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Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Robbie Dolan treated his father to a day at the golf just days out from his life-changing ride on Knight’s Choice at Flemington Racecourse.
As revealed by Ben Dorries for punters.com.au, Dolan was shocked when his father, Bobby, arrived into Brisbane from Ireland ahead of his son’s Melbourne Cup debut.
Dolan Snr brings with him Melbourne Cup connections of his own, having worked for legendary Irish trainer Dermot Weld (Vintage Crop, Media Puzzle) for 26 years.
A keen golfer and a member at Nudgee Golf Club, Dolan took his dad to Nudgee on Sunday to watch Phoenix Campbell hold off Jak Carter and Cameron Smith to claim an historic second-straight Queensland PGA Championship.
He now has his own place in Australian sporting history after expertly guiding the $91 chance to victory by a nose in Australia’s greatest race.
Although a shock winner by any account, Dolan went into his first foray in the Melbourne Cup confident in the five-year-old gelding’s prospects after an encouraging Bendigo Cup run.
“I always believed he could stay, even though he has got such an explosive turn of foot that some people probably doubted whether he could stay,” Dolan told Dorries.
“I have got no doubt he will get the two miles of the Melbourne Cup.
“I think he deserves a shot at the race and he can race really well.”
Not only is Dolan now a Melbourne Cup-wining jockey and part-time golfer, he is also an accomplished singer who advanced to the final 24 artists of The Voice in 2022.
Adam Henwood signalled he would be a player to watch at this week’s $150,000 Australian PGA Senior Championship by winning the final lead-up event at Moss Vale today.
A round of 5-under-par 66 got the job done for Henwood in the Moss Vale Legends Pro-Am, his sixth win of another productive year on the PGA Legends Tour.
The Victorian finished equal 10th in the NSW Senior Open at Thurgoona at the weekend and is primed to be a key contender in the second of the PGA Legends Tour’s “majors”, starting at Richmond Golf Club on Friday.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
Tackling the back nine first on the par-71 Moss Vale layout, Henwood was quickly to 3-under through his first six holes. He had made his way to -4 before bogeying the par-4 18th.
Another four birdies in the opening six holes, with a sole dropped shot on par-5 fourth, moved the Victorian to 6-under and the comfort of a three-shot lead.
While Henwood had a late bogey, Scott Barr (WA) made a charge with a run of six birdies in eight holes to draw within one but then parred his final two holes to settle for the runner-up slot.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
Henwood said: “I played really well apart from a lost ball and leaking a little bit of oil at the end. You’ve got to drive it good here so I just smashed the driver everywhere and hoped it hit a fairway. I only missed a couple and mostly smoked it into those tiny little gaps.
“There was some good stuff in there. Last week (at the NSW Senior Open) I played okay but I think had eight or nine three-putts for the week and only finished seven or eight back. If the putter fires up at Richmond, you just never know.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
66: Adam Henwood (Vic)
67: Scott Barr (WA)
68: Michael Isherwood (Vic); Chris Taylor (Qld)
69: David Sadd (NSW); Mike Harwood (Vic); David Fearns (Qld)
70: Brad Burns (Qld); Marcus Cain (Qld); David Van Raalte (NSW); Robert Mitchell (WA); Dominic Barson (NZ)
NEXT UP
The Australian Senior PGA Championship gets underway at Richmond Golf Club on Friday with live broadcast on Foxtel and Kayo across the weekend. Jason Norris is the defending champion.
Nathan Page started the Gippsland swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am series by denying Mark Panopoulous back-to-back victories with a one-shot win at the Sporting Legends Sale Pro-Am on Sunday.
Coming off a victory at Box Hill, Panopoulos shot a 2-under-par in the morning wave at Sale only to be pipped by Page’s 3-under 68 in the afternoon.
The 21-year-old was back on the pro-am circuit after bypassing the Queensland PGA Championship on the Challenge PGA Tour of Australasia as he managed a groin complaint which he hopes doesn’t affect his plans for the rest of 2024.
“I just couldn’t do the six days in a row,” Page said.
“It probably came at a good time because I wasn’t in a good mental space either.”
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
Beginning his round at the seventh hole, Page reeled off six straight pars before birdies came at the 13th, 15th and 18th with a solitary bogey at the 17th.
He birdied the first to make it four birdies in seven holes before parring his way to the end.
Meanwhile, Panopoulos was 4-under before two bogeys cost him the chance of the another title.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
Page said: “It was a good steady round. I just wanted to go out there and be positive. That’s something I’ve been working on a bit the last few weeks. Just trusting that what I’m doing will come.
“I made a few nice par putts early and then was able to work my way into it nicely.
“The greens are pretty small and the fairways are tight so you’ve got to be pinpoint and then the wind made it even more difficult which you can definitely see in the results with 3-under winning.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
67: Nathan Page (Vic)
68: Mark Panopoulos (NSW); Caleb Bovalina (Vic)
69: Chris Mueck (Vic)
71: Jayden Cripps (NSW); Steven Jones (Vic); Cameron Kelly (Vic); Michael Choi (Vic); Hayden Webb
NEXT UP
The Gippsland swing for the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series continues with the Community Bank Trafalgar & District Pro-Am at Trafalgar Golf Club on Wednesday
Hira Naveed’s impressive rookie year on the LPGA Tour has put her in with a chance of reaching the tour championship along with a bunch of other Australians.
The 26-year-old from Perth finished tied-17th in the Toto Japan Classic at the weekend, jumping four places to No. 70 on the points rankings.
The top 60 play off for $US11 million in the CME Group Tour Championship in Florida in November, with Naveed, who is 130 points behind the 60th player on the points list, teeing it up this week in Hawaii at the Lotte Championship with high hopes of grabbing a share of the 500 points on offer.
There are two tournaments remaining before the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida, from 21 November, in Hawaii this week and back in Florida from 14 November.
The Australasian players certain to be teeing it up in Florida are Lydia Ko (ranked 3rd), Hannah Green (6), Gabriela Ruffels (25) and Grace Kim (47). A slightly out-of-sorts Minjee Lee (54) and Steph Kyriacou (57) are likely to hold on to their places as well, although not certain, with Lee not on the start list for Hawaii this week.
Naveed was born in New Zealand but grew up in Perth, working through the junior programs and winning a Victorian Junior Masters and The Dunes medal as an amateur, before picking up a scholarship at Pepperdine University in the United States and spending four years in the college system.
She graduated to the LPGA Tour via the Epson Tour and earlier this year finished runner-up to Nelly Korda in the Ford Championship at just her second start as a full member of the LPGA Tour. She has earned more than $US340,000 in her first year.
Meanwhile Queenslander Maverick Antcliff is inside the top 15 on the Asian Tour order of merit after he finished tied-13th in the Indonesian Masters over the weekend.
Western Australian Haydn Barron is through to the third and final stage of DP World Tour School in Spain this week after he won the second stage at Fontanals Golf Club over the weekend.
PHOTO: Hira Naveed has won more than $US340,000 in her rookie season on the LPGA Tour. Image: Getty
Results
Asian Tour
BNI Indonesian Masters
Royale Jakarta Golf Club, Indonesia
1 Richard T Lee 62-67-66-70 – 265 $US 360,000
T6 Ben Campbell (NZ) 67-70-68-67 – 272 $61,800
T13 Danny Lee (NZ) 70-67-69-68 – 274 $27,133
T13 Maverick Antcliff 67-68-70-69 – 274 $27,133
19 Kazuma Kobori (NZ) 67-70-69-69 – 275 $23,100
T25 Nick Voke (NZ) 73-66-69-69 – 277 $18,200
T30 Wade Ormsby 71-69-70-68 – 278 $16,300
T37 Scott Hend 71-68-71-70 – 280 $13,000
T44 Jordan Zunic 68-71-71-72 – 282 $10,085
T44 Jack Thompson 69-70-72-71 – 282 $10,085
T51 Douglas Klein 71-70-71-71 – 283 $7800
T60 Sam Brazel 68-69-74-74 – 285 $6200
T63 Jed Morgan 69-72-71-74 – 286 $5400
T63 Justin Warren 67-73-74-72 – 286 $5400
MC Travis Smyth 72-70—142
MC Deyen Lawson 68-74—142
MC Kevin Yuan 71-72—143
MC Andrew Dodt 68-76—144
MC Aaron Wilkin 76-73—149
MC Marcus Fraser 77-75—152
MC Zach Murray 77-75—152
LPGA Tour
TOTO Japan Classic
Seta Golf Course, Otsu-shi, Shiga, Japan
1 Rio Takeda 69-65-67 – 201 $US 300,000
T17 Hira Naveed 70-66-72 – 208 $23,945
T34 Grace Kim 69-72-70 – 211 $12,292
T64 Minjee Lee 67-75-74 – 216 $4347
T64 Gabriela Ruffels 73-67-76 – 216 $4347
Ladies European Tour
Aramco Team Series Presented by PIF
Riyadh Golf Club, Saudi Arabia
1 Charley Hull 65-67-66—198 $US69,190.50
T29 Momoka Kobori (NZ) 69-72-72—213 $4,289.81
MC Kirsten Rudgeley 73-73—146
Challenge Tour
Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A
Club de Golf Alcanada, Port d’Alcúdia, Mallorca, Spain
1 Kristoffer Reitan 65-64-64-68 – 265 €85,000
27 Hayden Hopewell 69-68-72-72 – 271 €4650
KPGA Tour
Dong-A Membership Exchange Group Open
1 Dongmin Lee 63-70-65-67 – 265
T15 Sungjin Yeo (NZ) 69-67-71-68 – 275
T57 Wonjoon Lee 69-69-75-73 – 286
MC Kevin Chun 74-70 – 144
DP World Tour
Q School – Second Stage
Fontanals Golf Club, Girona, Spain
1 Hayden Barron 65-67-64-70 – 266 €2125
Golf Las Pinaillas, Albacete, Spain
1 David Booraboonsub 67-67-60-68 – 262 €2125
T16 Danny List 69-68-68-69 – 274 (qualifies)
25 Andrew Kelly 69-74-67-65 – 275
Isla Canela Links, Huelva, Spain
1 Clement Sordet 68-65-66-62 – 261 €2125
T17 Todd Sinnott 66-66-71-71 – 274 (qualifies)
T43 Jimmy Zheng (NZ) 76-69-69-66 – 280
T51 Josh Greer 74-70-69-69 – 282
T72 Matias Sanchez 72-68-72-78 – 290
Desert Springs Golf Club, Almería, Spain
Play suspended in round 3
David McKenzie was never in front – until it mattered most at the NSW Senior Open.
McKenzie, one of the most consistent golfers of his generation, stepped up at crunch time to birdie the final hole to win in Albury.
The Victorian carded a superb closing five-under-par 67 at Thurgoona Country Club to post 12-under, one clear of long-time leader Mat Goggin, who faltered with a pair of bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes.
Goggin put the disappointment of those errors behind him to notch his own closing birdie, which meant that McKenzie’s breathtaking approach to the final green proved the difference.
“At the time, you’re never really sure what’s going on around you, so in the end, even when I hit it into about a foot and a half, it still seemed a bit far away for my liking,” he joked of his near-perfect 9-iron from 136m.
“When I hit it, I thought it was left maybe 6-8 feet, but when everyone starts clapping and then starts roaring a bit, you know it’s within a few feet.
“It was closer than I thought actually – and I was really glad I didn’t have to make a 4-5 footer to win.
“They’re hard to win. I’ve had a lot of chances a lot of times and haven’t got it done. And the times I have won, I’ve won well and going away so it was good to get one in a close (finish).
“I’ve still got it sometimes – every now and again,” he joked.
“But it’s just a matter of making the putts when you need them. I made a few today and they were at the right times as it turned out.”
McKenzie jumped into calculations when he buried an eagle putt on the seventh hole, then made important birdies on 11 and 13 to pull level with Goggin who had started the day two clear of the Victorian.
But McKenzie appeared to have blown his chance when he couldn’t get up and down for par on the tough par-3 16th hole.
Goggin was surprised minutes later when his tee shot on that same hole came up short of the elevated green and trickled back towards the tee. His slightly thin chip shot eventually resulted in his own bogey.
But a missed par putt from 1m after a great bunker shot on the 17th proved the decisive moment.
“It was solid enough, just frustrating,” the Tasmanian lamented after a series of lost opportunities, particularly mid-round when some short-range chip shots didn’t have his customary polish.
“Saturday (65) was good, but I’ve just got to build on it because I haven’t been playing as much as I’d like and I’ve just got to take the positives… before the (upcoming) Champions Tour (Q-School).
“But that’s great for Macca… he’s been a good player for a long time.”
Scott Barr and Peter Lonard shared third another shot back with both having watched multiple chances slide narrowly past the cup on several holes.
Legendary Peter Senior loomed before lightning mid-round stopped play for 55 minutes, but he couldn’t maintain that momentum and finished at seven under in a share of fifth.
The closing day’s best round belonged to the mercurial Andre Stolz, who tore up the front nine in just 30 strokes but double-bogeyed the 10th immediately after the lightning break.
He bounced back with an eagle on the 14th and his closing 66 left him outright ninth at 5-under.
Low amateur for the week was New South Welshman James Swanson at 3-over.
Victorian Phoenix Campbell has become the first player in 26 years to win the Queensland PGA Championship in successive years in a pulsating final round at Nudgee Golf Club in Brisbane.
Seeking to complete a wire-to-wire victory with a one-stroke lead starting Sunday, Campbell had to contend with Jak Carter seeking redemption for his heartbreak two years ago and Cameron Smith just three strokes back in the rearview mirror.
Smith sent a shudder through the front-runners with birdie putts from around 10 feet at both the first and second holes but a bogey on three and double-bogey on four quelled Smith’s momentum before it hit top gear.
Campbell (70) pushed out to 11-under with birdies at two and four yet Carter (69) countered with birdies of his own in what became a two-man shootout as they began the back nine.
A brilliant second into the par-5 fifth gave Campbell an eagle opportunity that he duly converted and then he drove the green at the par-4 seventh for a straightforward two-putt birdie.
As Smith found his ball in the back of a golf cart and then behind a tree, Carter continued to apply the pressure.
The South Australian hit a superb shot into the par-3 eighth for birdie and when he holed his birdie putt from eight feet on 10, had joined Campbell at 13-under-par.
Campbell dropped from the top of the leaderboard for the first time all week when he made bogey at the par-3 11th, Carter maintaining his one-stroke edge with par from five feet at the par-4 12th.
The lead swung back in Campbell’s favour when Carter made bogey on 14 and the defending champ two-putted for birdie on 15 but more drama was to follow.
Campbell’s bogey and Carter’s par at the par-4 16th sent the two players to the 71st hole tied for the lead at 12-under where they both made bogey at the par-5 that was playing directly into the north-east wind.
Neither player could find the birdie that would have secured victory at the par-3 18th, sending the tournament into extra holes for the second time in three years.
Playing first, Campbell hit the right edge of the hole with his tee shot at the first playoff hole, Carter responding with a magnificent shot of his own as the pair squared the hole with birdies.
After a two-hole playoff, Phoenix Campbell is the 2024 #QldPGA champion! 🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/BggJj0QFfs
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) November 3, 2024
They both missed the green at the second playoff hole, Carter once again suffering some cruel misfortune when he was forced to play his bunker shot with one leg in and one leg out of the sand.
Playing from just beyond the putting surface, Campbell chipped down to three feet and calmly holed out for par after Carter tapped in for bogey.
In so doing, Campbell becomes the first player to go back-to-back at the Queensland PGA since Lucas Parsons in 1997-1998 and the first player to defend a title won as an amateur having turned professional since Aaron Baddeley’s Australian Open double in 1999-2000.
“Defending is definitely tougher,” said Campbell, who was tied second a week ago at the Webex Players Series South Australia and now moves to third on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.
“Last year I came from the clouds. I was in the clubhouse with four or five groups to come in still so it was a very different experience.
“There wasn’t much pressure on me. No one really expected much from you. This week, coming in, there’s a lot more expectations and obviously leading every day of the tournament.
“It’s a different event, so I can’t really compare myself to last year, but it just shows how far I’ve come in the last 12 months and that I’m on the right track.”
Playing the first of four events in Australia this summer, Smith (70) also believes he is set up for success in the weeks to come following his first Queensland PGA appearance since 2015.
“I feel like I played some really good golf this week,” said Smith, who finished three shots back in a tie for third with fellow Queenslander Blake Proverbs (68).
“Just missed so many putts from inside 15 feet and felt like I hit plenty of good putts.
“I don’t feel like I need to go out there and reinvent the wheel or anything the next week or so.
“It’s nice to play four rounds of competition and kind of feel the juices flow again. I’ll take a bit from that.
“I feel like my game’s in a really good spot. I just need to keep doing what I’m doing.”
PGA TOUR member Victor Perez heads a group of DP World Tour winners and rising stars who have been added to the fields for the Summer of Golf’s two majors, the BMW Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane and ISPS HANDA Australian Open in Melbourne.
The six Europeans will take on the best of Australian golf, including Jason Day, Cam Smith, Min Woo Lee, Cam Davis, Lucas Herbert and Marc Leishman across the two tournaments which are co-sanctioned by the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and DP World Tour.
The BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland Golf Club from November 21-24 will kick off the 2024/25 DP World Tour schedule and will be followed by a visit to the famous Melbourne Sandbelt for the ISPS HANDA Australian Open (November 28-December 1).
The first contingent of DP World Tour names who have booked their flights to Australia includes Perez, England’s Jordan Smith, German Yannick Paul, Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Danish young gun Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and former Ryder Cup player Nico Colsaerts (Belguim).
They will play in both the Open and PGA while 2024 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship winner Wenyi Ding, from China, will make his DP World Tour debut as a professional at Royal Queensland.
Perez said: “Australia is one of the best golf destinations in the world. You often hear players on both the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour talking about the tournaments and courses down there and how good the golf is.
“I played the BMW Australian PGA Championship in 2017 but not at Royal Queensland and I am yet to play an ISPS HANDA Australian Open so I can’t wait to get to Australia, enjoy the world class golf courses and see what both Brisbane and Melbourne are like away from the course.
“These two events have great histories, great lists of champions and I’d love to get my name on one of those trophies. But it’s going to be tough against the Aussies.”
Smith, who finished fourth in the Andalucia Masters at the weekend, is currently ranked No.13 on the Race to Dubai standings and is a former champion at the Portugal Masters and Porsche European Open.
“With the two Australian tournaments being the start of the 2024/25 DP World Tour, I’d love to get off to a hot start by challenging at both the PGA and Open and maybe getting a win in either of them,” Smith said.
“I know the Aussie fans love their sport. I’m expecting big crowds, lots of sun and three courses that are going to provide a proper test of our games.
“Kingston Heath, Victoria and the Melbourne Sandbelt in general are world renowned so I can’t wait to tackle both courses while Royal Queensland is definitely growing in reputation and profile amongst the DPWT players who have played it in recent years.
“Throw in the great atmosphere the BMW Australian PGA Championship has become known for and no doubt we are in for two great weeks in Australia”
Yannik Paul’s resume includes the 2022 Mallorca Golf Open with his 2024 campaign highlighted by a runner-up finish at the French Open earlier this month.
A frequent visitor to Australia and 2016 Ryder Cup representative, Rafa Cabrera-Bello climbed to as high as No.16 on the Official World Golf Ranking and has four DP World Tour victories on his record, the latest being the 2021 Open de Espana.
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen has climbed inside the world top 100 this year on the back of three wins and a runner-up placing on the Challenge Tour and a recent T4 finish at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the DP World Tour.
Wenyi Ding, a professional for just a few weeks, is regarded as one of the best young prospects in world golf and will be making his first visit to Australia since finishing runner-up to Australia’s Jasper Stubbs at the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur at Royal Melbourne. He went on to capture the 2024 AAC title in Japan in October.
A regular visitor to Australia, Colsaerts has won three DP World Tour events and returned to prominence this year with a runner-up placing at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
PGA of Australia General Manager of Tournaments & Global Tour Relationships Nick Dastey said: “The ISPS HANDA Australian Open and BMW Australian PGA Championship gain huge benefits from the strong contingent of international players who come to Australia annually thanks to our partnership with the DP World Tour.
“They add to the depth of our fields, providing the best of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia with the chance to challenge themselves against proven tournament winners.
“And their presence helps us to gain extra exposure to international audiences for our tournaments, our Tour and our partners.”
The remaining DP World Tour players to be included in the fields for both the PGA and Open will be finalised in coming weeks.
The 2024 ISPS HANDA Australian Open and BMW Australian PGA Championship will be broadcast on Fox Sports and Kayo, as well as the NINE Network/9NOW.
For BMW Australian PGA Championship tickets, go to ticketek.com.au
The Australian PGA Championship is supported by the Queensland Government, through Tourism and Events Queensland’s Major Events Program and Brisbane City Council, through Brisbane Economic Development Agency.
A conservative approach to his first 18 holes at Box Hill Golf Club paid dividends for Mark Panopoulos who claimed the Gorilla Ladders Box Hill Pro-Am today.
The Concord-based professional shot a round of 3-under-par 68 to beat a pair of Victorians, Cameron John and Ryan Lynch, by a stroke to claim his second adidas PGA Pro-Am Series title for 2024.
Panopoulos has another five pro-ams on his schedule before he attempts to qualify for the $800,000 NSW Open at Murray Downs later this month and has the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School as a longer term target.
Lynch’s round was the best of the morning field, while John birdied his final hole to grab a share of second.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
The winner’s scorecard featured five birdies, including one on his opening hole, the par-4 eighth, and one to finish at the par-5 seventh to claim the outright victory.
His only dropped shots came at the par-3 11th and at the longest par-4 at Box Hill, the 423m second.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
Panopoulos: “I played solid all day after getting off to a good start on my first hole. I hadn’t played here before I was just focussing on keeping the ball in play and not pushing it too much.
“Sometimes that works for me, where I don’t get too aggressive and play the safer and smarter shots.
“I had a look at the scoreboard with five or six to play, I like to do that, and realised I had a couple of par-5s in my last few holes and knew I might have some chances there. Nice to have them there as a back-up.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
68: Mark Panopoulos (NSW)
69: Cameron John (Vic); Ryan Lynch (Vic)
70: Harvey Young (Vic); Matt Dowling (Vic)
71: Nathan Kungl (Vic); Jack Chrystie (Vic)
72: Cameron Kelly (Vic); Josh Younger (Vic); Jayden Cripps (NSW); Wade Lowrie (Vic); Caleb Bovalina (Vic)
NEXT UP
The Gippsland swing for the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series begins with the Sporting Legends Pro-Am at Sale on Sunday followed by events at Trafalgar, Traralgon and Yarram
In a new offering for the golf industry, the PGA Institute are launching its new Workforce Development Solution. The program, which comprises a comprehensive suite of programs, services, and resources offered by the PGA Institute and PGA of Australia, has been designed to meet the learning and development needs of golf clubs, facilities, places to play, and businesses within the industry.
As the only golf Registered Training Organisation (RTO) in Australia, the PGA Institute is dedicated to ensuring the golf industry’s current and future workforce is equipped with the essential knowledge and skills to thrive across all facets of the sport.
The new offering is aimed at improving workforce performance, enhancing skills, retaining top talent, and driving the overall success of a club, facility or place to play, and is available in three packages tailored to an individual organisation’s needs and capabilities.
PGA of Australia’s General Manager – Membership and Education, Geoff Stewart says he is proud that the PGA of Australia is in a position to provide meaningful training for the benefit of Australia’s golf industry.
“At the PGA of Australia, we pride ourselves on ensuring we deliver training and education that creates opportunities for our members and those working in the broader golf industry, and our new Workforce Development Solution offering ensures that we continue to meet that objective,” he said.
“Benefits range from an increase in the ability to attract talent and retain quality staff, to building staff capability and productivity, to providing an increased awareness of best practice across the golf industry.
“This new initiative delivered by the PGA Institute is a comprehensive program tailored for the betterment of Australian clubs and businesses, and thus the country’s golf industry as a whole.”
Included in the Workforce Development Solution is a robust Training Needs Analysis (TNA) conducted by PGA Institute Learning Specialist, as well as access to a wide range of qualifications, course and programs offered by both the PGA Institute and the PGA of Australia.
For further details on the Workforce Development Solution, a breakdown of the different package options, and information on how to apply, CLICK HERE.
Defending champion Phoenix Campbell and former Cameron Smith Scholarship winner Billy Dowling have ended day one at the top of the leaderboard at the Queensland PGA Championship at Nudgee Golf Club.
Brisbane golf fans were out early on Thursday morning to see Smith play the first of four events on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia this season, the 2022 Open champion making an inauspicious start by hitting his opening tee shot into the water at the par-4 10th.
A bogey there would be his only dropped shot of the day, Smith’s round of 5-under 67 sparked by some superb putting and ball-striking that yielded six birdies in the space of nine holes around the turn.
After leading his team to a pro-am win the day prior, it was enough for Smith to draw within one of the lead by day’s end, Campbell and Dowling both making good use of the favourable morning conditions to set the early pace.
It is familiar territory for Campbell, who birdied the 72nd hole 12 months ago to become the first amateur to win the Queensland PGA Championship in its 92-year history.
He has returned to Nudgee two starts into his professional career and with a runner-up finish a week ago, embracing the extra attention Smith’s inclusion brings.
“It’s kind of new territory for me this week,” admitted Campbell, who played in the group immediately ahead of Smith.
“Coming back and a few more people know my name and obviously playing in front of Cam.
“It is all just a little bit of an accumulation of everything, but I really like that nervous energy.
“I definitely play really well in front of crowds so I’m just going to keep using that into the weekend.”
An impressive two-putt from @GolfAustQLD amateur Billy Dowling, who currently leads the #QldPGA at 6-under par.#TheChaseIsOn pic.twitter.com/4729nqTsYT
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) October 31, 2024
Unlike Campbell, Dowling didn’t bank a cheque for his top-10 finish in South Australia last week but also has strong memories to draw on at Nudgee.
Described by Smith as “one of the shyest kids ever” when he was a scholarship winner in 2022, Dowling was tied for 15th at last year’s Queensland PGA.
His 6-under 66 on Thursday got its kick-start when he hit 4-iron from 197 metres into the par-5 fifth and made the 40-foot putt for eagle.
“It sets you up for a good round,” said Dowling of his early eagle.
“It gets you a few under and then it’s like a little backbone for the rest of the round.
“And then my putting felt pretty good after that. I don’t expect to hole everything but standing over the ball with a putter in the hand, the stroke feels good and then you just believe you can hole more.”
His opening tee shot aside – “Just a really poor shot” – Smith quickly found his stride.
He narrowly missed a birdie chance from close range on 13 and then holed a putt from 25 feet for par on the difficult 14th after hitting his second shot from the left rough into the front bunker, his ball semi-plugged two-thirds up the face.
“That was probably the moment for me. I mean, 2-over early is never a really good start,” said Smith of his sand save.
Twice he left birdie chances just short before converting from 22 feet at the par-4 16th and then getting up-and-down from 75 metres at the par-5 17th.
Tapping into his flair for the creative, Smith hooked one through the trees to set up birdie at the par-5 fourth, two-putted for birdie at the par-5 fifth and chipped in for birdie at the par-4 sixth.
“That’s kind of a really solid round,” Smith added.
“I think it is a really gettable golf course but, given the conditions with how windy and gusty it gets, it’s just hard to kind of control your ball. And you’re left with a bunch of 30, 40-footers it seems.
“It’s nice to roll a couple of those in. If you don’t, you’re kind of back there at 2 or 3-under, and that’s a really solid round too.”
Two late bogeys was all that prevented Ben Eccles (69) from joining Smith at 5-under, the Victorian producing the best of the afternoon rounds played in winds gusting up to 47km/h.
“That back nine, particularly 16, 17 and 18, absolutely brutal,” said Eccles, who is also coached by Smith’s coach, Grant Field.
“I’m pleased with that round in that wind today. Three-under is a good round around here, even without the wind, so I’m pleased with that.”
Although he signed for a 3-over 75, West Australian Brady Watt produced one of the highlights of the day, making a hole-in-one with gap wedge from 138 metres at the par-3 third.
Round 2 begins at 6am AEST on Friday with Smith to tee off at 11:05am AEST.
Photography: Candice High
