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Australian Golf has teamed up with New Era, the world’s leading headwear and lifestyle brand, in a new three-year partnership.
The producer of performance headwear for some of the world’s finest leagues, teams and athletes since 1920 is now the Official Headwear Partner across Australian golf’s peak bodies – Golf Australia and the PGA of Australia, as well as an official partner of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and WPGA Tour of Australasia.
The partnership also includes Australia’s three biggest Tour events – the ISPS HANDA Australian Open, Australian PGA Championship and Vic Open.
As a highlight of the new agreement, special edition items, available to the public, will be produced for tournaments across New Era’s lifestyle and traditional golf caps and bucket hat collections.
PGA of Australia Commercial Director Australasia Michael McDonald said: “Golf and New Era is a perfect fit. It’s exciting for us to team up with such a well-recognised and loved brand which transcends fashion and sport.
“We are looking forward to working closely with New Era in the coming years and are excited at the plans they have to activate the partnership across Australian Golf.
“We will be working together to create a new range of street-based golf products to cater to the demands of the younger generation who are increasingly loving the game of golf.
“There will also be opportunities for New Era to increase their connection with the highly skilled PGA Professionals, who are at the forefront of promoting and growing golf at clubs and facilities across the country.”
New Era Cap Australia General Manager Simon Hibbs said: “New Era is very pleased to announce its partnership with Australian Golf.
“New Era has a global reach in the game of golf and now is an exciting time for New Era to expand that to include Australia. New Era look forward to working with Golf Australia, the PGA of Australia and WPGA Tour of Australasia to innovate and grow the headwear program with our unique sports lifestyle DNA.”
New Era Caps are the official on-field headwear partner to some of the world’s biggest sporting leagues including the MLB, NBA and NFL.
Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Sam Snead and Zach Johnson. That’s the elite list of golfers, including the biggest names in the history of the men’s professional game, that Australia’s Cam Smith will be looking to join by winning the 2024 Masters next week.
That special group of six are the only men in history to win an Open Championship on the Old Course at St Andrews and the Masters at Augusta National.
Smith completed half the task two years ago, seeing off Rory McIlroy on the final day at The Home of Golf, and will be back at Augusta next week for his second shot at becoming the first Australian to win at both fabled venues.
Last year, he tied for 34th – an unusual outlier on a record that features four top-10s, including a tie for second behind Dustin Johnson in 2020 when he became the first player to shoot in the 60s in all four rounds.
Smith comes into Masters month after a three-week break from tournament golf following his runner-up finish in the LIV Golf event in Hong Kong where he was beaten in a playoff by Abraham Ancer.
Since then he’s been working hard at his US base, especially on shaping shots to suit what he expects to encounter at Augusta.
“It’d be unreal. The Open at St Andrews is pretty special. To double it up with a green jacket would be unbelievable,” he said of joining the St Andrews-Augusta club.
“I desperately want to get it and it would be awesome if I did.”
An avid TV watcher of the Masters at home in Brisbane’s northern suburbs since he was “five or six-years-old”, Smith says his mind turns to the year’s first major as soon as the Christmas-New Year break ends.
“You’re straight into it and you’re definitely thinking about Augusta,” he said.
“I don’t think there’s really anything specific. It’s kind of in the back of your mind.
“Obviously there’s tournaments in between the New Year and Augusta that you’re trying to prepare for as well.
“But the last three weeks I’ve been trying to get out on the course a little bit more and really focus on some kind of shot, shaping and controlling flight, which I think is pretty crucial for playing good around there.”
Smith will be one six confirmed Australians in the Masters field, joining former champion Adam Scott, Jason Day, Min Woo Lee, Cam Davis and first-time participant Jasper Stubbs.
Smith and Stubbs, who qualified for his first trip to Augusta National as the winner of last year’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, are near-neighbours at the moment – both in Florida preparing for the first major championship of the year, starting on Thursday week.
Smith is heading to a LIV Golf event in Miami, starting on Friday, while Stubbs is staying at Australian Golf House in Orlando before making the short trip to Georgia this weekend.
The former Open champion, who will be playing at the Masters for the eighth time, today described the Masters as “probably the best week of the year for everything”.
“(My advice to Jasper is) Just to enjoy it. I’m sure a lot of the boys will be keen to catch up with him and play 18 holes with him some day early in the week,” Smith said of his country’s newest Masters debutant.
“It’s such a cool tournament. He’ll love it.
“For a golfer, it’s pretty perfect. The golf course itself is unbelievable, the condition is unbelievable and also just the stuff around there for all the patrons.
“All the different things make everyone’s experience pretty special.”
It took world No.1 Nelly Korda to deny Australian Hira Naveed one of the greatest upsets in LPGA Tour history at the inaugural Ford Championship in Arizona.
A graduate of the LPGA Q Series in December, the West Australian was making just the second start of her rookie season and made the cut on the number courtesy of back-to-back birdies late in Round 2 at Seville Golf and Country Club.
The 26-year-old shot 7-under 65 in the third round and when she made birdie at the par-3 eighth on Sunday, joined Korda at the top of the leaderboard at 15-under par.
A bogey on nine against Korda’s birdie would create a two-shot deficit that Naveed (66) was unable to rein in, Korda (65) going on to win her third consecutive tournament by two strokes.
Although denied a maiden professional win, Naveed’s runner-up cheque for $US206,791 is more than she won in total the past four years on the Epson Tour… by $104,429.
The result all but guarantees Naveed will keep her card for the 2025 season and will ensure she can set her own schedule for the remainder of the 2024 season.
“It’s an experience for me,” said Naveed, who spent four years at Pepperdine University after coming through the Como Secondary College program in Perth.
“It’s only my second tournament of the year, so just try to enjoy it as best as I can.”
It's getting interesting here at the #FordChampionship 👀
— LPGA (@LPGA) March 31, 2024
Naveed birdie putts for the co-lead ‼️ pic.twitter.com/0SAysfPtDd
Naveed shared the final-round stage with Korda, an experience in itself will serve her well in the months ahead.
She had five of her eight career top-10 finishes on the Epson Tour last year and said being in contention prepared her for a potentially life-changing weekend in Arizona.
“She’s an amazing player. To share the stage with her is really an honour,” said Naveed.
“It was a great day. Just fell short, but, again, it’s an experience so we move on.
“I put myself in some positions last year where I was in the final groups and it is great experience.
“The Epson Tour is full of so much talent, and they’re just that one step away from the LPGA.”
At one point midway through Round 2, Hannah Green and Gabriela Ruffels were tied for the lead, Ruffels continuing her strong start with a tie for 13th, Green finishing tied for 21st.
Greg Chalmers ensured he’ll earn another start on the PGA TOUR Champions with a tie for ninth at The Galleri Classic at Rancho Mirage while Cam Davis was our best on the PGA TOUR, tied for 21st at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Results
PGA TOUR
Texas Children’s Houston Open
Memorial Park Golf Course, Houston, Texas
1 Stephan Jaeger 69-66-66-67—268 $US1.638m
T21 Cam Davis 68-71-68-67—274 $88,725
T64 Harrison Endycott 69-72-69-71—281 $19,383
T78 Ryan Fox (NZ) 71-70-73-71—285 $17,017
82 Aaron Baddeley 72-69-74-72—287 $16,471
MC Jason Day 72-70—142
MC Rhein Gibson 72-71—143
DP World Tour
Hero Indian Open
DLF G&CC, New Delhi, India
1 Keita Nakajima 65-65-68-73—271 €354,956.18
MC Tom Power Horan 71-73—144
MC Elvis Smylie 74-70—144
MC Haydn Barron 74-71—145
MC Kazuma Kobori (NZ) 78-71—149
MC Deyen Lawson 76-74—150
MC Sam Jones (NZ) 76-74—150
MC John Lyras 83-75—158
WD Daniel Hillier (NZ) 74
WD Andrew Martin 77
WD David Micheluzzi 75
LPGA Tour
Ford Championship presented by KCC
Seville Golf and Country Club, Gilbert, Arizona
1 Nelly Korda 66-68-69-65—268 $US337,500
2 Hira Naveed 68-71-65-66—270 $206,791
T13 Gabriela Ruffels 64-70-70-69—273 $30,795
T13 Lydia Ko (NZ) 69-64-70-70—273 $30,795
T21 Hannah Green 69-61-75-69—274 $23,346
T45 Karis Davidson 66-69-71-72—278 $8,620
T52 Grace Kim 66-69-70-74—279 $7,133
T56 Robyn Choi 66-72-70-72—280 $6,227
MC Stephanie Kyriacou 70-70—140
MC Sarah Kemp 69-74—143
MC Minjee Lee 68-76—144
Japan Golf Tour
Token Homemate Cup
Token Tado Country Club, Nagoya
1 Takumi Kanaya 67-65-64-65—261 ¥26m
T35 Brendan Jones 66-65-71-73—275 ¥689,000
MC Anthony Quayle 71-70– 141
MC Brad Kennedy 70-71—141
MC Michael Hendry (NZ) 70-72—142
PGA TOUR Americas
Totalplay Championship
Atlas Country Club, Guadalajara, Mexico
1 José de Jesús Rodríguez 68-65-67-70—270
T10 Charlie Hillier (NZ) 69-65-74-65—273
T39 Harry Hillier (NZ) 71-69-72-67—279
MC Jason Hong 72-70—142
PGA TOUR Champions
The Galleri Classic
Mission Hills Country Club, Rancho Mirage, California
1 Retief Goosen 66-68-69—203
T2 Steven Alker (NZ) 66-68-70—204
T9 Greg Chalmers 69-70-69—208
T26 Steve Allan 72-72-70—214
T26 Mark Hensby 72-68-74—214
T35 David Bransdon 72-75-68—215
T39 Richard Green 68-77-71—216
T55 Rod Pampling 70-77-72—219
T60 Michael Wright 74-74-72—220
T73 Stuart Appleby 75-78-73—226
Newly-crowned Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner, Kazuma Kobori, has leant on some familiar faces in preparation of this week’s DP World Tour event in India.
Kobori’s exemption category on the DP World Tour – earned through his three-win season in Australia – does not kick in until November.
He is teeing it up at this week’s Hero Indian Open by virtue of a tournament invite and has been granted a second invite to play the ISPS HANDA Championship in Japan next month.
Given the 22-year-old only turned professional the week of the Queensland PGA Championship last November, it is a rapid ascension into the world of professional golf.
One person Kobori has turned to is the man he succeeded as Order of Merit champion, David Micheluzzi.
A dominant force during the 2022/2023 season, Micheluzzi went from a breakthrough win in Kalgoorlie to playing PGA TOUR events and major championships within seven months.
On Sunday, Micheluzzi held the outright lead going into the back nine of the Porsche Singapore Classic on his way to a tie for seventh.
It is his best result on the DP World Tour and made him a valuable source of information when he and Kobori played a practice round with Kobori’s Kiwi countryman Sam Jones and Australian Deyen Lawson on Tuesday.
Kobori also gleaned insights from fellow New Zealander Daniel Hillier when the pair played together at the NZ Open earlier this month and is approaching this week with a nothing-to-lose mentality.
“Obviously very blessed to be here. I’m not a member of the DP World Tour yet so any start I can get is fantastic,” Kobori told DP World Tour Media.
“Right now, I’m not a member, so any start I can get is like a free run until I start my exemption category in November.
“I’m just trying to take it all in and try and figure out how my game translates to this Tour.”
Rather than feeling overawed by teeing it up in a field boasting Rafa Cabrera Bello, Andy Sullivan and Rasmus Hojgaard, Kobori is ready to absorb any learnings on offer.
“It’s inspiring, actually. It goes to show that I have come a wee way since turning professional in November. It’s been a pretty quick journey.
“Just looking forward to learning a lot this week and a few more weeks to come.”
Micheluzzi is not the only Aussie in India this week by virtue of his Order of Merit finish for the 2022/2023 season.
Tom Power Horan, Andrew Martin, John Lyras, Deyen Lawson and Elvis Smylie are all in the field as they seek to establish a foothold on a major tour. West Australian Haydn Barron continues his rookie season after earning his card through Q School.
The Aussie influence has been bolstered this week, too, on both the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions.
Rhein Gibson advanced from a 4-for-3 playoff at Monday qualifying to play his way into the Texas Children’s Hospital Houston Open while Greg Chalmers matched the day’s best round – 4-under 68 at Bermuda Dunes – to earn a start at The Galleri Classic in California.
This week’s LPGA Tour event, the inaugural Ford Championship in Arizona, also has a strong Australian representation.
Minjee Lee will play her first event in America for the year, joined by HSBC Women’s World champion Hannah Green and seven other Aussies at Seville Golf and Country Club.
Photo: Luke Walker/Getty Images
Round 1 tee times AEDT
PGA TOUR
Texas Children’s Houston Open
Memorial Park Golf Course, Houston, Texas
11:31pm Aaron Baddeley, Josh Teater, Dylan Wu
11:31pm* Taylor Montgomery, Harry Hall, Ryan Fox (NZ)
11:42pm* Cam Davis, Chesson Hadley, Aaron Rai
5:04am Sahith Theegala, Jason Day, Padraig Harrington
6:10am* Victor Perez, Harrison Endycott, Emilio Gonzalez
6:21am Jorge Campillo, Rico Hoey, Rhein Gibson
Defending champion: Tony Finau
Past Aussie winners: Bruce Devlin (1972), Bruce Crampton (1973, 1975), David Graham (1983), Stuart Appleby (1999, 2006), Robert Allenby (2000), Adam Scott (2007), Matt Jones (2014)
Prize money: $US9.1 million
TV times: Live 12am-10am Friday, Saturday; Live 2:45am-9am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
DP World Tour
Hero Indian Open
DLF G&CC, New Delhi, India
11:55am Lauri Ruuska, Anant Singh Ahlawat, Haydn Barron
12:05pm Varun Parikh, Sam Jones (NZ), Maximilian Rottluff
12:10pm* Sachin Baisoya, Deyen Lawson, Ricardo Gouveia
12:20pm* Jonathan Goth-Rasmussen, John Lyras, Karan Pratap Singh
12:50pm* John Parry, Daniel Hillier (NZ), Sam Bairstow
1:25pm Dylan Mostert, Aman Raj, Andrew Martin
1pm* Masahiro Kawamura, Frederic Lacroix, Kazuma Kobori (NZ)
5pm Elvis Smylie, Angad Cheema, Freddy Schott
5:10pm Om Prakash Chouhan, Benjamin Follett-Smith, Tom Power Horan
6:20pm Laurie Canter, Gaganjeet Bhullar, David Micheluzzi
Defending champion: Marcel Siem
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US2.25 million
TV times: Live 6:30pm-11:30pm Thursday, Friday; Live 7pm-11:30pm Saturday; Live 5:30pm-10:30pm Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
LPGA Tour
Ford Championship presented by KCC
Seville Golf and Country Club, Gilbert, Arizona
1am Stephanie Kyriacou, Jeongeun Lee6, Emily Kristine Pedersen
1:11am Hye-Jin Choi, Jiwon Jeon, Sarah Kemp
2:06am* Brooke Henderson, Minjee Lee, Ruoning Yin
2:28am* Marina Alex, Gabriela Ruffels, Mao Saigo
6:01am* Peiyun Chien, Robyn Choi, Linnea Strom
6:56am Celine Boutier, Lydia Ko (NZ), Nelly Korda
6:56am* Carlota Ciganda, Hannah Green, In Kyung Kim
7:07am* Pajaree Anannarukarn, Grace Kim, Yani Tseng
7:29am* Aditi Ashok, Karis Davidson, Wei-Ling Hsu
7:40am Mary Liu, Hira Naveed, Liqi Zeng
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US2.25m
TV times: Live 9am-12pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
Japan Golf Tour
Token Homemate Cup
Token Tado Country Club, Nagoya
9:20am Daiiku Kataoka, Toshinori Muto, Michael Hendry (NZ)
9:30am Mitsunori Kakazu, Daihiro Nishiyama, Anthony Quayle
9:30am* Ohira Sato, Brad Kennedy, Ryutaro Nagano
2:05pm Taisei Shimizu, Yusaku Hosono, Brendan Jones
Defending champion: Shugo Imahira
Past Aussie winners: Craig Warren (1994), Andre Stolz (2003), Wayne Perske (2006), Brendan Jones (2012, 2019)
Prize money: ¥130,000,000
PGA TOUR Americas
Totalplay Championship
Atlas Country Club, Guadalajara, Mexico
5:25am Paul Chaplet, Tyler Strafaci, Harry Hillier (NZ)
5:35am* Josh Goldenberg, Gabriel Morgan-Birke, Jason Hong
6:15am George Markham, Charlie Hillier (NZ), Travis Vick
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $225,000
PGA TOUR Champions
The Galleri Classic
Mission Hills Country Club, Rancho Mirage, California
Australasians in the field: Steven Alker (NZ), Steve Allan, Stuart Appleby, Greg Chalmers, Richard Green, Mark Hensby, Rod Pampling, Michael Wright.
Defending champion: David Toms
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US2.2 million
TV times: 10am-11am Saturday on Fox Sports 503; Live 7am-9am Sunday; Live 5:30am-9am Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
Rising stars Gabi Ruffels and David Micheluzzi both got a glimpse of breakthrough wins on major tours before coming up just short.
Ruffels had a birdie putt on the 72nd hole to join the playoff at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship on the LPGA Tour while Micheluzzi led early on the back nine on Sunday at the DP World Tour’s Porsche Singapore Classic.
In danger of missing the cut late on Friday, Ruffels surged into contention with a third round of 6-under 65, putting her just two shots off the lead heading into Round 4.
When eventual champion Nelly Korda made eagle at the par-5 14th Ruffels trailed by five, clawing her way back within three with birdies at 15 and 16.
With Korda playing in the group ahead, Ruffels was unaware that the American had dropped shots at both 17 and 18.
That gave the Aussie the simple equation of needing to make birdie at the final hole to match Korda and Ryann O’Toole’s total of 9-under par.
The 23-year-old had a good look from around 20 feet but her putt came up just short and left, her tie for third her best LPGA Tour result and a taste of what it takes to win at the highest level.
“Standing over the putt, I did realise that was to get into a playoff,” Ruffels revealed post-round.
“It’s cool. It’s really cool to be in that situation.
“Unfortunately didn’t make the putt, but thought I hit a pretty good putt.
“Not a great start to the year I guess in Bradenton, but worked hard these past couple weeks and I really feel like my game is in a good place.
“Just goes to show this week and excited for the next couple weeks.”
Early strruggles aren't stopping @GabiRuffels 💪
— LPGA (@LPGA) March 24, 2024
BTW, tune in on @GolfChannel for a master class on how to play through some insane wind 🌬️ pic.twitter.com/yBRYE9ih5X
It was a matter of ‘what if’ too for Micheluzzi in Singapore.
A one-stroke leader through 54 holes, Micheluzzi maintained his advantage as he began the back nine at Laguna National Golf Resort Club.
After a par at 10, the Victorian suffered a stroke of misfortune when he was forced to play out sideways from a bunker at the par-3 11th that led to a double-bogey.
Current leader @DavidMicheluzzi is forced to go sideways after an awkward bunker lie 😡#PorscheSingaporeClassic pic.twitter.com/Rct559mGHd
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) March 24, 2024
He lost his tee shot right at the par-4 12th on his way to a second double-bogey, climbing back into a tie for seventh with birdies at 16 and 18 for his best finish in a DP World Tour event.
Veteran Aaron Baddeley had a one-stroke lead early in Round 2 of the PGA TOUR’s Valspar Championship, bouncing back from a 74 in Round 3 with a 2-under 69 to finish tied 17th.
Photos: Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images (Ruffels), Jason Butler/Getty Images (Micheluzzi)
Results
PGA TOUR
Valspar Championship
Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead Cse), Palm Harbor, Florida
1 Peter Malnati 66-71-68-67—272 $US1.512m
T17 Aaron Baddeley 67-70-74-69—280 $104,020
MC Ryan Fox (NZ) 76-69—145
MC Harrison Endycott 75-73—148
MC Min Woo Lee 74-75—149
DP World Tour
Porsche Singapore Classic
Laguna National Golf Resort Club, Singapore
1 Jesper Svensson 68-73-67-63—271 €392,403.78
T7 David Micheluzzi 67-70-66-73—276 €56,206.07
T29 Jason Scrivener 74-68-68-70—280 €19,504.78
MC Deyen Lawson 70-74—144
MC John Lyras 71-73—144
MC Tom Power Horan 73-71—144
MC Andrew Martin 74-74—148
MC Daniel Hillier 72-74—146
MC Michael Hendry 80-73—153
LPGA Tour
Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship
Palos Verdes Golf Club, Palos Verdes Estates, California
1 Nelly Korda 72-67-67-69—275 $US300,000
T3 Gabriela Ruffels 72-69-65-70—276 $120,026
T27 Karis Davidson 73-69-71-70—283 $15,179
MC Hira Naveed 70-74—144
MC Hannah Green 73-72—145
MC Sarah Kemp 74-74—148
MC Stephanie Kyriacou 75-74—149
MC Grace Kim 73-76—149
MC Robyn Choi 73-77—150
PGA TOUR Americas
Bupa Championship at Tulum
PGA Riviera Maya, Tulum, Mexico
1 Clay Feagler 69-70-74-71—284
T63 Charlie Hillier (NZ) 69-75-80-76—300
MC Harry Hillier (NZ) 74-76—150
MC Jason Hong 78-80—158
Challenge Tour
Kolkata Challenge
Royal Calcutta Golf Club, Kolkata, India
1 Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen 68-65-68-71—272 €44,318.54
T38 Hayden Hopewell 70-71-74-71—286 €1,689.64
MC Connor McKinney 76-69—145
Epson Tour
Atlantic Beach Classic
Atlantic Beach Country Club, Atlantic Beach, Florida
1 Briana Chacon 67-70-69—206 $US45,000
11 Fiona Xu (NZ) 68-70-72—210 $6,091
T55 Amelia Garvey (NZ) 68-74-78—220 $1,149
MC Cassie Porter 73-74—147
MC Su Oh 76-77—153
Champions Tour
Hoag Classic
Newport Beach CC, Newport Beach, California
1 Padraig Harrington 63-67-69—199 $US300,000
T9 David Bransdon 67-69-70—206 $54,000
T15 Steve Allan 71-69-68—208 $26,383
T15 Steven Alker (NZ) 72-67-69—208 $26,383
T27 Richard Green 70-68-71—209 $16,233
T33 Greg Chalmers 72-68-70—210 $12,600
T33 Rod Pampling 68-71-71—210 $12,600
T57 Michael Wright 69-75-72—216 $3,800
T62 Stuart Appleby 76-70-70—216 $2,900
75 John Senden 72-75-78—225 $1,240
WD Mark Hensby 69-69—138
The continued excellence of Minjee Lee and emergence of Min Woo Lee as Australian golf’s next superstar have seen Ritchie Smith earn a seventh nod as Coach of the Year – High Performance at the Western Australian Golf Industry Gala Dinner on Friday night.
Representatives from throughout the WA golf industry gathered at Crown Casino in Perth to recognise outstanding performers across all aspects of the game in 2023.
A record number of rounds at Busselton Golf Club saw Grant Williams named Hilary Lawler WA PGA Club Professional of the Year, Nicole Martino was awarded PGA Management Professional of the Year for her work at The Western Australian Golf Club and Wembley Golf Course’s Andrew Thomas edged a strong list of finalists to be again named Game Development Coach of the Year.
Smith (Royal Fremantle Golf Club, pictured with PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman) and David Milne (Lake Karrinyup Country Club) were the two nominees for High Performance Coach of the Year, Smith’s stable of players all advancing their development around the world.
Maddison-Hinson Tolchard continued her outstanding college career and made her US Women’s Open debut at Pebble Beach, Hannah Green won a third LPGA Tour title, Ryan Peake enjoyed his best season on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series circuit and amateurs Abbie Teasdale and Josiah Edwards excelled locally and abroad.
But perhaps Smith’s greatest feat was to oversee a putting change in his star pupil that saw Minjee Lee win twice towards the end of 2023 and return to the top five in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking.
“Sometimes when you have a problem like this you need to make a big change and we got rid of a putter that we won two majors with,” Smith said as he accepted the Greg Norman Medal on Minjee’s behalf last November.
“We looked at the reasons why we had problems from about 15 different angles and we’ve found a formula that we think is going to work.
“So far it has been a good change.”
This past year will also be remembered for the way Min Woo Lee announced himself on the world stage.
He played his way into the final group alongside world No.1 Scottie Scheffler at THE PLAYERS Championship, won on the Asian Tour in record fashion and sent shockwaves throughout Brisbane with his pulsating victory at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship.
Named in honour of a PGA Professional who had a strong focus in the servicing of his customers, being a mentor to other PGA Professionals and an absolute custodian of the sport, Williams received the Hilary Lawler Club Professional of the Year for the impact he has had at Busselton in a short space of time.
The Head PGA Professional at Busselton since April 2022, Williams has instituted major improvements to tee sheets to cater for the record number of rounds played, a 90 per cent conversion from evaluation lessons to coaching packages sold, a stronger retail offering and a new prepayment policy for group bookings which delivered the club $100,000 in additional revenue.
Thomas was named Game Development Coach of the Year for the second year running not only for the enormity of lessons conducted at Wembley Golf Course but also his visit to Newman to coach indigenous youth at Clontarf Aboriginal College and students at Newman Primary School.
A member satisfaction rating of in excess of 80 per cent highlighted the impact that Nicole Martino had this past year at The Western Australian Golf Club.
As Golf Manager, Martino successfully managed a club calendar of more than 70,000 rounds and various special events, empowered her team with development budgets and worked collaboratively with course, house and admin teams to ensure the best possible member experience.
Two WA legends were honoured for their contribution to the game over many years with Ross Metherell awarded the WA Golf Industry Distinguished Service Award and Stephen Leaney inducted into the WA Golf Industry Hall of Champions.
2023 WA Golf Industry Award Winners
WA PGA Coach of the Year – High Performance
Ritchie Smith, Royal Fremantle Golf Club
WA PGA Coach of the Year – Game Development
Andrew Thomas, Wembley Golf Course
Hilary Lawler WA PGA Club Professional of the Year
Grant Williams, Busselton Golf Club
WA PGA Associate of the Year
Fritz Arnold, Lake Karrinyup Country Club
WA PGA Tournament of the Year
Mitchell and Brown Spalding Park Open
WA PGA Management Professional of the Year – Proudly sponsored by Golf Car World
Nicole Martino, The Western Australian Golf Club
Course Apprentice of the Year – Proudly sponsored by AFGRI Equipment
Beschen Pou, Rockingham Golf Club and Links Kennedy Bay
Course Superintendent of the Year – Proudly sponsored by AFGRI Equipment
Tom Tristram, Secret Harbour Golf Links
WA Golf Industry Distinguished Service Award
Ross Metherell
WA Golf Industry Hall of Champions Inductee
Stephen Leaney
Outstanding Game Development Program of the Year Award
Womens 22 Week Beginner Program at Lake Karrinyup Country Club
Employee of the Year – Proudly sponsored by MiClub
Jessie Krznaric, Royal Fremantle Golf Club
Volunteer of the Year – Proudly sponsored by Bowra and O’Dea
Graeme Durward, Busselton Golf Club
Regional Golf Course of the Year – Proudly sponsored by ADH Club Car
Bunbury Golf Club
Metropolitan Golf Course of the Year – Proudly sponsored by ADH Club Car
Joondalup Resort
Regional Golf Facility of the Year
Karratha Country Club
Metropolitan Golf Facility of the Year – Proudly Sponsored by Golf Car World E-Z-Go
Wembley Golf Course
Outstanding Golf Achievement Award – Proudly sponsored by NGI Insurance
Minjee Lee
Five players shared the honours after Jason Norris let a two-shot lead slip late at the Metro Homes Glenn Joyner Memorial Legends Pro-Am at Thaxted Park Golf Course.
The first staging of the Memorial Pro-Am since the passing of the much-loved Glenn Joyner last August, Glenn’s father Barry and son Brad were part of the pro-am and were on hand to congratulate all five of the winners.
On the back of his win at Flagstaff Hill the day prior, Norris looked set to make it two-from-two when he arrived to the 18th tee at 5-under par.
The South Australian would three-put his final hole, however, for a double-bogey, his 3-under 67 matched by David Crawford, Brad Burns, Tim Elliott and Lucien Tinkler.
HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED
All five scores of 3-under 67 would come in the afternoon groups and in vastly different fashion.
With a birdie at his opening hole and eagle at the short 206-metre par-4 sixth, Norris was the one to set the early pace.
He pushed out to 5-under on his round with birdies at 10 and 13 but a birdie on 17 wedged between a bogey and double-bogey would restrict Norris to a 3-under total.
Burns had just one bogey in his round of 67 highlighted by an eagle at the par-5 first while Tinkler made his run late, playing the front nine in 4-under 30 after starting his day from the 10th tee.
Elliott had four birdies and a single bogey to match the best score of the day as Crawford earned his first PGA Legends Tour win courtesy of four birdies, an eagle and three bogeys.
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 David Crawford 67
T1 Brad Burns 67
T1 Jason Norris 67
T1 Tim Elliott 67
T1 Lucien Tinkler 67
T6 David Fearns 68
T6 Euan Walters 68
T6 Mark Boulton 68
T6 Peter Fowler 68
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour has a short break now before the SA PGA Senior Foursomes Championship at Mount Gambier Golf Club, David McKenzie, Peter Senior and Terry Price among the entries.
Queenslander Quinn Croker will be one of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia’s rookies to watch in 2024/25 but before then he has his sights on some big amateur events in the United States.
With a sequence of outstanding results in the recently completed Tour season, Croker locked up the Future Tour Order of Merit by a wide margin to secure a Tour card which ensures he can bypass the upcoming Qualifying School at Moonah Links.
A member of Australia’s team at last year’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, Croker made the cut in all nine Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia tournaments he contested, highlighted by a second-place finish at The Heritage Classic in January.
And he finished outside the top 15 in only two events, gaining great experience to take into the next stage of his career and impressing those who saw his game first-hand and on the Fox Sports telecasts.
PGA.org.au caught up with the 21-year-old after his final Tour event as an amateur, The National Tournament, to get some key takeaways on his fantastic season.
What reflections do you have on the 2023/24 season overall?
I enjoyed it this year. It was fun. I played plenty of different tournament and got the chance to go to plenty of different places. It was a good year.
What did you learn most about what life as a touring professional would be like?
Something that sticks out the most is the uncontrollables. There’s so many things you can get mad at or angry at, your feelings towards them, that don’t really matter. You can deal with them after if you have to.
It’s no use getting annoyed about something that doesn’t really matter and then bringing that out on the golf course. You just have to go out and play the 18 holes.
I played a couple of events and realised that ‘my game is kind of there so if I just let it happen it will turn into a good result’. I showed myself that I could play out here and some good golf, not perfect golf, can get it done some times.
What was your favourite event of the season?
I really liked the two events in WA, the Open and the PGA. Joondalup was a really cool course.
Heritage was obviously the best finish, the most I was under-par, and it was good to get used to the TV cameras following me and having to manage my time with some extra requirements. That was a learning curve that week.
Who sticks in your mind as someone who was really enjoyable to play with?
Playing with Griffo (Matt Griffin) in the final round at The Heritage was pretty big. Just being able to have a good chat with him while he’s trying to win a golf tournament. You just can’t chat like two mates walking down the fairway because you still have a job to do, but I really enjoyed his company. He’s a good bloke who knows a lot and is open to helping you. He has so much knowledge.
Also what comes to mind is the Sandbelt Invitational. I played with Geoff Ogilvy the first day and then Nico Colsaerts the next day. To with able to play with them on back-to-back days, and play some pretty good golf in front of them, was really good. I thought ‘wow, I’m playing with a US Open winner and the vice-captain of Europe’s Ryder Cup team’. That was pretty cool.
What’s your plans for the next few months?
We’re going to work pretty hard on my game in the next couple of months and hopefully get some progression then there’s some amateur events in the US that I hope to tap into and play. It’s going to be tough in terms of knowing a schedule.
We’ll try to play as many events as we can over there in their summer and then come home. I think by that time, it might be the start of the new season here so then I might be looking to use the Future card and play a season as a professional on this Tour.
Qualifiers from the seven events staged across Australia will play for an increased prize purse when the PGA Professionals Championship National Final returns to Heritage Golf and Country Club in October.
Tasmania’s Claremont Golf Club will host the first 2024 PGA Professionals Championship qualifier on April 5 to be followed by the PGA Professionals Championship of North Queensland at Townsville Golf Club on April 22.
The PGA Professionals Championship of South-East Queensland on July 31 will finalise the National Final field where the total prize money has increased to $65,000.
There are also two places in the field at the Australian PGA Championship up for grabs and, for the first time in the event’s history, female PGA Professionals will have an opportunity to play for the Women’s PGA Professionals Championship trophy.
The Women’s PGA Professionals Championship will see at least one female from each state qualifying event advance to the National Final, where they too can showcase their exceptional abilities on the golf course.
“Our PGA Professionals are often feted for the way they help golfers to play better but they are just as passionate about their own games,” said PGA of Australia General Manager of Membership and Education, Geoff Stewart.
“To become a PGA Professional you must display a high level of playing proficiency.
“While that may not be their primary focus as they work within the industry, we are proud to provide our PGA Members with the platform to showcase their skills and play their way into our flagship event, the Australian PGA Championship.”
The $65,000 total prize money is a 30 per cent increase on the 2023 PGA Professionals Championship won for a fourth time by Matt Docking.
Now the Head PGA Professional at Murray Downs Golf and Country Club, as defending champion Docking is exempt from state qualifying and excited about the prospect of a return to Heritage Golf and Country Club.
“I am looking forward to defending my title,” said Docking.
“Although I have been fortunate enough to win the event on four occasions, I haven’t necessarily played as well as I would have liked at the Australian PGA Championship once I have qualified.
“I would love to change that in 2024 and therefore the first step is getting there.”
The PGA is proud to partner with championship partners Acushnet and Club Car.
Both partners have supported PGA Vocational Professionals for extended periods, be it at their golf facilities or their professional playing ambitions.
2024 PGA Professionals Championship schedule
Friday, April 5
PGA Professionals Championship of Tasmania (Claremont GC)
Monday, April 22
PGA Professionals Championship of North Qld (Townsville GC)
Friday, June 28
PGA Professionals Championship of South Australia (West Lakes GC)
Monday, July 8
PGA Professionals Championship of Western Australia (The Western Australian GC)
Thursday, July 11
PGA Professionals Championship of NSW/ACT (Concord GC)
Monday, July 22
PGA Professionals Championship of Victoria (Keysborough GC)
Wednesday, July 31
PGA Professionals Championship of South East Qld (Nudgee GC)
October 22-24
PGA Professionals Championship National Final (Heritage G&CC)
A new program has been launched to help Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and WPGA Tour players with progressing their careers on and off the golf course.
And it has found a willing ambassador in multiple tournament winner Brett Rumford, who has experienced just about every aspect of professional golf.
The Tournament Player Development Program has been established to offer professional development and educational resources for all current players on the men’s and women’s tours.
Aimed at enhancing players’ long-term career success, whether that is on the golf course or not, the program includes a wide variety of webinars and practical sessions.
Along with the practical and online sessions, the program is designed to provide players pastoral care and guidance.
Rumford, a six-time winner on the DP World Tour, has come on as an ambassador for the program, and while participants will be treated to a short-game masterclass from one of golf’s best around the greens, he has a lot more off-course wisdom to impart as well.
Along with a decorated playing career, over the last few years Rumford has broadened his golf knowledge and qualifications by completing his bridging course to become a full PGA Member, as well as a Diploma of Golf Management at the PGA Institute.
“It was always in the back of my mind that I wanted to remain in the golf industry when I finished full-time tournament golf. One, because I love it. I’m passionate about it. Two, I want to give back to the game,” said Rumford.
After a relatively smooth run through most of his playing days, a number of injury setbacks beginning in 2015 forced Rumford to think about life after professional golf.
“It was like ‘wow, what’s going on here’,” he said.
“Right in the thick of my prime of my career, you know, I’ve just had these two major surgeries that have just completely derailed my momentum.”
While Rumford looked towards study and future-proofing his career at a point when his playing days were winding down, this new program is specifically catered for players at all stages of their journeys.
“Golf is a marathon. It’s not a sprint. I think a lot of kids get caught up with the mentality that if you haven’t made it by the time you’re 20 these days, it’s over,” he said.
“Continuing your education is a fantastic avenue to learn the industry, to get some qualifications, to get some backing.
“It can free up the mind to sort of just go play too, knowing that you’ve got a bit of a fallback.”
PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman is excited for the program and the support it will offer Australian players.
“Golf is a game for life and we want our tournament players to have the best possible career opportunities to succeed whether it’s when they’re playing professionally full time or when they’re focussing on life away from the tour,” he said.
“The Tournament Player Development Program is specially designed with a healthy mix of on-course and off-course sessions, making it a fantastic resource for all players on our home tours.
“From our rookies looking to soak up as much wisdom and learning as possible, to players beginning to think about the transition in their career, this program caters to everyone.”
As well as Rumford’s short-game masterclass, other sessions range from financial tips to mental health strategies, to playing at the highest level.
The first session is on Tuesday the 26th March with Dr Alison Curdt. Titled The performance of people – reach your potential , this session will focus on harnessing golf psychology.
