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Poland’s Adrian Meronk will attempt to win the second leg of the Aussie golf majors double – the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship – after confirming he will return to Australia for the Summer of Golf for a second straight year.
The winner of the ISPS HANDA Australian Open at this first attempt last year, Meronk is one of the rising stars of European golf, improving his ranking to inside the top 50 in the world at No.46 in the latest standings.
Since his Open win by five strokes ahead of Australian Adam Scott at Victoria Golf Club last December, Meronk has won two more DP World Tour titles – the Italian Open and last week’s Andalucia Masters – to his career victories total to four.
He has also confirmed he will defend his title at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open at The Australian and The Lakes golf clubs on November 30-December 3.
“I am extremely excited to be heading back to Australia to defend the Stonehaven Cup, as well as returning to Brisbane for the Australian PGA,” Meronk said.
“Hopefully I’ll be leaving with another trophy after a successful two weeks in Australia.”
Meronk joins a strong PGA field that includes defending champion Cameron Smith, as well as fellow leading Australians Adam Scott, Min Woo Lee and Cam Davis.
The entry list also includes the 2022 champion Jed Morgan and reigning Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit champion David Micheluzzi.
PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman said Meronk’s entry was just the start of a big international contingent heading to the PGA.
“We’re on the countdown now to what should be another wonderful Fortinet Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland,” he said.
“We’re delighted to welcome Adrian Meronk back to Australia after his very successful visit here last year which led to even more success for him in Europe in 2023.
“With the co-sanctioning agreement we have in place with the DP World Tour, there will be 60 of Adrian’s counterparts joining us for both the PGA and Open which adds even more quality and depth to both events.”
Tickets for both the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship and ISPS HANDA Australian Open are available via ticketek.com
The Fortinet Australian PGA Championship is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland, and Brisbane City Council via Brisbane Economic Development Agency.
The 2023 Victorian Golf Industry Awards Dinner, held last night at Huntingdale Golf Club, celebrated the important work being done in Victorian golf.
Clubs and representatives from all over the state were recognised, with no one club receiving multiple awards, showing the breadth of quality work being done around Victoria.
Melbourne-based clubs made up a significant proportion of award recipients, while the Bellarine and Mornington Peninsulas had multiple winners, so too the Gippsland region.
The awards were presented in four categories: PGA, Golf Australia, Golf Management Victoria, and Victorian Golf Course Superintendents Association (VGCSA).
Michael Moore from Rossdale Golf Club picked up the first PGA gong, taking home the coveted Club Professional of the Year award, following incredible work improving both the women’s and junior programs at his club.
Metropolitan Golf Club’s Brandon Rave was recognised as Coach of the Year (High Performance), following several of his clients seeing impressive national, international and professional results.
Gardiners Run, Portsea and Warragul were all recognised individually for fantastic Pro-Am events held in 2023.
Rounding out the PGA Awards were the 2023 Hall of Fame inductees. Kathleen McEwan and Richard Kirby were both recognised for their long service to Victorian golf.
McEwan was one of the earliest, if not the first female golf writers. She started writing on golf for The Radiator in1937 and then the Sun News – Pictorial in 1938, which she continued – with a break for war service in the Land Army – until she retired in 1966. Aside from her war service, she lobbied strongly for improved conditions for women in the workplace and for women’s sport to receive press coverage.
Kirby is a Former Victorian Golf Association President and received an Order of Australia in the King’s Birthday Honours. Honoured for service to golf, which included five years as President of the VGA from 2002-2007, a long association with the Golf Society of Australia and the Spring Valley Golf Club in Melbourne.
The Golf Australia Awards came next, recognising volunteers, inclusion initiatives, amateur players, as well as the prestigious Club or Facility of the Year award.
The Bellarine’s 13th Beach Golf Club took home the top clubs and facility award, while Jazzy Roberts and Jasper Stubbs received the amateur players of the year. Stubbs currently playing in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne, and in contention on the weekend.
A terrific night was had by all celebrating everyone working hard in the Victorian Golf Industry. A full list of awards and winners is below:
PGA Awards:
Golf Australia (Victoria) Awards:
Golf Management Victoria Awards:
VGCSA Awards:
The PGA of Australia is saddened to advise of the passing of PGA Life Member, Peter Ormsby. Ormsby passed away in his sleep with family by his side on Wednesday, October 25, aged 70.
Part of a legendary sporting family in South Australia, Ormsby impacted the game of golf in countless ways in his 47 years as a member of the PGA of Australia.
Ormsby undertook his PGA apprenticeship at Glenelg Golf Club under legendary South Australian Professional, Murray Crafter, and was then appointed Professional at Riverside Golf Club – now West Lakes Golf Club – in 1975.
For the next nine years he did countless trips to country golf clubs in his bright yellow Sundowner panel van and trailer, giving free clinics and private lessons, merchandising and promoting golf in country regions. Some of the clubs that became regular stops were Port Augusta, Cummins, Kimba, Pinnaroo, Bordertown and Broken Hill to name a few.
He opened the first of four off-course stores in Adelaide in 1982 and a fifth in Darwin in 1989. Having visited the US PGA Merchandise Show on multiple occasions, he could see that a Golf Superstore was the ideal way to showcase a wide variety of equipment, apparel and accessories.
The opening of Pete’s Golf Superstore was the culmination of years of planning and experience and had great support from South Australian golfers. This decision was then the new benchmark within the retail golf industry in Australia.
In 2007, Pete’s Golf was sold, providing Ormsby with the opportunity to build a new pro shop, golf academy and driving range at Adelaide Shores, employing numerous PGA Members.
He developed and produced the Swingyde training aid that has been used by the likes of American superstars Zach Johnson, Charles Howell III and Paula Creamer, along with his son Wade, who won his fourth professional tournament at the International Series Thailand in March.
Wade shared the news of his father’s passing on Thursday morning.
“It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts we let you know of Dad’s passing,” Wade wrote.
“He passed away peacefully in his sleep yesterday with his family right by his side holding him tight.
“No words will explain the pain we feel right now… but thank you for all your love, support, prayers and friendship over the last month.”
PGA of Australia CEO, Gavin Kirkman, paid tribute to the contribution that Ormsby made not only to the organisation, but to the game of golf in Australia.
“Peter embodied everything that it means to be a PGA Professional,” said Kirkman.
“He was passionate about the game of golf, passionate about sharing the game with others but also had a shrewd business acumen that helped to make golf instruction and golf equipment more accessible to the general public.
“He was a highly respected member of the PGA of Australia, loving husband to Cheryl and devoted father to Wade and Jordan.
“His impact on Australian golf will never be forgotten and we are deeply saddened by his passing.”
Ormsby was made a Life Member of the PGA of Australia in 2014 and in 2018 was honoured for his Service to the South Australian Golf Industry at the South Australian Golf Industry Awards.
Ormsby is survived by his wife Cheryl, and sons Wade and Jordan.
PGA Legends Tour Order of Merit leader Andre Stolz insists the hunt for the 2023 title isn’t his goal for the year, claiming his focus is on the run of major events between now and December.
“The Order of Merit has never been my focus from day one. If I were chasing the title, I would play every event,” Stolz said.
“We are approaching peak season with a steady run of events, and there are a couple of big ones like this week (at Thurgoona) and up at Richmond, plus a few more towards the end of the year in Sydney.”
Stolz said he preferred to set his schedule around places he enjoyed competing at.
“If the place looks after you and you can have a good time, then they are the ones I choose to play. Plus, as you get older, you need a rest,” he grinned.
With 2022 champion Richard Green unable to defend his crown, Stolz is one of a clutch of players who can lift the Senior Open Crown this week at Thurgoona. He said several players stood out as big chances to lift the cup on Sunday.
“Any of the young blokes who have just turned 50 could win,” he mused. “Steve Allan and I go back a long way; we’ve probably played a million rounds over the years, and he would have been working hard on his game.
“Then there’s the Peters (Senior, Lonard and O’Malley). They may not have played much golf lately, but that doesn’t matter when they strap the boots on because it all comes back.”
With wind predicted for the tournament’s first few days, Stolz said it would take plenty of course experience to tame Thurgoona.
“It’s playing a lot differently from last year, and the forecast has the wind blowing from every direction, so it will play differently each day.”
Stolz said the players who have a good understanding of the humps and hollows that are a feature at Thurgoona would have a big advantage. And if the greens became any quicker than they were during today’s Pro-Am, scoring could be tricky.
“If they get really quick, and you are on the wrong side of the hole, things will be a bit slippery,” said Stolz, who won the Fairbairn Legends Pro-Am in the ACT earlier this week.
“They are rolling pretty well, but you might need to be defensive.
“The key will be like most places to be in the fairway from the tee, good iron play, and leave yourself some good chances below the hole.”
Joanne Mills didn’t see herself as the management type. That’s why she was somewhat taken aback when Goulburn Golf Club approached her earlier this year about stepping into the role of General Manager.
In the past, general managers were more likely to be accountants or business executives who know how to read a balance sheet but, in more recent years, qualified PGA Professionals have become highly desirable candidates.
When she retired from playing full-time, Mills undertook the PGA of Australia’s Tour Professional Articulation – formerly known as the Bridging Program – and set about building a career as a PGA Professional.
Her father, Greg Mills, is a former club manager and the first CEO of Golf NSW. Mills herself was a star amateur, won twice on the Ladies European Tour and won the inaugural Women’s NSW Open in 2006.
She was first based at Pacific Dunes in Port Stephens before moving south to Canberra in 2013 where she reached what she thought was her ultimate ambition, Head Professional at Gold Creek Country Club.
“Having that position as head pro was one of my ultimate goals but to step into club management was a little bit out of my wheelhouse,” Mills admitted.
Yet something of a throwaway comment during a Central Southern Golf Association Vets Day led Goulburn Golf Club representatives to approach Mills with a formal offer.
Complementing the golf experience and knowledge possessed by Goulburn Golf Club Head Professional, Andrew Grove, Mills was viewed as someone who possessed the grounding in golf that would be of benefit at a board level.
“Being a golfer for so long, they felt like I might be a good fit,” Mills explains.
“The board have their own strengths in terms of keeping the club running, but they wanted me for my golf experience.
“They want me to help to increase the membership size, attract events to the club, generate income through club activities and trying to source some major amateur or professional events.”
That knowledge base was expanded by completing the Tour Professional Articulation to become a fully-qualified PGA Professional.
In addition to providing the opportunity to teach, it gave Mills an insight into golf operations that she would not otherwise have had access to.
“The bridging course gives you a little bit of all aspects of the golf industry, whether you want to coach, run a shop or you have your own business,” Mills says.
“The Membership Pathway Program as it is set up now is great in that it offers the choice of what pathway you want to take.
“I didn’t have that back in 2011 but those coming through now can set more of a direction in terms of the path they want to follow.
“I had the ability to touch on everything and I think you need a bit of everything to be able to run a pro shop.
“If I had concentrated solely on the coaching side of the bridging course there’s no way I would have been able to manage the Head Professional position at Gold Creek.
“I wouldn’t have possessed the knowledge around management of staff, the retail side of the business and dealing with members.”
With each day that she spends in the chair Mills is becoming more and more confident that she has the necessary skills to guide Goulburn towards a positive future.
She intends to engage local resident Peter O’Malley more, Brett Ogle is returning in November for the Brett Ogle Junior Masters where 120 kids will take part and there are programs Mills wants to introduce to further engage the Goulburn community.
Quite simply, she wants to see more people playing more golf.
“Each day I’m getting a better idea of where I’m going and what I want to achieve,” Mills says.
“There are people out there, we’ve just got to go and find them and introduce them to the game of golf.
“It’s been a big learning curve but I’m learning every day and embracing the change into the management side of the club.”
The PGA Learning Hub offers numerous educational training opportunities for people who wish to work within the golf industry. For more information on a PGA career pathway, visit pga.org.au/education
The four bogeys were a cause of frustration yet PGA Legends Tour Order of Merit leader Andre Stolz delivered enough of the good stuff to win the inaugural TLE Fairbairn Legends Pro-Am.
Played for the first time at Fairbairn Golf Club at the former Royal Australian Air Force military air base in Canberra, Stolz shot 3-under 67 to finish two clear of Guy Wall and Brendan Chant.
The victory was Stolz’s 10th of the season as he finds form at the right time, the $120,000 NSW Senior Open to tee off at Thurgoona Country Club Resort from Friday.
“I’ve been working pretty hard on my game. It hasn’t been where I’ve wanted it to be but I’m showing some signs of some good stuff at least.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
A birdie out of the blocks was the ideal start for Stolz.
Although he gave that back with a bogey at the par-4 third, birdies at four and five returned Stolz to red figures.
A bogey at the par-4 ninth saw Stolz turn in 1-under but he separated himself from the field with a timely eagle at the par-5 10th.
He moved to 4-under on his round with a birdie at the par-5 12th but dropped shots at both 14 and 15 to give the chasers a late sniff.
Stolz steadied with a birdie at the par-3 16th and then closed out his round with two pars for a two-stroke win.
Joint runner-up Guy Wall was 3-under through 12 holes of his round but three bogeys in the space of four holes late would prevent him from challenging Stolz for top spot.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I had a lot of everything going on today but I hit enough good shots to make some birdies and capitalise on those.
“There were just a few key holes there today that you needed to birdie or whatever and I managed to do that pretty well.
“I played a fair bit here when I was a kid and the course is way, way better than it used to be.
“You couldn’t fault it. The fairways were great, the greens rolled magnificently.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Andre Stolz 67
T2 Guy Wall 69
T2 Brendan Chant 69
T4 John Onions 71
T4 Grant Kenny 71
NEXT UP
PGA TOUR Champions player David McKenzie and former Australian Open champion Stephen Allan are among the big names who will tee it up at the $120,000 NSW Senior Open at Thurgoona Country Club Resort starting Friday.
A day after playing second fiddle to Andre Stolz, American Perry Parker triumphed by a single stroke at the Blackheath Legends Pro-Am.
A regular visitor to Australia to play the PGA Legends Tour, Parker has returned in good form after a month at home in the US.
He was part of a three-way tie at Springwood last Thursday but his round of 3-under 66 proved good enough at Blackheath Golf Club in the Blue Mountains.
With a host of big events coming up, Parker is thrilled to see the hard work paying off so suddenly.
“I went home for about a month and really worked on some things,” said Parker.
“I changed my driver; I went back to my old driver, my (TaylorMade) SIM driver. Changed putters and I think the practice that I put in is really paying off.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Parker made the best possible start in pursuit of his first win on the PGA Legends Tour in almost a year.
He hit driver, 7-iron to 20 feet at the par-5 first and proceeded to roll the putt in for eagle.
He gave one stroke back with a bogey at the next but birdies at the remaining par 5s – four and 10 – and eight straight pars to finish proved too much for the rest of the field.
West Australian Brendan Chant made eagle at the par-5 10th in his round of 2-under 67 to earn a share of second with Murray Lott, Martin Peterson and Grant Kenny.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I played really good. I started off with an eagle – driver, 7-iron and made about a 20-footer – and just played really solid.
“Only made one bogey and played the par-5s in 4-under so that was really a key for me. Just parred everything else so it was just a really solid round.
“Totally different golf course than last year. Last year it was under water, this year it was really firm.
“A lot of the shots into the green were very firm, you had to really think about where you were going to land your iron shots in front and let it bounce up.
“I’m very excited to play Thurgoona (NSW Senior Open) and Richmond (Nova Employment Australian PGA Senior Championship) and excited for the rest of the year.
“We’ve got a great schedule so it’s great to be back and I’m looking forward to having some good results.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Perry Parker 66
T2 Brendan Chant 67
T2 Grant Kenny 67
T2 Murray Lott 67
T2 Martin Peterson 67
NEXT UP
PGA TOUR Champions player David McKenzie and former Australian Open champion Stephen Allan are among the big names who will tee it up at the $120,000 NSW Senior Open at Thurgoona Country Club Resort starting Friday.
Minjee Lee took another step towards her ultimate goal of world No.1 and created a unique slice of history by winning the BMW Ladies Championship in Korea.
Lee narrowly missed an opportunity to chip-in for the win on the 72nd hole at Seowon Valley Country Club but needed just one extra hole to edge American Alison Lee and claim the 10th LPGA Tour title of her career.
The 27-year-old very nearly holed her approach shot in the playoff, calmly rolling home her three-foot birdie putt for the win after Lee had missed her birdie try from 10 feet.
Her second LPGA Tour win in her past four starts, Lee’s win came a week after younger brother Min Woo Lee shot 30-under par in winning the Macao Open on the Asian Tour.
It is the first time in golf’s history that a brother and sister have won on major international tours in successive weeks.
The West Australians won the Scottish Open and Amundi Evian Championship two weeks apart in 2021 while Canberran siblings Chris and Nikki Campbell both won in Japan a year apart from each other in 2005 and 2006.
In the immediate aftermath of his most recent triumph, Minjee conceded that she drew inspiration from the manner of Min Woo’s win in Macau.
“Obviously it was great to see Min Woo win,” said Minjee.
“I follow him every single event. I mean, I’d never say it to his face but he plays really well and I’m always really proud of him.
“Sure, it was a little motivation.
“I feel like I’ve been working up to this one and really building on this win.”
The win held particular significance for Lee as she became just the third Australian behind Karrie Webb and Jan Stephenson to win 10 times on the LPGA Tour and she did so in the homeland of her parents.
Lee’s grandmother was in the gallery on Sunday and had some simple words of encouragement for her two-time major-winning granddaughter.
“She gave me a cuddle and just said, ‘You did so well’,” said Lee.
“That’s about it, because everything was a bit hectic.
“Out of all the places, Korea was always at the top of my list because my parents are Korean and I have a heritage to Korea.
“This one is special, especially having all of my family and extended family and friends coming out to cheer for me today.
“It was really cool to see them on the sidelines when I was walking down.”
As Minjee was winning in Korea, Min Woo all but locked up a PGA TOUR card for 2024 with a top-10 finish at the ZOZO Championship in Japan.
Kick-started by holing his approach shot for eagle at the par-4 first, Min Woo shot 65 in the final round to earn a tie for sixth as he seeks to turn Special Temporary Membership into a full card next season.
“The result’s actually really good,” said Min Woo, who admitted to not having his best stuff all week.
“A lot of pressure getting my card and trying to play well but I feel like there’s some in the tank still and hopefully I can end the year really well.”
Richard Green almost made it back-to-back wins for Aussies on the Champions Tour, going down to Harrison Frazar in a playoff at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic in Virginia.
Green was the first to post 11-under but then had to watch on as Frazar birdied his final hole to match him.
The pair returned to the par-5 18th where Frazar’s birdie edged the Aussie left-hander.
Results
PGA TOUR
ZOZO Championship
Accordia Golf Narashino CC, Chiba, Japan
1 Collin Morikawa 64-73-66-63—266 $US1.53m
T6 Min Woo Lee 69-73-67-65—274 $275,188
T12 Cam Davis 67-70-69-70—276 $178,500
T21 Aaron Baddeley 68-74-70-68—280 $73,610
T41 Adam Scott 70-73-71-69—283 $27,710
LPGA Tour
BMW Ladies Championship
Seowon Hills at Seowon Valley Country Club
Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
1 Minjee Lee 64-69-71-68—272 $US330,000
Won on the first hole of sudden death playoff
3 Lydia Ko 67-69-69-69—274 $147,030
T22 Hannah Green 69-70-69-72—280 $22,471
T34 Grace Kim 72-72-69-70—283 $13,665
T41 Stephanie Kyriacou 68-73-73-70—284 $10,256
T59 Sarah Kemp 69-76-71-72—288 $5,992
DP World Tour
Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters
Real Club de Golf Sotogrande, San Roque, Andalucia, Spain
1 Adrian Meronk 72-68-66-66—272 €602,907.98
T19 Daniel Hillier (NZ) 70-66-75-69—280 €40,227.64
T52 Ryan Fox (NZ) 71-71-71-73—286 €12,856.13
T59 Jason Scrivener 69-68-72-79—288 €10,107.57
Ladies European Tour
Hero Women’s Indian Open
DLF Golf and Country Club, Gurgaon, India
1 Aline Krauter 69-68-68-68—273 €56,812.35
T31 Momoka Kobori (NZ) 74-72-73-74—293 €3,582.97
MC Hanee Song (NZ) 76-76—152
MC Stephanie Bunque 77-77—154
PGA TOUR Champions
Dominion Energy Charity Classic
The Country Club Of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia
1 Harrison Frazar 65-71-69—205
Won on the first hole of sudden death playoff
2 Richard Green 67-69-69—205
T13 David McKenzie 72-70-69—211
T25 Steven Alker (NZ) 71-71-73—215
T35 Stuart Appleby 75-70-71—216
T35 Rod Pampling 73-69-74—216
T53 Mark Hensby 78-70-72—220
LET Access Series
Calatayud Ladies Open
Gambito Golf Calatayud, Spain
1 Hannah Screen 69-69-73—211 €6,400
T6 Kelsey Bennett 70-74-72—216 €1,200
MC Amy Walsh 75-76—151
MC Kristalle Blum 81-75—156
MC Victoria Fricot 86-74—160
Photo: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
Even though he expects to win every golf tournament he enters, Austin Bautista was shocked when he came from behind in the final round today to clinch the inaugural Webex Players Series South Australia hosted by Greg Blewett.
A sensational closing nine of 6-under-par 29 at Willunga Golf Course, plus some late mis-steps among the other chief contenders trying to seal their biggest career win, saw Sydney’s Bautista emerge as a one-shot victor at 11-under, his second Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title.
The 26-year-old’s 64 with eight birdies matched the low round of the day and followed opening rounds of 65-71-68.
Overnight leader Andrew Campbell (NSW), Josh Greer (WA) and Corey Lamb (NSW) shared second position and will have plenty of “what-if” stories.
A self-confessed “bad swing” from Campbell on the par-3 14th saw his ball cannon into the trees and out of bounds into a neighbouring McLaren Vale vineyard leading to a double-bogey, dropping him from the lead.
Greer was steady for much of the afternoon in just his third event as a professional, but couldn’t birdie the last hole after managing a three on each of the first three days, while Lamb suffered a cruel end on the 18th, making a bogey from 50m short of the green with his tee shot when a par would have forced a playoff.
Meanwhile, Bautista was “having a back nine”, fist-pumping his way to four birdies in the last six holes, not knowing where he stood on the leaderboard until he finished.
“Golf is just wild. I’ve missed so many cuts I’ve thought about quitting,” Bautista, who failed by a shot to play the last 36 holes in the Tour’s two WA events this month, said.
“I’ve always been confident in my game and I think I can win every week. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t.
“If I make putts and get on roll, it just feels like a video game.”
An enthralling final round began with Campbell in front by one, but he was soon overtaken by Lamb who birdied three of his first four holes to grab a two-shot advantage.
By the time they reached the turn, the duo had been joined in a four-way tie at the top by Sam Brazel (NSW), who pitched in for an eagle on the ninth, and Kade McBride (Qld), who played the front nine in just 30 strokes.
McBride was the first to drop away with a three-putt bogey on the 14th followed by a double-bogey on 15 ending his charge, although he still posted a 66 to tie for sixth with Victorian James Marchesani (65) and Brazel (69) who couldn’t keep his momentum going.
Veteran Queenslander Michael Wright (66) was outright fifth.
The only woman to make the weekend play, Queenslander Robyn Choi, closed with a one-under-par 71 to finish equal 19th at -4 for the tournament, and will head home as the new Willunga women’s course record holder after a 67 on day one.
CKB WA PGA winner Ben Eccles had another good Sunday, posting a 64 to also finish at -4, while local favourite Lachlan Barker (73) ended the week tied for 36th at 1-under.
Next up
The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia will have a week off before the Queensland PGA Championship at Nudgee Golf Club (November 2-5), while the next Webex Players Series event will be in honour of Jarrod Lyle at Cobram-Barooga on the Murray River (January 18-21).
All-Abilities
The host club’s Steven Alderson claimed a one-shot victory in the Webex All-Abilities Players Series event, holding off Lachlan Wood, who was seeking three straight wins after back-to-back titles in Western Australia.
Alderson led Wood by six shots after Saturday’s play but followed an opening round 69 with a 77, while the Hervey Bay professional closed with a 72.
“I’ve always wanted to be a professional golfer and to get the chance to play in an event like this one has been a big thrill,” he said.
Juniors
An outstanding 2-under-par 68 gave 12-year-old Katie Seol from Royal Adelaide the victory in the 36-hole Webex Junior Players Series event.
The South Australian junior squad member, who started the final round six shots behind after an opening 79 and was playing in front of her Korean grandparents, birdied two of her final four holes to only miss out on matching Robyn Choi’s course record by one stroke.
She finished the two rounds on +7, one ahead of Glenelg’s Kade Bryant (76-72).
The only place to see the Challenger PGA Tour of Australia is on Fox Sports through either Foxtel or Kayo Sports.
Final scores: https://pga.org.au/tournament/?tourn=1205&season=2023&class=aus
Taking some time off the PGA Legends Tour to work on his game paid off for Andre Stolz who streeted the field at the Fidelity Capital Group Charity Legends Pro-Am in the NSW Blue Mountains.
Stolz shot a 6-under-par 63 at the Springwood Country Club to win by a massive seven shots from Darryl Purchase, Perry Parker and David Fearns.
The runaway victory was a warning shot to the rest of the Legends regulars that one of their best players is finding form ahead of the $120,000 NSW Senior Open at Thurgoona later this month and the $150,000 Nova Employment Australian Senior PGA Championship at Richmond (November 10-12).
HOW THE WINNING SCORE UNFOLDED
Stolz reeled off four straight birdies to end the front nine and after parring the short par-4 10th, added in another two birdies on the 11th and 12th holes. His two bogeys for the day came off “perfect tee shots” on the par-4 fifth and 16th.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I decided I was going to skip a couple of events and have a couple of days off,” Stolz said.
“We’ve got a big stretch of tournaments coming up so I went down to Federal Golf Club in Canberra and did some really good quality work.
“It was nice to turn up fresh and I was really keen to play today.
“I also had a practice round yesterday and did a lot of really good homework. There were a few putts today that when I got up there I knew where they were going to break.
“I’m really happy to have some good form going with what’s coming up.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-6 (63): Andre Stolz
+1 (70): Darryl Purchase; Perry Parker; David Fearns
+2 (71): Shane O’Brien; Rhett McIvor; Rolan Baglin
NEXT UP
Monday will see the PGA Legends Tour visit the Fairbairn Golf Club for the TLE Fairbairn Legends Pro-Am.
