Kobori was presented with the Von Nida Medal as Order of Merit champion and the Rookie of the Year trophy at the completion of the season-ending The National Tournament presented by BMW at The National Golf Club on Sunday.

Brett Coletta and Daniel Gale secured the two remaining DP World Tour exemptions for 2025 on an enthralling final day of a season that will be remembered primarily for Kobori’s three Webex Players Series wins.

As Order of Merit champion, Kobori receives status for the 2025 DP World Tour season and a start at this year’s Open Championship at Royal Troon.

The 22-year-old will have just a week, however, to prepare for the move having received tournament invites to play both the Hero Indian Open (March 28-31) and ISPS HANDA Championship (April 25-28) in Japan.

“It’s actually really nice because I basically get a free run at it,” said Kobori of his upcoming starts.

“I can almost play those and see how it goes.

“Having played those, I will be better for when my exemption category through the Australasian Order of Merit starts.

“Really looking forward to it.”

And that’s the season done for our Order of Merit champion Kazuma Kobori. A 71 today for the three-time tournament winner 🏆 👏#TheNationalTournament pic.twitter.com/tCN0nxdgPv

— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) March 17, 2024

It’s a remarkable rise for a young player who won the NZ PGA Championship as a 17-year-old amateur in 2019 but didn’t set amateur golf alight until 2023.

The Australian Amateur champion in January, he earned his Tour card by winning Qualifying School last April. With the lure of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in October, Kobori retained his amateur status and became just the second Kiwi after Phil Tataurangi to win individual honours at the Eisenhower Trophy.

After leading into Round 2, Kobori finished sixth at the Asia-Pacific Amateur at Royal Melbourne and turned professional a week later.

In his second start as a professional, Kobori let a six-shot lead slip at the Victorian PGA Championship but returned ready to win after the Christmas break.

He won Webex Players Series events at Cobram Barooga and Rosebud in consecutive weeks and a third inside four weeks at Castle Hill Country Club in Sydney.

That all but guaranteed he would win the Order of Merit and dramatically speed up his career trajectory.

“That’s a testament to everyone,” Kobori said of his rapid ascension.

“To be fair, I played good in amateur golf my last year but before that my world ranking had stalled between 70-100 for two years.

“It feels like I wasn’t making any progress, but I probably was. If you just keep putting in the work, it just goes to show that you can make that quick jump and you’ve got to be ready for it.

“Apart from the Vic PGA, I was able to make the most of the opportunities when they presented themselves and that allowed me to get to this position that I am today.”

Here are the top three defining shots of the season.

3. JESS WHITTING – Third Round, Webex Players Series Murray River

West Australian Jess Whitting had a weekend to remember on the Murray River in early 2024.

Turning 26 on Friday during the Webex Players Series Murray River, the WPGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School graduate netted a present the following day. One she had previously spoken of believing was in her future.

Standing on the tee of the par-3 third at Cobram Barooga Golf Club, Whitting struck the perfect iron that found the bottom of the cup for a hole-in-one and a BMW i4 eDrive35 Grand Coupe valued at $93,000.

“I kept saying to people, the next time I make a hole-in-one it’s going to be when there’s a car,” Whitting said.

“I’ve said it for years. The one that matters is when there’s going to be a car.

“Still gobsmacked.”

2. MIN WOO LEE – Second Round, Australian Open

Immediately after claiming the Joe Kirkwood Cup, Lee set his sights on an Aussie double and the Australian Open.

Playing alongside Hoshino again, Lee once again set the crowds alight on Friday at The Australian Golf Club with an eagle at a par-5, this time with a simple tap-in from two feet.

Unleashing a monster drive at the 18th and left 174 metres to the pin, Lee hit a swooping hook 9-iron from the pine straw that landed and spun towards the hole to setup another memorable moment of the summer.

“Ended up in the nice pine straw out there and had a really good number for a 9-iron, like really big 9-iron and I’ve been hitting draws all week and it kind of sat up really nicely,” Lee said.

“I saw the (TV) coverage and it spun left towards the hole and nearly actually went in, so really happy with that finish. It’s always nice to make an eagle whenever, but on the last hole, it’s even nicer.”

1. MIN WOO LEE – Final Round, Australian PGA Championship

Entering the final round with the lead, Min Woo Lee got off to an inconsistent start on Sunday at Royal Queensland.

Giving primary challenger Rikuya Hoshino glimmers of hope, Lee caused a crowd eruption at the par-5 ninth.

Missing his second shot short and right of the green, the West Australian floated a perfect pitch up the length of the green that found the bottom of the cup for eagle.

““That was probably the best atmosphere shot I’ve ever hit,” Lee said.

“I’ve had a few chip ins, but at that point it was getting close and I was in a pretty average position after the tee shot. So, to chip that in, it was amazing.

“I want to see it straight away. I would like to see it. It was one of the best shots I’ve probably hit.”

First groups were the beneficiaries of relatively benign conditions at The National’s Moonah Course on Saturday, the wind finding its teeth as the first group reached the 16th tee.

That made scoring challenging for the lead groups, John and Daniel Gale (68) the only players in the final seven groups to break 70.

The highlight of John’s 5-under 67 was a hole-in-one at the par-3 eighth, taking gap wedge at the 133-metre hole and firing straight at the flag.

That narrowed the gap to Round 3 leader Kyle Michel (75) to just two strokes, a lead that had ballooned to six when John and Nathan Barbieri (74) both made bogey at the opening hole.

When Michel made bogey on nine the deficit had shrunk to just one, the pair locked together at 13-under when Michel dropped another shot on 12.

As John parred his way in across the final seven holes, Michel lost his tee shot on his way to a double-bogey on 14, another bogey on 15 relegating him to three shots behind through 54 holes.

Gale strengthened his claims to a DP World Tour card by ending the day in outright third at 8-under, Matt Griffin making birdies at 15, 16 and 18 in a round of 2-under 70 that kept his hopes of a top-three Order of Merit finish alive.

A hole-in-one, a new leader. @CamGolf99 leads #TheNationalTournament by three with 18 holes to play.

Leaderboard: https://t.co/sRHxrsY4FY pic.twitter.com/nVR4TgmQiI

— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) March 16, 2024

A player who has set course records in PGA Tour of Australasia events at Moonah Links and Kalgoorlie, John put his Saturday performance among the best rounds he has played in his career.

“It’s probably up there with my best round,” said John.

“It might sound a bit weird but I kind of care a little less. It’s the last event of the season, I’ve played really well, I don’t want to put too much expectation on it.

“It’s another day of golf and we’ll see what happens. It’d be nice to play well.”

Such was John’s focus on the back nine, he had forgotten by the end of the round about his first ace in a PGA Tour of Australasia event.

History repeating ⁉️@CamGolf99 is now just two back after a hole-in-one @TheNational1988 ⛳️#TheNationalTournament pic.twitter.com/JWhRf0DNM3

— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) March 16, 2024

“When you have a hole-in-one, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s going on,” he added.

“Quite often you see 1-5 or 1-6. It was more a matter of forgetting about it.

“I said to the boys when we came in, ‘I actually forgot that was today.’ I forgot I had a hole-in-one. I did a good enough job of it.”

Gale shapes as John’s greatest threat.

A two-time winner already this season, Gale had four birdies in his first seven holes in Round 3.

He is targetting a similar start on Sunday to apply pressure to a player still seeking their maiden win on Tour.

“Cam is obviously playing good golf but if I get off to a hot start tomorrow I’ll definitely have a shot at it if I can take advantage of some of those holes on the back nine, which I really haven’t done the past three days,” said Gale, who is projected to move up to No.2 on the Order of Merit.

“I just haven’t taken advantage of the back nine but hopefully can get hot and run him down.”

How Barbieri responds will be crucial as he tries to play his way into the top 50 who retain their cards at the end of play on Sunday, Jack Munro (70) and Josh Younger (71) also needing a strong finish to play their way into the top 50.

Munro and Younger are in a share of sixth through three rounds with Adam Bland (68), Aaron Townsend (68) and Jordan Zunic, whose 6-under 66 was the round of the day.

The final round of The National Tournament will commence at 10:23am AEDT with the last group to tee off at 1:40pm.

The only place to watch the final round is on Fox Sports, through Foxtel and Kayo.

Photo: Rob Prezioso/PGA of Australia

Here are numbers six to four.

6. DANIEL GALE – Final Round, NT PGA

Seeking to end a win-drought of nearly 2000 days, Daniel Gale knew he needed a hot start to the final round at the Tailor-Made Building Services NT PGA Championship.

Chasing overnight leader Andrew Kelly, Gale birdied the first hole then was left with just a sand wedge to the par-5 second.

The New South Welshman’s second shot clipped a branch that sent it into trees near the green, with a third shot to even allow a birdie putt requiring all his touch and skill. Gale delivering to setup a Sunday stroll toward his first of two wins in the season.

“It was in a very, very tricky spot and I hit this bump and run from in the trees to about five feet and rolled that in for birdie,” Gale said.

“That was good to get that one out of the gates.”

5. JOAQUIN NIEMANN – Final Round, Australian Open

Chile’s Joaquin Niemann seemed to fall in love with the 18th hole of The Australian Golf Club on Sunday of the Australian Open, where ultimately, he would be crowned the champion after playing the par-5 three times.

Niemann made a miraculous birdie in regulation from the fan village alongside the final hole, before missing an eagle chance on the first play-off hole with Hoshino.

Going down 18 one last time, this time in drizzling rain, Niemann showed his class with a pure iron shot to 10 feet. The champion poured in the right to left putt for an eagle three to clinch the Stonehaven Cup.

“There are good names here. I saw Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player – a few good men,” Niemann said.

“It means a lot. I wanted to win so bad for a long time. The last one I have is in Riviera.”

4. JAK CARTER – Third Round, CKB WA PGA

It was another hole-in-one and car, this time in the desert, where South Australian Jak Carter was simply hoping to make a good swing to get his third round of the CKB WA PGA back on track.

Following a double bogey six, Carter was looking for a bounce back at the par-3 17th of Kalgoorlie Golf Course, his 8-iron from 178 metres doing just the trick after finding the front of the green and rolling into the hole for a one.

“I walked up to the next hole, the par-3 17th and was standing there thinking, ‘Just swing this good here. Let’s just see what we can do’,” Carter said.

“Stepped up and hit an 8-iron that I thought was short. I hit it and was like, It’s a bit short. Go, please go. Then I’ve seen it land and thought, This thing is on target.

“Rolled straight up, bang, straight in the hole. Then everyone’s just gone mental. It was absolutely crazy.”

10. SIMON HAWKES – Final Round, WA OPEN

Chasing his second Tour win, Simon Hawkes made things interesting after starting the final round of the Nexus Advisernet/Bowra & O’Dea WA Open with a four-shot lead.

Spending the day locked in battle with veteran Jason Norris, Hawkes finally pulled clear late in the day before closing stages that bore remarkable similarities with his 2018 Vic Open win.

Hitting four-iron for his second, Hawkes left a bunker shot of some 40 metres, one he struck near perfectly with an open-faced 9-iron to five feet and victory.

“The weirdest thing for me is that it was identical to the Vic Open,” Hawkes said.

“I had a driver and I had a 4-iron into the green. I hit into a greenside bunker and then got up-and-down from the greenside bunker to win the tournament.

“I don’t know if that’s my formula for winning golf tournaments, but I said to my caddie, ‘I wish I could make it a little easier’. Four-shot lead up the last next time please.”

9. BRETT COLETTA – Final Round, Vic Open

Continuing his career revival after a win the previous season, Brett Coletta found himself in a dogfight on the final day of the Vic Open with Jordan Zunic.

With neither player giving an inch on Sunday, and both knowing the value of a victory at 13th Beach, Coletta pulled clear late in the final round, but saved his best till last at the par-5 18th.

The Victorian uncorked a brilliant fairway wood for his second shot to find the green and reduce the pressure filled walk to the 72nd green, where he would ultimately take par and a two-shot win.

“This is pretty big. I’m pretty emotional inside,” Coletta said.

“I know I’m able to win out here in the smaller events, the tier twos I suppose. The next level is to really up your game and win these bigger ones.

“This was one of those times when it was my time I guess.”

8. PHOENIX CAMPBELL – Final Round, QLD PGA

Phoenix Campbell found himself in the mix at the Queensland PGA on the final day as players and fans alike tried to pick a winner from the congested leaderboard.

Needing a birdie to reach nine-under and set the clubhouse mark, Campbell stepped up to the par-3 18th at Nudgee Golf Club and hit a 7-iron that will live long in his memory and tournament history where the then 22-year-old became the first amateur winner.

His approach finished six feet behind the hole, with the resulting bridie giving him the trophy by a shot.

“I knew the 7-iron was a good club,” Campbell said.

“Walking up there, it was never going to be anything other than that.

“I said to Ben, my caddie, on the tee, we were talking about line and I said, ‘I’m going dead at it. Let’s have a crack.’

“I was a little bit amped up. It definitely went a bit further but it was good to come back and have a crack at the putt.”

7. KAZUMA KOBORI – Final Round, Webex Players Series Victoria

Kazuma Kobori has enjoyed one of the most remarkable starts to a professional career in recent memory throughout this season, with a clutch moment at Rosebud a standout.

Having claimed his first win in the pro ranks the week prior, Kobori was looking to become the first player to win twice in a row since Adam Scott in 2013.

In a head-to-head fight with Mat Goggin on the final day of the Webex Players Series Victoria, Kobori was left with a downhill 12-foot putt for birdie at the 18th to seal victory and avoid extra holes.

The Kiwi doing what has now become expected with his putter in hand when he calmly rolled it in dead in the centre of the cup.

“I was very nervous as you probably saw. A few tips that my coach gave me just came back to me. I just took my time, and then the putt wasn’t difficult. It was dead straight. I had it there, and I knew it was going to drop,” Kobori said.

Here are the first four memorable moments of season 2023/2024.

14. DAVID MICHELUZZI – Final Round, Victorian PGA

Standing in the middle of the third fairway at Moonah Links’ Open Course, the Victorian was a distant seven shots behind the leader, Kazuma Kobori, and needing something good to happen.

And what he produced was better than good – a wedge that hit the firm green and rolled to a few centimetres from the cup set up a birdie to kickstart the reigning Order of Merit champion’s charge to the title.

“I’m really proud of how I got myself into the mix, and I holed a few good putts coming in which I’m really proud of,” he said.

“I spoke to my coach yesterday and we just said, ‘Keep moving forward’, and that’s kind of been the message all season really.”

13. BEN ECCLES – Final Round, CKB WA PGA

Enduring a sleepless night despite a six-shot lead, Ben Eccles got off to a rocky start in the final round of CKB WA PGA at Kalgoorlie Golf Course before he found some magic.

Holing solid par putts at the seventh and eighth, the Victorian was unaware that his lead was shrinking playing the par-4 ninth, where he found a bunker long and left of the green.

Facing a shot over some unfriendly green surrounds, Eccles hit what he called the “best shot I’ve ever hit” from the sand that ultimately dived in the bottom of the hole for birdie, kickstarting a back nine march to an emotional victory.

“I knew I had to keep pushing. There are so many good players in there ,” Eccles said.

“I said to myself on the 10th tee, ‘Stick to what you’ve been doing, keep applying yourself the way you want, keep trying to play the game the way that you want to play it’.”

12. KERRY MOUNTCASTLE – Third Round, Gippsland Super 6

Kerry Mountcastle would eventually survive a marathon Sunday of six hole matches to win the Gippsland Super 6. However, the Kiwi’s moment came a day earlier to earn a spot on the final day.

Finishing the 54 holes of strokeplay tied with 10 players in 17th place on six-under, Mountcastle went to extra holes and having already played the 18th hole at Warragul Country Club once and failing to earn a top-24 spot, the Kiwi made the trip again.

Finding the greenside bunker, Mountcastle produced a superb splash shot that rolled past the hole to five feet.

“I only just snuck in today through the play-off yesterday, so I kind of came into today just trying to finish as high as I could for the Order of Merit … and all of a sudden I was in the final,” Mountcastle said.

“I was probably more nervous in that (Saturday) play-off than I was at any point today.”

11. LACHLAN BARKER – Final Round, PNG Open

Lachlan Barker was chasing a first win at the opening event of the season and having reeled in 54-hole leader Chris Wood on the front nine, the South Australian secured the PNG Open.

Adopted by the local crowd as a favourite, Barker made a popular birdie at the par-4 14th with a green ringed by spectators in tents before a second shot at the next that instilled the confidence that he was on his way to victory.

A double dogleg par-5 lined by trees and water, Barker took 4-iron for his second shot that found the green and setup a two-putt birdie ensuring a comfortable walk to the clubhouse.

“I just ripped 4-iron into about 15 feet and I was like, ‘That’s it, I’m not losing’,” Barker said.

“It was just two pure shots. That would be a shot where I go, ‘Yeah, that was good’.”

Tomorrow – We countdown numbers 10-7