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With The National Tournament presented by BMW underway, the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season is drawing to a close for 2023/2024. As we prepare to see who will claim the final title, and where the three DP World Tour cards will fall, we are counting down 14 shots that defined this season.
Here are the first four memorable moments of season 2023/2024.
14. DAVID MICHELUZZI – Final Round, Victorian PGA
Standing in the middle of the third fairway at Moonah Links’ Open Course, the Victorian was a distant seven shots behind the leader, Kazuma Kobori, and needing something good to happen.
And what he produced was better than good – a wedge that hit the firm green and rolled to a few centimetres from the cup set up a birdie to kickstart the reigning Order of Merit champion’s charge to the title.
“I’m really proud of how I got myself into the mix, and I holed a few good putts coming in which I’m really proud of,” he said.
“I spoke to my coach yesterday and we just said, ‘Keep moving forward’, and that’s kind of been the message all season really.”
13. BEN ECCLES – Final Round, CKB WA PGA
Enduring a sleepless night despite a six-shot lead, Ben Eccles got off to a rocky start in the final round of CKB WA PGA at Kalgoorlie Golf Course before he found some magic.
Holing solid par putts at the seventh and eighth, the Victorian was unaware that his lead was shrinking playing the par-4 ninth, where he found a bunker long and left of the green.
Facing a shot over some unfriendly green surrounds, Eccles hit what he called the “best shot I’ve ever hit” from the sand that ultimately dived in the bottom of the hole for birdie, kickstarting a back nine march to an emotional victory.
“I knew I had to keep pushing. There are so many good players in there ,” Eccles said.
“I said to myself on the 10th tee, ‘Stick to what you’ve been doing, keep applying yourself the way you want, keep trying to play the game the way that you want to play it’.”
12. KERRY MOUNTCASTLE – Third Round, Gippsland Super 6
Kerry Mountcastle would eventually survive a marathon Sunday of six hole matches to win the Gippsland Super 6. However, the Kiwi’s moment came a day earlier to earn a spot on the final day.
Finishing the 54 holes of strokeplay tied with 10 players in 17th place on six-under, Mountcastle went to extra holes and having already played the 18th hole at Warragul Country Club once and failing to earn a top-24 spot, the Kiwi made the trip again.
Finding the greenside bunker, Mountcastle produced a superb splash shot that rolled past the hole to five feet.
“I only just snuck in today through the play-off yesterday, so I kind of came into today just trying to finish as high as I could for the Order of Merit … and all of a sudden I was in the final,” Mountcastle said.
“I was probably more nervous in that (Saturday) play-off than I was at any point today.”
11. LACHLAN BARKER – Final Round, PNG Open
Lachlan Barker was chasing a first win at the opening event of the season and having reeled in 54-hole leader Chris Wood on the front nine, the South Australian secured the PNG Open.
Adopted by the local crowd as a favourite, Barker made a popular birdie at the par-4 14th with a green ringed by spectators in tents before a second shot at the next that instilled the confidence that he was on his way to victory.
A double dogleg par-5 lined by trees and water, Barker took 4-iron for his second shot that found the green and setup a two-putt birdie ensuring a comfortable walk to the clubhouse.
“I just ripped 4-iron into about 15 feet and I was like, ‘That’s it, I’m not losing’,” Barker said.
“It was just two pure shots. That would be a shot where I go, ‘Yeah, that was good’.”
Tomorrow – We countdown numbers 10-7
He has gone from unknown underdog to cult hero inside a year and Min Woo Lee has vowed to harness the fan frenzy ahead of his second appearance at THE PLAYERS Championship in Florida.
The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass is arguably golf’s greatest theatre, a course purpose-built to showcase the game’s best on 18 separate stages.
Already a two-time DP World Tour winner with a growing social media presence when he made his PLAYERS debut in 2023, Lee generated an instant US fan base when he played his way into the final group on Sunday alongside world No.1 Scottie Scheffler.
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That shot of celebrity spawned the ‘Let him cook’ tagline that has become his signature, sparking crazy scenes at home in Australia and, more recently, the WM Open in Phoenix.
When he tees off at 11:02pm AEDT tonight, the crowds at TPC Sawgrass will be well versed in Min Woo-mania, and the 25-year-old intends to put on a show.
“I play well in front of a crowd, especially when they’re supporting me,” said Lee.
“It’s a big tournament but I play my best when I’m playing with the crowd and playing good golf.”
Rather than running out for an AFL or NRL grand final, Lee says that the excitement of playing in the final group at THE PLAYERS builds to a crescendo.
As you navigate the par-5 16th, the energy from golf’s most debated hole – the par-3 17th – seeps out of the grandstands and off the hill overflowing with fans.
The tee shot might be the most nerve-jangling in the sport, Lee showing the thousands surrounding the island green and millions of golf fans around the world that he is built for the moment.
“I don’t know what it’s like to walk out for an AFL Grand Final but I feel like it would be something like that,” said Lee, who finished sixth on debut.
“It’s more going around 16, 17, 18. It’s pretty special to have that environment. There’s a lot of people on 17 around the hill and in the grandstands.
“It’s a special feeling. A feeling of like a pat on the back, that you’ve done really well to get to this situation and a lot of people are supporting you.
“Playing in the final group on the Sunday, it was kind of my first time so it was nice to be out there and have the crowd with me I guess, have a bit of an underdog feel.
“A lot of good stuff has happened since then and really excited for this week.”
🏌️♂️ Adam Scott
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 12, 2024
🏌️♂️ Min Woo Lee
🏌️♂️ Jason Day
Whose swing are you taking? https://t.co/CCHOJIWvSF pic.twitter.com/IhUJYDbxHb
To enhance his chances of a maiden PGA TOUR title this week, Lee played a practice round with fellow Aussies and former PLAYERS champions, Adam Scott and Jason Day.
They have gone from heroes to contemporaries and friends, priceless sources of information for a young player with the highest aspirations in the sport, even if he does play his second shots from slightly ahead of them.
“I would say 10 yards. Not too far,” Lee said with a smile of his advantage off the tee.
“Being friends with them, I can text them and see if they want to play and usually they say yes.
“It is awesome. I feel like I’ve talked about them and watched a lot of YouTube videos of them but the last 5-10 years when I was growing up, I really did look up to them.
“They obviously played amazing golf in the past century so it’s very cool to have them as a friend.”
Lee, Scott and Day will be joined by Cam Davis and Aaron Baddeley in seeking to add to Australia’s success at THE PLAYERS, Ryan Fox trying to become the first Kiwi since Craig Perks in 2002 to win at TPC Sawgrass.
Elsewhere this week there are 15 Aussies teeing it up at the International Series Macau on the Asian Tour and three at the Epson Tour’s IOA Golf Classic, the tournament Grace Kim won two years ago on her way to the LPGA Tour.
Photo: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Round 1 tee times AEDT
PGA TOUR
THE PLAYERS Championship
TPC Sawgrass (Stadium Cse), Ponte Vedra Beach
11:02pm* Joel Dahmen, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Min Woo Lee
11:13pm* Jason Day, Si Woo Kim, Matt Kuchar
11:46pm* Ludvig Åberg, Patrick Cantlay, Adam Scott
12:19am* CT Pan, Kevin Streelman, Ryan Fox (NZ)
4:07am Cam Davis, Sam Ryder, Stephan Jaeger
5:24am* Aaron Baddeley, Ben Griffin, Davis Thompson
Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler
Past Aussie winners: Steve Elkington (1991, 1997), Greg Norman (1994), Adam Scott (2004), Jason Day (2016), Cameron Smith (2022)
Prize money: $US25 million
TV times: Live 11:30pm-10am Thursday, Friday; Live 1am-10am Saturday; Live 12am-9am Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
Asian Tour
International Series Macau
Macau Golf and Country Club, Macau
10:05am* Scott Hend, Jazz Janewattananond, Ian Poulter
10:25am* Andy Ogletree, Mito Pereira, Wade Ormsby
10:40am Chang Wei-lun, Ben Leong, Marcus Fraser
11:05am* Sarit Suwannarut, John Catlin, Danny Lee (NZ)
11:10am Andrew Dodt, Hung Chien-yao, Michael Maguire
11:20am Michael Hendry (NZ), Neil Schietekat, Jeongwoo Ham
11:35am* Mingyu Cho, Jed Morgan, Koh Deng Shan
11:45am* Aaron Wilkin, Ye Wocheng, Jared Du Toit
2:50pm* Maverick Antcliff, Justin Harding, Kalle Samooja
2:55pm Denwit Boriboonsub, Travis Smyth, Jason Kokrak
3:05pm Nitithorn Thippong, Ben Campbell (NZ), Takumi Kanaya
3:25pm Lucas Herbert, Phachara Khongwatmai, Sergio Garcia
3:30pm* Ian Snyman, Rattanon Wannasrichan, Todd Sinnott
3:45pm Sanghyun Park, Brendan Jones, Trevor Simsby
3:50pm* Rashid Khan, Seungtaek Lee, Zach Murray
4:05pm Chikkarangappa S, Steve Lewton, Kevin Yuan
4:10pm* Yeongsu Kim, Settee Prakongvech, Deyen Lawson
4:15pm Justin Warren, William Harrold, Kristoffer Broberg
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US2 million
TV times: Live 4:30pm-8:30pm Thursday, Friday on Fox Sports 503; Live 3pm-7pm Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 507 and Kayo.
Epson Tour
IOA Golf Classic
Alaqua Country Club, Longwood, Florida
11:11pm* Brianna Do, Irene Kim, Fiona Xu (NZ)
11:22pm* Amy Chu, Mara King, Tristyn Nowlin
11:44pm* Julie Aime, Amelia Garvey (NZ), Amy Lee
4:34am Jenny Bae, Cassie Porter, Michelle Zhang
5:07am* Vivian Hou, Amelia Lewis, Su Oh
Defending champion: Jenny Coleman
Past Aussie winners: Grace Kim (2022)
Prize money: $US200,000
It is best remembered for his clutch up-and-down on the 72nd hole but on the eve of the 20th anniversary of his victory at THE PLAYERS Championship, Adam Scott has revealed his one regret from that historic win.
Scott is one of five Aussies in the field for THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass this week, the 50th staging of what has become one of the game’s most iconic events.
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There have been five Australian champions at THE PLAYERS – Steve Elkington (1991 and 1997), Greg Norman (1994), Scott (2004), Jason Day (2016) and Cameron Smith (2022) – with Scott making history as the youngest ever winner.
That mantle was taken by Si Woo Kim when the Korean won in 2017 at 21 years of age but has not dulled Scott’s fondness for a victory that established the Queenslander as one of the world’s best young players.
Now 43, Scott has revealed what came next immediately after his win, and what he will do differently were he to win again this Sunday.
“We went back to Stuart Appleby’s house in Orlando later that Sunday evening as I didn’t have a place back then in the States,” Scott writes in a blog for Australian Golf Digest.
“There wasn’t any huge celebration which is disappointing because young Adam definitely didn’t fear a celebration!
“What was great was my girlfriend was there, who’s now my wife, my coach Butch Harmon was there and it’s one of those big moments in my career where I have special memories about winning that afternoon.
“Maybe I have to make up for not celebrating 20 years ago and have an absolute blinder if I win again.”
Conceding that nerves may have played a part in missing a birdie chance on the par-5 16th on Sunday that would have given him a three-stroke lead, Scott stood on the tee of the devilish par-3 17th two strokes in front.
He hit wedge to the centre of the island green and made par, next faced with a tee shot at the par-4 18th with the prospect of severe penalty for even the slightest mistake.
The tee shot was navigated successfully enough but left him with an in-between yardage for his second.
“That’s where I became unstuck and hooked a 6-iron into the water,” Scott recalled.
“I was very nervous on that subsequent pitch shot, which was my fourth. Pitching wasn’t a strong suit of my game back then, but I’d been working hard at it earlier that week.
“You just somehow clear your mind and go with trust and I hit a pretty good one to about eight feet.
“I clearly remember not being so nervous over that final putt. I don’t know whether it was a confident read or what it was, but I felt very calm and made it for the win.
“Winning THE PLAYERS was a huge deal at that point in my career. It is certainly one of the biggest tournaments and is clearly above all other tournaments on the PGA TOUR.
“For a 23-year-old kid to become the youngest winner back then, and to beat a great field on an incredible test of a golf course, was a big boost for my career.”
Live coverage of THE PLAYERS Championship is on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo, on the dedicated THE PLAYERS channel from 11:15pm AEDT Thursday night.
Photo: Stan Badz/PGA TOUR
Breakout Kiwi star Kazuma Kobori is ready to rub shoulders with the likes of Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth at this year’s Open Championship after being officially declared the 2023/2024 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit champion.
A three-time winner since January after earning his Tour card by winning Qualifying School last April, Kobori has an unassailable lead with just one event remaining, this week’s The National Tournament presented by BMW at The National Golf Club.
While six other players are still in the hunt for the final two DP World Tour cards, Kobori can tee it up from Thursday safe in the knowledge that he will have status when the 2025 DP World Tour commences with the Australian PGA Championship from November 21-24.
It is a rapid ascension for a 22-year-old who only turned professional at the start of November and who, midway through the season, was concerned that he wouldn’t keep his card.
But the golf world is soon to open up to him, including an exemption to the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon in July.
“I was just trying to get the DP World Tour card for next year and then my manager called me a couple of days after NZ Open and said that I had The Open sealed up too,” said Kobori.
“That’s pretty cool. For me, it was a bit of a bonus because I actually didn’t know that was part of the deal.
“Needless to say, I’ll take it.”
How things stand ahead of the final event of the season
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) March 5, 2024
Kazuma Kobori 🔒, Matthew Griffin in with a chance at top 3 👀
Full OoM: https://t.co/nmi3SVcJoK pic.twitter.com/FwVtISnUPa
Given that he didn’t take up golf seriously until he was 12 years of age, Kobori’s earliest memories of major championships are post-2010, when McIlroy and Spieth were at their most dominant.
He is now coming to terms with the fact that he will play The Open Championship alongside them in just four months’ time.
“Obviously Tiger Woods was pretty dominant at the major championships but I started golf a bit later, when I was 10. Properly started playing when I was 12 so 2010 onwards, the guys playing major championships, those really stuck to me,” he added.
“Rory, Jordan Spieth winning The Open Championship, stuff like that.
“To be able to play in that tournament myself is something that I am really looking forward to.”
Changing seasons
Truth be told, this Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season was Kobori’s back-up plan.
With a category secured at Q School, Kobori’s major focus was the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in October.
The week prior, he was individual medallist at the Eisenhower Trophy in Abu Dhabi and, after one round at Royal Melbourne, was leading by two strokes.
A win that week would have earned Kobori a start at both The Open and The Masters, provided he retained his amateur status.
He would ultimately finish sixth, turn pro three days later and finish tied for ninth in his first start at the Queensland PGA Championship at Nudgee.
Two weeks later he squandered a six-stroke lead on the final day of the Victorian PGA Championship and, after missed cuts at both the Australian PGA and Australian Open, took a reality check heading into Christmas.
“This was the plan, and the best possible outcome, if you will. That being said, it’s not how I thought it would go at all,” Kobori conceded.
“After the Aus Open I was sitting 38th or something on the Order of Merit and thinking, This is pretty brutal if I’m going to try and keep my card.”
As others took a Christmas break, Kobori went to work.
After a poor finish at the Heritage Classic to start 2024 he won three of the next four tournaments, matching Tiger Woods’ lofty mark of three wins in his first 10 starts as a professional.
Although a missed cut at the New Zealand Open delayed confirmation if only for a couple of days, Kobori has now advanced further down his professional golf pathway than he could have imagined only a few months earlier.
“It’s fantastic; it’s a dream come true,” he said of his Order of Merit rewards.
“I’ll be 23 by the time I start my DP World Tour season properly but that’s way further ahead of my timeline than I could have ever imagined.
“This is the pathway that I planned out for myself but it’s gone much more quickly than I had thought.”
The only place to watch The National Tournament presented by BMW live is on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
Photo: Monica Marchesani
With their first majors of the year looming, Cam Smith and Minjee Lee are trending in the right direction.
Smith, the 2022 Open champion, was beaten in a playoff by Mexico’s Abraham Ancer in the latest LIV Golf event in Hong Kong, his best result for 2024 with the trip to Augusta National now just a month away.
After rescuing a par thanks to a great approach shot on his final hole, Smith finished alongside Ancer and England’s Paul Casey at 13-under after three rounds, highlighted by a 6-under 64 on day two.
Ancer birdied the playoff hole, while his opponents had to settle for a bogey.
“It was a step in the right direction this week,” said Smith, who had started the final day six strokes back.
“Played some really patient golf over the weekend. A lot different than the first few weeks.”
Smith came into Hong Kong with a previous season best of T8 in his opening event of the year.
In China, Minjee Lee was in contention throughout the Blue Bay LPGA tournament, eventually finishing in a tie for fourth at 13-under, six shots behind the winner, American Bailey Tardy.
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The world No.5, who won this event in 2016, led after a first-round 65 but gave up her advantage with a 72 on day two.
The first women’s major for 2024, the Chevron Championship, starts on April 18.
On the PGA TOUR, Cam Davis was the best-placed Australian at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, finishing in equal 18th after a closing round of 2-under 70 at Bay Hill improved his position by 13 places.
Only four players shot in the 60s on Sunday, led by a 66 from world No.1 Scottie Scheffler who triumphed by five shots.
Gabi Ruffels turned in a solid week in her second LPGA event of 2024 to end up T15.
On the secondary Epson Tour, Cassie Porter started her year in fine style, finishing third, just two shots out of a playoff, at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic.
Meanwhile, on the PGA TOUR Champions, Greg Chalmers produced a top 10 on debut, claiming a share of seventh at the Cologuard Classic, just four shots behind the winner, Joe Durant.
“I am so excited!! T7 gets me into the next event in a week..this has been one of the most enjoyable experiences of my career,” Chalmers said on X/Twitter.
PGA TOUR
Arnold Palmer Invitational
Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Florida
1 Scottie Scheffler 70-67-70-66–273 US$4,000,000
T18 Cam Davis 72-70-74-70–286 $289,000
T36 Jason Day 70-74-73-73–290 $88,375
T44 Min Woo Lee 69-73-76-73–291 $64,000
MC Adam Scott 73-76
Puerto Rico Open
Grand Reserve Golf Club, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
1 Brice Garnett 66-66-68-69–269 US$720,000
T23 Aaron Baddeley 70-69-67-70–276 $32,333
T42 Harrison Endycott 69-71-68-70–278 $13,423
MC Gareth Steyn (a) 71-73
MC Geoff Ogilvy 71-75
LPGA Tour
Blue Bay LPGA
Jian Lake Blue Bay Course, China
1 Bailey Tardy (USA) 68-70-66-65–269 US$330,000
T4 Minjee Lee 65-72-70-68–275 $95,907
T15 Gabi Ruffels 72-71-68-70–281 $29,247
MC Karis Davidson 72-75
MC Robyn Choi 75-73
DP World Tour
Jonsson Workwear Open
Glendower Golf Club, Edenvale, South Africa
1 Matteo Manassero 68-61-67-66–262 €255,000
T17 Jason Scrivener 68-66-70-68–272
LIV Golf
LIV Golf Hong Kong
Hong Kong Golf Club, Sheung Shui, Hong Kong
1 Abraham Ancer 63-62-72–197 US$4,000,000
T2 Cam Smith 67-64-66–197 $1.875,000
T2 Paul Casey (Eng ) 66-67-64–197 $1.875,000
(Ancer won on first playoff hole)
T15 Lucas Herbert 70-64-67–201 $278,750
T21 Matt Jones 64-68-71–203 $204,286
T29 Marc Leishman 68-68-69–205 $165,000
Champions Tour
Cologuard Classic
La Paloma Country Club, Tucson, Arizona
1 Joe Durant (USA) 67-66-67–200 US$330,000
T2 Steve Alker (NZ) 69-68-65–202 $161,333
T7 Greg Chalmers 67-70-67–204 $59.086
T17 David Bransdon 66-70-70–206 $32,065
T21 Steve Allen 71-68-68–207 $23,833
T21 Mark Hensby 71-66-70–207 $23,833
T27 Michael Wright 72-69-67–208 $18,260
T32 John Senden 71-67-71–209 $14,850
T43 Richard Green 75-67-69–211 $8800
T49 Rod Pampling 70-70-72–212 $6380
T61 Stuart Appleby 70-73-72–215 $3300
Korn Ferry Tour
Astara Chile Classic
Prince of Wales Country Club, Santiago, Chile
1 Taylor Dickson 68-67-70-66–271 US$180,000
T47 Curtis Luck 65-75-70-71–281 $4310
MC Rhein Gibson 75-66–141
MC Brett Drewitt 72-70–142
MC Charlie Hillier (NZ) 75-70–145
Epson Tour
Florida’s Natural Charity Classic
Country Club of Winter Haven, Winter Haven, Florida
1 Valery Plata (Col) 70-66-70–206 US$37,500
3 Cassie Porter 69-69-70–208 $17.092
MC Amelia Garvey (NZ) 77-73
MC Su Oh 76-79
After a dramatic three-way playoff, which saw players take two extra trips down the 18th fairway, Andrew Campbell has emerged as the 2024 Eynesbury Masters Pro-Am champion.
The win at Eynesbury also secures Campbell the national order of merit, even with one event to go tomorrow at Geelong, he cannot be beaten.
Joining Campbell in the playoff was Matias Sanchez and Andrew Kelly, who all shot 4-under in the afternoon groupings.
All three players made par on the first playoff hole, with Campbell and Kelly getting up and down from tricky positions.
With Sanchez and Kelly both in for par on the second playoff hole, the stage was clear for Campbell to drain his 20-footer for birdie and the win.
Queenslander William Bruyeres and Austin Bautista, who was playing alongside Campbell and Sanchez, finished just back from the leaders at 3-under.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Starting his day – fittingly – on 18-tee, Campbell got off to a dream start, making birdie on his opening hole.
A double-bogey two holes later however saw Campbell over-par early, but this was his first and only blemish of the day.
Campbell played flawlessly, with five more birdies coming in. Needing one more birdie for the outright win on his final hole, the short par-4 17th, Campbell’s putt just slid by.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Testing conditions out there, just kept playing my game and keeping myself in it, I knew I was up around the lead.”
“It’s pretty sweet to get a victory at any time, but especially here at Eynesbury.”
“Matias was a little bit sneaky, I didn’t realise he birdied the last two to get in the playoff, I was just trying to beat Austin!”
“There was a lot of good golf in the group so it just kept us going.”
“We go to Geelong tomorrow, and we got our last tour event at The National next week, so this is going to give me a heap of confidence going into that week.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-4 Andrew Campbell
-4 Andrew Kelly
-4 Matias Sanchez
-3 William Bruyeres
-3 Austin Bautista
-2 Rick Kulacz
-2 Kyle Michel
-2 Chris Wood
NEXT UP
The final Pro-Am series event for the season is tomorrow, with players heading to the MMd Geelong 9-hole Pro-Am.
It delayed his flight home to Chattanooga, Tennessee but David Hill left a happy man after his two-stroke win at the TFH Hire Services Goonawarra Legends Pro-Am.
A regular returnee to the PGA Legends Tour from his home in the US, Hill wielded a putter he had been given the night before with renewed confidence, his 4-under 66 at Goonawarra Golf Club in Melbourne’s north-west two to the better of Andre Stolz (68), Brendan Chant (68) and Scott Ford (68).
It was Hill’s first win since the Gardiners Run Legends Pro-Am a tick over 12 months ago and the perfect way to bring his Aussie stint to a close.
“I come out to Australia for a month or two each year, try and play the Melbourne schedule and this year I included New Zealand,” said Hill.
“By the time I come to the end I’m normally just getting warmed up so today was a big thrill.
“I was supposed to be on a 3 o’clock flight to head back to Chattanooga, Tennessee but that all had to change and we’re now headed out at 8.30.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
A 30-footer for birdie on his opening hole was an ideal introduction to Hill’s new putter but his round wasn’t without its setbacks.
He picked up a second birdie inside his first three holes at the par-4 first but then had to endure a three-hole stretch on the bogey train.
The 63-year-old returned to red numbers with birdies at five and six but it was his final flurry that would prove the difference, three birdies in his final five holes building the buffer he needed to make the plane ride home one to savour.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I’ve been playing OK but really struggling with the putter. Last night at about 6pm I visited a local guy who is an expert in putters. Talked through a few things, he gave me a great putter last night and first hole, 30-footer, boom, went in. I missed two or three short ones but I putted well and I knew that if I could putt well, I could contend. Well, I was shocked, 4-under.
“The goals are the same as they have been the past 30 years; I just want to play to my potential, whatever that is. And I just feel like I am underperforming a lot but today I didn’t underperform.
“Whether I won or not, I’m just happy that I played to my potential.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 David Hill 66
T2 Andre Stolz 68
T2 Brendan Chant 68
T2 Scott Ford 68
5 David Diaz 69
T6 Peter Fowler 70
T6 Carl Smedley 70
T6 Christopher Hynes 70
T6 Adam Henwood 70
T6 Martin Peterson 70
NEXT UP
There is a short break in the schedule before the PGA Legends Tour embarks on its South Australian swing, starting with the QUBE Logistics Legends Pro-Am at Aston Hills Golf Club on March 20.
Noted US-based PGA Professional Will Robins, who turned to golf coaching after sustaining injuries in the 2004 Thailand tsunami, has today been announced as the first keynote speaker for this year’s Golf Summit.
Focusing on the power of on-course coaching, Robins will present multiple times during the two-day conference, hosted by Golf Australia and PGA of Australia, at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on October 16-17.
Growing up in the United Kingdom, Robins moved to the United States to play college golf in Monterey, California, and graduated with a BBA in Marketing and Management from Northwood University in Florida in 2000.
Robins carved a career playing on the mini tours in the US before an incident on his honeymoon changed his life forever, and guided his future coaching philosophy.
Robins and his wife sustained injuries in the Indian Ocean tsunami, and these injuries put a stop to his playing days and ultimately led him into coaching.
Early in his coaching career, Robins noticed that most students came to him in a state of frustration which had reached a point where they no longer enjoyed golf. He took his playing skills and experience of survival to tailor a coaching program to inspire his students to love the game of golf again.
“Everyone has a tsunami in their life. Maybe It’s cancer, or a bankruptcy, or the death of a loved one. But there will always be a storm. The question is how you deal with it,” says Robins
A certified PGA professional, Robins is revolutionising global golf instruction through his coaching programs, guaranteeing results for players and doubling teaching/coaching revenue for instructors.
He owns WRGolf Coaching and is CEO of Robins Golf Logistix (RGX), based in Sacramento County, CA, where he mentors more than 80 coaches worldwide on implementing accelerated and guaranteed result programs.
Through his coaching and speaking, Robins inspires employees, clients and teams to overcome seemingly impossible objections and challenges and come out as better people.
Promising to be the Asia-Pacific region’s premier event welcoming the entire golf industry, tickets for the 2024 Golf Summit are on sale now.
Find tickets HERE.
Somebody get DJ Khaled on the phone because we’ve got ‘another one’. Just as the PGA TOUR Champions fraternity come to terms with Aussies taking four of five spots on offer at Qualifying School last December, Greg Chalmers has Monday qualified for this week’s Cologuard Classic in Arizona.
Denied the opportunity to try and Monday qualify for the first Champions Tour he was eligible to enter in October last year – he turned 50 two days after the qualifier – Chalmers only narrowly missed joining Cameron Percy, David Bransdon, Michael Wright and Steve Allan in securing a full card at Q School.
The two-time Australian Open and Australian PGA champion finished one shot shy of forcing a playoff for the fifth and final card but will now make his senior circuit debut, taking the total number of Aussies in the field to eight.
Ironically, Chalmers was already exempt into the Puerto Rico Open on the PGA TOUR but, in typical Chalmers style, is instead embracing his new status as a rookie on tour.
“This will be my first Champions Tour event and I might be a little excited about it,” said Chalmers in a tweet that garnered 279 comments, 45 retweets and close to 2,000 likes.
I just dropped my rental car off and picked up a tournament car @CologuardGolf …all the players get one😎(this is known as a “flex”)
— Greg Chalmers (@GregChalmersPGA) March 5, 2024
Chalmers is not the only Australian making their debut on a major tour this week.
West Australian amateur Gareth Steyn will make his PGA TOUR debut in Puerto Rico thanks to his victory at the White Sands Bahamas NCAA Men’s Invitational last October.
A redshirt sophomore at Georgia State University who hails from Joondalup in Perth, Steyn was formerly at Augusta University and is trying to treat this week as he would any other playing college golf.
“I haven’t prepared any differently from how I prepare for collegiate events because, at the end of the day, it’s still golf and lowest score wins,” Steyn said prior to arriving in Puerto Rico.
“If anything, that is a form of preparation, trying to make the event not bigger than what it actually is.”
Showing just what a step up in class he is facing, Steyn expects that the closest comparison he has to the crowds expected in Puerto Rico are those who turned out for the club championships back home at Joondalup Country Club.
“We have a very passionate membership at Joondalup and we get hundreds of members coming out to watch our club champion final,” Steyn added.
“Even though it’s an event that doesn’t really mean much, that’s probably the most support I’ve had.
“I don’t know what to expect, how many people will support me because obviously there will be bigger crowds around the bigger players, but I’m sure there’ll still be quite a lot around hole one and hole 18.”
Georgia State golfer Gareth Steyn discusses his opportunity to play in the this week's @PuertoRicoOpen.
— GSU Men's Golf (@GSU_MGolf) March 4, 2024
More ➡️ https://t.co/S13ivxfB6x#LightItBlue | #24PROpen pic.twitter.com/kFlN0MKTCT
Min Woo Lee’s runner-up finish at the Cognizant Classic has earned him a spot in the field for the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Adam Scott granted a sponsor’s exemption to join fellow Aussies Jason Day and Cam Davis at Bay Hill.
Also this week, Cameron Smith will be out to go one better at Hong Kong Golf Club for the inaugural LIV Golf Hong Kong.
Smith was runner-up to Ben Campbell in the Hong Kong Open late last year and is trying to solidify the work that he and coach Grant Field have done to improve his performance with the driver.
Photo: Tim Heitman/Getty Images
Round 1 tee times AEDT
PGA TOUR
Arnold Palmer Invitational
Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Florida
12:15am Will Zalatoris, Min Woo Lee
12:55am Jason Day, Tom Hoge
3:35am Cam Davis, Denny McCarthy
5:40am Sami Valimaki, Adam Scott
Defending champion: Kurt Kitayama
Past Aussie winners: Rod Pampling (2006), Jason Day (2016), Marc Leishman (2017)
Prize money: $US20 million
TV times: Live 5am-10am Friday, Saturday; Live 2am-10am Sunday; Live 1:30am-9am Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Puerto Rico Open
Grand Reserve Golf Club, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
10:45pm* Andrew Landry, Nate Lashley, Aaron Baddeley
10:56pm* Nicholas Lindheim, Harrison Endycott, Justin Hastings (a)
3:19am Geoff Ogilvy, George McNeill, Derek Lamely
4:14am Jimmy Stanger, Max Greyserman, Gareth Steyn (a)
Defending champion: Nico Echavarria
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US4 million
TV times: Live 2am-5am Friday, Saturday on Fox Sports 503; Live 6:30am-9am Sunday; Live 5:30am-8am Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
DP World Tour
Jonsson Workwear Open
Glendower Golf Club, Edenvale, South Africa
9:30pm* Jason Scrivener, Johannes Veerman, Louis Albertse
Defending champion: Nick Bachem
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US1.5 million
TV times: Live 9pm-2am Thursday, Friday; Live 9:30pm-2am Saturday; Live 8:30pm-1:30am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
LPGA Tour
Blue Bay LPGA
Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course, People’s Republic of China
10:30am* Celine Boutier, Lydia Ko (NZ), Minjee Lee
11:25am Robyn Choi, Caroline Inglis, Yue Ren
11:36am* Karis Davidson, Yijia Ren (a), Sarah Schmelzel
3:33pm Gabriela Ruffels, Miranda Wang, Yunxuan Zhang
Defending champion: Gaby Lopez (2018)
Past Aussie winners: Minjee Lee (2016)
Prize money: $US2.2 million
TV times: Live 3pm-8pm Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
LIV Golf
LIV Golf Hong Kong
Hong Kong Golf Club, Sheung Shui, Hong Kong
Australasians in the field: Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert, Matt Jones, Danny Lee (NZ)
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US20 million
TV times: Live from 3:15pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday on 7 Plus
Korn Ferry Tour
Astara Chile Classic
Prince of Wales Country Club, Santiago, Chile
10:05pm Tag Ridings, Curtis Luck, Frankie Capan III
10:35pm Brett Drewitt, Chris Petefish, Jacob Solomon
11:25pm Walker Lee, Charlie Hillier (NZ), Luke Long
2:35am Jorge Fernández Valdés, Rhein Gibson, Rick Lamb
Defending champion: Ben Kohles
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US1 million
PGA TOUR Champions
Cologuard Classic
La Paloma Country Club, Tucson, Arizona
Australasians in the field: Steven Alker (NZ), Stuart Appleby, David Bransdon, Greg Chalmers, Richard Green, Mark Hensby, Rod Pampling, John Senden, Michael Wright
Defending champion: David Toms
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US2.2 million
TV times: 1:30pm-3pm Saturday on Fox Sports 503; Live 9am-11am Sunday; Live 8am-11am Monday on Fox Sports 505.
Epson Tour
Florida’s Natural Charity Classic
Country Club of Winter Haven, Winter Haven, Florida
Australasians in the field: Amelia Garvey (NZ), Cassie Porter, Su Oh
Defending champion: Agathe Laisne
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US250,000
Steven Jones hadn’t won in almost seven years, yet he felt it coming. So confident was Jones that after handing in his card for a 3-under 69 that earned him a share of fourth at the Heidelberg Pro-Am, he said as much.
“I did say that I thought I would win something soon,” admitted Jones admitted, whose last win on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series was at Wynnum Golf Club in Brisbane in December 2017.
That prediction came to fruition less than a week later with a two-stroke victory at the Dallas Building and Maintenance Northern Pro-Am at Northern Golf Club on Tuesday.
After a slight stumble with a bogey at his second hole, Jones put the foot down… and kept it down.
“I gave myself a mission this morning before I teed off that if I do start going well again to just keep going,” he added.
His round of 7-under 65 gave him a two-stroke buffer from good friends Darcy Brereton (67) and Ed Donoghue (67) with Zach Maxwell (68), Gavin Fairfax (68) and Brock Gillard (68) sharing fourth.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Starting from the third hole, Jones made bogey at his second hole, the par-3 fourth, but he would be back in red numbers shortly thereafter.
One of the longest hitters on tour, Jones made eagle at the 314-metre par-4 seventh and followed it with birdie at the par-5 eighth.
Two further birdies followed at 10 and 11 and he went back-to-back again at 15 and 16, a final birdie at two the exclamation point on what will be a popular win throughout Australian golf.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I’ve been playing really well and getting close.
“I’ve been putting in some work on the game and it’s come to fruition which is great.
“I had about five years off and didn’t play at all so probably the Wynnum Pro-Am back in 2017 or 2018.
“It’s been a while so it’s good to get the trophy.
“I like Keysborough, it’s a good course. It’s got five par 5s which suits me. Have played well there in the past too so looking forward to that, should be a good test.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Steven Jones 65
T2 Darcy Brereton 67
T2 Edward Donoghue 67
T4 Zachary Maxwell 68
T4 Brock Gillard 68
T4 Gavin Fairfax 68
NEXT UP
There are just three events left in the 2023/2024 adidas PGA Pro-Am Series season, starting with the Bendigo Bank Dingley Village Community – Keysborough Golf Club Pro-Am at Keysborough Golf Club on Thursday.
