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A first time on sand greens proved the charm for Joseph Owen who shot 62 in the second round to win the 29th Roy Hill Golf Classic Pro-Am by three at Port Hedland Golf Club.
Thanking good mate Brady Watt for enticing him to make the 1,600-kilometre trip north of Perth, Owen came from two strokes back of Round 1 leader Scott Strange with a birdie barrage in the second round.
He had 10 birdies and no bogeys for a two-round total of 16-under par, three clear of Braden Becker (64), Ryan Peake (65) and Jordan Doull (60), who smashed the course record with 11 birdies, an eagle and a single bogey.
New Zealand-born but now a Perth resident who won the 2022 Victorian Amateur, the Lake Karrinyup Country Club member adapted quickly to the vagaries of sand greens for his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win.
“This is my first time on sand greens, so I have not had any success,” Owen said.
“It was a new experience and I think I did pretty well.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Paired with Josh Greer and starting from the third tee, Owen generated early momentum with birdies at three of his first five holes.
He made pars at both eight and nine to enter the back nine 3-under on his round and would be 10-under by the time he walked off the 18th green.
Owen made back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11 and again at 13 and 14 before reeling off three straight from the 16th hole to take control of the tournament.
Becker and Doull both made charges and Peake went 36 holes bogey-free yet it wasn’t enough to rein Owen in.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Yesterday I actually didn’t feel like I hit it that well,” said Owen.
“I putted well on the sand greens from close range so today I thought if I could hit it a little bit better and give myself a few more opportunities, I thought I was a good chance to have a good round. I think I did that.
“I made really good birdies on 16 and 17. I thought those were two pretty tricky holes and to birdie those gave me a good little cushion going into my last three holes.
“That was key.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Joseph Owen 66-62—128
T2 Braden Becker 67-64—131
T2 Jordan Doull 71-60—131
T2 Ryan Peake 66-65—131
5 Scott Strange 64-68—132
6 Peter Cooke 66-68—134
7 Joshua Greer 66-69—135
8 Brady Watt 69-67—136
NEXT UP
Broome Golf Club hosts the WS6 Invitational on Tuesday in the lead-up to the two-day Broome Furnishings – Carpet Paint and Tile Pro-Am starting Friday while in Queensland the Mining Towns Series continues at Tieri on Wednesday with the JET Group Tieri Pro-Am.
Sydney’s Grace Kim has suffered a heartbreaking playoff defeat to be denied a second LPGA Tour win at the Meijer LPGA Classic in Michigan.
Kim began the final round at Blythefield Country Club with a five-stroke lead, an advantage that had been erased completely by the time she stepped onto the fifth tee.
As American Ally Ewing strung four straight birdies together from the third hole, Kim stumbled out of the blocks with back-to-back bogeys.
She matched Ewing’s birdie on six to retain a share of the lead yet her greatest challengers would emerge from back-nine charges by Lilia Vu and Lexi Thompson.
Vu’s bogey-free 7-under 65 would be the best of the day and allowed her to set the clubhouse mark at 16-under par.
Thompson (68) played the back nine in 4-under to also reach 16-under par as 23-year-old Kim showed impressive composure to stay in contention.
She dropped to 15-under with a bogey on nine but made birdie at the par-5 14th and numerous par saves to arrive at the 72nd hole tied for the lead.
A tee shot into the fairway bunker at the par-5 closer forced Kim to lay up and she had a lengthy putt from the back fringe to win in regulation.
Par for @gracekimeyy on 18 means we've got a playoff coming up!!!
— LPGA (@LPGA) June 16, 2024
Grace, @Lexi and @TheLiliaVu will be teeing it up in a sudden-death playoff shortly 🚨 pic.twitter.com/q1xJq6uBJm
That attempt just missed on the low side to close out a round of 1-oover 73, Thompson’s closing birdie sending all three players back to the 18th tee.
Again, Kim had a putt to win at the first playoff hole with an eagle try from just off the front edge of the green but had to hole a three-footer for birdie to match by both Thompson and Vu.
Power behind @gracekimeyy's second shot of the playoff 💪 pic.twitter.com/r2qacywYCZ
— LPGA (@LPGA) June 16, 2024
At the second playoff hole, Kim needed to hole a six-footer to stay in the playoff but an awkward lie right of the fairway and subsequent lay-up at the third playoff hole – the par-5 fourth – opened the door for Vu to clinch victory by getting up-and-down for birdie from the greenside bunker.
Despite the disappointment of falling just short, Kim acknowledged that it is another step forward in her young career.
“Going the three playoff holes with the Player of the Year last year, two major champions and obviously Lexi just being an icon for women’s golf says a lot about my game I guess,” said Kim, who now moves on to the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club.
“Obviously didn’t get it done. Yeah, it sucks, but I think I can see myself I guess in the future as well. Just how much I’ve grown.
“It’s only my second year out, and to be in this position it’s, as you can tell, overwhelming.
“All the credit goes to my team to push me this far.
“To get to these opportunities is, you know, unbelievable. To be able to play against these players in certain conditions and playoff for three holes, I think we all know we played some good damn golf.”
Kim wasn’t the only WPGA Tour of Australasia member with a top-10 finish this past week.
West Australian Kirsten Rudgeley continues to build towards a breakthrough win on the Ladies European Tour, finishing tied for sixth at the Ladies Italian Open as Whitney Hillier made an impressive return in her first LET start since last July.
An Aussie charge never materialised at the US Open where Min Woo Lee’s tie for 23rd was the best result, Bryson DeChambeau producing an extraordinary sand save on the 72nd hole to edge Rory McIlroy by a shot and claim his second US Open.
Photo: Raj Mehta/Getty Images
Results
US Open
Pinehurst Resort (No.2 Cse), Raleigh, North Carolina
1 Bryson DeChambeau 67-69-67-71—274 $US4.3 million
T21 Min Woo Lee 73-69-72-71—285 $203,607
T32 Cameron Smith 71-72-72-72—287 $105,775
T32 Adam Scott 70-72-76-69—287 $105,775
T56 Ryan Fox (NZ) 73-72-76-71—292 $43,676
MC Jason Scrivener 74-72—146
MC Jason Day 71-77—148
MC Cam Davis 77-72—149
LPGA Tour
Meijer LPGA Classic
Blythefield Country Club, Belmont, Michigan
1 Lilia Vu 69-70-68-65—272 $US450,000
Won on third hole of sudden-death playoff
T2 Grace Kim 68-65-66-73—272 $234,649
T17 Hira Naveed 69-70-71-68—278 $33,803
T17 Gabriela Ruffels 68-73-68-69—278 $33,803
MC Robyn Choi 73-70—143
MC Minjee Lee 72-78—150
Korean PGA Tour/Japan Golf Tour
Hana Bank Invitational
Namchuncheon CC, Chuncheon, South Korea
1 Takashi Ogiso 67-69-66-68—270 ¥28.02m
MC Anthony Quayle 73-70—143
MC Junseok Lee 71-74—145
MC Matthew Griffin 70-75—145
Ladies European Tour
Ladies Italian Open
Golf Nazionale, Italy
1 Amy Taylor 70-67-69—206 €45,000
T6 Kirsten Rudgeley 66-74-70—210 €8,640
T32 Whitney Hillier 70-71-76—217 €2,499
T45 Amy Walsh 74-69-76—219 €1,504.29
T45 Kelsey Bennett 73-74-72—219 €1,504.29
T62 Momoka Kobori (NZ) 74-72-78—224 €855
Korn Ferry Tour
Wichita Open
Crestview Country Club, Wichita, Kansas
1 Taylor Dickson 64-64-68-65—261
MC Tim Wilkinson (NZ) 71-68—139
MC Rhein Gibson 73-68—141
MC Brett Drewitt 74-68—142
MC Dimi Papadatos 70-72—142
MC Daniel Gale 74-70—144
MC Steven Bowditch 79-75—154
Challenge Tour
Kaskáda Golf Challenge
Golf Resort Kaskáda, Brno, Czech Republic
1 Hamish Brown 64-69-70-63—266 €43,200
T23 Blake Windred 68-70-71-68—277 €2,403
MC Connor McKinney 69-72—141
MC Jeff Guan 69-73—142
MC Tom Power Horan 76-70—146
MC Hayden Hopewell 72-76—148
Epson Tour
Otter Creek Championship
Otter Creek Golf Course, Columbus, Indiana
1 Savannah Vilaubi 67-68-71—206 $US45,000
Won on the second hole of sudden-death playoff
T47 Cassie Porter 73-71-72—216 $1,335
MC Amelia Garvey (NZ) 73-75—148
MC Fiona Xu (NZ) 75-75—150
MC Amy Chu 73-77—150
MC Maddison Hinson-Tolchard 71-79—150
WD Su Oh 78
LET Access Series
Amundi Czech Ladies Challenge
Panorama Golf Resort, Czech Republic
1 Helen Briem (a) 72-68-73—213 ——
T9 Hanee Song (NZ) 69-76-74—219 €1,317.50
T13 Stephanie Bunque 72-72-77—221 €1,147.50
T18 Munchin Keh (NZ) 76-74-72—222 €850
T25 Wenyung Keh (NZ) 78-73-73—224 €684.25
MC Belinda Ji (a) 77-80—157
Legends Tour
Paul Lawrie Match Play
Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club, Hertfordshire
Final
Angel Cabrera def James Kingston 3&1
Quarter-finals
Angel Cabrera def Michael Long 2&1
Bradley Dredge def Scott Hend 2 up
Round 3
Michael Long def Marc Farry 2&1
Scott Hend def Peter Fowler 3&2
Round 2
Michael Long def Michael Jonzon 3&2
Scott Hend def Adilson da Silva 2&1
Peter Fowler def David Gilford at 19th hole
Round 1
Michael Long def Andrew Raitt 1 up
Peter Fowler def Clark Dennis 4&3
Robert Coles def Peter O’Malley 2&1
Scott Hend def Jean Francois Remesy 3&2
Victorian Lachlan Aylen described it as a rare day when everything fell his way to record a one-stroke victory at the Foxleigh Mine Middlemount Pro-Am.
The second leg of the Onsite Rental Group Mining Towns Series, Aylen needed a clutch putt on his penultimate hole and then chipped in from 20 metres at his final hole for a round of 7-under 65 and one-shot win over Tim Hart (66) with Darcy Boyd, Connor McDade and Paul Donahoo all sharing third at 5-under 67.
“One of those rounds I got extremely lucky out there,” Aylen said of his second adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win.
“Everything that could go right did go right, which is pretty rare for golf.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
It took just two holes for Aylen to get into red figures at Middlemount Golf Club and he backed it up with two further birdies in his next three holes to be 3-under through five.
He sandwiched a bogey on 15 between birdies at 14 and 16 to get to 4-under and then made a three at the par-4 18th.
With Hart applying pressure courtesy of twin eagles at 10 and 14, Aylen had no option but to continue to push.
A birdie at one helped to maintain his buffer at the top of the leaderboard but a three-putt bogey at the par-3 third brought Hart and others back into the mix.
He rolled in a birdie putt from six feet dead centre on four and then holed his chip shot on five to come out on top.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“A chip-in on the last hole from about 15 or 20 metres really sealed the deal,” said Aylen.
“I thought it was missing and it sort of wobbled back and went in the hole.
“Missed a couple of short ones and made a few long ones so it was a good day.
“I usually only look at the leaderboard when I’m trying to chase last money, which has been pretty common as of late.
“I just sort of plodded along, everything was going right and didn’t really think it was necessary to look at it.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Lachlan Aylen 65
2 Tim Hart 66
T3 Darcy Boyd 67
T3 Connor McDade 67
T3 Paul Donahoo 67
T6 Dylan Gardner 68
T6 Blaike Perkins 68
NEXT UP
The Onsite Rental Group Mining Towns Series now moves on to Tieri Country Club for the two-day JET Group Tieri Pro-Am starting Wednesday.
Promising teenagers Natascha Tennent and Noah Schammer are among the first six recipients of the Webex Golf Scholarships that will provide financial and practical support to continue their journeys in golf.
Tennent (pictured, right) and Schammer (centre) will receive Development Scholarships as Steven Alderson (left), Lachlan Wood, Garth Allen and Cameron Pollard were announced as the Full Scholarship recipients.
An expansion of the Webex Players Series All Abilities program, Tennent and Schammer will each receive $3,000 in coaching and tournament support while Full Scholarship holders will receive $6,000 in total funding and support.
In addition, there will be Adidas clothing, technology support and a monthly player education webinar as Webex continues to find new ways to promote and develop All Abilities golf.
A total of 19 applications were received from nearly every state and territory with the selection panel not only impressed by the quality of each application but taking the time to talk personally with each athlete about their journey in golf.
“Thanks to Webex, these scholarships provide a great opportunity for these world class athletes,” said Nick Bielawski, Senior Manager – Coaching Programs for the PGA of Australia.
“They’ll receive access to coaching from PGA professionals around Australia. In addition, they’ll receive travel and tournament support to play in more tournaments and improve their world ranking.”
“Webex is proud to be partnering with PGA Australia to enable the ongoing development of All Abilities golfers,” said Chris Bowman, Director of Marketing, Webex by Cisco, APJC.
“Through both funding and the use of our technology, we aim to unlock opportunities for these talented rising stars to be coached by the world’s elite golfing professionals and set them on their path to becoming the next generation of Australian golfing champions.”
Scholarship recipients were selected based on their GA handicaps, performances in Webex Players Series events and performances in WR4GD ranking events.
Full Scholarships
Lachlan Wood
Winner 2023 Australian All Abilities Championship
T4 at 2024 G4D Open in England
Ranked No.7 in WR4GD Gross Rankings
2nd at G4D Tour @ The CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Winner 2023 WA Open All Abilities Championship
Cameron Pollard
3rd at 2023 Australian All Abilities Championship
Winner 2024 Webex All Abilities Players Series Hunter Valley
Winner 2024 Queensland Inclusive Championship
2nd at 2024 NSW All Inclusive Championship
Steven Alderson
Ranked No.4 in Australia in gross rankings
Ranked No.6 in WR4GD Nett Rankings
Winner of Webex All Abilities Players Series South Australia
Tied 1st at Qld Inclusive Championship
2nd at SA Inclusive Championship
3rd at Vic Inclusive Championship
Garth Allen
Ranked No.8 in Australia in gross rankings
4th place at the 2024 Scottish Open
3rd place in his flight at US Open Adaptive Qualifying
3rd NSW All Abilities Championship
4th SA All Abilities Championship
Top-50 finish at 2024 G4D Open
Development Scholarships
Noah Schammer
Winner 2023 Riversdale All Abilities Cup
Ranked No.88 in WR4GD Gross Rankings
7th at 2024 Victorian Inclusive Championship
Natascha Tennent
Gold Medallist 2023 Special Olympics World Games
No.13-ranked female on WR4GD
Winner of Sporting Achievement Whilst Overcoming Adversity at 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards
Winner Nett Strokeplay Division at EDGA Algarve Masters in Portugal
An eagle from five feet at the par-5 eighth has propelled Victorian Bradley Kivimets to his first two-day win on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series.
An opening round of 7-under 65 saw Kivimets trail Lucas Higgins by one heading into the second round of the IMS Moranbah Pro-Am at Moranbah Golf Club, the first event in the six-leg Mining Towns Series.
Birdies at his first and third holes in Round 2 was the ideal start, a pitching wedge to five feet to set up eagle on eight proving crucial at day’s end.
“I had a bogey a few holes before that so it kind of got me back to 3-under for the day,” Kivimets said.
“I didn’t know where I stood at that time in the grand scheme of things but that sort of got me back on track and then I managed to kind of keep going from there.”
Kivimets posted 5-under 67 in Round 2 for a 12-under total, enough to finish one clear of James Mee (66-67), Ben Henkel (67-66) and Brendan Smith (69-64).
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Round 2 began on the second hole for Kivimets and jumped straight out of the blocks with a birdie at the 495-metre par 5.
He followed that up with a birdie on four only to take a step back with a bogey on six.
The eagle on eight turned momentum Kivimets’ way, birdies at 10, 13 and 14 giving him enough of a buffer to absorb a final bogey at the par-4 15th.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Played well from inside 120, which you kind of need to do around here,” said Kivimets.
“Some of the longest stuff was a bit scrappy at times, but it didn’t cost me too much.
“Anytime I had 8-iron or less in, I was able to have a pretty good look at it and made a few putts. Kept momentum going at times and didn’t put myself in too much trouble.
“This is win number five, first two-day event that I’ve ever won. The other four that I’ve won were single day events so it’s nice to win one that’s more than 18 holes.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Bradley Kivimets 65-67—132
T2 James Mee 66-67—133
T2 Ben Henkel 67-66—133
T2 Brendan Smith 69-64—133
5 Riley Taylor 66-69—135
T6 Caleb Bovalina 66-70—136
T6 Dillon Hart 67-69—136
NEXT UP
The Mining Towns Series continues with the Foxleigh Mine Middlemount Pro-Am on Friday while the two-day Roy Hill Golf Classic Pro-Am begins at Port Hedland Golf Club.
The 15-time major champion knows his son is closer in age yet Aussie Min Woo Lee was a welcome addition to Tiger Woods’ group for a practice round ahead of Thursday’s US Open at Pinehurst.
Originally scheduled to play with fellow Aussies Jason Day and Jason Scrivener in Tuesday’s practice round at Pinehurst’s famed No.2 course, Lee instead jumped ship to partner up with Woods and Max Homa, Woods’ son Charlie tagging along as ‘player support’.
In his pre-tournament interview after their round, Woods revealed that Min Woo and Charlie had previously been in regular contact, the chance to spend a few hours in each other’s company one that Woods was conscious to savour.
“He (Charlie) was very excited today to watch Max and Min Woo and watch them hit golf balls,” said Woods, a three-time US Open champion.
“They’ve talked to him quite a bit, especially Min Woo and him.
“I think they’re closer in age than I am to anybody else. It’s great for us to be able to share these moments together.”
In good company @TigerWoods 🐐 pic.twitter.com/3OBLSPb3Xq
— Min Woo Lee (@Minwoo27Lee) June 11, 2024
The chance to watch Woods plot his way around green complexes that will likely prove crucial in determining this year’s US Open champion should prove invaluable for Lee.
The ‘turtleback’ greens are notorious for spitting approach shots to collection areas that frame each putting surface, Lee and coach Ritchie Smith placing a particular emphasis on his short game in the lead-up to Pinehurst.
It is an area of his game that he revels in – who can forget his chip-in for eagle in the final round of the 2023 Australian PGA Championship – and one which Lee knows he will need to lean on this week.
“When you miss a lot of greens like myself, you’ve got to learn how to chip,” Lee joked on “Aussies at the US Open”on Fox Sports.
“The chip-ins just come naturally. As a kid I put myself in terrible positions and would try to make an up-and-down or try to hole it. I just like chipping in; I’ve got a lot of confidence in chipping.
“Most of the preparation is that bump-and-run shot. There’s not too many courses where there’s too many turtlebacks and I have heard there’s a lot.
“I might not hit it as much as I think but just to have it in the bag is a 1 per center.”
Aiding Lee’s preparation is Smith’s familiarity with Pinehurst, having been in attendance as coach of Oliver Goss at the 2014 championship won by Germany’s Martin Kaymer.
The 25-year-old put new shafts in his irons three weeks ago and, with six top-30 finishes in his past eight major starts, is learning what it takes to compete in the majors.
“It’s stressful but it’s also fun,” said Lee, who tees off at 10:02pm Thursday night alongside Sahith Theegala and Nicolai Hojgaard.
“That’s why we practice. We want to be in these majors and play as good as we can.
“Trying to peak, schedule-wise, for the majors, I don’t know how to prepare to peak but that’s something I’m trying to work on.”
Lee is one of six Aussies in the field at Pinehurst, all of whom are hoping to join David Graham (1981) and Geoff Ogilvy (2006) as Australian champions of the US Open.
It is a busy week also for the women’s game with Aussies in action in all four events being played around the world.
Min Woo’s sister Minjee Lee heads the five-strong Australian contingent at the Meijer LPGA Classic in Michigan while Kelsey Bennett joins Kirsten Rudgeley, Amy Walsh and a returning Whitney Hillier at the Ladies Italian Open on the Ladies European Tour. Amateur Belinda Ji and Stephanie Bunque are playing the Amundi Czech Ladies Challenge on the LET Access Series and Cassie Porter will be aiming to make it back-to-back wins on the Epson Tour alongside Su Oh, Maddison Hinson-Tolchard and Amy Chu at the inaugural Otter Creek Championship.
Photo: Alex Slitz/Getty Images
Round 1 tee times AEST
US Open
Pinehurst Resort (No.2 Cse), Raleigh, North Carolina
Round 1
9:18pm* Cameron Smith
10:02pm Min Woo Lee
10:13pm* Ryan Fox (NZ)
10:35pm* Cam Davis
2:30am Jason Scrivener
3:03am Jason Day
3:58am* Adam Scott
Round 2
8:45pm* Jason Scrivener
9:18pm* Jason Day
10:13pm Adam Scott
3:03am Cameron Smith
3:47am* Min Woo Lee
3:58am Ryan Fox (NZ)
4:20am Cam Davis
Defending champion: Wyndham Clark
Past Aussie winners: David Graham (1981), Geoff Ogilvy (2006)
Prize money: $US20 million
TV times: Live 8:30pm–10am Thursday, Friday; Live 12am-10am Sunday; Live 11pm-9am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo
LPGA Tour
Meijer LPGA Classic
Blythefield Country Club, Belmont, Michigan
10:10pm* Minjee Lee
10:21pm Hira Naveed
10:21pm* Gabriela Ruffels
3:10am Grace Kim
3:54am* Robyn Choi
Defending champion: Leona Maguire
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US3 million
TV times: Live 5am-8am Friday; Live 6am-8am Saturday, Sunday; Live 3am-6am Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo
Korean PGA Tour/Japan Golf Tour
Hana Bank Invitational
Namchuncheon CC, Chuncheon, South Korea
9:10am* Junseok Lee
9:20am Matthew Griffin
1pm* Anthony Quayle
Defending champion: Jiho Yang
Past Aussie winners: Junseok Lee (2022)
Prize money: KRW1.3 billion
Ladies European Tour
Ladies Italian Open
Golf Nazionale, Italy
Australasians in the field: Whitney Hillier, Kirsten Rudgeley, Momoka Kobori (NZ), Kelsey Bennett, Amy Walsh
Defending champion: Morgane Metraux
Past Aussie winners: Corinne Dibnah (1991, 1994), Denise Booker (1995)
Prize money: €300,000
Korn Ferry Tour
Wichita Open
Crestview Country Club, Wichita, Kansas
10:16pm* Tim Wilkinson (NZ)
10:58pm Rhein Gibson
11:08pm* Brett Drewitt
12:01am* Daniel Gale
3:10am* Dimi Papadatos
4:13am* Steven Bowditch
Defending champion: Ricky Castillo
Past Aussie winners: Jeff Woodland (1992), Bradley Hughes (2004), Mathew Goggin (2011)
Prize money: $US1 million
Challenge Tour
Kaskáda Golf Challenge
Golf Resort Kaskáda, Brno, Czech Republic
6pm Hayden Hopewell
6:20pm* Jeffrey Guan
11:10pm* Connor McKinney
11:20pm Blake Windred
11:20pm* Tom Power Horan
Defending champion: Martin Simonsen
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €270,000
Epson Tour
Otter Creek Championship
Otter Creek Golf Course, Columbus, Indiana
Australasians in the field: Amelia Garvey (NZ), Cassie Porter, Fiona Xu (NZ), Su Oh, Maddison Hinson-Tolchard, Amy Chu
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US300,000
LET Access Series
Amundi Czech Ladies Challenge
Panorama Golf Resort, Czech Republic
Australasians in the field: Belinda Ji (a), Stephanie Bunque, Hanee Song (NZ), Munchin Keh (NZ)
Defending champion: Marta Martin
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €42,500
Legends Tour
Paul Lawrie Match Play
Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club, Hertfordshire
5:03pm Michael Long (NZ) v Andrew Raitt
5:47pm Peter Fowler v Clark Dennis
6:58pm Peter O’Malley v Robert Coles
7:20pm Scott Hend v Jean-Francois Remesy
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Australian Jason Scrivener will call on the memories of Kiwi Michael Campbell’s unlikely win almost 20 years ago in his return to the major championship arena at this week’s US Open at Pinehurst No.2.
Scrivener is among the six Aussies in the field in Raleigh, North Carolina this week, a number bolstered by the late reprieve that will enable Adam Scott to play his 92nd consecutive major championship.
For Scrivener, this week’s US Open represents just his fifth start in golf’s showpiece events and his first since the 2022 Open Championship where he was invited in to share countryman Cameron Smith’s epic victory celebrations at St Andrews.
Admitting that juggling becoming a father to two boys in the past three years has impacted his results on-course, Scrivener arrives at Pinehurst an even greater outsider than Campbell 19 years earlier.
Ranked No.80 in the world, Campbell came fifth at Final Qualifying at Walton Heath in London to play his way into the 2005 US Open field. Two weeks later, he held off a man who would win six majors between 2005 and 2008 to etch his name into golf history forever.
Like Campbell, Scrivener had to earn his spot at Walton Heath and has fond memories of the Kiwi’s historic victory at Pinehurst.
“I remember watching it purely because I remember Tiger was chasing him down,” recalled Scrivener, who enters the US Open ranked No.369 in the world.
“Obviously I’d watched quite a lot of Michael Campbell, he used to come down to play in Australia a lot, so I remember it quite vividly.
“I’ve been watching a little bit of those old US Opens there, it looks amazing.”
Last time Tiger played at Pinehurst, Michael Campbell pulled one of the all-time upsets in golf history at the 2005 U.S. Open. 😳🇳🇿 pic.twitter.com/uuFk9Uwenp
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) May 2, 2024
Tied for eighth at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open in December, Scrivener has only one top-20 finish on the DP World Tour this year, a tie for 17th at the Jonsson Workwear Open in South Africa.
The 35-year-old knows his game is a long way from where it was in 2021 when he finished tied 23rd at the US PGA Championship at Kiawah Island and climbed to a career high of 95 in the world but believes the nature of the No.2 layout at Pinehurst can play to his strengths.
“It looks like it suits an Aussie, firm and fast and a little bit of (Melbourne) Sandbelt to it,” said the West Australian.
“I think it somewhat suits me. If it was a bomber’s course that was going to be thick rough, long, it wouldn’t have helped me at all. The fact that, just looking at it, it doesn’t look like it’s the longest course, looks like there’s a bit of run in the fairways and narrow fairways, which suits me.
“And also, you have to be quite precise into the greens, which is one of my strengths.
“If I can play well and play to my ability, then I think the course should suit me.”
.@ScrivJ is tipping a strong week for the Aussies at the @usopengolf at @PinehurstResort 👊🇦🇺#USOpen pic.twitter.com/ofXeb0ayZo
— Golf Australia ⛳️ (@GolfAust) June 11, 2024
Aiding Scrivener’s preparation will be a practice round on Tuesday with his Zurich Classic partner of 2022, Jason Day, and fellow West Australian, Min Woo Lee.
Given his relatively new move into fatherhood, Scrivener intends to use the practice round to not only get to know Pinehurst but glean anything he can from father-of-five Day on how best to manage family and life on tour.
“I know he had a tough couple of years, trying to adjust off the course and on the course, and it’s good to see him back to where he should be,” said Scrivener.
“Playing the European Tour, there’s so much travel that’s involved, so just trying to get the balance between being a good dad and spending time with my family and then trying to be as good as possible.
“I just feel like it’s been a bit of a perfect storm in terms of not playing my best and struggling with my game a little bit and then just trying to find a good balance with things off the course as well.
“It’s been tough, but I feel like I’m getting through it and just learning as we go, how to deal with it.”
The US Open is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
Photos: Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images (Scrivener); Andy Lyons/Getty Images (Campbell)
Premium golf gear brand OGIO has joined Australian Golf as its Official Luggage Partner in a new two-year agreement that expands its parent company Callaway Golf’s contribution to the game.
With a product range that includes travel bags, backpacks, golf bags, chill coolers and travel covers, OGIO has become an Official Partner of all three of Australian golf’s national bodies – the PGA of Australia, Golf Australia and the WPGA Tour of Australasia.
OGIO is owned by Callaway Golf whose commitment to supporting Australian golf was renewed and extended last year when it signed a new three-year agreement – the first by an golf equipment partner with the Australian Golf family and the country’s major professional tournaments.
Commercial Director Australasia, PGA of Australia, Michael McDonald said: ‘We are thrilled that our Australian Golf partnership with Callaway continues to grow through this expansion into luggage with OGIO.
“OGIO’s luggage is innovative and has a unique fun style that we are excited to both be aligned with, and also bring to life through the combined assets of Australian Golf.”
Callaway Golf South Pacific Managing Director Matt Meredith said: “All of us at Callaway Golf South Pacific are excited to further our strong partnership with the Professional Golfers Association of Australia, the WPGA Tour of Australasia and Golf Australia. OGIO is now the official luggage partner of all three.
“For over 35 years, OGIO has been making innovative and extreme luggage and golf bags in particular. What a perfect product and brand to be the official luggage of golf in Australia.”
Undisputed king of the Onsite Rental Group Mining Towns Series, Tim Hart, will begin his quest for a sixth straight title on Tuesday at a course that has treated him well.
The two-day IMS Moranbah Pro-Am tees off at Moranbah Golf Club on Tuesday morning, marking the start of a six-event Series worth a total of $135,000 in prize money and the lure of a $6,500 bonus for the overall winner.
For the past five years that has been Hart, who since making his Mining Towns Series debut 10 years ago has four wins at Moranbah, three at both Emerald and Middlemount and two each at Blackwater and Tieri.
While he has enjoyed success at each stop along the Mining Towns schedule, Hart admits he has a special affinity for Moranbah having won each of the past four tournaments dating back to 2019.
“For some reason, every year there I always just tear it up and I think I’ve won the last four at Moranbah,” Hart said.
“I guess it’s like anywhere you go back and you have good memories. Even if you’re not playing too well or striking it too well, if you go back to a course you’ve done well in the past, you always seem to find something there.
“For me, when I’m hitting driver well, I can take advantage and when I’m not hitting it so well around those sort of courses you get away with a lot.
“You can just aim one side of the course and you’re always going to have a shot or you can manoeuvre something.”
The Mining Towns Series takes on special significance for Brendan Smith, who splits his time playing events on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series with a full-time job working as a warehouse supervisor for the Oaky Creek coal mine outside Tieri.
When golf’s travelling circus rolls into Tieri, Smith serves a number of roles, serving as a player liaison, working to prepare the golf course each day and then teeing it up in his home event.
“You sort of blow them away a little bit with what the clubs produce, what they put on for them,” said Smith, who met his current employers while playing the Middlemount Pro-Am and is the defending champion at Blackwater.
“We try and treat them like kings and queens really because we want them to come back. If they don’t come back, we’ll still have an event, but it wouldn’t be the same.”
2024 Mining Towns Series
June 11-12
IMS Moranbah Pro-Am $26,500
June 15
Foxleigh Mine Middlemount Pro-Am $14,000
June 19-20
JET Group Tieri Pro-Am $29,000
June 22-23
Lunar Mining Emerald Pro-Am $26,500
June 26
JET Group Clermont Pro-Am $13,000
June 29-30
Blackwater Pro-Am $26,500
Brady Watt had to put down his celebratory beer and better Braden Becker in a playoff in a thrilling finish to the $35,000 Bennco Karratha Pro-Am at Karratha Country Club in WA’s Pilbara region.
A one-stroke leader after Round 1, Watt posted 10-under par with a second consecutive round of 5-under 68.
But after a bite to eat and halfway into his first post-round beer, Watt had to switch back into game mode as Becker made his charge.
The 2022 WA Open champion birdied his final three holes in a course-record round of 9-under 64 to force the tournament into extra-time.
HOW THE PLAYOFF UNFOLDED
After putting his beer aside, Watt headed back out on course to go toe-to-toe with Becker.
The pair both hit good drives but it would be Watt who took command with a brilliant approach shot.
Perhaps infused with additional adrenaline, Becker’s wedge shot went through the back of the green and he was unable to get up-and-down, Watt two-putting from five feet for his second win of the season.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I had a look at the scores with three to go and I saw I was a couple clear,” said Watt.
“I saw Braden had a few holes left but on the app you can’t see which holes he had to go.
“When I birdied 18 to finish, I thought I was probably going to win by one or whatever so I had some food, had a beer.
“To have a playoff, it’s so awesome. It’s a great thing to be a part of and to get all the members out and watch it. Anyone that did see it, it’s such a cool spectacle.
“Everyone just wants to see good shots. We both hit two good drives and he hit a pretty good wedge shot that went over the back. I hit a really nice shot in there and he made five, but he didn’t really hit a bad shot.
“That ending is a fitting way to finish such a great event.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Brady Watt 68-68—136
Won on first hole of sudden death playoff
2 Braden Becker 72-64—136
3 Rick Kulacz 69-69—138
T4 Scott Barr 72-67—139
T4 Scott Strange 71-68—139
6 Jordan Doull 74-66—140
NEXT UP
The annual Mining Towns Series in Central Queensland begins on Tuesday in Moranbah while the WA swing will continue this weekend at Port Hedland for the Roy Hill Golf Classic.
