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Three weeks focusing on the flatstick paid immediate dividends for Bathurst’s Dylan Thompson who went bogey-free in his two-stroke win in the Campbelltown Golf Club Pro-Am.
Campbelltown Golf Club drew a field littered with Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia talent but it was Thompson’s 5-under 65 that shone brightest, two clear of James Conran (67) and Josh Armstrong (67).
Seeking his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win since the Kew Country Club Pro-Am last August, Thompson credited “countless hours” on the practice putting green with his third career victory.
“I hit it well at Yenda and Griffith but putted very poorly,” Thompson said.
“I’ve spent countless hours putting the past few weeks and it showed today.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Starting with birdies at one and four, Thompson was quick to establish his name prominently on the leaderboard.
A string of seven straight pars followed with numerous up-and-downs that would prove crucial in the final wash-up.
The 27-year-old moved to 3-under with a birdie at the par-3 12th but it would be the chip in for eagle at the par-5 13th that ultimately proved the difference.
Conran was the early front-runner with four straight birdies from the second hole but back-to-back bogeys at 10 and 11 would halt his momentum.
Armstrong’s challenge came late with birdies at 15 and 16 but he was unable to find the two more he needed to match Thompson’s 5-under total.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“No bogeys, made a lot of up-and-downs, chip-in eagle and holed a lot of short putts.
“I didn’t hit it into any bad spots at all. I always had a shot. Fairways and greens pretty much. Three birdies, an eagle, it was pretty straightforward golf really.
“Hopefully a few solid rounds in the Pro-Am Series, a few Monday pre qualifiers, see how that goes. No real goals at the moment, just play as much as I can around coaching and working in the shop.
“Hopefully a few rounds come together and I can finish high enough on the Order of Merit to move along next year.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Dylan Thompson 65
T2 James Conran 67
T2 Josh Armstrong 67
T4 Andrew Evans 68
T4 Jason Perkin 68
T4 Andrew Richards 68
T4 Soo Jin Lee 68
NEXT UP
The WA swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series starts Saturday with the $40,000 South West Isuzu South West Open at Bunbury Golf Club.
Victorian Daniel Gill has won the Victorian PGA Associate Championship in a playoff after a dramatic conclusion to the final round at Club Tocumwal.
Gill birdied the 18th hole of the Captain’s Course at Tocumwal to post a final round of 3-under 69 and 7-under total.
At that point he held the lead in the clubhouse but with 54-hole leader Baxter Droop (Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Resort) standing on the 18th tee at 9-under par, it didn’t look like being enough.
Unfortunately for Droop (73) his tee shot at the 72nd hole sailed out of bounds, the resulting double bogey dropping him to 7-under and tied with Gill.
The two players returned to the 18th hole and it was Gill who immediately took the upper hand.
As he found the fairway, Droop’s tee shot finished in the rough left of the fairway. Droop’s second shot came up short of the green but after chipping up to 12 feet was unable to make the putt for par.
Gill hit his approach to 20 feet on the left side of the green and showed great touch to roll his first putt down to just two feet.
With the championship there for the taking, Gill stepped in, holed his putt for par and claimed the biggest win in his two years in the Membership Pathway Program.
“This is my 12th win as a PGA Associate but my first major win,” said a jubilant Gill.
“Being four shots back standing on 17, I knew I had to birdie the last to have a chance but I didn’t think it would lead to a playoff.
“I would like to thank my home club, Peninsula Kingswood, who have been more than accommodating with my playing.
“They have allowed me to go part-time so I can spend more time on my playing career, which I’m very thankful for.”
Gill also paid credit to the team at Club Tocumwal for the presentation of the golf course and hospitality extended by everyone during the week.
“The course has been unreal every year and keeps getting better and better,” he added.
“I played golf as a junior here and so it was something special to take the win.”
The only player without an over-par round all week, Sheradyn Johnson (The National Golf Club) missed the playoff by just one stroke, ending her week with a round of 1-under 71 and 6-under total.
Damon Stephenson (69) and Jack Wright (73) shared fourth spot while Adam Naaman and Adam Migur shared the best score in the final round with rounds of 5-under 67.
Murray River local Baxter Droop has come within a whisker of setting a new course record as he assumed top spot at the Victorian PGA Associate Championship at Club Tocumwal on Thursday.
Completing the Membership Pathway Program under his father, Evan Droop, at Yarrawonga Mulwala Resort just 30 minutes up the Murray, Droop surged to a two-stroke lead with a superb 8-under 64 in Round 3.
That was just one short of the course record at the Captain’s Course but, at 8-under heading into the final round, provides a handy two-shot buffer from 36-hole leader Jack Wright (72).
Sheradyn Johnson (70) is third at 5-under followed by Daniel Gill (68) with Toby Walker (67) and Joseph Hodgson (69) in a tie for fifth at 3-under.
Trailing Wright by seven shots after Round 2, Droop was just 2-under on his round as he made the turn. From there he threw the after-burners to max, making six birdies in his next eight holes with what he claimed was a very simple strategy.
“Just focused on hitting fairways, as cliché as it sounds,” Droop said.
“Spent some time on the range concentrating on my driver and 3-wood to get myself in the best positions off the tee.”
Late on day three it appeared likely that there would be a tie at the top heading into the final round, only for Wright to drop shots at each of his final two holes in his round of 72.
The NSW/ACT Associate champion in 2023, Wright looms as Droop’s greatest threat as he seeks to go two better than his third-place finish in this event 12 months ago.
Although he will start the final round seven shots off the lead, Victorian Associate Noah Best has produced one of the most remarkable performances of the championship.
An opening round of 9-over 81 put Best in a difficult position to make the cut but back-to-back rounds of 5-under 67 will see him start the final round inside the top 10 and in red figures.
Australian Jason Day has credited a shift in mindset for his career resurgence as he prepares to defend his CJ Cup Byron Nelson crown at TPC Craig Ranch in Texas.
It had been five years between Day’s 12th and 13th PGA TOUR career victories and the circumstances were a mix of planets aligning and the golf gods rewarding persistence.
As his caddie wore the name of Day’s late mother on his bib and the final round falling on Mother’s Day, Day held off a fast-finishing Si Woo Kim (63) with a round of 9-under 62 to fast-track his climb up the world rankings.
Twelve months on he is Australia’s No.1-ranked male player, looks set to become an Olympian for the first time at Paris in August and will return to the International team for the Presidents Cup for the first time since 2017.
After years of juggling family life and the struggles through persistent back injuries, Day said that it was a switch in mentality that provided the path forward.
“Playing from more of a position of like love and passion of the game is I think far healthier to play from than having a chip on your shoulder,” Day reflected.
“It’s easy to find motivation when you have a chip on your shoulder because people are talking against you and all that stuff.
“Certain players play well with that, but I feel like that’s a limited period of time where that can happen.”
No one, according to Day, reflects the power of that mindset better than world No.1 Scottie Scheffler.
The winner of four of his past five tournaments – including a second Masters title – Scheffler is not in the field this week as he and wife Meredith await the birth of their first child.
For Day, seeing the apparent ease in which Scheffler is dominating world golf is a reminder of the power of positive thinking.
“There are guys that play from a good position of balance and love,” Day added.
“Looking at Scottie Scheffler right now, he is playing some of the best golf we’ve seen in a long time, probably since the Tiger (Woods) days. He seems like a very well-balanced person.
“It’s very difficult to do. For me personally, I’m just trying to find that balance in amongst professional life and personal life, business and everything this comes along with being a professional golfer.”
There is always more to learn for @JDayGolf.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 1, 2024
His victory last year @CJByronNelson was his first win in five years.
The 13-time TOUR winner has his eyes set on successfully defending his title in Texas. pic.twitter.com/7RZ4J5CuA2
And, as a father of five himself, what advice did Day offer Scheffler for the juggle he is about to begin?
“He’s going to have to adjust a little bit. It took me a year to really adjust to being a father,” Day conceded.
“I could not find my identity in being a father because of how selfish this game can be.
“Once I found that out and I could understand it a little bit more, that’s when I started becoming a better father.
“This is going to be a whole new world that’s going to open up.
“It’s going to be for the better.”
Day is one of five Aussies in the field at the Byron Nelson, a tournament Aussies have enjoyed success in dating all the way back to Peter Thomson in 1956, Thomson’s lone PGA TOUR victory in the US.
Northern Territory golfer George Worrall played his way into this week’s Volvo China Open on the DP World Tour via a two-round pre-qualifying tournament, the tournament making its return to the schedule for the first time since COVID-19.
There are 12 Aussies in Korea for the Asian Tour co-sanctioned GS Caltex Maekyung Open and the Cameron Smith-led Ripper GC team will be gunning for back-to-back team wins at LIV Golf Singapore.
There are five Aussies in the field for the Insperity Invitational on the PGA TOUR Champions and Scott Hend and Peter Fowler join Kiwis Michael Campbell and Michael Long for the first Legends Tour event of the season in Barbados.
Photo: Tim Heitman/Getty Images
Round 1 tee times AEST
PGA TOUR
THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson
TPC Craig Ranch, McKinney, Texas
10:45pm* Jason Day
10:56pm Aaron Baddeley
3:55am Adam Scott
4:06am Min Woo Lee
4:39am Ryan Fox (NZ)
4:39am* Harrison Endycott
Defending champion: Jason Day
Past Aussie winners: Peter Thomson (1956), Bruce Devlin (1969), Adam Scott (2008), Steven Bowditch (2015), Jason Day (2023)
Prize money: $US9.5 million
TV times: Live 9:45pm-9am Thursday, Friday; Live 11pm-8am Saturday; Live 10:30pm-8am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
DP World Tour
Volvo China Open
Hidden Grace GC, Shenzhen, China
10:20am* Daniel Hillier (NZ)
1:40pm* Kieran Muir (NZ)
2:30pm* Jason Scrivener
3:40pm* George Worrall
Defending champion: Mikko Korhonen (2019)
Past Aussie winners: Scott Strange (2009), Brett Rumford (2013)
Prize money: $US2.25 million
TV times: Live 3pm-8pm Thursday, Friday; Live 3:30pm-8pm Saturday; Live 2pm-7pm Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Asian Tour
GS Caltex Maekyung Open
Namseoul Country Club, Korea
7:41am Brendan Jones
8:03am Deyen Lawson
8:03am* Kevin Yuan
8:36am Jack Thompson
8:36am* Won Joon Lee
8:58am Justin Warren
9:09am* Kevin Chun (NZ)
9:31am Junseok Lee
1:03pm* Jed Morgan
1:14pm Travis Smyth
1:14pm* Andrew Dodt
1:58pm Zach Murray
2:31pm* Todd Sinnott
Defending champion: Jung Chan-min
Past Aussie winners: Mike Clayton (1984)
Prize money: KRW1,300,000,000
TV times: Live 2pm-6pm Thursday, Friday; Live 1pm-4:30pm Saturday on Fox Sports 505; Live 1pm-5pm Sunday on Fox Sports 507 and Kayo.
LIV Golf
LIV Golf Singapore
Australasians in the field: Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Matt Jones, Lucas Herbert, Danny Lee (NZ)
Defending champion: Talor Gooch
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US20 million
TV times: Live from 11:15am Friday, Saturday, Sunday on 7 Plus.
Japan Golf Tour
Chunichi Crowns
Nagoya Golf Club (Wago Cse), Aichi
8:30am Anthony Quayle
12:30pm Brad Kennedy
1:10pm* Michael Hendry (NZ)
Defending champion: Hiroshi Iwata
Past Aussie winners: David Graham (1976), Graham Marsh (1977, 1981), Greg Norman (1989), Peter Senior (1993), Roger Mackay (1994), Brendan Jones (2011)
Prize money: ¥110,000,000
PGA TOUR Champions
Insperity Invitational
The Woodlands CC, The Woodlands, Texas
1:20am Steven Alker (NZ)
1:52am* Richard Green
2:23am Mark Hensby, Rod Pampling
2:44am* John Senden
2:55am* Stuart Appleby
Defending champion: Steven Alker
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US2.7 million
TV times: Live 2:30am-5am Saturday; Live 5am-8am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
Legends Tour
Barbados Legends hosted by Ian Woosnam
Apes Hill Barbados, Saint James
Australasians in the field: Michael Campbell (NZ), Michael Long (NZ), Scott Hend, Peter Fowler
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Epson Tour
Casino Del Sol Golf Classic
Sewailo Golf Club, Tucson, Arizona
12:44am Cassie Porter
1:50am Su Oh
5:56am* Fiona Xu (NZ)
6:40am* Amelia Garvey (NZ)
Defending champion: Gigi Stoll
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US250,000
PGA TOUR Americas
KIA Open
Quito Tenis Y Golf Club, Quito, Ecuador
10:50pm Jason Hong
2:50am Harry Hillier (NZ)
3:30am* Charlie Hillier (NZ)
Defending champion: Toni Hakula
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US225,000
The PGA Legends Tour will return to Western Australia for the first time in four years as the WA swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series reaches new heights again in 2024.
A shift from its traditional June long weekend slot will see the $40,000 South West Isuzu South West Open start the WA stretch this weekend at Bunbury Golf Club.
It marks the beginning of a run of tournaments worth $275,000 with three Legends Tour events added worth a total of $75,000.
The Lyndsay Stephen Cottesloe Invitational will be played in conjunction with the Sanwell Cottesloe Open from May 11-12 and the veterans will play alongside the youngsters again at the inaugural Mitchell & Brown Spalding Park Legends Open.
The $25,000 Busselton Legends Pro-Am will conclude the Legends Tour’s foray in WA, their return helping to further elevate professional golf throughout the state.
“The Legends Tour boasts familiar names that golf fans throughout Western Australia would love to see play in person,” said Loretta Hughes, WA Tournaments and Membership Services Coordinator.
“We’re thrilled that they are able to return this year and that we will have them play alongside the current crop on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series at both Cottesloe and Spalding Park.”
A few of the names to have committed already to the Legends Tour swing are reigning Order of Merit champion Andre Stolz, current Order of Merit leader Chris Taylor and Australian Senior PGA champion Jason Norris.
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series stretch has also drawn a host of big names.
DP World Tour winners Scott Strange and Marcus Fraser are both locked in to play the South West Open starting Saturday where they will be joined by Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia tournament winners in Cameron John, Braden Becker, Daniel Fox and Rick Kulacz.
Other notable names who will tee it up during the WA swing include DP World Tour player Jason Scrivener, Korn Ferry Tour player Curtis Luck, Jarryd Felton, James Marchesani and Josh Greer.
“With our own home-grown talent and those making the trip across from the eastern states, the quality of golf we will see over the next month will be exceptional,” added Hughes.
“Our host golf clubs and sponsors have done a wonderful job in growing their events to the point where our top players now see the WA swing as an important part of their schedule.”
The GMW & Radlink Wembley Pro-Am at Wembley Golf Course will follow the South West Open on May 8 to be followed a day later by the WA PGA Foursomes Championship at Nedlands Golf Club.
Now playing the DP World Tour, Haydn Barron has vowed to team up again with good mate Ben Ferguson to go one better than their runners up finish last year to Brett Rumford and Scott Strange.
Barron’s home club, The Western Australian Golf Club, makes a welcome return to the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series for the Toro Australia – TQUIP Pro Am on May 13 before play moves five hours north to Spalding Park Golf Club.
The 2024 Mitchell & Brown Spalding Park Open will be the 50th anniversary of arguably the most popular tournament of the swing, and winner of the WA PGA Tournament of the Year in 2023. It promises to be an unforgettable event with the introduction of the PGA Legends Tour over the three days.
Sun City Country Club will host the Total Tree Services Perth Sun City CC Pro-Am for the second year after a very successful return to the schedule in 2023 where players will be asked to wear yellow as the event will incorporate the club’s Doing It For Jarrod fundraiser.
The Sun City Pro-Am was Lyle’s last professional win, his winning score remains the current course record.
The Urban Quarter Dunsborough Lakes Pro-Am will take place at Dunsborough Lakes Golf Club on May 24 before a two-week break leading into the Bennco Karratha Pro-Am in the state’s north-west.
Recent winner of the WA Regional Golf Facility of the Year and 12 months on from all 18 grass greens being in play, prize money at Karratha has increased again to $35,000, a 300 per cent increase in just two years.
The only sand green course on the WA swing, Port Hedland Golf Club will host the two-day Roy Hill Golf Classic Pro-Am from June 15-16 with the Broome WS6 and Carpet Paint & Tile Broome Pro-Am once again completing the WA leg of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series for 2024.
Click here for PGA Legends Tour schedule
Click here for adidas PGA Pro-Am Series schedule
West Australian Hannah Green has set her sights on doubling her career win tally after joining an exclusive list of Aussie greats with a fifth LPGA Tour win in Los Angeles.
Playing in the final group with fellow Aussie Grace Kim in defence of her JM Eagle LA Championship crown, Green produced a superb back nine to sign for a Sunday round of 5-under 66 and 12-under total, three clear of Sweden’s Maja Stark (68) with a further three shots to Korea’s Haeran Ryu (69).
It was her third LPGA win inside 12 months and fifth of her career, dating back to her breakthrough KPMG Women’s PGA Championship victory in June of 2019.
The 27-year-old now joins Karrie Webb (41), Jan Stephenson (16), Minjee Lee (10) and Rachel Hetherington (8) as the only Australians with at least five LPGA Tour titles but has no intention of slowing down.
“That’s really cool. Didn’t know that stat,” said Green in her winner’s press conference.
“It’s a great honour to have my name up there along with them.
“Hopefully I keep pushing and try and get into double digits.”
Starting the final round at 7-under, Green was even par through 11 holes before a chip-in for birdie at the par-3 12th impelled her drive to the finish line.
A chip in to extend her lead 🤯@hannahgreengolf is in her element right now 🫣 pic.twitter.com/hnz83ISOgx
— LPGA (@LPGA) April 28, 2024
She backed that up with a birdie at the par-5 13th and then all but wrapped up her second straight victory at Wilshire Country Club with an eagle at the par-5 15th.
A birdie at 16 provided an extra cushion that she savoured on the 72nd hole, in particular.
“I’m really grateful that I’ve been able to step up and win by a few,” said Green, who passed $US5 million in career earnings with the winner’s cheque of $US562,500
“When I chipped in on 12, I felt like I really snagged one there.
“When I made eagle on 15 that kind of sealed the deal.
“I did see that Maja got it to 9-under so I knew what I needed to do but usually I make it really tricky on myself and only win by a shot.”
Victorious at the HSBC Women’s World Championship earlier in the season, it marks just the second multiple-win season of Green’s career. Ranked No.18 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking at the start of the week, the win also puts Green within reach of locking up a spot at the Paris Olympics in August.
“It’s definitely been on my mind,” said Green, who finished just three shots out of the medals at Tokyo 2020.
“Obviously still have six or seven weeks until the team is announced, so still a lot that can happen between now and then.
“Now that I’ve had two wins in the season, obviously this jumps me close to the top 10 in the world and solidifies my spot, but I don’t want to assume I’m on the team.
“Whatever I do between now and then, I’m just going to try and play my best golf and hope to make that team.”
Good night from Adelaide 🏆#RipperGC #LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/glkdSeSXcG
— Ripper GC (@rippergc_) April 28, 2024
There was an Aussie celebration closer to home, too, with Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman securing victory for Ripper GC in the first ever playoff in the teams event at LIV Adelaide.
After American Brendan Steele claimed individual honours at The Grange Golf Club, Smith and Leishman went out against Louis Oosthuizen and Dean Burmester of Stinger GC in the two-man aggregate format.
Two pars on the second playoff hole would be enough to claim the win, Smith and Leishman joined in wild celebrations by teammates Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones.
Results
LPGA Tour
JM Eagle LA Championship
Wilshire Country Club, Los Angeles, California
1 Hannah Green 67-69-70-66—272 $US562,500
T25 Grace Kim 64-66-76-77—283 $31,864
T39 Sarah Kemp 71-69-71-74—285 $17,644
T57 Karis Davidson 69-71-70-77—287 $9,909
MC Stephanie Kyriacou 75-71—146
MC Minjee Lee 74-72—146
MC Robyn Choi 71-75—146
MC Gabriela Ruffels 76-71—147
MC Hira Naveed 74-78—152
PGA TOUR
Zurich Classic of New Orleans
TPC Louisiana, Avondale, Louisiana
1 Rory McIlroy/Shane Lowry 61-70-64-68—263 $US1,286,050 each
T4 Garrick Higgo/Ryan Fox (NZ) 63-72-65-65—265 $234,181
MC Erik Barnes/Harrison Endycott 67-73—140
DP World Tour
ISPS HANDA Championship
Taiheiyo Club (Gotemba Cse), Gotemba, Japan
1 Yuto Katsuragawa 70-65-65-63—263 €356,625.02
T11 Daniel Hillier (NZ) 68-67-67-68—270 €32,755.56
MC Haydn Barron 70-68—138
MC Kazuma Kobori 69-70—139
MC Anthony Quayle 69-72—141
MC Brad Kennedy 70-72—142
MC Jason Scrivener 72-71—143
LIV Golf
LIV Golf Adelaide
The Grange Golf Club, Adelaide, South Australia
1 Brendan Steele 66-64-68—198 $US4m
T9 Matt Jones 66-68-68—202 $385,500
T9 Danny Lee (NZ) 64-67-71—202 $385,500
T14 Lucas Herbert 73-65-65—203 $275,000
T14 Marc Leishman 67-71-65—203 $275,000
T14 Cameron Smith 68-65-70—203 $275,000
Korn Ferry Tour
Veritex Bank Championship
Texas Rangers Golf Club, Arlington, Texas
1 Tim Widing 62-63-65-63—253 $US180,000
MC Brett Drewitt 67-69—136
MC Rhein Gibson 66-70—136
MC Steven Bowditch 76-68—144
WD Dimi Papadatos 71
Ladies European Tour
Investec South African Women’s Open
Erinvale Country and Golf Estate, Cape Town, South Africa
1 Manon De Roey 69-67-66-72—274 €48,000
T2 Momoka Kobori (NZ) 69-70-68-71—278 €24,000
PGA TOUR Champions
Mitsubishi Electric Classic
TPC Sugarloaf, Duluth, Georgia
1 Stephen Ames 71-64-67—202 $US300,000
T4 Steven Alker (NZ) 65-71-71—207 $108,000
T6 John Senden 67-70-71—208 $76,000
T17 Mark Hensby 72-71-69—212 $28,280
T17 Richard Green 67-72-73—212 $28,280
T26 Michael Wright 74-66-74—214 $17,000
T35 Stuart Appleby 74-72-70—216 $10,460
T35 Steve Allan 69-69-78—216 $10,460
T46 David McKenzie 73-73-72—218 $6,800
66 David Bransdon 73-77-74—224 $2,400
Challenge Tour
UAE Challenge
Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, UAE
1 Rasmus Neergard-Petersen 65-72-70-67—274 €44,752.94
T25 Connor McKinney 69-69-69-75—282 €2,293.59
MC Hayden Hopewell 77-75—152
MC Tom Power Horan 77-76—153
Korean PGA
2024 Woori Finance Championship
Ferrum Club (East-West Cse)
1 Seongjae Lim 70-67-71-69—277 KRW300m
T23 Wonjoon Lee 73-69-73-70—285 KRW13.8m
T44 Kevin Chun (NZ) 69-74-77-70—290 KRW7.26m
T49 Junseok Lee 68-73-74-76—291 KRW6.78m
Epson Tour
IOA Championship
Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon, Beaumont, California
1 Juliana Hung 64-64-67—195 $US30,000
2 Fiona Xu (NZ) 68-69-67—204 $19,053
T54 Su Oh 71-71-75—217 $797
MC Cassie Porter 74-74—148
MC Amelia Garvey (NZ) 81-74—155
PGA TOUR Americas
Diners Club Peru Open
Los Inkas Golf Club, Lima, Peru
1 Stuart Macdonald 69-66-65-71—271
T18 Harry Hillier (NZ) 68-70-71-71—280
T62 Jason Hong 69-73-77-74—293
MC Charlie Hillier 73-73—146
The five women-strong team who will represent Australia in this year’s Women’s PGA Cup in Oregon in October has been decided today after two days of qualifying at Sandhurst Club.
Queenslander Katelyn Must and Victorian Jenna Hunter made sure they would be on the Australian team, both tied at the top of the qualifying at 5-under after the two rounds.
Grace Lennon from Victoria finished in third place, and previous Australian captain Lisa Jean, who coaches at Royal Canberra finished fourth after 36-holes.
Tied for fifth after today’s round, a playoff was needed to determine who would make up the final spot on the team between Sienna Voglis and Jessica Cook.
Heading back to the first tee of the Champions Course at Sandhurst, Cook pulled her tee-shot left, and struggled from there while Voglis held steady to secure the final spot.
Captain of Australia in the first edition of the Women’s PGA Cup in 2019, Lisa Jean was emotional post-round, relieved she will get another chance to represent her country.
“Full of emotion at the moment. I played pretty bad today, and I knew the scores coming up 18,” she said.
Playing in the final group, a par on 18 would have put Jean into the playoff with Cook and Voglis, a bogey or worse and she wouldn’t be on the team.
“I just stood up and smashed driver, had 105-metres slightly into the wind, clubbed up to 9-iron and hit a great shot to about a metre-and-a-half,” she said.
“I was pretty nervous over the putt, and then just finally hit a really good solid putt.
“I seemed to put it all together when it mattered. I guess all those years on the European Tour paid off!”
Jean and her team mates will be looking to lean on that tour experience again in October, with all of this year’s qualifiers having plenty of past playing experience past.
“We’ve all played on tour, yeah we’re club pros now but I think that being ex-tour players and competitive, we might go alright,” said Jean.
“We’ve got a good team this year, Sienna and I are the originals we call ourselves from the first team. Then Katelyn played in the second Cup two years ago, and Grace and Jenna are just great golfers.”
The Women’s PGA Cup will be held at Sunriver Resort in Oregon from October 1-5 later this year, with Australia up against teams from Canada, Great Britain & Ireland, South Africa, Sweden and the United States.
Photo: Lisa Jean, Sienna Voglis, Katelyn Must and Grace Lennon. Absent: Jenna Hunter.
Presidents Cup Captain Assistant’s Geoff Ogilvy has declared Min Woo Lee a “captain’s dream” as the International Team looks to find ways to counter the might of an American team led by rampant world No.1 Scottie Scheffler.
On the day that Scheffler completed his win at the RBC Heritage to back up his second Masters victory, Ogilvy was announced as one of four Captain’s Assistants by Captain Mike Weir for the biennial matches to be played at Royal Montreal Golf Club from September 24-29. Ernie Els, Trevor Immelman and Camilo Villegas were also named Captain’s Assistants.
In current standings, Lee and Jason Day would be the only two automatic qualifiers from Australia for the 12-man team with Adam Scott and Cam Davis in the frame to either qualify or receive one of six captain’s picks.
It will be the fourth time that Ogilvy has served as a captain’s assistant and the 2006 US Open champion believes the International team is getting ever closer to breaking the stranglehold the US has possessed for the past 26 years.
Key to that may be debutant Lee, whose energy and crowd engagement Ogilvy saw first-hand at the Australian PGA Championship last November.
“I would’ve thought he’d be a captain’s dream bringing in what he brings,” said Ogilvy.
“Everybody saw at home at the PGA last year at Royal Queensland how he can take the crowd along with him. He’s that sort of guy.
“He brings such enthusiasm with an unbelievable game as well. He’s clearly world-class, one of the best young players in the world, but he’s going to bring excitement and the fist pumps and all that sort of stuff.
“When the other players see that, even if they’re not in the same group, the messages get around the golf course. If Min is getting excited and doing his thing, it inspires other groups and other players to do the same thing.
“He’s tailor made for something like this.”
Business dinner in Orlando with Captain @MWeirsy and the boys 🍽️#IntlTeam pic.twitter.com/8j3VXT5rbN
— Presidents Cup International Team (@IntlTeam) March 6, 2024
On the back of his commitment to represent Australia at the Paris Olympics, Day is also set for a return to Presidents Cup competition for the first time since 2017.
Day first qualified for the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in 2011 but injuries and form have kept him from participating in the past two matches.
Given his form the past 18 months and experience at the highest level, Ogilvy said that he will be a welcome addition to the 2024 International Team.
“It is great to have him back. It looks like he’s set to be back,” Ogilvy added.
“He brings a lot of experience and in these things, experience is quite important. It’s not everything, but it’s quite important.
“Clearly, he’d be happy to be sent out against anybody. He’s not going to be intimidated playing against anybody.
“His body seems to be back and he seems to have a bit of a lighter sort of feeling on the golf course.
“I think it got a bit heavy for him, but he seems to be in a really good spot.”
As for his own aspirations to potentially captain the International Team at the 2028 Presidents Cup at Kingston Heath Golf Club in his home city of Melbourne, Ogilvy couldn’t hide his interest.
“I’ve thought about it. If I had that job, that would be amazing, obviously,” said the 46-year-old.
“I’d be a captain’s assistant for the next 25 of these if they let me. It’s just such a good week.
“If I got the chance, it’d be amazing. But as long as they keep asking me to come along, I’m going to be happy.”
Photo: Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty
New South Welshman Alex Edge has held off a fast finishing Caleb Bovalina to complete a wire-to-wire win at the 2024 Tasmanian Open at Launceston Golf Club.
Just the second professional winner since Darren Cole in 1992, Edge began the final round with a two-stroke lead, a buffer he increased with birdies at each of his opening two holes.
Given he began the day seven strokes off the lead, Bovalina was not expected to be one of Edge’s strongest threats yet after turning in 4-under surged into contention with an eagle at the par-5 10th to go 6-under on his round.
He would log three straight birdies from the 15th hole in a bogey-free course record of 9-under 63, one shot shy of Edge’s 9-under tournament total.
Bovalina would share second with Kyle Michel (68) as Edge closed out the biggest win of his career with a 3-under 69.
Michel drew to within one with an eagle at the par-5 15th but only briefly, Edge answering with birdie to move two clear with three holes to play.
But rather than his final birdie, Edge pointed to a par at the previous hole as the key moment in a tense final round.
“The previous hole, the tough par 3, we both missed the green and I managed to make my putt and he didn’t,” said Edge, who made a two-foot putt for bogey on the final hole for the win.
“I knew I was a few up then and then he hit a great shot into the par 5. He would’ve had six feet for eagle and I had about 20 feet. I figured that if I holed that, it’d probably be lights out for everyone else, but I didn’t.
“He did and it made it exciting for the finish.”
Bovalina could do nothing but watch on as Edge and Michel went toe-to-toe over the closing holes.
He didn’t consider that he was mounting a genuine charge for the title until he chipped in on 10 to move to 5-under.
“It’s a course that if you hit it straight and keep it on the straight and narrow you can score,” said Bovalina.
“I was 2-under through six and then I birdied seven and eight and when I chipped in for eagle on 10, that’s when I sort of knew I was in for a good day.
“Birdie on 15 – I had maybe like 15 feet for eagle – and then 16 hit a nice shot in.
“Seventeen, I was in the right rough and a bit of a sandy area. Hit a nice shot to six feet and holed the putt and ended up holing a six-foot par putt on the last to keep it bogey free.”
In the Women’s Tasmanian Open, Launceston local Jorjah Bailey produced the round of the tournament to complete a five-stroke win.
Surrounded by family and fellow Launceston Golf Club members, Bailey took a stranglehold on the title with three birdies in her opening five holes, going on to post 3-under 70 for a 2-under total.
Sydney’s Rebecca Zhao (73) was second at 3-over, three clear of Round 1 leader Matilda Miels (75).
It was a dominant win for Cameron Pollard in the Tasmanian Inclusive Championship, his rounds of 76-78 enough for an 18-shot win from Rod Welsh.
The Men’s and Women’s Tasmanian Opens are supported by the Tasmanian Government through Events Tasmania
Australian golf’s biggest showman, Min Woo Lee, is making a new home for himself in a very appropriate place, Las Vegas, but he’s keeping Australia very much on his mind.
Not only is Lee, ranked No.32 in the world, determined to represent his country at the Olympic Games in Paris for the first time, he’s already locked in his Australian PGA Championship title defence at Royal Queensland in November.
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Lee said coming back to Brisbane as the defending champion would be a new experience, but one he’s already looking forward to.
“It was obviously big for me to win a tournament in Australia. Being in front of my friends and family was massive and I love Royal Queensland,” the West Australian said today.
“It’s a course I love playing and I feel like it suits my game pretty good.
“The crowds at Royal Queensland are always awesome. It’s a great vibe that just keeps getting bigger.”
After an awesome Australian summer, where he also contended for the ISPS HANDA Australian Open title before finishing third, Lee is settling in to life in the United States where he has been a guest in American pro Kurt Kitayama’s home when not playing tournament golf as a fulltime member of the PGA TOUR for the first time.
His own home in the “Entertainment Capital of the World” is on the way and will make his move away from Perth even more comfortable, helping his bid to build on a season that he has graded as a B so far.
The clear highlight in eight events has been a T2 finish at the Cognizant Classic in Florida.
“It’s massive to have a place to stay in America and not have to travel all the way back to Australia.
“I do miss Australia and I do miss my friends and family but I think it helps having that home base.”
Lee’s next event will be The CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Texas in early May but the No.2-ranked Australian also has an eye on the Paris Olympic Games in July, with his T22 result at the Masters edging him closer to qualification.
The top 15 in the world and top two ranked players from each country will earn a place in the field at Le Golf National in July.
As it currently stands, Lee and Jason Day (No.22) would be the Australian men’s duo.
“It’s definitely a talking point. Every week I get asked, so it’s in my brain, in my head,” he said of the potential to become an Olympian like sister Minjee.
“I would love to represent Australia. It’s one of the goals I’ve had from the last year or so when the talk started happening.”
