Want to recieve exclusive news, videos, tournament highlights, golf important tips and more ?
Want to recieve exclusive news, videos, tournament highlights, golf important tips and more ?
The Tailor-made Building Services NT PGA Championship will return to the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia schedule in 2025.
After undergoing significant upgrades to its course and clubhouse, the Palmerston Golf and Country Club will again play host to the Top End’s most prestigious golf tournament from August 28-31.
And for the first time, the final two rounds will be broadcast live.
The Tailor-made Building Services NT PGA Championship was last played in 2023 when NSW professional Daniel Gale shot a sensational final round of 65 to claim the title by four shots over Queensland’s Chris Crabtree.
It was the forerunner to an outstanding year for Gale who went on to finish second on the Challenger PGA Tour Order of Merit to earn playing rights on the DP World Tour for 2024/25.
First played in 1995, the list of former NT PGA champions includes multiple Tour event winners Jordan Zunic, Travis Smyth and hometown favourite Aaron Pike.
This year’s tournament will be the second on the 2025/26 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season following on from the PNG Open at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club on August 14-17.
PGA of Australia General Manager of Tournaments and Global Tour Relationships Nick Dastey said the NT PGA Championship was one of the favourite events of the year for the country’s leading professionals.
“We’re looking forward to getting back to Palmerston Golf and Country Club and seeing the results of all the renovations that have been undertaken there on and off the golf course,” Dastey said.
“The NT PGA Championship has an atmosphere all of its own and its one our players embrace and really look forward to being part of.
“Televising the event for the first time is going to help take the tournament to the next level, giving us the opportunity to really promote the Territory and all the great things to do in the area, including as a golf destination.”
A number of events will take place in the week of the championship, including an intensive juniors clinic with the pros, a junior pro-am, a women’s clinic, a clinic to engage Indigenous children in the sport, and a Wednesday pro-am.
Supported by the Northern Territory Government through Northern Territory Major Events Company, the NT PGA Championship offers a fantastic opportunity for aspiring Territory golfers to witness elite professionals showcase their skills up close.
Palmerston Golf & Country Club General Manager Matt Hewer said: “After the clubhouse underwent a multi-million-dollar renovation and we completed course upgrades specifically to the irrigation systems, this is a great time to showcase not only the event, but the entire NT to a national audience on TV.”
Photo: Reigning Tailor-made Building Services NT PGA champion Daniel Gale
The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia will provide a direct pathway for US-based players in a new Qualifying School initiative to be held in July.
In addition to First Stage and Final Stage of Qualifying School to be held at Moonah Links from April 9-17, the PGA Tour of Australasia will host an additional Final Stage at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Valdosta, Georgia from July 15-18.
Entries open at 9am Friday AEDT (5pm Thursday in the US) with the field restricted to a maximum of 78 players vying for six spots.
It is the first time that the PGA Tour of Australasia has gone global in providing direct entry to a tour that has proven itself to be a pathway to the DP World Tour, Korn Ferry Tour and eventually the PGA TOUR.
Given the opportunities afforded by the Order of Merit for players to secure major championship starts, DP World Tour cards and further international pathways, the PGA Tour of Australasia has explored ways to entice players from around the world to play in Australia.
“There is growing interest globally in the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia,” said Tour Development Manager for the PGA Tour of Australasia, Kim Felton.
“Our partnerships with international tours have created some great playing opportunities for our players that are appealing to golfers worldwide.
“We believe that hosting a Final Stage of Qualifying School at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club will both create awareness of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia internationally and, ultimately, strengthen the quality of our Tour.
“It was awesome to see Ryggs Johnston win the Australian Open late last year and we hope this drives a few more players down to our great Tour and we see some more international winners.
“Players such as Kazuma Kobori and Ryan Peake have come through Q School the past two years and now have DP World Tour cards. David Micheluzzi, Kazuma Kobori and Elvis Smylie have earned starts in majors from their performances in Australia.
“We are excited to see who enters at Kinderlou Forest and which six players will earn playing rights for the 2025/2026 season with the top spot being exempt into all events, which includes the Australian PGA Championship, the Australian Open and the NZ Open.”
Kinderlou Forest Golf Club, a quality course and well-known as a stern test of golf, hosted the South Georgia Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour between 2007-2014 and has been used as a host venue for Second Stage of PGA TOUR Q School.
The 2024/2025 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season concluded on Sunday with Harrison Crowe’s victory at The National Tournament.
Through their performances during the season, Elvis Smylie, Ryan Peake, and Anthony Quayle have all currently earned DP World Tour exemptions for 2026.
The Greg Norman-designed The Vintage Hunter Valley, nestled in one of Australia’s premier wine regions, will host the Ford NSW Open this year.
No stranger to tournament golf, The Vintage Hunter Valley has hosted the tournament, which is part of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, four times from 2007 to 2010. Like last year, this year’s championship on November 13-16 will carry a minimum purse of $800,000.
Golf NSW CEO Stuart Fraser was thrilled with the decision to return to The Vintage for the first time in over a decade.
“This year’s Ford NSW Open presents a fantastic opportunity for us to ensure the tournament continues to be the most prestigious state championship on the Australian golf calendar,” he said.
“Murray Downs was a fabulous venue for last year’s tournament, and the crowds we saw throughout the week proved how thirsty the public are for elite-level golf.
“The general public of the greater Newcastle and Hunter region has a real love of world-class sport, and we know fans of the game will throw their support behind our flagship event.”
Ripper GC Star Lucas Herbert confirmed his status as one of Australian golf’s best in November last year with a three-shot win over his Ripper GC teammate and 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith, Sydneysider Alex Simpson, and the Hunter’s own Corey Lamb.
“Lucas’ win last year at Murray Downs captured the imagination of fans nationally, while Corey, or ‘Chops’, established himself as a crowd favourite with his quest for the Kel Nalge Cup. Hopefully, we’ll see them battle it out again this November,” Fraser added.
Ford Australia Director of Marketing Ambrose Henderson was excited that Golf NSW is building on the success of the 2024 Ford NSW Open by taking it back to the Hunter Valley region, where Ford has great connections with the local community.
“Since we started our partnership with Golf NSW late last year, we have already seen how golf in regional areas of NSW connects with the local community, and we are proud of the important role Ford and our Ford Dealers play in these communities too.
“The 2025 Ford NSW Open promises to be a spectacular event, with the anticipation of Lucas Herbert’s return to defend his title adding a dynamic edge. It’s thrilling to see such talent continue to grace our tournament, underscoring its prestige in the realm of Australian golf.
“This week we celebrate 100 years of Ford in Australia. As we stride into a new century, partnerships like Golf NSW are vital in our mission to support and uplift local communities through sport.”
Jodie Staples, Director of Sales & Marketing at The Vintage Golf Club, said the organisation was delighted to host the state’s premier golf championship again, adding the opportunity to display to the world what a fantastic destination The Vintage, and indeed the Hunter region, was.
“The Vintage Golf Club is thrilled to host the Ford NSW Men’s Open on our course, and we can’t wait to welcome the players and guests to the Hunter Valley,” she said.
“It’s an exciting opportunity to showcase our beautiful grounds while celebrating the sport we love. We look forward to hosting an incredible event in November.”
PGA of Australia’s General Manager of Tournaments and Global Tour Relationships Nick Dastey noted the Ford NSW Open’s importance on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia schedule and highlighted the excitement of returning to the Hunter Valley region.
“The efforts of Golf NSW to elevate the Ford NSW Open in recent years have been tremendous, and when combining the tournament’s history with the increased prize money, it makes it a highlight of our schedule,” Mr Dastey said.
“Everyone from the players to our staff thoroughly enjoyed Murray Downs in 2024, and I am certain it will be a similar story this year as we return to the Hunter Valley, where the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia has strong ties.”
Tournament Facts:
Host Venue: The Vintage Hunter Valley
Dates: November 13-16, 2025
Prize Fund: AU$800,000 (Min)
Website: www.nswopen.com
Minjee Lee has revealed how she almost missed brother Min Woo’s winning putt on Sunday as she returns to the LPGA Tour for this week’s T-Mobile Match Play in Las Vegas.
Min Woo’s Houston Open win on the weekend made he and Minjee just the third brother-sister duo with wins on both the PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour.
Big sister also has two major championships to her name, the pair now within sight of writing a new chapter in golf’s storied history if 26-year-old Min Woo can one day follow suit.
But as Min Woo was trying to hold off world No.1 Scottie Scheffler and a minor case of the shakes, Minjee was mid-air riding every one of her brother’s shots… until she couldn’t.
“It only cut out twice so that was great,” Minjee said of her in-flight viewing.
“It was just before his final putt from off the green. It kind of cut out then and I was like, Oh my God. But I just refreshed it and it worked again, so not too stressed.
“The guy sitting next to me, he was looking at me a little funny because I was fist pumping when he was making birdies and stuff.
“It was a different experience. I’ve not watched golf on a plane before. It was a first time for everything.
“It was quite fun. I really enjoyed it.”
Not only are Minjee and Min Woo the third brother-sister combination with wins on the major US tours but they now both have wins on four of the world’s seven continents.
Minjee has been without a win of her own since October 2023 but has made a bright start to her 2025 campaign.
Runner-up in her last start at the Blue Bay LPGA in China, the 28-year-old looks confident using a broomstick putter and she ranks eighth for final round scoring average (67.75).
Those numbers count for little however in the T-Mobile Match Play format where Lee will first face off against Thai Jasmine Suwannapura in Round 1 and then meet Patty Tavatanakit and Madelene Sagstrom in the remaining Group Stage matches.
Lee is one of five Aussies contesting the Match Play with Grace Kim to play former Gold Coast high schooler Amy Yang in Round 1.
There was little time for celebrating as Steve Allan backs up from his first PGA TOUR Champions as one of eight Aussies in the field for the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational while the Ripper GC boys are back in action at LIV Golf Miami.
Round 1 tee times AEDT
PGA TOUR
Valero Texas Open
TPC San Antonio (Oaks Course), San Antonio, Texas
10:20pm Aaron Baddeley
3:41am Ryan Fox (NZ)
Recent champion: Akshay Bhatia
Past Aussie winners: Joe Kirkwood Snr (1924), Bruce Crampton (1964), Adam Scott (2010), Steven Bowditch (2014)
Prize money: $US9.5m
TV times: Live 10:15pm Thursday, Friday; Live 12am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
LPGA Tour
T-Mobile Match Play
Shadow Creek Golf Course, North Las Vegas, Nevada
Round Robin Day 1
4:25am Grace Kim (Seed: 53) v Amy Yang (12)
4:55am Stephanie Kyriacou (37) v Nasa Hataoka (28)
7:45am Minjee Lee (14) v Jasmine Suwannapura (51)
8:05am Lydia Ko (3) v Hira Naveed (62)
8:15am Gabriela Ruffels (35) v Carlota Ciganda (30)
Recent champion: Nelly Korda
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US2m
TV times: Live 8am Thursday on Fox Sports 503; Live 8am Friday, Saturday on Fox Sports 505; Live 8am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
LIV Golf
LIV Golf Miami
Trump National Doral, Florida
Australasians in the field: Cameron Smith, Lucas Herbert, Matt Jones, Marc Leishman, Ben Campbell (NZ), Danny Lee (NZ)
Recent champion: Dean Burmester
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US20m
TV times: Live 2am Saturday; Live 1am Sunday; Live 2am Monday on 7 Mate.
Ladies European Tour
Joburg Ladies Open
Modderfontein Golf Club, Johannesburg
5:03pm Kelsey Bennett
8:15pm* Maddison Hinson-Tolchard
9:32pm Momoka Kobori (NZ)
9:43pm* Amelia Garvey (NZ)
Recent champion: Chiara Tamburlini
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €300,000
TV times: Live 9pm Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Korn Ferry Tour
Club Car Championship
The Landings Golf & Athletic Club (Deer Creek), Savannah, Georgia
11:10pm Harry Hillier (NZ)
3:35am Rhein Gibson
Recent champion: Steven Fisk
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US1m
TV times: Live 12:30am Friday; Live 11:30pm Friday; 11am Sunday; Live 6:30am Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
PGA TOUR Champions
James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational
The Old Course at Broken Sound, Boca Raton, Florida
Australasians in the field: Steve Allan, Stuart Appleby, David Bransdon, Greg Chalmers, Brendan Jones, Cameron Percy, John Senden, Michael Wright.
Recent champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US2.2m
TV times: Live 1:30am Saturday; 5:30am Sunday; Live 4:30am Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
PGA TOUR Americas
70th Brazil Open
Rio Olympic Golf Course, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
8:20pm Grant Booth
8:40pm* Charlie Hillier (NZ)
Recent champion: Matthew Anderson
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US225,000
Before he won the Texas Children’s Houston Open this past week, it’s fair to say Min Woo Lee didn’t live a life remotely similar to most 26-year-olds from Fremantle.
Despite a constant social media presence and video gaming that helped inspire his “Chef” moniker, Lee’s profession, network of friends and even home base in Las Vegas is vastly different from most Australian 20-somethings.
Yet, even with his jet-setting lifestyle, Lee remains the same personality from his amateur days, and his own reaction to the response over his first PGA TOUR win showcases his ability to stay true to himself.
Among the well-wishers was one of the biggest stars on the planet, Justin Bieber, who Lee claims to be the unofficial golf coach of.
Lee today revealed that the relationship is unique given both feel they are the one to be proud of the friendship.
“The thing is he fanboys kind of over me, but obviously I’m fanboying over him,” Lee said of Bieber.
“We haven’t played (golf) yet, but I got his phone number and we just texted and texted quite often. He would send me videos of his swing and I would critique it and yeah, it’s very cool.”
Proving Lee’s suggestion of the mutual respect over the friendship, it was Bieber who shared an image of their FaceTime following the Aussie’s breakthrough Houston victory to his social media channels.
“He asked me if he could post it and I was like, ‘Bro, do whatever you want. You’re Justin Bieber, I don’t care’,” was Lee’s humorous retelling of how the post came about.
Beyond Bieber, Lee mentioned multiple NBA players among those who congratulated him, including fellow Aussie Josh Giddey and Steph Curry, however, despite their ongoing sibling rivalry, no doubt the support of sister Minjee meant a great deal.
In Las Vegas ahead of this week’s LPGA Tour match play event at Shadow Creek, coincidental timing meant the Lee’s could share a celebratory dinner in Min Woo’s hometown with their shared agent, Brent Hamilton, and coach, Ritchie Smith.
The younger sibling not missing his chance to throw shade at his sister when asked who paid for the Japanese meal on the Vegas ‘Strip’.
“It was me. It was me. Of course it was me. I made a nice little cheque last couple days ago,” Min Woo said. “My sister could have been nice and she could have got it, but it’s all good.”
Family will also be a theme next week for Lee when he contests The Masters for a fourth straight year.
Mum Clara will be on site at Augusta National, where Lee will hope to improve on his already impressive record of T14-MC-T22, with last year’s result perhaps his most impressive giving the preparation.
Unlike this year when he enters the year’s first major as a last start winner, in 2024 Lee teed it up with a broken finger and suffering from illness Monday to Wednesday, a sickness he blames on giving up his jumper to a young fan when watching Minjee in the cold the week prior.
Breaking the digit in the gym, Min Woo plans to be much more careful as he prepares to challenge for his first major title having now accumulated five professional wins in his burgeoning career.
“First of all, obviously just to not drop a dumbbell on your finger. I think that’s priority one. I’ll probably be a bit safer when I’m in the gym right now this week,” he joked of his preparations for Augusta.
“I mean going into it feeling good and yeah, it’s last week felt like an exhausting week, so I just relax and enjoy my time doing nothing really over the last couple days and the next day or so. And yeah, get ready for the big dance.
Adding of his new place as the highest ranked Australian men’s player in the Official World Golf Ranking heading into The Masters: “I mean, it’s crazy. I looked up to these guys and I still do and it’s awesome to be the No.1 ranked Aussie. I still feel like a little kid growing up and I don’t feel 26, I feel 18, 19, 20 as a youngster.
“But there’s youngsters that come out and are very young and you don’t feel as young anymore. But it is very cool. It’s cool to be there. I feel like I inspire kids and inspire people to love and play golf.
“So it’s quite cool to be the top spot, I guess in Australian golf and hopefully I can keep going.”
That attempt to keep going will be alongside major champions Cam Smith, Adam Scott and Jason Day, as well as Cameron Davis in a five-strong Australian contingent at Augusta.
Day continues to do his bit to help Lee become part of the Australian major winner club that his sister is already a member of as a two-time major champion.
“Jason’s been amazing help to me. I think he’s helped me the most out of any player and just advice just in general,” Min Woo said.
“I told him how I felt, really how I felt during THE PLAYERS and I just felt like I wasn’t myself and I was trying to be someone else and he just said just to trust the process and keep hitting good shots and if not, it’s okay.
“And funny, I did that and I won … it’s only love between us and it’s very cool to have a big brother out on Tour.”
The Masters is live and exclusive on Fox Sports, available via Foxtel and Kayo Sports.
Two of Australian golf’s most feted young players delivered the goods when it mattered the most in a memorable week for Aussie golf at home and abroad.
The talent that had never been questioned was paired with a greater work ethic and mental strength to clinch Min Woo Lee his first PGA TOUR win as Harrison Crowe rode the ferocious winds of the Mornington Peninsula to go bogey-free in the final round and win The National Tournament.
The 2022 New South Wales Open champion as an amateur, it marked Crowe’s first win as a professional as Anthony Quayle was rewarded for an ultra-consistent season back on home soil with his best finish of the summer.
Major champions Hannah Green and Jason Day showed promising signs in their return to action as Kirsten Rudgeley closed out her run of events in Australia with a tie for fourth at the World Sand Greens Championship.
10. Harrison Crowe (New)
Re-established his status as a player for the big occasion with a thrilling victory at The National Tournament in Victoria to round out the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season. Completed a sneaky-good season to finish eighth on the Order of Merit with top-10 finishes at the Australian Open, BMW Australian PGA Championship and Ford NSW Open.
9. Kirsten Rudgeley (8)
Tied for second at the Ford Women’s NSW Open, Rudgeley kept the competitive juices flowing with a tie for fourth at the World Sand Greens Championship at Binalong. Is now set up for her third season on the Ladies European Tour where a breakthrough win beckons.
8. Jason Day (6)
Solid return to play after Day was forced to withdraw from THE PLAYERS Championship with a stomach virus. Shot 66 in the final round of the Texas Children’s Houston Open to earn a share of 27th in a nice tune-up two weeks out from The Masters.
7. Anthony Quayle (10)
He described it as the best shot of his life and it will be a contender for shot of the season after Anthony Quayle blistered a 2-iron 215 metres at the 72nd hole for the birdie that clinched outright second at The National Tournament. It also clinched DP World Tour status for 2026 in what was his eighth top-five finish of the season.
6. Elvis Smylie (5)
The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner had the luxury of taking the week off as he sets his sights on a comprehensive campaign on the DP World Tour.
5. Minjee Lee (4)
Embraced the role of cheerleader as little brother wrapped up his maiden PGA TOUR win in Houston. Returns to play this week at the T-Mobile Match Play in Las Vegas.
4. Karl Vilips (2)
It appears to be either feast or famine for Karl Vilips, the Puerto Rico Open winner missing his past three cuts including last week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open.
3. Lucas Herbert (3)
Managed to hold on to third on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit and now has a DP World Tour exemption category available to him at the end of the year should he need it. Has two top fives on LIV Golf this year along with a top 10 at the International Series Macau.
2. Hannah Green (1)
Sharpened her game for the long campaign ahead with a tie for 44th at the Ford Championship, just Green’s fourth tournament of the year. Already boasts two top-seven finishes as she seeks to follow up her three-win 2024 season.
1. Min Woo Lee (7)
The late urging from his manager to tee it up yielded Min Woo Lee’s first PGA TOUR win at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. The four-stroke lead he held at the start of the final round had been eaten into, necessitating a clutch up-and-down from the back fringe to win by one. Now Australia’s highest-ranked male player at No.22 in the world.
The Australian Golf Power Rankings is a subjective list developed with input from members of the Australian Golf media team.
West Australian Ryan Peake capped his Rookie of the Year season with confirmation of a spot on the DP World Tour in 2026 as Anthony Quayle produced the shot of his life to also secure a pathway to Europe.
As Harrison Crowe completed a clinical final round of 4-under 68 to win The National Tournament by two strokes at The National Golf Club, the Order of Merit ramifications happening just below him on the leaderboard were frenetic.
A two-time winner this season, South Australian Jack Buchanan started the final round fifth on the Order of Merit and the man most likely to claim the card made available by Cameron Smith’s DP World Tour exemption as the 2022 Open champion.
The final nine holes of the season saw Quayle and West Australian Curtis Luck switch back and forth between sixth and seventh on the projected Order of Merit, each birdie opportunity and every dropped shot more significant than either could have anticipated.
When Luck made birdie at the par-3 16th in a howling wind he moved into outright second on the leaderboard and sixth on the live Order of Merit projections.
His bogey-bogey finish would prove costly not only for him, but for Buchanan.
Trailing Crowe by three strokes playing the final hole, Quayle hit a 2-iron from 215 metres to eight feet from a back-left pin at the 72nd hole for the birdie that secured second place alone in the tournament and the 107 points he needed to leapfrog Buchanan into fifth by just 10.3 points.
“It was 215-odd metres into a massive wind,” reflected Quayle, who quit the Japan Golf Tour late last year to dedicate himself to the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and the pathways it offers.
“Just the shot itself is hard, but I think the circumstance might make that the best shot I’ve ever hit.
“For the last few months, I’ve really not been allowing myself to get too far ahead of myself, which is difficult to do.
“I feel like I was able to have one goal in mind and that was just to win each week I teed it up. I didn’t achieve that, but I feel like I had a really good chance in more than half my starts.
“I’m just incredibly proud and happy with the way I kind of just stuck with it.
“I’ve had three top-fives to finish the year to just sneak past and secure this.
“It’s pretty awesome.”
Peake entered the week with No.2 on the Order of Merit guaranteed.
With Elvis Smylie earning DP World Tour exemption via his victory at the BMW Australian PGA Championship, it promises Peake an almost full schedule when he joins the DP World Tour as a member for the 2026 season.
Although his well-publicised past will make it challenging to maximise the Asian Tour card he earned by winning the NZ Open, he can now look forward to joining the best players on the planet on a major world tour later this year.
“It just solidified the fact of why I came back to the game and gave it another run,” Peake said of his future on the DP World Tour.
“Obviously with words of encouragement which everyone knows from certain people, (coach) Ritchie (Smith), my family and all that.
“It just shows that I’ve proved myself right in making the right decision to come back and play and give it another go.
“It will take a little while before I start getting on the road and start playing these events that it will kind of really sink in then.
“I’m just excited to get going.”
Buchanan was the hard luck story of Sunday’s season finale but there is still a chance he will join Peake and Quayle with a DP World Tour card for next season.
Lucas Herbert’s exemption as a DP World Tour winner runs out at the end of this season.
As the Ford NSW Open champion has now finished third on the Order of Merit, he would be entitled to that exemption if he chose to maintain his membership for the 2026 season.
If not, or if he becomes otherwise exempt, Buchanan is next in line.
Order of Merit final standings
1 Elvis Smylie 1,358.96 (9 events)
2 Ryan Peake 1,012.59 (19)
3 Lucas Herbert 758.47 (4)
4 Cameron Smith 735.68 (4)
5 Anthony Quayle 688.46 (15)
6 Jack Buchanan 678.16 (16)
7 Curtis Luck 594.12 (6)
8 Harrison Crowe 591.81 (12)
9 Corey Lamb 490.63 (17)
10 Jordan Doull 470.61 (18)
Sydney’s Harrison Crowe believes he is now ready to take his game to the world after taking out The National Tournament in impressive fashion at The National Golf Club on Sunday.
Harnessing the thousands of rounds he has played at Michael’s Golf Club on Sydney’s southern coastline, Crowe defied the 50km/h winds that whipped across the Gunnamatta Course to post the only bogey-free round of the final day of the 2024/2025 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season.
Paired with Quinn Croker (71) and Denzel Ieremia (76) in the final group, Crowe shot a 4-under 68 to finish at 19-under for the tournament, two strokes clear of Queenslander Anthony Quayle (69), who produced the shot of his life to make birdie at the par-4 18th and snare outright second.
That result saw Quayle leapfrog South Australian Jack Buchanan (68) into fifth on the Order of Merit and secure a DP World Tour card for the 2026 season, a target he set himself when he turned his back on the Japan Golf Tour to play more on home soil late last year.
There are Order of Merit rewards coming too for Crowe, who finishes the year in eighth position. That guarantees him a start at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the DP World Tour in Scotland in October and will open the door to a host of major qualifying schools later in the year.
For a 23-year-old who burst onto the scene by winning both the New South Wales Open and the Asia-Pacific Amateur in 2022, this latest win looms as the springboard he has been chasing ever since.
“I’ve been hanging around for this win for quite some time,” said Crowe.
“It just feels great to finally get it done and I feel like this could be the one that kind of kicks the door down a little bit more.”
A message from coach John Serhan after Round 3 emphasised the need to stay present and be ready for whatever the conditions or other players might throw at him.
Before he had even reached the first green there were seven players tied for the lead at 15-under, but what shaped as a Sunday sprint to the finish soon developed into a battle of attrition.
Croker and Quayle both had brief stints in the outright lead as Todd Sinnott, Andrew Martin and Maverick Antcliff all joined the conversation.
Crowe, Quayle, Martin, Croker and Antcliff were all tied at 17-under midway through the front nine, Antcliff the first to break out of the logjam and reach 18-under with birdie at the par-5 sixth.
NZ Open champion and Rookie of the Year Ryan Peake was in the mix until the birdie putts stopped dropping while Curtis Luck surged after the turn thanks to birdies at 11, 12 and 16.
His bogey-bogey finish would have Order of Merit implications but as he and others dropped shots, Crowe remained resilient.
A brilliant 5-iron to seven feet at the par-4 ninth went unrewarded but a par save on 13 and another superb 5-iron into the par-4 14th gave Crowe a three-shot buffer over the closing holes.
“That was certainly one of the best shots I’ve hit,” said Crowe.
“I think I had 175 (metres) to the pin and I just thought, I’m going to hit 5-iron and I’m going to really hit this thing low.
“To save par on the hole before and then to hit that that shot into there just calmed me down a little bit more.
“It was very testing out there and I just kind of had to keep bringing myself back and just stay really in the moment.
“It was easy to wander off – what the lead was, what the score was – and trying to look too far ahead but I think I did a really, really good job today of just being present and staying really, really patient.”
Quayle’s second-place finish was his best result of the season and eighth top-five finish as Martin (67), Luck (68) and Croker (71) shared third.
Australia’s best professional and elite amateur golfers will test their skills on some of the best regional courses in New South Wales, with dates and venues confirmed for six NSW Regional Open Qualifying tournaments in 2025.
With the Ford NSW Open Championship planned for mid-November, the six $50,000 lead-in events will attract competitors from across Australasia.
In addition to the lucrative purses at each event, three spots in the NSW Open are also up for grabs for the highest placegetters not already exempt into the November field.
With free entry to each venue and the chance to walk the fairways with the players, spectators can witness the action up close.
The venues and dates for the six Regional Open Qualifying Tournaments in 2025 are:
General Manager – Golf at Golf NSW Olivia Wilson said the Regional Open Qualifying Series events were perfect for an aspiring professionals or elite amateurs to kickstart their 2025/26 Australian Summer of Golf.
“The series, as it has done in recent years, can really help a future star of our sport get to the next level,” Ms Wilson said.
“With a guaranteed place in the $800,000 Ford NSW Open, players will be aiming to lock up their spot in the NSW Open quickly.”
Several players have put the qualifying spot to good use in past years by vaulting themselves into the sporting spotlight over the Australian summer.
None more so than Corey Lamb, who parlayed his qualification last year at Queanbeyan into a runner-up finish at the 2024 NSW Open behind eventual winner, Ripper GC star Lucas Herbert, and Ben Henkel, who won at Catalina Club and went on to claim the Gippsland Super 6 on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
Chief Operating Officer at Golf NSW Graeme Phillipson said the tournaments were a welcome financial injection into the communities surrounding the host venues.
“The Regional Open Qualifying Series boosts the host clubs and surrounding towns. The players need somewhere to stay and places to eat and drink, so the visitor economy at each location does benefit, Mr Phillipson said.
The 2025 Ford NSW Open and the NSW Open Regional Qualifying Series are proudly supported by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
The R&A and The PGA Australia Institute are pleased to announce the launch of the Women in Golf Foundation Program, in Australia.
The Women in Golf Leadership Foundation Program forms a significant part of The R&A’s and Australian Golf’s ongoing commitment to the Women in Golf Charter.
This program provides women across the golf industry with opportunities to enhance their leadership capability confidence and connect with a growing alumnae globally.
Over 300 women having graduated from around the world and over 75% of them gaining promotion after graduation.
What is the program:
An exciting program specifically designed for women looking to develop a foundation level of leadership capability and confidence, where you will:
Who should apply:
How to apply:
Step 1 by 2 April
(i) Why you want to participate in this program.
(ii) What you hope to achieve from a personal development perspective from attending the program.
(iii) The continued contribution and impact you would like to make to The R&A Women in Golf Charter aims and objectives.
Step 2 by 11 April
Those who are successful will be invited to attend the program.
Confirmation of attendance will be announced once the agreement has been signed.
Feedback will be provided if requested for those who are not successful.
