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A Richard Bland buzzsaw and frustrating weather delay has conspired to deny Australians Richard Green and Greg Chalmers victory at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship in Michigan.
The 54-hole co-leader alongside Ernie Els at Harbor Shores, Chalmers went toe-to-toe with Bland until the Englishman’s eagle on 15 and a suspension of play shortly afterward robbed the West Australian of any positive momentum.
Play was suspended for a total of 74 minutes and, when it resumed, Chalmers made his first bogey of the day on 16, going straight underneath his ball with his chip shot after missing the green with his approach.
He fell out of contention with two more bogeys at 17 and 18 as Bland shot 8-under 63 for a 17-under total to win by three from Green (65) with Chalmers (68) falling to third.
Playing in his first senior tournament, Bland began the day one back of the lead yet two holes in had moved past both Els and Chalmers to assume the front-running position.
When he made bogey on three and Chalmers recorded his first birdie of the day, the lead once again changed hands, a trend that would continue throughout the day.
Four birdies in the space of six holes saw American Chris DiMarco join Chalmers and Bland at 12-under before falling one back when Chalmers and Bland both made birdies at the par-4 eighth.
Bland took full advantage of back-to-back par-5s at nine and 10 to lead by two, Chalmers responding with consecutive birdies of his own at 11 and 12 to stay within one.
Bland’s bogey at the par-3 13th and Chalmers’ birdie from 18 feet on 14 saw the West Australian once again take the outright lead only for Bland to come in over the top with an eagle from six feet at the par-5 15th.
Play was suspended 10 minutes later due to dangerous weather in the area and when it resumed the two-time Australian Open dropped shots at both 16 and 17, handing Bland a three-shot buffer heading to the 72nd hole.
“Even though I didn’t finish as strongly as I would like, I have to take solace in the fact that I was 3-over at the start of the tournament on Thursday and here I am, finished third outright,” said Chalmers, who earned $US238,000 for his week’s work.
Greg Chalmers with the CLUTCH birdie putt to take the lead!
— KitchenAid Senior PGA Champ (@seniorpgachamp) May 26, 2024
Catch the action LIVE on @Peacock.#SrPGAChamp pic.twitter.com/MN5rbQ9E29
“It’s a great week in any first major, first real taste of being in the last group and seeing some things about what it takes and what I need to work on and improve.
“I take a lot of positives about it. I’m hopeful I can get another opportunity down the line.
“Ironically, I’m in the US Open and the British Open coming up, so hoping I’ll get some chances to get in this position again.”
Green’s surge came late on Sunday with eagles at both 12 and 15, taking his tally for the week to five.
He holed an 8-iron from 139 yards at the par-4 12th and then converted his chance from eight feet at the par-5 15th to reach 14-under.
A three-time winner on the Legends Tour in Europe, Green believes he is closing in on a maiden win in the US.
“Just think it adds to your confidence and belief that you can hang in there under pressure, you can take it all the way to the end,” said Green, who earned $US378,000 for second.
“That’s all you can really take out of it. I work so hard on my game in the background and it’s up to me to be mentally strong in those situations.”
Richard Green surprises himself with this hole out for EAGLE!
— KitchenAid Senior PGA Champ (@seniorpgachamp) May 26, 2024
Watch all the action LIVE on @Peacock. #SrPGAChamp pic.twitter.com/Qfh8ZqzBR1
In a week that began with 14 Aussies in the field, five finished inside the top 20.
Queenslander Scott Hend (66) also made eagle on 15 on his way to a tie for fourth while Stuart Appleby shot 67 in the final round to climb into a tie for 14th.
Michael Wright (68) enjoyed his best finish on the PGA TOUR Champions with a tie for 17th as Cameron Percy finished tied 21st in his seniors debut.It was a near miss too for Rhein Gibson on the Korn Ferry Tour.
The New South Welshman eagled his final hole of the Visit Knoxville Open for a closing round of 4-under 66, one shy of the playoff won by Harry Higgs at the second extra hole.
Photos: Ryan Lochhead/PGA of America via Getty Images (Chalmers); Patrick McDermott/Getty Images (Green)
Australasian Results
PGA TOUR Champions
KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship
Harbor Shores, Benton Harbor, Michigan
1 Richard Bland 64-66-74-63—267
2 Richard Green 64-71-70-65—270
3 Greg Chalmers 69-68-66-68—271
T4 Scott Hend 68-68-70-66—272
T14 Stuart Appleby 70-69-72-67—278
T17 Michael Wright 69-67-75-68—279
T21 Cameron Percy 69-72-68-71—280
T39 David McKenzie 72-72-71-70—285
T57 Vijay Singh (FI) 67-77-73-72—289
T67 Mark Hensby 68-71-77-76—292
T75 Mick Smith 72-70-74-78—294
MC Steve Allan 73-73—146
MC Michael Long (NZ) 72-74—146
MC Rod Pampling 70-77—147
MC David Bransdon 76-75—151
MC Brad Burns 72-81—153
DQ John Senden 75-70—145
WD Michael Campbell (NZ)
PGA TOUR
Charles Schwab Challenge
Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas
1 Davis Riley 66-64-66-70—268 $US1.638m
T12 Adam Scott 69-68-69-71—277 $180,635
T24 Min Woo Lee 69-68-68-74—279 $70,866
T32 Ryan Fox (NZ) 68-67-71-74—280 $51,961
T56 Cam Davis 69-70-69-76—284 $20,839
DP World Tour
Soudal Open
Rinkven International GC, Antwerp, Belgium
1 Nacho Elvira 64-64-67-71—266 €393,133.92
T7 Sam Jones (NZ) 62-70-70-67—269 €59,663.85
T48 Jason Scrivener 72-66-69-70—277 €9,096.04
T57 David Micheluzzi 69-69-68-72—278 €6,590.77
MC Haydn Barron 72-72—144
MC Daniel Hillier (NZ) 72-70—142
Ladies European Tour
Jabra Ladies Open
Evian Resort Golf Club, France
1 Morgane Metraux 67-64-72—203 €45,000
T5 Momoka Kobori (NZ) 72-71-67—210 €9,500
T27 Kirsten Rudgeley 72-72-73—217 €3,375
MC Amy Walsh 75-74—149
Japan Golf Tour
Road to the British Open Mizuno Open
JFE Seto Inland Sea Golf Club, Okayama
1 Ryosuke Kinoshita 69-66-70-71—276 ¥20m
T28 Michael Hendry 68-73-71-74—286 ¥670,000
T35 Brad Kennedy 69-74-69-75—287 ¥540,000
MC Anthony Quayle 74-74—148
Korn Ferry Tour
Visit Knoxville Open
Holston Hills Country Club, Knoxville, Tennessee
1 Harry Higgs 64-65-67-65—261 $US180,000
Won on the second hole of sudden death playoff
T3 Rhein Gibson 66-66-64-66—262 $44,375
T64 Dimi Papadatos 66-69-70-69—274 $4,010
MC Brett Drewitt 68-72—140
MC Jimmy Zheng (NZ) 73-69—142
Challenge Tour
Danish Golf Challenge
Odense Eventyr Golf, Odense, Denmark
1 Andreas Halvorsen 66-66-66-71—269 €43,200
MC Andrew Martin 74-70—144
MC Tom Power Horan 74-75—149
MC Hayden Hopewell 77-73—150
MC Connor McKinney 76-80—156
Korean PGA Tour
KB Financial Liiv Championship
Blackstone Golf Club, Icheon, Korea
1 Seungsu Han 72-67-67-71—277
T55 Wonjoon Lee 73-71-75-74—293
T58 Sungjin Yeo (NZ) 73-71-76-74—294
MC Kevin Chun (NZ) 77-71—148
MC Junseok Lee 82-69—151
Sunshine Tour
KitKat Cash & Carry Pro-am
Irene Country Club, Centurion
1 Kieran Vincent 67-67-67-66—267
MC Austin Bautista 77-72—149
Sydney’s John Lyras has got the better of Elvis Smylie in an epic back-nine duel to claim the $50,000 Lexus Townsville Classic at Townsville Golf Club.
A day after breaking the course record with a round of 10-under 61, it took just three holes for Lyras move past Smylie and take the outright lead for the first time all week.
Two holes later that advantage pushed out to two before the pair separated themselves from the field with a brilliant display of top-class golf.
Starting from the par-4 ninth, Lyas made seven birdies in the space of eight holes as Smylie endeavoured to keep pace with five straight birdies of his own from the short par-4 10th.
When Lyras birdied the par-5 16th he held a four-stroke lead, Smylie’s birdie at 17 and Lyras’s bogey on the final hole reducing the final margin of victory to two shots.
Five-over through four holes on Thursday, Lyras played his next 50 holes in 23-under par, backing up Friday’s 61 with a 9-under-62 for an 18-under par winning total, his first official win on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series.
“When I made the birdie on 16, that was the first time I felt comfortable,” said Lyras.
“Elvis pushed all the way. We played incredible golf on the back nine. I think we both reeled off five birdies straight at one point.
“It was good to see we holed a couple of putts on top of each other on the back nine too, and a couple of incredible up and downs.
“It was really high quality golf and honestly, every time I’ve played with Elvis, it’s been high quality golf.
“He is a super kid and he’s an incredible player with an incredible personality and mindset about the game, too.”
As other players fought against the wind that buffeted the twisting Townsville layout, Lyras decided to ride with it.
It is a skill he has honed playing alongside the likes of Travis Smyth, Stephanie Kyriacou and Harrison Crowe at St Michael’s Golf Club in Sydney’s east, a skill he believes brings out his best.
“The wind opens up a bit more of a creative mind in me,” said Lyras, who has five top-five finishes on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
“It’s been a really incredible development to my game and opened a lot of doors for a bit more of a creative and artistic mindset about the game.
“Really trying to zone in on a shot and picture it a little bit more than maybe some of the guys can. I know for me, I struggle seeing straight shots, so with wind there it kind of helps me a little bit.”
Smylie had to settle for second with a round of 6-under 65 and 16-under total, four shots clear of James Mee (65) with Blaike Perkins (68) and Andrew Campbell (70) rounding out the top five.
Although he finished well down the leaderboard, Michael Dean left with one of the tournament highlights, making a hole-in-one at the par-3 second hole.
Playing 144 metres, Dean used the disappointment of a bogey on the opening hole to muscle an 8-iron that finished in the bottom of the cup.
“Hole two played a little into the wind so I hit 8 a little harder with a little draw,” Dean said.
“The wind pushed it back onto the hole and it one-hopped and in.”
Josh Greer’s first win as a professional was again a joint effort as he and Ryan Peake shared victory at the Urban Quarter Dunsborough Lakes Pro-Am on Friday.
Winner of the WA PGA Foursomes Championship with Nathan Barbieri two weeks ago, Greer was still chasing an individual title on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series.
He got that at Dunsborough Lakes Golf Course, albeit a shared victory with Peake with rounds of 5-under 67.
Greer’s Foursomes partner Barbieri was one of six players to finish in a tie for third at 3-under 69, Braden Becker, Kathryn Norris, Daniel Fox, Rick Kulacz and Tim Elliott also finishing two shots back.
HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED
Remarkably, both eventual champions began their rounds on the eighth tee, Peake playing in the group in front with Greer just behind.
Peake wasted little time making forward progress on the leaderboard with two opening birdies, Greer also picking up a shot at the par-5 eighth before three straight pars.
Greer put the foot down with four straight birdies from the par-5 12th but gave two back with bogeys at 16 and 17 before rounding out the back nine with a birdie.
One after the other, the pair both headed to the first tee at 4-under par and took advantage of a par 5 again to start the front nine with birdies.
Peake countered a bogey on two with a birdie at six to be the first to post 5-under, Greer giving up the chance at an outright win with a bogey on his final hole.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
Peake: “It’s always a pleasure to drive down here. It’s obviously going to be much more pleasurable driving home as well tonight after having a good day.
“As happy as I am obviously to share the win, congratulations to Josh. What an absolute milestone.
“Tonight’s probably a little bit more about you receiving all your medals and awards and things like that.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 Ryan Peake 67
T1 Josh Greer 67
T3 Braden Becker 69
T3 Nathan Barbieri 69
T3 Daniel Fox 69
T3 Kathryn Norris 69
T3 Rick Kulacz 69
T3 Tim Elliott 69
NEXT UP
With a short break in the WA swing, attention on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series now turns to North Queensland. The Lexus Townsville Classic concludes on Saturday to be followed by the Abbot Point Operations Bowen Pro-Am at Bowen Golf Club on Wednesday.
He insists the swing needs some tweaks but Nathan Barbieri’s putter proved the difference at the Total Tree Services Perth Sun City CC Pro-Am at Sun City Country Club.
Winner of Q School in April and with a maiden adidas PGA Pro-Am Series victory at the Cottesloe Open, the New South Welshman is riding high on confidence and with a flatstick to match.
Barbieri’s round of 7-under 65 was enough to edge West Australian Ben Ferguson by a shot with left-hander Ryan Peake third at 5-under 67.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
After starting his round from the par-4 12th hole it took Barbieri just two holes to record his first birdie of the day at the par-3 14th.
He backed that up with a second at the par-5 15th and then closed out Sun City’s back nine with three straight pars.
Three birdies in the first four holes to start the front nine helped to separate Barbieri from the field, two further birdies at seven and nine enough to build the buffer he needed for a second win in the WA swing.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I started well. I was a couple under through four or five holes and then picked up a couple after the turn,” said Barbieri.
“I then had the easiest stretch with the short par-4 and the short par-5s and then just played steady from there.
“I made some really nice putts all day. Didn’t have any three-putts and the greens were quick, so the putting definitely took over today.
“I’ve been rolling it really nice pretty much since I got here. I’ve still got to fix the swing a little bit before the season starts but it’s been good.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Nathan Barbieri 65
2 Ben Ferguson 66
3 Ryan Peake 67
T4 Brady Watt 68
T4 Jordan Doull 68
6 Daniel Hoeve 69
NEXT UP
The $50,000 Lexus Townsville Classic begins on Thursday at Townsville Golf Club while the WA swing continues on Friday with the Urban Quarter Dunsborough Lakes Pro-Am at Dunsborough Lakes Golf Course near Busselton.
Reigning champion Brett Rankin is vowing to bring a Tour mentality to the defence of his Lexus Townsville Golf Classic at Townsville Golf Club starting Thursday.
The $50,000 54-hole event marks the start of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series North Queensland swing and boasts a field littered with Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and WPGA Tour of Australasia players.
The week of golf begins with a free junior clinic from 4pm on Tuesday which will be followed by a junior shootout competition and junior pizza party.
The Sponsors Day will be held in conjunction with a club competition on Wednesday with PGA Professionals to be involved in a Q&A and Calcutta at the club on Wednesday evening.
Round 1 of the Lexus Townsville Golf Classic tees off at 6:45am Thursday morning with the champion to be crowned on Saturday afternoon followed by a Shootout on the 18th hole
Rankin, who got up-and-down at the par-3 18th in regulation and then again at the first playoff hole to edge Shae Wools-Cobb 12 months ago, won the NT PGA Championship in 2019 and has been a dominant figure on the Pro-Am circuit for a decade.
With an 18-month-old daughter now at home in Brisbane, Rankin is more judicious with his scheduling and is treating his Townsville defence with the same mindset he takes into a 72-hole Tour event.
“For a one-day event, you try and make as many birdies as you can,” said Rankin, the 2019 NT PGA champion.
“You’re being super aggressive with the attitude of, well, if I don’t pull it off, I’ve got a new event tomorrow.
“With three days it’s more like a Tour event. It’s more like Tour golf. It’s a bit more like a chess match instead of a Big Bash event.
“I enjoy playing the two, three and four-day events more. You can play a bit smarter and play a bit more consistent.”
Four shots back at the start of the final round, Rankin believes it was that patient approach that proved so effective last year, coming home strong with a round of 6-under 65.
“There are a few guys that are quite good at making a lot of birdies, but they’re super aggressive,” he added.
“Sometimes you can just be a bit more patient and eventually they might slip up and consistency will come through at the end, which it did for me last year.
“I enjoy playing multiple days and I still love playing golf, too. You’re playing three or four days in a row, it’s quite exciting. It’s just fun to do.”
Not only does Rankin believe that the patient approach is effective in a three-day event, he says that the Townsville Golf Club layout also plays into the hands of those prepared to plot their way around.
“It’s a course that really bites you in the arse,” Rankin said.
“If you’re going with the aggressive play and you don’t pull it off, you can get into a lot of trouble.
“Just be a bit more cautious off the tee and get it in play and then try and score from that 100-120-metre mark instead of driving some greens and bringing out-of-bounds or water hazards into play.
“I’ve found that the more patient and safer you are off the tee, it normally plays to my advantage.
“Last year the greens were quite good, so you can just play smart off the tee, give yourself looks at birdies and eventually hole a few.”.
Given the growth of the Webex Players Series in recent years, the presence of Kelsey Bennett, Jordan O’Brien, Danni Vasquez, Sarah Yamaki Branch and Rhianna Lewis adds another element to the event.
Other players of note are 2016 Hong Kong Open champion Sam Brazel, rising stars Elvis Smylie and John Lyras and new additions to the pro ranks, Jye Pickin and Connor McDade.
Today marks the first day of National Volunteer Week, and Golf Australia, the PGA of Australia and the WPGA of Australasia would like to say “Three Cheers for Volunteers!”.
Like many sports, volunteers are at the heart of golf. From ball spotters, to first tee starters, to the board members who make Australian clubs tick, golf could not be enjoyed without the crucial role volunteers play.
Across the summer of golf in Australia, 1600 volunteers made sure that the Australian touring professionals and elite amateurs had a well-run tournament at each and every stop around the country.
Also assisting at professional and elite amateur events were more than 50 Tournament Support Officials, helping with refereeing, registration, course setup, and more.
At clubs across Australia, there are 1732 registered Community Instructors, dedicated to helping more Australians play more golf, and almost 14,000 board members facilitating welcoming and inclusive golf facilities.
Golf Australia’s Head of Workforce Engagement, Claudia Marazita, thanked Australian volunteers for their contributions on and off the course to help make Australian golf even bigger and is excited for the relationships that have been built going forward.
“To have a total number of volunteers in Australian golf that exceeds 30,000 is both extremely reassuring and exciting,” she said.
“Without volunteers, our events, tournaments, and day-to-day golf at grassroots level would simply not be possible, so thank you to everyone who has made their contribution to our game.
“Volunteers are the backbone of Australian golf, and the success and growth of our sport would not be possible without their passion and dedication.
“Introduction of online volunteer management system Rosterfy has allowed us to streamline our volunteer process, and has helped us build an ongoing relationship with those who wish to continue volunteering into the future.
“We are committed to ensuring that every volunteer feels appreciated, recognised and supported by the industry in the process of working towards our vision that those wanting to volunteer choose golf.
“We cannot say thank you enough, so again, three cheers for volunteers!”
Two late birdies and a judicious decision on the final hole has secured Brady Watt a one-stroke victory at the 50th playing of the Mitchell and Brown Spalding Park Open in Geraldton.
A round of 6-under 66 gave Watt a one-stroke lead after Round 1 at Spalding Park Golf Club, an advantage he extended to three courtesy of a 4-under par round of 68 in Round 2.
Paired with Ryan Peake and Scott Strange for the final round, Watt was somewhat slow out of the blocks.
Six pars and a bogey in his opening seven holes gave the likes of Jordan Doull (64) and rwo-time champion Daniel Fox (68) a glimmer of hope that Watt could be reined in.
Birdies at eight, nine and 11 re-established Watt’s ascendancy, building a two-stroke buffer with further birdies at 15 and 16.
He dropped a shot at the par-4 17th to reduce the deficit to one but used a conservative approach to secure the par he needed for his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win in close to a year.
“It’s always hard to win wire-to-wire,” Watt said post-round.
“I felt a little nervous this morning but how the course was set-up was kind of tricky, so you’ve got to hang in there.
“I didn’t look at the live scoring too much. I looked after nine and saw that a few guys were going quite well so just tried to have a couple more birdies coming home, checked it on the last and managed to get it done.”
Although not quite wire-to-wire, it was a solid performance from PGA Legends Tour Order of Merit leader Chris Taylor to claim the Mitchell and Brown Spalding Park Legends Open.
One back of Terry Pilkadaris after Round 1, Taylor opened up a four-stroke buffer with a second straight round of 3-under 69 on day two.
Two early birdies in the final round saw that lead balloon to six early, Taylor completing a comfortable three-stroke win despite making bogey at each of the final two holes.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
With Watt out in front, it did not take long for contenders to make their move in the final round.
New South Welshman Alex Edge made three birdies and an eagle in his first four holes after starting on the 10th tee while Cameron John threatened to make it three wins on the WA swing when he used two birdies and an eagle to draw within two of Watt.
As Watt struggled early, Doull made his move.
A week into his professional career, Doull started the final round seven shots back of Watt but had drawn to within one courtesy of an outward nine of 5-under 31.
He added three further birdies in a bogey-free round that would ultimately come up one shot shy.
Watt’s two birdies prior to the turn proved crucial in building momentum into the back nine.
He took advantage of the short par-4 11th to edge further ahead and following a dropped shot at 13, responded with birdies at 15 and 16.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I try to make as many (birdies) as I can while limiting the bogeys,” said Watt.
“I like playing quite aggressive so it’s hard sometimes to aim away from the pin but on the last, being in the middle of the fairway, it’s 100 metres, it’s actually hard to aim right of the flag and try to make a four.
“But that’s how you close out golf events and really happy that I did today.
“I got my card back at Q School and I’ve just been continuing to work and tie in these pro-ams to test how I’m going.
“It’s all starting to come back to where it can be so it’s exciting to get a win, especially at a place I’ve been coming since I was a junior.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Brady Watt 66-68-70—204
T2 Jordan Doull 68-73-64—205
T2 Daniel Fox 68-69-68—205
4 Tom Addy (a) 69-72-65—206
5 Scott Strange 68-69-70—207
T6 Cameron John 70-70-68—208
T6 Kim Felton 69-71-68—208
T6 James Marchesani 70-70-68—208
NEXT UP
The WA swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series moves on to Watt’s junior club, Sun City Country Club, on Wednesday for the Total Tree Services Perth Sun City CC Pro-Am where he is also the defending champion. On the east coast of the country, the Queensland run begins on Thursday with the $50,000 Lexus Townsville Classic.
Sydney professional Josh Clarke broke through for his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series victory by shooting a Sunday 65 to claim the Cowra Lamb Pro-Am by a single shot.
Coming off two top-three pro-am finishes in February and regaining his Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia card at Qualifying School in April, Clarke posted a 36-hole total of 9-under-par to overtake the first-round leader James Conran (66-68),
Matthew Docking (68-67) and Blake Windred (68-67) shared third place.
With the Asian Tour Qualifying School as his next major target, Clarke said he is seeing the results of plenty of time on the practice fairway with coach Blake Dowd at Castle Hill.
Former Australian amateur representative Jye Pickin made his professional debut at Cowra and finished in 12th at 3-under-par.
HOW THE LEADING SCORE UNFOLDED
Clarke rode a hot putter across the two days, collecting 13 birdies.
Six of those came on day one when he also mixed in three bogeys.
In his 6-under 65 on Sunday, which matched John Lyras for low round of the day, Clarke rolled in another seven birdies with his sole bogey coming on the 383m par-4 ninth which he also bogeyed in round one.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I putted pretty well on both days,” Clarke said.
“I didn’t hit it the greatest on day one but much better day two and still just holed heaps of putts whether it was pars or birdies and even a couple of bogey putts. I just putted really good.
“I’ve been continuing to work hard with my coach Blake who is now at Castle Hill. Working on the same type of swing stuff. Still trying to hit fades just control the flight a little bit better.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
133: Josh Clarke (68-65)
134: James Conran (66-68)
135: Matthew Docking (67-68), Blake Windred (67-68)
136: Jack Walden (69-67)
137: Andrew Evans (71-66), Nathan Page (70-67), Anthony Choat (69-68), Justin Warren (68-69)
(*all NSW)
NEXT UP
The next adidas PGA Pro-Am series event in New South Wales is the Northbridge Pro-Am in Sydney on July 26.
West Australian Min Woo Lee believes he is a step closer to a major championship breakthrough after finishing as the leading Aussie at the US PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club.
American Xander Schauffele had to birdie the 72nd hole to earn his own maiden major victory with a record score of 21-under par, edging Bryson DeChambeau (64) by a single stroke.
Tied with two-time major champion Collin Morikawa entering the final round, Schauffele holed a birdie putt from 27 feet at the first to take the outright lead.
He would never trail from that point on, yet had to navigate a treacherous final hole to better DeChambeau’s clubhouse mark of 20-under par.
His tee shot at the par-5 18th came so close to the fairway bunker that he was forced to play his second shot with both feet in the sand. An awkward 7-iron from 247 yards hooked into the fairway 36 yards short of the green, his subsequent pitch coming up six feet short of the hole.
Raise it high, Xander Schauffele! You're a PGA Champion!
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 19, 2024#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/onxnK4f0ZC
As DeChambeau thundered driver swings on the practice range in preparation of a possible three-hole playoff, Schauffele stepped in and found enough of the left edge of the hole to make birdie and join the pantheon of major champions.
At 25 years of age, it is a place Lee wants to one day occupy and he left Valhalla feeling confident that he remains on the right path.
“Definitely trending in the right direction,” Lee told the PGA of America after a round of 4-under 67 that elevated him into a tie for 26th.
“I feel like I’m slowly becoming a better player.
“I left some out there but that’s just how it is. I think we can learn from that; solid week.”
A shot to just three feet at the first hole on Sunday set Lee up for a Sunday flurry.
He converted that birdie opportunity and a second from nine feet at the second to begin his final round in the best possible fashion.
There would be a dropped shot at the par-4 fifth but birdies at seven, nine and 10 had Lee 4-under on his round with eight holes to play.
He was unable to get up and down when he came up short of the green at the par-3 11th but got that back with a birdie from 17 feet at the 520-yard par-4 16th.
Thirteenth for the week in Strokes Gained: Putting, Lee was left to lament a 57% driving accuracy off the tee that restricted his birdie chances throughout the week.
“My driving wasn’t too good the last couple of days,” he admitted.
“If my driving’s up to scratch then I can definitely attack and make some more birdies. It didn’t feel comfortable the last two days so it was quite tough to make some birdies.
“I thought I did pretty good with my recovery the last few days, very happy.”
Tied for 16th through three rounds and chasing a first top-10 finish in a major, Lucas Herbert was on the back foot early with a double-bogey at the first, falling to a tie for 43rd with a closing 3-over 74 alongside fellow Aussie Jason Day (71).
Cameron Smith had six bogeys and four birdies in his round of 2-over 73 while Kiwi Ryan Fox shot 74 to finish 75th.
Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images
US PGA Championship
Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Kentucky
1 Xander Schauffele 62-68-68-65—263 $US3.3m
T26 Min Woo Lee 72-66-70-67—275 $113,962
T43 Jason Day 71-67-69-71—278 $48,969
T43 Lucas Herbert 69-67-68-74—278 $48,969
T63 Cameron Smith 68-70-70-73—281 $25,202
75 Ryan Fox (NZ) 72-68-72-74—286 $22,350
MC Adam Scott 72-73—145
MC Cam Davis 78-71—149
MC Kazuma Kobori (NZ) 73-77—150
West Australian Hannah Green has fallen just short in her quest to win for a third time this season in an epic showdown with world No.1 Nelly Korda at the Mizuho Americas Open.
Seeking to join Jan Stephenson and Karrie Webb as the only Australians to win three times in a single LPGA Tour season, Green began the final round two shot back at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey.
Green’s birdie at the opening hole and Korda’s bogey on two brought the two together at the top of the leaderboard and it quickly turned into a two-horse race.
The 27-year-old took the outright lead when Korda dropped a shot at the par-4 seventh but joined Korda again at 11-under when she made bogey at the par-5 eighth.
The pair made a trio of matching birdies at 10, 13 and 15 to move out to 14-under and four strokes clear of the field.
They are neck and neck!
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 19, 2024@HannahGreenGolf birdies and @NellyKorda follows
pic.twitter.com/t5LAZvAdik
Each hole was an absorbing round of a heavyweight title fight.
Every time that Green landed a body blow, Korda countered with one of her own.
In a possible precursor to the US Women’s Open in two weeks’ time, two players with seven wins between them this season battled until the 72nd hole when Green’s fourth missed fairway of the day would prove costly.
The deep rough left of the fairway grabbed hold of her club as she played her second shot, the ball diving left and short of the putting surface.
The 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA champion showed great touch to give herself a par putt of some 10 feet but it missed on the low side as Korda clinched her sixth win in her past seven starts.
Although disappointed to come up agonisingly short, Green was proud of how she stood up against one of the greatest stretches by anyone in golf history.
“To lose to Nelly… it’s sad, but then it’s also Nelly Korda,” Green reflected.
“She’s obviously so dominant right now. To feel like second behind her is quite nice.”
Green is looking toward the US Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club where she attended as a spectator in 2015 as a Karrie Webb scholarship holder.
“I’m super excited for the next stretch of events,” Green added.
“To go back to somewhere that I haven’t actually played but been outside the ropes, that was the thing that made me want to become a professional golfer, watching Karrie there.
“I’m really excited for Lancaster.”
Green wasn’t the only outstanding performance from an Australian woman this week.
Gabriela Ruffels continued her outstanding rookie season on the LPGA Tour with a third third-place finish to will propel her inside the top 50 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings while Kirsten Rudgeley shot 65 in the final round to finish tied for fourth at the Amundi German Masters on the Ladies European Tour.
Another very solid week at a major for @Minwoo27Lee.
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) May 19, 2024
He breaks down his @PGAChampionship@PGA pic.twitter.com/FhuUdsuOyA
A final round of 4-under 67 saw Min Woo Lee finish as the leading Australian at the US PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club.
Lee’s four-round total of 9-under earned the 25-year-old a tied for 26th as American Xander Schauffele (65) birdied the 72nd hole to win his maiden major championship by a single stroke from Bryson DeChambeau (64).
It was another winning week too for the Kiwis, with Harry Hillier shooting 59 on his way to an eight-shot win on the PGA TOUR Americas and Fiona Xu winning the Copper Rock Championship on the Epson Tour by seven.
Results
US PGA Championship
Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Kentucky
1 Xander Schauffele 62-68-68-65—263 $US3.3m
T26 Min Woo Lee 72-66-70-67—275 $113,962
T43 Jason Day 71-67-69-71—278 $48,969
T43 Lucas Herbert 69-67-68-74—278 $48,969
T63 Cameron Smith 68-70-70-73—281 $25,202
75 Ryan Fox (NZ) 72-68-72-74—286 $22,350
MC Adam Scott 72-73—145
MC Cam Davis 78-71—149
MC Kazuma Kobori (NZ) 73-77—150
LPGA Tour
Mizuho Americas Open
Liberty National Golf Club, Jersey City, New Jersey
1 Nelly Korda 70-68-65-71—274 $US450,000
2 Hannah Green 71-71-63-70—275 $277,738
T3 Gabriela Ruffels 68-70-68-72—278 $146,358
T21 Minjee Lee 69-72-71-69—281 $30,238
T51 Karis Davidson 71-70-71-77—289 $10,189
T51 Sarah Kemp 73-67-72-77—289 $10,189
T53 Stephanie Kyriacou 74-69-71-76—290 $9,427
MC Grace Kim 72-72—144
MC Robyn Choi 73-74—147
MC Lydia Ko (NZ) 72-77—149
Japan Golf Tour
Kansai Open Golf Championship
Meishin Yokaichi Country Club, Shiga
1 Takahiro Hatachi 69-65-65-67—266 ¥16m
T14 Michael Hendry 72-67-70-66—275 ¥1.376m
MC Brad Kennedy 77-67—144
MC Anthony Quayle 70-76—146
Korn Ferry Tour
AdventHealth Championship
Blue Hills Country Club, Kansas City, Missouri
1 Harry Higgs 71-67-65-66—269
Won in sudden-death playoff
MC Rhein Gibson 72-71—143
MC Dimi Papadatos 75-70—145
MC Brett Drewitt 75-70—145
MC Steven Bowditch 75-78—153
Ladies European Tour
Amundi German Masters
Golf and Country Club Seddiner See, Berlin, Germany
1 Alexandra Forsterling 70-70-69-67—276 €45,000
Won in sudden-death playoff
T4 Kirsten Rudgeley 73-74-68-65—280 €12,150
T24 Momoka Kobori (NZ) 74-73-68-72—287 €3,510
MC Amy Walsh 73-79—152
Korean PGA
SK Telecom Open
Pinx Golf Club, Seogwipo, South Korea
1 K.J. Choi 71-64-72-74—281
Won in sudden-death playoff
MC Wonjoon Lee 77-74—151
MC Junseok Lee 78-73—151
MC Kevin Chun (NZ) 84-73—157
PGA TOUR Americas
Inter Rapidisimo Golf Championship
Club El Rincón de Cajicá, Bogotá, Colombia
1 Harry Hillier (NZ) 68-59-68-67—262 $US40,500
T45 Jason Hong 70-70-76-69—285
Epson Tour
Copper Rock Championship
Copper Rock Golf Course, Hurricane, Utah
1 Fiona Xu (NZ) 67-63-64—194 $US37,500
T30 Cassie Porter 74-68-71—213 $2,166
MC Su Oh 74-72—146
MC Amelia Garvey (NZ) 77-72—149
