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Lucas Herbert returned home to Bendigo and treated a big local following to a day to remember, equalling the course record on the way to a four-shot win in the Evolution Neangar Park Pro-Am.
The winner at Neangar Park on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series last year, Herbert’s round of 10-under-par 61 started with a bang when he holed a wedge shot for an eagle on the opening hole, a 367m par-4.
Although he only arrived back in Australia yesterday from overseas duties with LIV Golf, the 28-year-old added nine birdies, and had just a solitary bogey, to match the course record set only a few days earlier by a young club member, Morten Hafkamp.
Ironically the teenager was in Herbert’s group today.
“I’m not sure whether he was cheering for me to knock that putt in on the last. But it was nice to tie that record with him because he’s obviously played a great game of golf last weekend,” Herbert said of his younger playing partner whose 61 sealed the 2024 club championship.
“It was good to play with him today and see where his game is at.”
Fellow Victorian Josh Younger, fresh off his 2023/24 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia campaign, shot a 6-under 65 to take second spot.
HOW THE WINNING SCORE UNFOLDED
After his magical two on the first, Herbert dropped a shot on the second but that was his only setback for the day.
A trio of birdies came from the fourth to sixth and after making his way to -7 after 13, he closed off his round with another three in row, including a three-metre putt for birdie on the last.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
Herbert’s availability for Neangar Park only became possible after the club changed its pro-am date to accommodate the local favourite.
“The jet lag has been hitting me pretty hard but I managed to hold it off for as long as I could to get through that round of golf,” he said.
“I’m not used to being back here this time of year. It’s odd to be here when it’s not really hot. Usually summer is our time and you’re sitting around outside, hoping for a cool breeze.
“For me, being able to give back to Australian golf, and give back to my local community as much as I can, has been something I’ve enjoyed doing over the last few years when I’ve had the chance.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-10: Lucas Herbert (Vic)
-6: Josh Younger (Vic)
-4: Wade Lowrie (Vic)
-3: Finlay Bellingham (Vic), Adam Burdett (Vic), Levi Burns (Vic)
NEXT UP
Herbert will again be the star attraction at the second leg of the Bendigo region double, the Symes Motors BMW Axedale Pro-Am, on Friday before the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series stops off in Leeton in NSW for the two-day Leeton Golf Club SunRice Pro-Am
Ulverstone Golf Club Professional Darren Spencer has booked his spot for the PGA Professionals Championship National Final with a one-stroke win at the Tasmanian PGA Professionals Championship at Claremont Golf Club.
The top three finishers earned a place in the National Final at Heritage Golf and Country Club in October, Spencer’s 1-under 68 giving him the victory from Daniel Smith (69).
The third and final spot required a playoff, with Scott Priest, two-time Dan Cullen Cup winner Scott Laycock, David Tapping and Steve Frith all finishing at 1-over 70.
Consecutive pars at the first and second playoff holes would prove to be good enough for Priest to join Spencer and Smith at The Heritage.
The next qualifying tournament is the PGA Professionals Championship of North Queensland, to be played at Townsville Golf Club on Monday, April 22.
Six All Abilities golfers will receive scholarships to pursue their golf dreams in a new funding program titled the Webex Golf Scholarship.
An expansion of the Webex Players Series All Abilities program, the scholarships have been made available due to additional funding provided by Webex in partnership with the PGA of Australia and Golf Australia.
Four players will receive full scholarships to the value of $6,000 each and two players will receive a development scholarship worth $3,000 each.
In addition to funding for coaching and tournament support, scholarship holders will receive clothing courtesy of adidas and technology support to continue to elevate their performances.
The program is the brainchild of PGA Academy Coaching Programs Manager Nick Bielawski who believes sustained support will give Australian All Abilities golfers the best chance to succeed internationally.
“The Webex All Abilities High Performance Camp that we staged last year was a great success, but we acknowledged that the support needed to be more ongoing,” Bielawski said.
“Thanks to the additional funding provided by Webex, we have been able to structure a scholarship program that provides not only coaching support but practical financial support to travel to tournaments.
“Australia has a number of players that have proven that they can compete with the best All Abilities golfers in the world.
“We hope that a program such as this will allow others to become the best golfers they can be and to pursue opportunities both in Australia and overseas.”
Glenn Smith, Regional Manager, Collaboration for Cisco-Webex, was thrilled to see the extension of the Webex All Abilities Players Series into a scholarship program that will provide further opportunities for athletes.
“Webex is excited to support the Webex Golf Scholarship program for All Abilities athletes,” said Smith.
“The addition of the All Abilities trophy during the 2022/23 Webex Players Series has seen it become the most inclusive series of tournaments in golf.
“We are very proud to be partnering with the PGA of Australia to continue supporting development initiatives and showcase the exceptional talent of these athletes to a wide audience.”
To be considered for a Team Webex scholarship, athletes must meet the following criteria:
Athletes that meet the above criteria will then be assessed on:
Applicants must complete an application form to apply for Team Webex. After applications have closed, athletes will be shortlisted with further interviews arranged to determine the final recipients of the scholarships and whether it be a full or development scholarship.
Full scholarship recipients will receive:
Development scholarship recipients will receive:
To apply for a Team Webex scholarship click here
Mark Panopolous earned his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win as Tim Hart celebrated his 100th career victory at the Orora Yenda Pro-Am at Yenda Golf Club.
Panopolous and Hart both posted rounds of 4-under 44 at the 12-hole layout to finish one clear of Marcus Fraser (45), Jayden Cripps (45) and Kyle Michel (45) in the first event of the 2024/2025 season.
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series Order of Merit winner in 2021 and 2022, Hart was shocked to find out post-round that it was 100th tournament win across pro-am and Associate events.
“I didn’t think I was that old,” said Hart.
“If that is the case, that’s awesome.
“That’s something good to look back on and know that my game’s in pretty good stead year in, year out.
“Just going to build off that and hopefully start doing it in bigger events.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED
Playing in consecutive groups, Hart set a cracking pace with birdies at his opening two holes.
He made his only bogey of the day at the par-4 third but picked up shots at six, nine and 11 to get into the clubhouse at 4-under.
Hart would soon have company as Panopolous came in with a score of 4-under in the group behind.
Like Hart, Panopolous birdied the par-5 first and then made birdies at five and six to be 3-under at the halfway mark of his round.
The Concord Golf Club Assistant Professional made bogey at the par-3 ninth but back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11 enabled him to join Hart at the top of the leaderboard.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
Mark Panopolous: “Playing here last year definitely helped, understanding where you can hit it and where you can’t. There are quite a few holes where you have to take on the boundary line, so just trying to be aggressively conservative.
“I was talking to a good mate John Lyras this morning and just really working on some pre-shot routine processes to try and get me more into the shot. Just got me a bit more locked into the shot I’m trying to hit, really visualising it and really just trying to be really tight with my routine, keep it repeatable.
“I wasn’t doing it very well so I was happy to listen and try and make it better and obviously it’s worked for me today.”
Tim Hart: “It was nice to go out there and shoot a score. I know it’s only 12 holes but I hit it pretty well and good signs leading into the next few pro-ams at Griffith and Leeton.
“I found something the last six months on tour, done a lot of mental work, mental side of the game just to stay calmer out there.
“I struggled a bit with injuries and stuff the last few years, so it’s good to sort of understand that a bit more and understand my body more.
“Been hitting it a lot better the last few months in the tour events and it’s good to see some results in four-rounders.
“We’ll just use the middle part of this year to play a few more pro-ams and get it all ready for the tour events later in the year.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 Tim Hart 44
T1 Mark Panopoulos 44
T3 Kyle Michel 45
T3 Jayden Cripps 45
T3 Marcus Fraser 45
T6 Alexander Simpson 46
T6 Toby Walker 46
T6 Dillon Hart 46
NEXT UP
Two-time DP World Tour winner Lucas Herbert is back home to defend his Neangar Park Pro-Am by Evolution Copy Print Solutions on Thursday and will also tee it up at Friday’s Symes Motors BMW Axedale Pro-Am.
The first major championship of the year is upon us, with 89 players descending on Augusta National Golf Club for the 88th Masters Tournament, including six Australians.
Seeking to become just the second Australian to have the green jacket draped on their shoulders, Cameron Davis, Jason Day, Min Woo Lee, Cameron Smith and amateur Jasper Stubbs join 2013 champion Adam Scott in Georgia.
With the eyes of the golfing world on The Masters, here is all you need to know to follow the action.
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Jon Rahm
PRIZEMONEY: $US18 million (expected to be same as 2023)
LIVE SCORES: www.masters.com
TV COVERAGE: The Masters Tournament rounds are live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo, as well as 9GemHD and 9Now.
Fox Sports 503 will be a dedicated Masters channel this week, while featured holes and groups will be shown on Kayo, Fox Sports 505/506 and 9Now.
*All times AEST.
Par-3 Contest: 5am – 7am Thursday (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9Now)
Round One: Featured groups 11pm Thursday – 5am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9Now);Regular coverage Friday 5am – 9:30am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9GemHD/9Now)
Round Two: Featured groups 11pm Friday – 5am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9Now);Regular coverage Saturday 5am – 9:30am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9GemHD/9Now)
Round Three: Featured groups 12am Sunday – 5am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9Now);Regular coverage Sunday 5am – 9am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9GemHD/9Now)
Final Round: Featured groups 12am Monday – 4am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9Now);Regular coverage Monday 4am – 9am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9GemHD/9Now)
ROUND ONE TEE TIMES (AEST)
Cameron Davis: 1:18am (Friday)
Jason Day: 3:24am (Friday)
Min Woo Lee: 12:06am (Friday)
Adam Scott: 3:12am (Friday)
Cameron Smith: 12:54am (Friday)
Jasper Stubbs (a): 11:00pm (Thursday)
AUSTRALIAN PLAYER PROFILES
CAMERON DAVIS
World ranking: 62
Age: 29
Professional wins: Four
Best finish at The Masters: 46th (2022)
The lowdown: Making his second Masters start, Davis returns after a year away from Augusta National when he managed his best ever finish at a major with a T4 at the 2024 U.S. PGA Championship.
Making the cut in his one appearance, Davis is now a fixture, and winner, on the PGA TOUR and has the ball striking prowess to succeed at The Masters.
Sharing 21st in his last start, the Seattle-based Sydneysider has a best finish of T18 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational so far this year and is chasing a second Presidents Cup spot in 2024.
JASON DAY
World ranking: 21
Age: 36
Major wins: One (2015 U.S. PGA Championship)
Professional wins: 19
Best finish at The Masters: T2 (2011)
The lowdown: Returning to the winners’ circle on the PGA TOUR and finishing runner-up at The Open in 2024, Day arrives in solid form with three top-10s already to his name so far this year.
Long considered a player purpose built for Augusta, Day, who has made nine cuts in 12 starts, nearly joined the exclusive club of winning The Masters on his first try when he was joint second in 2011 behind South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel.
Rebuilding his game with Tiger Woods’ former coach Chris Como after years of back injuries, Day still has the high ball flight best suited to MacKenzie’s design, while his putting is among the best in the game when on.
MIN WOO LEE
World ranking: 32
Age: 25
Professional wins: Four
Best finish at The Masters: T14 (2022)
The lowdown: After a stellar summer at home, where he won the Australian PGA Championship and was third at the Australian Open, Lee will arrive well rested after a break following the PGA TOUR’s ‘Florida Swing’, albeit nursing a finger which he fractured in a weights session.
Sharing second at the Cognizant Classic last month, Lee’s ‘It’ factor will no doubt be on show again this week, as it was on debut two years ago when the West Australian equalled the front nine tournament scoring record of 30.
Boasting major championship pedigree from sister Minjee, Min Woo missed the weekend last year but has shown an early aptitude at the majors, where he has five finishes in the top-10 from six starts.
ADAM SCOTT
World ranking: 53
Age: 43
Major wins: One (2013 Masters)
Professional wins: 32
Best finish at The Masters: Win (2013)
The lowdown: Never discount a winner at Augusta, and that is certainly the case with Scott who broke the Aussie duck 11 years ago in the rain.
The Queenslander recorded dual top-10s at the Australian PGA and Australian Open before winning the Cathedral Invitational to end 2023, with Scott finishing in the top-20 five times already this year.
Tied for 14th in Texas last week, Scott is making his 23rd Masters appearance, a record that has included 20 made cuts including the last 14 straight. In addition to his green jacket, the former World No.1 has nine other results better than T25 over his tremendous Masters career.
CAMERON SMITH
World ranking: 68
Age: 30
Major wins: One (2022 Open Championship)
Professional wins: 12
Best finish at The Masters: T2 (2020)
The lowdown: A proven performer at the majors, the winner of the 150th Open’s biggest question heading into this week is his health after a bout of food poisoning cruelled his final prep last week.
Physically on the improve, Smith became the first player to shoot four rounds in the 60s at The Masters only to be trumped by Dustin Johnson in 2020 for the title. Winning his own major two years later, the Queenslander’s short game is his ace in hole this, and every, week.
Missing out in a play-off a few weeks back, Smith has already developed a strong Masters resumé with seven made cuts from seven starts and four top-10s to his name. Beware the wounded golfer!
JASPER STUBBS (a)
World ranking: 1410
Age: 22
Professional wins: None
Best finish at The Masters: Debut
The lowdown: The fourth Australian winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, Stubbs punched his Masters (and Open) ticket last year at Royal Melbourne with a steely play-off win to follow in the recent footsteps of Harrison Crowe.
Getting the awe of a first visit out the of the way earlier in the year, Stubbs will stay in the Crows Nest early in the week before settling into some off site accommodation, with making the cut the first goal for the low amateur at the Australian Open.
Has gained plenty of experience playing alongside the pros on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia this past season, and will attempt to glean as much as possible from Cam Smith during a scheduled Wednesday practice round.
THE COURSE
As it has done 87 times before, Augusta National Golf Club welcomes The Masters this week to its golf course that is known the world over.
Opened in 1933, the host venue was designed by Dr Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones with tournament golf front of mind and has been regularly updated to challenge the modern day player.
In preparation for this year’s tournament, 10 yards have been added to the sweeping dogleg left par-5 second hole that makes it the longest hole on the course at 585 yards. Interestingly, every hole at Augusta is listed at five yard increments with the par-72 totalling 7555 yards for 2024.
Immaculate condition of the overseeded ryegrass fairways and bentgrass greens, as well as surrounding flowers, are par for the course where the three holes known as ‘Amen Corner’ are always crucial come Sunday afternoon.
Comprising the 520-yard par-4 11th (White Dogwood), 155-yard par-3 12th (Golden Bell) and the 545-yard par-5 13th (Azalea), the famous trio have seen green jackets won and lost over the years.
Ball striking is at a premium at Augusta National, where Nick Price (1986) and Greg Norman (1996) hold the course record of 63 (nine-under).
HEADLINERS
Jon Rahm, 2023 Masters champion
Scottie Scheffler, World No.1 and 2022 Masters champion
Brooks Koepka, Five-time major winner and 2023 runner-up
Tiger Woods, Five-time Masters champion and 15-time major winner
Wyndham Clark, 2023 U.S. Open winner
Hideki Matsuyama, 2021 Masters champion
Rory McIlroy, Four-time major winner
Jordan Spieth, Three-time major winner
Dustin Johnson, Two-time major winner and 2020 Masters champion
Xander Schauffele, World No.5 and 2019 Masters runner-up
Phil Mickelson, Six-time major winner and 2023 runner-up
Min Woo Lee has revealed that he is recovering from a badly-timed broken finger as he prepares to play the Masters this week, but Cam Smith is fit and ready to go after a weekend in bed with food poisoning.
Some of the Australian group of six have had more medical episodes than would be considered ideal ahead of the first men’s major of 2024, but a bunch of them practised together at Augusta National on Tuesday and they pronounced themselves ready to go on Thursday.
Lee is still croaky after a bout of flu and could not practise on Monday, and Smith almost fell into the tributary of Rae’s Creek that runs along the 13th hole on Tuesday, not hurting himself but causing a tad of embarrassment as he tumbled down on slippery rocks.
Lee’s injury – a broken ring finger on the right hand – was the shock of the day and the Perth star admitted that he had been suffering “a lot of anxiety” about the injury.
He did it by dropping a dumb bell on his hand in weight training 10 days ago. “I was just doing like a side bridge glute thing and it was literally my last rep, last set thing, and I like threw the dumb bell down and somehow clipped my right ring finger.
“Yeah, so I went to the doctor. Went to the doctor and I thought it was okay because I could move it. It was just red. I thought it would be fine. Then they came in and said, you’ve broken it.”
But the 25-year-old, who still has the hand bandaged, was surprised how quickly he had recovered.
“You know, I hit my first shot for the last week on Friday, so hit my first full driver,” he said. “Honestly, it’s actually amazing how fast the recovery was. It was bruised, still swollen, but not actually that painful which is really strange.
“Somehow recovering very good, so icing and elevating as much as I can. Yeah, I guess it wasn’t the best prep, and I go the flu two days ago.”
Lee has been back in the gym in recent days, but nowhere near the offending equipment. “Every time I looked at that 20 pound dumb bell, yeah, gave it a death stare.”
As for Smith, who withdrew after a round of the LIV Golf tournament in Miami last weekend, he is back on his feet at least.
“Yeah, a bit of food poisoning at the start of last week and probably just tried to do a little bit too much and body just kind of shut down on me,” he said. “Spent the weekend in the bed, which wasn’t the greatest preparation, but I was just saying that today is probably the first day where I feel like I’ve got a little bit of energy. I’m sure I’ll be pretty cooked tonight. At least I could get around and feel okay.”
The incident at Amen Corner was not ideal either for the 2022 Open champion, who has a good record in the Masters.
“I didn’t try to jump, I just tried to get on a couple of rocks, and I had metals in my right shoe and I slipped,” he said. “A bit of comedy for the crowd there.
“The only thing I was thinking as I was going down was not to get wet, so I managed to actually do all right. I think my glove was — I had to throw my glove out and my shoes were a bit wet, but that’s about it.”
Lee said Augusta remained “my favourite place in the world”, and he had the benefit of pracising with some old hands on Tuesday – Adam Scott, Smith and Jason Day joined him. “These three guys are one of the best guys out here, so, it’s always nice to play with guys that are open to giving me information and if I ask, they would help me,” he said.
“Yeah, obviously they’re great golfers so just looking on the them and watching them play, it’s amazing.”
Day is set to play his first two rounds at Augusta National alongside five-time winner Tiger Woods this week. Amateur Jasper Stubbs is drawn to play with past winner Zach Johnson and Canadian Corey Conners.
PHOTO: Min Woo Lee and Adam Scott get to work at Augusta National on Tuesday. Image: Getty
AUSSIE TEE TIMES FOR ROUND ONE
(Local times followed by AEST)
9am/11pm Thursday Jasper Stubbs (with Zach Johnson, Corey Conners)
10.06am/12.06 am Friday Min Woo Lee (with Rickie Fowler, Patrick Cantlay)
10.54am/12.54am Friday Cameron Smith (with Wyndham Clark, Viktor Hovland)
11.18am/1.18am Friday Cam Davis (with Camilo Villegas, Denny McCarthy)
1.12pm/3.12am Friday Adam Scott (with Sam Burns, Cameron Young)
1.24pm/3.24am Friday Jason Day (with Tiger Woods, Max Homa)
The PGA Legends Tour will break new ground with events in Cobar and Warren next month in what is hoped to provide a further boost to the growth of golf in western New South Wales.
Two-time Australian Open winner Peter Lonard will headline the field when the Legends Tour dips its toes into sand scrapes at Warren Golf Club on May 9, the course boasting 12 grass greens and six sand greens.
Two days later, the Legends Tour will converge on the 18 sand greens at Cobar Bowls and Golf Club for the $25,000 Cobar Legends Pro-Am.
It is new territory for PGA-sanctioned pro-ams that had not previously been further west than Dubbo, Warren a further hour west from the regional hub and Cobar two hours beyond Warren.
The events are part of a push by PGA Professional and Regional Manager for Golf NSW and Jack Newton Junior Golf, Gary Begg, to grow the game in remote communities.
Now in his third year covering an area of some 560,000 square kilometres, Begg has been the driving force behind surges in player numbers of both juniors and women.
The number of engaged juniors has skyrocketed from just one to now 160 and the number of women playing has grown from five to 80.
Begg believes that the next step to feed a growing passion for the game is a showcase of top-class professional golf on their home courses.
“The new general manager at Cobar asked how to promote the golf and bowling club and I suggested holding a professional event,” said Begg, a PGA Member since 1982.
“It’s a great way to promote the facility and a great experience for the members.
“People will often come in from all throughout the region for it so it’s a great economic boost to the town as well.”
In addition to assisting clubs with grant applications and accounts, Begg travels the countryside conducting ‘Come and Try’ days for juniors and adults.
The impact on juniors and women in particularly has been significant, providing an influx to regional clubs that they have never previously possessed.
“There was one junior golfer at Warren when I started going out there three years ago to conduct free ‘Come and Try’ days,” Begg added.
“The club didn’t expect much of a reaction but my attitude was that if we got one person to show up, they’ll be one further ahead.
“They advertised it and 35 kids turned up to that first one and it’s been like that ever since.
“I travel around holding clinics for women and what we have seen is that at the end of the program, a lot of them have joined golf clubs.
“They’ve started off with the clinics, they like it, so they keep going.
“As a result, we’re seeing an increase in membership, which is great.”
With golf now taking a stronger foothold in these remote communities, Begg has no doubt that a showcase of professional golf will see those numbers continue to build in the years to come.
“I think it’ll have a huge impact. I think it’s going to bring the next generations through of watching players, watching professionals play and create a big buzz around the town,” said Begg.
“It’ll be great for accommodation for the town, for the economies that have really struggled over the years. They’d had some pretty ordinary years out in the far west and something like this will really, really boost their economy.
“It will also promote golf to the next generation about what they can do if they work hard or just want to be involved in the game in future.”
The Warren Golf Club Legends Pro-Am will be held on Thursday, May 9 with the Cobar Legends Pro-Am to be held at the Cobar Golf and Bowls Club on the weekend of May 11-12.
There are limited amateur spots still available in both fields. To book a spot call the respective club.
Rising Australian amateur Jasper Stubbs is experiencing Masters week for the first time, and nothing has disappointed him yet.
Victorian Stubbs, 22, is in the field this week as the Asia-Pacific champion from 2023, and he is soaking up the atmosphere at what will be his first professional major.
“I think, coming to Augusta, it’s obviously always spoken highly about how perfect it is, and I think it definitely lives up to that expectation,” he told media today in a pre-tournament press conference.
“Magnolia Lane with the flowers out is an amazing sight. I think the crowds is the thing that’s going to be the biggest eye opener for me that’s going to be different to any other week that I’ve ever experience.’’
Stubbs visited Augusta National in February, playing three days in a row to scope out the course.
But he knows this week is a different beast, with the crowds, with family in tow, and the nerves and expectations.
Since learning last December that he would play the 2024 Masters he has done his best to find places to practise which mimic the amazing slopes of Augusta, “basically finding the biggest slope as you can find on any golf course you go to because it comes close, but it doesn’t compare to here”.
Part of that was at the Australian Golf Centre in Melbourne. “At the Australian Golf Centre, which is the home of the Golf Australia High Performance Program down in Melbourne — we have a driving range, and it’s got lots of slopes that you can just hit range balls off, which was awesome for this week, obviously being one of the slopiest weeks of the year.
“I was practising all kind of different slopes, as big as I could find them. Then, yeah, just trying to hit different shots off that, which was a pretty cool experience to be able to do that at home.”
Augusta National will present a challenge for him but there is a familiarity in it as well, with the hard, fast greens and the Alister MacKenzie stamp being comparable to Royal Melbourne and other Melbourne sandbelt courses.
“Once you’re on the greens, Royal Melbourne and Augusta are pretty close in how fast you can get a downhill putt and how much they break,” said Stubbs.
“So it’s pretty good to have played a lot of golf there, and I’ve got a bit of knowledge, I guess, from playing there.”
Stubbs practised with Cam Davis on Monday and hopes to join Cameron Smith for a round before Thursday’s opening round.
It is quite the experience for a young man who grew up in Gippsland in Victoria’s west, moving to Melbourne and joining Peninsula Kingswood Country Club, breaking into Golf Australia’s HP programs.
Today he was asked by the media about the arrival of his invitation from Augusta National, and it is a story worth retelling.
“It was a very special moment,” he said. “I opened it — I waited for my parents to get home from work, and we opened it all together as a family. There were five of us in the room at the time. We were FaceTiming my brother, who was out of the house at the time.
“We all shared that family moment together, and it was a lot of screaming and cheering that it was finally here. And that’s when it sunk in. And, yeah, we didn’t do too much of a celebration that night, but obviously the next couple of weeks was the holidays, so, yeah, we celebrated pretty heavily.”
This week his first task is to make the cut. Beyond that, it’s about competing.
“I wouldn’t say it’s an expectation, but it’s definitely something that I’m striving towards to do,” he said. “I’m not here to make up the numbers. I think Dad’s been telling me, everyone in the field this week’s got a chance to win, so I’m keeping that in the back of my mind at all times.”
PHOTO: Jasper Stubbs samples the Augusta National bunkering in Monday’s practice round. Image: The Masters
A par save on the final hole has secured Andre Stolz the South Australian PGA Senior championship double at Mount Gambier Golf Club south of Adelaide.
After teaming up with David Crawford to claim the Senior Foursomes title on Saturday, Stolz held off a fast-finishing David McKenzie to win the two-day MG Plasterers and Steeline SA PGA Seniors Championship.
Trailing Tony Collier by one after an opening round of 5-under 67, Stolz prevailed despite driving rain throughout the back nine of the final round.
A birdie at the par-4 17th would prove crucial as he left himself a nervy putt for par on the final hole to round out a 3-under 69 and 8-under total.
“I hit a great second shot into 18. All those uphill shots – it’s uphill, into the wind and into the rain,” said Stolz.
“They were playing crazy long all day, so I thought I needed to take the extra club.
“I hit a perfect shot – I was actually surprised that the crowd wasn’t clapping – but then I realised that meant it was up the back of the green.
“The downhill putts this week have been so much slower than last year. It nearly went in on the way past so I was surprised how far it went past but it all worked out good.”
McKenzie began his final round with three straight birdies on his way to a 5-under 67 – the best of the day by two strokes – in conditions he described as less than ideal.
“It was like playing a British Open at Royal Porthcawl last year, except the wind was probably 40km/h lower,” said McKenzie.
“I made a lot of putts today that I didn’t yesterday and the conditions were much harder, so it jumped me a few spots up the board.”
Adam Henwood snared spot with rounds of 69-70, Peter Senior a further stroke back in fourth with matching rounds of 2-under 70.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Starting the day one back, Stolz dropped a shot at the par-4 second in his second round.
It would be his only dropped shot for the 36 holes, bouncing back immediately with a birdie at the par-4 third.
He added a second at the par-4 fifth but a less than cooperative putter restricted Stolz to a string of eight straight pars.
A birdie putt finally dropped at the par-4 13th, his closing birdie on 17 ultimately proving the difference.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“It was a frustrating couple of days with the putter, to be honest.
“I missed quite a lot of opportunities with the putter but I had good control with my irons and driving it in the fairway was key.
“I love this golf course. Made a special trip to come down here – like a lot of us have – but I absolutely loved this golf course last year so I was keen to come back.
“I had a lot of good practice in the weeks leading up to it so I was confident coming down that I would play well.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Andre Stolz 67-69—136
2 David McKenzie 70-67—137
3 Adam Henwood 69-70—139
4 Peter Senior 70-70—140
5 John Onions 70-71—141
T6 David Diaz 71-71—142
T6 Guy Wall 71-71—142
T6 Simon Pope 69-73—142
NEXT UP
There is a month-long break in the PGA Legends Tour schedule now before it resumes with two brand new events, the Warren Golf Club Legends Pro-Am (May 9) at Warren Golf Club followed by the Cobar Legends Pro-Am at Cobar Golf and Bowls Club (May 11-12) in western New South Wales.
Players from six separate nations will take on Australians hoping to shore up their status on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia when the Final Stage of Qualifying School begins at Moonah Links on Tuesday.
A total of 36 players advanced from two sections of First Stage played across the Open and Legends courses at Moonah Links last week and are now joined by 24 players who finished between 51st and 100th on the 2023/2024 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.
West Australian Joseph Owen was exempt into Final Stage due to his finish on the Future Tour Order of Merit last season while Singapore’s Ryan Ang and Argentinian Segundo Oliva Pinto have been issued amateur exemptions for a total field of 66 players.
Ang (pictured) was 11th at the Australian Men’s Amateur Championship in January while Oliva Pinto has spent five years playing college golf in the US, firstly for the University of North Carolina Wilmington and most recently the University of Arkansas.
Justin Quiban of the Philippines already boasts top-10 finishes on the Asian Tour while Canadian amateur Dustin Franko is another recent college graduate from The University of Hawai‘i at Hilo.
Congratulations to the 36 players advancing to the 2024-25 Final Stage Qualifying School at Moonah Links next week!
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) April 5, 2024
Final scores: https://t.co/x31wjbjXFB pic.twitter.com/kmboLdeGm9
Along with four Kiwis, American Matt Siporin completes the league of nations, the mini tour veteran in the US successfully navigating First Stage of Q School to pursue full status for the 2024/2025 season.
In addition to the international contingent, there are a host of familiar Aussie names also eager to secure playing opportunities for the coming season.
Amateurs Jordan Doull (WA), Jye Pickin (NSW), Connor McDade (VIC), Ben Henkel (VIC), Tyler Duncan (QLD), Ryan Swann (QLD), Siddharth Nadimpalli (VIC), Blaike Perkins (QLD), Harry Goakes (VIC) and Dominic Brettkelly (NZ) can all kick-start their journey into the professional ranks while others, such as Lincoln Tighe, Nathan Barbieri and Denzel Ieremia are out to enhance their category positions.
Twelve months ago, New Zealand amateur Kazuma Kobori was Q-School medallist, going on to win three times in his rookie season to claim the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.
All four rounds of Final Stage will be played at the Moonah Links Open Course with Round 1 to tee off at 8am Tuesday morning.
The top 30 finishers will earn Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia and be placed in a Tournament Exemption Category.
Those players finishing beyond 30th place and ties, who complete 72 holes at Final Stage, will be eligible for Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia, however, they will not hold an exemption category for the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
All players who play 72 holes of the Final Stage will earn a pro-am exemption category and be eligible to enter adidas PGA Pro-Am series events.
