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He once shot 57 at his home club but 6-under 64 was all Ben Murphy needed to take out the Community Bank Trafalgar and District Pro-Am at Trafalgar Golf Club.
The Assistant Professional at The National Golf Club’s Long Island course and a member at Peninsula-Kingswood, Murphy had an eagle and a birdie in his final three holes to finish one shot clear of Harrison Wills (65) with Matthew Millar (66) third.
An infrequent starter on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series, Murphy believes not having visited Trafalgar previously actually helped in compiling his bogey-free round.
“First time I’m seeing the course so it’s probably a blessing in disguise really where you don’t know where the trouble is,” said Murphy.
“Drove it well, holed a few putts and turned out to be 64.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Playing in the morning move and starting from the ninth tee, Murphy began his round in positive fashion with birdies at 10 and 12.
He went 3-under on his round with birdie at the short par-4 16th but then had to play the waiting game in a run of seven straight pars.
He broke that streak with an eagle at the par-5 sixth and added a final birdie at the par-4 seventh to close out his round of 64.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Phenomenal,” was how Murphy described the presentation of the Trafalgar layout in West Gippsland.
“Seriously, as a country course, this is as pure as it gets.
“Perfect fairways, perfect greens, cool layout. Great golf course.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Ben Murphy 64
2 Harrison Wills 65
3 Matthew Millar 66
4 Andre Lautee 67
T5 Aiden Didone 69
T5 Caleb Bovalina 69
NEXT UP
The Gippsland swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series continues on Thursday with day one of the $30,000 Traralgon Latrobe City WIN Network Pro-Am Classic at Traralgon Golf Club before moving on to Yarram Golf Club on Saturday.
He’s exhausted, battling his swing and barely hanging on yet David Micheluzzi can celebrate a major milestone simply by teeing it up in this week’s Abu Dhabi Championship in Abu Dhabi.
Micheluzzi is the only player in the 70-man field at Yas Links to be playing their first Rolex Series event, a remarkable achievement in his rookie season on the DP World Tour.
The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner has scratched and clawed his way to the point where he finished as one of the top 70 players on the Race to Dubai rankings available for week one of the DP World Tour Playoffs.
He will now contest a penultimate event of the season worth $US9 million at a venue that the 28-year-old says is bring major championship vibes.
“It almost has that major feel to it,” Micheluzzi says of taking his place alongside fellow Aussies Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee and superstars the calibre of Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood and Robert MacIntyre.
“I’ve been fortunate to play a couple of majors and it just has that vibe to it.
“I couldn’t wait for Hero Dubai Desert Classic to be my first one (next season) and then obviously I got into this week.
“I’m stoked.”
In 23 starts this season Micheluzzi has four top-10 finishes, his best result a tie for second at the BMW International Open in Germany.
He has banked €556,761.72 in prize money, thanks in no small part to his proficiency with the putter.
“I’ve actually struggled quite a bit. Battled with my swing, battled off the tee, into greens and my putting and my short game have really saved me this year,” said Micheluzzi, who is ranked 10th in Average Putts Per Round and 12th in Putts Per Green In Regulation.
“The more tournaments I’ve played, the more comfortable I’ve become. But overall, to make Abu Dhabi is a massive achievement.
“I had one good result in Munich. I think I made the last four cuts at the end of the season which actually got me into the top 70. Overall, very happy.”
Grace Kim is also in a happy place as she returns to defend her LOTTE Championship in Hawaii.
A shift in tournament date has kept Kim waiting 18 months to put her title on the line, the 23-year-old unsure of the giant champion’s poster that greeted her upon arrival at Hoakalei Country Club.
“They probably chose a very terrible photo of me up on the banner, but that’s fine. My face is still up there,” said Kim.
“Someone said, ‘Welcome home’, so that’s really cool.”
Just a little putting perfection from 2023 @LPGALOTTE Champion @gracekimeyy 😮💨 #LPGALookback pic.twitter.com/JACT2CdOzl
— LPGA (@LPGA) November 5, 2024
Tied for 34th last week in Japan, Kim has three top-10 finishes in her second LPGA Tour season and is currently 47th in the Race to CME Globe standings.
Although she has had some disappointing finishes in 2024 after playing her way into contention, Kim believes the win in her rookie season will continue to help throughout her career.
“Obviously was still fresh into my rookie season, so very low expectations. No additional pressure was added,” Kim said of a win that came just three starts into her LPGA career.
“I think I had more pressure this year when I was in the two contending days. That’s just a learning experience itself. I probably got a little bit too ahead of myself or getting to the golf course a little bit too early.
“I still sometimes think when I’m down like might have been a fluke. Obviously it wasn’t, so try to use that as momentum into the rest of my career for sure.”
Although there are six Aussies in the field, Victorian Richard Green is the only Australian who can still win the Charles Schwab Cup on the PGA TOUR Champions and nine Aussies will contest the Final Stage of DP World Tour Qualifying School in Spain.
Photo: Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Round 1 tee times AEST
PGA TOUR
World Wide Technology Championship
El Cardonal at Diamante Cabo San Lucas, Los Cabos, Mexico
12:41am Aaron Baddeley
5:05am Tim Wilkinson (NZ)
Defending champion: Erik van Rooyen
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US7.2 million
TV times: Live 6am-9am Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
DP World Tour
Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
Yas Links, Abu Dhabi, UAE
2:28pm David Micheluzzi
3:01pm Adam Scott
5:28pm Min Woo Lee
Defending champion: Victor Perez
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US9 million
TV times: Live 3pm-12am Thursday, Friday; Live 6pm-12am Saturday; Live 6pm-11:30pm Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Qualifying School – Final Stage
Infinitum Golf (Lakes & Hills Cses), Tarragona, Spain
Australasians in the field: Sam Jones (NZ), Hayden Hopewell, Haydn Barron, Todd Sinnott, Danny List, Tom Power Horan, Matthew Griffin, Brett Coletta, Cameron John, Andrew Kelly
Defending champion: Freddy Schott
Past Aussie winners: Nil
LPGA Tour
LOTTE Championship
Hoakalei Country Club, Ewa Beach, Hawaii
4:40am Stephanie Kyriacou
8:53am Grace Kim
9:15am* Hira Naveed
9:37am* Robyn Choi
Defending champion: Grace Kim
Past Aussie winners: Minjee Lee (2016), Grace Kim (2023)
Prize money: $US3 million
TV times: Live 11am-2pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Japan Golf Tour
Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters
Pacific Club (Gotemba Cse), Shizuoka
11:05am Michael Hendry (NZ)
12:15pm Brad Kennedy
Defending champion: Shugo Imahira
Past Aussie winners: Graham Marsh (1987), Roger Mackay (1991), Greg Norman (1993), Brendan Jones (2007)
Prize money: ¥200,000,000
Korean PGA Tour
KPGA Tour Championship
Cypress Golf & Resort, Korea
1:35pm* Sungjin Yeo (NZ)
Defending champion:
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: KRW1.1 billion
PGA TOUR Champions
Charles Schwab Cup Championship
Phoenix Country Club, Phoenix, Arizona
Australasians in the field: Steven Alker (NZ), Stuart Appleby, Greg Chalmers, Richard Green, Mark Hensby, Rod Pampling, Cameron Percy.
Defending champion: Steven Alker
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US3 million
TV times: Live 9am-11am Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Legends Tour
Farmfoods European Senior Masters
La Manga Club, Murcia, Spain
Australasians in the field: Michael Campbell (NZ), Michael Long (NZ), Scott Hend
Defending champion: Patrik Sjöland
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Legendary coach Steve Bann and course architect Vern Morcom were inducted into the Victorian Golf Hall of Fame at the Victorian Golf Industry Awards.
Bann, a former touring PGA Professional who made his name coaching Stuart Appleby and Robert Allenby during his time as head coach of the Victorian Institute of Sport, remains a significant figure in the game.
He is a director of BannLynchMcDade working out of Yarra Bend in Melbourne and also is a teaching professional at Kingston Heath Golf Club.
Morcom, who died in 1976, is one of Australia’s greatest architects and was also the head greenkeeper at Kingston Heath for many years.
His work on Dr Alister Mackenzie’s bunkering plan for Kingston Heath from 1928 was his legacy project, but he also designed Spring Valley and dozens of golf courses around the country.
The awards were presented at Southern Golf Club, with Michael Moore from Rossdale Golf Club winning the Club Professional of the Year award and Metropolitan’s Brandon Rave the High Performance Coach of the Year. Scott McDermott from the PGA Academy was the Coach of the Year.
PHOTO: Steve Bann (left) has worked with many of Australia’s greats including Stuart Appleby. Image: Getty
Full list of award winners:
PGA Awards
PGA Victorian Club Professional of the Year: Michael Moore (Rossdale GC)
PGA Victorian Coach of the Year – High Performance: Brandon Rave (Metropolitan GC)
PGA Victorian Coach of the Year – Game Development: Scott McDermott (PGA Academy)
PGA Victorian Management Professional of the Year: Jeff Graham (Bairnsdale GC)
Golf Australia Awards:
Victorian Volunteer of the Year: David Smith (Ocean Grove & South Western Golf Association.
Victorian Inclusion Initiative of the Year: Yarrambat Golf Course/Belgravia Leisure
Victorian Golf Club of the Year: Lonsdale Links
Female Amateur of the Year: Jazy Roberts (Belvoir Park GC)
Male Amateur of the Year: Phoenix Campbell (Yarra Yarra GC)
Golf Management Victoria – GMV (GMA):
GMV Excellence in Management Award: Peter Busch (Green Acres GC)
Victorian Golf Course Superintendents Association – VGCSA awards:
VGCSA Superintendents Recognition Award: Colin Foster (Barwon Valley Golf)
Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Robbie Dolan treated his father to a day at the golf just days out from his life-changing ride on Knight’s Choice at Flemington Racecourse.
As revealed by Ben Dorries for punters.com.au, Dolan was shocked when his father, Bobby, arrived into Brisbane from Ireland ahead of his son’s Melbourne Cup debut.
Dolan Snr brings with him Melbourne Cup connections of his own, having worked for legendary Irish trainer Dermot Weld (Vintage Crop, Media Puzzle) for 26 years.
A keen golfer and a member at Nudgee Golf Club, Dolan took his dad to Nudgee on Sunday to watch Phoenix Campbell hold off Jak Carter and Cameron Smith to claim an historic second-straight Queensland PGA Championship.
He now has his own place in Australian sporting history after expertly guiding the $91 chance to victory by a nose in Australia’s greatest race.
Although a shock winner by any account, Dolan went into his first foray in the Melbourne Cup confident in the five-year-old gelding’s prospects after an encouraging Bendigo Cup run.
“I always believed he could stay, even though he has got such an explosive turn of foot that some people probably doubted whether he could stay,” Dolan told Dorries.
“I have got no doubt he will get the two miles of the Melbourne Cup.
“I think he deserves a shot at the race and he can race really well.”
Not only is Dolan now a Melbourne Cup-wining jockey and part-time golfer, he is also an accomplished singer who advanced to the final 24 artists of The Voice in 2022.
Adam Henwood signalled he would be a player to watch at this week’s $150,000 Australian PGA Senior Championship by winning the final lead-up event at Moss Vale today.
A round of 5-under-par 66 got the job done for Henwood in the Moss Vale Legends Pro-Am, his sixth win of another productive year on the PGA Legends Tour.
The Victorian finished equal 10th in the NSW Senior Open at Thurgoona at the weekend and is primed to be a key contender in the second of the PGA Legends Tour’s “majors”, starting at Richmond Golf Club on Friday.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
Tackling the back nine first on the par-71 Moss Vale layout, Henwood was quickly to 3-under through his first six holes. He had made his way to -4 before bogeying the par-4 18th.
Another four birdies in the opening six holes, with a sole dropped shot on par-5 fourth, moved the Victorian to 6-under and the comfort of a three-shot lead.
While Henwood had a late bogey, Scott Barr (WA) made a charge with a run of six birdies in eight holes to draw within one but then parred his final two holes to settle for the runner-up slot.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
Henwood said: “I played really well apart from a lost ball and leaking a little bit of oil at the end. You’ve got to drive it good here so I just smashed the driver everywhere and hoped it hit a fairway. I only missed a couple and mostly smoked it into those tiny little gaps.
“There was some good stuff in there. Last week (at the NSW Senior Open) I played okay but I think had eight or nine three-putts for the week and only finished seven or eight back. If the putter fires up at Richmond, you just never know.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
66: Adam Henwood (Vic)
67: Scott Barr (WA)
68: Michael Isherwood (Vic); Chris Taylor (Qld)
69: David Sadd (NSW); Mike Harwood (Vic); David Fearns (Qld)
70: Brad Burns (Qld); Marcus Cain (Qld); David Van Raalte (NSW); Robert Mitchell (WA); Dominic Barson (NZ)
NEXT UP
The Australian Senior PGA Championship gets underway at Richmond Golf Club on Friday with live broadcast on Foxtel and Kayo across the weekend. Jason Norris is the defending champion.
Nathan Page started the Gippsland swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am series by denying Mark Panopoulous back-to-back victories with a one-shot win at the Sporting Legends Sale Pro-Am on Sunday.
Coming off a victory at Box Hill, Panopoulos shot a 2-under-par in the morning wave at Sale only to be pipped by Page’s 3-under 68 in the afternoon.
The 21-year-old was back on the pro-am circuit after bypassing the Queensland PGA Championship on the Challenge PGA Tour of Australasia as he managed a groin complaint which he hopes doesn’t affect his plans for the rest of 2024.
“I just couldn’t do the six days in a row,” Page said.
“It probably came at a good time because I wasn’t in a good mental space either.”
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
Beginning his round at the seventh hole, Page reeled off six straight pars before birdies came at the 13th, 15th and 18th with a solitary bogey at the 17th.
He birdied the first to make it four birdies in seven holes before parring his way to the end.
Meanwhile, Panopoulos was 4-under before two bogeys cost him the chance of the another title.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
Page said: “It was a good steady round. I just wanted to go out there and be positive. That’s something I’ve been working on a bit the last few weeks. Just trusting that what I’m doing will come.
“I made a few nice par putts early and then was able to work my way into it nicely.
“The greens are pretty small and the fairways are tight so you’ve got to be pinpoint and then the wind made it even more difficult which you can definitely see in the results with 3-under winning.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
67: Nathan Page (Vic)
68: Mark Panopoulos (NSW); Caleb Bovalina (Vic)
69: Chris Mueck (Vic)
71: Jayden Cripps (NSW); Steven Jones (Vic); Cameron Kelly (Vic); Michael Choi (Vic); Hayden Webb
NEXT UP
The Gippsland swing for the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series continues with the Community Bank Trafalgar & District Pro-Am at Trafalgar Golf Club on Wednesday
Hira Naveed’s impressive rookie year on the LPGA Tour has put her in with a chance of reaching the tour championship along with a bunch of other Australians.
The 26-year-old from Perth finished tied-17th in the Toto Japan Classic at the weekend, jumping four places to No. 70 on the points rankings.
The top 60 play off for $US11 million in the CME Group Tour Championship in Florida in November, with Naveed, who is 130 points behind the 60th player on the points list, teeing it up this week in Hawaii at the Lotte Championship with high hopes of grabbing a share of the 500 points on offer.
There are two tournaments remaining before the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida, from 21 November, in Hawaii this week and back in Florida from 14 November.
The Australasian players certain to be teeing it up in Florida are Lydia Ko (ranked 3rd), Hannah Green (6), Gabriela Ruffels (25) and Grace Kim (47). A slightly out-of-sorts Minjee Lee (54) and Steph Kyriacou (57) are likely to hold on to their places as well, although not certain, with Lee not on the start list for Hawaii this week.
Naveed was born in New Zealand but grew up in Perth, working through the junior programs and winning a Victorian Junior Masters and The Dunes medal as an amateur, before picking up a scholarship at Pepperdine University in the United States and spending four years in the college system.
She graduated to the LPGA Tour via the Epson Tour and earlier this year finished runner-up to Nelly Korda in the Ford Championship at just her second start as a full member of the LPGA Tour. She has earned more than $US340,000 in her first year.
Meanwhile Queenslander Maverick Antcliff is inside the top 15 on the Asian Tour order of merit after he finished tied-13th in the Indonesian Masters over the weekend.
Western Australian Haydn Barron is through to the third and final stage of DP World Tour School in Spain this week after he won the second stage at Fontanals Golf Club over the weekend.
PHOTO: Hira Naveed has won more than $US340,000 in her rookie season on the LPGA Tour. Image: Getty
Results
Asian Tour
BNI Indonesian Masters
Royale Jakarta Golf Club, Indonesia
1 Richard T Lee 62-67-66-70 – 265 $US 360,000
T6 Ben Campbell (NZ) 67-70-68-67 – 272 $61,800
T13 Danny Lee (NZ) 70-67-69-68 – 274 $27,133
T13 Maverick Antcliff 67-68-70-69 – 274 $27,133
19 Kazuma Kobori (NZ) 67-70-69-69 – 275 $23,100
T25 Nick Voke (NZ) 73-66-69-69 – 277 $18,200
T30 Wade Ormsby 71-69-70-68 – 278 $16,300
T37 Scott Hend 71-68-71-70 – 280 $13,000
T44 Jordan Zunic 68-71-71-72 – 282 $10,085
T44 Jack Thompson 69-70-72-71 – 282 $10,085
T51 Douglas Klein 71-70-71-71 – 283 $7800
T60 Sam Brazel 68-69-74-74 – 285 $6200
T63 Jed Morgan 69-72-71-74 – 286 $5400
T63 Justin Warren 67-73-74-72 – 286 $5400
MC Travis Smyth 72-70—142
MC Deyen Lawson 68-74—142
MC Kevin Yuan 71-72—143
MC Andrew Dodt 68-76—144
MC Aaron Wilkin 76-73—149
MC Marcus Fraser 77-75—152
MC Zach Murray 77-75—152
LPGA Tour
TOTO Japan Classic
Seta Golf Course, Otsu-shi, Shiga, Japan
1 Rio Takeda 69-65-67 – 201 $US 300,000
T17 Hira Naveed 70-66-72 – 208 $23,945
T34 Grace Kim 69-72-70 – 211 $12,292
T64 Minjee Lee 67-75-74 – 216 $4347
T64 Gabriela Ruffels 73-67-76 – 216 $4347
Ladies European Tour
Aramco Team Series Presented by PIF
Riyadh Golf Club, Saudi Arabia
1 Charley Hull 65-67-66—198 $US69,190.50
T29 Momoka Kobori (NZ) 69-72-72—213 $4,289.81
MC Kirsten Rudgeley 73-73—146
Challenge Tour
Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A
Club de Golf Alcanada, Port d’Alcúdia, Mallorca, Spain
1 Kristoffer Reitan 65-64-64-68 – 265 €85,000
27 Hayden Hopewell 69-68-72-72 – 271 €4650
KPGA Tour
Dong-A Membership Exchange Group Open
1 Dongmin Lee 63-70-65-67 – 265
T15 Sungjin Yeo (NZ) 69-67-71-68 – 275
T57 Wonjoon Lee 69-69-75-73 – 286
MC Kevin Chun 74-70 – 144
DP World Tour
Q School – Second Stage
Fontanals Golf Club, Girona, Spain
1 Hayden Barron 65-67-64-70 – 266 €2125
Golf Las Pinaillas, Albacete, Spain
1 David Booraboonsub 67-67-60-68 – 262 €2125
T16 Danny List 69-68-68-69 – 274 (qualifies)
25 Andrew Kelly 69-74-67-65 – 275
Isla Canela Links, Huelva, Spain
1 Clement Sordet 68-65-66-62 – 261 €2125
T17 Todd Sinnott 66-66-71-71 – 274 (qualifies)
T43 Jimmy Zheng (NZ) 76-69-69-66 – 280
T51 Josh Greer 74-70-69-69 – 282
T72 Matias Sanchez 72-68-72-78 – 290
Desert Springs Golf Club, Almería, Spain
Play suspended in round 3
David McKenzie was never in front – until it mattered most at the NSW Senior Open.
McKenzie, one of the most consistent golfers of his generation, stepped up at crunch time to birdie the final hole to win in Albury.
The Victorian carded a superb closing five-under-par 67 at Thurgoona Country Club to post 12-under, one clear of long-time leader Mat Goggin, who faltered with a pair of bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes.
Goggin put the disappointment of those errors behind him to notch his own closing birdie, which meant that McKenzie’s breathtaking approach to the final green proved the difference.
“At the time, you’re never really sure what’s going on around you, so in the end, even when I hit it into about a foot and a half, it still seemed a bit far away for my liking,” he joked of his near-perfect 9-iron from 136m.
“When I hit it, I thought it was left maybe 6-8 feet, but when everyone starts clapping and then starts roaring a bit, you know it’s within a few feet.
“It was closer than I thought actually – and I was really glad I didn’t have to make a 4-5 footer to win.
“They’re hard to win. I’ve had a lot of chances a lot of times and haven’t got it done. And the times I have won, I’ve won well and going away so it was good to get one in a close (finish).
“I’ve still got it sometimes – every now and again,” he joked.
“But it’s just a matter of making the putts when you need them. I made a few today and they were at the right times as it turned out.”
McKenzie jumped into calculations when he buried an eagle putt on the seventh hole, then made important birdies on 11 and 13 to pull level with Goggin who had started the day two clear of the Victorian.
But McKenzie appeared to have blown his chance when he couldn’t get up and down for par on the tough par-3 16th hole.
Goggin was surprised minutes later when his tee shot on that same hole came up short of the elevated green and trickled back towards the tee. His slightly thin chip shot eventually resulted in his own bogey.
But a missed par putt from 1m after a great bunker shot on the 17th proved the decisive moment.
“It was solid enough, just frustrating,” the Tasmanian lamented after a series of lost opportunities, particularly mid-round when some short-range chip shots didn’t have his customary polish.
“Saturday (65) was good, but I’ve just got to build on it because I haven’t been playing as much as I’d like and I’ve just got to take the positives… before the (upcoming) Champions Tour (Q-School).
“But that’s great for Macca… he’s been a good player for a long time.”
Scott Barr and Peter Lonard shared third another shot back with both having watched multiple chances slide narrowly past the cup on several holes.
Legendary Peter Senior loomed before lightning mid-round stopped play for 55 minutes, but he couldn’t maintain that momentum and finished at seven under in a share of fifth.
The closing day’s best round belonged to the mercurial Andre Stolz, who tore up the front nine in just 30 strokes but double-bogeyed the 10th immediately after the lightning break.
He bounced back with an eagle on the 14th and his closing 66 left him outright ninth at 5-under.
Low amateur for the week was New South Welshman James Swanson at 3-over.
Victorian Phoenix Campbell has become the first player in 26 years to win the Queensland PGA Championship in successive years in a pulsating final round at Nudgee Golf Club in Brisbane.
Seeking to complete a wire-to-wire victory with a one-stroke lead starting Sunday, Campbell had to contend with Jak Carter seeking redemption for his heartbreak two years ago and Cameron Smith just three strokes back in the rearview mirror.
Smith sent a shudder through the front-runners with birdie putts from around 10 feet at both the first and second holes but a bogey on three and double-bogey on four quelled Smith’s momentum before it hit top gear.
Campbell (70) pushed out to 11-under with birdies at two and four yet Carter (69) countered with birdies of his own in what became a two-man shootout as they began the back nine.
A brilliant second into the par-5 fifth gave Campbell an eagle opportunity that he duly converted and then he drove the green at the par-4 seventh for a straightforward two-putt birdie.
As Smith found his ball in the back of a golf cart and then behind a tree, Carter continued to apply the pressure.
The South Australian hit a superb shot into the par-3 eighth for birdie and when he holed his birdie putt from eight feet on 10, had joined Campbell at 13-under-par.
Campbell dropped from the top of the leaderboard for the first time all week when he made bogey at the par-3 11th, Carter maintaining his one-stroke edge with par from five feet at the par-4 12th.
The lead swung back in Campbell’s favour when Carter made bogey on 14 and the defending champ two-putted for birdie on 15 but more drama was to follow.
Campbell’s bogey and Carter’s par at the par-4 16th sent the two players to the 71st hole tied for the lead at 12-under where they both made bogey at the par-5 that was playing directly into the north-east wind.
Neither player could find the birdie that would have secured victory at the par-3 18th, sending the tournament into extra holes for the second time in three years.
Playing first, Campbell hit the right edge of the hole with his tee shot at the first playoff hole, Carter responding with a magnificent shot of his own as the pair squared the hole with birdies.
After a two-hole playoff, Phoenix Campbell is the 2024 #QldPGA champion! 🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/BggJj0QFfs
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) November 3, 2024
They both missed the green at the second playoff hole, Carter once again suffering some cruel misfortune when he was forced to play his bunker shot with one leg in and one leg out of the sand.
Playing from just beyond the putting surface, Campbell chipped down to three feet and calmly holed out for par after Carter tapped in for bogey.
In so doing, Campbell becomes the first player to go back-to-back at the Queensland PGA since Lucas Parsons in 1997-1998 and the first player to defend a title won as an amateur having turned professional since Aaron Baddeley’s Australian Open double in 1999-2000.
“Defending is definitely tougher,” said Campbell, who was tied second a week ago at the Webex Players Series South Australia and now moves to third on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.
“Last year I came from the clouds. I was in the clubhouse with four or five groups to come in still so it was a very different experience.
“There wasn’t much pressure on me. No one really expected much from you. This week, coming in, there’s a lot more expectations and obviously leading every day of the tournament.
“It’s a different event, so I can’t really compare myself to last year, but it just shows how far I’ve come in the last 12 months and that I’m on the right track.”
Playing the first of four events in Australia this summer, Smith (70) also believes he is set up for success in the weeks to come following his first Queensland PGA appearance since 2015.
“I feel like I played some really good golf this week,” said Smith, who finished three shots back in a tie for third with fellow Queenslander Blake Proverbs (68).
“Just missed so many putts from inside 15 feet and felt like I hit plenty of good putts.
“I don’t feel like I need to go out there and reinvent the wheel or anything the next week or so.
“It’s nice to play four rounds of competition and kind of feel the juices flow again. I’ll take a bit from that.
“I feel like my game’s in a really good spot. I just need to keep doing what I’m doing.”
PGA TOUR member Victor Perez heads a group of DP World Tour winners and rising stars who have been added to the fields for the Summer of Golf’s two majors, the BMW Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane and ISPS HANDA Australian Open in Melbourne.
The six Europeans will take on the best of Australian golf, including Jason Day, Cam Smith, Min Woo Lee, Cam Davis, Lucas Herbert and Marc Leishman across the two tournaments which are co-sanctioned by the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and DP World Tour.
The BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland Golf Club from November 21-24 will kick off the 2024/25 DP World Tour schedule and will be followed by a visit to the famous Melbourne Sandbelt for the ISPS HANDA Australian Open (November 28-December 1).
The first contingent of DP World Tour names who have booked their flights to Australia includes Perez, England’s Jordan Smith, German Yannick Paul, Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Danish young gun Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and former Ryder Cup player Nico Colsaerts (Belguim).
They will play in both the Open and PGA while 2024 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship winner Wenyi Ding, from China, will make his DP World Tour debut as a professional at Royal Queensland.
Perez said: “Australia is one of the best golf destinations in the world. You often hear players on both the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour talking about the tournaments and courses down there and how good the golf is.
“I played the BMW Australian PGA Championship in 2017 but not at Royal Queensland and I am yet to play an ISPS HANDA Australian Open so I can’t wait to get to Australia, enjoy the world class golf courses and see what both Brisbane and Melbourne are like away from the course.
“These two events have great histories, great lists of champions and I’d love to get my name on one of those trophies. But it’s going to be tough against the Aussies.”
Smith, who finished fourth in the Andalucia Masters at the weekend, is currently ranked No.13 on the Race to Dubai standings and is a former champion at the Portugal Masters and Porsche European Open.
“With the two Australian tournaments being the start of the 2024/25 DP World Tour, I’d love to get off to a hot start by challenging at both the PGA and Open and maybe getting a win in either of them,” Smith said.
“I know the Aussie fans love their sport. I’m expecting big crowds, lots of sun and three courses that are going to provide a proper test of our games.
“Kingston Heath, Victoria and the Melbourne Sandbelt in general are world renowned so I can’t wait to tackle both courses while Royal Queensland is definitely growing in reputation and profile amongst the DPWT players who have played it in recent years.
“Throw in the great atmosphere the BMW Australian PGA Championship has become known for and no doubt we are in for two great weeks in Australia”
Yannik Paul’s resume includes the 2022 Mallorca Golf Open with his 2024 campaign highlighted by a runner-up finish at the French Open earlier this month.
A frequent visitor to Australia and 2016 Ryder Cup representative, Rafa Cabrera-Bello climbed to as high as No.16 on the Official World Golf Ranking and has four DP World Tour victories on his record, the latest being the 2021 Open de Espana.
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen has climbed inside the world top 100 this year on the back of three wins and a runner-up placing on the Challenge Tour and a recent T4 finish at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the DP World Tour.
Wenyi Ding, a professional for just a few weeks, is regarded as one of the best young prospects in world golf and will be making his first visit to Australia since finishing runner-up to Australia’s Jasper Stubbs at the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur at Royal Melbourne. He went on to capture the 2024 AAC title in Japan in October.
A regular visitor to Australia, Colsaerts has won three DP World Tour events and returned to prominence this year with a runner-up placing at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
PGA of Australia General Manager of Tournaments & Global Tour Relationships Nick Dastey said: “The ISPS HANDA Australian Open and BMW Australian PGA Championship gain huge benefits from the strong contingent of international players who come to Australia annually thanks to our partnership with the DP World Tour.
“They add to the depth of our fields, providing the best of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia with the chance to challenge themselves against proven tournament winners.
“And their presence helps us to gain extra exposure to international audiences for our tournaments, our Tour and our partners.”
The remaining DP World Tour players to be included in the fields for both the PGA and Open will be finalised in coming weeks.
The 2024 ISPS HANDA Australian Open and BMW Australian PGA Championship will be broadcast on Fox Sports and Kayo, as well as the NINE Network/9NOW.
For BMW Australian PGA Championship tickets, go to ticketek.com.au
The Australian PGA Championship is supported by the Queensland Government, through Tourism and Events Queensland’s Major Events Program and Brisbane City Council, through Brisbane Economic Development Agency.
