Want to recieve exclusive news, videos, tournament highlights, golf important tips and more ?
Want to recieve exclusive news, videos, tournament highlights, golf important tips and more ?
Robert Mitchell has broken through for his maiden win on the PGA Legends Tour in what is possibly his final year on the senior circuit.
Mitchell had four birdies and an eagle in his round of 6-under 66 to share victory with the in-form Adam Henwood at the NewGen Caravans Tin Can Bay Legends Pro-Am at Tin Can Bay Country Club.
Hailing from Western Australia, Mitchell has been a member of the PGA Legends Tour for the past three seasons but said that 2024 could well be his last.
“This is my third year out here and I probably won’t be coming back next year, unfortunately,” said Mitchell.
“Got to get myself a full-time job, buy a house and all that sort of stuff.
“The missus has been awesome for letting me play three years so thank her a lot for that.”
Mitchell and Henwood finished two strokes clear of a group of four players at 4-under, Brad Burns, Peter Brown, Guy Wall and Mark Boulton all posting 68s.
HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED
Starting from the 15th hole it took only until Mitchell’s second hole to get under-par with a birdie at the par-4 16th.
He would stay in red figures for the entirety of his round, adding birdies at the fourth, eighth and 13th holes along with an eagle at the par-5 10th.
Henwood, too, was quick out of the blocks with birdie at the par-4 first only to give it back with a bogey at the very next hole.
He turned 2-under courtesy of birdies at five and eight, added two more immediately after the turn and then closed with birdies at 14 and 18 to match Mitchell’s 6-under total.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I played nicely, hit a lot of good shots, made some good putts,” said Mitchell.
“It was just solid all day. It felt good, which was nice.
“I knew I was sort of heading towards my first win and I just sort of hanging in there I suppose.
“My fellow legends players have been awesome for the last three years, so I’ll always thank them for that.
“You get a lot of guys that make a speech and they say it’s like a family here and it is like a family.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 Adam Henwood 66
T1 Robert Mitchell 66
T3 Peter Brown 68
T3 Guy Wall 68
T3 Mark Boulton 68
T3 Brad Burns 68
NEXT UP
The countdown to the season finale continues at Noosa Golf Course on Tuesday and then moves to Beerwah on Wednesday for the two-day Elgin Valley Beerwah Legends Pro-Am.
WPGA CEO Karen Lunn has won a major international award for her contribution to golf’s engagement with women and girls.
Lunn was named ‘International Woman of the Year’ at the annual awards presented by Women In Golf UK.
Lunn, who is still in the dark as to how she was nominated, is nevertheless proud.
“I’m really humbled and honoured because there are so many women around the world doing amazing things in golf,” she said. “To be even considered as a part of that group is an honour.”
Lunn is a former touring professional who played in Europe (1985-2013), on the LPGA Tour (1994-2002) and in Asia (1998-2005), serving on the LET board of directors for 14 years including a 10-year stint as chair as well as chair of the players’ council. A 10-time winner in Europe, the high point was her 1993 British Women’s Open victory.
In 2022, she became the first woman elected as Chair of the Australian Golf Industry Council, the collaboration of the main stakeholders in the sport.
She has witnessed much change in that period of almost 40 years.
“We’ve made great inroads the past few years,” she said. “We’ve gone from being really frustrated and at times it’s been a tough gig, to being really excited about the direction now. We’re in a much better place.
“What we’ve achieved working so closely with the PGA and Golf Australia since we put the five-year strategy in place, it’s really exciting. It’s a great time for women’s sport to evolve and to be recognised as a separate centrepiece to our male counterparts.
“We don’t want to be the poor man’s option, and not just a token organisation. There was a lot of that in the beginning: ‘Oh, we better have a woman’. Now there’s genuine commercial support from business and I think the Australian public is opening up. The Matildas were almost a revolution and the Women’s World Cup cricket, which I was fortunate enough to see live. There have been great moments.”
PGA Associate Katie Buckley hopes to see golf clubs across Australia express their creative side after launching a recycling initiative with a difference at Townsville Golf Club.
In the first year of the PGA’s Membership Pathway Program, Buckley transferred from the New South Wales South Coast to North Queensland earlier this year, a phone call from none other than seven-time major winner Karrie Webb convincing to pack the car – and her cat Denzel – and head north.
Shortly after arriving, Buckley was made aware of broken tees from the golf course being washed into adjoining waterways and, ultimately, out onto the Great Barrier Reef.
Sensing an opportunity to make a positive contribution to the club’s environmental impact while also feeding her creative side, Buckley instigated a ‘teecycling’ program that will result in an artwork that will be displayed in the clubhouse.
“We asked everyone to pick up five tees when they went out and played and to put them in a vase that we have on the counter at the pro shop,” says Buckley.
“The members got really engaged with it and the vase filled up really fast. Then the juniors got really excited and made it a little game within themselves.
“I’d be out playing and they would run over from other fairways with bundles of tees that they had collected.”
But it is not just the members at Townsville Golf Club who are excited by Buckley’s ‘teecycling’ program.
Rosemary Veitch is not only a member and Women’s Golf Group Coordinator at Townsville Golf Club but also a Townsville Northern Suburbs Lions Club member.
She presented the idea to a meeting of Lions Clubs in North Queensland, word spreading as far as south-east Queensland as ‘teecycling’ took on a life of its own.
“Rosemary’s very passionate about recycling and the environment so she was really excited when I wanted to do it,” Buckley adds.
“As well as the wooden tees, there are lots of little plastic tees that get broken which go into the waterways which is washing into our ecosystems with the animals and then feeds out into the reef water.
“As Rosemary said, it’s a little thing that everyone can do and it’s so easy to do, but actually if you compile it, it makes such a big difference.
“It was such a little idea. We’ll pick up the tees because they’re a problem and I’ll make an art project. And then within a couple of months, it’s literally spreading across Queensland and got so much interest, which is really cool.”
It also reaffirmed to Webb why she was so eager to have someone such as Buckley complete her PGA training at Townsville Golf Club.
“You can see how enthusiastic and full of energy she is,” Webb says.
“I think she’s someone that brings people together and all golf clubs need people like her.
“I look forward to seeing what Katie’s organised when I’m home next.”
With the vase on the pro shop constantly filling up, Buckley hopes to unveil her artwork to the Townsville members in March next year.
She is keeping tight-lipped on what can possibly be created with thousands of broken tees but would love to see other creative types express their visions at golf clubs across Australia.
“I went and played an Associates match at Tropics Golf Club recently and they had my poster up and a vase on the counter with tees in it,” she adds.
“I didn’t even know they were doing that, so it was cool to walk into another golf club and see it happening.
“Hopefully we see some cool art projects popping up in random golf courses all over Australia and perhaps I could judge them.
“I would love that. That would be right up my alley.”
Two PGA Professionals have played on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia this season while one team boasts a two-time international winner in 2024 as teams descend on Sanctuary Cove for the 2024 Scramble Championship Final.
Nineteen teams have qualified for an unforgettable week of golf on the Gold Coast with three rounds on The Palms Course at Sanctuary Cove, accommodation at the InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort and nightly functions.
It is the most coveted week for club golfers across the country, one team to return home as national champions.
It has already been a summer of celebrations for Willunga Golf Club in South Australia’s McLaren Vale region.
Host to the Webex Players Series South Australia tournament, Willunga has been in the grip of ‘Spud fever’ with the success of Steve Alderson on the G4D Tour in Europe.
Alderson’s story captured the hearts of golf fans across the globe after he became the first person with autism to win a G4D event.
His winning run continued upon his return home when he took out the Webex All Abilities Players Series event at Willunga and then jetted off to Dubai where he won the nett division of the G4D Tour Series Finale.
Fresh off playing the Australian All Abilities Championship at Kingston Heath, Alderson is joined in the Willunga team by Robert and Sarah Perrau, Di Meyer and PGA Professional Cameron Bickley, who took on the tour pros at Willunga in October.
Another tour pr who has rubbed shoulders with some of the best players in the game is Kiama Golf Club’s Wil Daibarra.
Currently completing the PGA’s Membership Pathway Program, Daibarra won the PGA Associate National Final at Cobram Barooga Golf Club, a win that earned him a start at the BMW Australian PGA Championship.
Round 1 of the Championship Final begins on Tuesday. You can follow scoring each day here.
Scramble Championship Final teams
Kooindah Waters Golf Club, NSW
Mitchell Brown (PGA Professional), Jordan Deeble, Dean Smith, Lee Moore, Mitchell McDonald.
The Links Shell Cove, NSW
David Sadd (PGA Professional), Cos Scazzariello, Bronwyn Sparks, Lorraine Southwell, Darren Sparks.
Nudgee Golf Club, Qld
Stuart Irving (PGA Professional), Hayden Munck, Luke Madden, Mitchell Siebenhausen, Scott Gleeson.
Kiama Golf Club, NSW
Wil Daibarra (PGA Associate), Steven Cupitt, Paul Atkins, Alan Piper, Neil Boles.
Lithgow Golf Club, NSW
Gavin MacPherson (PGA Professional), Harrison Bender, Brandan Horner, Nathan Mitchell, Glenn Piggot.
Pacific Dunes Golf Club, NSW
Brayden Petersen (PGA Professional), Troy Lucas, Anthony Lucas, Andrew Lucas, Anthony Lucas Snr.
Fairbairn Golf Club, ACT
Gary Dowling (PGA Professional), Ben Maroney, Warren Smith, Shawn Eriksen, Brett Halliday.
Toowoomba Golf Club, Qld
Brenton Fowler (PGA Professional), Douglas Gibson, Andrew Woolfe, Ian Watson, Carl Humphrey.
Beaudesert Golf Club, Qld
Lachlan Ritson (PGA Professional), Adrian Paterson, Robert Rochford, Michelle Rochford, Ross Arandale.
Moranbah Golf Club, Qld
Joshua Bevan (PGA Professional), Daniel McGovern, Bransan Giffin, Christopher Cherry, Kyle Cherry.
Proserpine Golf Club, Qld
Roger Vandenberg (PGA Professional), Ian Dunn, Christopher Dunn, Gregory James, Darren Symons.
Laidley Golf Club, Qld
Todd Iffland (PGA Professional), Chris Frangi, Russell Lamb, Lachlan Heshusius, Danillo Livotto.
Willunga Golf Club, SA
Cameron Bickley (PGA Professional), Robert Perrau, Sarah Perrau, Di Meyer, Stephen Alderson.
Ulverstone Golf Club, Tas
Darren Spencer (PGA Professional), Glen Richardson, Andrew Woodward, Justin Tomlin, Mitch Ferguson.
Warrnambool Golf Club, Vic
Ben Ford (PGA Professional), Ross Corbett, Thomas Batten, Matthew Wines, Luke Wines.
Shepparton Golf Club, Vic
Russell Kelly (PGA Professional), Natise Vandenbroek, Cameron Kearney, Marcia Waters, Leanne Bailey.
Maffra Golf Club, Vic
Matthew Portelli (PGA Professional), Luke Clohesy, Peter Alcock, Clinton Gartung, Craig Alcock.
Nedlands Golf Club, WA
Andrew Gott (PGA Professional), Andrew Ogilvie, Ben Unbehaun, Bradley Lyon, Todd Farrell.
Bunbury Golf Club
Jason Chellew (PGA Professional), Nathan Hearn, Bailey Alexander, David Faulkner, David Eckersley.
A host of Aussie greats will seek to extend their country’s recent dominance when Final Stage of the PGA TOUR Champions Qualifying Tournament tees off in Arizona on Tuesday.
A 15-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour with more than ¥1 billion in total prize money, Brendan Jones turns 50 next March but is hoping to join the growing band of Aussies plying their trade on the over-50s tour in the US.
Twelve months ago, medallist Cameron Percy, Steve Allan, David Bransdon and Michael Wright took four of the five spots on offer while Victorian Richard Green was medallist in 2022 to secure his status.
Joining Jones in trying to complete an Aussie hat-trick are Mathew Goggin, Brad Kennedy, Andre Stolz and Scott Barr.
A three-time winner on the Korn Ferry Tour, Goggin (pictured) has two top-five finishes on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia in the past 18 months and was runner-up at both the NSW Senior Open and Australian PGA Senior Championship in the past month. He made two starts on the Champions Tour in 2024 at the US Senior Open and Sanford International before taking medallist honours at First Stage of Q School two weeks ago.
A four-time PGA Legends Tour Order of Merit winner, Stolz won a second Australian PGA Senior at Richmond by five strokes and is making a return to Q School.
Kennedy’s three Japan Golf Tour wins and five PGA Tour of Australasia victories have all come after the age of 35 and is making his first Q School appearance after celebrating his 50th birthday in June.
A three-time winner on the PGA Legends Tour this season, 52-year-old Barr continues to make appearances on the PGA Tour of Australasia, finishing tied for 21st at the WA PGA Championship in Kalgoorlie in October.
As the seniors look ahead to 2025, West Australian Kirsten Rudgeley brought her Ladies European Tour season to an end in Spain.
Needing to finish top 10 on the Order of Merit to earn an exemption into Final Stage of LPGA Tour Q Series, Rudgeley had to settle for 12th after finishing tied for 37th at the Andalucia Costa Del Sol Open de Espana.
A tie for 37th was the best the Aussie contingent could muster also at the International Series Qatar, Justin Warren, Travis Smyth, Jed Morgan, Matt Jones and Zach Murray all coming in 15 strokes adrift of champion Peter Uihlein.
Photo: Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
Round 1 tee times AEDT
PGA TOUR Champions
Qualifying Tournament-Final Stage
TPC Scottsdale (Champions Cse), Scottsdale, Arizona
2:41am* Dominic Barson (NZ)
3:03am Mathew Goggin
3:14am* Andre Stolz
3:36am Brad Kennedy
4:09am Brendan Jones
4:42am Scott Barr
2023 champion: Cameron Percy
Past Aussie winners: Peter Senior (2009), Richard Green (2022), Cameron Percy (2023)
Prize money: $200,000
Results
Asian Tour
International Series Qatar
Doha Golf Club, Qatar
1 Peter Uihlein 68-64-71-69—272 $US450,000
T13 Ben Campbell (NZ) 70-70-71-72—283 $33,916.67
T37 Justin Warren 71-71-74-71—287 $14,510.42
T37 Zach Murray 72-69-72-74—287 $14,510.42
T37 Jed Morgan 73-70-73-71—287 $14,510.42
T37 Travis Smyth 75-69-73-70—287 $14,510.42
T37 Matt Jones 74-70-73-70—287 $14,510.42
T49 Jack Thompson 68-73-72-75—288 $11,500
T49 Aaron Wilkin 70-74-75-69—288 $11,500
T52 Wade Ormsby 71-73-69-76—289 $9,900
T66 Maverick Antcliff 70-71-76-77—294 $6,500
MC Kevin Yuan 71-77—148
MC Scott Hend 72-76—148
MC Andrew Dodt 70-78—148
MC Marcus Fraser 74-76—150
Japan Golf Tour
Golf Nippon Series JT Cup
Tokyo Yomiuri Country Club, Tokyo
1 Shaun Norris 67-68-65-68—268
T25 Michael Hendry 70-71-72-72—285
Ladies European Tour
Andalucia Costa Del Sol Open de Espana
Real Club Guadalhorce Golf, Spain
1 Carlota Ciganda 67-66-66-71—270 €105,000
T37 Kirsten Rudgeley 74-69-73-70—286 €4,382
With his Australian Summer of Golf campaign over, Cam Smith has expressed his desire to repeat the visit back home again on the 2025/26 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
Smith’s run of four tournaments, which was hugely appreciated by everyone connected with Australian golf, started at the Queensland PGA at Nudgee, continued at the Ford NSW Open at Murray Downs and BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland and ended at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open at Kingston Heath.
Although a win proved to be elusive, with two runners-up finishes the best results, he did thrill the crowds with his golf, helping to build crowd figures, broadcast ratings and media coverage.
“I would love to,” Smith said today when asked if would repeat this year’s well received longer return to the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
“I think I’ve got to take that as it comes. As everyone knows now we’re expecting (a baby in March), so I think that’s going to have a big thing to do with it, which was really part of the reason why I wanted to do it this year.
“But we finish (LIV Golf) again in the middle of August, so there’s no reason that I can’t play at least one or two more again.
“I’ve loved doing it … so whether it’s the same two (Tour events) or a different two, I don’t really know, but yeah, I would love to do it again.”
Smith signed off with a birdie at the last of his 288 holes for the Australian summer, posting a round of 71 at Kingston Heath for an Open tally of -3 and a tie for 41st, well short of his goal to win the Stonehaven Cup for the first time.
After an opening round of 65 at Victoria Golf Club, he had moved to 11-under midway through his second round before a back nine of +5 put a severe dent in his chances.
“I guess that back nine on Friday really just kind of hurt and it was kind of hard to get over. I was frustrated and angry that whole night. Got a terrible sleep, up all night thinking about it,” he said.
“I feel like I did a lot right, particularly the three weeks before this, and yeah, when you have nine holes like that, when it kind of comes out the blue like it did, it’s just really frustrating, particularly the spot I was in.
“I didn’t really need to do too much more to be in the golf tournament, so it’s just really frustrating.”
Victorian David Bransdon conjured six birdies in his final nine holes to match Adam Henwood’s 10-under total and share victory at the Gold Coast Senior PGA Championship.
The $40,000 two-day event sponsored by Pimpama City Shopping Centre again drew an exceptional field to Lakelands Golf Club.
In spite of all the recent wet weather, the course was in fantastic condition, the best of the PGA Legends Tour taking full advantage.
Henwood shot 7-under 65 on day one to take a one-stroke lead into Round 2 and followed it with a round of 3-under 69 in the morning wave to set the mark at 10-under.
It looked like holding up for most of the afternoon until Bransdon swooped late, including a birdie from 20 feet at his final hole, the par-4 10th, the toughest hole on the golf course.
“I was trying to hit it close. I had a good number,” Bransdon said of his approach into his final hole.
“I was in the middle of the fairway, 8-iron in, 139 metres, little head breeze and I thought little draw in there. Didn’t quite draw and it actually landed softly, which was unusual today because the greens were quite firm.”
Order of Merit leader Andre Stolz (67) also finished strongly on Friday but had to settle for a share of third alongside Brad Burns (67) with Derrin Morgan (70) and Peter Senior (69) tied for fifth.
HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED
After eight birdies in Round 1, Henwood arrived at Lakelands on Friday with similar intent.
His putter failed to respond, however, and he was 1-over through 10 holes thanks to a double-bogey at the par-4 18th.
A birdie t the par-5 second got him back to square on his round and then he surged forward courtesy of an eagle at the par-5 fifth and final birdie at the par-4 eighth.
Bransdon also did his best work on the Lakelands front nine.
Starting from the par-5 11th, Bransdon was even par through nine holes before unleashing a run of four straight birdies from the par-3 second to instigate his final flurry.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
Bransdon: “I was even par after eight holes and went, Maybe we’re playing for second or third. Then I got on a bit of a run and reeled off six birdies in the next 10 holes. I hit 3-wood into that seventh hole that we were playing as a driveable par 4 and made par and went, Here we go. And then I birded eight and then hit a nice shot into nine and missed a bit of a short one. And then I hit an awesome 4-wood down 10, the hardest hole on the golf course, then hit 8-iron to about 20 feet and I popped it in and I went, Wow, there we go.”
Henwood: “I actually played great the first eight holes and then just made the dumbest double on the 18th. I didn’t do anything different. I holed a couple of six-footers and the rest were… I just kept playing. It was just all on putter today mate, and I just couldn’t get it done. But I holed a couple on the last four holes and the eagle putt was nice.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 Adam Henwood 65-69—134
T1 David Bransdon 68-66—134
T3 Andre Stolz 68-67—135
T3 Brad Burns 68-67—135
T5 Derrin Morgan 66-70—136
T5 Peter Senior 67-69—136
7 Nigel Lane 67-70—137
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour heads north to the Sunshine Coast on Monday for the NewGen Caravans Tin Can Bay Legends Pro-Am at Tin Can Bay Country Club, the start of the end-of-season run that concludes with the Queensland Senior PGA Championship on December 15.
American Matthew Siporin hopes to turn a win on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series into better results on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
Earning his card at Q School at Moonah Links in April, Siporin shot even par 72 at Friday’s IK Harrison Pro-Am at Elanora Country Club to be declared joint winner with New South Welshman Jay Mackenzie (72).
In Australia since the WA PGA Championship at Kalgoorlie, Siporin has missed all five cuts to date but hopes to use his Elanora win as a springboard into the rest of the season.
“I’m hoping I’ve turned a little bit of a page here,” said the California native.
“What made me come down was just the chance to play on a tour somewhere else.
“I’d heard that the Australian tour is an up-and-coming and developmental tour with good players and decent purses. I just wanted to explore the world and see a new place and meet new people and played different tracks.
“I came out here and made the trip and making lasting memories. That’s what it’s about.”
Siporin had three birdies and three bogeys in his even-par round, Mackenzie’s round consisting of a lone birdie at two and a single bogey at the short par-3 17th.
The pair finished one stroke clear of a group of seven players at 1-over 73 including Monash Country Club Head Professional, Torie Blakemore.
HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED
When Mackenzie began his round with a bogey on 17, a winning speech at presentations was the furthest thing from his mind.
It took just three holes to get back to square with the card courtesy of a birdie at the par-5 second and then Mackenzie peeled off 14 straight pars to close out his round.
Starting from the par-4 14th, Siporin was 2-under on his round after birdies at 16 and two but made bogeys at four, nine and 10 to drop to 1-over. The short par-4 13th would be Siporin’s final hole, successfully finding the birdie that would tie the lead.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
Siporin: “The course was just magnificent. I hadn’t seen it before teeing off today and it far exceeded all expectations that I had coming into it. It was great. It was challenging, it was fair. The pin locations were good, it’s a great track. Glad I came out here and played some good golf.”
Mackenzie: “It was a good day. I played with a couple of nice guys and Anthony Choat, which was nice. Chipped and putted well. Probably didn’t hit the ball the best, but chipped and putted good so that kept me in it.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 Jay Mackenzie 72
T1 Matthew Siporin 72
T3 Andrew Richards 73
T3 James Grierson 73
T3 Torie Blakemore 73
T3 Joseph Owen 73
T3 Jayden Cripps 73
T3 Anthony Choat 73
T3 Aaron Maxwell 73
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series is at Pymble Golf Club on Monday for the NSW/ACT PGA Foursomes Championship and then heads to Melbourne on Tuesday for the Eastwood Golf Club Pro-Am.
He went toe-to-toe with superstars Cameron Smith and Lucas Herbert at the NSW Open and now Alex Simpson has earned a share of victory at the Tee’d Up Cart Insurance/Kohinor Scaffolding Asquith Pro-Am.
Asquith Golf Club welcomed a strong field on Thursday, Simpson’s form at the NSW Open where he finished tied for second behind Herbert and level with Smith holding up in a round of 6-under 64.
He was one of three players to post 64, joined on the winner’s podium by fellow New South Welshman Aaron Townsend and West Australian Joseph Owen.
As he eyes a return to the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia at next week’s Victorian PGA Championship, Simpson was happy to see his Murray Downs form carry over.
“It’s definitely a massive boost of confidence, being able to hold my own in that company and have a nice result there,” said the 41-year-old.
“I felt that today. Just feeling good about my game and that things are heading in the right direction.
“Looking forward to playing the tour events for the remainder of the season and finishing as high up as I can there and see what happens.”
Victorian Aiden Didone (65) finished one shot back to grab solo fourth as five players returned scores of 3-under 67.
HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED
Three-under through 10 holes, Simpson needed a late surge to join Townsend and Owen at the top of the leaderboard.
His round began with a par at the par-4 16th and with six birdies and a bogey, Simpson was 5-under with three holes to play.
Simpson made birdie at the par-5 13th but dropped a shot at the par-3 14th, an eighth and final birdie at the par-5 15th getting him to 6-under.
Owen, too, needed a final flurry to earn just his second adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win in his rookie season.
Owen had just one birdie in his first nine holes but had four birdies, a bogey and an eagle at the par-5 first to finish at 6-under.
There was just a lone bogey in Townsend’s round of 64, three successive birdies from the par-5 eighth crucial in joining Owen and Simpson at the top of the leaderboard.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
Simpson: “The conditions were pretty conducive to low scoring. I thought it was pretty soft and the greens were rolling nicely. Managed to roll a few in early and just kept it going.”
Owen: “I had never played here so I thought I was going to play it fairly conservative and just build my way into the round, which I did. “Got hot late where I made a few birdies in a row and eagled one, which was my third last hole. It was a slowish start and then got hot at the end, which got me up there leaderboard.”
Townsend: “It’s a fun golf course to play. I got off to a nice start, made a couple of birdies early, but I just hit the ball in play a lot. I made a couple of nice putts early and that’s what you need, to see the ball go in. The greens were fantastic. Tiny bit slow, but that’s probably expected for the hot weather we’ve had but they rolled incredibly well.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 Aaron Townsend 64
T1 Joseph Owen 64
T1 Alex Simpson 64
4 Aiden Didone 65
T5 Alex Edge 67
T5 Andre Lautee 67
T5 Luke Malcolm 67
T5 Dean Mulley 67
T5 Jay Mackenzie 67
NEXT UP
The Sydney swing continues on Friday with the I.K. Harrison Elanora Pro-Am at Elanora Country Club and then on Monday Pymble Golf Club hosts the NSW/ACT Foursomes Championship.
With a first-round of 65 in the bank, and facing soft conditions on the Sandbelt, Cameron Smith has his sights on accumulating a 20-under-par total at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open.
The former Open champion has made no secret of his desire to win his national open and he made a strong start at The Victoria Golf Club today, ending two shots behind leader Lucas Herbert.
His second round will be at Kingston Heath on Friday afternoon where a huge crowd is expected to see how low Smith can go.
“I mean if it stays like this, it probably would be close to 20-under if there’s no wind, which is crazy,” Smith said when asked post-round what score might win this week.
“Usually around here if you get off to a nice start, anywhere in those kind of high singles to maybe 10 or 11 under is a really good score.
“Hopefully it firms up a little bit and it’s a bit of a tougher test.”
After a sluggish start, Smith was +1 through his first four holes but he rattled off six straight birdies either side of the turn to move up the leaderboard.
Back-to-back birdies on his last two holes, the eighth and ninth at Victoria, left the Ripper GC captain in a good mood.
“I didn’t do really much wrong today,” he said.
“It was a bit of a slow start, obviously being so early, getting up so early.
“I think just a bit draggy there at the start and then finally woke up, the coffee worked and I got on a good roll there through the turn.
“I didn’t do too much wrong from probably the second or third hole.”
Playing with Smith, new BMW Australian PGA champion Elvis Smylie slipped to +3 after seven holes before fighting back to post a 1-under 70.
