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It took more than a text to tournament host Tiger Woods but Adam Scott will continue his preparation for a second green jacket at this week’s Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.
A two-time winner at the venue and the site of his most recent PGA TOUR title in 2020, Scott required a sponsor’s exemption to be able to tee it up in the third Signature event of the season.
With one eye on The Masters in two months’ time, Scott had no qualms in reaching out through the proper channels for the chance to continue his love affair with Riviera.
“I did it how I thought was right,” said Scott, who struggled to recall the last time he had to request a sponsor’s invite to play a tournament.
“I wrote a letter to the tournament directors and made sure that I was legitimately getting an invite.
“If writing to Tiger works, let me know.”
With top-10s in Dubai and Phoenix in three starts to begin 2024, Scott arrives at Riviera not only with fond memories but with positivity in how he is playing.
Eleven years on from his historic victory at Augusta National, the 43-year-old sees his date in LA as another crucial step towards arriving at The Masters with both his game and confidence levels in good shape.
“I’ve had that in the forefront of my mind since January 1 and, so far, it’s been going well,” Scott said when asked when his attention turns to Augusta.
“As soon as you get to the new year you start thinking about it.
“How much work you need to do to think you’re going to be ready to win The Masters. Where your game’s really at and trying to work a schedule of practice and play and travel.
“The Florida swing, it’s important to play well through there because that’s the last solid hit-out before The Masters.
“Having that confidence and the ability in the weeks leading up to have some calm in the mind and confidence sitting there is very helpful.
“I’m hopeful that I’m ticking the boxes along the way and be in really great shape come Augusta.”
An unofficial winner in 2005 when the tournament was reduced to 36 holes due to rain, Scott pointed to the familiar feelings of home for his success at Riviera.
“I don’t think too many people would argue that it’s a great designed golf course, but there are other things to me,” said Scott, who has career prize money of $US5,077,503 from 15 starts in this event alone.
“Obviously I’ve played nicely here, so I have good feelings about that. I have feelings like I’m in Australia when I play the 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th holes.
“The eucalyptus trees kind of smell like it does in Australia, the grass is similar, the weather can be similar as well, nice weather here in L.A. I just have this certain level of comfort.
“There’s more than just purely a great golf course for me.”
Scott is one of just three Aussies who will tee it up in the Genesis Invitational but there are 19 in the field for the first Asian Tour event of the year, the IRS Prima Malaysian Open.
With three exemptions on offer to The Open Championship at Royal Troon in July, the likes of Brendan Jones, Jed Morgan and Jordan Zunic will be eager to carry their recent form on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia into Malaysia.
Former NSW amateur teammates Grace Kim and Steph Kyriacou are joined by Gabi Ruffels and Kirsten Rudgeley at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International on the Ladies European Tour and David Bransdon and Steve Allan make their PGA TOUR Champions debuts at the Chubb Classic in Florida.
Photo: Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
Round 1 tee times AEDT
PGA TOUR
The Genesis Invitational
The Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, California
3:44am Cam Davis, Adam Hadwin, Cameron Young
5:25am Jason Day, Tony Finau, Brendon Todd
7:06am Adam Scott, Alex Smalley, Taylor Montgomery
Prize money: $US20 million
Defending champion: Jon Rahm
Past Aussie winners: Robert Allenby (2001), Adam Scott (2005, 2020), Aaron Baddeley (2011)
TV times: Live 3am-12pm Friday, Saturday; Live 5am-11am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Asian Tour
IRS Prima Malaysian Open
The Mines Resort & Golf Club, Malaysia
10:50am* Daeng Rahman, Sam Brazel, Siddikur Rahman
11:10am Michael Maguire, Atiruj Winaicharoenchai, Andrew Dodt
11:20am Bjorn Hellgren, Veer Ahlawat, Scott Hend
11:30am* Brendan Jones, David Puig, Phachara Khongwatmai
11:40am* Jazz Janewattananond, Ben Campbell (NZ), Wade Ormsby
11:50am* Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Jed Morgan, Gavin Green
12pm Chang Wei-lun, Mingyu Cho, Marcus Fraser
12:30pm Jose Toledo, Anson Yeo Boon Xiang (a), Maverick Antcliff
12:40pm Varun Chopra, Sukree Othman, Jordan Zunic
12:40pm* Lachlan Barker, Nateeshvar Anatha Ganesh (a), Ye Wocheng
3:40pm Deyen Lawson, Danny Chia, Charng-Tai Sudsom
3:50pm Douglas Klein, Matt Killen, Justin Quiban
4:10pm* Zach Murray, Shahriffuddin Ariffin, Chapchai Nirat
4:20pm Trevor Simsby, Miguel Tabuena, Travis Smyth
4:20pm* Kevin Yuan, Suradit Yongcharoenchai, Kyongjun Moon
4:40pm* Rattanon Wannasrichan, Todd Sinnott, Sanghyun Park
5pm Pavit Tangkamolprasert, Nicholas Fung, Jack Thompson
5pm* Prom Meesawat, Carlos Pigem, Aaron Wilkin
5:10pm* Justin Warren, Edven Ying, William Harrold
Prize money: $US1 million
Defending champion: Trevor Simsby (2020)
Past Aussie winners: Frank Phillips (1962), Bill Dunk (1963), Graham Marsh (1974, 1975), Stewart Ginn (1977, 1986), Brian Jones (1978), Terry Gale (1983, 1985, 1987)
TV times: Live 2pm-6pm Sunday on Fox Sports 507 and Kayo.
Ladies European Tour
Aramco Saudi Ladies International Presented by PIF
Riyadh Golf Club, Saudi Arabia
3:55pm* Grace Kim, Nanna Koerstz Madsen, Yu Liu
8:15pm Stephanie Kyriacou, Klara Davidson Spilkova, Alessandra Fanali
8:15pm* Natthakritta Vongtaveelap, Gabriela Ruffels, Bailey Tardy
8:35pm* Kelsey Macdonald, Chloe Williams, Kirsten Rudgeley
Prize money: $US5 million
Defending champion: Lydia Ko
Past Aussie winners: Nil
TV times: Live 9pm-1am Thursday, Friday; Live 9:30pm-1:30am Saturday; Live 8:30pm-12:30am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Champions Tour
Chubb Classic
Tiburon Golf Club, Naples, Florida
Australasians in the field: Steven Alker, Steve Allan, Stuart Appleby, David Bransdon, Richard Green, Mark Hensby, Rod Pampling, John Senden
Prize money: $US1.8 million
Defending champion: Bernhard Langer
Past Aussie winners: Nil
TV times: Live 4am-7am Saturday; Live 7am-9:30am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
Challenge Tour
Dimension Data Pro-Am
Fancourt Golf Estate, George, South Africa
Aussies in the field: Hayden Hopewell, Connor McKinney
Prize money: R7 million
Defending champion: Oliver Bekker
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Kazuma Kobori continued his remarkable run of form by claiming a third Webex Players Series title in 2024, this time in Sydney as he took back second place on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.
Losing second spot following the Vic Open to that week’s winner, and defending champion at this week’s Webex Players Series Hunter Valley Brett Coletta, Kobori is now in prime position to claim one of three DP World Tour cards offered via the season long points race.
Sitting behind Min Woo Lee on the back of the West Australian’s Australian PGA Championship victory and strong finish at the Australian Open, Kobori would nominally finish as No.1 if the season were to conclude now. Lee unlikely to play the minimum four events, so too Adam Scott and Marc Leishman who currently sit inside the top-10.
The New Zealander and Coletta have an eye on the New Zealand Open with its increased Order of Merit points, yet both are at Oaks Cypress Lakes Resort this week to further bolster their spot in the chase for pathways overseas.
Kobori’s plans echoing those of David Micheluzzi last season, with the pair managed by the same agency, SPORTFIVE, and the 22-year-old similarly opting for tournaments on his local circuit in lieu of Tour schools elsewhere.
“I made a pretty bold call this year not playing Asian Tour Q School, instead committing to other Tours and stuff, so pretty happy with how it’s going and then get my world ranking up and it would be pretty cool,” Kobori said.
“I won the first one and I think I was sitting like seventh or so. Then won the week after that and it bumped me up to second and the more you win, the more cushion you have.”
That cushion is currently 170.39 points over Coletta in third, with last season’s Order of Merit champion Micheluzzi in fourth, with the New Zealand Open and The National Tournament presented by BMW potentially on the horizon for the Victorian in a bid to guarantee his card on the DP World Tour again for next season.
Kobori admitting he is not one to ignore the points list with results taking care of delivering his desired result.
“I definitely have a look at it for sure, it’s one of those things where you’ve got New Zealand Open coming up so you know you can’t really set anything in stone,” he said.
“All you have to do is keep playing good golf and the better you play put here, the more learnings you can have out here, the better chance you can have at New Zealand Open.”
ORDER OF MERIT TOP-10
1 Min Woo Lee, 1,044.00 (points), 2 (events played)
2 Kazuma Kobori, 726.93, 9
3 Brett Coletta, 556.54, 12
4 David Micheluzzi, 359.40, 5
5 Ben Eccles, 358.35, 14
6 Jak Carter, 329.41, 14
7 Adam Scott, 326.67, 2
8 Kerry Mountcastle, 316.79, 15
9 Marc Leishman, 314.93, 2
10 Lachlan Barker, 303.74, 14
The New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport has announced that two of the Asian Tour’s most talented players will tee it up at Millbrook Resort between February 29 and March 3.
Jazz Jannewattananond from Thailand and Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho will both take to the fairways in Queenstown as part of the Asian Tour partnership. More than 40 Asian Tour players will compete at the New Zealand Open for ranking points towards the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit.
Tournament Director Michael Glading is excited to have Jannewattananond and Kho as part of the field and believes both have the goods to take the title.
“Jazz and Taichi are fantastic players and it’s great to have them come and play in the New Zealand Open. We are quite excited to have them both headline the Asian Tour field,” he said.
“Jazz has won seven times on the Asian Tour and is tied seventh for the most wins which shows his quality and ability. We’re delighted to have Jazz return after his fourth place finish at the 100th New Zealand Open back in 2019. He is one to watch for sure.
“And in the last 12 months Taichi collected huge accolades including being the first Hong Kong player to win an Asian Tour event, the first golfer from Hong Kong to play in the Open Championship, and more recently was awarded the Asian Tour Rookie of the Year. Taichi is clearly one of the most talented young players on tour.”
Newly married, Jannewattananond will be hoping to be amongst the top end of the field replicating the form that saw him come close to the New Zealand Open title back in 2019 where he claimed an outright fourth place, only three shots behind eventual winner Zach Murray.
Jannewattananond has been ranked as high as 38th in the world, earning him a place in the 2020 Masters Tournament.
“Having been to Queenstown before, I’m really looking forward to returning and this time will be extra special as I’ll be bringing my wife with me to experience one of the more beautiful places I have been to in the world,” said Jannewattananond.
“I remember Millbrook from my time there in 2019. It’s a terrific course and the views are breathtaking. Let’s hope I can make it into the winners circle as that would make for a fantastic second honeymoon.”
Kho had his breakthrough year on the Asian Tour in 2023, finishing ninth on their Order of Merit. His 2023 year was highlighted by a win at the World City Championship in only his fourth start as a professional and becoming the first player from Hong Kong to win on the Asian Tour.
A graduate of Notre Dame University in the USA, he only secured his Asian Tour card last year, and is fast becoming one of the leading players in South East Asia.
“It’s not my first time to Queenstown. I was the first alternative in 2023 and travelled down in the hope of getting to play, but didn’t get to start. Queenstown is very beautiful and was one of the most memorable places I have visited. To actually play it this year makes it even more special,” said Kho.
These two Asian Tour stars will be joined by other prominent Asian Tour players like Travis Smyth (ranked #4 in 2023), New Zealand’s own Ben Campbell (#5), Thai star Gunn Charoenkul (who ran sixth in the 2023 New Zealand Open) and American Berry Henson, who returns after a three year absence.
The 103rd New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport will take place at Millbrook Resort in Queenstown between February 29 and March 3, 2024.
For the third time this year, Kazuma Kobori ended a Sunday holding a Webex Players Series Trophy aloft, this time at Castle Hill Country Club after he emerged from a four-way tie for the lead after 54-holes.
Having had less than his best Saturday, Kobori was almost surprised to still hold a share of the Webex Players Series Sydney lead heading into the final round and steeled himself for a shoot-out that ended with a fairly comfortable trip into the clubhouse and a similarity with a legend of the game for the rising star.
Out in the second to last group alongside compatriot Kerry Mountcastle, Kobori birdied the par-3 2nd as his playing partner made bogey, with Harrison Crowe and Jenny Shin, the other two leaders, failing to convert birdie putts at the opening two holes.
At the uphill par-4 next, it was Mountcastle who threw the opening salvo when he holed out for an eagle two from 129 metres and caused Kobori some slight distress.
“It was really good until he just made it on 3. So that got me a bit rattled to say the least, and then it was good early on, because we were kind of trading birdies, he kind of withered away a bit at the end,” Kobori said of his playing partner.
The 22-year-old nearly had his own moment of magic at the par-3 4th when his bunker shot hit the flag, leaving a tap-in par. The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia rookie making four birdies in the next five holes to pull in front as the charge of Mountcastle subsided. Crowe’s own push failing to eventuate, while Shin and veteran Brendan Jones emerged as the most likely to spoil Kobori’s hat-trick aspirations.
Turning at 23-under, Kobori would make just one more birdie at the par-4 13th, but was all but assured of the title when he tapped in for par at the 18th for a final round 66 and score of 24-under, with Shin the only player a chance to catch him after birdie at 17, her birdie at the last giving her second alone one back.
“Sounds very good to me,” Kobori said of the three-time Webex Players Series winner moniker. “It was one of those days where early on it just didn’t really click, but I knew if I just stayed patient, things were going to go my way and they did so I am very grateful.”
Also grateful was Jones, who although disappointed not to grab the trophy, believes his game and mind are in a good place for his 2024 season on the Asian Tour.
Finally working out his old home club’s front nine, including five straight birdies before the turn, Jones’ charge was halted by two back nine bogeys and missed birdie chances in just his second tournament after a six week break without touching a club.
“Did what I had to do on the front nine, then made a sloppy bogey on 10,” Jones said during a summation of his final round.
“Overall, two weeks back, 22-under, going to come second or third, that’s a good start.”
Noting her lack of sharpness, Shin was in good spirits as she hastily signed golf balls for some fans before departing for Thailand and the start of her LPGA Tour season. Her double bogey at the par-3 11th a key moment in her eventual second place.
“It’s not too awful, I obviously didn’t know it was a mixed event with men, so I am pretty happy,” Shin said.
Standing on the putting green watching Shin’s attempt to draw level, Kobori’s celebrations were fairly subdued, perhaps understandably for someone for whom winning has become a habit of late.
The former amateur star excited to learn his third win in his 10th start as a professional means he has the same win record as Tiger Woods at the same stage of his early life as a pro.
“Sounds good,” he said of hearing the statistic. “Probably need to get a few more wins under my belt, to be in the same conversation as that man, but it feels like I am on the right track.”
The other professional track Kobori is following is that of fellow SPORTFIVE managed player David Micheluzzi, who like Kobori skipped chances as Tour schools in favour of chasing a DP World Tour card on his home Tour. A card Kobori is almost guaranteed of locking up from the Order of Merit, where he is currently in second with three cards on offer.
“I made a pretty bold call this year not playing Asian Tour Q School, instead committing to other Tours and stuff, so pretty happy with how it’s going and then get my world ranking up and it would be pretty cool,” said Kobori, who for the second time this year will receive bonus points on the Official World Golf Rankings for multiple wins in one year.
More bonus points on offer if he were to become a four-time Webex Players Series winner next week in the Hunter Valley at a tournament his sister, Momoka, lost in a play-off two years ago.
“Four in a row would be good, I will be taking Monday-Tuesday off for sure. I’ll be taking it pretty light, but I don’t think I need to change too much.”
Also winning multiple Webex Players Series titles this year was Cameron Pollard who claimed a second All Abilities title for 2024, the New South Welshman finishing eight-over with an eight shot advantage over Lochie Smith.
“I have a lot of fun. Turning up playing golf, what more could you ask for. Winning especially is even better,” he said.
Playing alongside Crowe and Shin in the final group, Royal Canberra’s Harry Whitelock produced a mercurial performance to reach nine-under for two days and an 11 shot win over Rachel Lee in the Junior competition. The 16-year-old smiling ear-to-ear with father and caddie Steve after driving the par-4 16th green in front of a large crowd and going one better than last year at Bonnie Doon.
“It was so much fun today, and yesterday. The pros I played with were awesome, they were so accommodating of me and they really looked after me. It was heaps of fun.”
Australia’s Harrison Endycott is relishing the opportunity to play around the world and is taking inspiration from Dylan Frittelli’s recent success ahead of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
The DP World Tour returns to Doha Golf Club this week just over 100 days since the last staging of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, as the event enters its 27th year on the schedule.
Frittelli triumphed at last week’s Bahrain Championship presented by Bapco Energies and Endycott, who has similar playing rights to his South African counterpart, is hoping to follow in his footsteps to secure full privileges on the DP World Tour.
The 27-year-old Sydney native won on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2022 to earn a PGA TOUR card and will split his time between America and the DP World Tour in the 2024 season, which started with a tie for 16th in Manama last week.
“It’s great to be able to play over here on the DP World Tour,” Endycott said.
“I haven’t had a load of chances to play over here on this tour, but every time I have, I’ve really enjoyed it.
“I’d like to play a bit of both on my schedule this year. The way golf is, the States does get to some players, especially me, a bit repetitive, and to mix it up with another schedule, this is a global game and to be able to play around the world, it’s all I dreamed of as a kid.
“Now I’m in that position where I get to play all around the world, see amazing places and play in all new cultures.
“I’m really excited for this year, I’m going to see all new places that I haven’t seen before and go back to some places that I have seen. That’s what’s really exciting about 2024.”
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
West Australian Kirsten Rudgeley hopes to put the pain of a number of near misses to good use this year when she begins her 2024 Ladies European Tour campaign at the Magical Kenya Ladies Open.
A current member of the Golf Australia Rookie Squad, Rudgeley and Kiwi Momoka Kobori are the lone Australasians in action for the LET’s opening event of the season, a season in which sees the return of two co-sanctioned events in Australia (Women’s NSW Open and Australian Women’s Classic).
Rudgeley finished 30th on the moneylist in her rookie season in 2023 but let slip a golden opportunity to log a maiden win in the final event of the season.
Although that missed chance still smarts, the 22-year-old knows it is all part of the process of becoming accustomed to life on tour.
“It’s not great when you miss opportunities like that, but it’s a learning experience,” Rudgeley told the GolfWA website.
“My coach, Craig Bishop, told me to just go out on my first year and take it all in, and I feel like that’s what I did.
“That was good advice, because it’s hard being a rookie, especially all the travel.”
Although reluctant to set specific goals preferring to focus on each week as it comes, Rudgeley does believe that should she be in position to win again, she can finish the job.
“Can I win this year? I hope so,” said Rudgeley, whose amateur wins include the Scottish Women’s Open Championship and the English Women’s Amateur Championship.
“I’ve put myself in the position a couple of times and haven’t quite made it over the line.
“I’m happy with where my game is and my schedule for the year ahead, so if I’m in that position again I’ll be ready for it.”
As Rudgeley chases a first professional win, Rhein Gibson returns to Colombia this week to defend his Astara Golf Championship title.
It sparked the start of a stretch that looked to have the New South Welshman headed back to the PGA TOUR but he had just one top-10 in his last 17 events to finish 40th on the moneylist.
On the PGA TOUR this week, Min Woo Lee and New Zealand’s Ryan Fox make their debuts at the WM Phoenix Open in Scottsdale while David Micheluzzi and Harrison Endycott will be out to build on their top-20 finishes of a week ago at the DP World Tour’s Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
Cameron Smith and the Ripper GC boys back up this week too, in action at Liv Golf Las Vegas at Las Vegas Country Club.
Photo: Tristan Jones/LET
Round 1 tee times AEDT
PGA TOUR
WM Phoenix Open
TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Cse), Scottsdale, Arizona
1:42am* Aaron Baddeley, Eric Cole, Joseph Bramlett
6:22am* Keith Mitchell, Ben Martin, Min Woo Lee
6:44am Justin Thomas, Adam Scott, Cameron Young
7:39am Mark Hubbard, Robby Shelton, Ryan Fox (NZ)
Prize money: $US8,800,000
Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler
Past Aussie winners: Bruce Crampton (1973), Aaron Baddeley (2007)
TV times: Live 2am-12pm Friday, Saturday; Live 5am-10am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
DP World Tour
Commercial Bank Qatar Masters
Doha GC, Doha, Qatar
2:15pm Jaco Prinsloo, Kristian Krogh Johannessen, Sam Jones (NZ)
2:15pm* Marcus Helligkilde, Harrison Endycott, Marcus Kinhult
2:25pm* David Micheluzzi, Ashun Wu, Manuel Elvira
7pm* Jens Dantorp, Alvaro Quiros, Jason Scrivener
8:10pm Daniel Brown, Haotong Li, Daniel Hillier (NZ)
8:30pm* Haydn Barron, Jacques Kruyswijk, Jonas Blixt
Prize money: $US2,500,000
Defending champion: Sami Valimaki
Past Aussie winners: Adam Scott (2002, 2008)
TV times: Live 8pm-1am Thursday, Friday; Live 8:30pm-1am Saturday; Live 7:30pm-12:30am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Ladies European Tour
Magical Kenya Ladies Open
Vipingo Ridge, Kenya
4:40pm* Kirsten Rudgeley, Madelene Stavnar, Naomi Wafula (a)
9:27pm* Lauren Walsh, Hayley Davis, Momoka Kobori (NZ)
Prize money: €300,000
Defending champion: Aditi Ashok
Past Aussie winners: Nil
TV times: Live 11pm-2am Thursday on Fox Sports 507 and Kayo.
LIV Golf
LIV Golf Las Vegas
Las Vegas Country Club, Las Vegas, Nevada
Australasians in the field: Cameron Smith, Lucas Herbert, Marc Leishman, Matt Jones, Danny Lee (NZ)
Prize money: $US25,000,000
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
TV times: Live from 4:15am Saturday, Sunday, Monday on 7 Plus.
Korn Ferry Tour
Astara Golf Championship
Country Club de Bogota (Lagos Cse), Bogota, Colombia
11:45pm* Brett Drewitt, Richy Werenski, Wil Bateman
11:55pm* Jorge Fernández Valdés, Curtis Luck, Jackson Suber
12:35am* Dawson Armstrong, Bryson Nimmer, Charlie Hillier (NZ)
12:55am Rhein Gibson, Roberto Díaz, Thomas Rosenmueller
1:05am* Dimi Papadatos, Van Holmgren, Alistair Docherty
Prize money: $US1,000,000
Defending champion: Rhein Gibson
Past Aussie winners: Rhein Gibson (2023)
Challenge Tour
Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open
Royal Cape Golf Club, Cape Town, South Africa
Aussies in the field: Hayden Hopewell
Prize money: $US350,000
Defending champion: Ben Follett-Smith
Past Aussie winners: Nil
The road ahead has not always been clear for Brett Coletta, who was a brilliant junior golfer whose progress stalled when he turned professional and almost utterly halted by the pandemic.
But after he tapped in a par putt for a closing 65 at 13th Beach on Sunday to win the Vic Open, the biggest triumph of his career and his third tour win, Coletta’s journey is becoming more evident.
With double points for the Vic Open, Melburnian Coletta leapt to second on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit behind Min Woo Lee.
When he tees it up in the Webex Players Series Sydney at Castle Hill from this Thursday, he will know that when you factor in that PGA TOUR member Lee is on the road and unlikely to play another event on the domestic tour – and that only players who compete in a minimum four events are eligible for Order of Merit status – he’s notionally on top.
With just four tournaments remaining – Sydney, Webex Hunter Valley, the New Zealand Open (with stacked points as well) and The National Tournament Presented by BMW – Coletta is in position to lock in a top-three position which will hand him a DP World Tour card for 2024-25.
If he can finish first, he gets his first-ever major championship start at the Open Championship this July at Royal Troon.
Which is one of the reasons why he is grinding at Castle Hill this week. There’s so much for him to play for.
“Four events left,” he said. “I want to play really well in New Zealand. This helps with the Order Of Merit stuff. But I’m not resting. I want to nestle down and play well in one of those big ones. I want to show myself that I can play well in one of those big ones.”
Coletta is just 27.
His career has not been a straight line. As an amateur at the Victorian Institute of Sport, he won the 2016 Queensland Open against the professionals, was runner-up in the NSW Open the same year and tied-sixth in the Australian PGA Championship.
They were results that had good judges predicting greatness for him.
But until he beat Lincoln Tighe in a playoff at the Webex Players Series Hunter Valley in February last year, he had not won an event playing for money.
He’d spent time on the Korn Ferry Tour in the United States, coming close to qualifying for the PGA TOUR in 2020 but just missing out.
Then came the pandemic, and the travel restrictions.
“I feel like I’m a different person, for sure,” he said.
“I’m 27 now, I was only 23 at the time (when he played so well on the KFT). Definitely some sort of maturing goes on and Covid exacerbates that as well. I was stuck over there, I couldn’t get back, it was just a brutal time.
“I’ve been focusing on my golf full stop, and I’ve been playing really well, something like this (Vic Open) solidifies it for myself.”
PHOTO: Brett Coletta on his way to victory at 13th Beach. Image: Rob Prezioso
ORDER OF MERIT TOP 10
Rank Name Points Played
1 Min Woo Lee 1044 2*
2 Brett Coletta 544.85 11
3 Kazuma Kobori 536.93 8
4 David Micheluzzi 359.40 5
5 Ben Eccles 353.30 13
6 Adam Scott 326.67 2*
7 Jak Carter 321.59 13
8 Marc Leishman 314.93 2*
9 Lachlan Barker 303.74 13
10 Kerry Mountcastle 290.86 14
The WA Open, which will celebrate its 100th staging in 2024, has been locked in for October 17-20.
The WA Open will take place the week after the WA PGA Championship in Kalgoorlie and forms part of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia’s Summer of Golf, which builds up to the Australian PGA Championship and Australian Open in November and December.
Mandurah Country Club will host the championship for the first time after GolfWA reached an agreement with Visit Mandurah and the City of Mandurah to bring the event to the Peel region after a 29-year hiatus. Meadow Springs Golf Club was the last club in the region to host the championship back in 1995.
This year’s event will offer a prize fund in excess of $175,000 and will be free for spectators to attend. Tasmanian Simon Hawkes is the defending champion after his thrilling victory at the 2023 WA Open at Joondalup Resort in October.
The WA Open was first staged in 1913 and has a star-studded roll of honour that includes Greg Norman, Gary Player, Terry Gale, Brett Rumford, Stephen Leaney and Curtis Luck.
Jason Day’s hopes of a maiden win at the iconic Pebble Beach Golf Links have been dashed due to wild weather lashing the California coastline.
The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am – the second Signature event of the PGA TOUR season – was initially scheduled for a Monday finish due to “inclement weather and safety concerns”, players and commentators posting videos showing the veracity of the conditions.
This is 18 at Pebble this morning just after sunrise. pic.twitter.com/Ys4aJfErVd
— Todd Lewis (@ToddLewisGC) February 4, 2024
Yet in consultation with Monterey County emergency authorities who have implemented a ‘Shelter in Place’ order until Monday morning for the greater Pebble Beach community, PGA TOUR officials decided to cancel the final round “out of an abundance of caution for the safety of all constituents“.
As a result, tournament results are final through the conclusion of 54 holes.
Runner-up in 2018 and with a total of eight top-10s from 13 appearances, Day has continually shown he has the game to be victorious at Pebble Beach.
On the back of a 9-under 63 in Round 3 on Saturday, Day was hopeful that he would have an opportunity to launch a Round 4 assault.
“I’m hoping we play 72 holes, that would be nice, especially because it’s a Signature event and you want to finish the tournament,” said Day.
“It would be disappointing to play 54 holes.”
Tied for 10th at The Sentry to open his 2024 campaign, Day is looking more and more like the player who rose to No.1 in the world in 2015.
It is also giving validity too to his claims that after period of back injuries he can yet again climb to the very top of world golf.
Now 36 years of age, Day acknowledges that his experience on Tour is a tool he can use to add to his tally of 13 career PGA TOUR wins.
“It’s surprising because this is my 17th season on the Tour,” Day added.
“I’m getting older and the guys that come out every single year, the new faces are getting younger.
“With that being said, watching these young guys play knowing that they’re hitting it further and they’re full of confidence and they’re big and strong, I feel like I’ve got the experience on my side to be able to handle certain situations, pressure situations.
“I just have to make sure that I do everything I possibly can to make sure that I’m healthy, I don’t lose any speed and I mentally want to.
“If I can do those few things, I should have a decent second half of my career.”
With one round to play at Pebble Beach, all three Aussies are inside the top 20, Adam Scott and Cam Davis four back of Day in a tie for 20th.
With a limited field at Pebble Beach, Sydney’s Harrison Endycott took his talents to the DP World Tour where he finished tied for 16th at the Bahrain Championship.
Endycott shared top Aussie honours with reigning Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner David Micheluzzi, who posted 68 in the final round for his third top-20 finish on the DP World Tour in the past year.
In the opening event of the LIV Golf season, Cameron Smith’s tie for eighth was the best of the Aussie contingent as 2023 ISPS HANDA Australian Open champion Joaquinn Niemann took out LIV Golf Mayakoba on the fourth hole of a playoff with Sergio Garcia.
Results
PGA TOUR
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, California
Reduced to 54 holes due to inclement weather
1 Wyndham Clark 72-67-60—199
T6 Jason Day 69-71-63—20
T20 Cam Davis 70-69-68—207
T20 Adam Scott 72-67-68—207
DP World Tour
Bahrain Championship
Royal Golf Club, Kingdom of Bahrain, Bahrain
1 Dylan Fritelli 67-68-69-71—275 €390,779.85
T16 Harrison Endycott 69-68-73-73—283 €28,832.33
T16 David Micheluzzi 70-74-71-68—283 €28,832.33
T43 Haydn Barron 71-73-76-67—287 €12,183.14
T56 Jason Scrivener 71-73-74-72—290 €7,011.05
MC Sam Jones (NZ) 77-73—150
Korn Ferry Tour
The Panama Championship
Club de Golf de Panama, Panama City, Panama
1 Isaiah Salinda 70-65-68-65—268 $US180,000
T52 Curtis Luck 73-65-70-77—285 $4,180
MC Brett Drewitt 75-71—146
MC Dimi Papadatos 69-79—148
MC Rhein Gibson 80-71—151
LIV Golf
LIV Golf Mayakoba
El Camaleón Mayakoba Golf Course, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
1 Joaquin Niemann 59-72-70—201 $US4m
Won on the fourth hole of sudden death playoff
T8 Cameron Smith 69-70-67—206 $457,500
T21 Lucas Herbert 70-70-71—211 $215,000
T25 Matt Jones 73-73-66—212 $190,000
T25 Marc Leishman 68-74-70—212 $190,000
48 Danny Lee (NZ) 71-73-75—219 $120,000
Challenge Tour
SDC Open
Zebula Golf Estate & Spa, Limpopo, South Africa
1 Rhys Enoch 66-66-66-66—264 €51,008.26
T52 Hayden Hopewell 70-68-71-71—280 €1,705.64
Two late birdies have clinched Queensland’s Murray Lott the 2024 Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools & Spa NZ PGA Seniors Championship at Hanmer Springs Golf Club.
Part of the PGA Professional team at Victoria Park in Brisbane, Lott displayed admirable mental fortitude over the final nine holes, making two birdies coming home for a round of 1-under 67 and a one-stroke win at 6-under par from Mark Boulton (65) with Martin Peterson (66) and Scott Ford (68) tied for third a further stroke back.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Now a four-time winner on the PGA Legends Tour, Lott had to do overtime on day two after inclement weather forced the suspension of play late in Round 1.
When he returned Sunday morning Lott closed out an opening round of 5-under 63 at the par-68 layout to take a one-shot lead into the final round.
With New South Welshman Scott Ford nipping at his heels, Lott began his second round in shaky fashion, making two bogeys and a single birdie in his outward nine to fall behind.
Lott was ecstatic to lift the trophy, especially as he’d never played Hanmer Springs Golf Club
before.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I obviously played really great and had 5-under,” Lott said of his opening round.
“I made plenty of putts and didn’t make a bogey which I thought was pretty key around here – it’s pretty easy to make simple bogeys.
“The first round set me up nicely for Round 2. I played pretty solid in the second round, I just
missed a couple of greens early on and made some soft bogeys.
“I was really solid on the back nine and managed to make a couple of birdies coming home.
“Fortunately, I was able to hang on and claim the victory – it’s a sweet win.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Murray Lott 63-67—130
2 Mark Boulton 66-65—131
T3 Martin Peterson 66-66—132
T3 Scott Ford 64-68—132
5 Brad Burns 67-66—133
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour continues its New Zealand swing this week with the St Clair Legends Pro-Am on Wednesday, North Otago Legends Pro-Am on Friday and the Tokarahi Legends Pro-Am on Saturday.
