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Pro-Am Series: Barbieri shoots 63 to win Tin Can Bay


New South Welshman Nathan Barbieri has produced an outward nine of 29 for the second time inside a week to win the Konami Gaming Tin Can Bay Pro-Am by two strokes.

Devoid of the 50km/h wind that buffeted Tin Can Bay Country Club 12 months ago, Barbieri backed up his victory at Emu Park Golf Club with a bogey-free 9-under 63 to finish two clear of Victorian Nathan Page and Queenslander Blaike Perkins.

A hole-out for eagle from 100 metres at the 386-metre par-4 fourth was the centrepiece of Barbieri’s front nine of 6-under 29, moving to 7-under with birdie at the par-5 10th.

The brakes were then somewhat applied, securing his second adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win of the year with closing birdies at the par-5 15th and par-5 18th.

Turning point

The hole-out eagle at the fourth marked the start of a run that yielded 5-under over the course of five holes.

After a par at five, Barbieri peeled off three straight birdies to build a buffer that would hold up over the course of a back nine of 3-under par.

Quick quotes

“Last year was 50k wind, so it was a bit different today,” said Barbieri.

“I’ve really enjoyed the course. It’s quite hilly, but the greens are always nice and fairways are nice.

“I had a hole-out there as well from a hundred metres. And then the rest of them was just sort of straight golf. Hit a couple close, made a couple long ones here and there, how 9-under would normally go.”

Leading scores
1          Nathan Barbieri            63
T2        Nathan Page                65
T2        Blaike Perkins               65
T4        Alex Simpson               66
T4        James Tauariki              66
6          Bradley Kivimets          67

Next up

$90,000 Optilease Redcliffe Pro-Am at Redcliffe Golf Club, July 17-18

July 12

Duo shoot 11-under to share Biloela win

New South Welshman James Conran had to conjure an 11th birdie on his final hole to earn a share of victory with Victorian Nathan Page at the Biloela Pro-Am at Biloela Golf Club in Central Queensland.

Winner of the Heritage Classic on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia earlier this year, Conran was cruising to victory when he birdied the par-5 18th to reach 10-under with three holes to play.

There were whispers of 59 as he waited on the first tee but Conran had to quickly reset when he became aware of the birdie blitz being unleashed by Page.

That run of birdies would end at seven as Page posted 11-under 61, Conran converting a birdie putt from 10 feet at his final hole, the par-4 third, to match Page’s extraordinary score.

It is the best score either have recorded in a professional tournament, the pair left slightly perplexed that 11-under wasn’t enough for an outright win.

“I mean, it would’ve been good to nip it from him, but I can’t do much more than 11-under,” said Page, who finished second to Conran at the Heritage Classic.

“There’s no gimme holes, that’s for sure. You’ve got to earn every birdie, but they’re marginally easier to come across here than some other places, you could say.”

“There are a couple holes that are driveable, but you still have to hit good chips from the right angles into these greens,” added Conran, the pair pictured with Stephen Gibson (Elders Finance, Head of Broker), Randall Coulthurst (Elders Finance, Agri Relationship Manager) and Ron Dilger (Dyno Nobel, Plant Manager).

“But 11-under is still a joke.”

Turning point

When Page stood on the 12th tee at 3-under par, Conran was four strokes clear and showing no signs of taking his foot off the gas.

Page birdied the short par-4 12th to move to 4-under as Conran made one of his own to stay four clear.

But as Conran continued to add birdies, so too did Page, his birdie at 12 the start of a career-best seven-birdie run that would see the pair locked together at 11-under at day’s end.

Quick quotes

“In terms of processes, not at all whatsoever,” said Page of how Conran’s score affected his own game.

“But obviously, subconsciously, might bring a bit more out here knowing that there’s someone just there and you’re not cruising home to a two or three-shot win.

“You’ve just got to go up and hit your shot and whether you’re even par or 11-under, you’re still trying to hole every shot or hit every shot as good as you can.”

“I’d birded the par-5 18th to get to 10-under and I look at my phone and I was three shots ahead,” said Conran.

“And then I’m on the third tee, I look at my phone again and he’s 10-under and I realise that he’s got the par-5 still to play.

“I’m thinking, Oh my god, I’m about to lose.”

Leading scores
T1        Nathan Page                61
T1        James Conran              61
3          Nathan Barbieri            65
T4        Matt Jager                    66
T4        Riley Taylor                  66
T4        Joshua Holbrook         66
T4        Blaike Perkins               66

Next up
Konami Gaming Tin Can Bay Pro-Am at Tin Can Bay Country Club on Tuesday, July 15

July 9

Barbieri prevails at Emu Park

Morning fog that delayed the start of Round 2 would prove beneficial as New South Welshman Nathan Barbieri completed a wire-to-wire win at the JRT Group Emu Park Pro-Am.

The fog that blanketed Emu Park Golf Club on Wednesday morning forced groups to double-up in the afternoon, buying Barbieri crucial time after making double-bogey at the par-4 12th.

“When we finished that hole we had probably 20, 25-minute wait to tee off on the next hole so I almost forgot about it,” said Barbieri, pictured with JRT Group Executive Manager, Brad Neven.

“You can obviously dwell on it a bit if you’re straight to the tee, but I actually think it helped having a bit of a break and just sort of reset.”

The bounce-back was immediate, making birdie at the par-5 13th and then picking up shots at 16 and 17 to finish at 15-under, two strokes clear of Victorian Nathan Page (67) and New South Wales pair Alex Edge (67) and Kieren Jones (66).

Tied for third at the Ian Weigh Toyota Rockhampton Pro-Am, Barbieri shot 9-under 63 in Round 1 at Emu Park and followed it up with 6-under 66 in Round 2.

Turning point

Cruising to victory when he was 14-under having made back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11, Barbieri brought a host of players back into the mix when he made six at the par-4 12th.

He’d made bogey on the short par-4 the day prior, also, the only hole Barbieri dropped shots on across the two days.

A wait on the 13th tee gave Barbieri enough time to compose himself and go on to claim his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win in almost a year.

Quick quotes

“I played well at Rockhampton and then these last two days have been pretty good,” said Barbieri.

“I played really solid tee to green both at Rocky and here and hit a couple of really close shots that had less stress in it.

“I holed a couple of good putts as well, made some good up-and-downs and got over the line.”

Leading scores
1          Nathan Barbieri            63-66—129
T2        Nathan Page                64-67—131
T2        Kieren Jones                65-66—131
T2        Alex Edge                    64-67—131
5          Bradley Kivimets          64-68—132
T6        Caleb Bovalina             67-66—133
T6        Lincoln Tighe               68-65—133

July 5

Hart wins Rockhampton for second time

A long-awaited Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title is in Tim Hart’s sights after the Queenslander claimed a second Ian Weigh Toyota Rockhampton Pro-Am title in four years.

Rising from his sick bed to trail Will Florimo and Nathan Barbieri by one after Round 1, Hart took the outright lead with a second straight 67 in Round 2 but saved his best for last, closing out a three-stroke win with a superb 7-under 65 in Saturday’s final round.

With birdies at 15 and 17, Lismore’s Sam Brazel pushed Hart to the very end, the 36-year-old prolific adidas PGA Pro-Am Series winner responding with birdies at 17 and 18 for a 17-under total to add to his 2022 victory.

“I still haven’t managed to get a win (on Tour) yet, so that’s definitely something I’m looking forward to this year with how consistent I’ve been playing,” said Hart.

“I’ve been doing a lot of mental work again this year and it just helps a lot out there to calm my nervous system down when I’m under pressure.

“I’m just starting to know how to control that a lot better than what I used to.”

Barbieri (68) and 2024 champion Chris Wood (68) shared third at 12-under, Doug Klein (68) outright fifth at 11-under.

Turning point
Leading Brazel and Jack Pountney by one at the start of the final round, Hart made birdie at the par-5 first yet found himself tied for the lead as Brazel began his day with an eagle.

There was a two-shot swing Hart’s way when he made birdie and Brazel dropped a shot at the par-4 fourth, Hart moving a further shot clear with a further birdie at the par-4 fifth.

He would head to the back nine with a four-stroke advantage, a comfortable buffer Brazel could never rein in.

Quick quotes
“I was feeling pretty good coming up here, other than being completely sick,” said Hart.

“I didn’t actually practise the day before the tournament because I couldn’t get out of bed, but maybe that could be a blessing for me.

“Trying not to try too hard, I guess, and not think about it too much.

“I came out here with a very relaxed sort of outlook on the week, knowing that I’ve played here and won here before.

“It was just a good head space that I started with and then managed to just finished it off nicely with a couple of birdies, which is really nice.”

Leading scores
1          Tim Hart                       67-67-65—199
2          Sam Brazel                   72-63-67—202
T3        Chris Wood                  69-67-68—204
T3        Nathan Barbieri            66-70-68—204
5          Douglas Klein               69-68-68—205
6          Jack Pountney              69-66-72—207
T7        Braden Becker              72-74-62—208
T7        Samuel Slater               69-70-69—208

Next up

The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series continues its Central Queensland swing on Tuesday with the two-day JRT Group Emu Park Pro-Am at Emu Park Golf Club.

June 22

Ford wins wild shootout in Clermont

Rookie Max Ford birdied his final three holes to claim a second straight adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win at the Bolt Off Clermont Pro-Am at Clermont Golf Club.

Ford was one of a number of players to flirt with 59 across the two days at the par-71 layout, posting rounds of 63-61 for an 18-under par total and a two-stroke win.

In-form Victorian Connor McDade had the chance to reduce the deficit to one and shoot 59 in Round 2 but could only manage par at his final hole, the par-5 eighth, taking three putts from just off the green.

Playing alongside Ford in Round 1, 59-year-old Legends Tour star Brad Burns had thoughts of shooting 59 when he was 9-under with three holes to play but finished bogey-par-birdie for a round of 62.

Burns would shoot 65 in Round 2 to earn a share of third alongside Harrison Wills (62) and Kieren Jones (64).

Turning point
Hopes of a second consecutive win were fading when Ford followed up an eagle at the par-5 14th with a bogey at the par-4 15th. But after par at the par-3 16th Ford once again when on a birdie streak, making three on the trot to close out his round and finish two strokes clear of McDade.

Quick quotes
“I’ve been taking advantage of driving it well,” said Ford.

“Especially on short golf courses, I think that’s the key and that’s showed.

“(The scoring) was unbelievable. I was refreshing the scores and I saw (McDade) had creeped up the leaderboard.

“I couldn’t believe the scores he was posting out there and gave me a bit of a run for my money, but it was nice to birdie the last two coming home to lock it away.”

Leading scores
1          Max Ford                     63-61—124
2          Connor McDade           66-60—126
T3        Brad Burns                   62-65—127
T3        Harrison Wills               65-62—127
T3        Kieren Jones                63-64—127
T6        Jay Mackenzie              64-64—128
T6        Nathan Page                64-64—128

Next up
Players now have a week off before the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series resumes with the 54-hole $60,000 Ian Weigh Toyota Rockhampton Pro-Am from July 3-5.

June 18

Rookie Ford stuns with 10-under at Tieri

Rookie professional Max Ford has won his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series in impressive fashion, shooting 10-under 63 to win the JET Engineering Tieri Pro-Am at Tieri Country Club.

The reigning club champion at Royal Queensland Golf Club and the 2022 Riversdale Cup winner, Ford started with two straight birdies and never took his foot off the gas.

With a host of accomplished Tour players in the field, Ford never blinked, keeping a clean card and racking up 10 birdies to finish one shot clear of fellow Queensland Chris Wood (64) with Blackwater champion Connor McDade (66) third.

Turning point
Although setting a cracking pace of his own, Ford trailed Wood by a stroke as both players neared the end of their rounds.

Having started from the fourth hole, Wood was 9-under with two holes to play yet could only come up with two pars to finish.

Ford, on the other hand, birdied both of his final holes – the par-4 fourth and par-4 fifth – to reach 10-under and record a one-stroke win.

Quick quotes
“It was good to put it all together out there,” said Ford.

“It was good to take advantage of the short holes and I certainly did.

“I drove it really well. Pretty close to a couple of greens and then it’s just down to chipping and putting and I took advantage of that.

“Really stoked with it.”

Leading scores
1          Max Ford                     63
2          Christopher Wood       64
3          Connor McDade          66
4          Brad Burns                   67
T5        Nathan Page                68
T5        Kieren Jones                68
T5        Brendan Smith             68

Next up
The WA swing resumes on Friday with the Carpet Paint & Tile – Broome Furnishings Broome Pro-Am while the Central Queensland run moves on to Clermont for the Bolt Off Clermont Pro-Am starting Saturday.

June 16

Blackwater finishes with joint winners

A Sunday surge gave NSW professional Kieren Jones his first adidas PGA Pro-Series title as he shared top spot with Victorian Connor McDade at the ABM Blackwater Pro-Am.

After an even-par first round at Blackwater Golf Club, Jones started day two five shots out of the lead, but he fired a 7-under-par 65 to match McDade (69-68) on 7-under for the 36 holes, the former amateur star securing his second title in three weeks in Queensland.

First-round leader Riley Taylor (67-71) finished a shot behind the top two alongside Brendan Smith (73-65).

Turning point

Continuing his fightback from making an eight on the par-4 fifth hole in round one, Jones went birdie-eagle over his first two holes on Sunday and eventually caught McDade by picking up shots on his final two holes.

Meanwhile, the Victorian’s second round featured seven birdies and three bogeys.

Quick quotes

Connor McDade: “I’m loving it up here. It’s nice to play some summer golf in winter, but I guess I came up here to kind of get some wins under my belt and take that into the regular Tour season later in the year.

“I found it pretty tough out there around the greens to be honest so I was just trying to get the ball on the smooth surface as much as possible. Any time I missed a green, I felt a lot of pressure.”

Kieran Jones: “The day started pretty solid and then yeah, just had a few putts finally go in. It’s been a long time since they’ve gone in. The coach should be happy.

“I’ve been working hard on the short game. It’s been one of those things I’ve been battling with of late. The chipping went well this weekend, can’t complain about that.”

Leading scores
T1 Connor McDade 69-68 -137
T1 Kieran Jones 72-65 – 137
T3 Riley Taylor 67-71 – 138
T3 Brendan Smith 73-65 -138
T3 Ben Hollis 69-69 – 138
6 Samuel Slater 75-64 – 139
7 Brad Burns 71-69 – 140
8 Jay Mackenzie 69-72 – 141

Next up
The Central Queensland swing continues with the JET Engineering Tieri Pro-Am at Tieri Country Club on Wednesday.


Like many Australians, Min Woo Lee spent Sunday watching The Amundi Evian Championship to see if sibling, Minjee, could win a second consecutive major championship, before Grace Kim joined the major winning club.

Supporting his sister is hardly new for the younger Lee, however, in previous years such an opportunity wouldn’t have been possible with Min Woo a regular at, and past champion of, the Genesis Scottish Open, the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR co-sanctioned warm up for The Open.

Lee watched Kim triumph before heading out on course at Royal Portrush late Sunday with fellow West Australians Ryan Peake and Curtis Luck having skipped Scotland after a busy year, during which he claimed a maiden PGA TOUR win and experienced mixed form.

“I just played a lot of golf and I think talking to a few people, some people take it off and we were just trying to do something different this year,” Lee told Australian media of the Scottish Open decision on Tuesday in Northern Ireland.

“Obviously it’s very weather dependent here in either Scotland or Ireland, so we wanted to be fresh coming into this week and I had a great week leading up to this tournament, played a lot of courses and also went to a couple of events.

“It is a funny one because I have won there and I do love the course, but yeah, I’ve been playing a lot and I felt really burnt out kind of playing the signature events and there were very tough courses.”

Lee took the chance of a week off to attend Wimbledon and the Formula 1, before heading to Ireland with his team, including Australian amateur Zach Capelli, a fellow West Australian and regular playing partner at home who is acting as a partial cure for occasional pangs of homesickness.

“I think just having him is great. I want to go back home, but when I’m at home, he’s with me, not 24/7, but really close to that,” Lee said of Capelli a budding professional himself.

“So it’s good to have a piece of home, come over here on the other side of the world and just be there. When I’m with him, I laugh way more than usual and that’s just something that I’ve not had over the last couple months, especially playing tough golf.”

Beyond the presence of a friendly face and inspiration of another women’s major win, another advantage for Lee this week will be his caddie, Bo Martin, who helped guide the 27-year-old to his first win on the game’s biggest Tour.

Clearly an asset since picking up Lee’s bag, Martin’s value will rise to another level this week at Portrush, where he was the bagman for Shane Lowry’s Open triumph in 2019.

With practice interrupted on Monday due to lightning in the area, the combination of arriving early and the experience of his caddie have Lee well placed for the first round Thursday when he goes out alongside Tyrrell Hatton and Russel Henley.

“Obviously we’ve only played once or twice here, so just getting familiar with the course, but he knows every in and out really,” Lee said of Martin.

“He says, don’t go here, don’t go there. And it’s just having that trust and having the freedom I guess. I think it is just nice to have that sense of knowing where, I guess you can say we’re one or two days ahead of other people.”

Whether Min Woo can follow Martin’s advice will of course determine his success, however the almost ever present wind and course layout have the 27-year-old believing he holds another advantage in the final men’s major of the year.

“I think it’s pretty demanding off the tee. You need to think your way around, so not too many drivers,” he said of Royal Portrush which hosts The Open for a third time this week.

“I played the back nine and I probably only hit one or two drivers, so a lot of irons off the tees, which is quite nice. I like that. I like my 2-iron and I think it’s going to be a weapon this week.”

All four rounds of The 153rd Open Championship will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo. Round 1 coverage begins at 3:30pm Thursday AEST.


If there was any remaining doubt as to where the power shift currently sits within Australian golf then the four-strong charge by the Aussie girls at the Amundi Evian Championship erased it entirely.

With one round to play, three Australians – co-leader Gabriela Ruffels, Minjee Lee and Grace Kim – were all within one stroke of the lead in the fourth women’s major of 2025.

That Kim left as our latest major champion following one of the most extraordinary finishes to a major ever witnessed made it a week that will live long in the annals of Australian golf.

Of the past six major championship wins by Australians, five have come courtesy of women who now make up a record Australian representation on the LPGA Tour. It is the first time since Karrie Webb in 2001 that consecutive majors have been won by an Australian, Kim’s triumph coming on the back of Lee’s KPMG Women’s PGA win.

The girls are getting it done, and now own the top two spots on the Australian Golf Power Rankings.

10. Gabriela Ruffels (New)

Was at the forefront of an extraordinary Aussie assault at the Amundi Evian Championship. A round of 5-under 66 in Round 3 gave Ruffels a share of the 54-hole lead and, while she dropped to a tie for ninth on Sunday, left Evian with her best finish in a major and a new world ranking of No.61.

9. Min Woo Lee (7)

After taking in the Formula 1 and Wimbledon in London, the world No.37 went to work on the links courses of the United Kingdom in preparation for this week’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

8. Hannah Green (6)

Continues to struggle to make an impact at the Amundi Evian Championship. Missed the cut with rounds of 73-77 and is now without a top-10 finish since the JM Eagle LA Championship in April. Dropped out of the top 10 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings for the first time in more than a year.

7. Marc Leishman (5)

Struggled with the challenge that is Valderrama to finish 50th at LIV Golf Andalucia in Spain. Joins Ripper GC teammates Cameron Smith and Lucas Herbert at The Open Championship by virtue of his finish at last year’s Australian Open.

6. Stephanie Kyriacou (8)

Runner-up at Evian 12 months ago, Kyriacou stormed home with a brilliant 7-under 64 to earn a share of 14th at the Amundi Evian Championship. Her seventh top-20 finish in 2025 saw her rise three spots to No.39 in the world rankings.

5. Jason Day (3)

After a missed cut at the John Deere Classic, took the week off in preparation for The Open Championship where he was tied for second two years ago.

4. Lucas Herbert (2)

Like Leishman, was slow out of the blocks at LIV Golf Andalucia but shot 69 in the final round to generate some positive momentum en route to Royal Portrush for The Open.

3. Adam Scott (4)

Led the charge for the Aussies at the Genesis Scottish Open, shooting 67 in the final round to climb into a tie for 17th. Has six career top 10s at The Open including last year at Royal Troon.

2. Grace Kim (New)

Conjured the most remarkable major championship victory ever by an Australian in a stunning conclusion to the Amundi Evian Championship. Made birdies at 15 and 16, eagled the par-5 18th to force a playoff, chipped in for birdie at the first extra hole and then made eagle at the second to edge good friend Jeeno Thitikul. Rose 74 spots to a new career high of No.25 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.

1. Minjee Lee (1)

Will be left to rue a disastrous start to her second round after coming up just one shot shy of the playoff at the Amundi Evian Championship. Lee played her first six holes in 5-over on Friday but fought back to trail by just one heading into the final round, a 3-under 68 not enough to feature in the playoff. Now No.5 in Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.

The Australian Golf Power Rankings is a subjective list developed with input from members of the Australian Golf media team.


Grace Kim made it consecutive LPGA major championship wins by Aussies and Steve Allan claimed a second PGA TOUR Champions win for 2025 on another spectacular weekend for Australian golf.

Trailing Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul by two strokes standing on the 72nd tee, Kim produced one of the most extraordinary finishes ever witnessed in major championship golf.

It began with a 4-hybrid to two feet for an eagle to join Thitikul at 14-under and then continued into the playoff.

Unlike the final hole in regulation, Kim’s hybrid failed her on the first playoff hole, flaring out to the right and bouncing into the creek that sits adjacent to the 18th green.

After taking a penalty drop, Kim then delivered a shot that will live on as one of the most extraordinary ever produced by an Australian in a major championship, pitching from the rough, across the creek and into the hole for a most unlikely birdie.

Thitikul delivered a clutch up-and-down of her own to send it to a second playoff hole where Kim again leant on her trusty hybrid to make a second eagle in the space of three trips down 18 and third for the day.

“Obviously it’s a huge achievement for me,” said Kim.

“I’ve had a lot of doubts early this year. I was kind of losing motivation. I kind of had to get some hard conversations done with the team.

“Had to wake up a little bit so to be sitting here next to this trophy is definitely surreal.”

There was cause for celebration too for Allan, who won for the second time this year with one of his sons on the bag.

After notching his Galleri Classic victory with son Liam on the bag, Allan went wire-to-wire at the DICK’s Open with Joey carrying his clubs, the first wire-to-wire winner in the championship’s history.

The 51-year-old Victorian opened Friday with a 63 for a two-shot edge and had a 69 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead over Boo Weekley into the final round.

After playing the first seven holes on Sunday in 1-under with two birdies and a bogey, Allan birdied five of the next six and parred the last five.

“It was tough. It was tough, even yesterday, hanging in there, and today early on it was a bit rough with the driver,” Allan said.

“In the rough a lot and just managed to hang in there. Then on the back nine, made a few putts.

“With my son Joey on the bag, it was amazing. He’s a good reader of greens. And just having your son on the bag, make sure that you stay calm, you’re not going to lose it when things go wrong.

“It’s been a great week.”

Matt Jones produced a stunning final round of 65 to lead the charge for Ripper GC at LIV Golf Andalucia, finishing tied for fourth as captain Cameron Smith was tied seventh.

There was a win also for our friends across the Tasman with Kiwi Mark Brown winning the Swiss Seniors Open in his debut on the Legends Tour.

Results

LPGA Tour

The Amundi Evian Championship

Evian Resort Golf Club, France

1          Grace Kim                    65-68-70-67—270       $US1.2m

Won on the second hole of sudden-death playoff

T3        Minjee Lee                   66-71-66-68—271       $523,761

T9        Gabriela Ruffels           65-71-66-72—274       $185,790

T14      Stephanie Kyriacou      70-68-74-64—276       $112,525

T65      Hira Naveed                 71-71-73-72—287       $17,788

MC       Robyn Choi                  71-74—145

MC       Karis Davidson             74-72—146

MC       Lydia Ko (NZ)                73-74—147

MC       Hannah Green              73-77—150

MC       Cassie Porter                73-79—152

DP World Tour/PGA TOUR

Genesis Scottish Open

The Renaissance Club, North Berwick, Scotland

1          Chris Gotterup             68-61-70-66—265       €1,348,571.70

T17      Adam Scott                  69-68-70-67—274       €103,185

T34      Elvis Smylie                  67-71-71-67—276       €45,337.70

T65      Ryan Fox (NZ)               66-70-74-72—282       €16,953.47

MC       Daniel Hillier (NZ)         69-73—142

MC       Karl Vilips                     71-74—145

PGA TOUR

ISCO Championship

Hurstbourne Country Club (Championship Cse), Louisville, Kentucky

1          William Mouw              67-73-69-61—270       $US720,000

MC       Jason Scrivener            74-71—145

MC       Kazuma Kobori (NZ)     73-73—146

MC       Aaron Baddeley           73-74—147

LIV Golf

LIV Golf Andalucia

Real Club Valderrama, Spain

1          Talor Gooch                 69-66-70—205 $US4m

T4        Matt Jones                   74-70-65—209 $833,333

T7        Cameron Smith            69-73-69—211 $522,500

T19      Danny Lee (NZ)            77-68-69—214 $235,000

T32      Lucas Herbert               76-72-69—217 $146,000

T45      Ben Campbell (NZ)       74-69-76—219 $124,333

50        Marc Leishman            74-79-70—223 $60,000

Champions Tour

DICK’S Open

En-Joie GC, Endicott, New York

1          Steve Allan                   63-69-66—198 $US330,000

T5        Michael Wright            68-69-67—204 $90,933

T20      Greg Chalmers             69-66-74—209 $23,467

T41      Scott Hend                   70-71-71—212 $10,560

T51      David Bransdon           68-71-76—215 $5,940

T64      Brendan Jones             75-73-71—219 $2,970

T70      John Senden                75-71-76—222 $1,804

T70      Mark Hensby               73-72-77—222 $1,804

Korn Ferry Tour

The Ascendant

TPC Colorado, Berthoud, Colorado

1          Neal Shipley                 68-71-67-64—270       $US180,000

MC       Harry Hillier (NZ)          74-69—143

MC       Rhein Gibson               70-75—145    

HotelPlanner Tour

D+D REAL Czech Challenge

Royal Beroun Golf Club, Beroun, Czech Republic

1          David Law                    71-62-62-63—258       €48,000

T6        Danny List                    62-65-66-68—261       €10,800

T52      Sam Jones (NZ)            67-67-67-69—270       €1,110

LET Access Series

Vasteras Open

Skerike Golfklubb, Sweden

1          Ragga Kristinsdottir     65-70-73—208 €7,200

T10      Belinda Ji                      71-71-72—214 €1,091.25

T16      Stephanie Bunque        71-70-75—216 €759.75

T23      Kristalle Blum               68-73-76—217 €656.10

T44      Justice Bosio                72-70-80—222 €330

MC       Abbie Teasdale             72-80—152

PGA TOUR Americas

Bromont Open

Golf Chateau-Bromont, Bromont, Quebec

Final round to be completed Monday

T23      Tony Chen                    64-69-68-65—266

MC       Grant Booth                 69-71—140

MC       Charlie Hillier (NZ)        71-70—141

Epson Tour

Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship

Great River Golf Club, Milford, Connecticut

1          Gina Kim                      64-69-73-68—274       $US33,750

T39      Su Oh                          71-72-72-74—289       $1,348

T57      Jess Whitting               75-70-74-75—294       $808

MC       Jennifer Elliott              84-77—161

Legends Tour

Swiss Seniors Open

Golf Club Bad Ragaz, Switzerland

1          Mark Brown (NZ)          66-65-64—195

T47      Michael Long (NZ)        70-69-70—209


Texas teenager Lucky Cruz has the backing of NBA legend Stephen Curry as he tries to earn status for the 2025/2026 season of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.

To be staged at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Valdosta, Georgia from July 15-18, 52 players from the United States, Canada, Spain, India, New Zealand and Australia have signed up for the first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School held internationally.

A veteran of 201 starts on the PGA TOUR, 46-year-old Kiwi Tim Wilkinson is the most recognisable name to have entered yet with his youthful exuberance and distinctive hairstyle, Cruz may be the standout on course.

At 16 years of age, Cruz became the youngest player in North America to earn status on a professional tour when he qualified for the Gira de Golf Professional in Mexico in February.

Two years earlier, Cruz came to the attention of four-time NBA champion Curry.

A passionate golfer who won the celebrity-laden American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe last year, Curry established the UNDERRATED Tour to provide playing opportunities for under-represented minorities within golf.

The Curry Cup brings together the top 24 girls and boys from the UNDERRATED Tour, Cruz catching the eye of Curry when he took out the 2023 Curry Cup.

“He’s a gamer,” Curry told Golf Digest of the now 17-year-old.

“He’s a super talented young golfer who has got a flair about him and a presence about him.

“He’s a competitive kid and the sky’s the limit for him in the game of golf.”

In addition to his Curry Cup win in 2023, Cruz also won the boys 14-15 years division of the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship, finishing 13 strokes ahead of Tiger Woods’s son, Charlie.

It is the first time that the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia has gone global in providing direct entry to a tour that has proven itself to be a pathway to the DP World Tour, Korn Ferry Tour and, eventually, the PGA TOUR.

Tour Development Manager for the PGA Tour of Australasia, Kim Felton, says players such as Cruz are exactly those this initiative is trying to target.

“Golfers globally are now recognising the pathway offered by the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and we are thrilled that a talent such as Lucky wants to come and play our tour,” said Felton.

“We understand that Australia is a long way to come for Q School so our intent with this qualifier in Georgia is to align with our vision and attract more international players to Australia.  The opportunity of international pathways to other major tours is also a huge benefit for them to make the journey and compete on our Tour.

“The top three on the Order of Merit at season’s end earn status on the DP World Tour and our past three Order of Merit winners have each played two majors in the months that followed.

“Ryan Peake is the perfect example of our pathway. Ryan attended Q School in April last year and in November this year will be a playing Member of the DP World Tour.

“Not only are we providing opportunities for these players to advance their professional careers, I’m confident that Aussie golf fans will love seeing those who qualify playing Down Under this summer.”

Six players will earn playing rights for the 2025/2026 season with the top spot being exempt into all events, including the BMW Australian PGA Championship, the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne Golf Club and the New Zealand Open.

Kinderlou Forest Golf Club, a quality course and well-known as a stern test of golf, hosted the South Georgia Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour between 2007-2014 and has been used as a host venue for Second Stage of PGA TOUR Q School.

Entries


In the heart of Cowboys country, Brad Burns drew inspiration from Queensland’s spirited Origin Series win to take out the Carmichael Ford Tropics Legends Pro-Am at Tropics Golf Club.

Hours after North Queensland half Tom Dearden delivered a man-of-the-match display in Sydney, Burns took to the Tropics fairways in Townsville to post 6-under 66 to lead by two after Round 1.

Backing that up proved challenging on Friday but Burns did just enough in a round of 2-under 70 to finish at 8-under par, one clear of PGA Legends Tour Q School winner Leon Trenerry (68). There was a three-way tie for third between Murray Lott (71), John Onions (68) and Nigel Lane (68).

“I’ll tell you what, there’s a lot of Queenslanders here and yeah, I was one of them barracking on Wednesday night,” said Burns.

“I’m stoked that I’ve got up today.”

Turning point

Like the Queensland Origin team, Burns made an early statement and barely gave his challengers a look-in.

Starting his tournament on the 10th tee on Thursday, Burns opened with a par and then went eagle-birdie to reach 3-under after as many holes.

With further birdies at 16 and 17, Burns turned in 5-under and was never headed.

Quick quotes

“I played very good yesterday,” said Burns after his sixth win of the 2025 season.

“A little bit patchy on the last nine today but the first nine was nice.

“It’s a pleasure to come up here and play in Townsville. All the people are fantastic and the course is improving day to day.”

Leading scores
1          Brad Burns       66-70—136
2          Leon Trenerry   69-68—137
T3        Murray Lott      68-71—139
T3        John Onions    71-68—139
T3        Nigel Lane        71-68—139
T6        David Fearns    71-69—140
T6        Scott Barr         68-72—140

Next up

Players on the PGA Legends Tour will now enjoy a short break before resuming with the Jabb Mining Isis Legends Pro-Am at Isis Golf Club on Thursday, July 17.

July 8

Timely win for Stolz at Rowes Bay

It’s late in the season for Andre Stolz to claim his first victory of the year yet the timing of his Rowes Bay Legends Pro-Am win could not have been better.

Soon to head to the UK to try and qualify for both the Senior Open Championship and the British Senior PGA Championship, the four-time PGA Legends Tour Order of Merit winner produced a superb 8-under 65 on day two to finish two strokes clear of Nigel Lane at Rowes Bay Golf Club in Townsville.

Not only is the prize money welcome ahead of another international venture, Stolz said his bogey-free round was indicative of the work he has been doing on the practice tee.

“I felt like I was playing pretty good and everything was going good in practice but you’ve got to come out and do it when it counts,” said Stolz.

“That’s probably the most gratifying thing, all the hard work I’ve been doing has showed up when it mattered.”

Turning point

The third hole of a 36-hole tournament may be early in terms of a turning point but that would mark the start of Stolz’s charge to the title.

Two-over after back-to-back bogeys to start Round 1 on Monday, Stolz made birdie at the par-5 fourth hole and didn’t take a backward step from that point on.

He would play the final 34 holes in 12-under par, reeling in the four-shot deficit he began Round 2 with five birdies in his opening seven holes.

Quick quotes

“I had a good look at the start of the year about where I was going to play this year and I wanted to have a good crack at going overseas,” Stolz said.

“Unfortunately, I looked at it and every time there was something on here that’s when I was going to be away.

“I’ve only played five Legends Tour events but I’ve been practising. I feel like I’ve been playing great but I just haven’t been playing much to do anything and to get a win.”

Leading scores
1          Andre Stolz      71-65—136
2          Nigel Lane        68-70—138
T3        Derrin Morgan 71-68—139
T3        Michael Craig   67-72—139
5          Jason Norris     70-70—140
6          Leon Trenerry   72-69—141

Next up

The North Queensland swing of the Legends Tour stays close to Townsville on Thursday with the two-day Carmichael Ford Tropics Legends Pro-Am at Tropics Golf Club.

Photo: Matt Taylor Media

June 12

Lott, Pilkadaris share title at Fiji Legends Classic

Victorian Terry Pilkadaris and Queensland’s Murray Lott have shared the 2025 title at the Vuksich & Borich Fiji Legends Golf Classic, one of the premier events on the PGA Legends Tour.

The duo finished the 54 holes at Denarau Golf and Racquet Club and Natadola Bay Golf Course with 11-under-par totals, Pilkadaris storming home on the final day with a 6-under-par 66 to catch Lott, who led by three shots at the start of the third round.

Pilkadaris, the reigning PNG Senior Open champion, was as far back as tied for 17th, six from the lead, after day one when he started with a 74 before surging into contention with the equal low round of the $70,000 event, a 7-under 65 on day two.

For Lott, the shared title represented his second PGA Legends Tour victory of the year to sit alongside five runner-up finishes.

Close behind in the chasing pack were Andre Stolz, back from playing in the Senior PGA Championship, and former Fiji International winner Jason Norris.

Turning point

With the finish line looming and the light fading, Pilkadaris birdied the 16th and 18th holes at Denarau after earlier making a big dent in Lott’s lead by going 4-under-par through the first six holes.

Quick quotes

Lott said: “I played steady today just didn’t make as many putts as much as I did the other day. Norrie and I, we just didn’t fire – we didn’t play bad, but we didn’t play great. Also thinking about the lead and all that sort of stuff is slightly new territory for me at times.

“You always know someone like Terry or Andre is going to post a good number so I just kept my head in it as best as I could.”

Pilkadaris said: “I was playing with Andre. He was playing nicely so we were sort of just feeding off each other a little bit. It was a great event. Awesome to be part of.”

Leading scores

T1 Terry Pilkadaris (Vic) 74-65-66 – 205

T1 Murray Lott 68-66-71 – 205

3 Andre Stolz (Qld) 71-69-67 – 207

4 Jason Norris (SA) 71-66-71 – 208

T5 Dominic Barson (NZ) 74-66-70 – 210

T5 Marcus Cain (Qld) 71-70-69 – 210

T5 Stuart Beament (WA) 73-72-65- 210

T8 Peter Jones (NSW) 71-71-69 – 211

T8 Martin Petersen (NSW)  73-70-68 – 211

T10 David Fearns (Qld) 72-69-71 – 212

T10 Mark Hale (Vic) 69-73-70 – 212

T10 Peter Senior (Qld) 70-71-71 – 212

T10 Warren Abery (Sth Africa) 74-67-71 – 212

Next up

The PGA Legends Tour heads to North Queensland for the Rowes Bay Legends Classic on July 7-8.

June 10

A superb round of 4-under 68 at a windswept Natadola Bay has given Brisbane’s Murray Lott a handy advantage after day one of the $70,000 Vuksich & Borich Fiji Legends Golf Classic.

The field of 53 players from the PGA Legends Tour are split across Natadola Bay Golf Course and Denarau Golf and Racquet Club for the first two rounds with the third and final round to be played at Denarau on Thursday.

Four of the top six scores on Tuesday came from the Denarau side of the draw, the course Lott will now play for the remaining two rounds after harnessing the challenge presented by the spectacular coastal setting at Natadola Bay.

Fellow Queenslander Brad Cumming (pictured) and New South Welshman Mark Hale both shot 3-under 69 at Denarau to share second spot after Round 1, closely followed by Chris Hollingsworth and Peter Brown who shot 70 at Denarau.

Australian golf icon Peter Senior is also well placed after shooting 70 at Natadola Bay where players were buffeted by heavy winds to only add to the difficulty.

Quick quotes

“The golf course was good considering the rain we had last week at the Sheraton Classic,” said Cumming, who has been in Fiji to play in the Sheraton International Golf Classic Fiji run by Pacific Golf Management.

“It’s good to shoot a good score every now and then.

“It plays a little bit harder, Natadola, so hopefully we’ll get over there tomorrow and it’ll be kind to me.”

Round 1 scores
1          Murray Lott      68
T2        Brad Cumming 69
T2        Mark Hale        69
T4        Chris Hollingsworth     70
T4        Peter Brown     70
T4        Peter Senior     70

April 30

Burns does the double on the NSW sand

Brad Burns consolidated his status as king of the sand greens on the 2025 PGA Legends Tour by sharing the WRL Engineering Warren Legends Pro-Am title with John Onions today.

After winning the Australian PGA Senior Sand Greens Championship at Cobar Bowling and Golf Club in a playoff on Monday, Burns shot a round of 5-under-par 65 to match Onions, who picked up his third victory for 2025.

With a mixture of 12 grass and six sand scrape greens, the 5800m Warren Golf Club layout, north-west of Dubbo in country NSW, provided a unique challenge to the Legends field.

“I want to take all the sand home and start putting on that actually,” Burns joked.

“I putt really good on sand and not so good on grass.

“I was 6-under after 10 and then had a couple of three putts on the grass.”

Just five players broke the par of 70.

Turning point

Looking for his first outright win of the year, Onions was cruising at 5-under through 15 holes before he slipped up with a double-bogey at the par-3 16th hole to hand Burns top spot.

A bounce back birdie on 17 saw the Victorian walk off the last hole one shot behind as Burns came to 16. However he also failed to make a par, his second bogey of the back nine leaving the Queenslander with two holes to regain the solo lead.

Playing in the final group, Burns parred 17 and 18 to settle for a share of the title, his fourth for 2025.

Quick quotes

Burns said: “We always have a great time when we come here. It’s always good coming to the country. They’re all so hospitable and it’s always nice to come back.”

Onions said: “I’m happy to tie with the king of sand”.

Leading scores

T1 John Onions 65

T1 Brad Burns 65

T3 David Crawford 67

T3 Grahame Stinson 67

5 Tim Elliott 68

T6 Mark Boulton 70

T6 John Wade 70

T6 Nigel Weldon 70

April 28

Burns earns Australian PGA Senior Sand Greens title

Queensland’s Brad Burns has played his way into the $140,000 World Sand Greens Championship at Binalong courtesy of a playoff triumph at the Australian PGA Senior Sand Greens Championship at Cobar Bowling and Golf Club.

Forced into a Monday finish after rain prevented any play on Saturday, the PGA Legends Tour players extended their stay in Cobar so that the $50,000 tournament could have its full complement of 36 holes.

Trailing Murray Lott by a single shot after Round 1, Burns had to bounce back from a late bogey at the par-3 15th with consecutive birdies to shoot 68 and join Andre Stolz and Nigel Weldon at 7-under par.

The trio headed back to the par-4 18th where Burns was able to secure his third win for the season.

Quick quotes

“I thought I threw it away,” said Burns.

“Four holes to go, I bogeyed the par 3. Just a very ordinary chip.

“Birdied 16 and 17 and a nice little par on the last.

“It took me a while to get used to the sand greens again but just a great day.

“Great people up here, too. We’ve had a ball. They do a fantastic job of looking after us.”

Final scores
1          Brad Burns                   68-67—135
Won at first hole of sudden-death playoff
T2        Andre Stolz                  69-66—135
T2        Nigel Weldon               69-66—135
T4        David Fearns                71-65—136
T4        Murray Lott                  67-69—136
T6        Mark Hale                    72-66—138
T6        David McKenzie           71-67—138
T6        Adam Henwood          70-68—138
T6        Carl Smedley               69-69—138

Next up: Warren Golf Club Legends Pro-Am on Wednesday

April 6

Pilkadaris prevails in six-hole playoff in PNG

It took six playoff holes for Terry Pilkadaris to prevail over Jason Norris and claim the $100,000 PNG Senior Open at Lae Golf Club.

The Sunday showdown between the two form players of the PGA Legends Tour didn’t fail to disappoint.

A one-stroke leader overnight, Pilkadaris found himself trailing Norris by two strokes after just three holes.

A two-time winner already this season, Pilkadaris steadied and when Norris made double-bogey at the par-5 ninth the pair headed into the back nine level at 3-under par.

Birdies at 10 and 12 gave Norris the ascendancy once again, an advantage he extended to two strokes with birdie at the par-3 17th.

Yet there was a final twist in the tale.

Pilkadaris made birdie for the first time all week at the par-5 18th and when Norris missed a short putt for par and the tournament, extra holes were called for.

Both players had their chances – Pilkadaris saw a two-foot putt for the win dive left on him – before the Victorian claimed his third victory of the year.

Quick quotes

“That’s golf, it fluctuates,” said Pilkadaris.

“I didn’t have a good front nine – hit a couple of loose shots and made bogeys – and then back nine was really steady.

“Just kept plugging away, giving myself chances and then ‘Norrey’ made a mistake on 18 to let me in and so I sort of capitalised there.”

Final scores
1          Terry Pilkadaris             68-68-71—207
Won on sixth hole of sudden-death playoff
2          Jason Norris                 71-66-70—207
T3        Grahame Stinson         72-69-69—210
T3        Carl Smedley               66-75-69—210
5          Brad Burns                   72-71-68—211
T6        Murray Lott                  77-73-65—215
T6        Peter Senior                 74-71-70—215

April 5

Showdown looms at PNG Senior Open

The two form players of the 2025 PGA Legends Tour season to date will go toe-to-toe in the final round of the $100,000 PNG Senior Open at Lae Golf Club.

A two-time winner already this season, Terry Pilkadaris will start the third and final round with a slender one-stroke advantage at 6-under par from recent Murray Bridge Legends Pro-Am winner Jason Norris.

Given there is a four-stroke gap to Round 1 leader Carl Smedley (75) and Grahame Stinson (69), it is hard to see anyone other than Pilkadaris or Norris coming out on top.

Trailing Smedley by two at the start of Round 2, Pilkadaris made it back-to-back 68s as Norris stormed into outright second with an equal tournament best 5-under 66.

Quick quotes

“It’s a tight, tree-lined course and I kept it on the fairway most of the time and then just hit it on the green and give yourself the opportunities,” said Pilkadaris.

“I holed a nice putt on the ninth from about 20 feet and then hit a couple close to about four or five feet, which was good.

“Just didn’t make too many mistakes. I think I had one three-putt but apart from that it was all pretty cruisy.”

Leading scores (after Round 2)
1          Terry Pilkadaris             68-68—136
2          Jason Norris                 71-66—137
T3        Carl Smedley               66-75—141
T3        Grahame Stinson         72-69—141
5          Brad Burns                   72-71—143
6          Robert Farley                75-69—144

March 29

Henwood, Onions share Aston Hills win

Adam Henwood birdied the final hole to tie John Onions after an untimely lost ball on his penultimate hole at the QUBE Logistics Legends Pro-Am at Aston Hills Golf Club.

Perplexed that a ball he expected to finish just left of the fairway at the par-5 sixth could not be found, Henwood headed to the seventh tee on the back of a bogey and somewhat hot under the collar.

He ripped driver down the 315-metre par 4 to leave himself just 40 metres in, very nearly holing his pitch shot that would have secured an outright win.

As it was, a tap-in birdie was enough to match Onions’ round of 4-under 65 for a share of victory, one clear of John Wade (66) with David Diaz (67) outright fourth.

Quick quotes

“I got off to a pretty ordinary start,” said Onions.

“I hit it in the lake on the first hole but managed to make par out of there.

“I’ve been putting really well and had a run through the middle of the round where I burned 4-under for three holes.

“A couple of mistakes coming in but I managed to save something with a putter.”

“I nearly holed the second shot,” Henwood said of his approach into the final hole.

“There was nothing else but birdie. I mean, it could have been, but in my mind I was so upset might be the right word. There was nowhere to lose it there.

“Hit the best drive of the day, went miles down, and only had like a 40-metre pitch and nearly holed it.

“I was lucky it didn’t hit the pin actually because then it would’ve finished somewhere not great. But just left me a little tap in which was good.”

Leading scores
T1        John Onions                65
T1        Adam Henwood          65
3          John Wade                   66
4          David Diaz                   67
T5        Peter Lonard                69
T5        Tim Elliott                     69

March 28

Walters’ winning ways continue at Glenn Joyner Pro-Am

Euan Walters paid tribute to the PGA Legends Tour legacy left by the late Glenn Joyner after taking out the Metro Homes Glenn Joyner Memorial Legends Pro-Am.

Walters’ round of 6-under 64 at Thaxted Park Golf Course was enough to finish one clear of John Onions (65), his second straight PGA Legends Tour victory.

Trading two birdies with a bogey to be 1-under after three holes, Walters kept a clean card for the remainder of his round.

Starting from the 10th tee, he turned in 3-under and then picked up further birdies at one, two and five to post 6-under.

Onions birdied his second-to-last hole – the par-3 eighth – but had to settle for second after making par at the par-4 ninth.

Peter Lonard had eight birdies in his round of 4-under 66 to snare third, Murray Lott and Simon Pope tied for fourth with rounds of 67.

Quick quotes

“I’ve known Glenn for probably 30 years,” said Walters.

“We used to play on tour against one another so obviously it was sad to see Glenn pass away a couple of years ago.

“The other side of the coin is that I think he actually played some of his best golf towards the end.

“He got to fulfil some of his dreams and was very successful on the Legends tour, and obviously he’s part of the reason why a lot of these events continue on.

“It’s been a good journey, but hard work. I had to make a lot of changes in my swing and stuff like that but very grateful for the win.

“I know it’s not going to last forever, but we’ll keep practising.”

Leading scores
1          Euan Walters                64
2          John Onions                65
3          Peter Lonard                66
T4        Simon Pope                 67
T4        Murray Lott                  67

March 27

Walters wins second Flagstaff Hill title

A run of three birdies in four holes provided Euan Walters the foundation to go one better than last year and claim an outright victory at the Living Choice Flagstaff Hill Legends Pro-Am at Flagstaff Hill Golf Club.

Joint winner with Jason Norris and Nicholas Robb 12 months ago, Walters’ early hot streak gave him enough of an edge to absorb a three-putt bogey on his final hole for a round of 3-under 67 a one-stroke win.

Playing in the same group as Walters, Murray Lott (68) birdied his final hole to claim outright second, Brad Burns (69), Michael Long (69) and Peter Brown (69) tied third.

Quick quotes
“I tied with a couple of others last year, so it’s good to get a solo win. Pays a little bit better, too,” said Walters.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had a win, so it’s good to get it done.

“I’ve been playing pretty good but not really finishing it off but played really well today.

“Still didn’t finish it off. Had a three-putt on the last, which was disappointing, but fortunate enough to get the job done.”

Leading scores
1          Euan Walters                67
2          Murray Lott                  68
T3        Brad Burns                   69
T3        Michael Long (NZ)        69
T3        Peter Brown                 69

March 24

Joint winners at SA PGA Senior Foursomes

The vagaries of foursomes once again came to the fore, resulting in joint winners of the SA PGA Senior Foursomes Championship at The Vines Golf Club of Reynella.

A number of groups had chances to claim the outright victory over the final few holes yet in the end two could not be separated, Mike Zilko and Guy Wall sharing top spot with Brendan Chant and Simon Pope.

Zilko and Wall and Chant and Pope both returned scores of 1-over 72 to be declared joint winners, two strokes clear of Brad Burns and Bryan Milligan.

Quick quotes

“Would’ve probably been nice to win outright, but ‘Chanty’ stuffed up a bit and I stuffed up a bit, so we’ll give it both ways,” said Pope.

“The course is in really, really good nick. This golf course, it was struggling about 20 years ago and now with the couch covering it’s awesome.

“Well done to the golf club and thanks to them for letting us play.”

Leading scores
T1        Mike Zilko/Guy Wall                 72
T1        Brendan Chant/Simon Pope     72
3          Brad Burns/Bryan Milligan        74
4          Glenn Roberts/Wayne Rogers  78

March 20

Norris defends at Murray Bridge Legends

Defending champion Jason Norris bettered the course record set by Murray Lott 24 hours earlier to claim a second straight victory at the Spry Civil Construction Murray Bridge GC Legends Pro-Am.

With two new holes in play at Murray Bridge this year, Lott’s 5-under 65 in Round 1 established a new course record, Norris going one better on day two with a superb 6-under 64.

Victorious at Murray Bridge two years ago – and a course where he played a lot when based in Adelaide – Norris posted 9-under for two rounds to finish five strokes clear of Lott and Peter Lonard.

Four birdies in the space of five holes on the front nine got Norris moving in the right direction, the lure of Lott’s new course low mark encouraging him to push on through the back nine.

“I forgot about the new holes in the new course record when I heard Murray had it,” Norris said.

“It actually inspired me today when I was 4-under early. I started struggling but worked hard and made a couple of putts coming in.”

Quick quotes

“I love looking at the scores, being under pressure,” said Norris.

“Sometimes you bugger up, but it’s good fun to try and beat that.

“I’m always a score looker, so I saw the lead, but it doesn’t mean anything around here. You can easily make a double or triple around this place.

“I just love this place. I’ve played here a lot. It’s sort of my second club when I used to live here, so I know a lot of the club members here and it was just a great day.”

Leading scores
1          Jason Norris                 67-64—131
T2        Murray Lott                  65-71—136
T2        Peter Lonard                66-70—136
T4        Carl Smedley               68-70—138
T4        Nigel Lane                    69-69—138
6          Adam Henwood          70-69—139

March 11

Lonard triumphs at Maffra Legends

Peter Lonard picked apart the par 5s and came away a two-shot winner at the inaugural Maffra Legends Pro-Am at Maffra Golf Club.

Playing the Maffra layout for the first time, Lonard birdied consecutive par 5s at four and five and then added a third in succession at the par-4 sixth.

He made it a clean sweep of the three-shotters with further birdies at 14 and 18 in his round of 6-under 66.

It was enough to finish two strokes clear of the field, David Tapping, Carl Smedley, David Fearns and Tim Elliott all sharing second at 4-under, players speaking effusively during presentations about the presentation and playability of the putting surfaces presented by Maffra Golf Club.

Quick quotes

“Yeah not bad. Never played here before,” said Lonard of his round.

“There were a few little doglegs there and I probably got away with a few and got a bit lucky but I played pretty solidly.

“I’ve played pretty well the past week or so so it was nice to finish it off.”

Leading scores
1          Peter Lonard                66
T2        David Tapping              68
T2        Carl Smedley               68
T2        David Fearns                68
T2        Tim Elliott                     68

March 9

Four to the fore at Bairnsdale

Birdie putts slid by and par putts dropped late to leave four players tied at the top at The Big Garage Bairnsdale Golf Club Legends Pro-Am at Bairnsdale Golf Club.

One of the best presented regional courses in Victoria was  lauded by every player who teed it up, none more so than the four who finished locked together at 3-under 68 at day’s end.

The resurgent Brad Burns holed a par putt from just inside 30 feet to stay at 3-under, David Crawford let an opportunity slip on his penultimate hole, John Onions holed a pitch shot for eagle at the par-4 fifth and David McKenzie birdied his final hole – the par-5 18th – to also join the winner’s circle.

The quartet finished one clear of another group of four players, Peter Lonard, Terry Pilkadaris, Neale Smith and Paul Griffiths all posting 2-under 69.

Quick quotes

“I got off to a pretty poor start,” said Onions.

“I had a couple of three-putts early on, but just fought back. I holed a pitch shot for eagle which got me to a couple under and then after that, just lots of fairways, lots of greens.

“Course was beautiful.”

“Tthere’s a lot of stuff to make it hard to play, but it’s in great condition,” said McKenzie.

“The greens are fantastic. They firmed up the last few holes, so it’s a tricky little course to play, but a lot of fun at the same time.

“I don’t know how many times I could count playing down here. I always love coming down to Bairnsdale. It’s a great little town.”

“I had a putt on the second last hole, the par 5 going down the hill,” Crawford said of his chance to win outright.

“I had a three-footer, allowed a little bit of break. Thought if I get 4-under going up the last, I thought I got a chance of taking it out outright, but it didn’t happen.

“It was a fantastic golf course and the golf course was set up beautifully.”

“It’s quite strong actually,” Burns said of the Bairnsdale layout. “There’s some strong fours out there, you’ve got to shape the ball around the corners and if you don’t drive it well you’re going to have heaps.

“The greens are great. The hospitality’s fantastic as well.”

Leading scores
T1        Brad Burns                   68
T1        John Onions                68
T1        David McKenzie           68
T1        David Crawford            68
T5        Paul Griffiths                69
T5        Neale Smith                 69
T5        Peter Lonard                69
T5        Terry Pilkadaris             69

March 7

McKenzie, Long share Gardiners Run win

Stellar putting displays have earned David McKenzie and Michael Long a share of victory at the Gardiners Run Legends Pro-Am.

Two experienced players on international seniors tours, McKenzie and Long both hailed the quality of the golf course – in particular, the putting surfaces – as they each shot 7-under 65 at Gardiners Run Golf Course.

McKenzie actually played with the course superintendent and credited his win for not doing “anything stupid”.

McKenzie and Long finished three shots clear of Tim Elliott (68) with a four-way tie for fourth between Mark Sheppard, Brad Burns, Brendan Chant and Richard Backwell.

Quick quotes

“It’s been a tough week actually,” said Long.

“The first four rounds, you wouldn’t have thought I was going to do that today.

“It hasn’t felt that far away and then today it just turned around.

“Course is great; it’s improving all the time. Obviously I’m going to say the greens are great – I did hole a lot of putts – but the course is maturing and just getting better and better.”

“I got off to a nice little start with a couple of birdies early,” said McKenzie.

“It wasn’t pretty golf for the most part, but I managed it really well.

“Made all the putts that I needed to and didn’t really do anything stupid.

“It seems like it’s really easy when you just don’t miss anything and don’t do anything stupid.”

Leading scores
T1        Michael Long               65
T1        David McKenzie           65
3          Tim Elliott                     68
T4        Mark Sheppard            69
T4        Brad Burns                   69
T4        Brendan Chant             69
T4        Richard Backwell          69

March 6

Lonard, Burns joint winners at Mandalay

Brad Burns birdied his final hole as Peter Lonard narrowly missed doing the same as the pair shared victory at the Undercover Roasters Legends Pro-Am at Club Mandalay Golf Course.

Burns and Lonard separated themselves from the rest of the field with rounds of 6-under 66 but couldn’t be split from each other.

One-over after two bogeys early in his round, Burns made eagle at the par-3 17th but needed birdie at the par-5 second to get to 6-under.

Lonard was 7-under on his round when he made bogey at the par-3 seventh and then just missed his birdie try at his final hole, the par-4 eighth, to finish level with Burns.

Grahame Stinson went bogey free in his round of 3-under 68 to snare third, one clear of Euan Walters and Bryan Milligan.

Quick quotes

“The members are fantastic and the greenkeepers do a great job,” said Burns.

“I had seven birdies and an eagle and a couple of three-putts unfortunately.

“That’s the best I’ve played in quite some time, so it’s a pleasure to play here.

“I’ve had the putting woes for the last four or five rounds, but today I actually started actually holing some putts again.”

“I got to seven, which is the par 3, and I just misjudged the wind,” said Lonard of his only bogey of the round.

“I thought the wind was into me and apparently it wasn’t. Then I had to chip it out of the rocks, 20 yards over the back, so I was actually lucky to make bogey.

“I had a chance for birdie on the last from about 10, 15 feet and missed it, but I hit a good putt.

“The course was fantastic. The fairways were really good. I hit a couple of them and the greens were magnificent.”

Leading scores
T1        Brad Burns                   66
T1        Peter Lonard                66
3          Grahame Stinson         68
T4        Bryan Milligan              69
T4        Euan Walters                69

March 5

Fearns finds form at Portsea

Queenslander David Fearns broke a six-year drought in fine fashion with a two-stroke victory at the Higgins Coatings Portsea Legends Pro-Am at Portsea Golf Club.

Not since 2019 at Concord and Pymble had Fearns found himself in the winner’s circle but a hot start provided the foundation to a round of 4-under 67, two clear of Euan Walters (69) and Peter Lonard (69).

Starting his round with pars at 17 and 18, Fearns caught fire with three straight birdies from the par-4 first and then countered a bogey on six with a birdie on eight.

Further birdies at 14 and 15 built enough of a buffer that a closing bogey was little more than a blip.

Quick quotes

“I’m really happy every time we come to Portsea,” said Fearns.

“It’s difficult, so it’s nice to play well at Portsea.

“The fairways were actually pretty fast. There was lots of run out there.

“The greens were beautiful; it was nice.”

Leading scores
1          David Fearns                67
T2        Euan Walters                69
T2        Peter Lonard                69
T4        Terry Pilkadaris             70
T4        Tim Elliott                     70

March 4

Lane back on track at Settlers Run

Nigel Lane shrugged off some indifferent form and a shaky start to take out the Settlers Run Legends Pro-Am at Settlers Run Golf and Country Club.

Starting from the third tee, Lane made a bright start with a birdie at the par-4 fourth but dropped back to 1-over with consecutive bogeys at five and six.

It would be just a temporary setback though as he responded with birdies at seven and nine on his way to a round of 5-under 67 and a two-stroke victory.

On the back of his win at Settlers Run the day prior Scott Barr backed up with a round of 3-under 69 to finish second, one clear of Carl Smedley.

Quick quotes

“That was about two feet away,” Lane said of his shot into 18 to set up birdie.

“That was really nice. From the left side of the fairway, maybe just a little bit in the rough. That was probably actually the shot of the day.

“Struck the ball really nicely today actually, which is a bit different to recently. The last few days I couldn’t hit it hard at all, but today I found something and it went straight at it most of the time.”

Leading scores
1          Nigel Lane                    67
2          Scott Barr                     69
3          Carl Smedley               70
T4        Gavin Coyle                  71
T4        Derrin Morgan             71
T4        John Onions                71
T4        Murray Lott                  71

March 3

Barr triumphs ahead of US campaign

A timely win on home soil will fuel Scott Barr to attack opportunities on offer through the PGA TOUR Champions in the US.

Denied a full 2025 card in heartbreaking circumstances at Q School in December, Barr will tee it up in Monday qualifiers on the back of a one-stroke win at the Southern Golf Club Legends Pro-Am.

A four-time winner on the PGA Legends Tour in 2024, Barr found something in his swing and navigated Southern Golf Club’s immaculate putting surfaces to finish one clear of Grahame Stinson (69) with Simon Pope (70) outright third.

Barr will soon head to the US, aware that trying to play his way into tournaments will come with its challenges.

“It’s a pretty brutal way to do it, so I am aware of that,” said Barr.

“There could be some mental damage going through that so I’m really trying to strategise how I don’t throw all my eggs in one basket.

“I’ll just do it at a pace that I feel confident with.”

Quick quotes

“I got off to a hot start, birdied the first three, so I was in the race from the word go,” said Barr.

“I did a bit of work on the range yesterday and figured something out with my swing, which had been coming for a while.

“I felt in control of the ball most of the day with my hitting; I hit it very well actually. And these greens were saucy. They were fast; super-fast.
“You had to keep your nerve. I holed a couple of mid-range eight-footers but I did blunder a few times, which let the field in down the stretch.

“I was watching the leaderboard coming in, which is a habit that I’m going to start to do. I think I need to do that just to know where you are in the field so you can finish off rounds better.”

Leading scores
1          Scott Barr                     68
2          Grahame Stinson         69
3          Simon Pope                 70
T4        David Diaz                   71
T4        Terry Pilkadaris             71
T4        Mark Boulton               71
T4        David McKenzie           71
T4        Derrin Morgan             71
T4        Stuart Beament            71

March 1

Hobbled Isherwood victorious at The Valley

His tortured feet almost failed him but Michael Isherwood was able to snare his first Legends Tour win in close to a year at The Valley Legends Pro-Am on the Mornington Peninsula.

The new shoes that Isherwood wore on Tuesday did enough damage to consider not playing at all but the use of a cart enabled the 53-year-old to shoot 5-under 62 for a one-stroke win.

Teeing off from the 14th hole alongside Scott Ford, Isherwood was 4-under through seven holes courtesy of birdies at 15, 16, 18 and two.

Eagle at the par-4 eighth countered bogeys at five and nine, birdies at 10 and 11 enough to build a winning advantage ahead of the in-form Terry Pilkadaris (63) with West Australian Brendan Chant (64) outright third.

Quick quotes

“Being not a very smart individual, I managed to wear a brand new pair of shoes on Tuesday and completely destroyed my heel,” said Isherwood.

“And when you get old man skin, you’ll realise you rip your whole foot off. Unless I got put in a cart today, I don’t think I would’ve even made it around.

“Pretty happy that I managed to grab a win out of it considering I didn’t even think I’d be able to walk around.”

Leading scores
1          Michael Isherwood      62
2          Terry Pilkadaris             63
3          Brendan Chant             64
T4        Mark Boulton               66
T4        Scott Barr                     66
T4        Lucien Tinkler               66
T4        Terry Price                    66

February 26

Pilkadaris tops again at Portarlington

Stars were out in force yet Terry Pilkadaris proved again why he is the hottest player on the PGA Legends Tour with a one-stroke win at the Sheen Panel Service Legends Pro-Am.

Portarlington Golf Club is always a popular stop on the Legends Tour calendar with the likes of Peter Lonard and PGA TOUR Champions players Richard Green and David McKenzie thrilling Portarlington members with their presence.

McKenzie is now one of them, made an honorary member after making an almost mythical ace on a par-4 for albatross, just carrying the front bunker and scurrying up the green before hitting the pin and dropping for his first career albatross at the 241-metre 13th.

“I’ve never had a ‘3-under’ one before, I’ll take that every time!” beamed McKenzie, who owns eight career hole-in-ones.

“What a day – I’m loving it!”

Conversely, Pilkadaris compiled a round of 5-under 67 with six birdies and a lone bogey to finish one clear of Lonard (68) with Green sharing third with Tim Elliott at 3-under 69.

Quick quotes

“It was a good day. Great weather, course was in really good condition,” said Pilkadaris.

“If you hit the ball in the right position, you’d capitalise. And that’s what I did.

“I capitalised on the par 5s coming in, managed to make birdies on those and consolidate the score.

“I’ve been doing some work with a putting specialist in the US, Geoff Mangum. I’m bringing him out – he arrives on Thursday – and he’s going to help me with my putting and also do some clinics and lessons for anyone.

“I think I had the yips and he’s starting to fix that. Now I’m starting to hole some putts and it’s going along nicely.”

Leading scores
1          Terry Pilkadaris             67
2          Peter Lonard                68
T3        Tim Elliott                     69
T3        Richard Green              69
T5        Chris Hynes                  71
T5        Shane Johnson            71
T5        Peter Woodward          71
T5        Tony Page                    71

February 25

McKenzie makes rarest of birds

He’s done a lot of things in golf, David McKenzie, but never an albatross.

That was until today at Portarlington when the Victorian drilled a driver 241 metres for the almost mythical ace on a par-4 during the Sheen Panel Service Legends Pro-Am on the PGA Legends Tour.

McKenzie’s drive just carried the front bunker and scurried up the green before hitting the pin and dropping for his first career albatross.

But from the tee, with the bunker obscuring his view, the 57-year-old thought it had landed in the sand when a puff of sand arose as his ball landed.

It wasn’t until the crowd erupted as he approached the green – and he was urged to do a “shooey” in celebration – that he realised the magic that had unfolded.

“There’s no way I’m doing a shooey,” McKenzie said as he guzzled a drink in a far more customary manner to celebrate.

“That’s unbelievable … and turns a terrible day into a much better one.

“I hit a driver because I was a bit cranky so that’s why I wasn’t hitting 3-wood, but I was sure it went into the bunker.

“I saw sand come up and (thought nothing of it). That’s crazy.”

McKenzie, the reigning NSW Senior Open champion, estimated that it was his eighth hole-in-one.

“But I’ve never had a ‘3-under, one before, I‘ll take that every time!” he beamed.

“What a day – I’m loving it!”

McKenzie tipped a casual five points into his team’s stableford balance and also won 20 points for the bullseye-style competition on offer for the second shot on that hole in one of the events separate competitions.

He was later presented with an honorary Portarlington Golf Club membership for his history-making shot.

Leading scores
1 Terry Pilkadaris
-5 67

2
AUS NSW Peter Lonard
-4 68

T3
AUS VIC Tim Elliott
-3 69

T3
AUS VIC Richard Green
-3 69

T5
AUS VIC Christopher Hynes
-1 71

T5
AUS VIC Shane Johnson
-1 71

T5
AUS VIC Peter Woodward
-1 71

T5
AUS VIC Tony Page
-1 71

Legends Tour: Pilkadaris masterful at Moama

He spends much of his time coaching these days but some tips from American ‘putting theorist’ Geoff Mangum propelled Terry Pilkadaris to a commanding win at the Moama Masters Rich River.

A second eagle on his round at the final hole saw Pilkadaris earn a share of the Round 1 lead with fellow Victorian Shane Johnson at 7-under 65 at Rich River Golf Club.

They had a two-stroke buffer but it was Pilkadaris who kept the foot to the floor, backing it up with a 6-under 66 for a 13-under total and six-stroke win.

Reigning PGA Legends Tour Order of Merit winner Andre Stolz finished outright second at 7-under par with 66-year-old Michael Harwood winding back the clock to snare third.

Quick quotes

“I’ve been doing some work online with an American guy, Geoff Mangum. I’m actually bringing him out next week and we’ve just been working hard on holing putts. I haven’t been holing any putts for the last four or five years, so finally holed some putts, which was nice.

“Hit some good iron shots and drove it well and all adds up to a good score.

“I was a bit nervous because the scores weren’t getting updated and I saw Andre (Stolz) was playing nicely.

“The scores hadn’t updated and he was on the 13th hole. I’m trying to work out what I am and what have you but I hit some nice shots coming in and capitalised.”

Leading scores
1          Terry Pilkadaris             65-66—131
2          Andre Stolz                  69-68—137
3          Michael Harwood        69-69—138
T4        David McKenzie           70-69—139
T4        Shane Johnson            65-74—139

February 19

Burns, Taylor claim Vic Foursomes again

Queensland pair Brad Burns and Chris Taylor have teamed up for a second win in three years at the ‘The Jack Harris & Brian Twite’ Victorian PGA Seniors Foursomes Championship.

Played at Rich River Golf Club’s East Course ahead of the $30,000 Moama Masters, Burns and Taylor bounced back from a shaky start to post 4-under 68 for a four-stroke win.

The winners in 2023 and tied for fourth 12 months ago, the Queenslanders rode Taylor’s hot putter over their final nine holes for a comfortable win ahead of Andre Stolz and David Crawford.

Quick quotes

“We started off fairly unsteady,” conceded Burns.

“We three-putted the first hole so we were 1-over after the first nine holes.

“Chris hit a lot of good putts that didn’t go in and then the last nine we holed a few putts and shot 5-under.

“Chris is a great ball-striker and when he gets that putter hot, he’s away.

“We just gel on the golf course and it’s a pleasure to play with him all the time.”

Leading scores
1          Brad Burns/Chris Taylor            68
T2        Andre Stolz/David Crawford    72
T3        Brendan Chant/Simon Pope     73
T3        Terry Pilkadaris/Neale Smith     73
T3        David McKenzie/Wayne Rogers            73
T3        Chris Hynes/Carl Smedley        73

February 18

Guy’s walk in the Park

A birdie-birdie finish has clinched Guy Wall a second win on the PGA Legends Tour season at The White Glove Mover Legends Pro-Am at Albert Park Golf Course in Melbourne.

Victorious at the Waihi Legends Pro-Am on the New Zealand swing, Wall shot 5-under 65 at Albert Park to edge Peter Brown (66) with tournament host David Diaz tied for third along with Andre Stolz, Peter Woodward and Simon Pope at 3-under par.

Wall credited his work on the putting green with coach John Serhan and time spent using Keiser gym equipment in the off-season for his strong start to the year.

“I’m a Keiser convert,” said Wall.

“If you’re looking after the body, looking after the swing, looking after the putting, it’s got to work.”

Starting his round with a par at the par-5 11th, Wall advanced up the leaderboard with birdies at 12, 14 and 16.

An errant tee shot led to a lone bogey at the par-4 fifth but he responded with a birdie on six and then two closing birdies at nine and 10 to finish one-stroke clear.

Quick quotes

“I’ve been working hard on the putter in our off-season,” said Wall.

“Changed putters to an even roll and putted awesome. I think I had 26 putts for the day.

“We were talking coming down the last couple with David Hill and he said, are you a scoreboard watcher? And I said, no, I’m just going to try and hit the best shots possible over the last couple of holes and see what happens.

“As it turned out, I’ve finished birdie-birdie.”

Leading scores
1          Guy Wall                      65
2          Peter Brown                 66
T3        Andre Stolz                  67
T3        Peter Woodward          67
T3        Simon Pope                 67
T3        David Diaz                   67

February 7

Barson wins again at St Clair Legends

A new force is emerging on the PGA Legends Tour with Kiwi Dominic Barson winning for a second time this season in dominant fashion at the St Clair Legends Pro-Am in Dunedin.

A three-stroke winner at the Pegasus Legends Pro-Am, Barson shot 7-under 64 at St Clair Golf Club to win by five strokes from in-form Queenslander Murray Lott (69) with three players sharing third place at even par.

Fifth at Legends Tour Q School last January, Barson joined the Tour late last year and had top-10 finishes at Moss Vale and Pymble.

He got through First Stage of PGA TOUR Champions School in the US and now looks set to challenge for the Order of Merit title in 2025.

Barson made the perfect start to his round at St Clair, opening with a bogey at the par-5 14th.

That was followed by birdies at 15, 18 and one to be 5-under through six holes.

He backed up a birdie at 5 with three on the trot from the eighth hole to reach 9-under par, bogeys at two of his final three holes reducing the winning margin by two.

Leading scores
1          Dominic Barson           64
2          Murray Lott                  69
T3        Brad Burns                   71
T3        Ben Jackson                 71
T3        Roland Baglin               71

February 5

Powell, Lott share honours at Gleniti

A birdie on his final hole has seen Victorian Paul Powell match Murray Lott’s total of 3-under 69 and share victory at the Gleniti Legends Pro-Am near Timaru on New Zealand’s South Island.

Starting from the 11th hole, Powell had birdies at 13, 17 and one before dropping back to 2-under with a bogey at the par-4 third.

After three birdies and three bogeys in his opening seven holes, Lott started the front nine at Gleniti Golf Club even par but peeled off birdies at two, four, six and nine to be 4-under and two strokes ahead.

But Lott’s bogey on 10 and Powell’s birdie at the same hole saw the pair finished locked together at 3-under.

Lott and Powell both finished one stroke clear of a quartet of players at 2-under.

Leading scores
T1        Paul Powell       69
T1        Murray Lott      69
T3        James Kupa      70
T3        Brad Burns       70
T3        Mark Sandri     70
T3        Martin Pettigrew          70

February 4

Barson wins by three at Pegasus Pro-Am

Kiwi Dominic Barson displayed the type of form that got him into Final Stage of PGA TOUR Champions Q School to take out the Pegasus Legends Pro-Am at Pegasus Golf Club near Christchurch.

The third individual event of the New Zealand swing to kick off the 2025 PGA Legends Tour season, Barson made it a win for the locals with a superb round of 6-under 66.

The 50-year-old made it through to Final Stage last November by finishing tied for 15th at First Stage, level with Australian Brendan Jones who went on to secure his card at Final Stage in Arizona.

Although Barson was not successful in earning full playing rights for 2025, the experience appeared to pay off as he bounced back from an early bogey to post five birdies and an eagle to finish three clear of Brisbane’s Murray Lott (69).

There was a three-way tie for third with Waihi Legends Pro-Am winner Guy Wall tied with Brad Burns and Martin Pettigrew.

Leading scores
1          Dominic Barson           66
2          Murray Lott                  69
T3        Brad Burns                   70
T3        Martin Pettigrew          70
T3        Guy Wall                      70
6          Christopher Massie      71

February 3

Australia retains Charles-Nagle Trophy

The Charles-Nagle Trophy remains in Australian hands after an enthralling contest that went down to the final match at Harewood Golf Club.

With Sir Bob Charles on hand to present the winning team with the trophy, the Aussies got off to a fast start as Brad Burns and David Fearns completed a 5&4 win over Dominic Barson and Martin Pettigrew.

The Kiwis got a point on the board thanks to Dean Sipson and Craig Mitchell’s 4&2 win over Ben Jackson and Roland Baglin, the match square at 1.5 points each when Guy Wall and Murray Lott halved their match with Dell Bain and Peter Giles.

The final result would hinge on the last match, Scott Ford and John Onions prevailing over Malcolm Wells and Mike Gainsford 3&2 to secure the win for the Australians.

Final scores
Brad Burns/David Fearns def. Dominic Barson/Martin Pettigrew (NZ) 5&4
Dean Sipson/Craig Mitchell (NZ) def. Ben Jackson/Roland Baglin 4&2
Guy Wall/Murray Lott halved Dell Bain/Peter Giles (NZ)
Scott Ford/John Onions def. Malcolm Wells/Mike Gainsford (NZ) 3&2

February 2

Massie stuns with NZ PGA Seniors Pro-Am win

Two superb rounds have earned Queenslander Chris Massie a maiden PGA Legends Tour win at the Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools NZ PGA Seniors Pro-Am Championship at Hamner Springs Golf Club.

In his second year on the seniors circuit, Massie opened up a two-stroke lead with a round of 6-under 62 on day one and then followed that up with a 4-under 64 in Round 2 for a 10-under total.

Massie’s best finish in his rookie season was a tie for 13th at Tin Can Bay but he showed few signs of nerves as he held off Murray Lott (64-63) by one stroke with Brad Burns (64-66) and Dominic Barson (64-66) three shots further back in third.

Leading scores
1          Chris Massie                 62-64—126
2          Murray Lott                  64-63—127
T3        Brad Burns                   64-66—130
T3        Dominic Barson           64-66—130
5          Ben Jackson                 67-67—134

January 30

Wall has his way at Waihi Legends

Pymble’s Guy Wall made the perfect start to the 2025 PGA Legends Tour season with a two-stroke victory at the Expol Waihi Legends Pro-Am at Waihi Golf Club.

It is the third year in succession that the Legends Tour season has kicked off on New Zealand’s North Island and the second time in three years that Wall has won the season-opener.

A winner at Hanmer Springs two years ago, Wall shot 6-under 66 at Waihi to claim victory from West Australian Rob Farley (68) with Kiwi pair Dell Bain and Dominic Barson sharing third with rounds of 2-under 70.

Leading scores
1          Guy Wall          66
2          Robert Farley    68
T3        Dell Bain          70
T3        Dom Barson     70
T5        Justin Hooper  71
T5        Ben Jackson     71


The PGA will break new ground in December with a professional tournament staged by people with intellectual disabilities.

To be held at the Glenview Par 3 course west of the Sunshine Coast, the new tournament will be a non-Order of Merit event on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series calendar and will be conducted by participants in the Golf Programs Australia Incorporated program.

Established in 2014 by PGA Professional Darrell Dalton and his wife Michelle, GPAI endeavours to use golf to promote inclusivity and provide training and employment opportunities through its associated charity shop in Nambour.

The ultimate aim is a purpose-built golf facility that is staffed by people with intellectual disabilities, from the greens staff through to pro shop and catering in the clubhouse.

The Pro-Am on December 4 has attracted keen interest with more than a third of teams already sold, up to 90 amateurs expected to join 30 professionals who will line up for a world-first golf tournament.

The idea of hosting a pro-am was first proposed to Dalton by PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman two years ago. Now, less than six months out, Dalton says the excitement building within those tasked with delivering the tournament gets greater each day.

“The excitement that it’s generating just in our crew itself is spectacular,” said Dalton.

“This tournament is going to put a spotlight on the people we work with every day, which is what we’re all about.

“Their training, their passion for the game, their passion for the community that we’ve created, they’re just very excited.

“The families are excited, Glenview’s excited. We’ve just got to get that excitement going with our community up here.”

GPAI was awarded Best Sunshine Coast Community Service Organisation of the Year in 2024, recognition that has elevated the organisation’s visibility within the Sunshine Coast region.

Dalton hopes that by hosting a professional golf tournament, word will spread throughout the country courtesy of the professionals who tee it up at Glenview.

“The relationship we hope to build with the PGA and the PGA Pros who play is really important,” Dalton added.

“We’d love their support to spread the word.

“Most people have spent very little time with a person with an intellectual disability so there is an element of fear-based uncertainty.

“We want to break down those barriers because when they meet our people, they are on board instantly and there are smiles left, right and centre.

“I think it’ll be an eyeopener for the PGA Pros that are plugged in, but also the local businesses that are participating.

“PGA Pros are travelling all around Australia and there’s nothing else like this. This has never been done before, so it creates a real talking point that we hope they share at other golf clubs that they visit.”

Working in conjunction with Glenview Professional Wade Hooper, GPAI participants will help with a variety of tasks including greeting golfers, helping with team registrations and facilitating post-round presentations.

To express interest in entering a team or to come on board as a major sponsor for the day click here or e-mail [email protected].


You need only reflect on their post-round interviews 12 months ago to understand why Adam Scott and Stephanie Kyriacou return to their respective venues this week wrestling mixed emotions.

After squeezing in some preparation for The Open at Royal Portrush last week, Scott will play the Genesis Scottish Open for the 11th time having been run down by home-country hero Robert MacIntyre in the 2024 edition.

Kyriacou was also runner-up in her corresponding event of a year ago, denied a major championship triumph when Japan’s Ayaka Furue made eagle at the 72nd hole to steal away the Amundi Evian Championship.

In a sport where winning is so infrequent, finishing second presents the most conflicting confluence of emotional states.

To finish second in such prestigious championships is a mark of success in almost every respect but brings with it the torment of what-ifs and could-have-beens.

“Sucks not to hold the trophy,” was Kyriacou’s typically honest appraisal immediately after last year’s Evian Championship.

“If you told me I would come second at the start of the week I would’ve been happy,” she quickly added.

For Scott, now a week out from his 45th birthday, last year’s Scottish Open was a chance to break a winless drought stretching back more than four years.

That drought is now in its sixth year, making last year’s near miss at The Renaissance Club also one of conflicting emotions.

“Good to be in the mix,” said Scott. “A shame to come up short but Bob did what he had to do to win. Eagle, par, birdie, that’s great stuff.”

Joined by Elvis Smylie and Karl Vilips, Scott is one of three Aussies in the field in Scotland, Kyriacou will be one of nine Australians contesting the fourth women’s major of 2025 in France.

Exempt into next week’s Open Championship in Northern Ireland, Cameron Smith, Lucas Herbert and Marc Leishman will prepare alongside Ripper GC teammate Matt Jones at the LIV Golf Andalucia event in Spain and there are eight Aussies in the field for the DICK’S Open on the PGA TOUR Champions.

Photos: Harry How/Getty Images (Scott); Philippe Millereau KMSP (Kyriacou)

Round 1 tee times AEST

LPGA Tour
The Amundi Evian Championship
Evian Resort Golf Club, France
3:24pm            Karis Davidson
3:48pm*          Lydia Ko (NZ)
4pm*               Minjee Lee
4:48pm            Hira Naveed
5pm*               Gabriela Ruffels
8pm*               Grace Kim, Cassie Porter
8:36pm            Hannah Green
8:48pm*          Stephanie Kyriacou
10pm               Robyn Choi

Recent champion: Ayaka Furue
Past Aussie winners: Rachel Hetherington (2001), Wendy Doolan (2004), Karrie Webb (2006), Minjee Lee (2021)
Prize money: $US8m
TV times: Live 8pm-2am Thursday, Friday; Live 9:15pm-12am Saturday on Fox Sports 505; Live 6pm-12am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.

DP World Tour/PGA TOUR
Genesis Scottish Open
The Renaissance Club, North Berwick, Scotland
5:06pm            Karl Vilips
5:17pm            Daniel Hillier (NZ)
5:28pm*          Adam Scott
5:39pm             Elvis Smylie
10:32pm          Ryan Fox (NZ)

Recent champion: Robert MacIntyre
Past Aussie winners: Graham Marsh (1973), Craig Parry (1991), Peter O’Malley (1992), Wayne Riley (1995), Min Woo Lee (2021)
Prize money: $US9m
TV times: Live 5:30pm-4am Thursday, Friday; Live 11:30pm-5am Saturday on Fox Sports 503; Live 11:30pm-5am Sunday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.

PGA TOUR
ISCO Championship
Hurstbourne Country Club (Championship Cse), Louisville, Kentucky
8:45pm            Jason Scrivener
3:05am            Aaron Baddeley
3:38am            Kazuma Kobori (NZ)

Recent champion: Harry Hall
Past Aussie winners: Aaron Baddeley (2016)
Prize money: $US4m
TV times: Live 6am-9am Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.

LIV Golf
LIV Golf Andalucia
Real Club Valderrama, Spain
Australasians in the field: Cameron Smith, Lucas Herbert, Matt Jones, Marc Leishman, Ben Campbell (NZ), Danny Lee (NZ)

Recent champion: Sergio Garcia
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US20m
TV times: Live from 8:30pm Friday, Saturday; Live from 7pm Sunday on 7 Plus.

Champions Tour
DICK’S Open
En-Joie GC, Endicott, New York
Australians in the field: Steve Allan, David Bransdon, Greg Chalmers, Scott Hend, Mark Hensby, Brendan Jones, John Senden, Michael Wright.

Recent champion: Padraig Harrington
Past Aussie winners:
Prize money: $US2.2m
TV times: Live 4am-6am Saturday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.

Korn Ferry Tour
The Ascendant
TPC Colorado, Berthoud, Colorado
11:50pm          Harry Hillier (NZ)
4:05am*           Rhein Gibson

Recent champion: Cristobal Del Solar
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US1m

HotelPlanner Tour
D+D REAL Czech Challenge
Royal Beroun Golf Club, Beroun, Czech Republic
3:40pm            Sam Jones (NZ)
4:30pm            Danny List

Recent champion: Benjamin Follett-Smith
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €300,000

LET Access Series
Vasteras Open
Skerike Golfklubb, Sweden
4:22pm*          Kristalle Blum
8:50pm*          Abbie Teasdale
9:01pm*          Stephanie Bunque
9:12pm            Justice Bosio
9:12pm*          Belinda Ji

Recent champion: Puk Lyng Thomsen (2023)
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €45,000

PGA TOUR Americas
Bromont Open
Golf Chateau-Bromont, Bromont, Quebec
10:10pm          Tony Chen
11:30pm          Charlie Hillier (NZ)
4:10am*           Grant Booth

Recent champion: Ryan Burnett
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US225,000

Epson Tour
Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship
Great River Golf Club, Milford, Connecticut
9:15pm*          Jennifer Elliott
2:26am            Jess Whitting
2:26am*           Su Oh

Recent champion: Daniela Iacobelli
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US225,000

Legends Tour
Swiss Seniors Open
Golf Club Bad Ragaz, Switzerland
Australasians in the field: Mark Brown (NZ), Michael Long (NZ)

Recent champion: Jarmo Sandelin
Past Aussie winners: Bob Shearer (1999), Terry Gale (2005), Peter Fowler (2011)


Minjee Lee’s status as Australian golf’s most recent major winner goes on the line this week with nine Australians to contest The Amundi Evian Championship in France.

The following week it will be the boys’ turn, as nine tee it up at The Open Championship at Royal Portrush, Adam Scott and Elvis Smylie the only two of the nine who are exempt who will prepare by playing this week’s Genesis Scottish Open.

With so many of Australia’s big guns opting not to play last week, it provided the opportunity for others to step into the limelight.

Kirsten Rudgeley returns to the Power Rankings for the first time since early April on the back of consecutive top 10s on the Ladies European Tour while Maverick Antcliff enjoyed his best international result in close to five years at the International Series Morocco.

A winner on the Asian Tour this year, Lucas Herbert entrenched his place behind Lee at No.2 by earning medallist honours at Final Qualifying for The Open Championship.

10. Kirsten Rudgeley (New)

Has bounced back impressively after a lacklustre start to her campaign in Europe. After four missed cuts was tied ninth at the Czech Ladies Open and then followed that up with a tie for fifth at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open. Now 24th on the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit.

9. Karl Vilips (8)

A third straight missed cut for the Puerto Rico Open champion. In 13 individual starts in his rookie season on the PGA TOUR Vilips has finished inside the top 35 on just two occasions, his Puerto Rico Open win and a tie for 11th at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

8. Stephanie Kyriacou (9)

Returns to Evian Resort Golf Club seeking to go one better than her runner-up finish at The Amundi Evian Championship 12 months ago. Currently ranked No.42 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking with three top-six finishes on the LPGA Tour this year.

7. Min Woo Lee (7)

Has arrived in the UK to prep for next week’s Open Championship in Northern Ireland. The 2021 champion has opted not to play the Genesis Scottish Open, crossing the Atlantic on the back of a tie for 13th at the Rocket Classic two weeks ago.

6. Hannah Green (6)

Arrives in France hoping to improve on previous showings at The Amundi Evian Championship. In five previous appearances the world No.11’s best result is a tie for 30th in 2019, coming shortly after her KPMG Women’s PGA victory.

5. Marc Leishman (5)

Currently 10th in the LIV Golf individual standings, Leishman will prepare for his first Open Championship since 2022 by teeing it up with the Ripper GC boys at LIV Golf Andalucia in Spain. Leishman is exempt into The Open by virtue of his tie for third at the Australian Open in December, edging Jasper Stubbs for the spot due to higher world ranking.

4. Adam Scott (4)

Denied victory at the final hole by home-country hero Robert MacIntyre 12 months ago, Scott tees it up for the first time since the Travelers Championship at this week’s Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club. Top 20 in his past two major starts, including a deep run at the US Open.

3. Jason Day (3)

Holds his mantle as Australia’s highest-ranked male player despite failing to make the weekend at the John Deere Classic. Moved to 28th in the Official World Golf Ranking on the back of a tie for fourth at the Travelers Championship.

2. Lucas Herbert (2)

Bolstered the Australian contingent at The Open by topping Final Qualifying held at West Lancashire last week. Will be eager to carry that form into this week’s LIV Golf Andalucia event in Spain.

1. Minjee Lee (1)

Returns to the site of her maiden major triumph on the back of the third major win of her career at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Including her win in 2021, Lee has finished top 20 five times in 10 starts at The Amundi Evian Championship.

The Australian Golf Power Rankings is a subjective list developed with input from members of the Australian Golf media team.


Twelve PGA Members have secured their place at the PGA Professionals Championship National Final following state qualifiers held in South Australia and Western Australia.

Twenty-one PGA Professionals teed it up at Mount Osmond Golf Club to determine the South Australian qualifiers, 28 WA Members fighting it out for seven spots at Cottesloe Golf Club.

Based at Thaxted Park Golf Club, Cody Sherratt shot 72 at Mount Osmond to win the PGA Professionals Championship of South Australia, finishing one shot clear of Legends Tour regular Simon Pope (73).

A playoff was needed to determine the third qualifier for the National Final after Damian Wrigley, Patric Kroschel and Benjamin Stowe all shot 75, Stowe clinching his place at the National Final at The Heritage Golf and Country Club from November 11-13.

As the leading senior player on the day, Pope also earns a place in the field for the Australian PGA Senior Championship from November 7-9 while Anne-Marie Knight qualified for the National Final as the leading female Professional.

SA qualifiers Benjamin Stowe, Simon Pope and Cody Sherratt.

A playoff was needed also at Cottesloe to finalise the WA qualifiers.

Scott Barr, Stephen Herbert and Conor Brown (pictured top) each shot 3-under 69 to finish tied at the top and guarantee their spots at The Heritage in November.

Two-under 70 was enough for Brody Martin to clinch the fourth spot but four players – Damian Chatterley, Joshua Madden, Ackzel Donaldson and Michael Draper – were forced to play extra holes to decide the final three qualifiers.

Draper would be the unlucky player to miss out as Nicole Martino finished top among the female professionals to also advance to the National Final.

The NSW PGA Professionals Championship scheduled for this week had to be postponed due to the wild weather in Sydney, the Queensland qualifier due to be played at Nudgee Golf Club on July 29.

South Australian final scores

Western Australian final scores


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