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Some of the biggest names in Australian golf over the past 30 years will be on show when the 54-hole $150,000 NSW Senior Open returns to Albury this November.
Now in its sixth edition, the NSW Senior Open, one of the biggest events on the PGA Legends Tour, will be played from November 1-3 at Thurgoona Golf & Country Club Resort. It is proudly supported by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
Golf NSW Chief Operating Officer Graeme Phillipson said the event was an extremely popular addition to the Albury/Border sporting calendar.
“Golf NSW is delighted to continue bringing one of our best tournaments back to Thurgoona Country Club,” he said.
“The sporting public of Albury has supported this event from the outset, and it is a pleasure to return to a city where everyone involved in the tournament, including the players, officials and staff, have been so warmly received.
“Golf is the number one pastime Australia-wide for those over 50, and the popularity of tournaments like the NSW Senior Open helps us promote the game as the ideal recreational activity for both young and old.”
The 2024 Championship is set to feature many of the greats of Australasian golf from the past 25 -30 years, including:
Other notables and past champions expected to play include Peter O’Malley (NSW), Chris Taylor (VIC), Grant Kenny (NSW), the inaugural champ in 2017, and 2019 victor Brad Burns (QLD).
PGA Legends Tour coordinator Andy Rogers said the players relished the opportunity to return to Albury and the Thurgoona Golf and Country Club Resort.
“We’re absolutely rapt to be coming back to Thurgoona,” said Rogers.
“We have seen through the quality of the field at Thurgoona in recent years just how much the players enjoy the golf course and visiting Albury.
“It’s a fantastic course and a perfect fit for a tournament that’s a really important part of our schedule.”
Adam Fitzgerald, General Manager of Thurgoona Country Club Resort, said the fan experience at this year’s tournament will allow unparalleled access. Spectators can walk the fairways beside their favourite players and see golf played at its best.
“There won’t be a better opportunity for sports fans in the Albury – Region to get up close and personal to witness the legends in action.
“It’s clear the players really enjoy the atmosphere and the connections with the fans in the gallery, and we are looking forward to another fantastic three days of action.”
The New South Wales Senior Open is proudly supported by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
Four Australians have made it through to the first week of the FedEx Cup playoffs at the St. Jude Championship on the PGA TOUR, with Min Woo Lee needing a solid week to advance further in the playoffs.
With only the top-50 on the standings advancing to next week’s BMW Championship, Lee is currently sitting 62nd, needing a T17 or better at the very least at Memphis to keep his season alive.
Both Cam Davis and Adam Scott sit just inside the safe zone at 44th and 46th respectively, and will be keen to lock in their BMW spots as well as move closer to the top 30 who qualify for the Tour Championship.
Leading Australia Jason Day (26th) is very safe for the BMW Championship but needs to consolidate his place in the Tour Championship over the next fortnight.
With all the focus on Minjee Lee and Hannah Green at the Olympic Games last week, some may have forgotten Steph Kyriacou’s performance in the most recent major championship.
Kyriacou’s runner-up performance at The Amundi Evian Championship announced to the world that she has the game to compete on the biggest stages.
While this week’s ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open is not a major itself, many will be using it as preparation for next week’s AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews, the final women’s major for 2024.
Outdone by an eagle-finish by Evian winner Ayaka Furue, Kyriacou has had two mixed results since her runner-up finish, but a few weeks off, soaking up the European sun has her ready to regain that form.
“Obviously, a lot of stuff worked well for me this week, so just trying to keep the same mindset going forward and hopefully I can win,” said Kyriacou following the Evian.
Seven Australians, including world No.15 Minjee Lee, and one Kiwi, Olympic gold medallist Lydia Ko, will be teeing it up at Dundonald Links for the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open.
Elsewhere, Five Australians are teeing it up at the Czech Masters on the DP World Tour, with all three players who topped the 2022/23 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit — David Micheluzzi, Thomas Power Horan and Andrew Martin — getting the chance to move up the Race to Dubai standings.
*All times AEST
PGA TOUR
FedEx St. Jude Championship
TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
10:50pm Cam Davis
12:55pm Min Woo Lee
2:00am Adam Scott
2:40am Jason Day
Defending champion: Lucas Glover (USA)
Past Aussie winners: Bruce Crampton (1970), David Graham (1976), Wayne Grady (1989), Adam Scott (2013), Jason Day (2015).
Prizemoney: US$20,000,000
TV times: Thursday and Friday 10:15pm-8am Fox Sports 503 and Kayo. Saturday and Sunday 10:30pm-8am Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
LPGA TOUR/LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open
Dundonald Links, Ayrshire, Scotland
4.32pm: Lydia Ko (NZ)
5.38pm: Grace Kim
5.49pm: Whitney Hillier
5.49pm: Hira Naveed
9.10pm: Steph Kyriacou
9.32pm: Minjee Lee
10.05pm: Gabi Ruffels
10.49pm: Kirsten Rudgeley
Defending champion: Celine Boutier (France)
Past Aussie winners: Rebecca Artis (2015)
Prize money: $2 million
TV times: Live 11pm Thursday on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo; Live 11pm Friday on Fox Sports More 507 and Kayo; Live 10pm Saturday on Fox Sports More 507 and Kayo; Live 9pm Sunday on Fox Sports More 507 and Kayo.
DP WORLD TOUR
D+D REAL Czech Masters
PGA National OAKS Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
3:30pm Andrew Martin
5pm Jason Scrivener
4:20pm* David Micheluzzi
5:30pm* Thomas Power Horan
8:30pm* Sam Jones (NZ)
10:30pm* Haydn Barron
Defending champion: Todd Clements (ENG)
Past Aussie winners: Nil.
Prizemoney: €2,000,000
TV times: Thursday and Friday 9pm-2am Fox Sports 505. Saturday 9pm-1am Fox Sports 505 and Kayo. Sunday 7:30pm-10pm Fox Sports 503 and Kayo, 9:50pm-12:30am Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
LIV GOLF LEAGUE
LIV Greenbrier
The Old White at The Greenbrier, Greenbrier, USA
3:15am Lucas Herbert, Matt Jones, Danny Lee (NZ), Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith
Defending champion: Bryson DeChambeau (USA)
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prizemoney: US$20,000,000
TV Times: Saturday, Sunday and Monday 3:15am 7plus.
EPSON TOUR
Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic
Wildhorse Resort and Casino
Pendleton, Oregon
Australasians in the field: Amelia Garvey, Cassie Porter, Fiona Xu, Maddison Hinson-Tolchard,
Defending champion: Xiaowen Yin (China)
Past Aussie winners; Nil
Prizemoney: US$262,500
KORN FERRY TOUR
Magnit Championship
Metedeconk National Golf Club, Jackson Township, New Jersey, USA
8:56pm Karl Vilips
9:18pm Rhein Gibson
3:10am Brett Drewitt
Defending champion: Chan Kim (USA)
Past Aussie winners: Nil.
Prizemoney: US$1,000,000
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
Rogers Charity Classic
Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club, Calgary, Canada
Australasians in the field: Steven Alker (NZ), Steve Allan, Stuart Appleby, David Bransdon, Greg Chalmers, Richard Green, Jason Norris, Rod Pampling, Cameron Percy, Vijay Singh (FIJI), Michael Wright.
Defending champion: Ken Duke (USA)
Past Aussie winners: Nil.
Prizemoney: US$2,400,000
TV times: Monday 7am-9am Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
EUROPEAN LEGENDS TOUR
Zambia Golf Legends Championship
Bonanza Golf Club, Lusaka, Zambia
Australasians in the field: Michael Campbell (NZ), Michael Long (NZ)
Defending champion: Inaugural event
PGA TOUR AMERICAS
Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open presented by Lake Country Co-Op
Elk Ridge Resort – Tournament Course, Waskesiu Lake, Sask, Canada
11:50pm* Grant Booth
1:20am* Charlie Hillier (NZ)
6:10am Harry Hillier (NZ)
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Prizemoney: US$225,000
CHALLENGE TOUR
Vierumäki Finnish Challenge supported by Finnish Golf Union
Vierumäki Resort, Vierumäki, Finland
3:40pm Hayden Hopewell
7:50pm Blake Windred
7:50pm* Connor McKinney
8:10pm* Zach Murray
Defending champion: Lauri Ruuska (FIN)
Past Aussie winners: Marcus Fraser (2003)
Prizemoney: €250,000
LET ACCESS
Ahlsell Nordic Golf Tour
Destination Gotland Ladies Open
Gumbalde Resort, Stanga, Sweden
Australasians in the field: Wenyung Keh (NZ); Munchin Keh (NZ)
Defending champion: New event
Prize money: 45,000
Just days ago, Lachlan Barker was strolling the lush green fairways of Foxhills Country Club in England, and after a missed cut, many would have forgiven him for taking a week off, even if his next event was just down the road and not on the other side of the planet.
As it turns out, the South Australian embarked on a gruelling 39-hour journey to make sure he made it to Port Moresby for the PNG Open, and his reason why shows how much this event means to him.
“You don’t know how many times you’re going to be able to try and defend a title,” said Barker after the Wednesday Pro-Am at Royal Port Moresby ahead of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia’s season opener.
“This was my first pro win, so I have to come back and defend it.”
Barker’s win at last year’s PNG Open got his second season on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia off to the perfect start, and he was able to carry that momentum throughout, finishing tenth on the Order of Merit standings.
While many may shudder at the thought of playing in England and Papua New Guinea in consecutive weeks, Barker admits he didn’t think twice about making the trip.
“I’m all for having four, five, six weeks in a row, and practising that, because that’s one of the arts of pro golf,” he said.
“Yes you’ve got to be a good golfer, but there’s a lot of those other parts to it that a lot of people don’t understand.
“You’ve got to travel halfway across the world four times in a row and get up and be ready to go. This week was another good chance to practise that.”
Barker admits the course is playing quite different this week than it was last year, with the change to the schedule meaning that Royal Port Moresby is significantly drier.
“We were here in May last year, and it was lot greener and a lot more grass around, so then driving was paramount. To win you had to drive it well,” he explained.
“Because if you hit it in the trees you had to chip out, you were in this thick cow grass.
“But now it’s a lot drier, so I hit it in the trees a couple of times today and was able to get a lot of spin on the ball, hooks and cuts to get it back into play.
“Normally if you keep it in play and putt well, you’re always going to be up near the top, but I’m not too sure what to expect and I think it’ll be different to last time.”
A winner by four-shots last year, Barker recalls a special moment that he hopes to replicate on Sunday.
“Knowing that I’d won on the 18th green was pretty special,” he said.
“I was standing there and I looked over at Liam Georgiadis who was standing off to the side of the green and sort of gave him the ‘how are we looking?’, and he just nodded his head.
“I noticed I was looking down, in my own internal thoughts, so I just lifted my head up and thought ‘Yep, this is pretty cool’.”
Native Queenslander Dillon Hart has fired a 4-under 68 to claim the Powers Lager Kooralbyn Valley Pro-Am for the second year in a row today.
On a wet day where only three players managed to navigate the Kooralbyn Valley course under-par, Hart had no trouble finding scoring opportunities, with five birdies and only one blemish on his card.
Fellow Queenslander Jack Munro was runner-up after a 2-under 70, while Dylan Gardner rounded out the podium with a 1-under 71.
This is Hart’s second win on the adidas PGA Pro-Am series for 2024, and further solidifies his place in the top-10 on the Order of Merit list.
HOW THE WINNING SCORE UNFOLDED
Starting his day on the second at Kooralbyn Valley, Hart birdied his opening hole, but gave that shot straight back at the long par-3 fifth.
After that it was all smooth sailing however, Hart managing four more birdies coming in, including two in his last four holes.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Obviously started on the second hole and got away with a birdie, just sort’ve saw the rain coming in and thought if we can just get a couple of birdies for the day in the wet we can see what happens and managed to do that,” said Hart.
“Generally hit a lot of greens which saved me, and holed a few putts.
“It’s always good to win in Queensland, back home you feel like you should get one or two so it’s nice to finally get one.
“Obviously played well here last year, won here last year, and came back again. It feels really comfortable for me, obviously you have to strike the ball well, being long you just have to.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
68 Dillon Hart (QLD)
70 Jack Munro (QLD)
71 Dylan Gardner (QLD)
72 Gavin Fairfax (QLD), Nicklaus Rogers (QLD), Matthew Rogers (QLD), Steven Jeffress (QLD)
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series next heads to Gunnedah Golf Club for the Gunnedah Golf Lion Co Pro-Am on Friday.
One of the PGA Legends Tour’s most prolific winners, Queenslander Chris Taylor, wasn’t deterred by a rain-enforced change of format to claim the Rowes Bay Legends Pro-Am today.
His ninth victory in 2024, and a repeat of his 2021 success at the Townsville course, was a convincing one, with a 10-under-par total in the two-day event giving him a three-stroke margin over Adam Henwood (Vic) and Murray Lott (Qld).
More than 100mm of rain on Sunday and Monday forced the closure of the front nine at Rowes Bay, leading to the field receiving plenty of exposure to the much drier back nine which the profressionals covered twice on each day.
Order of Merit leader Andre Stolz held top spot after an opening day 66 but fell away to fifth following a second round of 74.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
Taylor, No.2 in the Order of Merit standings, put himself in contention with a 3-under-par 69 on day one that included just the solitary bogey on the par-5 18th.
He blitzed his opening nine holes on day two to seize the lead, taking just 31 strokes on the way to an event-best round of 65, featuring eight birdies.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
Christopher Taylor: “The last couple of days I played some really good golf. It was nice to get out there today and make a few more putts. A lot of the boys, from what I’ve heard, have struggled with their putting even though the greens were immaculate.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-10: Christopher Taylor (Qld)
-7: Adam Henwood (Vic), Murray Lott (Qld)
-6: Mark Boulton (Vic)
-4: Andre Stolz (Qld)
-1: Brendan Chant (WA), Peter Senior (Qld), Simon Tooman (Qld)
Even: Chris McCourt (Qld), Nigel Lane (Qld)
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour has its second leg of the Townsville double at Tropics (August 15-16).
Jack Wright and Reilly Wunderlich are the new Queensland PGA Foursomes Championship titleholders thanks to a final-hole birdie at Kooralbyn Valley today.
Wunderlich, from Yamba in New South Wales, hit the duo’s final approach shot of the day – at the 337m par-4 11th hole – to inside a metre from 90 metres out giving Wright, from the Gold Coast, a virtual tap-in to post the only even-par round of the event.
Their 72 gave was one shot clear of two teams – Michael Sim/Jack Munro and Tiger Boontang/Yevin Samararatne.
“It was a battle. We got off to a good start and then had to grind a few tough bogeys out,” Wunderlich said.
“To hit it to about a foot on the last to get the win was pretty special.”
Inclement weather in the Gold Coast Hinterland forced the event to be cut from 36 holes to just 18.
HOW THE WINNERS’ ROUND UNFOLDED
Starting their round on the 12th, Wright and Wunderlich moved to 1-under with a birdie at their second hole, the par-5 13th.
They were -2 following a birdie on the first before hitting trouble with a trio of bogeys on the third, fourth and fifth. Five straight pars steadied the round before the title-winning birdie came at the 11th.
LEADERBOARD
72: Jack Wright/Reilly Wunderlich
73: Michael Sim/Jack Munro; Tiger Boontang/Yevin Samararatne
74: Stephen Klease/TJ King
75: Barrie Manning/Neville Hogan; Christopher Crooks/Zach Ion; Kane Streat/Corey Jeucken
David Bransdon has posted his best finish so far in his rookie season on the PGA TOUR Champions, finishing in a share of eighth at the Boeing Classic in Washington.
The NSW professional fired rounds of 67-72-71 to finish alongside fellow Australian Richard Green (68-73-69) at 6-under-par, five shots behind the winner, Canada’s Stephen Ames.
It’s the third top-10 of the season for Bransdon who has moved up to 48th place in the Charles Schwab Cup standings, while Green, the owner of six top-10s in 2024, has consolidated his fourth position.
Queenslander John Senden produced the low round of the tournament on the final day, a 7-under-par 65, to climb 39 places into a share of 13th.
On the PGA TOUR, all three Australians – Min Woo Lee, Cam Davis and Aaron Baddeley – and Kiwi Ryan Fox didn’t make it through to the final 36 holes as England’s Aaron Rai claimed the Wyndham Championship title.
Jason Day, who didn’t play following his Olympic Games campaign, remains the leading Australia on the FedEx standings at No.26, while Cam Davis (No.44), Adam Scott (No.46) and Min Woo Lee (No.62) are also safely through to the first Playoffs event, the St Jude Championship, which features the top 70 players.
Last week’s Korn Ferry Tour, Karl Vilips, jumped from 15th to 13th, on the secondary tour’s points list with a T21 finish in the Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Woodhouse.
Meanwhile, Olympians Hannah Green and Minjee Lee will make their next appearance at the AIG British Open at St Andrews on Thursday week after Green just missed the medals in Paris
Olympic Women’s Golf
Le Golf National, France
1 Lydia Ko (NZ) 72-67-68- 71 – 280
T4 Hannah Green 77-70-66-69 – 282
T22 Minjee Lee 71-74-71-71 – 287
PGA TOUR
Wyndham Championship
Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, North Carolina
1 Aaron Rai (Eng) 65-65-68-64 – 262 – US$1.422 million
MC Ryan Fox (NZ) 67-71 – 138
MC Min Woo Lee 69-71 – 140
MC Cam Davis 69-73 – 142
WD Aaron Baddeley 71
ASIAN TOUR
International Series England
Foxhills Country Club (Longcross Course), Chertsey, UK
1 Peter Uihlein (US) 71-69-61-63 – 264 – US$360,000
T30 Travis Smyth 69-72-70-69 – 280 – $15,433
T30 Ben Campbell (NZ) 69-72-69-70 – 280 – $15,433
T43 Kazuma Kobori (NZ) 69-72-73-68 – 282 – $10,875
T51 Sam Brazel 70-71-73-70 284 – $8050
T55 Wade Ormsby 68-73-74-70 – 285 – $7100
T55 Jordan Zunic 71-71-71-72 – 285 – $7100
T62 Scott Hend 68-72-82-65 – 287 – $5800
73 Aaron Wilkin 69-71-74-81- 295 – $4000
MC Nick Voke (NZ) 69-74
MC Jack Thompson 73-70
MC Jed Morgan 70-74
MC Deyen Lawson 70-75
MC Maverick Antcliff 70-76
MC Jeff Guan 73-74
MC Kevin Yuan 78-69
MC Todd Sinnott 76-71
MC Andrew Dodt 73-74
MC Justin Warren 78-71
MC Harrison Crowe 74-76
MC Douglas Klein 77-73
MC Zach Murray 74-79
MC Lachlan Barker 77-77
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
Boeing Classic
The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge, Washington, USA
1 Stephen Ames (Can) 71-67-67 – 205 – $US330,000
T2 Steven Alker (NZ) 66-72-68 – 206 – $161,333
T8 Richard Green 68-73-69 – 210 – $58,080
T8 David Bransdon 67-72-71 – 210 – $58,080
T13 John Senden 73-73-65 – 211 – $39,600
T13 Stuart Appleby 71-70-70 – 211 – $39,600
T18 Rod Pampling 74-67-71 – 212 – $26,229
T18 Michael Wright 72-69-71 – 212 – $26,229
T44 Greg Chalmers 69-74-73 – 216 – $8140
T44 Mark Hensby 72-71-73 – 216 – $8140
T44 Steve Allan 72-73-71 – 216 – $8140
T68 Cam Percy 77-71-75 – 223 – $2068
T68 Vijay Singh (Fiji) 74-76-73 – 223 – $2068
KORN FERRY TOUR
Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Woodhouse
The Club at Indian Creek, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
1 Matt McCarty (US) 69-67-67-67 – 270 – $US180,000
T24 Karl Vilips 68-72-71-68 – 279 – $8616
T29 Brett Drewitt 71-68-70-71 – 280 – $5930
MC Rhein Gibson 75-68
WD Dimi Papadatos 71
CHALLENGE TOUR
Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by the R&A
Newmachar Golf Club, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
1 Brandon Robinson Thompson (Eng) 67-67-62-66 – 262 – €46,720.20
T25 Hayden Hopewell 72-67-67-71 – 277 – €2,598.81
T36 Elvis Smylie 70-67-72-70 – 279 – €1,868.81
MC Connor McKinney 71-72
MC Sam Jones (NZ) 77-68
LET ACCESS SERIES
Ahlsell Nordic Golf Tour
Ahlsell Trophy by Destination Jonkoping
Gränna Golfklubb, Gränna, Sweden
1 Patricia Isabel Schmidt (Germany) 69-67-70 – 206
T15 Munchin Keh (NZ) 72-71-72 – 215
T22 Kelsey Bennett 74-69-73 – 216
T35 Stephanie Bunque 74-71-73 – 218
T44 Kristalle Blum 72-71-77 – 220
Matt Millar has made it two wins in three starts and four regional titles, with a come-from-behind victory in the $50,000 NSW Open Golf Regional Qualifier at Teven Valley Golf Club.
Millar sizzled around the Teven Valley layout in an incredible 7-under par 51 to finish at 8-under-par from fast-finishing Queenslander Gavin Fairfax (-6). Jack McLeod (NSW) and William Bruyeres (QLD) finished in a tie for third at 5-under.
In a sign of how competitive play was at Teven, nine players tied for fourth at 4-under. The group included Blake Proverbs, Tim Hart, James Mee, Max Ford (a), Jayden Cripps, Nathan Barbieri, Austin Bautista, Andrew Evans and Jay Mackenzie.
Overnight leaders Daniel Gale and Aaron Townsend were in the mix for most of the day. However, both stumbled and never recovered, Townsend with a horror stretch of five holes where he dropped four shots midway through his round. After turning for home in the lead at 7-under, Gale couldn’t get going on the back nine, dropping four shots to finish at minus three.
Millar, though, was sublime. Starting on the fifth, he rolled in birdies on the seventh and 10th to get to 3-under. The fireworks started when the Canberran peeled off five straight birdies from the 14th to the 18th to grab a share of the lead for the first time.
It looked like Millar was set to steamroll the field from there. But, he almost saw it disappear with a near disaster at the par-four second (his 15th): a double-bogey out of nowhere.
It was his only mistake, and in a true sign of his professionalism, Millar immediately birdied his next two holes to erase the snafu just as quickly as he made it.
“It was a misjudgment from me. I hit that club the last two days and got nowhere near the water, but I can’t be too upset,” he said.
“I gave myself a bit of an uppercut on the next tee and made a birdie, then made another at the short par-4 (fourth)
“I think I shot 21 on the nine par-3s today; I played really well and was thrilled with the way I bounced back,” Miller said post-round.
The win was the record fourth NSW Regional Open/Regional Qualifying tournament since the series’ inception in 2021.
Miller admitted that he could not have imagined that he would walk away with two wins from three starts this week, especially following his recent back surgery.
“If I’m honest, no way.
“Did I think the courses suited me? Of course. But with the quality of the field and the amount of tournament golf I have played, I would’ve been over the moon if I had won one. But two? It feels amazing.”
Locking up the Regional Qualifying Positions were Gavin Fairfax, Jack McLeod and William Bruyeres.
It will be a first NSW Open after a well-credentialed amateur career in Sydney circles for McLeod.
LEADERBOARD
-8: Matt Millar (ACT) 57-51
-6: Gavin Fairfax (Qld) 57-53
-5: Jack McLeod (NSW) 56-55; William Bruyeres (QL) 56-55
NEXT UP
The next event on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series is The Powers Lager Kooralbyn Valley Pro-Am on Tuesday following the Queensland PGA Foursomes Championship at the same venue on Tuesday.
The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season gets underway with the PNG Open, starting on Thursday
Victorians David McKenzie and Roland Baglin shared top spot at the Centenary Legends Pro-Am today after the final seven holes at Gailes Golf Club played a crucial role in determining the final leaderboard.
Trailing McKenzie by three shots after the opening round at neighbouring Wolston Park, Baglin played holes 12 to 18 at the 1955 Australian Open venue in an impressive 5-under-par to haul in the leader who could only manage +1 over the same stretch.
Baglin (64-70) and McKenzie (61-73) finished on 6-under-par for the 36 holes, two clear of a group of four players – Queensland’s Andre Stolz and Nigel Lane, Victoria’s Euan Walters and NSW’s David Crawford.
McKenzie’s share of first was his first title on the PGA Legends Tour since 2022, although his starts have limited by the time he spends on the PGA TOUR Champions where he’s had six starts this year to take his career total to 131.
Baglin now has seven PGA Legends Tour wins on his resume.
HOW THE WINNERS’ SCORES UNFOLDED
McKenzie led by a shot after shooting a 6-under-par 61, which featured five birdies and an eagle, at Wolston Park on Thursday.
With the help of two birdies on his first nine holes at Gailes, he maintained the lead for the majority of the second round, only handing over a share to Baglin when he bogeyed the par-4 17th.
Coming off a 3-under 64 at Wolston Park, Baglin picked up a shot on his first hole of day two, the par-4 18th and moved to 6-under overall with birdies at the first and second.
Bogeys on the third and fifth, plus a double-bogey on the eighth, threatened to end his challenge before he reeled off birdies on 12, 14, 15 and 16.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
McKenzie: “I hit it a lot more crooked today so I didn’t have a lot of clear shots at greens. The golf course today was fantastic as was Wolston Park yesterday. You can tell they’ve been working hard to produce golf courses that are top quality.”
Baglin: “It was a funny sort of day. Got out of the blocks early and was 3-under after three so I thought ‘okay we could be on here’. I then handed a few back quickly but managed to birdie a few at the end. I holed a kilometre of putts today. It was one of those days when the putter kept working.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-6: Roland Baglin (Vic) 64-70; David McKenzie (Vic) 61-73
-4: Andre Stolz (Qld) 65-71; Nigel Lane (Qld) 65-71; David Crawford (NSW) 67-69; Euan Walters (Vic) 63-73
-3: Scott Ford (NSW) 62-75; David Diaz (Vic) 63-74; Adam Henwood (65-72)
-2: Stephen Woodhead (Qld) 66-74; Brendan Chant (WA) 66-74; Craig Goodall (Qld) 63-77
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour has a Townsville double next week at Rowes Bay (August 12-13) and Tropics (August 15-16).
Webex Players Series South Australia hosted by Greg Blewett is returning to Willunga Golf Course as part of a busy schedule of tournaments for the first half of the upcoming 2024/25 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season.
Starting from the PNG Open (August 15-18), 10 tournaments will be contested through to the end of the year, highlighted by the two Australian major championships co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour, the BMW Australian PGA Championship and ISPS HANDA Australian Open.
The ground-breaking Webex Players Series, featuring its format of men and women on the same course, vying for the same title, will kick off at Willunga on October 24-27.
Two of South Australia’s best touring professionals, Lachlan Barker and Kristalle Blum, are looking forward to taking on a quality field at home.
Blum, the No.1 South Australian in the women’s world rankings, will be playing in the event for the first time, while reigning PNG Open champion Barker, who grew up near the Willunga course, will be looking to improve on his T36 placing from last year.
Another five Webex Players Series events will be held in the New Year, including the debut of Webex Players Series Perth hosted by Minjee and Min Woo Lee at Royal Fremantle GC in January.
Austin Bautista will return as the defending champion in South Australia after producing a storming finish to win the inaugural event in the picturesque McLaren Vale region.
PGA of Australia’s General Manager of Tournaments & Global Tour Relationships Nick Dastey said the second Webex Players Series South Australia would build on the success of its debut year.
“We’re delighted to be returning to Willunga in October and having Greg Blewett once again as our host,” he said.
“We had a great tournament in 2023, with a finish that came down to the 72nd hole, and fantastic feedback from everyone involved.
“Our players not only loved the course, they really enjoyed being able to explore the McLaren Vale wine region and the Fleurieu Peninsula when they weren’t competing.”
SA Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison said: “It is terrific to see this tournament return to the world-class McLaren Vale wine region, bringing professional golfers to South Australia and the Fleurieu Peninsula, while spotlighting the region to a national audience.
“We heard wonderful feedback about the Willunga Golf Club and its proximity to some of our state’s best tourism offerings following last year’s inaugural event, and I look forward to seeing professional golf return to the region this October.”
Member for Mawson Leon Bignell said: “Our region has so much on offer including world class wineries, restaurants and beaches and I look forward to welcoming the PGA, golfers and fans back to Willunga to experience it all again in October.
“We saw a really successful tournament last year when the Webex Players Series made its way to South Australia for the first time and we can’t wait for it to be repeated in year two.”
Webex Players Series South Australia will be broadcast on Fox Sports on Foxtel and Kayo.
Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia 2024 schedule
August 15-18: PNG Open at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club ($200,000).
October 10-13: CKB WA PGA Championship presented by TX Civil & Logistics at Kalgoorlie Golf Course ($250,000)
October 17-20: Bowra & Odea Nexus AdvisernetWA Open at Mandurah Country Club ($175,000 min)
October 24-27: Webex Players Series South Australia hosted by Greg Blewett at Willunga Golf Course ($200,000)
October 31-November 3: Queensland PGA Championship at Nudgee Golf Club ($250,000)
November 14-17: NSW Open at Murray Downs Golf Resort ($800,000)
November 23-26: BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland Golf Club ($2 million)
November 28-December 1: ISPS HANDA Australian Open at Kingston Heath Golf Club and Victoria Golf Club ($1.7 million)
December 5-8: Victorian PGA Championship at Moonah Links Resort ($250,000)
December 12-15: Gippsland Super 6 at Warragul Country Club ($200,000)
Photo: Kristalle Blum and Lachlan Barker at Coriole Vineyards
