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It is time for the final major championship of 2024 for the over-50 crowd, with the PGA TOUR Champions and Legends Tour combining at The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex.
The best players in senior golf, including 13 Australians, three Kiwis and one Fijian, head for Carnoustie in Scotland, and here is all you need to know.
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Alex Cejka (GER)
PRIZEMONEY: US $2,850,000
LIVE SCORES: www.europeantour.com/legends-tour/
TV COVERAGE: The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
*All times AEST.
Round One: Thursday 9:30pm–3am (Fox Sports 505/Kayo)
Round Two: Friday 9:30pm–3am (Fox Sports 505/Kayo)
Round Three: Saturday 9:30pm–3am (Fox Sports 505/Kayo)
Final Round: Sunday 9:30pm–3am (Fox Sports 505/Kayo)
AUSTRALASIAN PLAYER PROFILES
STEVEN ALKER
Age: 52
The lowdown: An eight-time PGA TOUR Champions winner, including one victory earlier this year, Alker is always one of the favourites heading into the majors.
The Kiwi has played three of the four grand slam events in 2024 with a worst return of T12 at the US Senior Open, and arrives fresh off a share of seventh at the Senior Players earlier this month.
Alker similarly has a strong record at The Senior Open, including a T11 last year and tie for third a year earlier, and chasing the season-long Charles Schwab Cup title, a good week here would go a long way.
STEVE ALLAN
Age: 50
The lowdown: New to the world of over-50s golf, the Victorian has shown plenty in his debut year in America on the PGA Tour Champions where Allan has seven top-25 finishes so far in 2024.
The majors haven’t been the happiest hunting ground so far for the 2002 Australian Open winner this year, however, having played extensively in Europe early in his career and with his Sandbelt golf background, expect Allan to have a good week here.
A hard worker and terrific putter, Allan will find plenty of fairways and his ball flight control in the wind will be a major positive this week.
STUART APPLEBY
Age: 53
The lowdown: It has been a busy 2024 for Appleby on the PGA TOUR Champions where the Cohuna product’s second half of the season has yielded some impressive results.
Finishing in the top-25 seven times this year, including as runner-up at the Insperity Invitational, Appleby has more than enough links and Open Championship experience to go well at Carnoustie, including a reputation as a top-class ball striker.
MICHAEL CAMPBELL
Age: 55
The lowdown: Lightly raced in racing parlance, the Kiwi winner of the 2005 US Open is a lover of links golf and regular contender when playing that style of golf so don’t count him out this week.
A mercurial ball striker, Campbell will be more than comfortable if the wind gets up and is experienced around Carnoustie, where he played two Opens for a best return of T57.
GREG CHALMERS
Age: 50
The lowdown: Chalmers has continued to impress with his knack of pre-qualifying into events, or turning a start into another the following week on the PGA TOUR Champions in his debut.
Letting his Twitter followers in on his early experience of a practice round, and plenty of lost balls, already this week, Chalmers’ renowned sense of humour will be a major string in his bow at Carnoustie where sometimes all a player can do is laugh.
Another with experience in the UK, Chalmers has plenty of power to use, as well as his renowned ability with the flatstick.
PETER FOWLER
Age: 65
The lowdown: The seemingly ageless Fowler continues to work harder than his much younger contemporaries and will be loving the opportunity to tee it up in another senior major championship.
Known as having the only short game that could rival the great Seve Ballesteros in their primes, Fowler continues to own a wedge game, and especially bunker play, the envy of his competitors that will be a significant advantage here.
Highly experienced in this part of the world, Fowler’s best chance could come if the Scottish summer turns nasty.
RICHARD GREEN
Age: 53
The lowdown: Currently fifth on the PGA TOUR Champions season-long points list, Green continues to show up big time at the majors in 2024 with four top-20s, including a runner-up and third place.
Spending much of his pre-50 career in Europe, and living on the Bellarine Peninsula, links golf and wind is nothing new for the left-hander who will enter this week as one of the favourites again here.
Adding to Green’s chances is his share of fourth at the regular Open Championship held at Carnoustie back in 2007.
SCOTT HEND
Age: 50
The lowdown: Still mixing it with the “flat bellies” of the main Tours of the world, Hend is one of the bigger Australasian chances here this week.
Remaining long off the tee, Hend will have no trouble in the wind in Scotland, while his ball striking remains of high quality.
Leading the standing on the European Legends Tour, Hend has played one senior major in 2024, with the Queenslander finishing in a tie for fourth at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.
MARK HENSBY
Age: 53
The lowdown: As he was in his main Tour career, Hensby continues to be the quiet achiever of the Australians playing regular senior Tour golf, with the 53-year-old recording 10 top-25 finishes on the PGA TOUR Champions so far in 2024.
Tied for 14th at the Kaulig Companies Championship a few weeks back, Hensby will be full of confidence and has the game to do well on the links of Carnoustie.
The Tamworth product is another with previous experience at Carnoustie where he missed the cut in 2007, however Hensby showed plenty of comfort in his two other Open Championship starts.
MICHAEL LONG
Age: 55
The lowdown: Playing on the European Legends Tour, the lanky New Zealander is a sneaky good chance this week at Carnoustie.
Currently inside the top-20 of the rankings on the Legends Tour, Long shared 20th a few weeks back at the Swiss Open and his mix of growing up in New Zealand and much of his adult life in Western Australia suggests windy conditions won’t faze Long.
DAVID MCKENZIE
Age: 56
The lowdown: Full of experience since turning 50, McKenzie is another with a grounding in Melbourne and Victorian golf that should translate well here.
Finishing tied for 25th at this event last year, McKenzie’s form so far this year has been solid in his limited opportunities and if his putter is hot he can certainly be a factor late in the piece.
JASON NORRIS
Age: 51
The lowdown: Earning his place thanks to a win at the Australian PGA Seniors Championship at Richmond last year, Norris is perhaps one of the smoky chances here for anyone outside of Australia.
Playing plenty of golf in Europe over his career, Norris is long for the over-50 crowd and plays the game with incredible creativity that will hold him in good stead this week at Carnoustie.
Tied for 15th in Switzerland earlier this month, Norris will relish the chance to show his wares and potentially open up more playing opportunities with a good week.
PETER O’MALLEY
Age: 59
The lowdown: Spending most of his time on the farm these days rather than playing competitive golf, O’Malley is still a tremendous hitter of the golf ball and his exploits in Scotland are legendary.
A winner of the Scottish Open with a final day charge, O’Malley will enjoy his return and despite little lead-in form to go by, windy conditions and the need for precision will suit the New South Welshman, who will hope the putter heats up.
ROD PAMPLING
Age: 54
The lowdown: Two-times a winner on the PGA TOUR Champions, including the SAS Championship in 2023, Pampling’s form so far this year has been up and down, though his ball striking bodes well for this week.
Long considered a top iron player, Pampling has plenty of experience at Carnoustie, including a T27 finish in 2007 and holding the lead of the 1999 Open Championship after the first round before feeling the full “Carnastie” effect on day two.
JOHN SENDEN
Age: 53
The lowdown: There have been signs of the Queenslander’s best in 2024, including with his lone top-10 of the season at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship, and if Senden can drop the one round above 73 each event he is a chance this week.
Another of the well regard ball strikers from Australia in this generation, Senden played a handful of Opens in his regular Tour career, with one of his best finishes coming at Carnoustie in 2007.
VIJAY SINGH
Age: 61
The lowdown: Still outworking almost everyone in professional golf, Singh will have taken plenty from his seventh place finish at the US Senior Open late last month at a course that highlights the same skills as Carnoustie.
A senior major champion, Singh owns some of the most significant links experience in the field of the players from outside the UK, and if the putter behaves, the Fijian should be right in this one.
MICHAEL WRIGHT
Age: 50
The lowdown: The last of the Australasians into the field after qualifying at Panmure Golf Club on Monday, Wright is another of the Aussies loving life after 50 on the golf course.
A true journeyman during his career, Wright has recorded three top-25s on the PGA TOUR Champions in his debut season this year, with the most recent coming in his last start at the Kaulig Companies Championship where the Queenslander shared seventh.
Possessing plenty of power, Wright’s ball flight control will be a significant asset this week if the wind gets up.
THE COURSE
Famous for its fearsomeness, Carnoustie Golf Links welcomes a senior major for the third time this week having hosted The Open Championship eight times and AIG Women’s Open twice.
Home to three courses, it is the Championship Course that will test the field this week, with the original 10 hole course designed by Allan Robertson with the help of Old Tom Morris, who returned to create the 18 hole layout in 1867.
Arguably the most difficult course on The Open Rota, Carnoustie is known for its relatively tight fairways in comparison with many links, while the famed ‘Barry Burn’ cuts its way through the course, and particularly the 18th hole, where Jean Van de Velde famously came unstuck in 1999.
The winner of the Claret Jug, Paul Lawrie is in the field this week, so too Van de Velde, and 2007 Open Champion Padraig Harrington.
Are you interested in volunteering at either of the two marquee events of this summer’s Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia?
The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and Golf Australia are calling for golf-lovers and enthusiasts to volunteer at the BMW Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane and the ISPS HANDA Australian Open in Melbourne in November-December 2024, as well as tournaments in Perth and regional Victoria.
Volunteers are the heartbeat of these tournaments in Australia.
The PGA Championship will be held at the famous Royal Queensland in Brisbane from 21 to 24 November where Min Woo Lee thrilled the crowds and won the championship last year (pictured above).
The Open is to be held at Kingston Heath and The Victoria Golf Club from 28 November to 1 December, with both courses hosting on the first two days and Kingston Heath hosting on the third and fourth day.
As has been the case in Melbourne in 2022 and Sydney in 2023, the tournament has an inclusive format with men’s, women’s and All Abilities championships played on the same stage at the same time.
Both tournaments are part of the DP World Tour and will boast a field of the best players in the world.
Potential volunteers can also put their hand up for the Victorian PGA Championship at Moonah Links on the Mornington Peninsula, the Gippsland Super 6 and the Webex Players Series event in Perth.
Applications for volunteering at our major events and tournaments are managed through the volunteer management system, Rosterfy.
The process is two-step:
Up to four Australians are in the slot to make the International team for the Presidents Cup in Canada later this year, with Adam Scott leaping the latest to leap into contention.
Scott has played 10 Presidents Cup since 2003, all without a victory over the USA, but he is now where he needs to be to play at Royal Montreal from September 26-29.
Jason Day (ranked 4) and Scott (6) would be automatic qualifiers based on this week’s Fedex Cup points.
But Min Woo Lee (7) and Cam Davis (9) would both have strong arguments for selection depending upon form over the next month.
Captain Mike Weir will have six discretionary picks to make after the top six qualifiers are known immediately after the BMW Championship at the end of August.
The 25-year-old Lee would be making his Presidents Cup debut, while Davis secured two points on debut at Quail Hollow in 2022.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama is the current points leader for the International team.
Major winners in 2024, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, lead the American standings after Schauffele’s victory at the Open Championship.
The Presidents Cup is a PGA Tour-owned event and all players must be eligible to compete on the US Tour.
PHOTO: Jason Day and Adam Scott have teamed up at the Presidents Cup several times before. Image: Getty
Australian journeyman Bryan Wearne and youngster Cameron Bell have shared the trophy at this year’s PGA Professionals Championship of Victoria at Keysborough Golf Club.
Both players finished with matching scores of 2-under 71, one shot ahead of defending champion Grace Lennon who finished alone in third amongst Victoria’s best Vocational PGA Professionals.
Based at X-Golf Preston, Bell made a fast start, with three birdies in a row starting on the 15th. He gave all three shots back after making the turn however, before he saved the day with two late birdies.
Starting on the 10th, Wearne, from Growling Frog, was 2-over through nine holes before finding four birdies on his second nine. If not for a solitary bogey on the par-4 sixth hole, the trophy would’ve have been his alone.
While Wearne and Bell took the top prize, the top-15 players at Keysborough have won their way to the $70,000 National PGA Professionals Final at Heritage Golf and Country Club in October.
Full list of qualifiers:
Adam Scott will celebrate his 45th birthday with a 25th consecutive appearance at The Open Championship after finishing in a tie for 10th at Royal Troon.
American Xander Schauffele became the first male player since Brooks Koepka in 2018 to win two major championships in the same year with what he described as the “best round I’ve played”, a bogey-free 6-under 65 earning a two-stroke win to go with his US PGA Championship triumph at Valhalla in May.
Four back at the start of the final round, Scott drew to within two with early birdies at the first and third holes but a bogey at five stalled his hopes of a Sunday charge.
He would lament a poor swing on 10 tee that resulted in a second dropped shot, his even-par 71 enough to clinch a top-10 finish and secure an exemption into the 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush from July 17-20, 2025.
Scott has played every Open Championship since his debut at St Andrews in 2000 shortly after turning professional and will enjoy a dual celebration as his 45th birthday falls on the eve of Round 1.
While disappointed that he was unable to mount a charge deep into the final round, Scott reflected on a productive fortnight in Scotland that included a runner-up finish at the Genesis Scottish Open.
“Yesterday gave me a glimmer of hope, but it would have had to be a super- hot front nine,” Scott conceded after the sixth top-10 finish of his Open career.
“I made a bad swing on 10 and paid the price, made a mess of that.
“It’s hard to really sum up. I played fairly well this week. Didn’t do well in the toughest conditions. That’s how it goes.
“There’s still the Presidents Cup to look forward to. Hopefully I’m in a good spot to play my way on to that team now.
“That’s kind of the goal through the FedEx Cup upcoming.”
Final thoughts from @AdamScott after another great week at #TheOpen. pic.twitter.com/9PFme74VmM
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) July 21, 2024
Fellow Queenslander Jason Day regained much of the ground he lost in Round 3 with a 3-under 68 to finish in a tie for 13th while Kiwis Daniel Hillier (72) and Ryan Fox (67) also finished inside the top 25.
Scott wasn’t the only Australian to end the week inside the top 10.
Sarah Kemp closed with a round of 70 to be tied seventh at the LPGA Tour’s Dana Open in Ohio and Grant Booth matched his best result on the PGA Tour of Americas with a tie for eighth at the Bromont Open in Quebec.
Photo: Stuart Franklin/R&A/R&A via Getty Images
Results
The Open
Royal Troon, Troon, Scotland
1 Xander Schauffele 69-72-69-65—275 €2,846,593.60
T10 Adam Scott 70-77-66-71—284 €291,576.89
T13 Jason Day 73-68-76-68—285 €228,339.66
T19 Daniel Hillier (NZ) 76-71-68-72—287 €161,949.75
T25 Ryan Fox (NZ) 73-73-76-67—289 €114,430.00
MC Kazuma Kobori (NZ) 73-76—149 €11,340.46
MC Min Woo Lee 71-80—151 €9,458.04
MC Elvis Smylie 76-75—151 €9,458.04
MC Jasper Stubbs (a) 80-72—152 ———
MC Michael Hendry (NZ) 74-78—152 €8,034.74
MC Cam Smith 80-74—154 €8,034.74
PGA TOUR
Barracuda Championship
Tahoe Mountain Club (Old Greenwood Cse), Truckee, California
MC Jason Scrivener 9-0—9
MC Aaron Baddeley 2-(-1)—1
MC Tim Wilkinson (NZ) 1-(-4)— -3
LPGA Tour
Dana Open
Highland Meadows Golf Club, Sylvania, Ohio
1 Chanettee Wannasaen 66-65-66-67—264 $US262,500
T7 Sarah Kemp 68-67-69-70—274 $38,232
T33 Grace Kim 71-68-73-67—279 $11,160
MC Hira Naveed 71-73—144
MC Robyn Choi 73-70—143
MC Sarah Jane Smith 71-72—143
MC Karrie Webb 76-73—149
MC Su Oh 76-76—152
WD Stephanie Kyriacou 74-74—148
Ladies European Tour
Dutch Ladies Open
Hilversumsche Golf Club, Netherlands
1 Jana Melichova 70-68-67—205 €45,000
T21 Momoka Kobori (NZ) 68-75-70—213 €3,684
T52 Kelsey Bennett 71-72-75—218 €1,067.14
T64 Whitney Hillier 72-72-78—222 €765
MC Amy Walsh 72-75—147
Korn Ferry Tour
Price Cutter Charity Championship
Highland Springs Country Club, Springfield, Missouri
1 Matt McCarty 65-67-65-66—263
T15 Karl Vilips 67-70-67-66—270
MC Brett Drewitt 71-68—139
MC Curtis Luck 69-70—139
MC Dimi Papadatos 72-71—143
MC Rhein Gibson 66-77—143
MC Steven Bowditch 76-74—150
PGA TOUR Americas
Bromont Open
Golf Chateau-Bromont, Québec
1 Ryan Burnett 67-65-64-62—258 $US40,500
T8 Grant Booth 66-67-65-67—265
MC Harry Hillier (NZ) 67-70—137
MC Charlie Hillier (NZ) 74-70—144
Epson Tour
Twin Bridges Championship
Pinehaven Country Club, Guilderland, New York
1 Lauren Stephenson 66-66-72—204 $US35,625
T17 Amelia Garvey (NZ) 75-70-68—213 $2,925
T26 Maddison Hinson-Tolchard 73-70-71—214 $2,206
MC Fiona Xu (NZ) 76-75—151
Challenge Tour
Euram Bank Open
GC Adamstal, Ramsau, Austria
1 Frank Kennedy 65-66-65-71—267 €43,200
MC Blake Windred 68-72—140
MC Hayden Hopewell 71-70—141
MC Jeff Guan 75-69—144
Adam Scott showed early signs of a final flurry but it was American Xander Schauffele who was crowned Champion Golfer of the Year at The Open Championship at Royal Troon.
Scott trailed 54-hole leader Billy Horschel by four strokes entering the final round on the back of a round of 5-under 66 on Saturday.
With early birdies at one and three, Scott threatened to make a charge for the Claret Jug that he craves so deeply but bogey at the par-3 fifth quelled much of his forward momentum.
Scott ultimately closed with an even-par round of 71 to finish tied for 10th, fellow Australian Jason Day closing with a round of 3-under 68 to climb into a share of 13th just one shot back of Scott.
Runner-up at the Genesis Scottish Open, Scott is buoyed by a fortnight in Scotland that he hopes will propel him into the Presidents Cup team and a deep run in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
“After the 10th it was kind of over,” was Scott’s summation. “In the end I was too far back.
“Yesterday gave me a glimmer of hope but it would have had to be a super-hot front nine.
“It was good solid golf. I made a bad swing on 10 and paid the price, made a mess of that.
“It’s hard to really sum up. I played fairly well this week. Didn’t do well in the toughest conditions.
“That’s how it goes.
“There’s still the Presidents Cup to look forward to, hopefully I’m in a good spot to play my way on to that team now.
“That’s kind of the goal through the FedEx Cup upcoming.”
The next assignment for Day is a gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games.
Lamenting not handling the brutal conditions thrown at him better during Saturday’s third round where he fell from a tie for seventh to outside the top 30, Day will head home for a week before joining Min Woo Lee at Le Golf National.
“Troon is a serious test of golf,” said Day.
“I always love coming and playing The Open Championship. It’s just a thrill.
“I just didn’t putt as well as I’d hoped to yesterday and didn’t score well. I played good but
didn’t score well.
“To be honest, I feel like the game is kind of moving in the right direction.
“There’s a lot of good positive things moving out of this week going into Paris.”
The US PGA champion at Valhalla in May, Schauffele was flawless in a final round of 6-under 65.
Starting Sunday one back of Horschel, Schauffele began patiently, picking off five straight pars as others around him found early birdies.
Back-to-back birdies at six and seven saw him enter the fray but it was his birdie on 11 – the only player in the final round to do so at the hole named ‘The Railway’ – sparked his winning run.
He separated himself from the field with further birdies at 13, 14 and 16, burning the left edge of with a birdie putt on the 72nd hole to win by two from Justin Rose (67) and Horschel (68).
Photo: Luke Walker/R&A/R&A via Getty Images
Zach Maxwell will target a win on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia after bettering a tour-quality field at the $80,000 Optilease Redcliffe Pro-Am.
The Brisbane native and son of PGA Professional Brett Maxwell, Maxwell delivered a stunning start to his second round to take a stranglehold of the two-day tournament at Redcliffe Golf Club.
Established stars converged on Redcliffe for one of the richest tournaments on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series but Maxwell showed impressive composure to win by one, Nathan Barbieri (65) runner-up for a third time at Redcliffe.
Maxwell began the tournament with a 2-under 69 but played his first five holes in 5-under on Friday, the highlight a hole-in-one at the 134-metre par-3 13th, his fourth hole of the day.
He kept the foot to the floor with a birdie at three and eagle at the par-5 fourth to get to 10-under, enough of a buffer to absorb a bogey at the par-3 seventh and win by one.
“That was really special, especially to have that in a ‘tourny’ round,” said Maxwell.
“I’ve been playing with the Tricolour Concreting guys who have been big supporters of mine for a long time so today was just really special and I’m really grateful.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Four shots separated Maxwell from Round 1 leader Aaron Pike when Round 2 began but he made quick inroads on the deficit.
He made birdie at his opening hole, the par-5 10th, and then added a second in three holes at the par-4 12th.
The hole-in-one on 13 provided a sudden boost and he backed it up with a third birdie at the short par-4 14th.
Six straight pars through the middle of his round kept Maxwell within reach of the top of the leaderboard before his birdie on three and eagle at four propelled him to the front of the pack.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I have a little rule where when I make a birdie I’m allowed to look at the leaderboard,” said Maxwell.
“It gives some good incentive to keep the ego in check, I guess.
“Coming down the last nine holes, I was looking every hole. That’s the best part about the pro-ams and why it’s such a good pathway onto the tour, you get to create environments and create winning pressure.
“I’ve decided with my team to focus on the Aussie season and to only dabble with Asian Tour Q School.
“Being my first year with full status on the Tour, I’ll be keeping my focus here and also pursuing the Asian Tour Q School in Australia at the end of the year.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Zachary Maxwell 69-64—133
2 Nathan Barbieri 69-65—134
3 Aaron Pike 65-70—135
T4 Douglas Klein 72-64—136
T4 Matthew Millar 69-67—136
T4 Gavin Fairfax 66-70—136
T4 Nathan Page 68-68—136
NEXT UP
Pacific Golf Club makes its return to the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series schedule on Monday with the Reside Communities Pacific Pro-Am to be followed by the Howeston Pro-Am on Wednesday.
A hole-in-one 40 years in the making made Anthony Choat’s share of victory at the NewGen Caravans Tin Can Bay Pro-Am one to savour at Tin Can Bay Country Club.
A joint winner at Biloela Golf Club two weeks ago, Choat again had company at the top of the leaderboard as Alex Simpson and Josh Clarke matched his total of 7-under 65.
Surprisingly, all three players were in the morning wave, their clubhouse mark unmatched in the afternoon as Harry Goakes, Dean Jamieson and Aaron Maxwell all posted 6-under 66.
Choat had barely signed his scorecard before video of his first ever hole-in-one hit the socials, the 46-year-old raising his arms to the skies when he found his Titleist at the bottom of the cup at the par-3 13th.
“I was playing with Wade Hooper who is probably a foot taller than me,” Choat said.
“He goes, ‘I think that’s gone in.’ He’s calling it on the tee and I can’t see anything.
“I keep walking, walking, walking, Wade gets his camera out and starts filming.
“As soon as I saw it in, it was a massive release because 40 years of golf and none. I’ve had them flying the hole, bounce off the green, spin back, lip out.
“I reckon I can count 10 that should have gone in so to actually have one go in was just huge.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
The 18th hole was Choat’s first and he began with a birdie.
He added two more at two and three but it was two eagles in the space of four holes that provided the backbone to his score.
The first came with a three at the par-5 10th before the long-awaited ace at 13.
Choat birdied 14 to get to 9-under on his round but made double-bogey on his final hole, the par-4 17th.
Like Choat, Simpson began with a birdie at his opening hole, the par-5 eighth, but it was a stretch of four birdies in the space of five holes late in his round that enabled him to match Choat and Clarke at 7-under.
Clarke took a step back with a bogey at his first hole but accumulated eight birdies from that point, six of which came in his final eight holes to also finish at 7-under.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I didn’t really think a win would come from the morning. It was cold and the ground was wet. There was no wind, but I thought we were losing lots of distance with the wet and cold conditions.
“I actually arrived in Townsville with some form and then it quickly dropped off and I really started to doubt myself. Hanging around with a lot of these young players is really good. They talk about their games a lot and it’s a very open forum.
“Through conversations and positivity of some of the young ones, I’ve felt the need to just keep pushing and pushing and it was the second round at Emerald where I really started to find something and I probably haven’t really looked back since.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 Alex Simpson 65
T1 Anthony Choat 65
T1 Josh Clarke 65
T4 Harry Goakes 66
T4 Dean Jamieson 66
T4 Aaron Maxwell 66
NEXT UP
With a proud history and a record $80,000 in prize money, the Optilease Redcliffe Pro-Am tees off on Thursday with a Tour-quality field to do battle across two rounds at Redcliffe Golf Club.
Converted birdie chances and crucial par saves were the cornerstone as Euan Walters claimed a three-stroke win at the Belle Property Mt Coolum Legends Pro-Am at Mt Coolum Golf Club.
Although a Victorian through and through, Walters has always had an affinity with the putting surfaces in Queensland and found the Mt Coolum greens very much to his liking.
Renowned for its tight fairways, Mt Coolum kept most players in check, Walters picking up six birdies in his round of 4-under 68 to win by three.
Recent PGA Legends Tour winners Simon Tooman and Chris Taylor shared second at 1-under 71 with Mike Harwood with four players a further shot back in a tie for fifth.
It is Walters’ second win of the 2024 season and moves him up to seventh on the Order of Merit.
“The hole looked a bit bigger today and I managed to hit it where I was aiming it, so I think it was just my day,” said Walters.
“There were a couple of tee shots that were pretty ordinary but I loved the greens out there.
“They were true – as most Queensland greens are – and I did manage to put well, which was great.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
One-under through four holes, it took a late surge for Walters to separate himself from the field.
He birdied his third hole – the par-5 sixth – but dropped a shot soon after at the par-4 ninth.
A birdie at the par-3 10th got Walters back in red figures and despite a second bogey at 16, birdies at 15, 17, two and three ensured a comfortable margin of victory.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I putted really well all day,” said Walters.
“It wasn’t all plain sailing, but I’d chip it to 10 foot and then hole the putt for par.
“They kept the round going – I did that a couple of times – and then hit it close to the hole a couple of times and holed those.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Euan Walters 68
T2 Michael Harwood 71
T2 Simon Tooman 71
T2 Chris Taylor 71
T5 Stephen Woodhead 72
T5 Scott Laycock 72
T5 Marcus Cain 72
T5 Brad Burns 72
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour has a short break before resuming with a two-tournament stint in Toowoomba, starting with the Advanced Electrical Toowoomba GC Legends Pro Am at Toowoomba Golf Club on July 25.
Connor McDade didn’t believe 5-under was enough yet his morning score could not be bettered as five players joined him at the top of the leaderboard at the Maryborough Pro-Am.
McDade was out in the morning wave at Maryborough Golf Club and despite starting with a bogey, recovered sufficiently to shoot 65 and give the afternoon players something to chase.
And chase they did.
Brady Watt, James Marchesani, Ben Henkel, Bailey Arnott and James Conran all got to 5-under but none would surpass it, joining McDade with a share of victory.
“It’s a good bunch of guys to share it with,” said McDade after his second adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win.
“I honestly kind of counted myself out of it a little bit. I saw there were maybe five or six guys that were within a shot with nine holes to play.
“I’m not really sure how 5-under held up, but it did, so I’ll take that for sure.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Six players ended the day at 5-under but they did so in a variety of ways.
After an opening bogey on three, McDade responded with three consecutive birdies from the fifth hole to get his scorecard heading in the right direction.
Along with birdies at his first and final holes the highlight of Watt’s round was an eagle at the par-4 sixth while Marchesani finished eagle-birdie after finding himself 2-over early in his round.
Conran needed four birdies in his final six holes to join the leaderboard logjam, Arnott had four straight birdies in the middle of his round while Henkel was 6-under through nine holes before also finishing at 5-under.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Kind of just proved to myself again that I can compete out here and compete with some of these players that have played a lot of good golf in their career,” who was the joint winner with Arnott and Henkel at the JET Group Clermont Pro-Am.
“The two wins I’ve had, I’ve been over-par through one hole, so I wasn’t too phased by it. I know that there’s birdies out here, so I just kept doing my thing and saw what happened.
“It’s good to share a win with players such as those guys. They’ve done a lot more than I have in a professional sense… but wouldn’t mind winning an event without Bailey and Ben Henkel there.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 Connor McDade 65
T1 Brady Watt 65
T1 James Marchesani 65
T1 James Conran 65
T1 Ben Henkel 65
T1 Bailey Arnott 65
T7 Josh Clarke 66
T7 Brett Rankin 66
NEXT UP
Tin Can Bay Country Club hosts the NewGen Caravans Tin Can Bay Pro-Am on Tuesday followed by the $80,000 Optilease Redcliffe Pro-Am starting Thursday.
