Kobori was a two-shot winner at the Webex Players Series Murray River at Cobram Barooga Golf Club on Sunday, his second on the PGA Tour of Australasia after taking out the NZ PGA Championship as a 17-year-old amateur in 2019.

A decorated amateur who counts the 2023 Australian Amateur as one of his many triumphs, Kobori turned professional prior to the Queensland PGA Championship in November where he finished tied for ninth.

A week later he was the 54-hole leader at the Victorian PGA Championship but had to settle for third when he was run down by David Micheluzzi.

A three-shot leader after Round 3 at Cobram Barooga, there was no such stumble on Sunday, the 22-year-old moving up to seventh on the Order of Merit.

Realistically, Kobori is fourth among those to have played the minimum four events required to be eligible for the Order of Merit and now has one of the three DP World Tour cards in his sights.

“I might just be outside top 10 but definitely a step in the right direction,” said Kobori prior to the Order of Merit update.

“Really just want to get that top three for the DP World Tour card and hopefully get rookie of the year as well.

“That’s one of my goals at the start of the season, even though I started later than the other guys.”

Kobori moved up six spots into the No.1 position on the Rookie of the Year standings after his win, edging past fellow New Zealander and Gippsland Super 6 champion Kerry Mountcastle with Josh Greer, Chris Crabtree and Connor McKinney rounding out the top five.

The Order of Merit race continues this week with the Webex Players Series Victoria at Rosebud Country Club, Kobori one of six of the current top-10 all eager to advance their positions.

Order of Merit (after Webex Players Series Murray River)
1. Min Woo Lee            1,044 (2)
2. David Micheluzzi      359.40 (5)
3. Ben Eccles                353.30 (11)
4. Adam Scott              326.67 (2)
5. Jak Carter                 321.59 (11)
6. Marc Leishman         314.93 (2)
7. Kazuma Kobori         297.51 (6)
8. Kerry Mountcastle    278.20 (12)
9. Austin Bautista         277.01 (11)
10. Lachlan Barker        273.94 (11)

Must play minimum of four events to be eligible for the Order of Merit

Admitting that his three-stroke overnight lead made for a restless night’s sleep, Kobori conquered hot and blustery conditions at Cobram Barooga’s Old Course to close with a 3-under par round of 68 and 21-under total.

That was enough to hold off a spirited charge from Singapore’s Shannon Tan (65) in her maiden event as a professional with older sister Momoka Kobori (68) tied for third with Aussie pair Aaron Wilkin (68) and Andrew Martin (69).

Although Kono Matsumoto (8-iron, 134 metres) and Zach Murray (pitching wedge, 151 metres) both made hole-in-ones at the par-3 ninth on Sunday, low scores were the exception to the rule.

Tan and Jake McLeod returned the day’s best with rounds of 6-under 65, Kobori having to adjust his pre-round strategy of patience being his greatest virtue.

“At the start I did think I was going to just try and take advantage of the par 5s and hang on but soon realised that Shannon was moving up pretty quickly,” Kobori conceded.

“That strategy changed pretty quickly.”

Congratulations Kazuma Kobori the 2024 #WebexPlayersSeries Murray River Champion 🏆 pic.twitter.com/UijJAiTS3G

— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) January 21, 2024

After a birdie at the par-5 first, a poor chip at the par-4 second was the first squeeze of pressure placed on the 22-year-old.

With Ashley Lau in tight at the back pin, Kobori was forced to stare down a 15-foot putt for par to keep his advantage from all but disappearing.

“That one was big because Ashley hit it in close and I was like, She’s probably going to make that,” said Kobori.

“I flubbed my chip and I was like, we can’t have a two-shot swing this early in the round.

“Holed that, gave it a wee fist pump so that was nice and then went from there.”

Birdies at six and 10 ensured Kobori had a three-shot buffer for much of the afternoon.

A three-putt for bogey on 11 – just his fourth bogey of the week – briefly gave Tan and others a glimpse at the top of the leaderboard, his birdie from the fringe on 12 restoring a two-shot advantage with six to play.

Six pars would prove to be enough, sister Momoka joined by fellow Kiwi Hanee Song and young South Australian Jack Buchanan in showering her younger brother in champagne.

“It was just nerve-wracking because I had that experience at Moonah, blew a six-shot lead,” Kobori said of his final round of 77 at Moonah Links in November.

“But I realised that it doesn’t change my life. It’s just another round of golf and having that experience freed me up today to be able to unleash on every single shot.”

Sunday’s win is Kobori’s second on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia having won the 2019 New Zealand PGA Championship as a 17-year-old amateur.

It was that experience that he drew upon to earn his first victory as a professional.

“It does feel like a lifetime ago because a lot has changed since then but it’s something that I still draw confidence from too,” said Kobori, who turned professional at the Queensland PGA Championship last November.

“I’ve done it once, why can’t I do it again.”

Making his first appearance in the Webex All Abilities Players Series, Wayne Perske shot rounds of 80-71 to win the Murray River leg by seven shots from defending champion Cameron Pollard.

In the Webex Junior Players Series, Nicholas Horvath produced two superb rounds of 70-68 for a 4-under total, six clear of Shepparton junior Bailey Goodall with Australian Amateur runner-up Amelia Harris third.

Photo: Candice High

Hendry qualified for the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool but was forced to withdraw when he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia last April.

Entering the third round of the Webex Players Series Murray River played in honour of Jarrod Lyle just one shot off the lead on Saturday, Hendry has spoken publicly for the first time about his latest results and the exemption issued by the R&A to take his place in the field for The Open at Royal Troon in July.

After a six-month fight for his life, Hendry’s return to the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia last October has been punctuated by trips back to New Zealand for biopsies. A phone call while on holiday with his family over Christmas has given him renewed hope that he is winning the battle.

“Prior to getting that news, I was expecting to have to get a bone marrow transplant. Thinking about whether it was going to work, how long have I got,” said Hendry, who was told that no cancer cells were visible in his latest biopsy.

“You get that news and then all of a sudden it’s, shit, maybe I can think about two, three, five, 10 years down the track and where I want to be.

“I don’t want to speak too soon but things are looking really positive.”

“I would’ve loved to have played this year but my goal is to be there again.”

Privilege to be able to share an update on Michael Hendry's cancer battle ahead of @TheOpen for which he qualified to play in.@PGAofAustralia @GolfAust @golfnewzealand_ https://t.co/erUAZJUPeN

— Tony Webeck (@TonyWebeck) July 18, 2023

The significance of playing his way into contention on the eve of ‘Yellow Day’ at Cobram Barooga Golf Club with a second round of 5-under 66 is not lost on Hendry.

He trails Victorian pair Andrew Martin and Andrew Kelly by just one shot and is tied with fellow Kiwi Kazuma Kobori and Japan’s Kotono Fukaya.

Lamenting that he didn’t have anything yellow to wear, Hendry wants to add to the legacy of Jarrod Lyle that is celebrated regularly within Australian golf.

Born in Shepparton less than an hour from Cobram Barooga, Lyle was first diagnosed with leukaemia as a teenager.

His gregarious personality and ongoing fight endeared him to the golf world, defying the odds to play his way onto the PGA TOUR before passing in 2018 at age 36.

Hendry now has a unique perspective of the enormity of what Lyle was able to achieve.

“No one knows what Jarrod went through more than I do,” Hendry adds.

“Jarrod struggled through it and it kind of never went away. I’ve been fortunate that at this point it has gone away. Hopefully it will stay that way for my sake.

“I’m acutely aware of what Jarrod went through and to do what he did while he was alive and suffering, I know how hard that would have been for him.

“I know people are acutely aware of what he did but maybe they don’t appreciate just how hard it actually was for him.

“I don’t want to take anything away from Jarrod’s legacy but if I could add to his legacy by telling a story as well and being able to relate it back to what Jarrod went through, that would be a really cool thing.”

Photo: Candice High

The second in five Webex Players Series events on the 2023/2024 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia schedule, this year’s Murray River tournament is the third in succession at the Old Course at Cobram Barooga Golf Club.

To this point it has been a tournament dominated by the women, Hannah Green’s world-first triumph in 2022 followed up by Smith in 2023.

But if the boys hope to end that trend in 2024, they will first have to contend with a larger and deeper field of players from the WPGA Tour of Australasia.

Last year’s field featured 34 women professionals and four amateurs. Smith is thrilled to see that number grow to 60 this week with players from Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Scotland, South Africa, Northern Ireland and England adding an international flavour.

“The rest of the world has been really desperate to come back here,” said Smith.

“Once they opened up Q School to everybody, that made a lot of people very happy. To be able to come down and do Q School and get into the Aussie summer of golf… a lot of people have missed it from their schedule.

“The Thai girls that come out onto the LPGA Tour are teeny-tiny but hit it a million miles and shoot low every time they go out.

“I think we’re going to see a lot of really good finishes from a lot of girls this season.”

Live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo

This year’s event is also rich in family ties.

Confined to dad duties with son Theo last year, Smith’s husband Duane is back on the bag this week while newlyweds Darcy Boyd and Danni Vasquez Boyd will play their first tournament as husband and wife.

The three Kiwi Keh sisters, Wenyung, Munchin and Siyi, are all in the field, siblings Momoka and Kazuma Kobori and Kevin and Celina Yuan will face off as will Thai sisters Peerada and Tunrada Piddon.

Rounding out the family affair is Barooga local Steffanie Vogel and her father Terry, the Cobram Barooga course superintendent hoping to use intimate knowledge of the layout to claim bragging rights in the Vogel household.

For Duane Smith, the opportunity to contribute to a successful defence would only add to their happy memories at Cobram Barooga.

“It was so strange dropping her off on the Sunday,” recalled Duane, who only arrived back at the course when Sarah Jane had three holes left to play in the final round.

“It was a very strange day, but a great day.

“We had family organised every week to come and help with Theo, except for this week.

“This was the only one. We spent a lot of time at the local playgrounds.

“That last day, Theo fell asleep in the back seat so I just drove around for a couple of hours. I was getting updates from everyone back home.”

Given her playing career was at something of a crossroads, Smith hopes to draw on the memories of that week and go back-to-back, with a little help from hubby.

“This week I get to ditch the buggy and I get my caddie back,” joked Smith.

“The year didn’t end up being great but it couldn’t have been a more satisfying way to start the year. It proved that we were on the right track with what we were doing with Grant (coach Grant Field) and we needed it in so many ways.

“It definitely feels nice to be back, and I love this golf course.

“Sometimes you go to a course and remember all the bad places you might have hit shots but I have a lot of good memories here.

“Being back here, there are a lot of nice memories from that week.”

Entry is free all four days for spectators and coverage on Fox Sports and Kayo is 4pm-7pm Saturday and 2pm-7pm Sunday.

Daniel Hillier, Steven Alker and Ben Campbell have confirmed they will be teeing it up from February 29-March 3 after outstanding 2023 seasons on their respective tours.

Finishing second overall in the 2023 Charles Schwab Championship standings for the PGA TOUR Champions, in which he picked up another two victories, Alker will return home for the 2024 New Zealand Open.

Having played in many New Zealand Opens since the start of his career, Alker is hoping to claim the one victory that would mean the most to him, his national crown.

“The reception and support the fans gave me when I played at Millbrook last year was unreal. It was quite unexpected, and really amazing to have so much support, something I won’t forget,” said Alker.

“It’s the one tournament we all want to win. Of course there are the Majors and the big titles internationally, but there’s something special about having your name on your national title.

“It’s one of my goals for 2024.”

Another player making his mark on the world stage is Hillier.

He has just completed his first year on the DP World Tour, racking up four top-10 finishes including a memorable win at the Betfred British Masters at The Belfry. Hillier finished 30th on the overall DP World Tour Order of Merit for 2023, and earned the prestigious Challenge Tour ‘Graduate of the Year’ crown.

“I’m really looking forward to coming home and seeing not only the family, but some friendly faces in the crowd. It’s quite a buzz when you rock up to the first tee and recognise all of the home support,” said Hillier.

“The New Zealand Open is always a great event in Queenstown, and I know there are lots of talented Kiwi golfers trying to get their hands on the title. Hopefully I can peak at the right time.”

After his maiden Asian Tour victory at the Hong Kong Open, Queenstown’s Ben Campbell will return to his hometown to have another ‘run’ at the New Zealand Open.

Campbell’s victory late last year saw him take on 2022 Open champion Cam Smith, winning by just one shot with the last putt of the tournament.

“We’re thrilled to have Ben return to Queenstown. He’s always been a great supporter of the tournament and we were delighted to see him pick up a well-deserved victory at the Hong Kong Open,” said Tournament Director Michael Glading.

“Ben has always had the goods to make it on the world stage, and we’re now seeing the fruits of his labour. He finished runner-up at the 2023 New Zealand Open, and let’s not forget his fantastic performance leading into the playoff back in 2017 when Michael Hendry won.”

Speaking about his love affair with the New Zealand Open, Campbell has always wanted to have his
name on the Brodie Breeze Trophy. Having come close twice, he’s hoping it’s third time lucky.

“Since I started playing golf and made it my career, I’ve always had the goal of winning the New Zealand Open. To have my name alongside some of the greats of golf in this country would be the highlight of my career,” he said.

“Absolutely I am coming back to Queenstown. I got close in 2017, and again last year, so here’s hoping I can lift the trophy in March.”

New Zealand’s No.1-ranked player Ryan Fox, is still finalising his 2024 playing schedule, which means his entry cannot be confirmed at this time.

“This year is my big chance in terms of attempting to retain my PGA TOUR card, and that could compromise my ability to play in this year’s New Zealand Open,” said Fox.

“Notwithstanding this, I will do all that I can to play in the New Zealand Open, as it is one of my favourite tournaments of the year.

“I admire how the organisers have grown such a quality event on our own shores.”

Golf enthusiasts can watch the 103rd New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport between February
29 and March 3 at Millbrook Resort or via the live broadcast on Sky Sport 6 in New Zealand and on Fox Sports and Kayo in Australia.