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Three Australians have vaulted into the US PGA Tour’s lucrative BMW Championship in Colorado this week, including a relieved Cam Davis who fell into the field by dent of a near-miracle.
Jason Day, Adam Scott and Davis will be Australia’s representatives in the tour’s penultimate event of the season at Castle Pines Golf Club, worth $US20 million, while Min Woo Lee’s rookie season in America is done.
The players came to the final round of the Fedex St Jude Championship looking to secure their place for next week, needing to finish inside the top 50 on the Fedex Cup standings.
A top 50 in the Fedex Cup has the added bonus of a spot in all next year’s signature events.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama closed out the win today, with Day finishing tied-22nd to sit at 25th on the standings, Scott rallying with a 68 to finish tied-18th and keep himself at 41st overall, and Lee jumping a few spots to tied-22nd with a closing 66 that was not quite enough to push the West Australian into the field for next week.
He completed his debut season ranked 60th on the standings.
But it was Davis who had the drama-filled day, finishing with a potentially-calamitous double bogey at the 72nd hole that left him vulnerable.
Ultimately a late fade-out by Tom Kim, who finished bogey-double-double, pushed Davis back in at No. 49 in the standings and he will now tee it up next week as well as having a start in the big events in 2025.
“I’ve done it every year for the last three years,” said the Sydneysider. “I feel like I’m constantly in this position where you’ve had a good season but still a little low missing next year, which doesn’t feel right, and it’s extra frustrating right now that I finished the way I did after playing the way I did all the way up until that point.
“I had a feeling if I parred the last, I would have been fine.”
Elsewhere lefty Richard Green came close to winning his first tournament on the PGA Tour Champions in Canada, a bogey at the 17th hole costing him dearly.
Green finished outright second and picked up more than $US200,000 in prizemoney. It was his fourth runner-up finish in his first season.
On the PGA Tour Americas, Australian Grant Booth was runner-up while on the LPGA Tour, Gabriela Ruffels logged a top-10 at the Scottish Open ahead of this week’s AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews, the final major of the women’s season.
PHOTO: Cam Davis plays his way into the next round of playoffs at TPC South Wind. Image: Getty
Results
PGA TOUR
Fedex St Jude Championship
TPC South Wind, Memphis, Tennessee
PGA Tour Champions
Rogers Charity Classic, Canyon Meadows CC, Canada
LPGA Tour/Ladies European Tour
ISPS HANDA Scottish Open
Dundonald Links, Scotland
PGA Tour Americas
Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open
Elk Ridge Resort, Canada
DP World Tour
D+D REAL Czech Masters
PGA National Oaks, Prague
LIV Golf League
Greenbrier Golf Club, West Virginia
Epson Tour
Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic
Pendleton, Oregon
Korn Ferry Tour
Magnit Championship
Metedeconk National Golf Club, New Jersey
European Legends Tour
Zambia Legends Championship
Bonanza Golf Club, Zambia
Challenge Tour
Vierumäki Finnish Challenge
Vierumäki Resort, Finland
LET Access Series
Destination Gotland Ladies Open
Gumbalde Resort, Sweden
1 – Kajsa Arwefjall (Sweden) 67-67-73 – 207
50 Wenyung Keh (NZ) 70-75-76 – 221
MC Munchin Keh (NZ) 75-76 – 151
Queenslander William Bruyeres claimed his first Challenger PGA Tour of Australia win today at Royal Port Moresby, fighting back from five shots back early in the final round to snare the 2024 PNG Open.
Bruyeres carded a 4-under 68 on the final day to finish his week at 17-under-par, holding off runner-up James Conran (NSW) by two shots, with overnight leader Andrew Campbell in solo third at 14-under.
While a first win on Tour was always going to be a memorable one, Bruyeres’ connection to PNG made it more the special. His grandfather spent a lot of time in the country and is buried there.
“My dad was sending me pictures of all the trophies my grandpa had won here and leading into the event, it just kind of felt more special to me,” he said.
With only one prior top-10 finish on Tour, Bruyeres was in an unusual position as he came down the stretch on Sunday, but he birdied three of his final five holes to claim his debut win, and secure his Tour card for the next two seasons.
“It feels amazing, absolutely amazing, what an experience,” said an ecstatic Bruyeres post-round.
“Today was an up and down day and I didn’t play my best golf, but I got it around and at the end of the day it ended up working out for me.
“I’m now locked into the winners’ category and have a card for a couple of years, plus financial backing now. This was huge for me so absolutely stoked.”
With one of the rounds of the day on Saturday, a 7-under-par 65, Bruyeres found himself in the final group on Sunday, starting just a shot back of leader Campbell, but an early double-bogey meant the 28-year-old based at Brookwater Golf and Country Club had a fight on his hands from the get-go.
Eventual runner-up Conran made the early move going out in 5-under, and looked like he might run away with the trophy and the biggest win of his career.
Shrugging off the double-bogey quickly though, Bruyeres was able to get his PNG Open quest back on track, helped too by a stroke of luck on the par-5 ninth.
“My ball rolled into a hole, so I had to play it where it was, hit it, and it skipped and one hopped in,” he said of an unlikely eagle.
“That was a bit of luck, but it still went in so I took it and kept going.”
As both Conran and Campbell dropped multiple shots on the back nine, Bruyeres kept making birdies, and by the time he stood on the par-3 18th tee the Queenslander held a two-shot lead.
The buffer allowed Bruyeres the comfort of making a bogey on the 72nd hole and still secure the first title of the 2024/25 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season.
The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia next heads to Kalgoorlie Golf Club for the CKB WA PGA Championship presented by TX Civil & Logistics, starting on October 10.
Profile of our winner:
William Bruyeres
Date of Birth: July 27, 1996
Current Tours: Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia
Birthplace: Logan (Qld)
Residence: Brookwater (Qld)
Turned pro: 2020
Coach: Richard Woodhouse
Junior club: Logan Golf Club
Current club: Brookwater Golf and Country Club
Bruyeres first started golf at age 13 and it only took him a couple of years before he broke par for the first time.
He attended, and played golf at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
After playing his first Tour events in 2020, his best performances so far have included a T10 at the 2023 PNG Open and T14 at the 2023 NZ PGA Championship.
His first adidas Pro-Am Series win came at Lane Cove in Sydney in 2022.
Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia wins:
2024 PNG Open
OWGR ranking: https://www.owgr.com/playerprofile/william-bruyeres-27485
Adam Henwood converted his rich vein of ball-striking form into another PGA Legends Tour victory today, coming from behind to win the Tropics Legends Pro-Am in Townsville.
Beginning the day in a share of fourth, three strokes behind overnight leader Andre Stolz, Henwood produced the lowest round of day two, a 3-under-par 68, to finish at 5-under for the 36 holes, overhauling the Order of Merit leader who followed his opening 66 with a 72.
Christopher Taylor, who won the first leg of the Townsville double at Rowes Bay on Tuesday, was outright third at -2 after two rounds of 70.
Despite not being happy with his putting, and trying to master a new green reading process, Henwood has now won four times on the PGA Legends Tour this year, including two in August, to be fifth on the Order of Merit.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
Henwood was the only player to break 70 today.
The Victorian kept himself in contention by being even-par through his first 11 holes before making his move after seeing he was closer to the lead than he thought, snaring a birdie on the 12th and picking up back-to-back shots on the 14th and 15th.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
Henwood said: “I played really nice both days but couldn’t make too many putts. Just ground it out and tried not to get too angry at myself.
“When I noticed Stolzy was going backwards I thought ‘here’s an opportunity, I’m hitting it good enough’. I made a couple of five-footers. It doesn’t sound like much but it’s all that was needed.
“When I had a look at the scores on the 11th tee, I didn’t actually think I was anywhere near the lead and it was ‘hang on I’m only one back’.
“I took everything on, had a good crack and hit some great shots down the stretch.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
137: Adam Henwood (Vic) 69-68
138: Andre Stolz (Qld) 66-72
140: Christopher Taylor (Qld) 70-70
141: Steve Conran (NSW) 69-72
142: Marcus Cain (Qld) 68-74; Murray Lott (Qld) 68-74
143: Brad Burns (Qld) 73-70; Russell Swanson (Qld) 70-73
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour has a short break before one of the highlights of the year, the $80,000 PNG Senior Open at Lae Golf Club on September 6-8
A birdie blitz on his back nine allowed NSW professional Aaron Townsend to overcome a rough start and some inner-doubts to grab a two-stroke win at the Gunnedah Golf Lion Co Pro-Am today.
After a double-bogey on his first hole, Townsend fought back to post a 4-under-par 66 at Gunnedah Golf Club in the north-west of New South Wales to head Jayden Cripps (68) and Darcy Boyd and Hayden Gulliver who shared third on 1-under.
The victory ended a run of six runner-up finishes in adidas PGA Pro-Am Series events since the 43-year-old’s last win in 2020.
However there had been signs in the recent NSW Open qualifier events that a win may not be far away, including finishing in a share of fourth in the South-West Rocks Open.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
Townsend made a mess of his opener, taking six shots at the 400-metre 10th, and turned in 2-over 36.
His second nine was full of fireworks, however, with birdies at 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 as he came home in just 30 strokes.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“It was a little bit of a setback, I’m not going to lie. I didn’t hit too many bad shots either. It was a strong hole to start on,” Townsend said of his early slip-up.
“The boys I played with were a bit shocked as well. I thought if I just hung in there a few birdies might come and it didn’t really happen on that nine.
“I caught fire a bit starting the second nine.
‘I played nicely in all those NSW Open qualifiers and found myself in positions where I was close to winning and didn’t finish it how I liked. I thought to myself ‘have I forgotten how to do this, how to close out events’. It’s nice to get it done. It’s been a few years since I’ve had a win.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
66: Aaron Townsend (NSW)
68: Jayden Cripps (NSW)
69: Darcy Boyd (NSW), Hayden Gulliver (NSW)
70: Danni Vasquez (NSW), Mitchell Brown (NSW), Belinda Diamond (NSW), Cameron Bell (Vic), Aaron Maxwell (ACT)
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series moves to the NSW North Coast for the Better Homes Port Macquarie Pro-Am on Tuesday-Wednesday next week followed by the Hawks Nest Beachside Apartments Pro-Am on Friday-Saturday.
Some of the biggest names in Australian golf over the past 30 years will be on show when the 54-hole $150,000 NSW Senior Open returns to Albury this November.
Now in its sixth edition, the NSW Senior Open, one of the biggest events on the PGA Legends Tour, will be played from November 1-3 at Thurgoona Golf & Country Club Resort. It is proudly supported by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
Golf NSW Chief Operating Officer Graeme Phillipson said the event was an extremely popular addition to the Albury/Border sporting calendar.
“Golf NSW is delighted to continue bringing one of our best tournaments back to Thurgoona Country Club,” he said.
“The sporting public of Albury has supported this event from the outset, and it is a pleasure to return to a city where everyone involved in the tournament, including the players, officials and staff, have been so warmly received.
“Golf is the number one pastime Australia-wide for those over 50, and the popularity of tournaments like the NSW Senior Open helps us promote the game as the ideal recreational activity for both young and old.”
The 2024 Championship is set to feature many of the greats of Australasian golf from the past 25 -30 years, including:
Other notables and past champions expected to play include Peter O’Malley (NSW), Chris Taylor (VIC), Grant Kenny (NSW), the inaugural champ in 2017, and 2019 victor Brad Burns (QLD).
PGA Legends Tour coordinator Andy Rogers said the players relished the opportunity to return to Albury and the Thurgoona Golf and Country Club Resort.
“We’re absolutely rapt to be coming back to Thurgoona,” said Rogers.
“We have seen through the quality of the field at Thurgoona in recent years just how much the players enjoy the golf course and visiting Albury.
“It’s a fantastic course and a perfect fit for a tournament that’s a really important part of our schedule.”
Adam Fitzgerald, General Manager of Thurgoona Country Club Resort, said the fan experience at this year’s tournament will allow unparalleled access. Spectators can walk the fairways beside their favourite players and see golf played at its best.
“There won’t be a better opportunity for sports fans in the Albury – Region to get up close and personal to witness the legends in action.
“It’s clear the players really enjoy the atmosphere and the connections with the fans in the gallery, and we are looking forward to another fantastic three days of action.”
The New South Wales Senior Open is proudly supported by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
Four Australians have made it through to the first week of the FedEx Cup playoffs at the St. Jude Championship on the PGA TOUR, with Min Woo Lee needing a solid week to advance further in the playoffs.
With only the top-50 on the standings advancing to next week’s BMW Championship, Lee is currently sitting 62nd, needing a T17 or better at the very least at Memphis to keep his season alive.
Both Cam Davis and Adam Scott sit just inside the safe zone at 44th and 46th respectively, and will be keen to lock in their BMW spots as well as move closer to the top 30 who qualify for the Tour Championship.
Leading Australia Jason Day (26th) is very safe for the BMW Championship but needs to consolidate his place in the Tour Championship over the next fortnight.
With all the focus on Minjee Lee and Hannah Green at the Olympic Games last week, some may have forgotten Steph Kyriacou’s performance in the most recent major championship.
Kyriacou’s runner-up performance at The Amundi Evian Championship announced to the world that she has the game to compete on the biggest stages.
While this week’s ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open is not a major itself, many will be using it as preparation for next week’s AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews, the final women’s major for 2024.
Outdone by an eagle-finish by Evian winner Ayaka Furue, Kyriacou has had two mixed results since her runner-up finish, but a few weeks off, soaking up the European sun has her ready to regain that form.
“Obviously, a lot of stuff worked well for me this week, so just trying to keep the same mindset going forward and hopefully I can win,” said Kyriacou following the Evian.
Seven Australians, including world No.15 Minjee Lee, and one Kiwi, Olympic gold medallist Lydia Ko, will be teeing it up at Dundonald Links for the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open.
Elsewhere, Five Australians are teeing it up at the Czech Masters on the DP World Tour, with all three players who topped the 2022/23 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit — David Micheluzzi, Thomas Power Horan and Andrew Martin — getting the chance to move up the Race to Dubai standings.
*All times AEST
PGA TOUR
FedEx St. Jude Championship
TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
10:50pm Cam Davis
12:55pm Min Woo Lee
2:00am Adam Scott
2:40am Jason Day
Defending champion: Lucas Glover (USA)
Past Aussie winners: Bruce Crampton (1970), David Graham (1976), Wayne Grady (1989), Adam Scott (2013), Jason Day (2015).
Prizemoney: US$20,000,000
TV times: Thursday and Friday 10:15pm-8am Fox Sports 503 and Kayo. Saturday and Sunday 10:30pm-8am Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
LPGA TOUR/LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open
Dundonald Links, Ayrshire, Scotland
4.32pm: Lydia Ko (NZ)
5.38pm: Grace Kim
5.49pm: Whitney Hillier
5.49pm: Hira Naveed
9.10pm: Steph Kyriacou
9.32pm: Minjee Lee
10.05pm: Gabi Ruffels
10.49pm: Kirsten Rudgeley
Defending champion: Celine Boutier (France)
Past Aussie winners: Rebecca Artis (2015)
Prize money: $2 million
TV times: Live 11pm Thursday on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo; Live 11pm Friday on Fox Sports More 507 and Kayo; Live 10pm Saturday on Fox Sports More 507 and Kayo; Live 9pm Sunday on Fox Sports More 507 and Kayo.
DP WORLD TOUR
D+D REAL Czech Masters
PGA National OAKS Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
3:30pm Andrew Martin
5pm Jason Scrivener
4:20pm* David Micheluzzi
5:30pm* Thomas Power Horan
8:30pm* Sam Jones (NZ)
10:30pm* Haydn Barron
Defending champion: Todd Clements (ENG)
Past Aussie winners: Nil.
Prizemoney: €2,000,000
TV times: Thursday and Friday 9pm-2am Fox Sports 505. Saturday 9pm-1am Fox Sports 505 and Kayo. Sunday 7:30pm-10pm Fox Sports 503 and Kayo, 9:50pm-12:30am Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
LIV GOLF LEAGUE
LIV Greenbrier
The Old White at The Greenbrier, Greenbrier, USA
3:15am Lucas Herbert, Matt Jones, Danny Lee (NZ), Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith
Defending champion: Bryson DeChambeau (USA)
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prizemoney: US$20,000,000
TV Times: Saturday, Sunday and Monday 3:15am 7plus.
EPSON TOUR
Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic
Wildhorse Resort and Casino
Pendleton, Oregon
Australasians in the field: Amelia Garvey, Cassie Porter, Fiona Xu, Maddison Hinson-Tolchard,
Defending champion: Xiaowen Yin (China)
Past Aussie winners; Nil
Prizemoney: US$262,500
KORN FERRY TOUR
Magnit Championship
Metedeconk National Golf Club, Jackson Township, New Jersey, USA
8:56pm Karl Vilips
9:18pm Rhein Gibson
3:10am Brett Drewitt
Defending champion: Chan Kim (USA)
Past Aussie winners: Nil.
Prizemoney: US$1,000,000
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
Rogers Charity Classic
Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club, Calgary, Canada
Australasians in the field: Steven Alker (NZ), Steve Allan, Stuart Appleby, David Bransdon, Greg Chalmers, Richard Green, Jason Norris, Rod Pampling, Cameron Percy, Vijay Singh (FIJI), Michael Wright.
Defending champion: Ken Duke (USA)
Past Aussie winners: Nil.
Prizemoney: US$2,400,000
TV times: Monday 7am-9am Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
EUROPEAN LEGENDS TOUR
Zambia Golf Legends Championship
Bonanza Golf Club, Lusaka, Zambia
Australasians in the field: Michael Campbell (NZ), Michael Long (NZ)
Defending champion: Inaugural event
PGA TOUR AMERICAS
Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open presented by Lake Country Co-Op
Elk Ridge Resort – Tournament Course, Waskesiu Lake, Sask, Canada
11:50pm* Grant Booth
1:20am* Charlie Hillier (NZ)
6:10am Harry Hillier (NZ)
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Prizemoney: US$225,000
CHALLENGE TOUR
Vierumäki Finnish Challenge supported by Finnish Golf Union
Vierumäki Resort, Vierumäki, Finland
3:40pm Hayden Hopewell
7:50pm Blake Windred
7:50pm* Connor McKinney
8:10pm* Zach Murray
Defending champion: Lauri Ruuska (FIN)
Past Aussie winners: Marcus Fraser (2003)
Prizemoney: €250,000
LET ACCESS
Ahlsell Nordic Golf Tour
Destination Gotland Ladies Open
Gumbalde Resort, Stanga, Sweden
Australasians in the field: Wenyung Keh (NZ); Munchin Keh (NZ)
Defending champion: New event
Prize money: 45,000
Just days ago, Lachlan Barker was strolling the lush green fairways of Foxhills Country Club in England, and after a missed cut, many would have forgiven him for taking a week off, even if his next event was just down the road and not on the other side of the planet.
As it turns out, the South Australian embarked on a gruelling 39-hour journey to make sure he made it to Port Moresby for the PNG Open, and his reason why shows how much this event means to him.
“You don’t know how many times you’re going to be able to try and defend a title,” said Barker after the Wednesday Pro-Am at Royal Port Moresby ahead of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia’s season opener.
“This was my first pro win, so I have to come back and defend it.”
Barker’s win at last year’s PNG Open got his second season on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia off to the perfect start, and he was able to carry that momentum throughout, finishing tenth on the Order of Merit standings.
While many may shudder at the thought of playing in England and Papua New Guinea in consecutive weeks, Barker admits he didn’t think twice about making the trip.
“I’m all for having four, five, six weeks in a row, and practising that, because that’s one of the arts of pro golf,” he said.
“Yes you’ve got to be a good golfer, but there’s a lot of those other parts to it that a lot of people don’t understand.
“You’ve got to travel halfway across the world four times in a row and get up and be ready to go. This week was another good chance to practise that.”
Barker admits the course is playing quite different this week than it was last year, with the change to the schedule meaning that Royal Port Moresby is significantly drier.
“We were here in May last year, and it was lot greener and a lot more grass around, so then driving was paramount. To win you had to drive it well,” he explained.
“Because if you hit it in the trees you had to chip out, you were in this thick cow grass.
“But now it’s a lot drier, so I hit it in the trees a couple of times today and was able to get a lot of spin on the ball, hooks and cuts to get it back into play.
“Normally if you keep it in play and putt well, you’re always going to be up near the top, but I’m not too sure what to expect and I think it’ll be different to last time.”
A winner by four-shots last year, Barker recalls a special moment that he hopes to replicate on Sunday.
“Knowing that I’d won on the 18th green was pretty special,” he said.
“I was standing there and I looked over at Liam Georgiadis who was standing off to the side of the green and sort of gave him the ‘how are we looking?’, and he just nodded his head.
“I noticed I was looking down, in my own internal thoughts, so I just lifted my head up and thought ‘Yep, this is pretty cool’.”
Native Queenslander Dillon Hart has fired a 4-under 68 to claim the Powers Lager Kooralbyn Valley Pro-Am for the second year in a row today.
On a wet day where only three players managed to navigate the Kooralbyn Valley course under-par, Hart had no trouble finding scoring opportunities, with five birdies and only one blemish on his card.
Fellow Queenslander Jack Munro was runner-up after a 2-under 70, while Dylan Gardner rounded out the podium with a 1-under 71.
This is Hart’s second win on the adidas PGA Pro-Am series for 2024, and further solidifies his place in the top-10 on the Order of Merit list.
HOW THE WINNING SCORE UNFOLDED
Starting his day on the second at Kooralbyn Valley, Hart birdied his opening hole, but gave that shot straight back at the long par-3 fifth.
After that it was all smooth sailing however, Hart managing four more birdies coming in, including two in his last four holes.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Obviously started on the second hole and got away with a birdie, just sort’ve saw the rain coming in and thought if we can just get a couple of birdies for the day in the wet we can see what happens and managed to do that,” said Hart.
“Generally hit a lot of greens which saved me, and holed a few putts.
“It’s always good to win in Queensland, back home you feel like you should get one or two so it’s nice to finally get one.
“Obviously played well here last year, won here last year, and came back again. It feels really comfortable for me, obviously you have to strike the ball well, being long you just have to.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
68 Dillon Hart (QLD)
70 Jack Munro (QLD)
71 Dylan Gardner (QLD)
72 Gavin Fairfax (QLD), Nicklaus Rogers (QLD), Matthew Rogers (QLD), Steven Jeffress (QLD)
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series next heads to Gunnedah Golf Club for the Gunnedah Golf Lion Co Pro-Am on Friday.
One of the PGA Legends Tour’s most prolific winners, Queenslander Chris Taylor, wasn’t deterred by a rain-enforced change of format to claim the Rowes Bay Legends Pro-Am today.
His ninth victory in 2024, and a repeat of his 2021 success at the Townsville course, was a convincing one, with a 10-under-par total in the two-day event giving him a three-stroke margin over Adam Henwood (Vic) and Murray Lott (Qld).
More than 100mm of rain on Sunday and Monday forced the closure of the front nine at Rowes Bay, leading to the field receiving plenty of exposure to the much drier back nine which the profressionals covered twice on each day.
Order of Merit leader Andre Stolz held top spot after an opening day 66 but fell away to fifth following a second round of 74.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
Taylor, No.2 in the Order of Merit standings, put himself in contention with a 3-under-par 69 on day one that included just the solitary bogey on the par-5 18th.
He blitzed his opening nine holes on day two to seize the lead, taking just 31 strokes on the way to an event-best round of 65, featuring eight birdies.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
Christopher Taylor: “The last couple of days I played some really good golf. It was nice to get out there today and make a few more putts. A lot of the boys, from what I’ve heard, have struggled with their putting even though the greens were immaculate.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-10: Christopher Taylor (Qld)
-7: Adam Henwood (Vic), Murray Lott (Qld)
-6: Mark Boulton (Vic)
-4: Andre Stolz (Qld)
-1: Brendan Chant (WA), Peter Senior (Qld), Simon Tooman (Qld)
Even: Chris McCourt (Qld), Nigel Lane (Qld)
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour has its second leg of the Townsville double at Tropics (August 15-16).
Jack Wright and Reilly Wunderlich are the new Queensland PGA Foursomes Championship titleholders thanks to a final-hole birdie at Kooralbyn Valley today.
Wunderlich, from Yamba in New South Wales, hit the duo’s final approach shot of the day – at the 337m par-4 11th hole – to inside a metre from 90 metres out giving Wright, from the Gold Coast, a virtual tap-in to post the only even-par round of the event.
Their 72 gave was one shot clear of two teams – Michael Sim/Jack Munro and Tiger Boontang/Yevin Samararatne.
“It was a battle. We got off to a good start and then had to grind a few tough bogeys out,” Wunderlich said.
“To hit it to about a foot on the last to get the win was pretty special.”
Inclement weather in the Gold Coast Hinterland forced the event to be cut from 36 holes to just 18.
HOW THE WINNERS’ ROUND UNFOLDED
Starting their round on the 12th, Wright and Wunderlich moved to 1-under with a birdie at their second hole, the par-5 13th.
They were -2 following a birdie on the first before hitting trouble with a trio of bogeys on the third, fourth and fifth. Five straight pars steadied the round before the title-winning birdie came at the 11th.
LEADERBOARD
72: Jack Wright/Reilly Wunderlich
73: Michael Sim/Jack Munro; Tiger Boontang/Yevin Samararatne
74: Stephen Klease/TJ King
75: Barrie Manning/Neville Hogan; Christopher Crooks/Zach Ion; Kane Streat/Corey Jeucken
