Min Woo Lee’s career-best finish on the PGA TOUR has earned the West Australian a first Signature Event start at this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Three back of American Austin Eckroat at the start of a final round of the Cognizant Classic that was forced into a Monday finish, Lee made a spirited run at his first TOUR title, at one point pulling within a stroke of Eckroat.
The reigning Australian PGA champion, Lee qualified for his first Signature Event of the season via the Aon Swing 5 that provides spots for the highest points earners from the Mexico Open and Cognizant Classic.
Projected to climb to No.31 in the Official World Golf Ranking, the 25-year-old had finished outside the top 20 in his first three TOUR starts of 2024, after earning his card via 2023 non-member FedEx Cup points.
Can't wait until Australian Story on @ABCaustralia at 8pm? Here's an insight their team has provided on @Minwoo27Lee and @minjeegolf 🏌️🏌️♂️https://t.co/wFzlokNBxC
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) March 4, 2024
It will be Lee’s third consecutive appearance at Bay Hill but the first time it has offered $US20 million in prize money including $US4 million to the winner.
“It’s amazing,” said Lee, who shot 4-under 67 to finish tied at 14-under with Erik Van Rooyen (63), three back of Eckroat (67).
“I was thinking about it coming down the stretch. Obviously thinking about the win… but was a really proud moment.
“My manager Brent signed me up for that yesterday and I saw it on the e-mail. I know he tried to do it on the low, but I did see it come through the e-mail saying that I was signed up for it just in case I do … I knew that before last night that I needed to play like that.”
Lee played “like that” indeed. After completing his first seven holes of the final round Sunday in even-par before darkness fell, he was 4-under across 11 holes Monday.
Featured alongside sister Minjee Lee on the ABC’s Australian Story on Monday night, the result is also a major boost to Lee’s hopes of representing Australia at the Olympics in Paris in early August.
Photo: Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
PGA TOUR
Cognizant Classic
PGA National Resort & Spa (The Champion Cse), Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
1 Austin Eckroat 65-67-68-67—267 $US1.62m
T2 Min Woo Lee 67-70-66-67—270 $801,000
T35 Ryan Fox (NZ) 69-68-74-65—276 $43,875
MC Aaron Baddeley 71-71—142
West Australian Brendan Chant ticked off one of his goals for 2024 by winning the Portsea Legends Pro-Am on the PGA Legends Tour today.
A 3-under-par 68, highlighted by an eagle on the short par-4 10th hole, gave Chant a one-shot win over Queenslander Chris Taylor, with Michael Isherwood (Vic) a further shot back.
Runner-up in last year’s PNG Senior Open, Chant recorded eight top-threes last season to finish sixth on the PGA Legends Tour Order of Merit.
He came close to an elusive victory again at Settlers Run last week, finishing in a three-way tie for second, one shot behind Terry Price.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Starting his day at Portsea on the sixth hole, Chant birdied the eighth before his eagle on the 10th moved him to -3.
His two bogeys for the round came on the two par-3s on the back nine but were balanced off by birdies on the long par-4 13th and short par-5 third.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“It’s been a long while. I haven’t even been thinking about having another win but I was finally able to,” Chant said.
“One of my goals for this year was a win so I’ve managed that today which is good.
“I scrambled well. I had a chip-in on 10 for eagle that got the round going and get to 3-under and then held on from there.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
68: Brendan Chant
69: Christopher Taylor
70: Michael Isherwood
71: Peter Lonard, Dell Bain, Tim Elliott, Michael Long, Andre Stolz
72: Carl Smedley, Shaquill Mongol
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour heads to Melbourne’s northern suburbs for the Club Mandalay Legends Pro-Am on Tuesday and the Goonawarra Legends Pro-Am on Friday.
It’s the differences between Australia’s greatest golf siblings that grab all the attention -Minjee Lee is “the scientist”, the disciplined, serious one; her little brother, Min Woo Lee, “the artist” with freewheeling flair.
He’s the extrovert, revving up the gallery to the chorus of “Let him cook”, the quirky chant that has earned him the nickname The Chef among his 700,000-plus social media followers. She finds the self-promotion of social media awkward.
Even the siblings play up their differences. “Minjee’s a straight line,” Min Woo tells Australian Story. Always focused on excellence as a golfer, never detouring.
His path in professional golf, he says, has been more “like a random, squiggly line”.
And with both now playing at the top tier of the game globally, the ever-present, low-level sibling rivalry has come to the fore.
“I want to do better, a little bit better [than Min Woo],” Minjee says.
Min Woo says it may be petty but he loves to one-up his sister.
All this talk of opposites and rivalry, though, can give the impression that this duo is like oil and water; two diverse personalities with little in common.
But put them together and it’s obvious how much this sister and brother like each other. There’s a relaxed, playful vibe as they rush to tell a childhood story, talking over each other one minute, finishing each other’s sentences the next.
Both herald their sibling’s strengths but still manage to get in a few good-natured jibes at each other.
And bond over annoying stuff — like pesky pimples.
In the days after a nailbiting but unsuccessful tilt at the Australian Open women’s and men’s titles, the duo sits side-by-side, chatting freely, as the Australian Story crew gets ready to film a joint interview. Minjee surveys her brother’s face and compliments him on his unblemished forehead.
Min Woo points out a double pimple near his nose, whispering that he made the mistake of popping it.
“I had one, too,” Minjee says, grinning as she locates it on her face.
“Acne,” says Min Woo into the camera when he realises they’ve been sprung conducting a skin assessment. “It’s a human problem.”
But these aren’t run-of-the-mill humans; they are superstars of the game of golf.
Minjee, 27, has won two of the Ladies Professional Golf Association’s (LPGA) major championships, including the prestigious US Open, with 10 tournament wins in almost 10 years on the circuit.
She’s currently number five in the world, with earnings of about $20 million. A survey in 2023 rated her Australia’s highest-earning female athlete.
Min Woo, 25, turned pro in 2019, three years after winning the boys’ US Junior Amateur Championship, just as his sister had done four years earlier in the girls’ comp, making them the first sibling duo to hold the titles.
He’s had four professional wins, although never a major, and boasts a career purse of about $5 million, along with a chunk of cash from the endorsement deals his flashy style attracts.
It takes all kinds to succeed in the high-pressure world of golf, says Minjee.
“There is no one correct path,” she says. “You take your own path, your own journey to get there.”
“Swing your swing,” adds Min Woo, who is ranked 42nd in the world right now but makes no secret he’s aiming for number one.
As is Minjee, who got tantalisingly close in 2019 and 2022, hitting the number two spot.
“So close,” says Min Woo, holding his thumb and index finger a centimetre apart.
“I think I can get there,” Minjee says.
Min Woo will brook no doubt. “She’ll get there, she’ll get there. Not you think you can,” he chides his sister. “You will.”
He’s even prepared to put a timeframe on it. This will be Minjee’s year, he says, the year his hard-working big sister will be the world’s number one female golfer. If all goes to plan, The Chef won’t be far behind.
The way Min Woo tells it, being a hit on social media and positioning himself as the fashion-forward, hip young dude of golf was the only way to trump his more seasoned sister.
She plays too good all the time,” he says. “I mean, I’m busting my butt to win a couple of tournaments and she’s just doing it regularly so I’ve got to somehow work my way out of that shadow.”
He’s been credited with bringing “dirtbag cool” to golf; swaggering about the course in his trademark “mock-neck” shirt, sporting a manicured moustache and short-cut mullet. Sometimes, he tops the look off with a chef’s hat, or leads the crowd in a thunderclap.
“I’m just trying to make [golf] younger and cooler,” he says.
Min Woo’s early years on the circuit weren’t dazzling but last year, he captured the attention of US golf lovers at the PGA’s Player Championship at the elite Floridian course, Sawgrass.
Despite being the last player selected for the event, it was Min Woo who was at the final tee, battling world number one Scott Scheffler for the trophy.
He didn’t make it but won a lot of fans and kudos for his gutsy effort and entertaining style. He’s since scored a coveted PGA tour card – a pass to play on the American tour.
“That [event] was a big part of who I am now,” he says. “Since then, I’ve had massive popularity boosts on social media and just around the world.”
Minjee prefers a grateful smile and a wave for her fans but she’s not surprised by the hubbub Min Woo creates and his social media success.
“I knew with his style, his energy, he would get a lot of attention if his game was trending up.”
Their difference in style was evident from the beginning, when the siblings began playing at Royal Fremantle Golf Club in Western Australia.
Minjee says her brother probably has more natural talent but she was the conscientious one, practising her drives, putts and swings for hours while he was mucking about with trick shots in the rough.
“I didn’t do the boring stuff … I did all the crazy stuff,” Min Woo says.
“That’s why, when I’m behind a tree, I can somehow get it close. While she never really hits into a tree, so there was no point [in her] practising that stuff.”
Min Woo says he’s been knuckling down on the basics since hitting the pro circuit because “talent only gets you so far and hard work beats a lot”.
Still, he says, his sister could probably learn a bit of crazy from him.
Both learned to play golf under the tutelage of their mother Clara, a former golf teacher. Her husband, Soonam, was a swimming and basketball instructor in the couple’s home country of South Korea, and a reasonable golfer. Competition is in the blood.
“We were just always around that energy and competitive vibe,” says Minjee, whose parents moved to WA in the mid-90s.
“We used to play golf at the local club together and Mum would always want to win.”
Not only is Soonam competitive, he’s a prankster, too, like his son.
“I learned from the best,” Min Woo says.
As a youngster, Min Woo preferred fast-paced sports like basketball but Minjee, also a talented swimmer and clever student, became obsessed with golf. She made the WA junior team at 13 where she was coached by Ritchie Smith. He’s still her coach – and Min Woo’s – today.
“He’s like family to me,” Minjee says. “We just have great trust in each other. And obviously, he knows my game really well.”
At 18, with the US Junior championship under her belt, Minjee turned professional. Clara joined her on the circuit, while Soonam looked after Min Woo. Within the year, she’d won her first LPGA tournament.
“I was like, ‘Oh, man, I won on the LPGA!’ Dream come true.”
Her climb up the ranks was done the Minjee way — quietly.
In 2019, when she became world No.2 for the first time, headlines heralded her “the invisible champion of Australia”. Last year, she didn’t even make it onto a list of Australia’s most influential sportswomen.
Karrie Webb, Australia’s most successful female golfer, says it’s disappointing Minjee has not received the recognition she deserves in her home country.
“Winning two majors in less than a year’s span [in 2021 and 2022] and almost getting to number one a couple of times, she definitely deserves being spoken about in the same conversation as a lot of top female athletes,” Webb says.
Minjee is not too fussed, saying women’s golf doesn’t have the profile in Australia, or the number of live events, as in the US, where she lives and is well-known.
She feels the pressure to be more active on social media but, she jokes, she will never be as prolific as Min Woo “who loves to post everything”. Says Minjee: “It’s hard when you’re not that kind of person.”
Still, if recognition from your peers – not Instagram followers or likes – is the hallmark of success, Minjee is doing OK. Late last year, after recovering from a form slump following the high of the US Open win and a bad dose of COVID, she took out the Greg Norman Medal.
It’s Australia’s most prestigious golf award and it was Minjee’s third time taking it home – a record.
“It was very special to me,” says Minjee, given the hard work she put in to climb out of the slump and back into the top five. “I felt like I really deserved it.”
There was some stiff competition. Among the contenders were Australia’s other well-known, mullet-loving golfer, Cameron Smith – and her brother.
Min Woo took his sister’s triumph well, telling Australian Story: “It just motivates me to be in her footsteps and hopefully win it one day.”
Min Woo says he’s often asked, “Does it suck?” to have such a talented sister. “I think it’s amazing,” he says. “I’d rather her do well than not.”
Webb says having a sibling’s support is a big plus on the pro golf circuit, which can be a lonely and tough place.
“Only people that have been there and done that understand what it’s like,” Webb says. “If that person is totally in your corner, you can really talk about it.”
Together, the Lees are a formidable package – but with a competitive edge. When one wins a tournament, the other is keen to win back bragging rights.
“Min Woo and I, we have a really great relationship,” Minjee says, “but I think we have more of a rivalry now, now that we’re both winning professional events.”
Their coach, Smith, says they push each other to succeed.
“I think they’re seeing the benefit of training together … of watching each other’s golf,” he says.
“It’s pretty beneficial for all.”
It’s quite a change from their days at Royal Fremantle Golf Club, back when Min Woo says his sister would “bite my ear off” any time he came near her on the golf course.
“I always annoyed Minjee and she always got pissed off at me,” he says.
“In my eyes,” says Minjee, smiling at her little brother, “he was so naughty.”
It’s taken time and maturity, but Minjee and Min Woo Lee are closer now. Not just to each other but, if their drive is straight and the green is kind, to the holy grail of becoming the best female and male golfer in the world.
By Leisa Scott and Lisa McGregor
You can stream Minjee Lee and Min Woo Lee’s Australian Story documentary now on ABC iview: https://bit.ly/3Paqgajand YouTube: https://bit.ly/3InOzxW
West Australian Hannah Green’s win at this week’s HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore holds a lot more weight behind it than the trophy and US$270,000 pay-day.
Green’s fourth LPGA Tour title all but secures her a ticket to the Paris Olympics being held in August of this year.
Coming into the week, Green sat 23rd on the Olympic rankings, 50 spots clear of nearest Aussie Grace Kim, with this win most likely pushing her up into the top-20.
With Minjee Lee sitting at fifth, the Lee-Green duo who teamed up in Tokyo 2020 is looking very likely to represent Australia again at Paris 2024.
Finishing in a tie for fifth in 2020, agonisingly short of the podium and a medal, Green will head to Paris with high expectations of herself.
Her win this week means Green now joins an illustrious group that includes Karrie Webb, Jan Stephenson, Minjee Lee and Rachel Hetherington as Aussies with at least four wins on the LPGA Tour.
Elsewhere, bad weather in Florida has meant that the PGA TOUR’s Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches will be finished on Monday (US time). Min Woo Lee is currently T16, five shots off the pace, with 11 holes remaining in his final round.
Haydn Barron continued his positive start to his DP World Tour career, with a T20 at the SDC Championship in South Africa, while Matt Jones finished solo-14th at the LIV Golf Jeddah event.
LPGA Tour
HSBC Women’s World Championship
Sentosa Golf Club (Tanjong Cse), Singapore
1 Hannah Green 74-67-67-67–275 US$270,000
T25 Grace Kim 74-71-67-75–287 $16,779
T29 Minjee Lee 74-71-72-71–288 $14,036
T34 Lydia Ko (NZ) 76-70-71-72–289 $11,434
T41 Sarah Kemp 75-72-74-70–291 $7,963
T41 Stephanie Kyriacou 71-69-76-75–291 $7,963
PGA TOUR
Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches
PGA National Resort (The Champion Cse), Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
*not finished
1 Austin Eckroat -15
T16 Min Woo Lee -10
T35 Ryan Fox (NZ) -8
MC Aaron Baddeley 71-71–142
DP World Tour
SDC Championship
St Francis Links, Eastern Cape, South Africa
1 Jordan Gumberg 68-69-71-68–276 €235,904.07
T20 Haydn Barron 70-72-71-71–284 €15,923.52
MC Sam Jones (NZ) 74-72–146
MC Jason Scrivener 74-75–149
LIV Golf
LIV Golf Jeddah
Royal Greens Golf and Country Club, Saudi Arabia
1 Joaquin Niemann 63-64-66–193 US$4,000,000
14 Matt Jones 70-66-66–202 US$320,000
T22 Lucas Herbert 65-66-73–204 $203,000
T41 Cameron Smith 69-70-70–209 $129,375
T41 Marc Leishman 72-66-71–209 $129,375
Korn Ferry Tour
117 Visa Argentina Open
Olivos Golf Club, Buenos Aires, Argentina
1 Mason Anderson 64-67-69-63–263 US$180,000
T34 Rhein Gibson 66-68-70-68–272
MC Curtis Luck 75-64–139
MC Tom Power Horan 70-71–141
MC Brett Drewitt 71-72–143
PHOTO: Getty Images.
Takahiro Hataji has created history with his first victory as a professional, becoming the first player from Japan to win the New Zealand Open in its 103-year history.
On an absorbing final day at the Millbrook Resort in Queenstown, Hataji held off a persistent stream of potential challengers with a bogey-free round of 4-under 67 to win by a single stroke with a four-round total of 17-under par.
Co-leader overnight, Australian Scott Hend (69) arrived at the 72nd hole with a share of the lead.
After hitting his tee shot to the back edge of the 18th green, Hend’s putt for the championship ran five feet past, his come-backer for par lipping out hard off the left edge to fall one shot short in outright second.
Boasting five top-five finishes on the Japan Golf Tour in 2023, 30-year-old Hataji is not only the first player from Japan to win the New Zealand Open but the first from Asia, surpassing the runner-up finishes of countrymen Tomoyo Ikemura (2023) and Hideto Tanihara (2016).
Hataji also becomes the first Japanese winner on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia since Isao Aoki won the 1989 Coca-Cola Classic at Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
“It was a really tough day but I have the trophy so I am feeling very happy now,” said Hataji after taking ownership of the Brodie Breeze Trophy.
“I’m happy but he played very well so when his putt missed I felt a bit sorry for him too,” he added of Hend’s final hole misfortune.
Heartbreak for Hendy 💔
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) March 3, 2024
Takahiro Hataji wins the 2024 #NZOpen, the first Japanese player to win on the Australasian Tour in 35 years 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/ADQay7DZ89
Kiwi hope Josh Geary (69) required treatment for his troublesome back on the 12th tee yet battled on gamely to keep himself in the mix.
A birdie at the par-5 17th kept his faint hopes alive, a par at the last earning a share of third with Griffin (70) and Anthony Quayle (67), the fourth top-five finish in his national Open.
“I am absolutely proud of my week, especially as I have lacked international play the last few months,” said Geary.
“To come here and hold my nerve when things weren’t going great is rewarding. Couple of putts here and there and who knows.
“I would love to come back here and get the job done. Sometime we will do it.”
One back at the start of the final round, Hataji joined Hend and Griffin at 14-under with a birdie at his opening hole and was never headed at the top of the leaderboard.
Australian Ben Wharton rocketed into contention with a final round of 7-under 64, posting 14-under in the clubhouse as the lead groups were just getting their final rounds underway.
That stood until Quayle signed for 15-under but Hataji was always just out of reach.
Hend missed a number of birdie opportunities early in the back nine but drew to within one when he converted a birdie chance from just four feet on the par-4 16th, the hole where he holed out for eagle 24 hours earlier.
Seeking to surpass Kel Nagle as the oldest winner of the New Zealand Open in the modern era, Hend backed up his birdie on 16 with birdie at the par-5 17th to join Hataji at 17-under and set up a thrilling climax for the large crowd gathered around the 18th green.
His tee shot released to the back edge after landing just to the right of the flag, his three putts a cruel way to be denied his own shot at history.
Although they finished two shots shy of the winner, both Quayle and Griffin enhanced their Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit aspirations in Queenstown.
Winner of the Heritage Classic in January, Griffin will pick up 218.67 points to join the race for a DP World Tour card while Quayle picks up his first points in his third start this season.
“It’s my first event back in three months,” said Quayle, who missed the cut at both the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship and ISPS HANDA Australian Open.
“It’s kind of nice to know that the work I’ve been doing in the off-season has been productive and kind of validate where I am in my position in the game a little.”
In the pro-am team competition, Indonesian Jonathan Wijono and amateur partner Jubilant Harmidy shot 14-under 57 in the final round to win by two strokes at 39-under par.
Portsea Professional Brad Kivimets has renewed his love affair with The Valley Golf Course, recording a one-stroke win at The Valley Pro-Am.
An eagle at the par-4 fifth would prove crucial at day’s end, Kivimets’ round of 4-under 63 enough for a second adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win at The Valley Golf Sport and Leisure.
He finished one clear of Martin Doyle (64) and Alex Edge (64) at a layout he admitted is very much to his liking.
“Being a bit shorter probably does play into my hands a little bit,” said Kivimets.
“Sometimes I can be accurate, sometimes not so much but around here, the holes where you need to make birdie I’ve played those quite well.
“Some of the trickier ones where you need to just get it in play and make a par and get out of there, I’ve been able to do that.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
It took only until Kivimets’ second hole before he collected his first birdie of the day at the par-5 10th.
He gave that shot back with a bogey on 11 but made three birdies on the trot from the 232-metre par-4 14th to climb towards the top of the leaderboard.
He remained patient as he picked off six straight pars and then collected what he conceded was a “bonus” when he holed out for eagle at the 360m par-4 fifth.
From that point it was a matter of holding his round together, a bogey on seven the only backward step as he added to his victory at The Valley in 2020.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“It was an interesting round. I’d had a good result here in the past so it was good to come back and see some of the holes and remember some of the shots that I hit.
“I got a good break and made a two on the fifth for eagle which helped calm me down a bit. From there I was just trying to not hit it over the fence really.
“There are only three other courses that I’ve played and had a win on for the Pro-Am Series so it’s nice to come back. First time back since that 2020 event so it’s always good.
“I seem to really like the greens here. Rolled a few putts in and it’s nice to have those good feelings and memories to draw on.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Bradley Kivimets 63
T2 Martin Doyle 64
T2 Alex Edge 64
T4 Tim Elliott 65
T4 Cameron Kelly 65
T6 Michael Choi 66
T6 Ruben Lal 66
NEXT UP
With just four events remaining on the 2023/2024 schedule, the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series moves on to Northern Golf Club in Melbourne for the Dallas Building and Maintenance Northern Pro-Am on Tuesday.
Odd pieces of misfortune and a frustrating period with the putter was all forgotten when Andre Stolz prevailed by two strokes at the Gardiners Run Legends Pro-Am at Gardiners Run Golf Course in Melbourne.
The hot weather that has been a feature of the PGA Legends Tour swing in Melbourne continued on Friday where Stolz’s round of 6-under 66 gave him a two-stroke win from Chris Taylor (68) with Carl Smedley (69) third a further shot back.
The reigning Order of Merit champion was without a win heading into this latest event, shrugging off near misses in recent events to get his first victory of the year in convincing fashion.
“There’s been a lot of weird stuff happen lately and been a bit frustrated,” Stolz admitted.
“I feel like I’ve been playing all right so it was nice to play properly.
“I felt good about the way I played today and ended winning, which was good.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Although unable to take advantage of starting his round on a par-5 – the 518-metre 10th – Stolz was in red figures shortly thereafter.
He made his first of six birdies for the day at the par-3 11th and after back-to-back birdies at 14 and 15 made the turn in 3-under par.
There was a run of seven straight pars before Stolz again picked up a shot at the par-4 fifth, building his winning buffer with further birdies at seven and eight for his 6-under total.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“It’s an interesting course this. It’s been bashing me up a bit over the last couple of years. It looks like an easy course but it’s not. You’ve got to drive the ball great here. Fairways are tight enough to give you a bit of grief but if you drive the ball well you can make a ton of birdies out there.
“The fairways are perfect – I didn’t get a bad lie all day – and the greens, with the heat we’ve had this week they’ve had to water fairly heavily so that top surface was soft enough that you could go at a few flags.
“The pins were tucked pretty well but if you hit a good quality shot from the fairway it would finish close, which is exactly what you want. I like when you can tuck the flags but be fair about it. If you hit a perfect, well-struck shot you can finish close and if you’re out of position you’re going to struggle.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Andre Stolz 66
2 Chris Taylor 68
3 Carl Smedley 69
T4 Mark Boulton 70
T4 Martin Doyle 70
T4 Michael Long 70
T4 Guy Wall 70
T4 Peter Fowler 70
NEXT UP
After enjoying the weekend off the PGA Legends Tour will resume on Monday with the Higgins Coatings Portsea Legends Pro-Am at the ever-popular Portsea Golf Club.
Long-time Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia member Terry Pilkadaris bounced back from an injury layoff to figure in a three-way tie for top spot in the De Bortoli Heidelberg Golf Club Pro-Am on Friday.
The winner at Heidelberg in 2015, Pilkadaris shot a 4-under-par 68 that was matched by Jake Hughes and DJ Loypur on a crowded leaderboard that featured 13 players within two shots.
Ranked as high as 153rd in the world at the peak of his career, Pilkadaris has missed most of the Australian Summer of Golf after tearing a rib muscle “trying to hit it too hard” in November.
He made his comeback on the PGA Legends Tour earlier this week with a tie for sixth place at Southern Golf Club and then a share of second behind Terry Price at Settlers Run before heading back to the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series.
“I’m old so the body’s not working too well,” he joked.
One of the professionals who took part in the start of the Victorian Pennant season last weekend, playing in the No.3 spot for Kingston Heath, Jake Hughes brought in some hot form, clinching his match 4&3 before playing on to shoot 8-under for the 17 holes he played at The National.
Pilkadaris and Loypur will head to the season-ending National Tournament Presented by BMW on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia starting on March 14.
HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED
All three Heidelberg winners played in the afternoon wave with Hughes teeing off the fourth, Loypur the 10th and Pilkadaris the 17th.
Hughes was -4 after just six holes but bogeys on the 17th and third prevented him from going lower as he finished with six birdies for the day.
Loypur, who also mixed in six birdies with two bogeys, had a chance to win on his final hole. But after picking up shots on the three previous par-5s he played, could only manage a par on the 479m ninth.
The only bogey for Pilkadaris came on the par-4 eighth.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
Pilkadaris described his round as “nice and steady”.
“I kept the ball in play off the tee. Heidelberg is quite a tight course and tried to keep the ball below the hole because the greens were quite quick. I thought I had it there (a 67) on my final hole, but it wasn’t to be.”
DJ Loypur was thankful he holed some putts after being “a little all over the place”.
“I had to figure out where I was going out here because I hadn’t been here for a few years. Had a couple opportunities late to make another birdie but missed them unfortunately.”
Hughes said: “I started off hot, but then got into a bit of a lull with pars on two par-5s on the back nine. From there, I cruised on in.
“I’ve been playing solid, getting the handicap down to +5 at Kingston Heath. I’m hoping to get an invite into The National and continuing on in the Order of Merit.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
68: Jake Hughes, DJ Loypur, Terry Pilkadaris
69: Darcy Brereton, Wade Lowrie, Rick Kulacz, Steven Jones
70: Michael Dean
71: Dylan Higgins, Lachlan Aylen, Toby Walker, Matt Dowling, Alex Edge
NEXT UP
The 2023/24 adidas Pro-Am Series reaches its conclusion in Victoria next week with events at Northern, Keysborough, Eynesbury and Geelong.
Victorian Nathan Page secured his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win for 2024, shooting a bogey-free 6-under-par 65 to claim the Hahn Shelly Beach Pro-Am on the NSW Central Coast on Friday.
Birdies on his final two holes secured Page, who only turned pro last year, a one-shot win over a group of three NSW professionals – Bryce Hohnen, James Conran and Robbie Minns.
Page secured his Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia card at Qualifying School at Moonah Links in April and has had a best finish of equal eighth at the Heritage Classic in his rookie Tour season to sit 65th on the Order of Merit.
After missing out on qualifying for this week’s New Zealand Open, a pro-am victory with soothe some of that disappointment ahead of the Tour finale at The National in a fortnight.
Like Page, Hohnen and Minns posted their 66s in the morning wave, while Conran’s 5-under was the best of the afternoon field.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Starting his round on the second hole in the morning shotgun start, Page had five straight pars on one of the layout’s most testing stretches of holes before gaining some momentum with birdies on the seventh and ninth.
It was a late charge that secured his win, with the Victorian picking up four shots in his last five holes, including back-to-back birdies on the par-5 18th and first.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
“I had a quick look at the course with a mate when we drove up on Monday. It’s a lovely course with some great views,” Page said of the beachside course.
“I missed a couple of putts early but got it going late then drained a few nice 10-footers to keep things rolling.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
65: Nathan Page
66: Bryce Hohnen, Robbie Minns, James Conran
67: Sung Park, Luke Parker
68: William Bruyeres, Andrew Richards, Arthur Barakat, Alexander Simpson, Dillon Hart, Gavin Fairfax, Patrick Joseph
NEXT UP
The 2023/24 adidas PGA Pro-Am Series reaches its conclusion in Victoria next week with events at Northern, Keysborough, Eynesbury and Geelong.
His upcoming wedding on Saturday will be double cause for celebration after Clayton Bridges broke the course record to win the Great Northern Toukley Pro-Am at Toukley Golf Club.
After making a rare appearance on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series at Waratah on Wednesday, Bridges found form in familiar territory at Toukley.
His 7-under 65 was five clear of Josh Clarke (70), Jonathan Pepper (70) and Gavin Fairfax (70) and is particularly well timed given he will marry Alexa this weekend.
“Managed to get a couple of days off. Played Waratah yesterday where I crumbled coming home but was able to get the win today,” said Bridges, who played regularly on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia from 2015-2018.
“Got my wedding coming up on Saturday so was able to get a couple of dollars to pay off the nice, cheap wedding that’s about to happen.”
HOW THE ROUND UNFOLDED
The Newcastle native wasted little time in making an impression on the leaderboard in the afternoon wave.
He birdied his opening hole – the par-4 18th – and then expertly navigated his way around the twisting, tight Toukley layout.
Bridges made it two-from-two when he birdied the par-5 first and then went one better when he made eagle at the par-5 fourth.
His lone bogey of the round came at the par-4 fifth but he made further birdies at seven, nine, 12 and 17 to win by five, capping off a spectacular round with a 50-footer for birdie on his final hole to better Mitchell Brown’s previous course record of 66 by one.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Everything just went my way today.
“I hit it really well and holed heaps of putts. When I put myself in a bad spot I was able to get away with it. And capped it off at the last with a nice 50-footer to shoot seven (under).
“It’s tight off the tee and you’ve got to shape your shots off the tee. I was able to get myself in the middle of the fairway on pretty much every hole. If I was off the fairway I was only just off.
“I was able to get myself in play and then give myself good chances and managed to hole them.
“It all lined up for me.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Clayton Bridges 65
T2 Josh Clarke 70
T2 Jonathan Pepper 70
T2 Gavin Fairfax 70
T2 Aaron Townsend 70
T6 Michael Smyth 71
T6 Dylan Grogan 71
T6 Larry Austin 71
T6 Alexander Simpson 71
T6 William Bruyeres 71
T6 Anthony Choat 71
T6 Robert Hogan 71
NEXT UP
There is a double booking of adidas PGA Pro-Am Series events on Friday with the Hahn Shelly Beach Golf Club Pro-Am on the NSW Central Coast and the De Bortoli Heidelberg Golf Club Pro-Am in Melbourne.