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The PGA of Australia is saddened to advise of the passing of PGA Life Member, Peter Ormsby. Ormsby passed away in his sleep with family by his side on Wednesday, October 25, aged 70.
Part of a legendary sporting family in South Australia, Ormsby impacted the game of golf in countless ways in his 47 years as a member of the PGA of Australia.
Ormsby undertook his PGA apprenticeship at Glenelg Golf Club under legendary South Australian Professional, Murray Crafter, and was then appointed Professional at Riverside Golf Club – now West Lakes Golf Club – in 1975.
For the next nine years he did countless trips to country golf clubs in his bright yellow Sundowner panel van and trailer, giving free clinics and private lessons, merchandising and promoting golf in country regions. Some of the clubs that became regular stops were Port Augusta, Cummins, Kimba, Pinnaroo, Bordertown and Broken Hill to name a few.
He opened the first of four off-course stores in Adelaide in 1982 and a fifth in Darwin in 1989. Having visited the US PGA Merchandise Show on multiple occasions, he could see that a Golf Superstore was the ideal way to showcase a wide variety of equipment, apparel and accessories.
The opening of Pete’s Golf Superstore was the culmination of years of planning and experience and had great support from South Australian golfers. This decision was then the new benchmark within the retail golf industry in Australia.
In 2007, Pete’s Golf was sold, providing Ormsby with the opportunity to build a new pro shop, golf academy and driving range at Adelaide Shores, employing numerous PGA Members.
He developed and produced the Swingyde training aid that has been used by the likes of American superstars Zach Johnson, Charles Howell III and Paula Creamer, along with his son Wade, who won his fourth professional tournament at the International Series Thailand in March.
Wade shared the news of his father’s passing on Thursday morning.
“It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts we let you know of Dad’s passing,” Wade wrote.
“He passed away peacefully in his sleep yesterday with his family right by his side holding him tight.
“No words will explain the pain we feel right now… but thank you for all your love, support, prayers and friendship over the last month.”
PGA of Australia CEO, Gavin Kirkman, paid tribute to the contribution that Ormsby made not only to the organisation, but to the game of golf in Australia.
“Peter embodied everything that it means to be a PGA Professional,” said Kirkman.
“He was passionate about the game of golf, passionate about sharing the game with others but also had a shrewd business acumen that helped to make golf instruction and golf equipment more accessible to the general public.
“He was a highly respected member of the PGA of Australia, loving husband to Cheryl and devoted father to Wade and Jordan.
“His impact on Australian golf will never be forgotten and we are deeply saddened by his passing.”
Ormsby was made a Life Member of the PGA of Australia in 2014 and in 2018 was honoured for his Service to the South Australian Golf Industry at the South Australian Golf Industry Awards.
Ormsby is survived by his wife Cheryl, and sons Wade and Jordan.
PGA Legends Tour Order of Merit leader Andre Stolz insists the hunt for the 2023 title isn’t his goal for the year, claiming his focus is on the run of major events between now and December.
“The Order of Merit has never been my focus from day one. If I were chasing the title, I would play every event,” Stolz said.
“We are approaching peak season with a steady run of events, and there are a couple of big ones like this week (at Thurgoona) and up at Richmond, plus a few more towards the end of the year in Sydney.”
Stolz said he preferred to set his schedule around places he enjoyed competing at.
“If the place looks after you and you can have a good time, then they are the ones I choose to play. Plus, as you get older, you need a rest,” he grinned.
With 2022 champion Richard Green unable to defend his crown, Stolz is one of a clutch of players who can lift the Senior Open Crown this week at Thurgoona. He said several players stood out as big chances to lift the cup on Sunday.
“Any of the young blokes who have just turned 50 could win,” he mused. “Steve Allan and I go back a long way; we’ve probably played a million rounds over the years, and he would have been working hard on his game.
“Then there’s the Peters (Senior, Lonard and O’Malley). They may not have played much golf lately, but that doesn’t matter when they strap the boots on because it all comes back.”
With wind predicted for the tournament’s first few days, Stolz said it would take plenty of course experience to tame Thurgoona.
“It’s playing a lot differently from last year, and the forecast has the wind blowing from every direction, so it will play differently each day.”
Stolz said the players who have a good understanding of the humps and hollows that are a feature at Thurgoona would have a big advantage. And if the greens became any quicker than they were during today’s Pro-Am, scoring could be tricky.
“If they get really quick, and you are on the wrong side of the hole, things will be a bit slippery,” said Stolz, who won the Fairbairn Legends Pro-Am in the ACT earlier this week.
“They are rolling pretty well, but you might need to be defensive.
“The key will be like most places to be in the fairway from the tee, good iron play, and leave yourself some good chances below the hole.”
Joanne Mills didn’t see herself as the management type. That’s why she was somewhat taken aback when Goulburn Golf Club approached her earlier this year about stepping into the role of General Manager.
In the past, general managers were more likely to be accountants or business executives who know how to read a balance sheet but, in more recent years, qualified PGA Professionals have become highly desirable candidates.
When she retired from playing full-time, Mills undertook the PGA of Australia’s Tour Professional Articulation – formerly known as the Bridging Program – and set about building a career as a PGA Professional.
Her father, Greg Mills, is a former club manager and the first CEO of Golf NSW. Mills herself was a star amateur, won twice on the Ladies European Tour and won the inaugural Women’s NSW Open in 2006.
She was first based at Pacific Dunes in Port Stephens before moving south to Canberra in 2013 where she reached what she thought was her ultimate ambition, Head Professional at Gold Creek Country Club.
“Having that position as head pro was one of my ultimate goals but to step into club management was a little bit out of my wheelhouse,” Mills admitted.
Yet something of a throwaway comment during a Central Southern Golf Association Vets Day led Goulburn Golf Club representatives to approach Mills with a formal offer.
Complementing the golf experience and knowledge possessed by Goulburn Golf Club Head Professional, Andrew Grove, Mills was viewed as someone who possessed the grounding in golf that would be of benefit at a board level.
“Being a golfer for so long, they felt like I might be a good fit,” Mills explains.
“The board have their own strengths in terms of keeping the club running, but they wanted me for my golf experience.
“They want me to help to increase the membership size, attract events to the club, generate income through club activities and trying to source some major amateur or professional events.”
That knowledge base was expanded by completing the Tour Professional Articulation to become a fully-qualified PGA Professional.
In addition to providing the opportunity to teach, it gave Mills an insight into golf operations that she would not otherwise have had access to.
“The bridging course gives you a little bit of all aspects of the golf industry, whether you want to coach, run a shop or you have your own business,” Mills says.
“The Membership Pathway Program as it is set up now is great in that it offers the choice of what pathway you want to take.
“I didn’t have that back in 2011 but those coming through now can set more of a direction in terms of the path they want to follow.
“I had the ability to touch on everything and I think you need a bit of everything to be able to run a pro shop.
“If I had concentrated solely on the coaching side of the bridging course there’s no way I would have been able to manage the Head Professional position at Gold Creek.
“I wouldn’t have possessed the knowledge around management of staff, the retail side of the business and dealing with members.”
With each day that she spends in the chair Mills is becoming more and more confident that she has the necessary skills to guide Goulburn towards a positive future.
She intends to engage local resident Peter O’Malley more, Brett Ogle is returning in November for the Brett Ogle Junior Masters where 120 kids will take part and there are programs Mills wants to introduce to further engage the Goulburn community.
Quite simply, she wants to see more people playing more golf.
“Each day I’m getting a better idea of where I’m going and what I want to achieve,” Mills says.
“There are people out there, we’ve just got to go and find them and introduce them to the game of golf.
“It’s been a big learning curve but I’m learning every day and embracing the change into the management side of the club.”
The PGA Learning Hub offers numerous educational training opportunities for people who wish to work within the golf industry. For more information on a PGA career pathway, visit pga.org.au/education
The four bogeys were a cause of frustration yet PGA Legends Tour Order of Merit leader Andre Stolz delivered enough of the good stuff to win the inaugural TLE Fairbairn Legends Pro-Am.
Played for the first time at Fairbairn Golf Club at the former Royal Australian Air Force military air base in Canberra, Stolz shot 3-under 67 to finish two clear of Guy Wall and Brendan Chant.
The victory was Stolz’s 10th of the season as he finds form at the right time, the $120,000 NSW Senior Open to tee off at Thurgoona Country Club Resort from Friday.
“I’ve been working pretty hard on my game. It hasn’t been where I’ve wanted it to be but I’m showing some signs of some good stuff at least.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
A birdie out of the blocks was the ideal start for Stolz.
Although he gave that back with a bogey at the par-4 third, birdies at four and five returned Stolz to red figures.
A bogey at the par-4 ninth saw Stolz turn in 1-under but he separated himself from the field with a timely eagle at the par-5 10th.
He moved to 4-under on his round with a birdie at the par-5 12th but dropped shots at both 14 and 15 to give the chasers a late sniff.
Stolz steadied with a birdie at the par-3 16th and then closed out his round with two pars for a two-stroke win.
Joint runner-up Guy Wall was 3-under through 12 holes of his round but three bogeys in the space of four holes late would prevent him from challenging Stolz for top spot.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I had a lot of everything going on today but I hit enough good shots to make some birdies and capitalise on those.
“There were just a few key holes there today that you needed to birdie or whatever and I managed to do that pretty well.
“I played a fair bit here when I was a kid and the course is way, way better than it used to be.
“You couldn’t fault it. The fairways were great, the greens rolled magnificently.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Andre Stolz 67
T2 Guy Wall 69
T2 Brendan Chant 69
T4 John Onions 71
T4 Grant Kenny 71
NEXT UP
PGA TOUR Champions player David McKenzie and former Australian Open champion Stephen Allan are among the big names who will tee it up at the $120,000 NSW Senior Open at Thurgoona Country Club Resort starting Friday.
A day after playing second fiddle to Andre Stolz, American Perry Parker triumphed by a single stroke at the Blackheath Legends Pro-Am.
A regular visitor to Australia to play the PGA Legends Tour, Parker has returned in good form after a month at home in the US.
He was part of a three-way tie at Springwood last Thursday but his round of 3-under 66 proved good enough at Blackheath Golf Club in the Blue Mountains.
With a host of big events coming up, Parker is thrilled to see the hard work paying off so suddenly.
“I went home for about a month and really worked on some things,” said Parker.
“I changed my driver; I went back to my old driver, my (TaylorMade) SIM driver. Changed putters and I think the practice that I put in is really paying off.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Parker made the best possible start in pursuit of his first win on the PGA Legends Tour in almost a year.
He hit driver, 7-iron to 20 feet at the par-5 first and proceeded to roll the putt in for eagle.
He gave one stroke back with a bogey at the next but birdies at the remaining par 5s – four and 10 – and eight straight pars to finish proved too much for the rest of the field.
West Australian Brendan Chant made eagle at the par-5 10th in his round of 2-under 67 to earn a share of second with Murray Lott, Martin Peterson and Grant Kenny.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I played really good. I started off with an eagle – driver, 7-iron and made about a 20-footer – and just played really solid.
“Only made one bogey and played the par-5s in 4-under so that was really a key for me. Just parred everything else so it was just a really solid round.
“Totally different golf course than last year. Last year it was under water, this year it was really firm.
“A lot of the shots into the green were very firm, you had to really think about where you were going to land your iron shots in front and let it bounce up.
“I’m very excited to play Thurgoona (NSW Senior Open) and Richmond (Nova Employment Australian PGA Senior Championship) and excited for the rest of the year.
“We’ve got a great schedule so it’s great to be back and I’m looking forward to having some good results.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Perry Parker 66
T2 Brendan Chant 67
T2 Grant Kenny 67
T2 Murray Lott 67
T2 Martin Peterson 67
NEXT UP
PGA TOUR Champions player David McKenzie and former Australian Open champion Stephen Allan are among the big names who will tee it up at the $120,000 NSW Senior Open at Thurgoona Country Club Resort starting Friday.
Minjee Lee took another step towards her ultimate goal of world No.1 and created a unique slice of history by winning the BMW Ladies Championship in Korea.
Lee narrowly missed an opportunity to chip-in for the win on the 72nd hole at Seowon Valley Country Club but needed just one extra hole to edge American Alison Lee and claim the 10th LPGA Tour title of her career.
The 27-year-old very nearly holed her approach shot in the playoff, calmly rolling home her three-foot birdie putt for the win after Lee had missed her birdie try from 10 feet.
Her second LPGA Tour win in her past four starts, Lee’s win came a week after younger brother Min Woo Lee shot 30-under par in winning the Macao Open on the Asian Tour.
It is the first time in golf’s history that a brother and sister have won on major international tours in successive weeks.
The West Australians won the Scottish Open and Amundi Evian Championship two weeks apart in 2021 while Canberran siblings Chris and Nikki Campbell both won in Japan a year apart from each other in 2005 and 2006.
In the immediate aftermath of his most recent triumph, Minjee conceded that she drew inspiration from the manner of Min Woo’s win in Macau.
“Obviously it was great to see Min Woo win,” said Minjee.
“I follow him every single event. I mean, I’d never say it to his face but he plays really well and I’m always really proud of him.
“Sure, it was a little motivation.
“I feel like I’ve been working up to this one and really building on this win.”
The win held particular significance for Lee as she became just the third Australian behind Karrie Webb and Jan Stephenson to win 10 times on the LPGA Tour and she did so in the homeland of her parents.
Lee’s grandmother was in the gallery on Sunday and had some simple words of encouragement for her two-time major-winning granddaughter.
“She gave me a cuddle and just said, ‘You did so well’,” said Lee.
“That’s about it, because everything was a bit hectic.
“Out of all the places, Korea was always at the top of my list because my parents are Korean and I have a heritage to Korea.
“This one is special, especially having all of my family and extended family and friends coming out to cheer for me today.
“It was really cool to see them on the sidelines when I was walking down.”
As Minjee was winning in Korea, Min Woo all but locked up a PGA TOUR card for 2024 with a top-10 finish at the ZOZO Championship in Japan.
Kick-started by holing his approach shot for eagle at the par-4 first, Min Woo shot 65 in the final round to earn a tie for sixth as he seeks to turn Special Temporary Membership into a full card next season.
“The result’s actually really good,” said Min Woo, who admitted to not having his best stuff all week.
“A lot of pressure getting my card and trying to play well but I feel like there’s some in the tank still and hopefully I can end the year really well.”
Richard Green almost made it back-to-back wins for Aussies on the Champions Tour, going down to Harrison Frazar in a playoff at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic in Virginia.
Green was the first to post 11-under but then had to watch on as Frazar birdied his final hole to match him.
The pair returned to the par-5 18th where Frazar’s birdie edged the Aussie left-hander.
Results
PGA TOUR
ZOZO Championship
Accordia Golf Narashino CC, Chiba, Japan
1 Collin Morikawa 64-73-66-63—266 $US1.53m
T6 Min Woo Lee 69-73-67-65—274 $275,188
T12 Cam Davis 67-70-69-70—276 $178,500
T21 Aaron Baddeley 68-74-70-68—280 $73,610
T41 Adam Scott 70-73-71-69—283 $27,710
LPGA Tour
BMW Ladies Championship
Seowon Hills at Seowon Valley Country Club
Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
1 Minjee Lee 64-69-71-68—272 $US330,000
Won on the first hole of sudden death playoff
3 Lydia Ko 67-69-69-69—274 $147,030
T22 Hannah Green 69-70-69-72—280 $22,471
T34 Grace Kim 72-72-69-70—283 $13,665
T41 Stephanie Kyriacou 68-73-73-70—284 $10,256
T59 Sarah Kemp 69-76-71-72—288 $5,992
DP World Tour
Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters
Real Club de Golf Sotogrande, San Roque, Andalucia, Spain
1 Adrian Meronk 72-68-66-66—272 €602,907.98
T19 Daniel Hillier (NZ) 70-66-75-69—280 €40,227.64
T52 Ryan Fox (NZ) 71-71-71-73—286 €12,856.13
T59 Jason Scrivener 69-68-72-79—288 €10,107.57
Ladies European Tour
Hero Women’s Indian Open
DLF Golf and Country Club, Gurgaon, India
1 Aline Krauter 69-68-68-68—273 €56,812.35
T31 Momoka Kobori (NZ) 74-72-73-74—293 €3,582.97
MC Hanee Song (NZ) 76-76—152
MC Stephanie Bunque 77-77—154
PGA TOUR Champions
Dominion Energy Charity Classic
The Country Club Of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia
1 Harrison Frazar 65-71-69—205
Won on the first hole of sudden death playoff
2 Richard Green 67-69-69—205
T13 David McKenzie 72-70-69—211
T25 Steven Alker (NZ) 71-71-73—215
T35 Stuart Appleby 75-70-71—216
T35 Rod Pampling 73-69-74—216
T53 Mark Hensby 78-70-72—220
LET Access Series
Calatayud Ladies Open
Gambito Golf Calatayud, Spain
1 Hannah Screen 69-69-73—211 €6,400
T6 Kelsey Bennett 70-74-72—216 €1,200
MC Amy Walsh 75-76—151
MC Kristalle Blum 81-75—156
MC Victoria Fricot 86-74—160
Photo: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
Even though he expects to win every golf tournament he enters, Austin Bautista was shocked when he came from behind in the final round today to clinch the inaugural Webex Players Series South Australia hosted by Greg Blewett.
A sensational closing nine of 6-under-par 29 at Willunga Golf Course, plus some late mis-steps among the other chief contenders trying to seal their biggest career win, saw Sydney’s Bautista emerge as a one-shot victor at 11-under, his second Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title.
The 26-year-old’s 64 with eight birdies matched the low round of the day and followed opening rounds of 65-71-68.
Overnight leader Andrew Campbell (NSW), Josh Greer (WA) and Corey Lamb (NSW) shared second position and will have plenty of “what-if” stories.
A self-confessed “bad swing” from Campbell on the par-3 14th saw his ball cannon into the trees and out of bounds into a neighbouring McLaren Vale vineyard leading to a double-bogey, dropping him from the lead.
Greer was steady for much of the afternoon in just his third event as a professional, but couldn’t birdie the last hole after managing a three on each of the first three days, while Lamb suffered a cruel end on the 18th, making a bogey from 50m short of the green with his tee shot when a par would have forced a playoff.
Meanwhile, Bautista was “having a back nine”, fist-pumping his way to four birdies in the last six holes, not knowing where he stood on the leaderboard until he finished.
“Golf is just wild. I’ve missed so many cuts I’ve thought about quitting,” Bautista, who failed by a shot to play the last 36 holes in the Tour’s two WA events this month, said.
“I’ve always been confident in my game and I think I can win every week. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t.
“If I make putts and get on roll, it just feels like a video game.”
An enthralling final round began with Campbell in front by one, but he was soon overtaken by Lamb who birdied three of his first four holes to grab a two-shot advantage.
By the time they reached the turn, the duo had been joined in a four-way tie at the top by Sam Brazel (NSW), who pitched in for an eagle on the ninth, and Kade McBride (Qld), who played the front nine in just 30 strokes.
McBride was the first to drop away with a three-putt bogey on the 14th followed by a double-bogey on 15 ending his charge, although he still posted a 66 to tie for sixth with Victorian James Marchesani (65) and Brazel (69) who couldn’t keep his momentum going.
Veteran Queenslander Michael Wright (66) was outright fifth.
The only woman to make the weekend play, Queenslander Robyn Choi, closed with a one-under-par 71 to finish equal 19th at -4 for the tournament, and will head home as the new Willunga women’s course record holder after a 67 on day one.
CKB WA PGA winner Ben Eccles had another good Sunday, posting a 64 to also finish at -4, while local favourite Lachlan Barker (73) ended the week tied for 36th at 1-under.
Next up
The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia will have a week off before the Queensland PGA Championship at Nudgee Golf Club (November 2-5), while the next Webex Players Series event will be in honour of Jarrod Lyle at Cobram-Barooga on the Murray River (January 18-21).
All-Abilities
The host club’s Steven Alderson claimed a one-shot victory in the Webex All-Abilities Players Series event, holding off Lachlan Wood, who was seeking three straight wins after back-to-back titles in Western Australia.
Alderson led Wood by six shots after Saturday’s play but followed an opening round 69 with a 77, while the Hervey Bay professional closed with a 72.
“I’ve always wanted to be a professional golfer and to get the chance to play in an event like this one has been a big thrill,” he said.
Juniors
An outstanding 2-under-par 68 gave 12-year-old Katie Seol from Royal Adelaide the victory in the 36-hole Webex Junior Players Series event.
The South Australian junior squad member, who started the final round six shots behind after an opening 79 and was playing in front of her Korean grandparents, birdied two of her final four holes to only miss out on matching Robyn Choi’s course record by one stroke.
She finished the two rounds on +7, one ahead of Glenelg’s Kade Bryant (76-72).
The only place to see the Challenger PGA Tour of Australia is on Fox Sports through either Foxtel or Kayo Sports.
Final scores: https://pga.org.au/tournament/?tourn=1205&season=2023&class=aus
Taking some time off the PGA Legends Tour to work on his game paid off for Andre Stolz who streeted the field at the Fidelity Capital Group Charity Legends Pro-Am in the NSW Blue Mountains.
Stolz shot a 6-under-par 63 at the Springwood Country Club to win by a massive seven shots from Darryl Purchase, Perry Parker and David Fearns.
The runaway victory was a warning shot to the rest of the Legends regulars that one of their best players is finding form ahead of the $120,000 NSW Senior Open at Thurgoona later this month and the $150,000 Nova Employment Australian Senior PGA Championship at Richmond (November 10-12).
HOW THE WINNING SCORE UNFOLDED
Stolz reeled off four straight birdies to end the front nine and after parring the short par-4 10th, added in another two birdies on the 11th and 12th holes. His two bogeys for the day came off “perfect tee shots” on the par-4 fifth and 16th.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I decided I was going to skip a couple of events and have a couple of days off,” Stolz said.
“We’ve got a big stretch of tournaments coming up so I went down to Federal Golf Club in Canberra and did some really good quality work.
“It was nice to turn up fresh and I was really keen to play today.
“I also had a practice round yesterday and did a lot of really good homework. There were a few putts today that when I got up there I knew where they were going to break.
“I’m really happy to have some good form going with what’s coming up.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-6 (63): Andre Stolz
+1 (70): Darryl Purchase; Perry Parker; David Fearns
+2 (71): Shane O’Brien; Rhett McIvor; Rolan Baglin
NEXT UP
Monday will see the PGA Legends Tour visit the Fairbairn Golf Club for the TLE Fairbairn Legends Pro-Am.
Matt Docking has claimed the PGA Professionals Championship National Final by one-shot, chasing down TJ King with a near perfect five-under 67 on the final day.
The Head Professional from Royal Hobart only managed to hit the lead on the 15th hole, but made clutch putts on 16, 17 and 18 to deny King a chance to wrestle the lead back.
Now a four-time champion of the PGA Professionals Championship, Docking continues to find his best form at the right time.
“It was probably one of my best ball-striking days I can remember,” he said.
Docking could laugh about it after the round, but after missing a number of short putts, and holing some longer ones, he had an interesting new name for his putter.
“I started calling it Katy Perry on the back nine,” he joked, referring to her song, ‘Hot and Cold’.
“I just kept plugging away. I felt if I could put some pressure on him (King), he might make an error, and an opening came in the back nine and away we went.
“I feel for TJ coming runner-up last year and again this year, but at the same time I’m ecstatic to win, especially with everything I’ve had going on lately.”
He was emotional coming down the 18th, and noted in his acceptance speech that keeping his mind focussed on the golf was a struggle.
Docking’s two daughters have special needs, and with limited schooling in Tasmania, a move to Victoria was needed, he notes “to give them the best chance to succeed in life”.
He is leaving Royal Hobart in the coming weeks, taking up a role at Murray Downs and the family are moving to Swan Hill. Although sad to be leaving Hobart, Docking is optimistic for this new chapter for his family.
As Docking noted, this makes it two runner-up finishes in consecutive years for Queensland’s TJ King.
King held the lead for 50 holes, but shaved the edge on one too many putts today, finishing with a one-under 71 and nine-under total, one behind Docking.
As the top two finishes, Docking and King both receive spots in the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship, with both stating their excitement at getting back to the event and the chance to play with some of the world’s best.
Full scores can be found here.
Australian Cam Davis knows a green-and-gold Olympic call-up is within reach if he can continue his rich vein of form at the PGA TOUR’s ZOZO Championship in Japan this week.
Amongst an Australian contingent also boasting Adam Scott, Min Woo Lee and Aaron Baddeley, Davis is the highest-ranked Aussie in the field.
Indeed, only Cameron Smith (No.18) and Jason Day (No.23) sit ahead of Davis on the Official World Golf Ranking, thrusting the 28-year-old from Sydney well into the frame to represent Australia at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
With five top-10s in his past six starts on the PGA TOUR, Davis enters this week at a career-high No.42 in the world and with a clear picture of what is required to add his name to the two-man Australian Olympic golf team.
“I’ve seen some social media stuff pop up with me projected to make the team… I’ve got a lot of good golf to be played between now and then to make that happen,” Davis conceded.
“I’m glad that I’m on a good trajectory for it and if I keep doing what I’m doing, I might be a chance.
“It would be a lot of fun, competing at the Olympics. I love France. I went there for the first time this year on my honeymoon so I’d love to go back there and compete in that.
“There’s a lot of golf to be played until that team is selected and I’d love to put my hand up for it.”
Ever since the US PGA Championship where he recorded a career-best finish in a major of tied for fourth, Davis has been riding a wave of momentum.
He first had to play his way into the penultimate event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs to finish top-50 and secure his place in the limited-field PGA TOUR Signature Events in 2024.
With that accomplished, Davis has embraced the sense of freedom through the FedEx Cup Fall with a third-place finish at the Fortinet Championship and a tie for seventh at last week’s Shriners Children’s Open.
It’s form that he wants to carry through all the way to the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship and the ISPS HANDA Australian Open.
“There are multiple things going through my head about the trip home,” said the 2017 Australian Open champ.
“I would love to keep this form going and I feel like I have a real chance to win those tournaments, they mean a lot to me.
“I’d love to play some really solid golf while I’m there but at the same time I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of faces that I haven’t seen since last year and spending time with family.
“I love playing Australian golf courses as well, I feel it’s a style of golf that I don’t get to play very often.
“I’m trying to make sure that I really enjoy myself while I’m back home. I love the fans and everything about the atmosphere of those tournaments but at the same time I’d love to keep my game sharp and give it a good run.”
The LPGA Tour is also in Asia this week for the BMW Ladies Championship in Korea, where New Zealand’s Lydia Ko is the defending champion.
The top five Aussies on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking are all in the field at Seowon Valley Country Club, led by world No.7 Minjee Lee.
Round 1 tee times AEDT
PGA TOUR
ZOZO Championship
Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club, Chiba, Japan
10:56am Aaron Baddeley, Robby Shelton, Mikumu Horikawa
11:18am* KH Lee, Collin Morikawa, Adam Scott
12.:35pm Vincent Norrman, Nick Hardy, Cam Davis
12:57pm Taylor Montgomery, Min Woo Lee, Keita Nakajima
Defending champion: Keegan Bradley
Past Aussie winners: Nil
TV times: Live 2pm-6pm Thursday on Fox Sports 506; Live 2pm-6pm Friday on Fox Sports 503; Live 4pm-6pm Saturday on Fox Sports 506; Live 2pm-6pm Sunday on Fox Sports 507 and Kayo Sports.
LPGA Tour
BMW Ladies Championship
Seowon Hills at Seowon Valley Country Club
Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
10:30am* Pajaree Anannarukarn, Allisen Corpuz, Hannah Green
10:41am Gemma Dryburgh, Georgia Hall, Grace Kim
11:36am* Brooke M Henderson, Stephanie Kyriacou, Stephanie Meadow
11:58am* Carlota Ciganda, Sarah Kemp, Yuka Saso
12:20pm Celine Boutier, Danielle Kang, Minjee Lee
12:42pm Jin Young Ko, Lydia Ko (NZ), Nelly Korda
Defending champion: Lydia Ko
Past Aussie winners: Nil
TV times: Live 2pm-6pm Thursday, Friday on Fox Sports 507; Live 2pm-3pm and 5pm-6pm Saturday on Fox Sports 503; Live 3:30pm-6pm Sunday on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo Sports.
DP World Tour
Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters
Real Club de Golf Sotogrande, San Roque, Andalucia, Spain
7:40pm* Wyndham Clark, Adrian Meronk, Ryan Fox (NZ)
11:10pm* Bryce Easton, Mikael Lindberg, Jason Scrivener
11:30pm Marcel Siem, Tom McKibbin, Daniel Hillier (NZ)
Defending champion: Adrian Otaegui
Past Aussie winners: Nil
TV times: Live 11pm-4am Thursday, Friday; Live 10:30pm-3am Saturday; Live 10pm-3am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo Sports.
Ladies European Tour
Hero Women’s Indian Open
DLF Golf and Country Club, Gurgaon, India
12:20pm* Elena Colombo, Avani Prashanth (a), Hanee Song (NZ)
1:30pm Elia Folch, Stephanie Bunque, Michele Thomson
5:05pm Momoka Kobori (NZ), Leonie Harm, Lydia Hall
Defending champion: Olivia Cowan
Past Aussie winners: Nil
LIV Golf
Team Championship Miami
Trump National Doral, Miami
Quarter-Finals
Cameron Smith v Martin Kaymer
Marc Leishman v Richard Bland
Matt Jones/Jed Morgan v Graeme McDowell/Bernd Wiesberger
Defending champion: 4 Aces
Past Aussie winners: Nil
TV times: Live 4.15am-9.15am Saturday, Sunday and Monday on 7 Plus.
PGA TOUR Champions
Dominion Energy Charity Classic
The Country Club of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia
2:03am* Brian Gay, Stuart Appleby, Matt Gogel
2:09am Paul Broadhurst, Richard Green, Steve Flesch
2:20am Paul Stankowski, Darren Clarke, Mark Hensby
2:31am Rod Pampling, Joe Durant, Robert Karlsson
2:47am* David McKenzie, Tim Herron, Arjun Atwal
3:26am Steven Alker (NZ), Bernhard Langer, Stephen Ames
Defending champion: Steven Alker
Past Aussie winners: Nil
TV times: Live 5am-7am Saturday, Sunday; Live 5am-8am Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo Sports.
LET Access Series
Calatayud Ladies Open
Gambito Golf Calatayud, Spain
6:50pm Nicole Polivchak, Anna M Hedlund, Victoria Fricot
10:20pm Kristalle Blum, Cecilie Finne-Ipsen, Emily Penttila
10:20pm* Gabrielle Macdonald, Amy Walsh, Amaia Latorre
10:40pm* Emma Thorngren, Kelsey Bennett, Hannah Screen
Defending champion: Amy Taylor
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Photo: Yoshimasa Nakano/Getty Images
