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Golf store proprietor and local Mackay legend Anthony Johnson joined the hottest players on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series with a share of victory at the Roy Powell Security Pioneer Valley Pro-Am.
Just 35 minutes from the Golf King Superstore that he operates in Mackay, Johnson treated a rare pro-am appearance like a Sunday members comp with his mates.
It proved to be a prudent approach as his score of 7-under 65 matched Lexus Townsville Classic winner John Lyras and Mackay Pro-Am champion Brett Rankin for a winning total.
The trio finished one stroke clear of in-form players James Mee (66) and Darcy Boyd (66) along with Ben Henkel (66), five players finishing in a tie for seventh at 5-under par.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Coming in hot after his dominant win at Mackay, Rankin began his round at Pioneer Valley Golf Club with two early birdies at 16 and 17.
He added three further birdies on the front nine but after a bogey on 12 needed a birdie on his final hole, the par-5 15th, to post 7-under.
Lyras found himself 1-over after an opening bogey on 10 but got it back at the next hole and then collated three further birdies before heading to the front nine where the birdie blitz continued.
He had five birdies and a bogey on the par-4 fifth to finish his round at 7-under.
Johnson began his round at the 12th hole and was 3-under through four after a birdie on 13 and eagle at 15.
The two-time Mackay Open winner kept bogeys off the card as the scoring somewhat stalled but finished in a flurry, making birdies at six, seven, eight and 11 for a 7-under total.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Obviously made a nice putt for eagle on the sixth from 30-odd feet, but didn’t really get into too much trouble, which was surprising,” said Johnson.
“I’ve got a wife, kids, mortgage, generally weekends involve basketball and tennis. Nothing’s about me anymore so it’s good to for a change to play on the weekend.
“I was lucky enough to play with three of my buddies today, so it was just basically a normal Saturday. We were playing for drinks at the end like we do every week. I was more worried about not losing money to them rather than winning the event.
“Happy to hole a few putts and be in the winner’s circle again. It doesn’t happen too often, but yeah, it was good.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 John Lyras 65
T1 Anthony Johnson 65
T1 Brett Rankin 65
T4 Darcy Boyd 66
T4 Ben Henkel 66
T4 James Mee 66
T7 Harvey Young 67
T7 Tyler Duncan 67
T7 Jye Pickin 67
T7 Brendan Smith 67
T7 Aaron Townsend 67
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series now moves into the annual Onsite Rental Group Mining Towns Series, starting on Tuesday with the two-day IMS Moranbah Pro-Am.
Australian Cassie Porter’s dream of graduating to the LPGA Tour is one step closer to becoming a reality after a maiden Epson Tour victory at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Trailing by two heading into a windy final round at Battle Creek Country Club, Porter used three straight birdies around the turn to play her way into contention.
A fourth birdie for the day at the par-5 15th elevated Porter to 7-under, a total she thought she shared with two others.
The 21-year-old was, in fact, two strokes clear, providing the buffer she needed to absorb a closing a bogey and still record a one-stroke win with close friend and former Tour player Stephanie Na on the bag.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet. I’m feeling amazing,” said Porter, a member of the Golf Australia Rookie Squad and winner of the 2023 Melbourne International on the WPGA Tour of Australasia.
“It was really cool to do it here this week with Steph, my caddie. I leaned on Steph so much today.
“I said to her probably on the 11th hole after I made a good par, ‘Hey Steph, like I’m really nervous’ and she was like, ‘Why?’
“Steph was amazing. She’s like my sister. Honestly, I’ve done a lot of work on my mental game recently, and you know, this week, the wind was really, really testing.
“It was nice to be able to put that to the test and get a good result out of it.”
Final leaderboard at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship! ☄️ pic.twitter.com/Jh9Vpa6LRb
— Epson Tour (@EpsonTour) June 9, 2024
Even par starting the back nine in Round 2, Porter generated momentum heading into Sunday with a 3-under par finish to her second round.
As the leaders struggled in the blustery conditions on Sunday, Porter opened with seven straight pars before the run of birdies that led to a 3-under 69 and 6-under total.
In her second year on the Epson Tour and coached by PGA Professional Daniel Morrison on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, Porter now moves into second spot in the Race to the Card that awards the top 15 promotion to the LPGA at season’s end.
Amidst Porter’s joy was disappointment for both Kelsey Bennett and Scott Hend.
Playing on the Ladies European Tour Access Series and European Legends Tour respectively, both Bennett and Hend began their events with course records.
Bennett opened with 63 at the Montauban Ladies Open in France and led by one heading into the final round, dropping back into third with a closing round of 74.
Hend and England’s Robert Coles both broke the course record with matching 11-under 60s in Round 1 of the Costa Navarino Legends Tour Trophy, Hend bouncing back from a 76 on day two with a final round of 66 to finish second behind American Clark Dennis.
Victorian Cameron Percy’s third-place finish at the American Family Insurance Championship is his best result in his first month on the PGA TOUR Champions while Lucas Herbert’s tie for sixth was the best of the Aussies at LIV Golf Houston.
Results
Epson Tour
FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship
Battle Creek Country Club, Michigan
1 Cassie Porter 73-68-69—210 $US30,000
T2 Amelia Garvey (NZ) 73-68-70—211 $13,273
MC Maddison Hinson-Tolchard 75-74—149
MC Fiona Xu (NZ) 72-77—149
MC Soo Jin Lee 73-77—150
MC Su Oh 78-74—152
MC Amy Chu 77-77—154
PGA TOUR
The Memorial Tournament
Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio
1 Scottie Scheffler 67-68-71-74—280 $US4m
T33 Jason Day 73-75-69-77—294 $106,500
T50 Cam Davis 73-72-77-79—301 $51,500
LPGA Tour
Shoprite LPGA Classic
Seaview (Bay Cse), Galloway, New Jersey
1 Linnea Strom 69-70-60—199 $US262,500
T12 Stephanie Kyriacou 65-70-70—205 $25,365
T27 Hannah Green 71-68-68—207 $12,687
T60 Hira Naveed 67-69-75—211 $4,700
T63 Robyn Choi 66-72-75—213 $4,383
MC Sarah Kemp 69-71—140
MC Grace Kim 71-71—142
MC Karrie Webb 73-75—148
WD Karis Davidson 71
DP World Tour/Ladies European Tour
Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed
Vasatorps Golfklubb, Helsingborg, Sweden
1 Linn Grant 67-68-71-65—271 €312,188.68
T63 Daniel Hillier (NZ) 70-71-73-73—287 €5,050.11
MC Jason Scrivener 72-72—144
Japan Tour
BMW Tour Championship
Shishido Hills Country Club, Ibaraki
1 Hiroshi Iwata 71-65-67-68—271 ¥30m
Won on first hole of sudden death playoff
T24 Brad Kennedy 71-70-69-71—281 ¥1.23m
T56 Michael Hendry (NZ) 73-69-75-71—288 ¥357,000
MC Anthony Quayle 72-74—146
PGA TOUR Champions
American Family Insurance Championship
University Ridge GC, Wisconsin
1 Ernie Els 71-64-69—204 $US360,000
Won on first hole of sudden death playoff
3 Cameron Percy 70-70-67—207 $172,800
T7 Mark Hensby 73-67-69—209 $76,800
T7 Greg Chalmers 71-68-70—209 $76,800
T19 Steve Allan 70-69-73—212 $31,760
T22 John Senden 72-70-71—213 $23,093
T31 Rod Pampling 76-69-69—214 $15,840
T42 David Bransdon 74-72-70—216 $10,320
T42 Michael Wright 72-69-75—216 $10,320
T47 Stuart Appleby 75-68-74—217 $7,920
T64 Richard Green 73-74-74—221 $3,000
Challenge Tour
Challenge de Cadiz
Iberostar Real Golf Novo Sancti Petri, Cadiz, Spain
1 Jonathan Goth-Rasmussen 69-69-66-69—273 €43,200
T50 Blake Windred 72-72-71-71—286 €1,058.40
T60 Connor McKinney 69-69-75-76—289 €810
T74 Hayden Hopewell 69-72-79-79—299 €445.50
MC Andrew Martin 72-74—146
MC Tom Power Horan 74-74—148
Korn Ferry Tour
BMW Charity Pro Am
Thornblade Club, South Carolina
1 Ryan Gerard 64-66-63-66—259 $US180,000
MC Rhein Gibson 64-75—139
MC Dimi Papadatos 73-72—145
MC Brett Drewitt 77-68—145
LET Access Series
Montauban Ladies Open
Golf de Montauban, France
1 Helen Briem (a) 70-70-69—209 —–
3 Kelsey Bennett 63-74-74—211 €4,770
T16 Stephanie Bunque 71-75-72—218 €814.50
MC Munchin Keh (NZ) 74-78—152
MC Wenyung Keh (NZ) 78-75—153
MC Laura Hoskin (NZ) 80-79—159
LIV Golf
LIV Houston
Golf Club of Houston, Houston, Texas
1 Carlos Ortiz 66-68-67—201 $US4m
T6 Lucas Herbert 69-68-69—206 $608,333
T24 Marc Leishman 67-75-70—212 $182,500
T39 Matt Jones 68-74-73—215 $136,500
T48 Cameron Smith 71-69-80—220 $90,000
50 Danny Lee (NZ) 70-72-79—221 $60,000
Legends Tour
Costa Navarino Legends Tour Trophy
Costa Navarino, Greece
1 Clark Dennis 66-66-66—198
2 Scott Hend 60-76-66—202
T18 Peter Fowler 71-67-71—209
T32 Michael Campbell (NZ) 71-71-71—213
T32 Michael Long (NZ) 71-67-75—213
Korean PGA Tour
KPGA Championship
Seoul, South Korea
1 Jeon Garam 63-70-69-65—267
T31 Changi Lee (NZ) 70-72-70-68—280
T31 Matthew Griffin 68-71-71-70—280
T40 Kevin Chun (NZ) 67-75-69-70—281
T52 Junseok Lee 69-72-72-72—285
WD Wonjoon Lee 70-66-77—213
Australian golf legend Peter Senior headlines a list of golfers, media members and golf administrators to be included in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours List announced today by Governor-General David Hurley.
Among 737 Australians honoured with awards in the Order of Australia, meritorious awards and recognition for conspicuous service, Senior received an Order of Australia (OAM) for service to golf.
The Queenslander was named alongside legendary commentator Sandy Roberts and nine other recipients with a connection to the game.
Senior, whose longevity has been marvelled at across the golf world, won 35 times as a professional, including 21 victories on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, as well as wins on the DP World Tour and Japan Golf Tour.
Three times a winner of the Australian PGA Championship, and twice the ISPS HANDA Australian Open, Senior’s first and last PGA Tour of Australasia wins remarkably came 36 years apart, with the 64-year-old winning on Tour in five different decades.
“Peter is one of the most highly regarded professionals of his era not only domestically but internationally and continues to support the game via our PGA Legends Tour,” PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman said.
“Since turning professional in 1978, Peter has built a tremendous record around the world, but especially at home in Australia where we have loved watching him play our tournaments across so many years.
“Peter’s remarkable 1989 run when he claimed the Australian PGA Championship, Australian Open and Johnnie Walker Classic is some of the best golf played in this country, and the manner in which he has conducted himself over his career is also worthy of mention.
“His contribution to the game also includes being Chair of the PGA of Australia and serving on the PGA board as a playing director.
“I can’t think of a more deserving recipient of this accolade for services to golf.”
Born in Singapore, and following older brother Jeff into the professional golf world, Senior’s success continued into the over-50s game including as a two-time winner of the Australian PGA Seniors Championship. His memorable 2015 Australian Masters with son Mitch as caddie is a standout moment in Australian golf.
During many of Senior’s victorious walks down the final hole in Australia, Sandy Roberts formed part of the commentary team, with the broadcaster among those on this year’s King’s Birthday Honours List. Roberts receiving an OAM for service to media as a sports commentator.
Among the other recipients, Robert Dean, who followed his father and mother as a life member of Red Cliffs Golf Club, has been awarded an OAM for service to the community of Red Cliffs.
Mr. Dean served as both President (1972, 1973, 2874) and Captain (1980, 1981) of the club and has contributed a great deal to the regional Victorian club, while Rhonda Parker has been honoured with an OAM for service to the community of Boyup Brook in Western Australian. A valued member of her local community. Ms. Parker has served as Handicap Manager at the Boyup Brook Golf Club.
The winner of the Western Australian Veteran Golfers Association Championship in 2005, Michael Litis is another of the golf linked honourees with his OAM for service to the community through sports organisations.
“To see such a significant and varied range of golfers and golf associated Australians be honoured in this way is a significant moment, and thrill for all of us in Australian golf,” Golf Australia CEO James Sutherland said.
“Peter Senior is of course a legendary champion and standout on the list for all, however, it is heartening to see recognition across all parts of the Australian golf landscape, especially those who have devoted their time to volunteer run clubs or associations.
“From all at Golf Australia, and the broader golf community, I wish to extend our sincere congratulations to all on this year’s Honours List, and particularly those who have impacted the game of golf.”
The full list of King’s Birthday Honours List recipients associated with golf is listed below.
Mr. David Guthrie Willersdorf AM – For significant service to the community of the Greater Dandenong region.
Mr. Lance Raymond Boswell OAM – For service to the communities of Albury and Howlong
Mr. Robert James Dean OAM – For service to the community of Red Cliffs
Mr. William Edward Faint OAM – For service to the community of Clermont
Mr. William Clifford Gee OAM – For service to surf lifesaving, and to the community
Mr. John Francis Henderson OAM – For service to the community of Inverell
Mr. Michael Nicholas Litis OAM – For service to the community through sports organisations
Ms. Rhonda Joan Parker OAM – For service to the community of Boyup Brook
Mr. Sandy Roberts OAM – For service to media as a sports commentator
Mr. Peter Albert Senior OAM – For service to golf
Mr. Bernard James Sinnott OAM – For service to the community of Camperdown
After two rounds of meeting his goal of bogey-free golf, Brett Rankin grabbed a five-shot win at the PIMS Group Mackay Pro-Am.
The Queenslander followed up his Mackay Golf Club course record of 10-under-par 61 in round one on Thursday with a 5-under 66 today to earn his first win of 2024 and repeat his Mackay success from 2022.
Reigning adidas PGA Pro-Am Series champion Andrew Campbell (64-68) birdied two of his final three holes to claim second with a group of five players – Jay Mackenzie, Connor McDade, Lincoln Tighe, Nathan Page and Jack Pountney – a further shot behind.
The low round of Friday came from Ben Henkel whose 8-under 63 lifted him to eighth place, seven shots from the lead.
While the Victorian’s first round of 71 included five bogeys – as well as an albatross on the par-5 ninth – he was bogey-free today in a round which featured a run of four birdies in five holes on the back nine.
Rookie Queensland pro Blaike Perkins was the other big mover in the morning groups, carding a 65, highlighted by an eagle on the ninth, to move to 7-under.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
By the time Rankin stood on the 10th tee this afternoon, the 2022 Mackay winner had built his two-shot overnight lead to a five-shot advantage with birdies on the first, fourth and ninth.
An eagle at the par-5 10th sent him further in front.
After looking at the size of his lead, Rankin adjusted his game plan and “shut up shop”, opting for a more conservative approach. The 37-year-old closed with eight straight pars to confirm his runaway win.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“It’s been a great two days. I went bogey-free for 36 holes,” Rankin said. “It’s hard to beat someone when they go 36 holes without a bogey.
“I’ve been playing really well back home and it’s just nice to continue that form, although tournament golf is a little different.
“It’s probably the best I’ve chipped and putted for some time.”
FINAL LEADERBOARD
-15: Brett Rankin (Qld) 61-66
-10: Andrew Campbell (NSW) 64-68
-9: Lincoln Tighe (NSW) 67-66; Nathan Page (Vic) 67-66; Jack Pountney (NSW) 67-66; Jay Mackenzie (NSW) 65-68; Connor McDade (Vic) 63-70
-8: Ben Henkel (Vic) 71-63
-7: Blaike Perkins (Qld) 70-65; Riley Taylor (NSW) 67-68
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series stays in the Mackay region for the Roy Powell Security Pioneer Valley Pro-Am on Sunday.
There’s also a two-day event in Western Australia, the Bennco Karratha Pro-Am, starting tomorrow
Andre Stolz holed out from a greenside bunker on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to beat Jason Norris and Peter Senior and claim the Vuksich & Boric Fiji Legends Golf Classic for the first time today.
The trio headed to Denarau Golf and Country Club’s par-5 18th hole after finishing level at 8-under-par after 54 holes, with Senior catching the joint overnight leaders by carding a final day 6-under 66.
Trying to emulate a victory at Denarau back when he was in his 20s in 1997, Stolz put himself in some trouble when he flew his third shot into the back bunker. Meanwhile Norris was in a greenside trap in just two and Senior had made it safely aboard in three after laying up.
“I’d actually had two of those bunker shots during the round, exactly the same with no lip which is so strange in a bunker,” Stolz said.
“I’d hit two great shots out already and I said to ‘Norrey’ going up to the green that ‘you know I’m going to hole mine out of here’.”
The 54-year-old made good on his prediction, splashing out of the sand before the ball rolled out with perfect pace into the cup to claim his four. Senior and then Norris missed with their birdie attempts to extend the playoff from four metres and two metres out respectively.
The win moves back Stolz back to a familiar position on top of the PGA Legends Tour Order of Merit.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
After sharing the lead with Norris at the start of the day, Stolz turned in 3-under-par 33 to take a two-shot advantage.
Birdies on the par-3 11th and par-5 14th brought Norris back to level and the two cartmates couldn’t be separated after 54 holes after they posted pars on each of the final four holes for matching rounds of 69.
Meanwhile, defending champion Senior’s round in the group ahead featured a front nine of 32 and he eventually caught the top two by making a birdie on the par-3 17th. His 66 was the low round of the day.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I was pretty out of sorts over in WA and putting poorly so I went to the local Golf Box and bought a putter. It just felt good and on these greens you’ve got to a get a good roll on them to get them going across the top of the surface,” Stolz said.
“I did some good work at home at Pelican Waters and was feeling good actually when I got over here.
“I love coming to Fiji, as everyone else does, but been a bit frustrated at this event before with two seconds without winning. Now I can tick this one off the list.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-8: Andre Stolz (74-65-69)*; Jason Norris (71-68-69); Peter Senior (72-70-66)
(* Stolz won with birdie on first playoff hole)
-4: Mark Boulton (73-70-69)
-3: John Onions (74-67-72); Christopher Taylor (73-70-70)
-2: Roland Baglin (73-68-73); Chris Hollingsworth (73-73-68); Grahame Stinson (74-71-69)
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Series heads to Queensland for the Australian PGA Nine-Hole Championships at the Town of 1770 on June 28-30.
The PGA Institute has made crucial updates to its flagship course to provide the most up-to-date educational experience that reflects the current golf industry.
As of July 1, the Diploma of Golf Management will be replaced by the updated Diploma of Golf Business and Management.
With the current course’s period of currency coming to an end, a committee of both PGA of Australia and Golf Australia staff, as well as managers from the broader golf industry, reviewed the curriculum, noted alumni feedback, the industry relevance of the course and the subjects it included.
The new course better reflects the current industry, while continuing the PGA Institute’s focus of providing the only nationally recognised qualification in the golf industry.
“The new Diploma of Golf Business and Management is reflective of industry best practice,” said Suzanne Burns, PGA of Australia’s Senior Manager – RTO.
“It’s reflective of the current needs of industry, upskilling and empowering staff, ensuring we have a skilled workforce and are providing further career and educational opportunities for students.”
The curriculum has altered slightly to include only 15 units, removing some of the units that were no longer the most relevant for the golfing industry.
The new course structure focuses on the skills and knowledge required for career success in the industry, including golf operations and management, human resource management and critical business skills.
The existing pathways to higher education for PGA Institute students are still available, including advancement into various bachelor degrees with Holmesglen Tafe; Torrens, Deakin and Griffith universities; as well as the internal pathway into the PGA’s Membership Pathway Program.
To find out more about the PGA Institute click here.
Maddison Hinson-Tolchard has been a professional golfer in the making since she was a little girl growing up in Perth.
This week, the former Australian Junior champion gets the opportunity to live out that dream.
Hinson-Tolchard, a Karrie Webb Scholarship-holder, makes her professional debut on the Epson Tour in Michigan, playing for a $US 200,000 prize pool.
The 22-year-old from Gosnells Golf Club is excited at the prospects, having completed her studies and graduated in exercise science from Oklahoma State University where she won a Big 10 title in 2023.
She has held off turning professional so that she could complete her degree and also compete in the 2024 Augusta Women’s Invitational tournament, but the time has arrived.
“Been a long time coming but I finally get to say I’m a professional golfer!!” she posted on social media this week.
“Thank you to my whole team back in Aus for always backing me, I can’t wait to take this next step with you guys and my biggest thanks goes to my family for always believing in me.”
Karrie Webb, the seven-time major champion and World Golf Hall of Famer was among those who reached out to her this week.
Hinson-Tolchard secured playing rights on the secondary tour in the United States by reaching the second stage of LPGA Tour school last year.
Half of the Epson Tour season has passed already, meaning that she has come catching up to do.
The top 15 players on the Epson Tour by season’s end earn LPGA Tour cards for 2025, which was the vehicle by which another Aussie, Gabriela Ruffels, graduated to the main tour this year.
Hinson-Tolchard has represented WA and Australia at all levels and won the 2018 Australian Junior at just 16 years old.
Meanwhile Jason Day and Cam Davis lead the Australian charge at the PGA TOUR’S elevated event, The Memorial tournament in Ohio this weekend.
The 49-year-old Webb makes her first appearance since 2022 on the LPGA Tour in New Jersey this weekend, alongside a bunch of Aussies.
PHOTO: Maddison Hinson-Tolchard is looking to build after a stellar amateur career. Image: Getty
Round 1 tee times AEST
PGA TOUR
The Memorial Tournament
Dublin, Ohio
1.35am Cam Davis
5.10am Jason Day
Defending champion: Viktor Hovland.
Past Aussie winners: Greg Norman (1990, 1995), David Graham (1980)
Prizemoney $US20 million
TV times: 4am-8am Fox Sports and Kayo Sports
LPGA Tour
Shoprite Classic
Galloway, New Jersey
Australasians competing: Karrie Webb, Hannah Green, Grace Kim, Steph Kyriacou, Sarah Kemp, Hira Naveed, Karis Davidson, Robyn Choi
Defending champion: Ashleigh Buhai
Past Aussie winners: Karrie Webb (2013)
Prizemoney $US1.75 million
TV times: nil
DP World Tour/Ladies European Tour
Scandinavian Mixed
Vasatorp Golf Club, Sweden
Daniel Hillier (NZ) 12.30am
Jason Scrivener 1.20am
Defending champion: Dale Whitnall
Past Aussie winners: nil
Prizemoney $US2 million
TV times: 9pm-2am Fox Sports and Kayo Sports
Epson Tour
Firekeepers Casino Hotel Championship
Battle Creek Country Club, Michigan
Australasians competing: Maddison Hinson-Tolchard, Amelia Garvey (NZ), Cassie Porter, Fiona Xu (NZ), Su Oh, Amy Chu, Soo Jin Lee
Defending champion: Siyun Liu
Past Aussie winners: nil
Prizemoney $US200,000
Japan Tour
BMW Tour Championship
Shishido Hills Country Club, Ibaraki
9.44am Brad Kennedy
11.28am Anthony Quayle
12.42pm Michael Hendry
Defending champion: Takumi Kanaya
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prizemoney: ¥150 million
PGA Champions
American Family Insurance Championship
University Ridge GC, Wisconsin
12.22am Greg Chalmers
12.33am Richard Green
12.55am Mark Hensby
1.06am Stuart Appleby
1.06am* Cameron Percy
1.17am* John Senden
1.39am* Rod Pampling
1.50am* David Bransdon
2.01am* Steve Allan, Michael Wright (NZ)
Defending champion: Steve Stricker
Past Aussie winners: nil
Prizemoney: $US2.4million
Challenge Tour
Challenge de Cadiz
Cadiz, Spain
4.10pm Connor McKinney
4.10pm* Hayden Hopewell
4.50pm Andrew Martin
9.10pm Tom Power Horan
Defending champion: Sam Hutsby
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prizemoney €270,000
Korn Ferry Tour
BMW Charity Pro Am
Thornblade Club, South Carolina
9.40pm Rhein Gibson
2.50am Dimi Papadatos
2.50am* Brett Drewitt
Defending champion: Adrian Dumont de Chassart
Past Aussie winners: Rhein Gibson (2019), Rod Pampling (2015), Nick Flanagan (2007, 2012), Michael Sim (2009)
Prizemoney $US1 million
LIV Houston
Golf Club of Houston
Australasians competing: Cameron Smith, Lucas Herbert, Wade Ormsby, Matt Jones, Ben Campbell (NZ), Danny Lee (NZ), Marc Leishman
Defending champion: nil
Past Australian winners: nil
Prizemoney: $US25 million
Korean PGA Tour
KPGA Championship
Seoul, South Korea
Australasians competing: Matthew Griffin, Jun-Seok Lee, Richard Lee (NZ), Won Joon Lee
Defending champion: Seungbing Choi
Past Aussie winners: Matthew Griffin (2014)
Prizemoney 1.5 million Korean Won
Defending champion Sam Brazel has urged more young players to cut their teeth on the pro-am circuit ahead of a bolstered PIMS Group Mackay Pro-Am in Mackay starting Thursday.
Dating back to a four-day event worth $60,000 almost a decade ago, this year’s two-day adidas PGA Pro-Am Series event at Mackay Golf Club boasts $51,500 in prize money, an increase of 94 per cent on last year and almost five times the amount played for in 2021.
The increase in prize purse has the potential to make Brazel’s hopes of repeating wins in 2021 and 2023 all that more challenging.
Fellow DP World Tour winner Marcus Fraser joins the likes of Deyen Lawson, Kade McBride and Jake McLeod at the 36-hole event starting Thursday along with Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia players John Lyras and Elvis Smylie.
Also hungry for tournament success is the new crop who have recently turned professional, former amateur stars Jye Pickin and Connor McDade now forging a new path in the pro ranks.
Winner of the 2016 Hong Kong Open and with extensive international experience in Asia and Europe along with a WGC appearance in 2017, Brazel believes his grounding playing pro-ams throughout Australia was invaluable in his early development.
“It’s a great opportunity for the younger crew to get out there and learn their trade on different styles of golf courses,” said Brazel.
“It’s a very, very good learning curve. More players should be subjected to it. I think they’d be better players because of it.
“Greg Norman used to play pro-ams back in his day when he was around.
“There’s a rich history of pro-ams in this country. You look at some of these little mining towns and the honour boards of those pro-ams, there are some pretty impressive names on there.
“It’s great to see the field strengthening and I think it’s a really good way to learn your trade, get a bit more mentally tough whilst actually earning a few bucks.”
Based in Lismore in northern New South Wales but doing much of his practice out of Ballina and Ocean Shores, Brazel estimates that he first played the Mackay Open more than 20 years ago.
With two wins and a top-five finish the past three years he has made the Mackay layout his own, but concedes it wasn’t always that way.
“My early years were a bit lean around there actually,” said Brazel, who was tied for sixth at the Lexus Townsville Classic a fortnight ago.
“There are multiple holes where you’ve got to shape it both ways and positional play off the tee is important.
“There are a multitude of tee shots that require a different shape to them, so it kind of suits my game because I like to think that I can shape it both ways and plot my way around the golf course.”
Praising the event’s organisation by Mackay Golf Club Head Professional Jeff Reid, staff and members, Brazel says the golf course is blessed with a great variety of golf holes and ways in which to play them.
“A couple of reachable par 5s, a couple of short par 4s including one reachable par 4 where you can make three or seven,” he adds.
“It’s that sort of golf course that you really need to think your way around. You can play it probably four or five different ways depending on what the wind’s doing and how your game’s feeling.
“You can navigate a way around it if you’ve got the tools.”
Australian Minjee Lee has endured a horror back nine to let a third major championship slip through her fingers at the US Women’s Open.
Tied for the lead and playing in the final group at Lancaster Country Club, the two-time major champion was the leader by two after the first hole on Sunday.
Her birdie from just outside 10 feet and bogeys by 54-hole co-leaders Wichanee Meechai and Andrea Lee gave Lee a front-running position that she seemed destined to maintain.
When Andrea Lee made double-bogey on four and Meechai tripled the par-3 sixth after finding the penalty area with her tee shot, Minjee’s lead had grown to three strokes despite a three-putt bogey of her own on six.
Lee let a birdie chance slip by the right edge of the hole at the par-5 seventh yet would stand on the tee of the par-4 ninth three shots in front of the field at 4-under par.
A tee shot that found the fairway bunker led to a bogey on nine which would signify the beginning of the end.
Another three-putt on 10 saw Minjee fall into a tie for the lead with eventual champion Yuka Saso (68) at 2-under, but the tables would soon turn dramatically.
As Saso birdied the par-5 13th ahead, Minjee’s tee shot at the treacherous par-3 12th trickled back into the penalty area fronting the green, the double-bogey putting her three shots back in the blink of an eye.
It was a place from which she was unable to recover, making a second double-bogey on 14 followed by bogey on 15 for a final round of 8-over 78 and tie for ninth, seven shots back of Saso.
“I started good. Felt like I hit it pretty good; just missed a couple putts for birdie early and then I kind of blew up from there,” was Lee’s frank admission post-round.
“Obviously I’m going to acknowledge my disappointment and then come back stronger, take the positives out of the week.
“It’s a lot of pressure on the last day, so wasn’t my best performance but I’m sure there will be many better performances ahead.”
As Lee struggled, fellow West Australian Hannah Green matched the low round of the tournament, climbing into a tie for 16th with a 4-under 66 with Sarah Kemp and Gabriela Ruffels both even par for their final rounds.
Birdies at seven, nine and 11 generated the momentum that Green had been chasing all week, completing her climb up the leaderboard with birdies from five and three feet at 16 and 17.
“I feel like I gave myself better putts for birdie today, a lot more uphill putts, which was nice,” said Green.
“I felt like the first few rounds I had a lot of double breakers that had a couple feet of break. You can’t be aggressive with those because your eye is just not used to seeing that.
“The game plan was pretty much the same the entire week, it was just the execution that was different today.”
It was a near miss, too, for Rod Pampling at the Principal Charity Classic on the PGA TOUR Champions.
Tied for the lead entering the final round at Wakonda Club in Des Mines, Pampling kept pace with Ernie Els on the front nine but the South African surged clear with two birdies and an eagle shortly after the turn, Pampling’s 3-under 69 good enough for a share of third.
Kirsten Rudgeley finished just two shots shy of the playoff as she grabbed a top-five finish at the Dormy Open Helsingborg on the Ladies European Tour while Kiwi Ryan Fox continued his strong form on the PGA TOUR with a tie for seventh at the RBC Canadian Open.
Photo: Chris Keane/USGA
Results
US Women’s Open
Lancaster Country Club, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
1 Yuka Saso 68-71-69-68—276 $US2.4m
T9 Minjee Lee 70-69-66-78—283 $271,732.67
T16 Hannah Green 76-71-72-66—285 $161,840.67
T29 Sarah Kemp 75-72-72-70—289 $68,873.14
T51 Gabriela Ruffels 75-73-75-70—293 $26,209
T58 Amelia Garvey (NZ) 76-71-74-73—294 $23,035.89
MC Lydia Ko (NZ) 80-73—153
MC Steph Kyriacou 77-76—153
MC Keeley Marx (a) 76-81—157
PGA TOUR
RBC Canadian Open
Hamilton Golf & Country Club, Hamilton, Ontario
1 Robert MacIntyre 64-66-66-68—264 $US1.692m
T7 Ryan Fox (NZ) 66-64-70-70—270 $295,317
T42 Adam Scott 70-69-70-69—278 $29,986
MC Aaron Baddeley 77-71—148
MC Harrison Endycott 72-79—151
DP World Tour
European Open
Green Eagle Golf Courses, Hamburg, Germany
1 Laurie Canter 68-66-73-72—279 €392,765.45
T65 Daniel Hillier (NZ) 77-70-77-77—301 €5,660.44
MC Haydn Barron 77-71—148
MC Jason Scrivener 75-76—151
MC Sam Jones (NZ) 76-75—151
MC David Micheluzzi 74-78—152
Ladies European Tour
Dormy Open Helsingborg
Allerum Golf Club, Sweden
1 Perrine Delacour 68-70-67—205 €45,000
T5 Kirsten Rudgeley 69-71-67—207 €11,200
T64 Momoka Kobori (NZ) 75-70-74—219 €885
MC Amy Walsh 73-76—149
Korn Ferry Tour
UNC Health Championship
Raleigh Country Club, Raleigh, North Carolina
1 Kaito Onishi 68-69-69-66—272 $US180,000
T38 Rhein Gibson 72-70-66-73—281 $4,915
MC Brett Drewitt 71-72—143
MC Dimi Papadatos 66-77—143
PGA TOUR Champions
Principal Charity Classic
Wakonda Club, Des Moines, Iowa
1 Ernie Els 62-68-65—195 $US300,000
T3 Rod Pampling 65-65-69—199 $120,000
T6 Vijay Singh (FI) 64-68-68—200 $76,000
T8 Steven Alker (NZ) 67-68-66—201 $60,000
T10 David Bransdon 68-68-66—202 $50,000
T12 Stuart Appleby 68-69-66—203 $38,400
T12 Steve Allan 69-66-68—203 $38,400
T18 Michael Wright 67-70-68—205 $23,844
T27 Richard Green 70-69-67—206 $16,600
T32 Cameron Percy 66-69-72—207 $12,133
T41 David McKenzie 70-70-68—208 $8,800
T47 John Senden 70-69-70—209 $6,400
PGA of Australia Life Member Bob Shearer has been honoured by his beloved home club in Melbourne, Southern, with a life-size bronze statue outside the clubhouse.
Shearer, who died in 2022 aged 73, was a lifelong member of the club and to the time of his passing, played regular golf at Southern.
The statue by sculptor Louis Laumen and Cameron McIndoe of Fundere Foundry depicts Shearer striping a 6-iron down the first hole.
It was unveiled by the Shearer family – wife Kathie, sons Bobby and Brett and grandson Jake on Sunday.
“Bob never sought or expected accolades, but I know for a fact he would have been humbled and completely overwhelmed with this statue as a lasting tribute to his memory,” said Kathie Shearer.
Shearer won both the main titles on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia – the PGA Championship and the Australian Open – as well as a New Zealand Open, on the US PGA Tour and the DP World Tour and is one of the all-time greats of the sport.
Beyond tour golf he rode a cart from his Dingley Village home three times a week to play at Southern. Kathie Shearer said that the family knew when golf was on his radar as he would begin humming as he shaved, a few bars of Don’t Worry Be Happy or Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling.
“This was his club, this is what he loved, and I understood it. It was his values, it was the principles, it was the inclusiveness, it was the fun, but mostly it was the camaraderie and the people.”
Southern GC President Peter Anderson observed that there was a deeper meaning deeper to the erection of a statue than Shearer’s fine quality as a player. “I trust when you see this statue, please think about the camaraderie, the friendship, the mutual respect we all have,” Anderson said.
PHOTO: The Shearer family – wife Kathie, sons Bobby and Brett and grandson Jake – at the new Bob Shearer statue unveiled on Sunday.
