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For a long time on Sunday, the shot that would win the Queensland PGA Championship proved elusive. In the end, it would be the decision of 22-year-old Victorian amateur Phoenix Campbell to take dead aim at the flag on the 72nd hole that would prove the difference.
As overnight leader Andrew Kelly faded from view over the back nine at Nudgee Golf Club in Brisbane, a pack of potential champions jostled for top spot on the leaderboard.
Queenslander Lawry Flynn went out in 5-under 31 to enter the frame, Coffs Harbour product Jack Pountney led by one stroke with four holes to play, rookie Harrison Crowe (66) matched the day’s best score to post 8-under in the clubhouse and reigning Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner David Micheluzzi gave himself a 10-foot putt for birdie on the final hole to match Campbell’s 9-under total.
Micheluzzi’s putt took a piece of the left side of the hole as it slipped by, leaving Campbell to create history as the first amateur winner of the Queensland PGA Championship.
And it was a 7-iron with a jolt of extra adrenaline that got it done.
“I knew the 7-iron was a good club,” Campbell said of his tee shot on the par-3 18th that was playing 164 metres.
“Walking up there, it was never going to be anything other than that.
“I said to Ben, my caddie, on the tee, we were talking about line and I said, ‘I’m going dead at it. Let’s have a crack.’
“I was a little bit amped up. It definitely went a bit further but it was good to come back and have a crack at the putt.”
Three strokes in front as he teed off in driving rain on Sunday morning, Kelly missed a short putt for par at the first hole to set an ominous tone for the round.
A double-bogey at the par-4 14th would be the fatal blow, leaving the stage for a host of contenders to step into the spotlight.
A Monday qualifier who builds concrete pools when he’s not playing golf, Pountney made eagle on five and birdie on seven to stake his claim.
He showed no signs of nerves until his tee shot on 17 drifted left on the wind, finding the penalty area left of the fairway. He failed to get up-and-down from left of the green and then missed a long-range birdie try on 18.
Micheluzzi was left to rue a couple of short putts that lipped out while Kiwi Nick Voke three-putted for par at the par-5 15th and then made bogey on 16 to also fall one shy.
Not selected in the 13-strong Australian contingent that played the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship a week ago, Campbell admitted that he drew inspiration from Jasper Stubbs’ thrilling playoff win at Royal Melbourne.
“It was awesome for Jasper to get up last week but it kind of brought home that’s anything possible and I can give myself a chance if I play well,” said Campbell, who became the first amateur winner of the Queensland PGA in the tournament’s 97-year history.
“For him to go and do what he did, definitely motivated me to bring my game this week.”
A member of the Golf Australia High Performance Squad the past two years, Campbell will now sit down and decide whether to turn professional and make immediate use of the winner’s category now at his disposal.
“I’m definitely leaning towards turning pro,” said Campbell, who won the Riversdale Cup earlier this year.
“With winner’s category now it’s definitely heading that way.
“I’ll talk to my team, see what they say, what they recommend and we’ll take it from there.”
With Campbell ineligible for the winner’s prize money, the seven players who finished second each earned $18,085.71 while Kiwi Kazuma Kobori banked $6,070.83 for his tie for ninth in his first start as a professional.
More to come
Victorian Konrad Ciupek is ready to step up in class after recording a one-stroke win at the Gorilla Ladders Box Hill Pro-Am at Box Hill Golf Club.
The maiden victory of Cuipek’s young career on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series, Ciupek set up his day with birdies at each of his opening two holes.
Starting from the fifth tee, Ciupek made birdie at the par 5 and then followed it with a birdie at the par-3 sixth.
Three birdies and a bogey in the space of five holes on the back nine moved Ciupek out to 3-under, coming up with what would be the deciding birdie at the short par-4 first for a round of 4-under 67.
That was good enough to finish one clear of Caleb Bovalina (68) and Carl Smedley with Ben Ford (69) and Michael Choi rounding out the top five.
The 25-year-old’s next start will be the Monday qualifier for the Gippsland Super 6 tournament starting Thursday, the first of four Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia qualifiers he hopes to advance from.
“The next four weeks I’m entered for the pre-qualifying for the four Tour events,” Ciupek said.
“Fingers crossed I can get through a few of those, play well and make the most of it.
“This win does give me a lot of confidence. It’s been an up and down start to my pro career over the last year or so but this definitely gives me a lot of confidence to see that my good golf can stand up.”
Despite his strong start, Ciupek resisted the temptation to monitor the leaderboard until an unintended glance close to home.
“I didn’t really know where I sat all day, to be honest,” said Ciupek.
“I accidentally had a look on one hole and saw that I was maybe second or third but after that I tried to stay away from it and stick to my process.
“I had some tricky holes coming in but I kept my head and I was really happy to finish it off.”
Although he shot 79 to finish in a tie for first, Kew Golf Club Director of Golf Simon Angliss produced one of the highlights of the day with a hole-in-one on the sixth hole, hitting 6-iron from 159 metres.
The next event on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series is the Bite Me Bakehouse Asquith Pro-Am at Asquith Golf Club in Sydney.
The growing strength of Australian women’s golf is about to be revealed with up to five players in the mix to reach the LPGA’s season-ending championship in Florida.
With two qualifying tournaments remaining on the schedule – starting with the Toto Japan Championship in Japan from Thursday – three Australians are guaranteed to be teeing it up in the CME Group Tour Championship from 16-19 November in Naples, Florida.
They are Minjee Lee (ranked No. 6 on the points list across the season), Hannah Green (27) and Grace Kim (29), all winners on the tour this year.
That makes this week’s Japan event hugely significant for veteran Sarah Kemp, who is ranked 53rd after one of her best seasons in some time, but who needs to keep herself inside the top 60 to qualify for the tour championship.
Kemp and Stephanie Kyriacou (ranked 71) are the two players who can close out their spots in the $US7 million championship over the next fortnight.
Kemp is playing both Japan and The Annika at Pelican Golf Club in Florida next week in a bid to clinch her place; Kyriacou is skipping this week, but is in the field next week at Pelican knowing that she needs a strong result to leapfrog into the tour championship for the first time.
Queenslander Karis Davidson is ranked 89 and has been home to Australia recently, but is entered for the Pelican event with the knowledge that if she had a high finish, she could potentially leap into the tour championship. Davidson’s card is secured as a top-100 player.
No Australian has ever won the Tour Championship since it began in 2011.
A five-player contingent in the Tour Championship would compare favourably with the two – Green and Lee – who reached the climax of the 2022 season.
Jin Young Ko of South Korea won the event last year, while France’s Celine Boutier is the runaway leader this season, having won four times.
Meanwhile 13 Australians and a New Zealander are teeing it up in the Asian Tour’s Volvo China Open, worth $US1.5 million, this week.
There are three Australians competing in the PGA Tour’s World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico.
PHOTO: Sarah Kemp is on the cusp of a spot in the tour championship on the LPGA. Image: Getty
Tee times ADST
PGA TOUR
World Wide Technology Championship
El Cardonal at Diamante, Los Cabos, Mexico
12:36am David Lipsky, Austin Smotherman, Harrison Endycott
1:20am* K.H Lee, Lucas Herbert, Keith Mitchell
5:10am Andrew Putnam, Austin Cook, Cameron Percy
Defending champion: Russell Henley
Past Aussie winners: nil.
TV Times: Friday, Saurday, Sunday 7:30am on Fox and Kayo. Monday 7am on Fox and Kayo.
LPGA Tour
Toto Japan Classic
Taiheiyo Club Minori Course, Omitama, Ibaraki, Japan
10am* Saiki Fujita, Saki Nagamine, Sarah Kemp
12:01pm Rose Zhang, Ayaka Furue, Hannah Green
Defending champion: Gemma Dryburgh
Past Aussie winners: Karrie Webb (2006)
TV Times: Thursday, Friday, Sunday 1pm on Fox and Kayo. Saturday 1:30pm on Fox and Kayo.
Asian Tour
Volvo China Open
Hidden Grace Golf Club, Shenzhen, China
9:50am* Travis Smyth, Taichi Kho, Miguel Tabuena
10:30am Su Dong, Prom Meesawat, Sam Brazel
10:30am* Li Linqiang, Todd Sinnott, Lawrance Ting
10:40am John Lyras, Zhang Zihong, Doyeob Mun
10:50am Terry Pilkadaris, Hung Chien-yao, Fan Jicheng
11:00am Othman Almulla, Tong Yang, Jack Thompson
11:20am Douglas Klein, Yeongsu Kim, Tang Haizhao
2:30pm Eugenio Chacarra, Scott Hend, Andy Ogletree
2:50pm* Shen Nannan, Andrew Dodt, Itthipat Buranatanyarat
3:00pm* Hak Shun Yat, Kevin Yuan, Xiao Bowen
3:20pm Chen Yilong, Zach Murray, Miguel Carballo
3:50pm Luo Xuewen, Marcus Fraser, Yoseop Seo
4:00pm Ben Campbell (NZ), Zhao Xingyu, Karandeep Kochhar
4:00pm* Tom Power Horan, Jian Chuanlin, Bjorn Hellgren
Defending champion: Zhang Jin
Past Aussie winners: David Gleeson (2002), Scott Strange (2009), Brett Rumford (2013).
TV Times: Thursday, Friday, Saturday 3:30pm on Fox and Kayo. Sunday 3pm on Fox and Kayo.
Japan Golf Tour
Mynavi ABC Championship
ABC Golf Club, Kato, Hyogo, Japan
10:00am Dylan Perry, Azuma Yano, Terumichi Kakazu
10:05am* Taihei Sato, Tomohiro Kondo, Anthony Quayle
10:15am* Tomoyo Ikemur, Akio Sadakata, Brendon Jones
10:50am Naoto Nakanishi, Brad Kennedy, Yujiro Ohori
Defending champion: Mikumu Horikawa
Past Aussie winners: Brian Jones (1989), Brendon Jones (2002).
If John Senden cops a bad break during the Queensland PGA Championship this week in Brisbane, turning to his caddie for sympathy may not help.
If anything, a putt that doesn’t break, a lip he doesn’t clear or a less-than-ideal lie in the rough pales in comparison to what his caddie has been through the past six years merely to carry a bag around Nudgee Golf Club.
Because Senden’s caddie this week is his 19-year-old son Jacob, who six years ago faced the fight of his life when he was diagnosed with brain cancer.
Senden is not making his first start in the Queensland PGA for more than 25 years for ceremonial purposes or to forge memories with his son he feared they would never get to share, but he has a reminder close at hand just how fortunate they are to be doing this together at all.
“There was some time back then when we didn’t know whether he was going to make it,” Senden said on Wednesday.
“Being together this week has definitely been an inspiration for me especially, and for other kids out there watching him grow over the last six years.
“He’s got stronger and stronger every year with great doctors and great medical in the US and also another couple of doctors out here in Australia.
“He’s been looking good and feeling like he needs to take it by the horns now and go and live his life.”
Having graduated from high school in Dallas, Jacob is now taking a year to experience the world before refocusing his attention on further study.
With friends considering their own careers in professional golf, Jacob has not ruled out more caddieing in future but for now will lug the bag for Dad both this week and at next week’s Nova Employment Australian Senior PGA Championship.
And while he might get the odd gentle reminder from Dad about where to stand and how to proceed under certain rules, Jacob brings a unique perspective and infectious attitude that makes any poor golf shot easy to forget.
“You can either see it positively or you can see it negatively and for me, I always saw it in the positive way,” said Jacob.
“Whether it was a joke that I could have died yesterday or could die tomorrow, died and came back to life. I just made it a real build-up moment for me.
“The famous saying is with lemons make lemonade. I use lemons to make lemonade and put some extra sugar in to spice it up a bit more.”
When Jacob was first diagnosed, Senden stopped playing for the first time in his career.
In some ways he is still trying to recapture the form that he had prior to taking 18 months off but is determined to get back to his best.
He will use his career moneylist exemption on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia to play both the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship and ISPS HANDA Australian Open and sees the next month as a chance to play his way into form that he can take back to the Champions Tour in the US in 2024.
“I want to play as long as I want to,” said Senden, the 2006 Australian Open winner who lost the 1997 Queensland PGA in a playoff to Lucas Parsons.
“I feel like if I’m fit enough to play and the form’s good I’ll keep on trying to go out there and play with the Champions Tour guys in the US.
“I always enjoy playing in Australia. That’s something that has always been a bucket list for me, coming back to Australia and doing the job.
“I feel like the golf courses in Australia are fantastic and I love playing at home.
“Why not come out here and give it your best shot?”
The Queensland PGA Championship tees off from 6.25am AEST Thursday morning at Nudgee Golf Club.
Three of Australia’s most highly-credentialled amateurs have joined the professional ranks ahead of this week’s Queensland PGA Championship at Nudgee Golf Club in Brisbane.
New South Welshman Jeffrey Guan (pictured, centre), South Australian Jack Buchanan (pictured, left) and Victorian Max Charles (pictured, right) will join New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori in making their debuts as professionals this week on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
Guan and Buchanan were both members of Australia’s Eisenhower Trophy team that finished tied for second in Abu Dhabi two weeks ago and played the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne Golf Club last week.
As fellow Victorian Jasper Stubbs prevailed in a playoff to book his place in The Masters and The Open, Charles finished as the next best Aussie in a tie for fourth.
Charles will be the first to tee off his professional career at 6:52am AEST on Thursday morning with Buchanan (11:06am) and Guan (11:56am) to follow in the afternoon wave.
With the chase for Order of Merit honours now well and truly underway, PGA of Australia Tour Development Manager, Kim Felton, is thrilled to see the trio begin their professional careers on home soil.
“Jeff, Jack and Max have all had wonderful amateur careers and we’re excited to see what lies ahead of them as professionals,” said Felton.
“We have worked hard to develop the pathways that will give our best players the best opportunity to advance to the international stage.
“David Micheluzzi showed last year what is possible with a strong season on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and I’ve got no doubt these three will have their eyes on something similar to kick-start their careers.”
Guan was first thrust into golf’s public sphere when he won the club championship at Bexley Golf Club in Sydney at just 14 years of age.
He won the Australian Junior Boys championship in 2021 and 2022 and represented the International team at the Junior Presidents Cup and won the AJGA Junior Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in 2022.
With three top-10 finishes on the 2022/2023 PGA Tour of Australasia, Guan finished top of the Future Tour Order of Merit, guaranteeing a Tour category once he turned pro.
“I had some really good results in the starts that I was given and I felt like if I could just match up my game to that then obviously I can take that to a higher level and more opportunities would open up,” said Guan.
“That’s how I thought of it and it just clicked in me. It was just that one moment. It wasn’t a thought process over months, it just clicked and all of a sudden I just wanted to play in all the events and try and win as much as I can.”
Based out of Glenelg Golf Club, Buchanan went within a whisker of claiming the Australian Amateur crown in 2022, losing out in a playoff to West Australian Connor McKinney.
He was the South Australian Amateur champion that year and earlier this year finished second at the Pacific Coast Amateur in the US, edged at the second playoff hole by American Tyson Shelley.
In a somewhat perfect way to end his amateur career, Buchanan birdied four of his final five holes in a closing round of 4-under 68 to lift the Australian team into a share of second at the Eisenhower Trophy.
“They were definitely two teams that I wanted to make before I turned pro and I’m pretty happy that I did them,” said Buchanan.
“Last year at the Vic Open I was tied for the lead, up there for the first two rounds.
“That showed me that my game can compete. I may not have finished as well as I wanted to, but then I was thinking that I could turn pro in the next year or two. Just right now worked out as the best time.”
Charles has spent the majority of his time in the US in recent years.
After two years at Midland Community College in Texas – where he finished 15th at the 2019 NJCAA National Championship – Charles joined the golf team at Boise State University in Idaho ahead of the 2020/2021 college season.
In his final year at Boise State, Charles set the school records for 54-hole score, 36-hole score and set the third-lowest single round score while winning medalist honors at the PING Cougar Classic, shooting 68-63-68—197 (19-under).
It was that event, in particular, that convinced Charles that turning pro was a very real possibility.
“It was in the back of my mind throughout the year but then I had a big win in March in Utah where I broke a couple of records,” said Charles, who graduated in May with a Business Management degree.
“That gave myself the approval that I can actually do this and see what comes from it.”
The Queensland PGA Championship tees off on the Kurrai Course at Nudgee Golf Club from 6.25am AEST Thursday morning.
The final two rounds will be broadcast live on both Foxtel and Kayo from 2:30pm Saturday and 12:30pm Sunday AEDT.
Bios
Jeffrey Guan
Age: 19
Home club: The Australian Golf Club
Coach: Glenn Whittle and Gary Barter
Amateur highlights: Silver medallist, Eisenhower Trophy (2023); Cameron Smith Scholarship recipient (2023); AJGA Junior Players champion (2022); Junior Presidents Cup Team Member (2022); Australian Boys Junior champion (2021 and 2022).
Jack Buchanan
Age: 21
Home club: Glenelg Golf Club
Coach: Adrian Wickstein
Amateur highlights: Silver medallist, Eisenhower Trophy (2023); Runner-up Pacific Coast Amateur (2023); South Australian Amateur champion (2022); tied second Australian Amateur Championship (2022).
Max Charles
Age: 23
Home club: Kingston Heath Golf Club
Coach: None
Amateur highlights: T4 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (2023); Runner-up Bandon Dunes Invitational (2023); Won Ping Cougar Classic (2023); Quarter-finalist at the British Amateur (2022); Won UC Santa Barbra Collegiate (2021).
Photo: Kirsty Wrice/PGA of Australia
Warren Mercer was crowned PGA Club Professional of the Year, Neil Crafter was inducted into the South Australian Golf Industry Hall of Fame and Barry Linke was recognised for his Excellence in Golf Course Management in a glittering function at the Hilton Hotel in Adelaide.
Close to 250 guests from throughout South Australian golf were on hand to celebrate at the 2023 South Australian Golf Industry Awards Night where clubs and representatives from all over the state were acknowledged for the amazing work being done across all areas of the sport, from administrators to coaches, clubs and athletes.
The Grange Golf Club were the big winners on the night with not only Mercer honoured for his outstanding contribution as the club’s PGA Professional but long-time General Manager Barry Linke awarded for Excellence in Golf Club Management, Course Superintendent Rowan Daymond receiving the Excellence in Turf Management and the club itself being named South Australian Club of the Year.
The awards were presented in four categories: PGA of Australia, Golf Australia, Golf Management Australia – SA, and Turf Management SA (TMSA).
Two of the most prestigious awards presented were the induction of Neil Crafter into the South Australian Golf Industry Hall of Fame and the Service to the Industry Award presented to Lyn McGough of Kooyonga Golf Club.
Apart from his prowess in golf architecture, Crafter has been a stalwart of the game winning both junior and senior events at State and National level during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
Both his father, Brian, and uncle, Murray, were professional golfers, and his sister Jane, turned professional in 1980.
Crafter was presented with his award by fellow Hall of Fame member John Crosby, whilst in attendance he was recognised in front of David Cherry and Bob Tuohy, also current Hall of Fame members.
McGough was recognised for her tireless work in golf over the past 40 years.
McGough is a member of Kooyonga Golf Club where she still represents at the highest level today, playing in their Sanderson Cup Pennant Team, who this year won the competition.
Employed at Mount Osmond Golf Club, McGough has also won a myriad of awards over the past 30 years and has continually been a role model and mentor for women and girls in golf and volunteers hours to the game to this day.
One of the standout award winners on the night was Sophie Hamdorf from Royal Adelaide Golf Club, named the TMSA Graduate of the Year award sponsored by Nuturf. It was a fitting reward for the hours Hamdorf has dedicated to her job and her career, contributing greatly to the continued success of Royal Adelaide.
Murray Bridge Golf Club was awarded the South Australian PGA Legends Pro-Am of the Year for the event held at their club during the summer of 2023 and the Willunga Golf Club was applauded by all attendees for the fantastic effort by all involved in hosting the recent Webex Player Series event on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
The club spent hours on course in the months leading up to the event to prepare the greens and fairways to a level that rivalled some of the best courses in SA.
2023 South Australian Golf Industry Award Winners
PGA Awards
Golf Australia (South Australia) Awards
Golf Management Australia – SA Award:
TMSA Awards
Australian Kelsey Bennett put the exclamation point on an outstanding rookie season with her best finish of the year at the LET Access Series season finale.
Bennett, Minjee Lee and Jason Scrivener all logged top-10 finishes in a quiet week for golf globally, Bennett’s tie for fourth at the Santander Golf Tour-Zaragoza the pick of them.
It was Bennett’s fourth consecutive top-10 finish and sixth of the season, the 23-year-old from Mollymook on the New South Wales South Coast ending the year sixth in the LET Access Series Rookie of the Year standings.
In finishing 14th on the LET Access Series Order of Merit, Bennett is now exempt into final stage of Ladies European Tour Qualifying School in Morocco from December 16-20.
A week after edging her in a playoff at the BMW Ladies Championship, there was little that Minjee Lee could do stop Alison Lee at the Ladies European Tour Aramco Team Series event at Riyadh Golf Club.
By starting the 54-hole tournament with consecutive rounds of 11-under par 61, Lee smashed the LET 36-hole scoring record on her way to an eight-stroke victory.
With two wins and a runner-up in her previous four starts, world No.4 Minjee Lee continued her phenomenal run of form with a tie for sixth.
It was a welcome return to form for Scrivener at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in Qatar.
Without a top-10 anywhere since the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January, Scrivener’s 5-under 67 in the final round was one of the best rounds of the day and saw him climb 12 spots into a tie for ninth.
Results
LPGA Tour
Maybank Championship
Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
1 Celine Boutier 70-64-69-64—267 $US450,000
Won in sudden-death playoff
T11 Lydia Ko (NZ) 68-71-65-70—274 $54,591
T17 Hannah Green 64-70-72-71—277 $37,450
T34 Sarah Kemp 69-74-67-70—280 $18,900
T34 Grace Kim 65-72-73-70—280 $18,900
59 Stephanie Kyriacou 70-71-74-73—288 $8,132
DP World Tour
Commercial Bank Qatar Masters
Doha GC, Doha, Qatar
1 Sami Valimaki 67-67-67-69—270 €603,208.88
Won in sudden-death playoff
T9 Jason Scrivener 70-69-69-67—275 €64,697.11
T16 Daniel Hillier (NZ) 65-65-74-73—277 €46,056.77
Ladies European Tour
Aramco Team Series Presented by PIF – Riyadh
Riyadh Golf Club, Saudi Arabia
1 Alison Lee 61-61-65—187 $US71,094
T6 Minjee Lee 63-70-67—200 $13,981.82
T35 Kirsten Rudgeley 69-72-67—208 $3,720.59
Legends Tour
Sergio Melpignano Senior Italian Open
San Domenico Golf, Italy
1 James Kingston 69-70-61—200
T23 Michael Long (NZ) 73-66-70—209
T31 Michael Campbell (NZ) 67-71-73—211
T37 Peter Fowler 71-70-71—212
LET Access Series
Santander Golf Tour – ZARAGOZA
Real Club de Golf La Penaza, Spain
1 Elena Moosmann 67-70-70—207 €6,400
T4 Kelsey Bennett 69-73-70—212 €1,252
T37 Amy Walsh 71-75-73—219 €344
MC Kristalle Blum 75-78—153
MC Victoria Fricot 80-75—155
Photo: Gambito Golf/LETAS
Adam Henwood has run away with the NSW Senior Open at Thurgoona Country Club Resort, cruising to a three-shot win from a fast-finishing Scott Barr.
After starting the final day with a four-shot margin, the Victorian was never really in the chasing pack’s sights at any stage. The three-shot winning margin, in the end, was as close as it ever got after hovering between four and six for most of the final round.
Henwood’s 12-under final score also matched the equal tournament record held by Michael Long (2018) and the inaugural winner in 2017, Grant Kenny.
Queensland’s Scott Barr finished in outright second at nine under after an impressive 68 in the breezy conditions, while a fast-finishing Stephen Allen, Peter Lonard and Peter O’Malley tied for third at eight under.
Henwood, however, was always the man to beat. The Victorian was nerveless on the front nine, barely missing a fairway and rolling in birdies on the 4th, 7th and 8th (courtesy of an imperious approach to tap-in range) to build a fortress around his lead.
Perhaps sensing the moment, Henwood made his first error of the day on the dogleg par four 13th. A poor chip that failed to reach the putting surface, followed by an overly aggressive putt, ended in a double bogey.
The chasers, sadly, couldn’t capitalise on the leader’s mistake. When Henwood promptly birdied the par-five 14th, the order was restored.
Related Links:
Leaderboard
The only other blemish on his card came at the last, and by then, it was all academic anyway, with the title in his grasp.
“I actually played really, really well today,” Henwood grinned. “I’ve been tinkering with a major grip change for a while, and it’s paid off.”
“I was trying not to think about leading, but coming down the last, I asked Tim (his Caddy), am I leading or not? He told me I was by three, but I thought it was five.
“Then I started to think, how do I manage this? Don’t hit that, don’t hit that,” he recalled.
Henwood said the Thurgoona Course would hold a special place in his heart after his breakout win. He admitted the success, probably his biggest, had been a long time coming, and to do it while staring down the challenge of two of his idols in the final group of the day was extra special.
“Yeah, I love the place,” an ecstatic Henwood added. “I didn’t know what to expect coming in, it’s probably my best win,”
“Those two (Lonard and O’Malley) are heroes of mine, and to beat them feels pretty cool.”
Poland’s Adrian Meronk will attempt to win the second leg of the Aussie golf majors double – the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship – after confirming he will return to Australia for the Summer of Golf for a second straight year.
The winner of the ISPS HANDA Australian Open at this first attempt last year, Meronk is one of the rising stars of European golf, improving his ranking to inside the top 50 in the world at No.46 in the latest standings.
Since his Open win by five strokes ahead of Australian Adam Scott at Victoria Golf Club last December, Meronk has won two more DP World Tour titles – the Italian Open and last week’s Andalucia Masters – to his career victories total to four.
He has also confirmed he will defend his title at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open at The Australian and The Lakes golf clubs on November 30-December 3.
“I am extremely excited to be heading back to Australia to defend the Stonehaven Cup, as well as returning to Brisbane for the Australian PGA,” Meronk said.
“Hopefully I’ll be leaving with another trophy after a successful two weeks in Australia.”
Meronk joins a strong PGA field that includes defending champion Cameron Smith, as well as fellow leading Australians Adam Scott, Min Woo Lee and Cam Davis.
The entry list also includes the 2022 champion Jed Morgan and reigning Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit champion David Micheluzzi.
PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman said Meronk’s entry was just the start of a big international contingent heading to the PGA.
“We’re on the countdown now to what should be another wonderful Fortinet Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland,” he said.
“We’re delighted to welcome Adrian Meronk back to Australia after his very successful visit here last year which led to even more success for him in Europe in 2023.
“With the co-sanctioning agreement we have in place with the DP World Tour, there will be 60 of Adrian’s counterparts joining us for both the PGA and Open which adds even more quality and depth to both events.”
Tickets for both the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship and ISPS HANDA Australian Open are available via ticketek.com
The Fortinet Australian PGA Championship is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland, and Brisbane City Council via Brisbane Economic Development Agency.
The 2023 Victorian Golf Industry Awards Dinner, held last night at Huntingdale Golf Club, celebrated the important work being done in Victorian golf.
Clubs and representatives from all over the state were recognised, with no one club receiving multiple awards, showing the breadth of quality work being done around Victoria.
Melbourne-based clubs made up a significant proportion of award recipients, while the Bellarine and Mornington Peninsulas had multiple winners, so too the Gippsland region.
The awards were presented in four categories: PGA, Golf Australia, Golf Management Victoria, and Victorian Golf Course Superintendents Association (VGCSA).
Michael Moore from Rossdale Golf Club picked up the first PGA gong, taking home the coveted Club Professional of the Year award, following incredible work improving both the women’s and junior programs at his club.
Metropolitan Golf Club’s Brandon Rave was recognised as Coach of the Year (High Performance), following several of his clients seeing impressive national, international and professional results.
Gardiners Run, Portsea and Warragul were all recognised individually for fantastic Pro-Am events held in 2023.
Rounding out the PGA Awards were the 2023 Hall of Fame inductees. Kathleen McEwan and Richard Kirby were both recognised for their long service to Victorian golf.
McEwan was one of the earliest, if not the first female golf writers. She started writing on golf for The Radiator in1937 and then the Sun News – Pictorial in 1938, which she continued – with a break for war service in the Land Army – until she retired in 1966. Aside from her war service, she lobbied strongly for improved conditions for women in the workplace and for women’s sport to receive press coverage.
Kirby is a Former Victorian Golf Association President and received an Order of Australia in the King’s Birthday Honours. Honoured for service to golf, which included five years as President of the VGA from 2002-2007, a long association with the Golf Society of Australia and the Spring Valley Golf Club in Melbourne.
The Golf Australia Awards came next, recognising volunteers, inclusion initiatives, amateur players, as well as the prestigious Club or Facility of the Year award.
The Bellarine’s 13th Beach Golf Club took home the top clubs and facility award, while Jazzy Roberts and Jasper Stubbs received the amateur players of the year. Stubbs currently playing in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne, and in contention on the weekend.
A terrific night was had by all celebrating everyone working hard in the Victorian Golf Industry. A full list of awards and winners is below:
PGA Awards:
Golf Australia (Victoria) Awards:
Golf Management Victoria Awards:
VGCSA Awards:
