Aldrich Potgieter plays golf under the South African flag, is bound for the PGA TOUR next year and is two shots back of Elvis Smylie’s first-round lead at the BMW Australian PGA Championship in something of a homecoming.
Born in Mossel Bay – like major champion Louis Oosthuizen – Potgieter’s family moved to Western Australia when he was eight-years-old, before returning to South Africa when Aldrich was 17.
Potgieter claiming The Amateur Championship at the same age to become the second youngest winner, before turning professional in 2023 and becoming the youngest ever winner on the Korn Ferry Tour this year.
The now 20-year-old’s January triumph in the Bahamas part of run that has led him to the PGA TOUR, where he will test his game against the world’s best following an extended period in Australia going toe-to-toe with his former country’s top stars.
Potgieter opening his account at Royal Queensland on Thursday with a 4-under 67 that included a run of five birdies in seven holes,
“Bogey on the first (10th hole) didn’t really help the round at all, but I knew there was a lot of opportunities out there during the day,” Potgieter said.
“We were just trying to keep moving forward. Had three birdies in a row, had some momentum shift and just try to build off that.”
Unable to convert more chances late in his round, including at the two par-5s in the closing stages of his back nine, Potgieter is making his first start in what was once his homeland since the 2022 WA Open after reacclimatising himself with Australian golf in recent weeks.
“I was just over there (Western Australia) for a little visit for three weeks,” he said.
“After the Playoffs on the Korn Ferry in America, decided to come back to Perth for a little while … the whole family came over to go see some friends, so it’s been nice.”
Included in those friends was Min Woo Lee, with the pair reuniting by teeing it up at Lake Karrinyup when both spending time in Perth following busy seasons and ahead of the local Summer of Golf.
The pair were in close proximity again on Thursday when Potgieter played alongside David Micheluzzi and Englishman Jordan Smith one group in front of the supergroup comprising Lee, Cam Smith and Jason Day.
Potgieter’s 4-under round was equalled by both players in his match, as well as Day and Smith, while Lee’s title defence opened with a 3-under 68 to sit three shots back of Smylie’s 6-under mark that held up on a wet and soft Royal Queensland.
“Looking at the leaderboard, it’s pretty stacked up there,” Potgieter said.
“I know some of them pretty well. I know Min decently well and he’s a good player. It’s nice to connect with those bigger names. But yeah, we’ll see three more days, see where they finish up.”
The BMW Australian PGA Championship is available live on Channel 9 and 9Now, as well as Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
Jason Day gave his most loyal fans the highlights they craved in his first tournament round in Queensland since 2011.
Whenever you throw a “Supergroup” tag on three golfers, you always know deep down there is one with more superstar lustre than the others.
On a rare occasion, it never played out that way in the opening round of the BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland Golf Club on Thursday.
All offered magnetic highlights as they harvested 16 birdies in all to keep fans cheering impartially.
The gallery swelled to more than 1,500 during the march of Day (67), 2022 British Open champion Cameron Smith (67) and defending Australian PGA champion Min Woo Lee (68).
At times, it was like watching the one composite golfer you imagined the trio could blend into becoming with a little DNA engineering.
When Lee smote his opening drive 30 metres past his playing partners you instantly wanted his driver game.
When he lasered short irons or bump-and-runs to close range during his three birdies through the opening four holes, you wanted to copy that momentum gear of his.
When Smith fashioned his two front nine birdies with exquisite chip shots, you again wanted to plug that trait into your dream golfer.
Then there was Day. He was the one nailing the longer birdie putts and staying composed throughout without a bogey on his card.
It was just good to see him at close range on a course in his home state again.
We love seeing you home @JDayGolf 🇦🇺🤝#AusPGA pic.twitter.com/OlNGtfTJUU
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) November 21, 2024
He hadn’t played at RQ since before the second span of the Gateway Bridge was opened. That’s pre-2010. Is it that long?
He dived into two meat pies from a local bakery before 8am when he landed in Brisbane this week. Too long, he joked.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been here, so wasn’t not too sure how things would unfold,” Day commented post-round.
“But it’s been great. The crowds have been fantastic and seeing a lot of junior golfers out there.
“It’s fun. It’s only going to get bigger and better as the week progresses.”
Now 37, his last Queensland appearance was a joint ninth at the Australian PGA at the then-Hyatt Coolum in the week after the 2011 Presidents Cup.
If you are a golf fan, you want to see shots you can never dream of. OK, Lee smoting the ball a ridiculous distance down the 18th fairway is sort of standard brilliance for him.
One fan, Bundamba’s Toby Evers, made his support obvious. He’d made his own MinWoozy T-shirt with “ball speed of 9000” on the back.
If we are talking elite shots, it’s also Day being stuck right off the tee in the trees and mud on his 14th hole, the par-4 fifth.
Given a ruling and a better lie, Day punched a low bullet from the mud into the greenside bunker. As easy as you like, he flipped a shot from the firm sand to close range. Par. Nods of appreciation everywhere.
Scorecards always do a serious disservice to pars. Some of the best golf a pro plays is to salvage par from such precarious situations.
You hear quirky background stories years later in many cases. Day told the PGA Awards dinner earlier in the week that he didn’t touch a can of Coke for two years around that period he became world No.1.
Cam Smith out here doing Cam Smith things.
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) November 20, 2024
Brilliant pitch from 60 metres out sets up birdie at 15 and the three-time champ is in red figures.#AusPGA | @bmwau | @visitbrisbane pic.twitter.com/vffIjzBWhX
We’re hearing Smith’s diligent approach to this summer and 2025 has some similar hallmarks of discipline.
The definition of “Supergroup” spawned from the music industry when stars already with fame as solo artists came together.
You know, the Traveling Wilburys type of thing in the late 1980s when Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty came together.
Golf has had its fair share at big Aussie tournaments since the halcyon days of the late 1970s and ‘80s when Jack Nicklaus and a young Greg Norman might be paired at an Australian Open or a Nick Faldo or Seve Ballesteros came out for a big event.
Day has been in plenty himself. In 2011, it was hard not to follow the Day-Tiger Woods-Robert Allenby group for the opening two rounds of the Australian Open at The Lakes.
In 2013 at Royal Sydney, Adam Scott shot a glorious course record 62 beside Day and American Kevin Streelman at the Australian Open.
For riveting two-balls, few have been bigger than the Scott v Rickie Fowler final group showdown for the 2013 Australian PGA at Royal Pines when the Australian was fresh off his drought-breaking Masters triumph.
It’s funny. Tournament organisers grapple with a conundrum every time they calculate who to pair in the opening two rounds.
You can split stars so one is the glow for the morning field and the other is the magnet for afternoon audiences.
You then run the risk of 2014. Organisers didn’t pair Adam Scott and Rory McIlroy for the opening two rounds at the Australian Open at The Australian Golf Club. The two marquee players didn’t play together at all in that event.
Australian PGA organisers bit the bullet a few years ago and played their trumps up front with a Scott-Smith pairing first thing on Thursday’s opening morning so they were the guaranteed TV talent on Friday afternoon’s broadcast.
Those who got up early in Brisbane for the 6:10am tee time enjoyed the same treat with Day, Smith and Lee together.
There’s every chance we’ll be hearing a lot more from one of them by Sunday afternoon.
Hannah Green may have had a Greg Norman Medal hung around her neck this week but by Thursday, she will have reverted to normal routines and the grind of the tour.
Green, the world No. 5 who has won three times this year, tees it up in Florida for the biggest winner’s pay cheque in women’s golf history starting early Friday AET.
The CME Group Tour Championship is the finale of the LPGA Tour season and carries $US 11 million prize pool and a $US 4 million first prize cheque, which is bigger even than the US Women’s Open first prize. The runner-up gets $1 million and even last place in the 60-player field is worth $55,000.
Beyond this weekend she will be on a flight to Melbourne and the ISPS HANDA Australian Open next week. Needless to say, it has been a marathon rather than a sprint, but the big prizes are coming around.
The 27-year-old from Perth had a rare missed cut last weekend but she will remain one of the favourites in Florida this week – albeit that everyone will be chasing Nelly Korda, whose win last week was her seventh for the season.
Green is one of two players, with China’s Ruoning Yin, to have won three tournaments this year.
She will be joined by Minjee Lee, Grace Kim and Gabriela Ruffels on tour championship debut at Tiburon Golf Club while New Zealand has Lydia Ko in the field.
No Australian has won the tour championship since its inception in 2011, although Green was runner-up to Jin Young Ko from South Korea in 2020.
The LPGA Tour has a different system to the PGA Tour for its season-ender, with the top 60 players on points qualifying, and the points then reset, which gives everyone a chance of winning the main prize.
That includes the likes of Australia’s Lee, who only confirmed her place in the field by playing well in The Annika last week after one of her most quiet years. She has played in the tournament every year since 2015 but has not had a better finish than her tie for fifth in 2021.
The DP World Tour is in Australia for the next two weeks, beginning with the BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland.
Meanwhile a bunch of Australians are teeing it up in the Hong Kong Open, part of the International Series, on the Asian Tour this week.
PHOTO: Hannah Green has won more than $US 2 million this year. Image: Getty
Round 1 tee times AEDT
LPGA Tour
CME Group Tour Championship
Ritz Carlton Resort, Naples, Florida
12.15 am Minjee Lee
12.55 am Grace Kim
2.15 am Gabriela Ruffels
4.15 am Hannah Green
4.25 am Lydia Ko (NZ)
Defending champion: Amy Yang
Past Aussie winners: Lydia Ko (NZ) 2014, 2022
Prizemoney $US 11 million
TV times: Live Fox Sports 506 6am-9am Friday-Monday
PGA TOUR
RSM Classic
Sea Island Golf Club, Georgia
5.23 am Aaron Baddeley
5.45 am* Tim Wilkinson (NZ)
Defending champion: Ludvig Aberg
Past Aussie winners: nil
Prizemoney $US 7.6 million
TV times: Live Fox Sports 503 4am-8am Friday-Monday
Asian Tour
Hong Kong Open
Hong Kong Golf Club
9.45 am Maverick Antcliff
9.55* Jed Morgan
10.05 am Marcus Fraser
10.05 am* Matt Jones
10.15 am Kevin Yuan
10.25* Ben Campbell (NZ)
10.35 am Zach Murray
10.35 am* Jack Thompson
10.45 am Andrew Dodt
10.45 am * Scott Hend
11.15 am* Aaron Wilkin
11.35 am* Douglas Klein
2.15 pm* Shane Kuiti (NZ)
2.55 pm Wade Ormsby
3.35 pm* Deyen Lawson
3.25 pm Sam Brazel
3.35 pm Justin Warren
Defending champion: Ben Campbell (NZ)
Past Aussie winners: Ben Campbell (NZ) 2023, Wade Ormsby 2017, 2020, Sam Brazel 2016, Scott Hend 2014, Frank Nobilo (NZ) 1997, Greg Norman 1979, 1983, Frank Phillips 1966, 1973, Walter Godfrey 1972, Randall Vines 1968, Peter Thomson 1960, 1965, 1967, Len Woodward 1962, Kel Nagle 1961.
Prizemoney $US 2 million
Japan Golf Tour
Casio World Open
Kochi Kuroshio Country Club
12.50 pm Michael Hendry
Defending champion: Taichi Nabetani
Past Aussie winners: David Smail (NZ) 2012, 2014
Prizemoney ¥40 million
He is prepared to be the second-most popular Queenslander in his group on Thursday yet Jason Day hopes to win back a legion of Aussie fans as he makes his long-awaited return to the BMW Australian PGA Championship.
Day will tee off alongside Cameron Smith and defending champion Min Woo Lee from the 10th tee at 6:10am on Thursday morning, his first competitive round on Australian soil since the 2017 Australian Open.
It is his first Australian PGA Championship since he finished tied for ninth at Coolum in 2011, the 37-year-old spending the past three days reacquainting himself with a Royal Queensland layout that has changed significantly in that time.
At No.31 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Day is the highest-ranked player in the field but knows he may not be No.1 amongst Queensland golf fans when the tournament begins.
“Obviously Cammy is a very big favourite being here and obviously got a lot of fans here,” Day said of the three-time Australian PGA champion.
“Even though I’m from here, it’s kind of hard to get the fan base when I haven’t been here as much.
“I’m looking forward to playing with Min, looking forward to playing with Cam.
“I’m really interested to see the crowds out there, seeing how many people will come out. Fingers crossed we have good weather. I know that rain is not ideal, but we’re going to have really good weather on the weekend and that should be fun. That should bring out a lot of people.”
With five children and a base in Ohio that he has held for more than 15 years, playing in his home country while competing on the PGA TOUR has been a constant to-and-fro.
He was close to returning 12 months ago but chose to stay in the US after wife Ellie gave birth to their fifth child, Winnie, in September.
Already on this trip he has spent time with his sisters for the first time since the passing of his mother, Dening, in March 2022 and reacquainted himself with meat pies from a bakery in Forest Lake west of Brisbane.
It is a taste of home that he intends to sample more regularly.
“Me being healthy and being able to bring my family down, that’s something that I want to do. To be able to come back a little bit more,” said Day.
“I would love to do that. My family has never been to Australia. I’d love to bring them down.
“The last time I played Royal Queensland was when we had I think one bridge and we literally had the golf course on the other side of the bridge, so it has been a while.
“What Cam Smith has done so well, he’s supported Australian golf since he’s turned professional, especially here in Brisbane and he’s done a wonderful job. Same with Adam Scott.
“It’s nice to see the guys come back.”
While this visit has been seven years in the making, it is something of a hit-and-run mission for the 2015 US PGA champion.
He was one of the first on course on Monday to kick-start his preparations, meticulously plotting a first major Australian victory that would allow him to join some of golf’s global stars to have had success in Australia.
“I know that I’ve always wanted to win in Australia,” he added.
“I’ve seen Jordan Spieth come down here, Rory (McIlroy) come down here and obviously they’re playing the Australian Open and winning the Australian Open. They’ve accomplished that and it’d be nice for me to be able to do that, especially here in Brisbane where part of my life I grew up, and especially at a place like Royal Queensland, very iconic.
“I grew up playing some tournaments here. It’s always nice to be able to win a tournament regardless of where you go, but to be able to win one on home soil and to know that you can come back and win one, that would be special.”
A determined Lucas Herbert has revealed how he intends to use the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia to propel himself towards more majors in 2024.
Fresh if not slightly sore from Sunday night’s celebrations in Bendigo after his NSW Open triumph at Murray Downs Golf and Country Club, Herbert arrives at Royal Queensland Golf Club second on the Order of Merit.
The 28-year-old will play this week, next week’s ISPS HANDA Australian Open and the Webex Players Series Murray River event early in the new year.
Four events will qualify Herbert for the Order of Merit and all the trappings that come with a top-three finish, not least of which is an exemption into The Open Championship for the Order of Merit winner.
The past two Order of Merit winners – David Micheluzzi and Kazuma Kobori – have also received exemptions into the US PGA Championship, going halfway towards Herbert’s goal of playing more major championships.
Now an integral member of Cameron Smith’s Ripper GC team on LIV Golf, Herbert played just one major in 2024 – the US PGA – and sees his home tour as a legitimate pathway to playing more of the game’s showpiece events.
“I think I’ve got a really good opportunity to finish a long way up in that Order of Merit and reap the benefits that come from that,” said Herbert, who has been grouped with French star Victor Perez and fellow PGA TOUR winner Cam Davis for rounds one and two at RQ.
“It’s just a long way to go, only one event in. Just got to focus on my stuff and playing well, and I think the rest will probably take care of itself.
“That is the advantage of coming back and playing in Australia. We have some good pathways through the Australian tour to get to some of these bigger events, bigger tours.
“Hopefully it all goes well and it’s something that I can use.”
Fuelled by the response from the response that Adam Scott, Jason Day and Smith have received from Australian fans after major championship success, Herbert knows the impact playing well in majors has on the game at home.
He emerged as the emotional lightning rod in Ripper GC’s team championship win this year, his love of the arena encapsulated with a new nickname of ‘Gladiator’.
The Victorian took the bit between the teeth in difficult conditions to run down Smith a week ago and wants to influence the game in the way other Australian major champions have done.
“The impact of playing in those major championships – winning them, playing well – ultimately had a big impact on Australian golf,” said Herbert.
“I look at the impact Cam’s had from winning The Open Championship in 2022. It feels like golf has not been in a position this good in a long time.
“We’ve got so many people playing the game. You look at events like LIV Adelaide last year with how many people are there. You look at the buzz around these two weeks, how much it means in Australia.
“I look at driving ranges around the country, they’re all packed at various random times throughout the day. It seems like golf is thriving incredibly in Australia and us playing well in those major championships ultimately has that impact on Australia.”
He was handed a golf club after being plucked from the surf on the New South Wales South Coast and now Wil Daibarra will join a line-up of some of the world’s best golfers at the BMW Australian PGA Championship.
Daibarra arrived at Royal Queensland Golf Club on Monday still in something of a daze, granted a place in the field courtesy of his come-from-behind victory at last week’s PGA Associate National Championship at Cobram Barooga Golf Club.
It’s not unlike his introduction to the sport, invited to give it a go by then Kiama Golf Club Professional Shaun O’Toole as he walked through the golf course surfboard tucked under his arm.
So taken was O’Toole by this surfer kid with a natural swing that he had him playing junior pennants in a matter of weeks.
That season, Daibarra went through undefeated.
“He was walking past the tee with the surfboard under his arm,” O’Toole recalled.
“Two of his mates were playing and I said, ‘You going to have a hit?’ He said, ‘I haven’t had a hit.’
“He had a go and I thought he had a good swing without even ever being shown.”
Under the guidance of first O’Toole and Elle Sandak and, most recently, Toby McGeachie at Links Shell Cove, Daibarra’s game flourished.
In a region that has produced the likes of Jordan Zunic and Travis Smyth in recent years, Daibarra was projected to follow a similar path.
Recruited to play pennants at Bonnie Doon Golf Club in Sydney, COVID stalled his playing opportunities, the now 22-year-old option to begin the PGA’s Membership Pathway Program.
He is now in his final year as an Associate and has a renewed belief that his game could be good enough to mix it with the best in the game.
“I felt like my first couple of years I wasn’t kind of maximising what I thought I was capable of,” said Daibarra, who was unable to opt into the Playing stream of the Membership Pathway Program at the start of the year but will play with Kiwi Sam Jones and fellow Aussie James Conran in rounds one and two.
“I kind of just always found myself feeling a bit bummed-out at the end of tournaments.
“Last week was really good, to finally play one that I felt like that’s how I should be playing.
“I’ve still got enough time to try practise and really try to push the playing stuff now. And then if it doesn’t work out, I’ve got coaching or something to fall back on.”
Having seen the raw talent and freedom with which he played as a junior, O’Toole’s only advice is for Daibarra to tap into the laidback attitude that made him such a prolific winner.
“I had kids in state teams and Australian teams and whatever – I worked a lot with good kids – and he just had something in the swing that looked good to me,” said O’Toole.
“It was like there was no pressure on him at all because he had no expectations.
“He just went out and played and he just kept winning. And he thought it was the easiest game in the world.
“He can hit every shot they can hit. If he can go in and play like he used to play, like a big kid with no pressure, that would be great to see.”
Prestige liquor brand Moutai and Australia’s premier garden and lawncare specialist Scotts Lawncare have signed on as first-time partners of Australian golf’s major championships.
Known as China’s “national liquor”, Moutai will be an event partner at both the 2024 BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland (November 21-24) and the ISPS HANDA Australian Open on the famed Melbourne Sandbelt (November 28-December 1).
As part of their presence at the Open, the company’s flagship “Flying Fairy” baijiu will be available to sample at both Royal Queensland and Kingston Heath golf clubs across the four days of competition in Brisbane and Melbourne.
Dan Zhao, Brand and Marketing Manager of Moutai Australia, said: ‘Moutai is excited to deepen its presence in the Australian market, where an increasing number of consumers are discovering the unique craftsmanship of our 2000-year-old spirit.
“As Moutai continues to grow globally, we are proud to sponsor the BMW Australian PGA Championship and ISPS HANDA Australian Open, a partnership that reflects our commitment to excellence, precision, and tradition.
“Much like the game of golf, Moutai embodies the artistry and dedication that goes into mastering one’s craft. Through this collaboration, we aim to connect with Australians who appreciate both fine spirits and the rich cultural heritage that Moutai represents.
“This is just the beginning of a new chapter for Moutai in Australia, and we look forward to creating unforgettable experiences with our community.”
Meanwhile, Scotts Lawncare will be taking golf fans to their “happy place” at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open.
The on-site activation from Australia’s premier garden and lawncare specialist will be a feature of the elevated fan experience at the Open this year.
Scotts Happy Place, located in The 19th precinct at Kingston Heath, will reflect how much Aussies appreciate relaxing in their garden and highlight the synergies between taking care of your lawn and playing golf which both bring mental and physical wellbeing benefits.
Scotts Marketing Director Kerry Sephton said: “We’re excited to be a part of the Australian Open because we know that the golf community appreciates a beautiful healthy lawn.
“This world-class sporting event on the magnificent courses of Kingston Heath and The Victoria golf clubs is a demonstration of lawns at their very best and Scotts is here to help the home gardener to get a lush, healthy lawn to create their own Happy Place.”
Hannah Green’s ascension into the elite of world golf has been further acknowledged with a second Greg Norman Medal at the PGA Awards Gala Dinner on Tuesday night.
More than 350 guests attended the glittering awards ceremony at Brisbane City Hall that serves as a precursor to the BMW Australian PGA Championship, with Green’s Greg Norman Medal win among a total of 10 awards presented throughout the evening.
The West Australian climbed to a career-high No.5 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking on the back of three LPGA Tour wins in 2024, the 27-year-old’s greatest single-season yield in her career to date.
Green won the Greg Norman Medal in 2019 when she had two wins – including the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship – and was honoured to once again receive Australian golf’s highest accolade.
“It has undoubtedly been one of the best years of my career and to cap it with a second Greg Norman Medal makes it all the more special,” said Green, who was unable to attend the PGA Awards as she is playing the season-ending LPGA event in Florida this week.
“Any year in which you have a win is a good year so to have three in the one season is very satisfying – and I’d love to finish off with another one at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open next week.
“I would like to thank everyone in my team, my husband Jarryd, my family and friends for their support this year.
“I feel like I have taken a major step forward in 2024 and hope that I can finish off the year well and take that into 2025 and beyond.”
It took just two starts for Green to earn her first win of 2024, storming home to win the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Thailand in March.
She staged a successful defence of her JM Eagle LA Championship crown in April and became the first Australian since Karrie Webb in 2006 to notch three wins in a single LPGA season with a wire-to-wire win at the BMW Ladies Championship in Korea.
On hand to accept the Greg Norman Medal on Green’s behalf was her coach, Ritchie Smith, who himself was named PGA National Coach of the Year – High Performance.
It is a fourth national win for Smith, who also received the High Performance gong in 2014, 2019 and 2021.
The Brisbane Golf Club’s Asha Flynn won the PGA National Coach of the Year – Game Development gong for the second year in succession while Catalina Club’s Rodney Booth was named 2024 PGA National Club Professional of the Year.
General Manager at Eastlake Golf Club, Robert Blain was awarded PGA National Management Professional of the Year and Ashley Marsay was named International Member of the Year for his contribution as Head Professional at San Francisco Golf Club.
Three-time winner and Order of Merit champion Kazuma Kobori was named Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Player of the Year, LPGA Tour-bound Cassie Porter received her first Margie Masters WPGA Tour of Australasia Player of the Year award and Andre Stolz was named PGA Legends Tour Player of the Year for the fourth straight year.
2024 PGA Awards winners
Greg Norman Medal: Hannah Green
PGA National Coach of the Year – High Performance: Ritchie Smith (Royal Fremantle GC)
PGA National Coach of the Year – Game Development: Asha Flynn (Brisbane GC)
PGA National Club Professional of the Year: Rodney Booth (Catalina Club G&CC)
PGA National Management Professional of the Year: Robert Blain (Eastlake GC)
MyGolf Deliverer of the Year: Jake Newbery (KDV Sport)
International Member of the Year: Ashley Marsay (San Francisco Golf Club)
Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Player of the Year: Kazuma Kobori
Margie Masters WPGA Tour of Australasia Player of the Year: Cassie Porter
Legends Tour Player of the Year: Andre Stolz
Past 5 Greg Norman Medal winners
2023: Minjee Lee
2022: Cameron Smith
2021: Minjee Lee
2020: Cameron Smith
2019: Hannah Green
Cam Davis’s week at the BMW Australian PGA Championship didn’t get off to the perfect start – his luggage went missing following his flight from the United States – but it’s how he finishes his week in Queensland that really counts.
The only Aussie to be victorious on the PGA TOUR this year would love to end 2024 by claiming the Joe Kirkwood Cup for the first time at Royal Queensland or add his name to the Stonehaven Cup for a second time at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open in Melbourne next week.
In the opening two rounds at the PGA he will get an up-close look at two of the other expected key contenders in a feature group with NSW Open champion Lucas Herbert and France’s Victor Perez
“I want to play my best,” the Sydneysider said of his approach to two big weeks back in his homeland.
“I feel like every tournament I tee it up in, I want to play my best, but there’s just a little extra desire to play well at home.
“I don’t try and put any extra pressure on myself, but I’m definitely trying to bring my best golf to each week that I play, whether it’s this week or next week.
“I’m really looking forward to two weeks with familiar accents around me and familiar golf courses. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Davis finished T7 at Royal Queensland last year, nine shots behind Min Woo Lee, and plans to be as aggressive as possible off the tee this week.
“There’s a lot of little bunkers that if you find them it’s a lot of trouble, but if you are aggressive off the tee and by hitting the driver pretty long, it really opens this place up to a lot easier shots into the greens,” he said
“Because the fairways are very wide I don’t feel like it’s super difficult to hit them, but you just want to avoid the little pot bunkers around the fairways and then it’s just putting.
“The last few years I’ve actually hit the ball pretty well, but you just have a couple of days where the putts don’t go in.”
Davis tees off at 11.10am (Qld time) in round one.
Queenstown local Ben Campbell is looking to make the most of his home-course advantage when the New Zealand Open, presented by Sky Sport, returns to Queenstown next year.
Campbell hopes his intimate knowledge of the two Millbrook Resort courses will give him the edge to claim the championship.
Campbell, who plies his trade across the Asian Tour and LIV Golf, has played some of his best golf at the New Zealand Open in recent years but has yet to see his name on the trophy and says he’s hoping to lean on his past experiences and local knowledge to gain a competitive edge over the rest of the field.
“It’s great having the New Zealand Open here in Queenstown. It’s my home, and it’s a real honour to be able to play in an internationally recognised event on my home course,” he said.
“I’ve gone really close on a few occasions, which has really helped push my game, mentally and technically, to the next level. It’s now about preparation and leaning on my knowledge of the course to hopefully be in the running once again.”
Campbell was part of the dramatic three-way playoff in 2017 when eventual winner Michael Hendry became the first Kiwi in 14 years to claim the title. Since then, international players have dominated the top spot on the leaderboard, a streak that Campbell is looking to break.
“There is always a good local crowd out supporting me and I am really looking forward to teeing it up again next year. The goal is to have my name as the next Kiwi on the trophy and I will be doing everything I can to make that happen.”
Tournament Director Michael Glading believes Campbell has the talent and experience to be the next New Zealand Open champion, and is excited to see him attack the championship courses at Millbrook Resort come February.
“Ben is a fantastic ambassador not only for Queenstown but for the New Zealand Open. He is always promoting the region and our event wherever he goes. To have him committed to the event is a real plus for us as an exciting player who will no doubt have a huge amount of local support.”
The 104th New Zealand Open will tee off at Millbrook Resort in Queenstown between February 27 and March 2, 2025. For more information, please visit nzopen.com