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The Day Off The Green brought women from across the golf industry together for a day of networking, learning and professional development.
Held as part of Golf Australia’s Women and Girls Month, the Day Off The Green brought women from across the golf industry together for a day of professional development.
Women still make up the minority within the golf industry, and so by providing a space for them to meet others working in the industry and share experiences, the day allowed participants to learn in an environment that recognised their unique challenges.
Held at the PGA Institute in Sandhurst, Australia’s home of golf education, the room was at capacity, with 43 women from across a broad spectrum of the golf industry in attendance.
Guest speakers included Kingston Heath President Nikki McLure, Specialist Trainer Janine Mitchell, Executive Coach Karen Faendrich, Training Specialist Glenn Burbidge and Golf Australia’s Head of Workforce Engagement Claudia Marazita, and each spoke on a unique aspect of working and thriving in the industry.
A big focus of the day was also to provide workshops and content that was able to be transferred back into the workplace.
Specifically Burbridge and Marazita both focussed on practical sessions. How to work in a high performing team, and how to take ownership of your own professional development journey.
Similarly, Faendrich presented on leadership skills, while Mitchell spoke on resilience and confidence in the workplace. McClure’s presentation opened the day and by sharing her journey into the golf industry she provided a relatable and inspirational introduction.
The Day Off The Green concluded with a chip and sip, a casual chance for the women to debrief on a successful day.
Some testimonials from those who attended:
“Thanks for bringing amazing women together and giving us this opportunity to grow and thrive,” Cindy Thang, Marketing Manager at Golf Ball Recycling.
“I found the presenters to be of an extremely high calibre, the content engaging and the chance to network with other like-minded women in the golf industry was invaluable. The workshops covered a lot of valuable content and there were many light bulb moments and self-reflection,” Sylvia Bourne, Membership and events at Keysborough Golf Club.
“Congratulations on delivering a fantastic event yesterday. It was enriching, highly relevant, and enjoyable,” Dayle Marshall, Membership and Communications Manager at The Metropolitan Golf Club.
“My colleague and I thoroughly enjoyed the day and would certainly recommend it to anyone. The speakers were great, particularly Karen Faehndrich. Karen is an inspirational speaker and has had a profound effect on me. To be honest, I am still trying to process her session which was so jammed-packed. Karen is one of the most engaging speakers I have had the privilege to listen to,” Marcelle Doran, Membership and Guest Services Manager, The Rosanna Golf Club.
Reigning Australian PGA champion Min Woo Lee has locked in the defence of his title at Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane from November 21-24.
One of the emerging stars in world golf whose style of play and charisma on and off the course has attracted a massive global fan base, Lee will have his sights on being the first player to defend the Joe Kirkwood Cup since Cam Smith in 2018.
The West Australian scored a memorable three-shot win at Royal Queensland last November, shooting a total of 20-under-par to secure his biggest title on home soil.
Buy your tickets HERE.
Since his PGA success, his fourth victory as a professional, Lee has moved to the United States to play as a full-time member of the PGA TOUR, has improved his world ranking to a career-high of No.31 and is a strong contender for selection in Australia’s Olympic Games golf team for Paris.
The 25-year-old’s 2024 campaign has included a tie for second at the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches.
Min Woo Lee said: “The Australian PGA Championship was a very special event for me last year, seeing a lot of friends, being in contention and then closing the win out on Sunday.
“The crowds at Royal Queensland are always awesome. It’s a great vibe that just keeps getting bigger.
“Coming back as the defending champion is going to be a new experience, but I’m already looking forward to it.”
PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman said: “It’s a huge boost for the 2024 Australian PGA Championship to have our defending champion Min Woo Lee signed on to compete at Royal Queensland in November.
“Min put on an awesome show last year, showing why he is one of world golf’s biggest drawcards.
“He has that X factor that golf fans here in Australia and overseas love to see and get behind.
“We have already experienced strong early ticket sales for this year’s event and having confirmation from Min that he will be coming back to Royal Queensland should give us another huge boost.”
Minister for Tourism and Sport, Michael Healy said: “This is terrific news, having one of the world’s most exciting and dynamic players in Min Woo Lee, commit to return and defend his Australian PGA title at the historic Royal Queensland course later this year.
“We’re thrilled to be hosting Australia’s oldest professional golf tournament again in 2024, an event that always assembles world-class fields, attracts massive galleries, and further cements Queensland’s reputation as a premier destination for major sporting events.
“Last year’s tournament welcomed over 61,000 people to Royal Queensland Golf Club injecting more than $14 million into the local visitor economy.”
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the return of the 2023 champion and rising star is a huge win for local golf fans.
“We are thrilled to welcome Min Woo Lee for another Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland later this year,” Cr Schrinner said.
“This event is a major driver for visitation to Brisbane, with more than 61,000 fans attending to watch Lee claim his first Australian PGA victory last year.
“Brisbane is proud to host the Australian PGA Championship once again, with the event to deliver incredible economic support to local Brisbane businesses with hotels, tourism experiences and restaurants set to experience the economic upswing.”
The Australian PGA Championship is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland, and Brisbane City Council via Brisbane Economic Development Agency
Australia will have its strongest representation in tournament history with nine Aussies to tee it up at The Chevron Championship starting Thursday night in Texas.
Led by major champions Minjee Lee and Hannah Green, the nine Aussies in the field betters the previous mark by two, achieved in 2003, 2004 and 2019.
Six Aussies played at The Club at Carlton Woods 12 months ago, those numbers bolstered by Gabi Ruffels and Hira Naveed graduating to the LPGA Tour in 2024 and Queenslander Robyn Choi returning after a single season back in 2019.
A two-time major winner, Lee has been paired with defending champion Lilia Vu and current world No.1 Nelly Korda for the first two rounds in what is the marquee group of the opening two days.
Pictured with Stephanie Kyriacou, Grace Kim and Sarah Kemp after her win at the HSBC Women’s World Championship last month, Green tees off at the same time as her fellow West Australian at 4.10am AEST alongside Pajaree Anannarukarn and Hye-Jin Choi.
Buckle up because The Random Club Challenge was quite the rollercoaster with Aussies @Stephkyriacou2 and @hannahgreengolf 😂 pic.twitter.com/oSuUOYDG7u
— LPGA (@LPGA) April 17, 2024
Ruffels first played The Chevron – known then as the ANA Inspiration – back in 2020 as an amateur, where she was tied for 15th on debut.
Still just 23 years of age, Ruffels has finished top-25 in her two starts in the event since turning professional, her last appearance a tie for 25th in 2022.
Fellow LPGA Tour rookie Hira Naveed makes her major championship debut on the back of her runner-up finish at the Ford Championship two weeks ago, a result that saw her climb 542 spots to 106th in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking.
As the Aussie women count down to their first major of the year, there is an enormous Australian contingent this week also on the Asian Tour.
A total of 18 Aussies are in action at the Saudi Open in Saudi Arabia which began on Wednesday afternoon AEST.
Wade Ormsby birdied each of his opening two holes to lead the way early in Round 1 with Harrison Crowe, Jordan Zunic and Maverick Antcliff out in the early groups.
Off the back of their week at Augusta National, Jason Day and Cam Davis will fly the Aussie flag at the $US20 milllion RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links, the West Australian trio of Haydn Barron, Connor McKinney and Hayden Hopewell are joined by Victorian Tom Power Horan at the Abu Dhabi Challenge on the Challenge Tour and defending champion Mark Hensby is among the 10 Aussies in the field for the Invited Celebrity Classic on the PGA TOUR Champions.
Round 1 tee times AEST
LPGA Tour
The Chevron Championship
The Club at Carlton Woods, The Woodlands, Texas
11:10pm Grace Kim, Leona Maguire, Anna Nordqvist
11:32pm Robyn Choi, Jin Hee Im, Hinako Shibuno
11:43pm* Maria Fassi, Hira Naveed, Megan Schofill (a)
4:10am Pajaree Anannarukarn, Hye-Jin Choi, Hannah Green
4:10am* Nelly Korda, Minjee Lee, Lilia Vu
4:32am Nanna Koerstz Madsen, Stephanie Kyriacou, Polly Mack
4:32am* Gabriela Ruffels, Madelene Sagstrom, Lottie Woad (a)
4:43am Perrine Delacour, Sarah Kemp, Miyu Yamashita
4:54am Aditi Ashok, Karis Davidson, Danielle Kang
Round 2
11:10pm Nelly Korda, Minjee Lee, Lilia Vu
11:10pm* Pajaree Anannarukarn, Hye-Jin Choi, Hannah Green
11:32pm Gabriela Ruffels, Madelene Sagstrom, Lottie Woad (a)
11:32pm* Nanna Koerstz Madsen, Stephanie Kyriacou, Polly Mack
11:43pm* Perrine Delacour, Sarah Kemp, Miyu Yamashita
11:54pm* Aditi Ashok, Karis Davidson, Danielle Kang
4:10am* Grace Kim, Leona Maguire, Anna Nordqvist
4:32am* Robyn Choi, Jin Hee Im, Hinako Shibuno
4:43am Maria Fassi, Hira Naveed, Megan Schofill (a)
Defending champion: Lilia Vu
Past Aussie winners: Karrie Webb (2000, 2006)
Prize money: $US7.9 million
TV times: Live 12:30am-4am Friday, Saturday; Live 4am-8am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
Asian Tour
Saudi Open presented by PIF
Riyadh Golf Club, Saudia Arabia
1:20pm Ayoub Lguirati, Douglas Klein, Prince Khalid Saud Al-Faisal (a)
1:30pm Stefano Mazzoli, Lion Park, Lachlan Barker
1:40pm Ye Wocheng, Jordan Zunic, Manav Shah
2pm Ervin Chang, Deyen Lawson, Jared Du Toit
2pm* Prom Meesawat, Jack Thompson, Saud Al Sharif
2:10pm* Harrison Crowe, Agustin Errazuriz, Jeunghun Wang
2:20pm* Lee Chieh-po, Sarit Suwannarut, Kevin Yuan
2:30pm Shahriffuddin Ariffin, Settee Prakongvech, Maverick Antcliff
2:30pm* Wade Ormsby, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Kiradech Aphibarnrat
2:50pm Charlie Lindh, Aaron Wilkin, Tomoyo Ikemura
2:50pm* Denwit Boriboonsub, John Catlin, Travis Smyth
6:10pm Austen Truslow, Issa Abouelela (a), Justin Warren
6:20pm* Angelo Que, Chapchai Nirat, Sam Brazel
6:50pm Steve Lewton, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Jed Morgan
7pm* Daniel Gale, Chang Wei-lun, Rattanon Wannasrichan
7:10pm Jaco Ahlers, Scott Hend, Ratchanon Chantananuwat (a)
7:20pm* SSP Chawrasia, Suteepat Prateeptienchai, Zach Murray
7:30pm* Jbe Kruger, Todd Sinnott, Siddikur Rahman
Defending champion: Denwit Booribonsub
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US1 million
TV times: Live 8:30pm-12:30am Wednesday, Thursday, Friday; Live 9:15pm-12am Saturday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
PGA TOUR
RBC Heritage
Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
11:35pm Jason Day, Eric Cole
11:50pm Cam Davis, Byeong Hun An
Defending champion: Matt Fitzpatrick
Past Aussie winners: Graham Marsh (1977), Greg Norman (1988), Peter Lonard (2005), Aaron Baddeley (2006)
Prize money: $US20 million
TV times: Live 10:15pm-8am Thursday; Live 9:15pm-8am Friday; Live 11pm-8am Saturday; Live 8:45pm-8am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Corales Puntacana Championship
Puntacana Resort & Club (Corales Cse), Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
3:21am Harrison Endycott, Parker Coody, Herman Wibe Sekne
Defending champion: Matt Wallace
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US4 million
TV times: Live 10pm-12am Thursday, Friday on Fox Sports 507; 9am-10:30am Sunday; 8:30am-10:30am Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Ladies European Tour
Joburg Ladies Open
Modderfontein Golf Club, South Africa
7:20pm* Emily Price, Jane Turner, Amy Walsh
Defending champion: Lily May Humphreys
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €300,000
TV times: Live 9:30pm-12am Saturday; Live 9pm-12am Sunday on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo.
Korn Ferry Tour
LECOM Suncoast Classic
Lakewood National Golf Club (Commander Cse), Lakewood Ranch, Florida
10:12pm* David Kocher, Rhein Gibson, Scott Harrington
10:56pm* John Lyras, Yi Cao, Dillon Board
2:25am* Dimi Papadatos, Tag Ridings, Morgan Hoffmann
3:20am* Trevor Cone, Brett Drewitt, Jamie Lovemark
Defending champion: Scott Gutschewski
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US1 million
Challenge Tour
Abu Dhabi Challenge
Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, UAE
2:30pm Bailey Gill, Daniel Young, Haydn Barron
2:30pm* Jack McDonald, Albert Venter, Connor McKinney
5:40pm Žan Luka Stirn, Rashid Aljassmy, Hayden Hopewell
7pm* Tom Power Horan, Jamie Rutherford, Lee Slattery
Defending champion: Ricardo Gouveia
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €300,000
PGA TOUR Champions
Invited Celebrity Classic
Las Colinas Country Club, Irving, Texas
Aussies in the field: Steve Allan, Stuart Appleby, David Bransdon, Greg Chalmers, Richard Green, Mark Hensby, David McKenzie, Rod Pampling, John Senden, Michael Wright.
Defending champion: Mark Hensby
Past Aussie winners: Mark Hensby (2023)
Prize money: $US2.2 million
TV times: 11am-12:30pm Saturday; 10:30am-12pm Sunday on Fox Sports 503; Live 7am-9am Monday on Fox Sports 507 and Kayo.
PGA TOUR Americas
69th Brazil Open at Rio Olympic Golf Course
Rio Olympic Golf Course, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
7:50pm Jason Hong, Devon Bling, José de Jesús Rodríguez
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US225,000
It was a Friday evening at the 1987 PLM Open in Sweden. The bus was taking the players back to the hotel and one lone golfer was taking advantage of a long Swedish summer’s light and grinding away on the practice fairway.
Noel Ratcliffe had just missed the cut by eight shots and, with some justification, we wondered what the hell he was doing. There were better times to be had in Malmo on Friday night than hitting balls on the range.
Ratcliffe was 42, and golf on the tour only gets harder over 40. But he loved playing the tour and like most at such a vulnerable age for professional golfers, he was trying desperately to hang on.
The next week we played the Benson and Hedges tournament, one of the most prestigious on the tour, in York and the most remarkable thing happened. The Sunday morning leaderboard was stacked with the big names on the European Tour including Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Jose Maria Olazabal, Jose Maria Canizares and Ian Baker-Finch. Ratcliffe, a shot behind Faldo and two behind the leader, Langer, went out and shot 66 to beat them all. Nine years earlier, he and Neil Coles lost a playoff to Lee Trevino, making his win part redemption and part resurrection.
‘The Rat’ died this week, aged 79, and is remembered by all who knew him as someone who truly loved playing golf. He was, fair to say, the most deliberate player on the tour, which was a high bar given fellow Sydneysider Peter Fowler was out there as well.
He was a late starter to golf but by the very early 1970s ‘Rat’ was one of the very best amateurs in the country and he represented Australia the 1972 Eisenhower Cup in Argentina alongside Tony Gresham (who won the Individual Trophy), Mike Cahill and Terry Gale. It was arguably the finest ever Australian team to play the Eisenhower and they were second behind a great American team which included Ben Crenshaw, Vinny Giles and Mark Hayes.
We are saddened to advise of the passing of Noel Ratcliffe, aged 79.
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) April 15, 2024
A two-time winner on the @DPWorldTour and eight-time winner on the @euLegendsTour, Noel was a 47-year member of the PGA of Australia.#PGAProudhttps://t.co/fCtPayYrh1
He turned pro a couple of years later after the Australian PGA changed its rules and sensibly made it easier for the best amateurs to play the tour without going through the charade of spending a year working in a pro shop before being allowed to play professionally.
In 1977, he finally won in Australia, beating David Galloway in a playoff at the South Australian Open at Royal Adelaide. The following season in Europe he beat fellow New South Welshman Chris Tickner in a playoff at the Belgium Open.
Much of his success came as a senior player in Europe where he won eight times and led the money list in 2000. Four other years he was in the top handful of players on the over-50s tour.
Rat had a beautiful long swing, one likely the main reason he played so well as he aged as his contemporaries were losing their flexibility and wondering where all their length had gone.
He was a wonderful man, a great friend and, if you asked, a source of good advice.
We’ll all miss him, even if he did add 15 minutes to all our rounds!
Photo: Matthew Lewis/Getty Images
Australian Cameron Smith made it five top-10s from eight starts as Cam Davis locked up his 2025 Masters invite on an enthralling final day at Augusta National Golf Club.
World No.1 and 2022 champion Scottie Scheffler further entrenched his status as the dominant figure in men’s golf with a four-stroke triumph, fending off the brave charge of Swedish debutant Ludvig Aberg (69) with a final round of 4-under 68 and 11-under total.
Exempt through until 2027 due to his 2022 Open Championship win, Smith’s tie for sixth added to his impressive record at The Masters, a hole-out eagle from the bunker at the par-5 second the highlight of his closing round of 1-under 71.
Playing in the group behind in just his second appearance at Augusta, Davis made bogeys at one and five to effectively end his charge before making the turn, a double-bogey on 17 an unfortunate end to his round of 3-over 75.
A tie for 12th ensures Davis will be in the field for the 2025 edition as Smith continued his love affair with a golf course that plays to his creative mindset.
Renowned as one of the world’s best putters, Smith endured a frustrating week with the flatstick, joining Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood as the only players in the field not to post an over-par round all week.
“It’s just a frustrating week I think. Can’t really say much more than that,” Smith told Fox Sports.
“I hit the ball how I know I needed to and put my ball in the right spots, the putts just didn’t fall this week.
“It was very frustrating. I feel like that’s as good as I’ve played around here.
“It’s a creative golf course and I’d love to think I play my best golf when I’m creative.
“There’s so many shots that you get around here that you don’t get the rest of the year.
“It’s just such a cool place.”
ICYMI: Cam Smith is doing Cam Smith things Sunday at Augusta.#themasters pic.twitter.com/jx1XKCvzdk
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) April 14, 2024
Like Smith, Min Woo Lee eagled the par-5 second on his way to a final round of 3-under 69 and tie for 22nd, level with fellow Australian Adam Scott (72) at 4-over for the championship.
Given he came into the week nursing a broken finger, it was another step forward in Lee’s ultimate ambition of one day donning the green jacket.
“There’s a couple things I need to clean up, but overall I think it’s a solid sign,” said Lee.
“Obviously not the best prep with the finger and the flu. I guess I can kind of say that one good week of practice there I couldn’t really do, so it was a bit of rest for me.
“Hopefully I can prep better for the next one.”
“If I’m in, I’ll play for sure.”@JDayGolf has put any conjecture to bed, confirming he wants to represent the @AUSOlympicTeam at @Paris2024, writes @TonyWebeck.https://t.co/nChw613BqI
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) April 14, 2024
Declaring his desire to represent Australia at the Paris 2024 Olympics publicly for the first time, Jason Day also left Augusta with a positive mindset after a round of 3-under 69 on Sunday.
“The short game’s nice. Putting’s nice,” Day surmised.
“I just made too many cheap errors out there, not enough capitalisation on the opportunities that I had, especially with the par-5s. And then just soft bogeys.
“Clean that up, tighten the swing up a little bit, and I should be good to go.”
Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Final scores
1 Scottie Scheffler 66-72-71-68—277
T6 Cameron Smith 71-72-72-71—286
T12 Cameron Davis 69-72-73-75—289
T22 Min Woo Lee 74-74-75-69—292
T22 Adam Scott 76-74-70-72—292
T30 Jason Day 75-73-76-69—293
MC Jasper Stubbs (a) 80-76—156
Darcy Brereton was rewarded for his decision to push through a bout of tonsilitis by taking out the Leeton Golf Club SunRice Pro-Am by one stroke.
Chasing his first victory on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series, Brereton made the trip up to the New South Wales Riverina from Melbourne despite battling illness early in the week.
Although he struggled at the two-day pro-am at Griffith, his health improved, and so did his scores.
He opened with a superb 7-under 65 on day one at Leeton and then backed it up with a 4-under 68 on Sunday to pip Blake Windred (68-66) by a shot.
“The start of the week was pretty ordinary but I thought given that I was up here, I might as well try,” Brereton said of his decision to play.
“I needed to blow some rust off after three or four weeks off after the end of the Tour season so I thought just gut it out and go play.”
Kick-started by an eagle at the par-5 eighth, Windred made a charge around the turn, picking up six strokes in the space of six holes to pile the pressure on Brereton.
But the tying birdie proved elusive over his final five holes, Brereton hanging on with Kyle Michel (67-69) closing with two straight birdies to snare outright third.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Four birdies and an eagle in his final six holes in Round 1 gave Brereton a two-shot buffer heading into the final round.
He had a birdie and six pars to start his second round before making bogey at the par-5 eighth for the second day in succession.
Brereton got that shot back and then some with an eagle at the par-4 10th and then picked up three birdies in the space of four holes from the 12th to keep the chasing pack at bay.
A bogey on 16 gave the likes of Windred and Michel a glimmer of hope but Brereton was able to close out a maiden win with two pars to finish.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I actually played OK at Griffith – a little sloppy here and there – but the game was still OK.
“Obviously yesterday and today it tidied up a little bit. Every day I started to feel five to 10 per cent better where now I’m feeling a lot better than when I got here.
“I drove it really well and cleaned up all my putts inside six feet pretty well.
“Never going to have many long putts but tidied up and drove it well.
“I finished the Tour season scraping into 50th on the Order of Merit so that was lucky and sets me up for next year.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Darcy Brereton 65-68—133
2 Blake Windred 68-66—134
3 Kyle Michel 67-69—136
T4 Tim Hart 69-68—137
T4 Aiden Didone 68-69—137
6 Alexander Simpson 70-68—138
T7 Cameron Kelly 72-69—141
T7 Adam Henwood 69-72—141
T7 Jayden Cripps 71-70—141
T7 Marcus Fraser 67-74—141
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series heads to Tasmania this week for the 54-hole Men’s Tasmanian Open, starting Friday at Launceston Golf Course.
Australia’s No.1-ranked male golfer has confirmed that he “made a mistake” by not competing at the 2016 Olympic Games and wants to make amends at Paris 2024.
Currently ranked No.21 in the world, Jason Day closed out his 2024 Masters Tournament with a round of 3-under 69 that is projected to see him finish in a tie for 30th.
It may be enough to move back inside the top 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking and, barring something extraordinary from his fellow countrymen, ensure he will don the green and gold at Le Golf National in August.
Since his resurgence the past 18 months, Day’s status as a potential Olympian has been a point of conjecture.
He was among a number of Aussie male golfers who chose to skip golf’s Olympic return in Rio eight years ago, citing concerns over the Zika virus and family.
The 36-year-old has been in regular contact with Australian Olympic Golf Captain, Karrie Webb, without publicly declaring his availability.
Less than four months before competition begins, that conjecture has now been put to bed.
“I’ll play. If I’m in, I’ll play for sure,” confirmed Day, pictured after winning the 2013 World Cup with Adam Scott at Royal Melbourne.
“I’m looking forward to it. I think I made a bit of a mistake not going down to Rio, even though part of it was family related.
“I kind of missed out on that, and I probably should have gone. But if I get the opportunity, I’m looking forward to going.”
If the Australian Olympic golf team were to be selected this week Min Woo Lee would be Day’s teammate in Paris.
The former world No.1 said that he has no preference for who he pairs with in Paris, acknowledging that Cameron Smith is reliant on strong showings in the majors given his commitment to LIV Golf.
“Whoever is playing the great, that would be great,” said Day.
“Min Woo is playing good solid golf, too. And obviously ‘Smithy’, playing in LIV, you don’t get World Ranking points. He needs to play well in the major championships, trying to shoot himself up the leaderboard.”
Entering the week feeling the effects of a broken finger, Min Woo Lee also signed off from The Masters with a round of 3-under 69.
Shortly after completing his round, he was told of his potential pairing with Day in Paris.
“When you’re a professional, you don’t really get to represent the Australian side,” said the world No.32.
“Obviously every week, week in and week out you represent Aus, but when you’re an amateur, I got to play for Australia a lot of times. I do miss putting on the green and gold.
“Jason as a playing partner and a teammate, that will be really special.
“My sister (Minjee Lee) is going to be in there, too, so it will be an unbelievable experience.
“Hopefully it can stay this way and I can play.”
Day had four birdies and a lone bogey in his final round of the 2024 championship at Augusta National, the highlight a near ace at the par-3 16th.
He hopes it will provide the foundation for a strong summer of majors and, ultimately, Australia’s first Olympic golf medal.
“The short game’s nice. Putting’s nice,” Day added.
“I just made too many cheap errors out there, not enough capitalisation on the opportunities that I had, especially with the par-5s. And then just soft bogeys.
“Just kind of clean that up, tighten the swing up a little bit, and I should be good to go.”
Photo: Robert Prezioso/Getty Images
Gold Coast’s Dillon Hart has claimed the biggest win of his career with a one-stroke win at the B&C Plumbing Griffith Charity Pro-Am at Griffith Golf Club.
Third on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series Order of Merit in his rookie season in 2023, Hart edged fellow Queenslander William Bruyeres by a shot after the pair ended day one tied on top with rounds of 5-under 66.
After a slow start to the second round, Hart came to his final hole tied with Bruyeres, a closing birdie at the par-5 17th enough to come out on top with a round of 2-under 69 and 7-under total. Bruyeres (70) claimed outright second at 6-under, one clear of Marcus Fraser (69-68) with Aiden Didone (72-66), Mark Panopolous (70-68) and Alex Simpson (67-71) sharing fourth at 5-under.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDEDBoth Hart and Bruyeres dropped a shot at their opening hole in Round 2 – Hart at the 18th, Bruyeres at one – but it was Hart who would steady the ship best.He made birdies at one and three to get to 6-under, Bruyeres dropping four shots back at 2-under after a bogey on one and double bogey at the par-4 fourth.Back-to-back birdies at five and six saw Bruyeres claw his way back into contention, drawing level with Hart again when he made birdie at the par-5 ninth.The lead changed hands again when Hart dropped a shot at the par-3 11th but he soon regained control, making birdies at both 12 and 13 to edge ahead at 6-under.Birdies at 15 and 16 earned Bruyeres the outright lead at 7-under but a bogey at the par-5 17th would prove fatal, Hart’s birdie on his final hole securing a one-shot victory.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID“I played well last year through the pro-ams so it’s nice to come back in 2024 and kick-start the way I did last year.“Drove the ball really well and short game saved me a lot of times.“I struggled a bit with the wedges but when the short game’s on that can keep you going along.“I’ll be back up in Queensland for the Mining Towns Series so it will be nice to play again having seen the courses for the first time last year.” LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Dillon Hart 66-69—135NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series remains in the Riverina region of New South Wales for the Leeton Golf Club SunRice Pro-Am where Darcy Brereton takes a two-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round.
Lucas Herbert completed the Bendigo region double on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series with a runaway win in the Symes Motors Axedale BMW Pro-Am today.
A day after shooting an equal course record 9-under-par 61 to claim the pro-am at his junior club, Neangar Park, Herbert flirted with a 59 before carding a 7-under-62 to beat fellow Victorians Cameron Kelly and Euan Walters by four shots.
The Axedale victory was a first for the 27-year-old who ran third and seventh in his previous appearances.
HOW THE WINNING SCORE UNFOLDED
Preparing for the LIV Adelaide event later this month, Herbert was 7-under through 11 holes but his bid for a 59, to match the Axedale record held by Kris Mueck, was halted by pars on 12, 13, 14 and 16.
A bogey on the par-4 17th ended up costing him back-to-back 61s to celebrate his return home.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Today was solid. Similar to yesterday I thought I played reasonable enough and made some pretty good putts,” Herbert said.
“It’s tricky around here. You can get yourself in some tough positions very easily.
“I managed to avoid as many of those as possible and put some numbers on the board which was nice.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-7: Lucas Herbert (Vic)
-3: Cameron Kelly (Vic), Euan Walters (Vic)
-2: Michael Choi (Vic)
-1: Roland Baglin (Vic)
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series stops off in Leeton in NSW for the two-day Leeton Golf Club SunRice Pro-Am this weekend.
Nathan Barbieri clinched the 2024/25 Challenger PGA Tour of Australia Qualifying School’s Final Stage by running down all-the-way leader Max Charles before winning a three-man sudden-death playoff at Moonah Links today.
The Sydney professional went birdie-birdie-birdie-birdie-eagle over his final five holes on the Open Course to card an 8-under-par 64 and finish the 72 holes at 16-under, level with Victorian Charles (69) and New Zealand’s Denzel Ieremia (65).
Ieremia birdied the par-5 final hole, while Charles could only manage a par.
After the first two playoff holes were squared with pars, Barbieri clinched the win by rolling in a metre-long birdie putt after a pinpoint gap wedge approach on the par-4 10th hole.
By winning Q-School, the 27-year-old from Monash earns a start in all Challenger PGA Tour of Australia tournaments next season, including the big three – the Australian Open, Australian PGA and New Zealand Open.
.@barbieri_nathan is victorious at the 2024-25 PGATA Q School following a three-hole playoff 🐤👏 pic.twitter.com/yQP2G3raAf
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) April 12, 2024
Although he has been a regular on leaderboards since turning professional in 2020, Barbieri was coming off a disappointing season on the 2023/24 campaign, falling to 54th place on the Order of Merit.
After losing his place in the top 50 on the final day of season, his Tour status for 2024/25 received a significant upgrade thanks to today’s success.
“I hadn’t been playing too good but I felt like it clicked maybe the second round in New Zealand and then I played well in the last event at The National,” Barbieri said.
“Winning here is massive.
“I can plan my schedule now which is awesome.
“I came here for one reason – to win it – and I’ve done it so that’s very good.”
Charles will consider himself very unlucky to miss out on the rewards that top spot offers after starting the day with a four-shot lead and shooting a steady 3-under 69.
He only dropped shots on three of the 75 holes he played, the majority of them as the joint or outright leader.
“Max and Denzel played great all day. It was a good battle,” Barbieri said.
“There were a few nerves on that final putt. I didn’t actually think I’d be that nervous and it almost went right on me as well. I was happy to get it.”
Thirty-six players gained Tour cards for 2024/25 – and inclusion in Category 14 – by finishing at 2-over-par or better, including amateurs Tyler Duncan (Qld), Segunda Oliva Pinto (Argentina), Siddharth Nadimpalli (Vic), Jordan Doull (WA), Ben Henkel (Vic), Jye Pickin (NSW) and Ryan Ang (Singapore).
