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Aussie stars shine on day one of Australian PGA


Min Woo Lee heads the list of Aussie superstars yet it is unheralded Spaniard Joel Moscatel who sits atop the leaderboard after day one of the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland.

When Lee signed for a 7-under 64 it showed that the 25-year-old had brought his growing stature within the game back to home soil but Moscatel matched Jed Morgan’s 2021 course record of 8-under 63 to lead by one.

Sydney’s John Lyras (66) is outright third and one clear of a group of six players at 5-under including Adam Scott, Lucas Herbert, Connor McKinney, Sam Brazel, Scotland’s Connor Syme and Ryo Hisatsune of Japan.

Defending champion Cameron Smith endured a frustrating start with a round of 2-over 73 while DP World Tour stars Adrian Meronk (68) and Robert MacIntyre (69) returned under-par rounds after their early starts on Thursday morning.

A 25-year-old, who cites Spanish legends Seve Ballesteros and Jon Rahm as his idols, shrugged off the disappointment of missing a DP World Tour card by one shot at Qualifying School last week to lead a star-studded field.

While he now has guaranteed status on the secondary Challenge Tour in Europe next year, Moscatel knows what a win this week in the co-sanctioned event would mean.

“I just try to play but yes, obviously it’s life-changing for sure, for sure, coming from a satellite tour,” said Moscatel.

“But we’ll see. Step by step.

“In the Spanish Open, one of my best friends was leading at one point. He finished the first day third and you always think like he’s going to win, but there’s a lot of golf to play and a lot of good players, so it can happen any way.”

Headed for the PGA TOUR in 2024, Lee displayed the type of golf that saw him post 30-under in winning the Macao Open on the Asian Tour just a few weeks ago.

Playing with Smith and MacIntyre, Lee took until just his third hole to make birdie and added a second immediately afterwards at the par-4 13th.

After making the turn in 2-under, Lee picked off two further birdies at one and two, holed a 35-footer from the front of the green for birdie on five and then closed out a back nine of 5-under 31 with a birdie at the par-5 ninth.

“I was actually pretty nervous, which I haven’t really felt in a while, just before the round, but that’s usually good for me,” said the world No.45.

“I’d rather not get too comfortable. But I felt really good out there and it’s awesome to have such a big crowd, especially at 6 o’clock in the morning.

“It was solid. I’m happy they came and supported us.”

Tied fifth in his most recent start on the PGA TOUR, Scott was 1-over through his first five holes but made five birdies in the space of six holes around the turn to bring his hopes of a third Joe Kirkwood Cup roaring back to life.

A bunker lesson with Aussie veteran Brett Rumford on Wednesday paid dividends on Scott’s final hole, the 43-year-old getting up-and-down from the greenside bunker on nine for a closing birdie and round of 5-under.

“I think that was when I was truly waking up, maybe about 7,” Scott said of his charge in the midway part of his round.

“It happens. You’ve just got to keep making good swings at it and doing what you’re doing.

“I’m just happy to have played a solid round and starting on the right foot anyway.”

After two early birdies, Herbert used a run of four straight birdies from the 12th hole in the afternoon wave to put his name in the frame after Round 1.

“I feel like it was a tough day out there,” Herbert said.

“It was just good to get the round off to a good start. You look at the board and Min’s out there at 7-under and I saw another score at 8-under as well. If you don’t make a birdie in the first few holes it can feel like you’ve got to start pushing a bit harder, because you feel like you’re so far behind.

“I put a good score on the board, I think we’re fourth or fifth or something like that after we’ve walked off the course at least, so that gives me a lot of confidence going into the rest of the week.”

Herbert is in the first group off the 10th tee at 6am on Friday morning while Lee, Scott and Smith will play in the afternoon wave.

The Fortinet Australian PGA Championship is live on Nine and Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.

Tickets for the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship are available from ticketek.com.au


Min Woo Lee has scored a superb win at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland.

The West Australian shot a final-round 68 for an overall score of 20-under 264, three shots better than Japanese runner-up Rikuya Hoshino.

4:25pm: Rikuya Hishino had this to say about finishing runner-up.

I would like to congratulate Min Woo on his amazing play. This was my first time playing a tournament in Australia and my first time being here, and I had a lot of fun playing in front of such big crowds.

It was a lot of fun to be able to compete with the stars of the world and try to win the championship. I was very sharp and achieved a good result, so I’ll do my best to win next week as well.

4:20pm: The stats on the Min Woo Lee victory.

  • Third DP World Tour win in his 82nd appearance
  • Second Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and DP World Tour victory on home soil, following on from his 2020 ISPS HANDA Vic Open success
  • His last DP World Tour victory, at the abrdn Scottish Open, was two and 138 days ago
  • The fourth Australian winner of this event since it was first played on the DP World Tour’s Global Schedule in 2016, joining Nathan Holman (2016), Cam Smith (2018, 19 and 22) and Adam Scott (2019)
  • This is his second 54-hole lead on the DP World Tour. He converted at the 2020 ISPS HANDA Vic Open and finished runner-up at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in in January, 2023
  • His second win in the space of four worldwide starts after his SJM Macao Open victory on the Asian Tour
  • He takes the lead the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex on 500 points
  • First Australian win on the DP World Tour since Lucas Herbert claimed the ISPS HANDA – CHAMPIONSHIP in Japan in April 2023
  • 141st win by a player from Australia on the DP World Tour

4:16pm: Min Woo on that eagle on 9 which is the highlight to remember from this year’s champion

I think that was probably the best atmosphere shot I’ve ever hit.  I’ve had a few chip ins, but at that point it was getting close and I was in a pretty average position off the tee shot, after the tee shot, so to chip that in, it was amazing.  I want to see it straight away.  I would like to see it.  It was one of the best shots I’ve probably hit.

4:15pm: Our winner Min Woo Lee had this to say straight after his win:

I’ve always thought I could win, but it took a while to get over the hump.  But two wins in the last month or so, I’m really proud of my team and myself.  I made it interesting early on and through the middle, but ended up hanging on, so I’m really proud.

4:10pm: Our third placegetter Marc Leishman is one to watch for the ISPS HANDA Australian Open next week. He closed with a 64 today.

Yeah, I’ve been playing well most of the year.  I definitely think if I can play well and get the putter hot, there’s no reason why I can’t come away with a victory.  But there’s a lot of good players as well, so you’ve got to play good and get the breaks and hopefully no one else goes crazy.

4:04pm: Min Woo Lee is your Joe Kirkwood Cup winner for 2023, finishing at 20-under-par to claim his second Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia victory.

Rounding out the top three – Japan’s Rikuya Hishino (-17) and Victoria’s Marc Leishman (-16).

2:36pm: Best round of the day belongs to Victorian Todd Sinnott, who has climbed into a share of seventh with a Sunday 65.

2:09pm: Birdie on 12 for Min Woo Lee for the third time this week and, at 21-under, his lead is now four with six to play.

1:47pm: Side note, Jed Morgan also chipped in on nine and let out an almighty fist pump when he won the 2021 championship in record fashion. He and Nick O’Hern’s 22-under tournament low is now in the firing line.

12:48pm: Lee (19-under) and Hoshino (16-under) trade birdies at the par-5 seventh and the lead remains three. Connor Syme is next best at 14-under with Joaquin Niemann fourth at 12-under.

12:11pm: Bogey for Hoshino at six and Min Woo Lee’s lead is back out to two.

11:30am: HOLE-IN-ONE! Chile’s Joaquin Niemann makes an ace at the 164-metre par-3 fourth. He rockets up into outright sixth and just five strokes off the lead.

11:25am: Scotland’s Calum Hill currently has the low round on course. Winner of the Cazoo Classic in 2021, Hill is 5-under through 11 and is in a tie for eighth at 9-under.

11:22am: Rikuyu Hoshino has burst out of the blocks with two birdies to join Min Woo Lee at 16-under par and tied for the lead. Hoshino has won five times on the Japan Golf Tour since 2018 and is currently ranked No.138 in the Official World Golf Ranking. In short, can play.

11:07am: A two-shot swing on the very first hole for our final group and Min Woo Lee’s lead is cut from three to one. Game on.

10:16am: The Bobby Mac charge has hit a hurdle. A double-bogey on 10 has sent the Scotsman tumbling down to a share of 42nd with seven holes to play.

9:10am: It may not rival a William Wallace-style charge just yet but Scottish star Robert MacIntyre is moving on Sunday. MacIntyre has birdied two, four, five and seven to be 4-under through 8 and up into a tie for 20th.

8:15am: If the morning groups are anything to go by, we are going to see some low numbers for the final round of the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship. There have already been 13 birdies at the par-4 first, defending Australian Open champion Adrian Meronk began his final round with two straight birdies and West Australian Hayden Hopewell has moved into a tie for 27th with birdies at both one and two.

Curtis Luck (3rd at -13): Man, I hit it close a lot out there.  I had a lot of putts seem to go over the edge and it was kind of similar yesterday.  I feel like I played very, very well today.  5-under does not seem that crazy, but I’m happy with it nonetheless.

Cam Davis (T7 at -9): I have played some very clean golf.  I came off about a month of kind of taking it easy and not playing too much, so to turn around and get everything back and get all my tournament juices going and hit good shots when the targets are small, it’s been fun.

Marc Leishman (T7 at -9): You never know what can happen.  We all want to win it.  So if I can play like I did today and get a hot putter, get off to a good start, you never know what might happen.  Hopefully I can just play good, finish as well as I can and see how it goes.

Connor Syme (T5 at -10) Yeah, it was a good day.  I didn’t actually feel that great to be honest, this morning.  I felt good mentally but I just didn’t feel my swing was quite there on the range.  So I just kind of tried to manage my golf ball better.  Obviously it was a little bit easier today in terms of the breeze, it was pretty windy yesterday afternoon, but yeah, I’m pretty pleased. Well, really pleased with 7-under.  It obviously depends on the leaders, but I’m in a good spot.

Adam Scott (4th at -11): Well, it wasn’t really my day.  I couldn’t really get it going and unfortunately I missed a putt on 12 and then bogeyed 14 and 16 and had a rough run coming in there.  So the momentum really changed and Min had a couple of birdies and we went from being quite close to I’m a long way back now.  So, I’ve got a lot of work to do tomorrow but maybe all the putts will go tomorrow.

4:50pm: Some quotes from our leaders after Round 3:

Min Woo Lee (Leading at -17): I again played pretty solid.  A couple of mistakes but that happens.  But overall, pretty happy with the way I went today. Tomorrow’s just another day and hopefully I can keep going.  I can just control what I can do and if someone goes out there and shoots low, hopefully I’ve finished the day happy with the way I played.

4:00pm: We’re done for the day. -17 Min Woo Lee; -14 Rikuya Hoshino; -13 Curtis Luck; -11 Adam Scott; -10 Connor Syme; -10 Lucas Herbert; -9 Joaquin Niemann; -9 Marc Leishman; -9 Cameron Davis; -9 Joel Moscatel

3:50pm: Last group tomorrow will be Min Woo Lee, Rikuya Hoshino and Curtis Luck.

3:45pm: The day is done at the Southern Comfort Party Hole and it ends with a Viking clap started by Min Woo Lee. It’s the place to be tomorrow if you want to mix in plenty of music, cheers and fun with your golf.

3:40pm: Curtis Luck birdies the last for a bogey-free 66 to move to -13 and outright third. Playing partner Lucas Herbert shot a 69 to get to -10 but that’s seven from the lead at the moment.

3:35pm: A couple of bogeys has dropped Adam Scott back to -11, six behind Min Woo Lee.

3:30pm: A fantastic back nine of 29 has lifted Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino into outright second at -14, three behind Min Woo Lee who shows no signs of backing up with three birdies of his own on the back nine.

3:20pm: Among the latest into the clubhouse – Cam Davis (68) at -9, Marc Leishman (67) at -9 despite having a ball stuck in the tree on 14, Joaquin Niemann (67) at -9

3:05pm: The Southern Comfort Party Hole is about to greet our final two groups. The 17th is no snack, playing as the fourth hardest hole of the day with eight birdies and 16 bogeys

2:55pm: Some info on our leading overseas player Rikuya Hoshino who is threatening to upset the Aussie party. He’s a former world No.64 who is now ranked No.138. He’s had five victories on the Japanese Tour, the last coming in 2021……and he’s now tied for second in the 2023 Australian PGA

2:45pm: Leaderboard update: Min Woo Lee -15, Adam Scott -13, Rikuya Hoshino -12, Curtis Luck -12, Connor Syme -10

2:00pm: Lets have a look at a couple of other moves today – leftie Lawry Flynn has just climbed into T10 with three consecutive birdies to get to -7. Rookie pro Jeff Guan had five birdies in his last six to post a 67.

1:50pm: Scotland’s Connor Syme has just finished off the equal low round of the day – a bogey-free 7-under 64 – to move into fifth place at -10. He’s the leading non-Australian.

1:48pm: Leaderboard update: Min Woo Lee -14, Lucas Herbert -11, Curtis Luck -11, Adam Scott -11

12:53pm: More fun Frank Kennedy facts. Now 18 years of age, Kennedy made the cut in his first event on the DP World Tour, the 2021 Hero Open at Fairmont St Andrews. He was just 15 years of age.

12:30pm: As the lead groups near the end of the front nine, worth keeping in mind how hard the back nine is playing. Halfway through Round 3, six of the eight hardest holes on the golf course are on the back nine. Ten (4.311), 14 (4.273) and 18 (4.247) are the three hardest holes for the week thus far.

12:13pm: SCORE CHECK! After making a three-footer for par to stay just inside the cut-line last night, Kiwi Michael Hendry has posted 7-under 64 this morning and is now tied for seventh.

11:32am: With a birdie at the first, Min Woo Lee extends his lead to two from Adam Scott and John Lyras, who also made birdie at the opening hole.

11:30am: Qualifying is happening right now for this afternoon’s World Long Drive competition to take place on the 1st tee at 4pm AEST. The top eight from the 19 qualifiers will advance to the final.

8:52am: It’s all about opportunity. Michael Hendry and Haydn Barron were two of the beneficiaries when the cut moved late from 1-under to even par on Friday. Hendry has turned in 4-under to be T21 while Barron is 3-under through 8 to be T31.

8:40am: For those playing along at home, we’ve got some special guests here at Royal Queensland broadcasting live for The Today Show.

8:12am: Did you know that the Southern Comfort Party Hole has its own playlist? Join the party and listen to the songs that will be greeting players all day today and tomorrow.

7:32am: Was this the shot of the day in Round 3?

7:30am: Round 3 is up and running and we’re already seeing plenty of birdies among the early groups.

6:10pm: Final cut comes at even-par, sending 80 players through to Saturday

6pm: Looks like being a big field tomorrow. Cut line is back at even-par which currently gives us 81 players.

5:40pm: Nice little fight back late in the day from overnight leader Joel Moscatel, who has ended the day with an even-par 71 and a share of fourth at -8. That’s the last change to the leaderboard for Yellow Day.

5.34pm: Something to watch tomorrow. Sydney’s John Lyras likes to play aggressive golf. He’ll start round three at 10-under, two shots behind leader Min Woo Lee.

I tell you what, I played with Min Woo last year, round 3, it doesn’t work by just sitting there and letting things come to you.  There’s a point where you’ve got to step on it a bit and see how much you can take from the golf course.  Obviously, you pick your chances right and you pick your battles.  I plan on doing a better job of that tomorrow and yeah, just being overall more aggressive and more trusting in the game.  You’re never going to play good golf by being ultra conservative with your game plan or thought process.

5:26pm: And a birdie from Jack Murdoch puts the cut back at -1 which is bad news for those 16 players

5:00pm: The cut line has just moved from -1 to even-par which is great news for 16 players including Rod Pampling, Haydn Barron, Lachlan Barker, James Marchesani, Adam Bland and Michael Hendry

4:45pm: Adam Scott’s 65 matched the low round of the day from Cameron John. He had this to say:

It’s always nice to have a bogey-free round, that’s always nice.  I probably haven’t had many of them this year. I feel like my swing from the tee to the green is feeling better than it has for a while and that’s a nice thing for me.

4:40pm: A quote from Cam Smith – “Australia has been so good to me…there’s no reason to perform like that…unacceptable.

4:22pm: A very emotional Cam Smith met with the media after he finished with a three-putt and a round of 79. At +9 for the event, he is well outside the cut line of -1 and will not be playing at RQ at the weekend.

4:20pm: Min Woo Lee has backed up his opening round of 64 with a 66 to be 12-under-par and in the clubhouse lead late on Yellow Day at Royal Queensland. He’s one ahead of Adam Scott.

3:45pm: Adam Scott has finished off a classy 65 on Yellow Day to be in the clubhouse on -11 after 36 holes. Playing partner Cam Davis is still in touch at -6 (68-68) while Adrian Meronk (68-73) has just made the weekend at -1.

3:15pm: It’s Min Woo Lee back on top after a birdie on 15. He’s the first man to -12. Adam Scott is -11 and then three shots to Herbert, Luck and Lyras

3:05pm: Our reigning ISPS HANDA Australian Open champion Adrian Meronk is on the cut line at -1 with three holes left. One slip-up and the Pole may be absent for the weekend.

3pm: An update on our overnight leader, Joel Moscatel from Spain. He’s +1 for the day after 8 holes and is now four behind Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee.

2:50pm: The low round of the day has come from Melbourne’s Cameron John who shot a 65 to climb into a tie for sixth at the moment. He spoke to the media about some help he’s been receiving from some of our Tour’s most experienced professionals.

I spoke to Michael Sim a little bit last week.  I was fortunate enough to play with him.  Marcus Fraser, I played golf with him a few weeks ago and I just picked both their brains just as much as I could.  I probably annoyed them a bit, but that’s all right.

2:20pm: Cam Smith Cut Watch: It looks like it’s all over for the defending champion – a double-bogey on 10 and he’s blown out to +6. That’s a tie for 139th

2:10pm: What a shot from Adam Scott who hits the pin with his tee shot at the short par-4 12th. The birdie puts him on top of the 2023 leaderboard for the first time. Smith -11, Lee -10.

1:50pm: Cam Smith Cut Watch – A ball into the penalty area led to a bogey six on the gettable par-5 ninth, leaving our defending champion at +4 and in a tie for 124th. Cut line currently on -1.

1:45pm: It’s a great showdown on a sunny Friday afternoon between two of Australia’s best, Min Woo Lee and Adam Scott. They’re trading birdies and now stand alone at 1 and 2 on the leaderboard. Lee -11 and Scott -10.

1:15pm: Min Woo Lee back in front alone. -3 for his first seven holes and he’s now -10.

12:53pm: New joint leader – Adam Scott with a two-putt birdie on the 7th. He’s -4 for the day and has caught Min Woo Lee at -9

12:51pm: Big finish from Brisbane leftie Lawry Flynn who birdied three of his final four holes to jump to a tie for 13th at -5

12:50pm: Round of the day so far comes from Victoria’s Cam John – a 6-under 65 with eight birdies and one bogey. He’s just two behind our leader Min Woo Lee on a breezy Brisbane afternoon.

12:40pm: Cam Smith Cut Watch: Just one birdie in 23 holes so far leaves the defending champion at +3 and four shots away from the current cut line of -1

12:30pm: WA’s Curtis Luck wasn’t thinking about a hole-in-one when he stepped onto the tee at the Southern Comfort Party Hole this morning. But that’s what happened 🙂

I mean, on that hole, the only thing you’re thinking is obviously don’t go long … you just want to knock it somewhere, obviously hopefully around the pin but keep it somewhat towards the middle of the green

12:20pm: Our reigning Challenger PGA Tour Order of Merit champion David Micheluzzi (68-68) is safely inside the top 10 and enjoyed his pairing with fellow Victorian Lucas Herbert, who he has played against since they were kids, and Kiwi Daniel Hillier

We’re all good mates and especially like feeding off each other as well.  When one makes a birdie, it feels like we’re all making birdies.  I don’t think I’m playing with either of them tomorrow, which is unfortunate, but it’s been good.

12:10pm: Another player to have a good first two days was Spain’s former Ryder Cup player Rafa Cabrera Bello…two 68s in the bank

This is my 18th season as a pro and it’s not often I get to visit two new cities in two weeks – that’s what made me want to come here. I’ve enjoyed it every time I have been in Australia. It’s far to get to, but once you’re here, it’s cool.

12:05pm: Lucas Herbert had a chat to the media after his 68. Here’s what he had to say about Yellow Day and remembering Jarrod Lyle

It’s pretty nice to walk off the last in the tie for the lead with being the ambassador for Yellow Day and seeing everyone wearing so much yellow out here.  I saw a couple of the boards yesterday that were blue have turned yellow and a lot of stuff like that.  I think the tournament’s done a great job.  We do a great job to honour Jarrod’s legacy and obviously raise awareness and raise funds for the Challenge Foundation.

Noon: New leader…..Fresh off a Post Malone concert, Min Woo is cooking again. Two birdies in his first three holes and he’s the first player to -9

11:55am: Cam Smith Watch: Three pars to start leaves him at +2 and three shots outside the current cut line of -1

11:45am: Make that four at -8 with hole-in-one man Curtis Luck finishing with a 67 for the day.

11:40am: -8 is now the home of three leaders – Lucas Herbert who is done for the day, Min Woo Lee who is on the third and Joel Moscatel who is warming up for his second round

11:30am: Fun fact: Our joint leader Lucas Herbert is the only player in the top 50 on the leaderboard to have a double-bogey in his second round

11:10am: Also done for the day are David Micheluzzi (66) who is now -6, Marc Leishman (69) to get to -5 and our Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit leader Ben Eccles (69) to also be -5

11:05am: The morning groups are starting to roll into the scorers and it’s Lucas Herbert who is probably the happiest of all – a 68 has him as the joint leader with Spain’s Joel Moscatel at 8-under-par. The hot man on the course is Cam John who is -6 for the day and now only one back.

10:30am: Lucas Herbert joins the lead…-5 for his second nine with the par-5 ninth hole to come.

10:15am: Great bounce back from Yellow Day Ambassador Lucas Herbert. After being +3 for the day through five holes, he’s now -2 for round two and just one behind the leader who is still Spain’s Joel Moscatel, who tees off at 12.40pm

9:30am: Best round on the course today belongs to Dillon Hart who is -4 through 8 to jump to T20, while former US Open champ Geoff Ogilvy is making a strong bid to play on the weekend. He’s -3 with five holes left to move to even-par (T73)

9:15am: Leaderboard: Moscatel -8, Lee -7, Eccles -6 (10), Strange -6 (7), McKinney -6 (6), Lyras -6

8:54: Bang! The first hole-in-one at the Southern Comfort Party Hole has happened. Curtis Luck has aced the par-3 17th. He’s now T6 at 5-under. Club of choice: Gap wedge.

8:25: Rookie WA pro Connor McKinney has been making his mark in his first season on Tour. He’s just climbed into a share of third on -6 with a birdie on the 12th

8:05am: Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit leader Ben Eccles has brought his great form to RQ. He’s -2 through six holes today to be -5 overall and in a tie for fifth.

7:50am: Former Hong Kong Open champion Sam Brazel has birdied the first to move to a tie for third, just two from the lead. The NSW pro was T7 here last year so he could be a sneaky chance.

7:40am: Unfortunately our Yellow Day Ambassador is off to a rough start. Lucas Herbert dropped three shots in two holes but just bounced back with a birdie on the par-5 15th. He’s now -3 overall.

7:30am: Here’s what our pre-tournament favourite Cam Smith had to say about his round yesterday. He may need a 67 today to make it through to the weekend.

‘‘It was frustrating, upsetting. I really couldn’t get anything going. I couldn’t get it close enough to the hole. I felt like I would have a half-decent shot, and it would go to 30 or 40 feet, and I would never really have a chance at birdie. It was just crappy.

7:15am: Also going well today is Kiwi Daniel Hillier, who was battling jet lag at the start of the week but is -2 today to move into the top 20 at -3

7:10am: Some early morning reading on our website today includes Mike Clayton’s look at the course he helped to re-design and an emerging Japanese star in Ryo Hisatsune.

Clayton: Wide fairways suiting a widely travelled Japanese star

7am: It’s a cloudy, windless morning here at Royal Queensland and it’s a long-time local favourite who has made the first move on the leaderboard with “Rocket” Rod Pampling joining the group at 5-under thanks to two birdies to start his second round.

Thursday

5:20pm: The group at -5 has grown by two with WA rookie Connor McKinney and Sam Brazel making it a list of six players in a tie for fifth, three from the lead. And that’s it for leaderboard changes for round one at RQ.

5:00pm: Good moves late in the day from a couple of Aussie Sams – Brazel and Eaves who are -4 as we head into the final hour of play on day one.

4:50pm: Hardest hole today – the 456m par-4 14th, averaging 0.295 over par. The easiest: The fun short par-4 12th – averaging 3.609 including three eagles

4:34pm: Out on the practice putting green after his round was Victorian Lucas Herbert – 5-under for the day but a couple of short misses were still on his mind. He’s content with his position after day one.

I put a good score on the board. I think we’re fourth or fifth or something like that, after we’ve walked off the course at least. So that gives me a lot of confidence going into the rest of the week.

4:15pm: The only man left with a realistic chance to threaten the lead is WA’s Scott Strange who is -5 with three holes remaining. Three birdies will do it. 🙂

2:15pm: Marc is on the move. Leishman now at -5 and the best of the afternoon contingent, three from the lead and in a tie for fifth

1:50pm: Our first-round leader Joel Moscatel Nachshon has some Spanish countrymen who have helped to inspire him as he makes his way in the professional ranks.

Obviously Seve.  I’ve got Pablo Larrazabal from my club, I can learn a lot from him too.  But yeah obviously a lot.  John Rahm for sure.  I played one DP World Tour event, I think was two years ago, the Spanish Open as an amateur and I could play with him and it was amazing.  He was so friendly, he was so nice.  All these guys obviously are inspiration for me.

1:45pm: After a first round of 68, Chile’s Joaquin Niemann was asked about playing in Australia:

They enjoy watching golf here.  The fans are amazing. 

1:30pm: Scotland’s Connor Syme banked a 66 this morning to be T4 as we head deeper into round one. He’s already landed one title in Australia – the 2016 Australian Amateur Championship.

Yeah, it’s brilliant to be back.  We don’t get to do this often or the opportunity doesn’t around as much as probably we would like.  But yeah, it’s so cool to be back and obviously some good memories from down here, for sure.

1:11pm: Best of the afternoon rounds so far – at 3-under – our reigning Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit champion David Micheluzzi, Victoria’s Marc Leishman and a Queensland favourite Rod Pampling.

1:05pm: Scotland’s Bob MacIntyre finished with a 69 to be six behind at the moment. Here’s his thoughts on his first visit to the Southern Comfort Party Hole – the 17th.

It’s a good laugh.  It’s a bit different playing with music, but just as long as the beat’s not dropping when you’re standing over that 3-footer for the par.  But no, it’s good fun.

12:55pm: Little bit of info that one of our men on the ground has found out about our leader – He hits it a long way and very high, according to one of the caddies in his group. His short game was on song today.

12:40pm: Jed Morgan has company as the RQ course record holder. Spain’s Joel Moscatel Nachson has just finished off a 63 to be one ahead of Min Woo Lee at the top of the leaderboard. John Lyras third at -6.

12.20pm: Min Woo Lee was happy to see the crowds make it to his early morning tee-off time.

I was actually pretty nervous, which I haven’t really felt in a while, just before the round, but that’s usually good for me.  I’d rather not get too comfortable.  But I felt really good out there and it’s awesome to have such a big crowd, especially at 6 o’clock in the morning.  It was solid.  I’m happy they came and supported us.

12:11pm: Five birdies in a row for Moscatel Nachson – he’s now at -8 with a one-shot lead.

12:02pm: Playing his first DP World Tour event, Spain’s Joel Moscatel Nachson has joined the lead at -7….but he has three holes left. Known as Joey, he may be about to leap to the top.

11:53am: Cam Smith has plenty of work to do tomorrow in the defence of his title after an opening round of +2. He was a frustrated man post-round is out on the driving range sorting out a couple of issues.

11:47am: It’s been a busy hour of media conferences as our leaders finished their morning rounds. Min Woo Lee is relaxing in the clubhouse after a 64 including eight birdies and a bogey. Adam Scott (-5), Connor Syme (-5) and John Lyras (-5) round out the best scores before noon

9:51am: Min Woo is cooking in the Queensland sun. A birdie on five and the West Australian is -5 and the outright leader with four holes to play in his opening round.

9:47am: A fourth birdie on the trot has put Scottish golfer and former Australian Amateur champion Connor Syme within one of the lead. Syme won the 2016 Aussie Amateur at Yarra Yarra, a tournament that also featured countryman Robert MacIntyre.

9:45am: Leaderboard is looking lit. Lee, Niemann, Smylie and Lyras lead at -4, Cam Davis now joining Adam Scott, Anthony Choat and Irishman Mark Power at -3.

9:15am: John Lyras is on a heater. He has five birdies in his past six holes to join Elvis Smylie and Min Woo Lee on top at -4. A bogey at the par-3 fourth has dropped Adam Scott to -3.

9:11am: And then there were three. Early leader Elvis Smylie joins Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee at -4, Chilean Joaquin Niemann and Sydney’s John Lyras the next best at -3.

8:48am: Three birdies on the trot for Adam Scott to move to 4-under thru 11 and 1 stroke clear of Min Woo Lee and Elvis Smylie.

8:42am: ALERT! ALERT! With a birdie at the par-4 first, Adam Scott is the outright leader at -3.

8:23am: Untidy end to Adrian Meronk’s front nine, the reigning Aus Open champ making double on 16, birdie on 17 and a bogey on 18 to turn in even par.

8:20am: Two-time champion Adam Scott is tied for the lead. Scott birdied 15, 16 and 18 to turn in 2-under, tied with Elvis Smylie (thru 9), Min Woo Lee (thru 8), Brett Coletta (thru 6) and Jordan Zunic (thru 5).

7:33am: Fun Frank Kennedy facts. His father was Nick Faldo’s former manager. He is just 18 years of age. He turned pro after finishing runner-up to Christo Lamprecht at The Amateur Championship in June. Had legendary caddie Fanny Sunesson on the bag when he won the Lytham Trophy.

7:28am: There’s an early leaderboard logjam. Elvis Smylie, Adrian Meronk, Min Woo Lee, Alex Fitzpatrick, Harrison Crowe, Brett Coletta, Jordan Zunic and Frank Kennedy all at 2-under early.

7:24am: Egg and bacon roll update: Exceptional. But get in quick.

6:43am: Could today be the day we get a hole-in-one on the Southern Comfort Party Hole?

6:38am: Difficult start for the defending champ. Cam Smith bogeys his opening hole and is +1 through two holes.

6:28am: Hot start for Queenslander Elvis Smylie. With course designer Mike Clayton on the bag, Smylie has birdied his opening two holes to take an early one-stroke lead from playing partner Jack Thompson and Englishman Alex Fitzpatrick.


Scottish Ryder Cup star Robert MacIntyre is back for a second tilt at the Joe Kirkwood Cup but this time arrives for the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship as one of the tournament favourites.

Ranked No.56 on the Official World Golf Ranking, the 27-year-old is in Australia for the next fortnight of Australian majors with trophies and ranking points high on the priority list as he kicks off his 2024 DP World Tour season down under.

MacIntyre is hoping to rise six or more places on the ranking by year’s end to secure an invite to next year’s Masters, where he finished T12 on debut in 2021 and shared 23rd last year.

“I get to see family and I’m chasing top-50 in the world. If I can achieve that in the next two weeks, I get in The Masters come April, so, I’ve got a lot to play for,” MacIntyre, who has family in Melbourne, said.

“There’s a lot on the line and I also get to see some family within that. For me, the biggest thing is getting to Augusta come April.”

Missing out on taking golf’s most treasured drive down Magnolia Lane this year, MacIntyre is determined to return after a year where he placed in the top 20 11 times and made his first Ryder Cup appearance on Luke Donald’s victorious European team.

“For me it’s plain and simple – win a golf tournament. I think if I win this week, it’ll be very close,” he said of his World Ranking aspirations.

“I’ve played it (The Masters) twice now and I see it in my eyes.

“One of my life goals was to play the Ryder Cup and win the Ryder Cup. I achieved that. I’ve got another few goals, but one of them is win a green jacket and I think I can do it.”

MacIntyre will be up early Thursday morning, the two-time DP World Tour winner starting his Kirkwood Cup challenge off Royal Queensland’s 10th tee alongside defending champion Cameron Smith and Min Woo Lee at 6:10am local time.

Similarly chasing a Masters spot via the world rankings at the end of 2023, and the second half of Australian golf’s big title double, Adrian Meronk will get the field underway in the group ahead of MacIntyre in a threesome with Adam Scott and Cam Davis.

Winner of the 2022 ISPS HANDA Australian Open, Meronk missed out on the Ryder Cup team despite three wins on the DP World Tour during the circuit’s 2023 season, including his Stonehaven Cup triumph in Melbourne when he played alongside Scott in the final round.

“Every year I’ve been progressing and improving my ranking, getting Ws all over the world,” said Meronk, who will make his 100th start on the DP World Tour this week.

“It’s been an amazing ride and I know it’s only the beginning for me.”

Currently No.48 on the world ranking, Meronk will be looking to solidify his place and earn a second trip to Augusta, Georgia for the first full week in April after debuting in 2023 and failing to make the weekend.

Aussies Lee and Davis are also around the all-important top-50 bubble, with the 2017 Australian Open winner sitting 44th and Lee one spot further back, the quality of the field at Royal Queensland and in Sydney next week providing ample opportunity to ensure they also return to Augusta.

“It’s going to be very exciting over the next few years,” Davis said Wednesday.

“I’d love to be a part of that sort of group that starts getting a few more trophies on the board and up those world rankings and getting some majors coming our way.”


Adam Scott can wipe the slate clean of a junior defeat more than 30 years ago with a crowning Fortinet Australian PGA Championship title at Royal Queensland Golf Club starting Thursday.

A two-time Australian PGA champion who adorns the RQ honour boards as a two-time junior champion, Scott was reminded during Wednesday’s pro-am that he didn’t always have things his own way.

While growing up on the Gold Coast, Scott first joined Royal Queensland as an 11-year-old in awe of resident Professional, Charlie Earp.

A year later he competed in the club’s junior championship against boys as much as five years his senior, his conqueror taking a rare opportunity to remind him ahead of his 16th Australian PGA Championship.

“I bumped into one of the guys I played on the junior team with and he reminded me that I lost the junior club championship to him,” Scott recalled.

“I said, ‘But I was 12.’ He was a bit older than me.”

Scott’s first Australian PGA Championship as a pro came in 2000 where he finished fifth behind Robert Allenby at Royal Queensland.

The champion in 2013 and 2019, Scott returns to Royal Queensland with new clubs in the bag – PING Blueprint S irons – and a switch in golf ball from a Titleist ProV1x to the ProV1.

They are changes he has made to keep pace with the modern game and, with a 19-under par total and tie for fifth last start at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, changes he has faith in now that he is back on home soil.

“It all feels pretty good,” Scott insisted.

“But also trying to make sense of a few changes that I’m making and get a good feel for it.

“I think the best way to do that is to test it in tournaments. Hopefully they’re fairly educated guesses of what’s good for me in the bag.

“It’s not a Hail Mary that I’m going out there with. I shot 19-under with that setup a couple of weeks ago, so yeah, it would be good to test it in slightly different conditions down here.”

A decade since Scott came within a whisker of completing the Australian Triple Crown in the same year that he became the first Australian to win The Masters, the 43-year-old knows the feeling of confidence that only comes with winning.

Adamant he is not home to play second fiddle to the likes of Cam Smith, Min Woo Lee and Scottish Ryder Cup star Robert MacIntyre, Scott wants to break a winless streak now stretching back to February 2020.

“What winning does for the confidence can’t be replaced by anything else,” Scott said.

“It’s nice to play well in Bermuda, but it’s not a win. It’s hard to fake that confidence of what a win does, of closing out a tournament, of beating the entire field.

“If I were to win this week or next, I’d feel like that could be a real springboard into next year.

“It’s happened before, not just with me, but I’ve seen it with other players as well and I think all the players who are playing on other tours and heading back out next year would feel the same.

“But I’m really not going to get the same confidence from just contending and playing well.

“Taking a trophy home is a different deal.”

Photo: Mike Hadnett/PGA of Australia


As it has been since 2018, this Friday at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship will be Yellow Day honouring the late Jarrod Lyle and raising funds for Challenge, an organisation that supports children with cancer.

Yellow Day Ambassador, Lucas Herbert, spent time with Challenge-supported children on Wednesday at Royal Queensland while remembering his late mate Lyle, whose family is on site in Brisbane this week.

“A very special day on Friday, obviously remembering Jarrod as well, I think five years now on, from his passing,” Herbert said.

“I speak to Bri a little bit, his widow, throughout the year and this is good to carry his legacy on.

“He’s just someone that shouldn’t be forgotten.”

Following a year of mixed results on both the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour, with Herbert winning in Japan back in April before finishing outside the top-125 on the FedEx Cup standings, the 27-year-old is looking ahead to challenging for the Kirkwood Cup.

His title aspirations this year coming with a healthy dose of perspective.

“It’s great to meet people going through this stuff and feel like any impact that I do have on Challenge, you get to actually see what you’re doing and helping these people versus kind of hearing about it through social media or through print news,” he said.

“It’s great to meet these guys. It’s honestly the least I can do really.

“These guys are going through a lot and trying to deal with some pretty tough things in life.

“Just missing a 9-iron left of the green is pretty insignificant when you start to hear about the kind of stuff that they’re going through.”

Chasing a fourth DP World Tour win this week, and next week at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open, Herbert was headed for his first look at the Royal Queensland layout during Wednesday afternoon’s pro-am.

The PGA TOUR winner, and world No.69, perhaps the most unfamiliar with the host venue of the big-name Aussies in the field after missing the early 2022 edition won by Jed Morgan and withdrawing last year with injury after 10 holes of his second round.

His focus is largely off the golf course in the lead up to this week before getting to work with coach Dom Azzopardi on the ground beneath the Gateway Bridge.

“Struggling a little bit at the moment, to be honest,” he said. “Sort of dealt with a bit off the golf course this year that probably got in the way a little bit of the on-course stuff.

“Just trying to clean that up as best as I can to free myself up on the course to play a little bit easier.

“It’s a good time to come back here and at least feel comfortable on some golf courses. You’re back home on grasses that you’ve grown up playing a lot of golf on and just courses that you’ve seen a fair bit. Even around just familiar people, too.”

Among those familiar faces will be the Lyles, who will be front of mind on site this Friday when Royal Queensland is bathed in yellow with the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship once again #DoingItForJarrod.

“I’m very proud to be the Yellow Day Ambassador,” Herbert added.

“Honestly, I don’t feel like I do a lot. I wear a lot of yellow and carry the head covers, but there’s guys here at home that work for the charity and are pretty hands on that do a hell of a lot more than me.

“I’m proud to be the face of it.”


With a coveted PGA TOUR card now in his back pocket, Min Woo Lee has his sights set on one of Australian golf’s major tournaments, starting with this week’s Fortinet Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland Golf Club.

Lee arrived into Brisbane late on Monday night on the back of a season on the DP World Tour in which he finished 10th on the Race to Dubai standings.

That, in itself, would have been enough to secure Lee’s path to the PGA TOUR in 2024 but he was notified a week earlier that he had accumulated enough FedEx Cup points as a Special Temporary Member of the PGA TOUR to rubber-stamp his advancement.

A top-five finisher in each of the past two championships at Royal Queensland, Lee is now eager to add to his Vic Open triumph in 2020 and thrill his ever-expanding legion of Lee disciples.

“It would be amazing,” Lee said of the prospect of a win this Sunday.

“Any tournament you really win is unbelievable, but at home it’s probably got to be a different feeling.

“I won the Vic Open and it was awesome winning at home and I hope to do it again.”

A prodigy who once wowed Tiger Woods and whose path to the PGA TOUR seemed preordained, Lee took a circuitous route before securing a PGA TOUR card for the first time.

He flirted with Korn Ferry Tour events in South America at the start of 2019 but top five finishes at the Saudi International and the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 in Perth created an opportunity to play on the DP World Tour.

He has won twice since but is now ready to take to the States on a full-time basis.

“Obviously the PGA Tour card’s a massive thing,” said Lee, who last month won the Macao Open on the Asian Tour.

“That was on my radar from last year. I had a couple of pathways to do it, through the DP World Tour and through the tournaments in America, so really excited for that.

“I knew probably a month ago but I got the confirmation probably last week when they took me off the DP World top 10 list because I got enough points to have my card.

“I’ve known for about a month, which is pretty cool.”

With the new DP World Tour season starting just days after the last one came to a close, Lee intends to draw on the energy of the Royal Queensland galleries when he tees off on Thursday, particularly when he arrives at the Southern Comfort Party Hole.

“I’m that type of player that I love crowds and I don’t shy away from them. If there’s any partying or any good time happening, I love it,” said Lee.

“I remember I nearly had a hole in one there. I put it to like a foot last year on that front left location.

“The last couple of years have been amazing. Last year especially was unbelievable.

“Fairways were filled, which we don’t get that every week, so it is nice to be one of the top names at a tournament and get such a following.”


West Australian Minjee Lee has been crowned the Greg Norman Medal winner for a record third time at the 2023 PGA Awards held at Brisbane City Hall on Tuesday night.

A two-time winner on the LPGA Tour in 2023, Lee beat out the strongest field of contenders in the award’s nine-year history, including reigning Fortinet Australian PGA Championship winner Cameron Smith, and Minjee’s younger brother, Min Woo Lee.

The PGA Awards also celebrates the extensive contribution of PGA Professionals who have achieved great success in their own endeavours throughout the industry, with Cameron Smith’s coach and Director of Coaching at Queensland’s Pelican Waters Golf Club, Grant Field, named PGA National Coach of the Year – High Performance, for the third year in a row.

There was a second win in succession for The Brisbane Golf Club with Asha Flynn taking out the PGA National Coach of the Year – Game Development while another Queenslander, Darren Richards from Nudgee Golf Club, was named the PGA National Management Professional of the Year.

Director of Golf at Concord Golf Club, David Northey received the award as the PGA National Club Professional of the Year, Declan McCollam, General Manager of the Prestige Golfshire Club in India was named PGA of Australia International Member of the Year and Seb Howell, from The Coast Golf Club in Sydney, was honoured as MyGolf Deliverer of the Year.

After an extended layoff at the start of the year, Minjee Lee’s results were initially underwhelming but when she found form, the 27-year-old refused to look back. She dispelled any thoughts of a form slump with a playoff loss to Jin Young Ko at the Cognizant Founders Cup and was top 20 in each of her subsequent seven starts.

She briefly dropped outside of the top 10 in the world rankings before responding with her ninth LPGA Tour victory at the Kroger Queen City Championship. Three weeks later, Lee registered win No.10 at the BMW Ladies Championship in Korea to climb back to No.4 in the world.

PGA of Australia CEO, Gavin Kirkman, said that in a hot field, Lee’s third Greg Norman Medal was just reward for another exceptional year.

“Minjee continues to represent Australian golf in the best way possible,” Kirkman said.

“To now have 10 wins on the LPGA Tour – including two major championships – at such a young age establishes Minjee as one of our greatest golfers of all time.

“And yet, I am sure there is much more to come.

“Given the success our golfers have enjoyed throughout the world this past year, I commend the judges on what must have been a very difficult decision to pick between such worthy candidates.”

Kirkman also commended the PGA Professionals who were recognised for their outstanding contributions throughout the industry over the past 12 months.

“Our PGA Professionals are at the core of how golfers experience our game and they have contributed significantly to the strong position we currently find ourselves in as an industry,” Kirkman added.

“From juniors to beginners, high performance pathways and the delivery of our services at golf facilities around the country, our PGA Professionals are ensuring that those who engage in golf have a great experience each and every time.”

A chance to celebrate Australian golf’s highest achievers both on and off the golf course, the PGA Awards also serves as the official launch of the 2023 Fortinet Australian PGA Championship, to be played at Royal Queensland Golf Club, starting on Thursday.

The judges for the Greg Norman Medal were PGA of Australia Chair Rodger Davis, WPGA Tour Life-Member Karrie Webb, WPGA Tour President Julia Boland, PGA Life Member Peter O’Malley and PGA Board member Ian Baker-Finch.

Judging of the Greg Norman Medal is based on a combination of objective and subjective criterion, with the panel taking many factors into consideration, including results and rankings.

There were more winners on the night with three-time winner David Micheluzzi taking out the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Player of the Year, Grace Kim awarded the Margie Masters Player of the Year and Queenslander Andre Stolz claimed the PGA Legends Tour Player of the Year for the second year running.

PGA awards winners’ list:

Greg Norman Medal: Minjee Lee

Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Player of the Year: David Micheluzzi

PGA Legends Tour Player of the Year: Andre Stolz

Margie Masters WPGA Tour Player of the Year: Grace Kim

PGA of Australia National Coach of the Year – High Performance: Grant Field, Director of Coaching, Pelican Waters Golf Club, Qld

PGA of Australia National Coach of the Year – Game Development: Asha Flynn, Assistant Professional, The Brisbane Golf Club, Qld

PGA of Australia National Club Professional of the Year: David Northey, Director of Golf, Concord Golf Club, NSW

PGA of Australia National Management Professional of the Year: Darren Richards, General Manager, Nudgee Golf Club, Qld

PGA of Australia International Member of the Year: Declan McCollam, General Manager, Prestige Golfshire Club, Bengaluru, India

MyGolf Deliverer of the Year: Seb Howell, The Coast Golf Club, NSW


Cam Smith ticked off a bucket list item for a Brisbane Broncos fan on Tuesday morning, and now the Queenslander has turned his attention towards a fourth Fortinet Australian PGA Championship title.

Spending the morning in a mowing competition with close mate Marc Leishman at Suncorp Stadium, home of the Broncos, Smith headed for Royal Queensland to refamiliarise himself with the layout where he won his third Kirkwood Cup last year.

Bad weather halted practice rounds on Tuesday afternoon, however, Smith knows the Mike Clayton redesigned course well, and the Australian PGA has been his happiest hunting ground as a professional.

“I’ve been quite fortunate at this event. It’s been nice to me,” the 2017, 2018 and 2022 champion said. “I’ve managed to get a couple of them so far.”

Beyond his familiarity with the course and trophy, Smith’s chances of joining Robert Allenby and Norman Von Nida as a four-time winner, are further enhanced by his recent good form around the world.

Twice a winner on the LIV Golf League in 2023, the 150th Open champion was runner-up a fortnight ago at the Hong Kong Open on the Asian Tour, before the world No.18 took a break to go fishing on the Great Barrier Reef ahead of the PGA and next week’s ISPS HANDA Australian Open.

“It’s been good lately. Lots of kind of consistent stuff with the golf game, so looking forward to getting back out at home and hopefully get another Kirkwood Cup,” said Smith, who is in pursuit of Billy Dunk (five) and Kel Nagle (six) as the Australian PGA’s most prolific winner.

Mixing talk on his beloved rugby league and golf Tuesday – including an admission that the Broncos’ Grand Final loss meant his iPad received some tough love – Smith spoke highly of those trying to deny him a fourth win in his home state.

“Another great field this week. Scotty’s back, Leish is back… it’s a great field and hopefully the fans love it,” he said.

Planning to remain in Brisbane and take some time off from golf until the end of January, Smith isn’t on holiday mode just yet, with the chance to join the four-time winners of the PGA Championship followed by his quest to claim the Australian Open for the first time.

On record speaking of his desire to win his national Open, Smith’s fortnight of competitive golf at home also has important connotations for his schedule next year, the Paris Olympic Games squarely in his sights after representing his country in Tokyo.

“Definitely want to be there, 100 per cent,” Smith said of the Olympics.

“I know the criteria, I don’t know if that can change, but I’ve got these couple of events here and probably four more looks again in the majors.

“Hopefully it can keep that ranking up and wear the coat of arms on the chest again, it’s pretty special.”

Open to the idea of playing more in the new year if he needs to chase world ranking points, Smith’s first preference is to play well at home, something that has become par for the course for him at the Australian PGA Championship.

“These couple of events down here can do plenty for me,” he added.


Veteran Rod Pampling has compared the tee shot at Royal Queensland Golf Club’s party hole to that of the iconic 17th at TPC Sawgrass… with one significant exception.

Up to 3,000 golf fans a day will be able to experience the electric atmosphere of the Southern Comfort Party Hole at this week’s Fortinet Australian PGA Championship, capacity expanded by 50 per cent compared to last year.

Hospitality suites are close to sold out for both Friday and Saturday while the new grandstand holding 638 reserved seats and space for 1,328 fans in the general admission areas both have limited availability.

It is expected that more than 50,000 drinks will be served, more than 31 hours of music played and over 442 golf shots taken over the course of the four days, raising the energy to levels previously unseen.

At just 125 metres (137 yards), Royal Queensland’s 17th measures the exact same distance of its counterpart at THE PLAYERS Championship on the PGA TOUR, but sits in an island of sand rather than one of water.

“Very similar distance-wise,” said Pampling, who had a best finish of tied for 27th in 11 starts at THE PLAYERS Championship.

“Obviously the wind is a factor, the big difference there is that you can’t miss that green. There’s water.

“It’s the walk of shame to the drop area, which is the difficult part. Being able to distract yourself from the water and just focus on your shot.

“Both very difficult shots but that’s part of it. We want to make things difficult and whoever can pull off the good shot then they’re going to get rewarded for it.

“It’s a great little hole. When you have a wedge in your hand you have high expectations from yourself. It’s more putting pressure on yourself to hit a good shot.”

West Australian Haydn Barron was on debut as a professional when he played Royal Queensland’s 17th for the first time in the 2021 Australian PGA played in January 2022.

Barron, who obtained a DP World Tour card at Q School last week in Spain, was tied for 12th on debut at RQ, thanks in part to a more aggressive approach on 17 on the final day.

“I remember saying to my caddie all week that I was just going for the middle of the green,” Barron recalled.

“On the final day, to the back-right pin, he told me to have a crack and I hit it close and made two to finish off the event.

“That was a wild feeling. There’s estimated to be about 3,000 people a day here in the Southern Comfort Party Hole so really looking forward to getting here and trying to hit one close.”

Pampling had a taste of what to expect when the tournament begins on Thursday by participating in an invitational event at Royal Queensland last Friday.

A winner for the second time on the PGA TOUR Champions this year and a three-time PGA TOUR winner, the 54-year-old is back in Queensland with the belief that he can still match it with stars such as defending champion Cameron Smith and Adam Scott.

“That’s the great thing with the Champions Tour and the great thing with golf, at 54 you can still play competitively against everyone,” said Pampling, who missed last year’s tournament with a knee injury.

“You’re meeting different athletes across the world and they wish they could be competing at that age still.

“It’s not like we’re old men playing the game for the sake of it. We’re out there working hard, working on the game which then, when you come back home, I feel like I can compete out here.

“I know the golf course, which is a huge advantage, so looking forward to a good week.”


Superstar siblings Minjee Lee and Min Woo Lee are headed home for the summer of golf in Australia on the back of outstanding seasons around the world and strong finishes at the weekend.

Women’s world No. 5 Minjee Lee logged another top 10, her fifth of the season, in the LPGA Tour’s Tour Championship in Florida today.

The Royal Fremantle product was in contention after an opening 64 but drifted over the final three days to finish nine shots from Amy Yang’s winning score, but she ultimately finished fifth on the tour’s year-long points calculation and is primed for a shot at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open at The Australian and The Lakes in Sydney next week.

The 27-year-old Lee won two LPGA Tour tournaments this year and will be one of the favourites for next week’s Greg Norman Medal to be held in Brisbane as part of the PGA Awards.

She earned more than $US1.5 million this year on the main tour.

Hannah Green was tied-23rd, while rookie Grace Kim completed an outstanding year with a T47 finish in her first appearance in the tour championship. Sarah Kemp was T50 and Steph Kyriacou, also in the season-ender for the first time, finished T57.

Ironically one of Minjee Lee’s main rivals for the players’ major award in Brisbane this week will be brother Min Woo, who shot a final-round 69 in Dubai to finish tied-15th in the DP World Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship, won by Nicolai Hojgaard.

His 2023 season on the DP World Tour includes 14 cuts made from 15 starts and 2.4 million Euros in prizemoney, and he will be one of the marquee players at this week’s Fortinet Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland, as well as at the Australian Open in Sydney the week after.

Min Woo Lee finished 10th on the DP World Tour rankings and won a tournament on the Asian Tour.

He is headed for America next year with a full playing card on the PGA TOUR, having earned enough points as a non-member this year to qualify.

Meanwhile in Japan, Brad Kennedy logged a T4 finish in the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament to keep himself close to the top 20 on the money list.

PHOTO: Min Woo Lee blasts from the sand in Dubai during his final round of the DP World Tour’s season-ender. Image: Getty

RESULTS

PGA TOUR

RSM Classic, Sea Island, Georgia

  • 1 Ludvig Aberg 67-64-61-61 – 253 $US1,512,000
  • T64 Aaron Baddeley 70-68-67-69 – 274 $17,976
  • 77 Cameron Percy 70-68-73-68 – 279 $16,044
  • MC Harrison Endycott 71-68 – 139
  • MC Greg Chalmers 78-66 – 144

Japan Tour

Dunlop Phoenix Tournament, Miyazaki, Japan

  • 1 Yuta Sugiura (a) 64-68-69-71 – 272 N/A
  • T4 Brad Kennedy 70-68-67-72 – 277 ¥10,400,000
  • T37 Brendan Jones 71-72-69-73 – 285  ¥1,020,000
  • T41 Anthony Quayle 73-68-72-73 – 286 ¥860,000

LPGA Tour

CME Group Tour Championship, Florida

  • 1 Amy Yang 68-63-64-66 – 261 $US 2,000,000
  • T8 Minjee Lee 64-67-69-70 – 270 $98,500
  • T23 Hannah Green 70-69-67-70 – 276 $60,500
  • T47 Grace Kim 69-68-70-76 – 283 $43,650
  • T50 Sarah Kemp 71-71-70-72 – 284 $42,000
  • T57 Stephanie Kyriacou 73-71-70-76 – 290 $40,000

DP World Tour

DP World Tour Championship, Dubai

  • 1 Nicolai Hojgaard 67-66-70-64 – 267 €2,764,461
  • 15 Min Woo Lee 71-70-65-69 – 275 €108,505
  • T34 Ryan Fox (NZ) 74-69-69-70 – 282 €56,210
  • T38 Lucas Herbert 72-69-74-69 – 284 €47,917
  • T38 Daniel Hillier (NZ) 75-69-72-68 – 284 €47,917

Asian Tour

Indonesian Masters, Djakarta

  • 1 Gaganjeet Bhullar 63-67-63-67 – 260 $US 270,000
  • T3 Ben Campbell (NZ) 73-65-63-65 – 266 $84,500
  • T14 Jack Thompson 70-68-64-72 – 274 $18,100
  • T24 Travis Smyth 66-70-69-70 – 275 $11,800
  • T36 Zach Murray  67-68-71-70 – 276 $10,000
  • T41 Todd Sinnott 70-70-71-67 – 278 $7,950
  • T47 Douglas Klein 71-68-68-72 – 279 $6,750
  • T47 Wade Ormsby 66-70-69-74 – 279  $6,750
  • T47 Sam Brazel 70-70-71-68 – 279  $6,750
  • T54 Jasper Stubbs (a) 71-69-67-73 – 280 N/A
  • T61 Terry Pilkadaris 69-71-73-70 – 283 $5,700
  • MC Nick Voke (NZ) 72-69 – 141
  • MC Scott Hend 72-70 – 142
  • MC Andrew Dodt 73-69 – 142
  • MC Kevin Yuan 73-73 – 146
  • MC John Lyras 69-77 – 146
  • MC Tom Power Horan 69-79 – 148
  • MC Marcus Fraser 76-76 – 152

Ladies European Tour

Mallorca Open, Spain

  • 1 Alexandra Fosterling 69-67-67 – 203 $US60,000
  • T34 Kirsten Rudgeley 72-74-72 – 218 $3,392

Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia

Vic PGA Championship, Moonah Links

  • 1 David Micheluzzi 70-69-67-68 – 274 $45,000

Headlines at a glance

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