenslander rolled in a long, curling left to right putt at the second.
A first birdie came at the par-5 8th after a long iron from the pine straw found the green, before he dropped his first shot of the day at the 11th.
Failing to find the green from the back bunker at 12, Scott lost another shot and sits at 1-over with five holesto play.
Entering the week with a broken finger from a recent gym incident, Lee proudly spoke of his fight back with birdie at eight, after four bogeys in his first six holes.
“I am actually pretty proud of the way I went out there,” Lee told Fox Sports.
“When I made those four early bogeys, I wanted to walk off the course and it felt embarrassing. I guess it caught me off guard.”
Lee coming to life at Amen Corner with a tee shot over the flag that backed up to three feet on 12 followed by a “special” eagle at the par-5 13th. The 25-year-old giving two shots to par back at the 14th and 16th.
Understandably nervous making his first major start, Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship winner Jasper Stubbs made an impressive up and down par from 90 metres to open his Masters account.
“I was pretty nervous walking on to the tee of No.1. But yeah, it wasn’t as bad as I was kind of expecting,” Stubbs said.
The Victorian banking a first birdie at the par-5 2nd and making the turn in one-over, before the 22-year-old was buffeted by the wind and Augusta’s back nine.
A slightly thinned second on the par-5 15th lead to what Stubbs called a “pretty easy seven”, which preceded a hat-trick of fives for 8-over and work to do to make the weekend.
“That’s the plan, learn something from today and try and come out tomorrow, and I’ll do my best to still make the cut, but yeah, we’ll just try and have as low a round as we can tomorrow,” Stubbs said.
Play was officially suspended 7:51pm local time (9:51am AEST) with those still to finish their first round back on course at 7:50am (9:50pm AEST) and the second round getting underway at 8am (10pm AEST).
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Lucas Herbert returned home to Bendigo and treated a big local following to a day to remember, equalling the course record on the way to a four-shot win in the Evolution Neangar Park Pro-Am.
The winner at Neangar Park on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series last year, Herbert’s round of 10-under-par 61 started with a bang when he holed a wedge shot for an eagle on the opening hole, a 367m par-4.
Although he only arrived back in Australia yesterday from overseas duties with LIV Golf, the 28-year-old added nine birdies, and had just a solitary bogey, to match the course record set only a few days earlier by a young club member, Morten Hafkamp.
Ironically the teenager was in Herbert’s group today.
“I’m not sure whether he was cheering for me to knock that putt in on the last. But it was nice to tie that record with him because he’s obviously played a great game of golf last weekend,” Herbert said of his younger playing partner whose 61 sealed the 2024 club championship.
“It was good to play with him today and see where his game is at.”
Fellow Victorian Josh Younger, fresh off his 2023/24 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia campaign, shot a 6-under 65 to take second spot.
HOW THE WINNING SCORE UNFOLDED
After his magical two on the first, Herbert dropped a shot on the second but that was his only setback for the day.
A trio of birdies came from the fourth to sixth and after making his way to -7 after 13, he closed off his round with another three in row, including a three-metre putt for birdie on the last.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
Herbert’s availability for Neangar Park only became possible after the club changed its pro-am date to accommodate the local favourite.
“The jet lag has been hitting me pretty hard but I managed to hold it off for as long as I could to get through that round of golf,” he said.
“I’m not used to being back here this time of year. It’s odd to be here when it’s not really hot. Usually summer is our time and you’re sitting around outside, hoping for a cool breeze.
“For me, being able to give back to Australian golf, and give back to my local community as much as I can, has been something I’ve enjoyed doing over the last few years when I’ve had the chance.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-10: Lucas Herbert (Vic)
-6: Josh Younger (Vic)
-4: Wade Lowrie (Vic)
-3: Finlay Bellingham (Vic), Adam Burdett (Vic), Levi Burns (Vic)
NEXT UP
Herbert will again be the star attraction at the second leg of the Bendigo region double, the Symes Motors BMW Axedale Pro-Am, on Friday before the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series stops off in Leeton in NSW for the two-day Leeton Golf Club SunRice Pro-Am
After being the joint leader after rounds one and two, Victorian rookie professional Max Charles seized control of the Final Stage of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia’s Qualifying School with a 66 on day three at Moonah Links today.
Sitting at 13-under-par after 54 holes, the former Australian amateur representative will head into the final round with a four-shot lead over New Zealand’s Denzel Ieremia and on track for his biggest moment as a professional.
The 23-year-old had a best finish of T42 in his four Tour starts in the 2023/24 season, but he’s looked very comfortable in the lead this week, dropping just three shots over the opening three rounds – a double-bogey on the 12th hole of the Open Course on Wednesday and a bogey on the opening hole today.
He followed that early mis-step with birdies on the third, fourth, seventh, eighth and ninth to turn in 32 before adding in birdies on the 14th and 18th.
Meanwhile, Ieremia surged to second thanks to the low round of the tournament so far. His eight-under 64 featured eight birdies – three on the front nine and five on the back which he completed in just 31 strokes – and saw him jump 12 positions after he struggled to a 76 on day two.
Also still in contention heading into Friday are Nathan Barbieri (NSW), who is five shots back at -8, James Mee (Qld) at -7 and Brett Rankin (Qld) and Adam Brady (WA) who are sharing fifth at -6.
Round three saw some important big moves further back in the field including a 67 from Queensland amateur Tyler Duncan to move him to a share of ninth and a 67 from NSW’s Dylan Perry, despite two late bogeys, which lifted him into a share of 25th.
Argentinian amateur Segunda Oliva Pinta solidified his position with a 69 to be equal seventh at 5-under, alongside joint 36-hole leader Corey Lamb (NSW) who double-bogeyed the second hole on the way to a 74.
The top 30 finishers after the 72 holes conclude tomorrow will earn Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia and be placed in a Tournament Exemption Category.
The cut line for those slots sits at +1 entering the final round.
Those players finishing beyond 30th place and ties, who complete 72 holes at Final Stage, will be eligible for Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia, however, they will not hold an exemption category for the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
All players who play 72 holes of the Final Stage will earn a pro-am exemption category and be eligible to enter adidas PGA Pro-Am series events.
