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Victorian Nathan Page secured his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win for 2024, shooting a bogey-free 6-under-par 65 to claim the Hahn Shelly Beach Pro-Am on the NSW Central Coast on Friday.
Birdies on his final two holes secured Page, who only turned pro last year, a one-shot win over a group of three NSW professionals – Bryce Hohnen, James Conran and Robbie Minns.
Page secured his Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia card at Qualifying School at Moonah Links in April and has had a best finish of equal eighth at the Heritage Classic in his rookie Tour season to sit 65th on the Order of Merit.
After missing out on qualifying for this week’s New Zealand Open, a pro-am victory with soothe some of that disappointment ahead of the Tour finale at The National in a fortnight.
Like Page, Hohnen and Minns posted their 66s in the morning wave, while Conran’s 5-under was the best of the afternoon field.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Starting his round on the second hole in the morning shotgun start, Page had five straight pars on one of the layout’s most testing stretches of holes before gaining some momentum with birdies on the seventh and ninth.
It was a late charge that secured his win, with the Victorian picking up four shots in his last five holes, including back-to-back birdies on the par-5 18th and first.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
“I had a quick look at the course with a mate when we drove up on Monday. It’s a lovely course with some great views,” Page said of the beachside course.
“I missed a couple of putts early but got it going late then drained a few nice 10-footers to keep things rolling.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
65: Nathan Page
66: Bryce Hohnen, Robbie Minns, James Conran
67: Sung Park, Luke Parker
68: William Bruyeres, Andrew Richards, Arthur Barakat, Alexander Simpson, Dillon Hart, Gavin Fairfax, Patrick Joseph
NEXT UP
The 2023/24 adidas PGA Pro-Am Series reaches its conclusion in Victoria next week with events at Northern, Keysborough, Eynesbury and Geelong.
His upcoming wedding on Saturday will be double cause for celebration after Clayton Bridges broke the course record to win the Great Northern Toukley Pro-Am at Toukley Golf Club.
After making a rare appearance on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series at Waratah on Wednesday, Bridges found form in familiar territory at Toukley.
His 7-under 65 was five clear of Josh Clarke (70), Jonathan Pepper (70) and Gavin Fairfax (70) and is particularly well timed given he will marry Alexa this weekend.
“Managed to get a couple of days off. Played Waratah yesterday where I crumbled coming home but was able to get the win today,” said Bridges, who played regularly on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia from 2015-2018.
“Got my wedding coming up on Saturday so was able to get a couple of dollars to pay off the nice, cheap wedding that’s about to happen.”
HOW THE ROUND UNFOLDED
The Newcastle native wasted little time in making an impression on the leaderboard in the afternoon wave.
He birdied his opening hole – the par-4 18th – and then expertly navigated his way around the twisting, tight Toukley layout.
Bridges made it two-from-two when he birdied the par-5 first and then went one better when he made eagle at the par-5 fourth.
His lone bogey of the round came at the par-4 fifth but he made further birdies at seven, nine, 12 and 17 to win by five, capping off a spectacular round with a 50-footer for birdie on his final hole to better Mitchell Brown’s previous course record of 66 by one.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Everything just went my way today.
“I hit it really well and holed heaps of putts. When I put myself in a bad spot I was able to get away with it. And capped it off at the last with a nice 50-footer to shoot seven (under).
“It’s tight off the tee and you’ve got to shape your shots off the tee. I was able to get myself in the middle of the fairway on pretty much every hole. If I was off the fairway I was only just off.
“I was able to get myself in play and then give myself good chances and managed to hole them.
“It all lined up for me.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Clayton Bridges 65
T2 Josh Clarke 70
T2 Jonathan Pepper 70
T2 Gavin Fairfax 70
T2 Aaron Townsend 70
T6 Michael Smyth 71
T6 Dylan Grogan 71
T6 Larry Austin 71
T6 Alexander Simpson 71
T6 William Bruyeres 71
T6 Anthony Choat 71
T6 Robert Hogan 71
NEXT UP
There is a double booking of adidas PGA Pro-Am Series events on Friday with the Hahn Shelly Beach Golf Club Pro-Am on the NSW Central Coast and the De Bortoli Heidelberg Golf Club Pro-Am in Melbourne.
Tournament host David Diaz showed the rest of the field how it’s done, shooting 9-under 61 to win The White Glove Mover Legends Pro-Am by three strokes at Albert Park Golf Course.
Tasked with the course set-up at the course he calls home, Diaz relaxed after an opening bogey and played his final 12 holes in 9-under par to finish three clear of Andre Stolz (64) and PGA Legends Tour Order of Merit leader Murray Lott (64).
Although not his best at the venue – Diaz boasts a 59 at Albert Park “a long time ago” – he was nonetheless thrilled to play so well in his home tournament.
“It was a bit of a shock but it’s all good,” Diaz said of his low score.
“That (the 59) was about 25 years ago when I had a bit of game.
“Bit of a surprise but I’m really happy, more so that everyone has a really great day when it’s your home event.”
HOW THE ROUND UNFOLDED
Starting from the par-4 13th, Diaz may have been the architect of his own demise as he began the day with a bogey.
He took just three holes to get that back with a birdie at the short par-4 16th, heading to the first tee at even par.
That was when the fireworks began.
He made three straight birdies, added a fourth at the sixth and then made eagle at the par-5 ninth for a front nine of 6-under 30.
Staying with the hot hand, Diaz birdied each of his final three holes to play his final four holes in 5-under par and 9-under total.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“The course scrubbed up pretty well given the weather has been quite dry.
“The course was good. I was in charge of the set-up so I tried to vary some of the par 3s and the pin placements on them.
“It’s a public golf course and it gets a ton of traffic so we’re pretty happy with how it was presented.
“I’ve been playing pretty solid. I putted pretty ordinary the second round at Rich River last week, came back here on Saturday morning and played in the comp and shot 64.
“I started with a bogey today and I thought I’d just relax and see what happens. Hit some good shots, made some putts and all of a sudden it was 61.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 David Diaz 61
T2 Andre Stolz 64
T2 Murray Lott 64
T4 Tim Elliott 65
T4 Adam Henwood 65
T4 John Wade 65
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour continues its Melbourne run with the Gardiners Run Legends Pro-Am on Friday to be followed by the Higgins Coatings Portsea Legends Pro-Am at Portsea Golf Club on Monday.
Six of West Australia’s top talents have been named as finalists for the Outstanding Achievement in Golf Award at next month’s WA Golf Industry Awards.
By Golf WA
Six of West Australia’s top talents have been named as finalists for the Outstanding Achievement in Golf Award at next month’s WA Golf Industry Awards.
The award recognises an individual as The Western Australian Golfer of the Year for their golfing achievements in 2023, with organisers spoilt for choice after numerous WA players produced standout years.
While superstar siblings Minjee and Min Woo Lee are the headline names, they are joined in the list by four more worthy contenders from the professional and amateur ranks, highlighting the strength in depth of golf in the state.
Alongside the Lees, the other finalists are LPGA Tour winner Hannah Green, DP World Tour rookie Haydn Barron and two rising stars from the women’s amateur game in Maddison Hinson-Tolchard and Abbie Teasdale.
The overall winner is decided upon by an expert panel of WA golf industry representatives. Minjee Lee has won the award in each of the past three years. Brief bios of all the finalists – and their 2023 achievements – can be read below.
Haydn Barron: The Western Australian Golf Club member won Rookie of the Year on the PGA Tour of Australasia standings for the 2022-23 season and made his Open Championship debut at Royal Liverpool. He earned fully exempt status on the DP World Tour for 2024 with a top-10 finish at the six-round final stage of Qualifying School.
Hannah Green: Mount Lawley’s Hannah Green won the JM Eagle LA Championship in a sudden-death playoff in April to earn her third title on the LPGA Tour. She also represented Australia in the International Crown team event and achieved five further top-20 finishes around the world.
Maddison Hinson-Tolchard: The Gosnells golfer excelled in US college golf for Oklahoma State University, winning the individual title at the Big 12 Championship in Dallas and finishing T4th at the season-ending NCAA Women’s Championship. She represented the International Team in the Palmer Cup and Australia in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. In addition, Maddison qualified for the US Women’s Open and secured her playing rights on the 2024 Epson Tour.
Minjee Lee: The two-time Major champion won two LPGA Tour events at the Kroger Queen City Championship in September and the BMW Ladies Championship a month later. She accrued five more top-10 finishes, including a playoff loss at the Cognizant Founders Cup, and T6th at the Evian Championship. Finished the year in 5th place in the Rolex Rankings.
Min Woo Lee: Won the Asian Tour’s Macau Open before a thrilling victory at The Australian PGA Championship in November. Achieved eight top-10 finishes in PGA Tour and DP World Tour events, including runner-up at the Abu Dhabi Championship; T6th at The Players Championship; T3rd at the Australian Open and T5th at the US Open – his best finish in a Major.
Abbie Teasdale: The Royal Fremantle member won the prestigious Concord Cup in February before making her Australian debut at March’s Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific. She subsequently claimed the Women’s Amateur Championship of WA for the second time and won the English Women’s Under 25 Open Amateur Strokeplay and English Women’s Open Strokeplay Championship titles in August.
A hole-in-one proved the difference as Andrew Richards claimed a maiden adidas PGA Pro-Am Series victory at the 35 Latitude Waratah Pro-Am at Waratah Golf Club in Newcastle.
An ace at the 144-metre par-3 third was the major highlight in Richards’ round of 7-under 64, good enough to finish one clear of Victorian Nathan Page (65) with Josh Clarke (66) and Aiden Didone (66) sharing third.
With his driver wayward for much of the round, Richards leant on his wedge play to post a score in the morning wave, including a perfectly executed pitching wedge at the third hole.
“I hit a pitching wedge,” Richards said of the club selection that yielded his ace.
“I was in between clubs; had 9-iron and then switched back to the pitching wedge and gave it a good hit.
“I couldn’t see it, couldn’t see where the hole was exactly but it landed about eight feet behind it and spun back in.”
Pick it out of the hole and pose.
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) February 28, 2024
Congrats to Andrew Richards on his hole-in-one on the 144m 3rd hole at Waratah Golf Club in today's Waratah Pro-Am.#adidasPGAProAmSeries pic.twitter.com/Egx0F3bn4X
HOW THE ROUND UNFOLDED
Two bogeys in his opening five holes gave little indication of the fireworks that were to follow.
Starting his round from the 10th tee, Richards made bogey at 10 and 14, offset slightly by a birdie at the par-5 12th.
A birdie on 16 allowed the 27-year-old to make the turn at even par and then he unleashed a scoring blitz on the Waratah Golf Club front nine.
Birdies at one and two were trumped by the ace on three, adding further birdies on five, seven and nine for a front nine of 7-under 28 and a breakthrough win.
Nathan Page had a hot streak in the middle of his round of 6-under 65, peeling off five birdies in six holes around the turn to snare outright second.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“The course was soft but you could tell that the greens were going to be spinning but they held up really well all day.
“I hit a lot of good wedges today. Early on I hit some pretty bad drives so I would pitch it out and then pitch it close.
“I only hit one fairway on the par 5s and I made par on that one.
“Just wedging it close and being tidy around the greens.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Andrew Richards 64
2 Nathan Page 65
T3 Josh Clarke 66
T3 Aiden Didone 66
5 Nathan Miller 67
T6 Jason Perkin 68
T6 Jayden Cripps 68
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series remains in the NSW Hunter Valley on Thursday for the Great Northern Toukley Pro-Am at Toukley Golf Club before returning to Melbourne on Friday for the De Bortoli Heidelberg Golf Club Pro-Am at Heidelberg Golf Club.
More majors and an Olympic medal are Minjee Lee’s primary focus as she makes her 2024 debut at this week’s HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore.
A two-time runner up at Sentosa Golf Club, Lee starts the year as the No.5-ranked player in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking thanks in no small part to her blistering finish to her 2023 campaign.
After an uncharacteristically slow start to her year, in her last seven starts to 2023 Lee won the Kroger Queen City Championship and the BMW Ladies Championship, was runner-up at the Hana Financial Group Championship and Women’s Australian Open and had top-10 finishes at the Aramco Team Series – Riyadh and the CME Group Tour Championship.
It was a dramatic form reversal that the 27-year-old hopes to carry into a 2024 campaign ripe with opportunity.
“I didn’t really have the quick start to the year last year,” Lee conceded.
“It was really nice to finish off with some confidence and a couple wins there and some good finishes.
“Hopefully I can keep the good momentum going into the start of this year and the rest of the year.”
Welcome Reception @HWWCGolf! 📸 pic.twitter.com/0XXKO6OsEK
— LPGA (@LPGA) February 28, 2024
Now a two-time major winner and with 10 career wins on the LPGA Tour, Lee’s resume is on a trajectory that will be LPGA Hall of Fame worthy by the time she finishes.
With five majors on the line again in 2024 along with a third Olympic campaign in Paris, Lee may never have a greater opportunity to have the year of her life.
“Obviously it’s a big year with the Olympics and all the majors,” said Lee, the only Australian golfer to compete at both the Rio and Tokyo Olympics.
“They are always on the top of my priority list, I guess. Always want to be playing well in those and contending.”
As for her outstanding record at Sentosa Golf Club, Lee believes the challenge of the golf course plays to her greatest strength.
“I definitely think ball-striking is a big thing out here,” said Lee, who has been drawn to play with New Zealand’s Lydio Ko and last week’s winner, Patty Tavatanakit.
“You want to hit the fairways, hit the greens and you’ll have good chances with birdies.
“That is a big key around the course.”
It shapes as a big week, too, for Minjee’s younger brother, Min Woo Lee.
Lee and Aaron Baddeley are the only two Aussies in the field for the PGA TOUR’s Cognizant Classic at PGA National, Lee now second behind Jason Day as leading Aussies on the Official World Golf Ranking.
The Olympic team will not be named until June but having moved past Cameron Smith (45), Lee – currently 42nd – can advance his cause further with a strong showing in Florida.
Smith will once again lead Ripper GC at this week’s LIV Golf event in Saudi Arabia while three-time PGA Tour of Australasia winner, Tom Power Horan, joins the Aussie contingent at this week’s Argentina Open on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Round 1 tee times AEDT
PGA TOUR
Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches
PGA National Resort (The Champion Cse), Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
3:45am Greyson Sigg, SH Kim, Ryan Fox (NZ)
4:07am Lanto Griffin, Denny McCarthy, Min Woo Lee
5:02am Aaron Baddeley, Padraig Harrington, Justin Lower
Defending champion: Chris Kirk
Past Aussie winners: Stuart Appleby (1997), Adam Scott (2016), Matt Jones (2021)
Prize money: $US9 million
TV times: 11:30pm-10am Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
LPGA Tour
HSBC Women’s World Championship
Sentosa Golf Club (Tanjong Cse), Singapore
11:25am* Aditi Ashok, Hannah Green, Andrea Lee
11:44am Esther Henseleit, Sarah Kemp, Lim Kim
12:25pm* Carlota Ciganda, Grace Kim, Miranda Wang
1:13pm* Eun-Hee Ji, Stephanie Kyriacou, Azahara Munoz
1:20pm Lydia Ko (NZ), Minjee Lee, Patty Tavatanakit
Defending champion: Jin Young Ko
Past Aussie winners: Karrie Webb (2011)
Prize money: $US1.8 million
TV times: Live 1:30pm-6:30pm Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
DP World Tour
SDC Championship
St Francis Links, Eastern Cape, South Africa
4:50pm* Jason Scrivener, JC Ritchie, Marco Penge
8:30pm Toto Thimba Jnr, Keegan McLachlan, Haydn Barron
10:20pm Sam Jones (NZ), Richie O’Donovan, Nikhil Rama
Defending champion: Matthew Baldwin
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US1.5 million
LIV Golf
LIV Golf Jeddah
Royal Greens Golf and Country Club, Saudi Arabia
Australasians in the field: Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert, Matt Jones, Danny Lee (NZ)
Defending champion: Brooks Koepka
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US25 million
TV times: Live from 6:15pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday on 7 Plus.
Korn Ferry Tour
117 Visa Argentina Open
Olivos Golf Club, Buenos Aires, Argentina
9:53pm* Rhein Gibson, Jamie Lovemark, Cristobal Del Solar
10:24pm* Brendon Jelley, Ryan Hall, Tom Power Horan
2am Roberto Díaz, Curtis Luck, Tim Widing
2:10am Brett Drewitt, Quade Cummins, Braden Thornberry
Defending champion: Zack Fischer (2022)
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US1 million
For Australian David Micheluzzi, there was no question about taking a break from the DP World Tour and returning to Queenstown for his second New Zealand Open which is set to be a pivotal battleground in the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit race.
The reigning Order of Merit champion has his sights on retaining his title and comes into this week ranked fourth behind Kazuma Kobori, Daniel Gale and Brett Coletta, who are all in the field.
A win at Millbrook Resort could vault Micheluzzi back to No.1 with just one event, The National Tounament (March 14-17), remaining.
“Who wouldn’t want to come back to Queenstown,” said Micheluzzi. “Everything just adds up to me being here this week.
“To have two Order of Merit wins in a row, I don’t think that has been done in a long time so to have that, I think would be satisfying and I’m just looking forward to the whole experience.”
After enjoying a continuation of his 2022/23 form at the beginning of his season, including a win at the Vic PGA and a dramatic T2 with seven other players in the Queensland PGA Championship, Micheluzzi was propelled into second place on the Order of Merit, leadng a shift in his plans for the year.
“I did not expect to have a second and a win in my first two events of the season,” he said.
“That vaulted me up to second on the Order of Merit, so it changed my plans a little bit.
”There are a few events on the DP World Tour over the next few weeks but there is also a lot up for grabs this week.
“It’s quadruple (OOM) points this week and then we’ve got The National… If I can play really well, then that will set my year up very well.”
Preparing for his second appearance in Queenstown, Micheluzzi says he is feeling confident in his game, in particular his skill in shaping shots to navigate the Coronet and Remarkables courses.
“I’m hitting it okay at the moment so right now [my game] isn’t too bad. You have to shape your game to the pins and the slopes around here,” he said.
Micheluzzi is also comfortable to be playing a different, more relaxed tournament style, teaming up with an amateur partner over the first two days and hopefully again into the weekend.
“I love the format. I personally think there should be a lot more of these because there is a lot more to golf than what everyone sees and when you’re inside the ropes. I think it’s really cool,” he said.
“To see what the pros do right then, and right there, it is a massive thrill.
“If this tournament wasn’t here, the area wouldn’t be what it is.”
The only place to watch every upcoming event on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia live is on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
A harsh lesson learned at last week’s Moama Masters paid off for veteran Terry Price with a one-stroke victory at the Settlers Run Legends Pro-Am at Settlers Run Golf and Country Club in Melbourne.
With the course playing long and tough, Price’s 3-under 69 was good enough to edge Terry Pilkadaris (70), Brendan Chant (70) and Tim Elliott (70) by a single stroke.
A three-time winner on the PGA Legends Tour last season, Price was in contention last week at Rich River Golf Club before a poor decision led to a double-bogey on his penultimate hole.
He would ultimately finish in a tie for ninth four shots back of winner Peter Lonard, making sure not to make the same mistake twice at Settlers Run.
“It was probably course management,” Price said of the key to his winning score.
“I played at Moama last week and made a silly mistake on the second-last hole which cost me about six places.
“I had an opportunity to be silly again today and did not do that so that was probably the best thing that happened today.”
HOW THE ROUND UNFOLDED
A bogey on his opening hole – the par-5 ninth – was not how Price had hoped to start his round.
He would recover in impressive fashion, though, making four birdies in the space of five holes from the par-4 12th to vault to the top of the leaderboard.
A birdie at the par-4 second helped to further separate Price from the field, his buffer trimmed to a single shot with a bogey at the par-4 fifth.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“It was a tough start. I played the easiest hole first and made a bogey so it looked like being a long day.
“Came good after that. A bogey at the end which was not really pleasing but, in the middle, very nice play.
“The course was set up very tough. We played off some back markers and the greens dried out this afternoon so birdies were not plentiful. The course was a real challenge; you had to have your thinking cap on.
“Gardiners Run on Friday will be my last event down here and I’m really looking forward to having a hit there. Barb Kelly and the team down there do a fantastic job and have been great supporters of the Legends Tour so looking forward to getting back there.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Terry Price 69
T2 Terry Pilkadaris 70
T2 Brendan Chant 70
T2 Tim Elliott 70
T5 Michael Long 71
T5 John Wade 71
T5 Peter Fowler 71
T5 Euan Walters 71
T5 Murray Lott 71
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour is in central Melbourne on Thursday for The White Glove Movers Legends Pro-Am at Albert Park Golf Course before moving on to Gardiners Run Golf Course for the Gardiners Run Legends Pro-Am on Friday.
Kiwi Daniel Hiller will enter the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sports, starting on Thursday, with some advice from his country’s No.1 men’s golfer firmly in his mind.
While Ryan Fox is unable to be at Millbrook Resort as he commits to his first full year on the PGA TOUR, his influence remains strong with young New Zealanders such as Hillier, a winner on the DP World Tour for the first time in 2023 at the British Masters.
Fox’s tip to Hillier is simple and current for any week on tour – don’t change anything in his game to suit the golf course, no matter how spectacular the setting.
“There will be golf courses out there that suit me more than the others,” Hillier, the world No.150, said.
“I have played pretty well here in the past so if I play my game, and have a solid plan that I can trust and execute, hopefully you will see my name near the top of the leaderboard.”
In four starts on the DP World Tour in 2004, Hillier has made three cuts with a best finish of T23 at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship.
He was equal 12th in his home open last year, five shots behind the winner, Brendan Jones, after shooting four rounds in the 60s.
“My form has been OK. I haven’t played my best stuff for the first part of the year,” he said at today’s pre-tournament media conference.
“I know there is a long year ahead so I am not too fazed how the year has started. It would be nice for everything to click this week as it is obviously an exciting week ahead.
“The course is pure as always which is great. The rough is up a little bit but I did not spend much time in it today so hopefully I can keep that up.”
Hillier was part of an interesting practice group pairing on Tuesday, joining rookie Kazuma Kobori who has already claimed three Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia victories this year to lead the Order of Merit and have one hand on a 2024/25 DP World Tour card.
“He is really impressive to watch and you can see why he has done so well in Aussie this year,” Hillier said of his countryman.
“You can see he wants to get his hands on the trophy as well. I’m playing the first two rounds with him as well so we will be seeing a bit of each other.”
The star NZ duo will be on the Remarkables course on Thursday morning followed by the Coronet layout on Friday afternoon.
Photo: Daniel Hillier at the 2023 NZ Open presented by Sky Sports. Credit: Hannah Peters/Getty Images
The only place to watch every upcoming event on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia live is on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
No one ever described Tiger Woods’ game as ‘consistent’. Given Woods held the No.1 world ranking for 683 weeks – including 281 weeks straight – and made 142 consecutive cuts on the PGA TOUR, perhaps we should have.
‘Consistent’, though, is just not very sexy.
It verges on boring.
Ask golfers to sum up Tiger Woods in one word and you’re more likely to hear ‘thrilling’, ‘explosive’, ‘fearless’ and ‘box office’. (Yes, I know, that’s two words.)
But ask those who have spent the summer finishing second to Kazuma Kobori on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and you invariably get the same response: ‘Consistent’.
For a player with three wins in his first 10 starts as a professional – Hello, Mr Woods – and all but a lock for a DP World Tour card heading into this week’s New Zealand Open, it’s not meant as a slight.
It’s simply an admission that from tee-to-green he is all but flawless… and that he makes more putts than he misses.
In statistics provided by Matt Green of GreenForm Golf, Kobori is 109-under par this season in just nine events. (The next best is Brett Coletta at 86-under par.)
His average-to-par per round of -3.41 is 1.45 shots better than Coletta and he is ranked first in Back 9 Strokes Gained with +1.58.
It has been the hallmark of an amateur career that includes wins at the Australian Amateur, PGA Tour of Australasia Q School, Western Amateur in the US and individual honours at the Eisenhower Trophy… all in the past 14 months.
So, when those who have seen the 22-year-old play from close quarters – Ashley Lau, Jeffrey Guan and Kerry Mountcastle – describe his game as ‘consistent’, Kobori takes it as a compliment.
“It’s something that I’ve always had actually, consistency,” says Kobori, who is coached by Golf New Zealand National Coach, Jay Carter.
“As an amateur growing up, I was never one to really shoot the lights out. I was always cruising around 2-under, 3-under and over the course of a tournament I might get just under 10-under.
“Some weeks that’s OK, some weeks you get blown out by 15.
“It’s something that I have always had and for that to turn into a strength is very cool to see for me.”
Those who veer ever so slightly from the script use words that any rookie professional would love to be associated with.
3 x #WebexPlayersSeries Champion 🏆🏆🏆
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) February 11, 2024
Congratulations Kazuma Kobori 👏 pic.twitter.com/JoiOzwtDJi
Reigning Order of Merit champion David Micheluzzi – who also won three times in his breakout season last year – saw a side to Kobori that few others have when they were paired together in the final round of the Victorian PGA Championship at Moonah Links.
On that Sunday, Kobori began the day six shots clear but, in just his second start after turning professional, shot 77 to Micheluzzi’s 68 to end the day three back.
Now in his fifth year since turning pro himself, Micheluzzi saw enough to label Kobori’s game in a way that should also serve him well.
“Discipline.”
It’s a quality that the 22-year-old hopes to tap into again this week at the Millbrook Resort.
Low amateur in a top-10 finish 12 months ago, Kobori knows that Millbrook presents something of a different challenge to anything he has faced thus far this summer.
“It’s going to require a bit more discipline,” admitted the winner of Webex Players Series events at Cobram Barooga Golf Club, Rosebud Country Club and Castle Hill Country Club.
“There are certain places (at Millbrook) where if you miss it, I don’t care if you have the best short game in the world, you’re not getting up and down.
“I’ve talked to my coach, Jay Carter, and we’ve figured out a plan for this week and how we can prepare best.”
But perhaps the final word – literally – belongs to the person who knows his game best.
Although they are rarely in the same postcode these days, Momoka and Kazuma Kobori have grown up playing against each other.
They went head to head first on the Charles Tour in New Zealand and now the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, with bragging rights split.
So how does Momoka – and anyone who saw his putt on the 72nd hole at Rosebud – describe his game in one word?
“Clutch.”
Much more Tiger-like.
Photo: Kurt Thomson/Kurtogram
The only place to watch every upcoming event on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia live is on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
