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Victorian Cameron John has used a hole-in-one to turn a six-shot deficit into a three-shot lead heading into the final round of The National Tournament presented by BMW at The National Golf Club.
First groups were the beneficiaries of relatively benign conditions at The National’s Moonah Course on Saturday, the wind finding its teeth as the first group reached the 16th tee.
That made scoring challenging for the lead groups, John and Daniel Gale (68) the only players in the final seven groups to break 70.
The highlight of John’s 5-under 67 was a hole-in-one at the par-3 eighth, taking gap wedge at the 133-metre hole and firing straight at the flag.
That narrowed the gap to Round 3 leader Kyle Michel (75) to just two strokes, a lead that had ballooned to six when John and Nathan Barbieri (74) both made bogey at the opening hole.
When Michel made bogey on nine the deficit had shrunk to just one, the pair locked together at 13-under when Michel dropped another shot on 12.
As John parred his way in across the final seven holes, Michel lost his tee shot on his way to a double-bogey on 14, another bogey on 15 relegating him to three shots behind through 54 holes.
Gale strengthened his claims to a DP World Tour card by ending the day in outright third at 8-under, Matt Griffin making birdies at 15, 16 and 18 in a round of 2-under 70 that kept his hopes of a top-three Order of Merit finish alive.
A hole-in-one, a new leader. @CamGolf99 leads #TheNationalTournament by three with 18 holes to play.
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) March 16, 2024
Leaderboard: https://t.co/sRHxrsY4FY pic.twitter.com/nVR4TgmQiI
A player who has set course records in PGA Tour of Australasia events at Moonah Links and Kalgoorlie, John put his Saturday performance among the best rounds he has played in his career.
“It’s probably up there with my best round,” said John.
“It might sound a bit weird but I kind of care a little less. It’s the last event of the season, I’ve played really well, I don’t want to put too much expectation on it.
“It’s another day of golf and we’ll see what happens. It’d be nice to play well.”
Such was John’s focus on the back nine, he had forgotten by the end of the round about his first ace in a PGA Tour of Australasia event.
History repeating ⁉️@CamGolf99 is now just two back after a hole-in-one @TheNational1988 ⛳️#TheNationalTournament pic.twitter.com/JWhRf0DNM3
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) March 16, 2024
“When you have a hole-in-one, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s going on,” he added.
“Quite often you see 1-5 or 1-6. It was more a matter of forgetting about it.
“I said to the boys when we came in, ‘I actually forgot that was today.’ I forgot I had a hole-in-one. I did a good enough job of it.”
Gale shapes as John’s greatest threat.
A two-time winner already this season, Gale had four birdies in his first seven holes in Round 3.
He is targetting a similar start on Sunday to apply pressure to a player still seeking their maiden win on Tour.
“Cam is obviously playing good golf but if I get off to a hot start tomorrow I’ll definitely have a shot at it if I can take advantage of some of those holes on the back nine, which I really haven’t done the past three days,” said Gale, who is projected to move up to No.2 on the Order of Merit.
“I just haven’t taken advantage of the back nine but hopefully can get hot and run him down.”
How Barbieri responds will be crucial as he tries to play his way into the top 50 who retain their cards at the end of play on Sunday, Jack Munro (70) and Josh Younger (71) also needing a strong finish to play their way into the top 50.
Munro and Younger are in a share of sixth through three rounds with Adam Bland (68), Aaron Townsend (68) and Jordan Zunic, whose 6-under 66 was the round of the day.
The final round of The National Tournament will commence at 10:23am AEDT with the last group to tee off at 1:40pm.
The only place to watch the final round is on Fox Sports, through Foxtel and Kayo.
Photo: Rob Prezioso/PGA of Australia
The National Tournament presented by BMW is into the weekend as we move towards crowning the final champion of the 2023/2024 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season. As we prepare to see who will claim the final title, we are counting down 14 shots that defined this season.
Here are numbers six to four.
6. DANIEL GALE – Final Round, NT PGA
Seeking to end a win-drought of nearly 2000 days, Daniel Gale knew he needed a hot start to the final round at the Tailor-Made Building Services NT PGA Championship.
Chasing overnight leader Andrew Kelly, Gale birdied the first hole then was left with just a sand wedge to the par-5 second.
The New South Welshman’s second shot clipped a branch that sent it into trees near the green, with a third shot to even allow a birdie putt requiring all his touch and skill. Gale delivering to setup a Sunday stroll toward his first of two wins in the season.
“It was in a very, very tricky spot and I hit this bump and run from in the trees to about five feet and rolled that in for birdie,” Gale said.
“That was good to get that one out of the gates.”
5. JOAQUIN NIEMANN – Final Round, Australian Open
Chile’s Joaquin Niemann seemed to fall in love with the 18th hole of The Australian Golf Club on Sunday of the Australian Open, where ultimately, he would be crowned the champion after playing the par-5 three times.
Niemann made a miraculous birdie in regulation from the fan village alongside the final hole, before missing an eagle chance on the first play-off hole with Hoshino.
Going down 18 one last time, this time in drizzling rain, Niemann showed his class with a pure iron shot to 10 feet. The champion poured in the right to left putt for an eagle three to clinch the Stonehaven Cup.
“There are good names here. I saw Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player – a few good men,” Niemann said.
“It means a lot. I wanted to win so bad for a long time. The last one I have is in Riviera.”
4. JAK CARTER – Third Round, CKB WA PGA
It was another hole-in-one and car, this time in the desert, where South Australian Jak Carter was simply hoping to make a good swing to get his third round of the CKB WA PGA back on track.
Following a double bogey six, Carter was looking for a bounce back at the par-3 17th of Kalgoorlie Golf Course, his 8-iron from 178 metres doing just the trick after finding the front of the green and rolling into the hole for a one.
“I walked up to the next hole, the par-3 17th and was standing there thinking, ‘Just swing this good here. Let’s just see what we can do’,” Carter said.
“Stepped up and hit an 8-iron that I thought was short. I hit it and was like, It’s a bit short. Go, please go. Then I’ve seen it land and thought, This thing is on target.
“Rolled straight up, bang, straight in the hole. Then everyone’s just gone mental. It was absolutely crazy.”
The National Tournament presented by BMW is almost at the halfway mark, the event signalling the conclusion to the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season for 2023/2024. As we prepare to see who will claim the final title, we are counting down 14 shots that defined this season.
10. SIMON HAWKES – Final Round, WA OPEN
Chasing his second Tour win, Simon Hawkes made things interesting after starting the final round of the Nexus Advisernet/Bowra & O’Dea WA Open with a four-shot lead.
Spending the day locked in battle with veteran Jason Norris, Hawkes finally pulled clear late in the day before closing stages that bore remarkable similarities with his 2018 Vic Open win.
Hitting four-iron for his second, Hawkes left a bunker shot of some 40 metres, one he struck near perfectly with an open-faced 9-iron to five feet and victory.
“The weirdest thing for me is that it was identical to the Vic Open,” Hawkes said.
“I had a driver and I had a 4-iron into the green. I hit into a greenside bunker and then got up-and-down from the greenside bunker to win the tournament.
“I don’t know if that’s my formula for winning golf tournaments, but I said to my caddie, ‘I wish I could make it a little easier’. Four-shot lead up the last next time please.”
9. BRETT COLETTA – Final Round, Vic Open
Continuing his career revival after a win the previous season, Brett Coletta found himself in a dogfight on the final day of the Vic Open with Jordan Zunic.
With neither player giving an inch on Sunday, and both knowing the value of a victory at 13th Beach, Coletta pulled clear late in the final round, but saved his best till last at the par-5 18th.
The Victorian uncorked a brilliant fairway wood for his second shot to find the green and reduce the pressure filled walk to the 72nd green, where he would ultimately take par and a two-shot win.
“This is pretty big. I’m pretty emotional inside,” Coletta said.
“I know I’m able to win out here in the smaller events, the tier twos I suppose. The next level is to really up your game and win these bigger ones.
“This was one of those times when it was my time I guess.”
8. PHOENIX CAMPBELL – Final Round, QLD PGA
Phoenix Campbell found himself in the mix at the Queensland PGA on the final day as players and fans alike tried to pick a winner from the congested leaderboard.
Needing a birdie to reach nine-under and set the clubhouse mark, Campbell stepped up to the par-3 18th at Nudgee Golf Club and hit a 7-iron that will live long in his memory and tournament history where the then 22-year-old became the first amateur winner.
His approach finished six feet behind the hole, with the resulting bridie giving him the trophy by a shot.
“I knew the 7-iron was a good club,” Campbell said.
“Walking up there, it was never going to be anything other than that.
“I said to Ben, my caddie, on the tee, we were talking about line and I said, ‘I’m going dead at it. Let’s have a crack.’
“I was a little bit amped up. It definitely went a bit further but it was good to come back and have a crack at the putt.”
7. KAZUMA KOBORI – Final Round, Webex Players Series Victoria
Kazuma Kobori has enjoyed one of the most remarkable starts to a professional career in recent memory throughout this season, with a clutch moment at Rosebud a standout.
Having claimed his first win in the pro ranks the week prior, Kobori was looking to become the first player to win twice in a row since Adam Scott in 2013.
In a head-to-head fight with Mat Goggin on the final day of the Webex Players Series Victoria, Kobori was left with a downhill 12-foot putt for birdie at the 18th to seal victory and avoid extra holes.
The Kiwi doing what has now become expected with his putter in hand when he calmly rolled it in dead in the centre of the cup.
“I was very nervous as you probably saw. A few tips that my coach gave me just came back to me. I just took my time, and then the putt wasn’t difficult. It was dead straight. I had it there, and I knew it was going to drop,” Kobori said.
With The National Tournament presented by BMW underway, the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season is drawing to a close for 2023/2024. As we prepare to see who will claim the final title, and where the three DP World Tour cards will fall, we are counting down 14 shots that defined this season.
Here are the first four memorable moments of season 2023/2024.
14. DAVID MICHELUZZI – Final Round, Victorian PGA
Standing in the middle of the third fairway at Moonah Links’ Open Course, the Victorian was a distant seven shots behind the leader, Kazuma Kobori, and needing something good to happen.
And what he produced was better than good – a wedge that hit the firm green and rolled to a few centimetres from the cup set up a birdie to kickstart the reigning Order of Merit champion’s charge to the title.
“I’m really proud of how I got myself into the mix, and I holed a few good putts coming in which I’m really proud of,” he said.
“I spoke to my coach yesterday and we just said, ‘Keep moving forward’, and that’s kind of been the message all season really.”
13. BEN ECCLES – Final Round, CKB WA PGA
Enduring a sleepless night despite a six-shot lead, Ben Eccles got off to a rocky start in the final round of CKB WA PGA at Kalgoorlie Golf Course before he found some magic.
Holing solid par putts at the seventh and eighth, the Victorian was unaware that his lead was shrinking playing the par-4 ninth, where he found a bunker long and left of the green.
Facing a shot over some unfriendly green surrounds, Eccles hit what he called the “best shot I’ve ever hit” from the sand that ultimately dived in the bottom of the hole for birdie, kickstarting a back nine march to an emotional victory.
“I knew I had to keep pushing. There are so many good players in there ,” Eccles said.
“I said to myself on the 10th tee, ‘Stick to what you’ve been doing, keep applying yourself the way you want, keep trying to play the game the way that you want to play it’.”
12. KERRY MOUNTCASTLE – Third Round, Gippsland Super 6
Kerry Mountcastle would eventually survive a marathon Sunday of six hole matches to win the Gippsland Super 6. However, the Kiwi’s moment came a day earlier to earn a spot on the final day.
Finishing the 54 holes of strokeplay tied with 10 players in 17th place on six-under, Mountcastle went to extra holes and having already played the 18th hole at Warragul Country Club once and failing to earn a top-24 spot, the Kiwi made the trip again.
Finding the greenside bunker, Mountcastle produced a superb splash shot that rolled past the hole to five feet.
“I only just snuck in today through the play-off yesterday, so I kind of came into today just trying to finish as high as I could for the Order of Merit … and all of a sudden I was in the final,” Mountcastle said.
“I was probably more nervous in that (Saturday) play-off than I was at any point today.”
11. LACHLAN BARKER – Final Round, PNG Open
Lachlan Barker was chasing a first win at the opening event of the season and having reeled in 54-hole leader Chris Wood on the front nine, the South Australian secured the PNG Open.
Adopted by the local crowd as a favourite, Barker made a popular birdie at the par-4 14th with a green ringed by spectators in tents before a second shot at the next that instilled the confidence that he was on his way to victory.
A double dogleg par-5 lined by trees and water, Barker took 4-iron for his second shot that found the green and setup a two-putt birdie ensuring a comfortable walk to the clubhouse.
“I just ripped 4-iron into about 15 feet and I was like, ‘That’s it, I’m not losing’,” Barker said.
“It was just two pure shots. That would be a shot where I go, ‘Yeah, that was good’.”
Tomorrow – We countdown numbers 10-7
He has gone from unknown underdog to cult hero inside a year and Min Woo Lee has vowed to harness the fan frenzy ahead of his second appearance at THE PLAYERS Championship in Florida.
The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass is arguably golf’s greatest theatre, a course purpose-built to showcase the game’s best on 18 separate stages.
Already a two-time DP World Tour winner with a growing social media presence when he made his PLAYERS debut in 2023, Lee generated an instant US fan base when he played his way into the final group on Sunday alongside world No.1 Scottie Scheffler.
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That shot of celebrity spawned the ‘Let him cook’ tagline that has become his signature, sparking crazy scenes at home in Australia and, more recently, the WM Open in Phoenix.
When he tees off at 11:02pm AEDT tonight, the crowds at TPC Sawgrass will be well versed in Min Woo-mania, and the 25-year-old intends to put on a show.
“I play well in front of a crowd, especially when they’re supporting me,” said Lee.
“It’s a big tournament but I play my best when I’m playing with the crowd and playing good golf.”
Rather than running out for an AFL or NRL grand final, Lee says that the excitement of playing in the final group at THE PLAYERS builds to a crescendo.
As you navigate the par-5 16th, the energy from golf’s most debated hole – the par-3 17th – seeps out of the grandstands and off the hill overflowing with fans.
The tee shot might be the most nerve-jangling in the sport, Lee showing the thousands surrounding the island green and millions of golf fans around the world that he is built for the moment.
“I don’t know what it’s like to walk out for an AFL Grand Final but I feel like it would be something like that,” said Lee, who finished sixth on debut.
“It’s more going around 16, 17, 18. It’s pretty special to have that environment. There’s a lot of people on 17 around the hill and in the grandstands.
“It’s a special feeling. A feeling of like a pat on the back, that you’ve done really well to get to this situation and a lot of people are supporting you.
“Playing in the final group on the Sunday, it was kind of my first time so it was nice to be out there and have the crowd with me I guess, have a bit of an underdog feel.
“A lot of good stuff has happened since then and really excited for this week.”
🏌️♂️ Adam Scott
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 12, 2024
🏌️♂️ Min Woo Lee
🏌️♂️ Jason Day
Whose swing are you taking? https://t.co/CCHOJIWvSF pic.twitter.com/IhUJYDbxHb
To enhance his chances of a maiden PGA TOUR title this week, Lee played a practice round with fellow Aussies and former PLAYERS champions, Adam Scott and Jason Day.
They have gone from heroes to contemporaries and friends, priceless sources of information for a young player with the highest aspirations in the sport, even if he does play his second shots from slightly ahead of them.
“I would say 10 yards. Not too far,” Lee said with a smile of his advantage off the tee.
“Being friends with them, I can text them and see if they want to play and usually they say yes.
“It is awesome. I feel like I’ve talked about them and watched a lot of YouTube videos of them but the last 5-10 years when I was growing up, I really did look up to them.
“They obviously played amazing golf in the past century so it’s very cool to have them as a friend.”
Lee, Scott and Day will be joined by Cam Davis and Aaron Baddeley in seeking to add to Australia’s success at THE PLAYERS, Ryan Fox trying to become the first Kiwi since Craig Perks in 2002 to win at TPC Sawgrass.
Elsewhere this week there are 15 Aussies teeing it up at the International Series Macau on the Asian Tour and three at the Epson Tour’s IOA Golf Classic, the tournament Grace Kim won two years ago on her way to the LPGA Tour.
Photo: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Round 1 tee times AEDT
PGA TOUR
THE PLAYERS Championship
TPC Sawgrass (Stadium Cse), Ponte Vedra Beach
11:02pm* Joel Dahmen, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Min Woo Lee
11:13pm* Jason Day, Si Woo Kim, Matt Kuchar
11:46pm* Ludvig Åberg, Patrick Cantlay, Adam Scott
12:19am* CT Pan, Kevin Streelman, Ryan Fox (NZ)
4:07am Cam Davis, Sam Ryder, Stephan Jaeger
5:24am* Aaron Baddeley, Ben Griffin, Davis Thompson
Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler
Past Aussie winners: Steve Elkington (1991, 1997), Greg Norman (1994), Adam Scott (2004), Jason Day (2016), Cameron Smith (2022)
Prize money: $US25 million
TV times: Live 11:30pm-10am Thursday, Friday; Live 1am-10am Saturday; Live 12am-9am Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
Asian Tour
International Series Macau
Macau Golf and Country Club, Macau
10:05am* Scott Hend, Jazz Janewattananond, Ian Poulter
10:25am* Andy Ogletree, Mito Pereira, Wade Ormsby
10:40am Chang Wei-lun, Ben Leong, Marcus Fraser
11:05am* Sarit Suwannarut, John Catlin, Danny Lee (NZ)
11:10am Andrew Dodt, Hung Chien-yao, Michael Maguire
11:20am Michael Hendry (NZ), Neil Schietekat, Jeongwoo Ham
11:35am* Mingyu Cho, Jed Morgan, Koh Deng Shan
11:45am* Aaron Wilkin, Ye Wocheng, Jared Du Toit
2:50pm* Maverick Antcliff, Justin Harding, Kalle Samooja
2:55pm Denwit Boriboonsub, Travis Smyth, Jason Kokrak
3:05pm Nitithorn Thippong, Ben Campbell (NZ), Takumi Kanaya
3:25pm Lucas Herbert, Phachara Khongwatmai, Sergio Garcia
3:30pm* Ian Snyman, Rattanon Wannasrichan, Todd Sinnott
3:45pm Sanghyun Park, Brendan Jones, Trevor Simsby
3:50pm* Rashid Khan, Seungtaek Lee, Zach Murray
4:05pm Chikkarangappa S, Steve Lewton, Kevin Yuan
4:10pm* Yeongsu Kim, Settee Prakongvech, Deyen Lawson
4:15pm Justin Warren, William Harrold, Kristoffer Broberg
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US2 million
TV times: Live 4:30pm-8:30pm Thursday, Friday on Fox Sports 503; Live 3pm-7pm Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 507 and Kayo.
Epson Tour
IOA Golf Classic
Alaqua Country Club, Longwood, Florida
11:11pm* Brianna Do, Irene Kim, Fiona Xu (NZ)
11:22pm* Amy Chu, Mara King, Tristyn Nowlin
11:44pm* Julie Aime, Amelia Garvey (NZ), Amy Lee
4:34am Jenny Bae, Cassie Porter, Michelle Zhang
5:07am* Vivian Hou, Amelia Lewis, Su Oh
Defending champion: Jenny Coleman
Past Aussie winners: Grace Kim (2022)
Prize money: $US200,000
It is best remembered for his clutch up-and-down on the 72nd hole but on the eve of the 20th anniversary of his victory at THE PLAYERS Championship, Adam Scott has revealed his one regret from that historic win.
Scott is one of five Aussies in the field for THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass this week, the 50th staging of what has become one of the game’s most iconic events.
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There have been five Australian champions at THE PLAYERS – Steve Elkington (1991 and 1997), Greg Norman (1994), Scott (2004), Jason Day (2016) and Cameron Smith (2022) – with Scott making history as the youngest ever winner.
That mantle was taken by Si Woo Kim when the Korean won in 2017 at 21 years of age but has not dulled Scott’s fondness for a victory that established the Queenslander as one of the world’s best young players.
Now 43, Scott has revealed what came next immediately after his win, and what he will do differently were he to win again this Sunday.
“We went back to Stuart Appleby’s house in Orlando later that Sunday evening as I didn’t have a place back then in the States,” Scott writes in a blog for Australian Golf Digest.
“There wasn’t any huge celebration which is disappointing because young Adam definitely didn’t fear a celebration!
“What was great was my girlfriend was there, who’s now my wife, my coach Butch Harmon was there and it’s one of those big moments in my career where I have special memories about winning that afternoon.
“Maybe I have to make up for not celebrating 20 years ago and have an absolute blinder if I win again.”
Conceding that nerves may have played a part in missing a birdie chance on the par-5 16th on Sunday that would have given him a three-stroke lead, Scott stood on the tee of the devilish par-3 17th two strokes in front.
He hit wedge to the centre of the island green and made par, next faced with a tee shot at the par-4 18th with the prospect of severe penalty for even the slightest mistake.
The tee shot was navigated successfully enough but left him with an in-between yardage for his second.
“That’s where I became unstuck and hooked a 6-iron into the water,” Scott recalled.
“I was very nervous on that subsequent pitch shot, which was my fourth. Pitching wasn’t a strong suit of my game back then, but I’d been working hard at it earlier that week.
“You just somehow clear your mind and go with trust and I hit a pretty good one to about eight feet.
“I clearly remember not being so nervous over that final putt. I don’t know whether it was a confident read or what it was, but I felt very calm and made it for the win.
“Winning THE PLAYERS was a huge deal at that point in my career. It is certainly one of the biggest tournaments and is clearly above all other tournaments on the PGA TOUR.
“For a 23-year-old kid to become the youngest winner back then, and to beat a great field on an incredible test of a golf course, was a big boost for my career.”
Live coverage of THE PLAYERS Championship is on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo, on the dedicated THE PLAYERS channel from 11:15pm AEDT Thursday night.
Photo: Stan Badz/PGA TOUR
Breakout Kiwi star Kazuma Kobori is ready to rub shoulders with the likes of Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth at this year’s Open Championship after being officially declared the 2023/2024 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit champion.
A three-time winner since January after earning his Tour card by winning Qualifying School last April, Kobori has an unassailable lead with just one event remaining, this week’s The National Tournament presented by BMW at The National Golf Club.
While six other players are still in the hunt for the final two DP World Tour cards, Kobori can tee it up from Thursday safe in the knowledge that he will have status when the 2025 DP World Tour commences with the Australian PGA Championship from November 21-24.
It is a rapid ascension for a 22-year-old who only turned professional at the start of November and who, midway through the season, was concerned that he wouldn’t keep his card.
But the golf world is soon to open up to him, including an exemption to the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon in July.
“I was just trying to get the DP World Tour card for next year and then my manager called me a couple of days after NZ Open and said that I had The Open sealed up too,” said Kobori.
“That’s pretty cool. For me, it was a bit of a bonus because I actually didn’t know that was part of the deal.
“Needless to say, I’ll take it.”
How things stand ahead of the final event of the season
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) March 5, 2024
Kazuma Kobori 🔒, Matthew Griffin in with a chance at top 3 👀
Full OoM: https://t.co/nmi3SVcJoK pic.twitter.com/FwVtISnUPa
Given that he didn’t take up golf seriously until he was 12 years of age, Kobori’s earliest memories of major championships are post-2010, when McIlroy and Spieth were at their most dominant.
He is now coming to terms with the fact that he will play The Open Championship alongside them in just four months’ time.
“Obviously Tiger Woods was pretty dominant at the major championships but I started golf a bit later, when I was 10. Properly started playing when I was 12 so 2010 onwards, the guys playing major championships, those really stuck to me,” he added.
“Rory, Jordan Spieth winning The Open Championship, stuff like that.
“To be able to play in that tournament myself is something that I am really looking forward to.”
Changing seasons
Truth be told, this Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season was Kobori’s back-up plan.
With a category secured at Q School, Kobori’s major focus was the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in October.
The week prior, he was individual medallist at the Eisenhower Trophy in Abu Dhabi and, after one round at Royal Melbourne, was leading by two strokes.
A win that week would have earned Kobori a start at both The Open and The Masters, provided he retained his amateur status.
He would ultimately finish sixth, turn pro three days later and finish tied for ninth in his first start at the Queensland PGA Championship at Nudgee.
Two weeks later he squandered a six-stroke lead on the final day of the Victorian PGA Championship and, after missed cuts at both the Australian PGA and Australian Open, took a reality check heading into Christmas.
“This was the plan, and the best possible outcome, if you will. That being said, it’s not how I thought it would go at all,” Kobori conceded.
“After the Aus Open I was sitting 38th or something on the Order of Merit and thinking, This is pretty brutal if I’m going to try and keep my card.”
As others took a Christmas break, Kobori went to work.
After a poor finish at the Heritage Classic to start 2024 he won three of the next four tournaments, matching Tiger Woods’ lofty mark of three wins in his first 10 starts as a professional.
Although a missed cut at the New Zealand Open delayed confirmation if only for a couple of days, Kobori has now advanced further down his professional golf pathway than he could have imagined only a few months earlier.
“It’s fantastic; it’s a dream come true,” he said of his Order of Merit rewards.
“I’ll be 23 by the time I start my DP World Tour season properly but that’s way further ahead of my timeline than I could have ever imagined.
“This is the pathway that I planned out for myself but it’s gone much more quickly than I had thought.”
The only place to watch The National Tournament presented by BMW live is on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
Photo: Monica Marchesani
With their first majors of the year looming, Cam Smith and Minjee Lee are trending in the right direction.
Smith, the 2022 Open champion, was beaten in a playoff by Mexico’s Abraham Ancer in the latest LIV Golf event in Hong Kong, his best result for 2024 with the trip to Augusta National now just a month away.
After rescuing a par thanks to a great approach shot on his final hole, Smith finished alongside Ancer and England’s Paul Casey at 13-under after three rounds, highlighted by a 6-under 64 on day two.
Ancer birdied the playoff hole, while his opponents had to settle for a bogey.
“It was a step in the right direction this week,” said Smith, who had started the final day six strokes back.
“Played some really patient golf over the weekend. A lot different than the first few weeks.”
Smith came into Hong Kong with a previous season best of T8 in his opening event of the year.
In China, Minjee Lee was in contention throughout the Blue Bay LPGA tournament, eventually finishing in a tie for fourth at 13-under, six shots behind the winner, American Bailey Tardy.
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The world No.5, who won this event in 2016, led after a first-round 65 but gave up her advantage with a 72 on day two.
The first women’s major for 2024, the Chevron Championship, starts on April 18.
On the PGA TOUR, Cam Davis was the best-placed Australian at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, finishing in equal 18th after a closing round of 2-under 70 at Bay Hill improved his position by 13 places.
Only four players shot in the 60s on Sunday, led by a 66 from world No.1 Scottie Scheffler who triumphed by five shots.
Gabi Ruffels turned in a solid week in her second LPGA event of 2024 to end up T15.
On the secondary Epson Tour, Cassie Porter started her year in fine style, finishing third, just two shots out of a playoff, at the Florida’s Natural Charity Classic.
Meanwhile, on the PGA TOUR Champions, Greg Chalmers produced a top 10 on debut, claiming a share of seventh at the Cologuard Classic, just four shots behind the winner, Joe Durant.
“I am so excited!! T7 gets me into the next event in a week..this has been one of the most enjoyable experiences of my career,” Chalmers said on X/Twitter.
PGA TOUR
Arnold Palmer Invitational
Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Florida
1 Scottie Scheffler 70-67-70-66–273 US$4,000,000
T18 Cam Davis 72-70-74-70–286 $289,000
T36 Jason Day 70-74-73-73–290 $88,375
T44 Min Woo Lee 69-73-76-73–291 $64,000
MC Adam Scott 73-76
Puerto Rico Open
Grand Reserve Golf Club, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
1 Brice Garnett 66-66-68-69–269 US$720,000
T23 Aaron Baddeley 70-69-67-70–276 $32,333
T42 Harrison Endycott 69-71-68-70–278 $13,423
MC Gareth Steyn (a) 71-73
MC Geoff Ogilvy 71-75
LPGA Tour
Blue Bay LPGA
Jian Lake Blue Bay Course, China
1 Bailey Tardy (USA) 68-70-66-65–269 US$330,000
T4 Minjee Lee 65-72-70-68–275 $95,907
T15 Gabi Ruffels 72-71-68-70–281 $29,247
MC Karis Davidson 72-75
MC Robyn Choi 75-73
DP World Tour
Jonsson Workwear Open
Glendower Golf Club, Edenvale, South Africa
1 Matteo Manassero 68-61-67-66–262 €255,000
T17 Jason Scrivener 68-66-70-68–272
LIV Golf
LIV Golf Hong Kong
Hong Kong Golf Club, Sheung Shui, Hong Kong
1 Abraham Ancer 63-62-72–197 US$4,000,000
T2 Cam Smith 67-64-66–197 $1.875,000
T2 Paul Casey (Eng ) 66-67-64–197 $1.875,000
(Ancer won on first playoff hole)
T15 Lucas Herbert 70-64-67–201 $278,750
T21 Matt Jones 64-68-71–203 $204,286
T29 Marc Leishman 68-68-69–205 $165,000
Champions Tour
Cologuard Classic
La Paloma Country Club, Tucson, Arizona
1 Joe Durant (USA) 67-66-67–200 US$330,000
T2 Steve Alker (NZ) 69-68-65–202 $161,333
T7 Greg Chalmers 67-70-67–204 $59.086
T17 David Bransdon 66-70-70–206 $32,065
T21 Steve Allen 71-68-68–207 $23,833
T21 Mark Hensby 71-66-70–207 $23,833
T27 Michael Wright 72-69-67–208 $18,260
T32 John Senden 71-67-71–209 $14,850
T43 Richard Green 75-67-69–211 $8800
T49 Rod Pampling 70-70-72–212 $6380
T61 Stuart Appleby 70-73-72–215 $3300
Korn Ferry Tour
Astara Chile Classic
Prince of Wales Country Club, Santiago, Chile
1 Taylor Dickson 68-67-70-66–271 US$180,000
T47 Curtis Luck 65-75-70-71–281 $4310
MC Rhein Gibson 75-66–141
MC Brett Drewitt 72-70–142
MC Charlie Hillier (NZ) 75-70–145
Epson Tour
Florida’s Natural Charity Classic
Country Club of Winter Haven, Winter Haven, Florida
1 Valery Plata (Col) 70-66-70–206 US$37,500
3 Cassie Porter 69-69-70–208 $17.092
MC Amelia Garvey (NZ) 77-73
MC Su Oh 76-79
After a dramatic three-way playoff, which saw players take two extra trips down the 18th fairway, Andrew Campbell has emerged as the 2024 Eynesbury Masters Pro-Am champion.
The win at Eynesbury also secures Campbell the national order of merit, even with one event to go tomorrow at Geelong, he cannot be beaten.
Joining Campbell in the playoff was Matias Sanchez and Andrew Kelly, who all shot 4-under in the afternoon groupings.
All three players made par on the first playoff hole, with Campbell and Kelly getting up and down from tricky positions.
With Sanchez and Kelly both in for par on the second playoff hole, the stage was clear for Campbell to drain his 20-footer for birdie and the win.
Queenslander William Bruyeres and Austin Bautista, who was playing alongside Campbell and Sanchez, finished just back from the leaders at 3-under.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Starting his day – fittingly – on 18-tee, Campbell got off to a dream start, making birdie on his opening hole.
A double-bogey two holes later however saw Campbell over-par early, but this was his first and only blemish of the day.
Campbell played flawlessly, with five more birdies coming in. Needing one more birdie for the outright win on his final hole, the short par-4 17th, Campbell’s putt just slid by.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Testing conditions out there, just kept playing my game and keeping myself in it, I knew I was up around the lead.”
“It’s pretty sweet to get a victory at any time, but especially here at Eynesbury.”
“Matias was a little bit sneaky, I didn’t realise he birdied the last two to get in the playoff, I was just trying to beat Austin!”
“There was a lot of good golf in the group so it just kept us going.”
“We go to Geelong tomorrow, and we got our last tour event at The National next week, so this is going to give me a heap of confidence going into that week.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-4 Andrew Campbell
-4 Andrew Kelly
-4 Matias Sanchez
-3 William Bruyeres
-3 Austin Bautista
-2 Rick Kulacz
-2 Kyle Michel
-2 Chris Wood
NEXT UP
The final Pro-Am series event for the season is tomorrow, with players heading to the MMd Geelong 9-hole Pro-Am.
It delayed his flight home to Chattanooga, Tennessee but David Hill left a happy man after his two-stroke win at the TFH Hire Services Goonawarra Legends Pro-Am.
A regular returnee to the PGA Legends Tour from his home in the US, Hill wielded a putter he had been given the night before with renewed confidence, his 4-under 66 at Goonawarra Golf Club in Melbourne’s north-west two to the better of Andre Stolz (68), Brendan Chant (68) and Scott Ford (68).
It was Hill’s first win since the Gardiners Run Legends Pro-Am a tick over 12 months ago and the perfect way to bring his Aussie stint to a close.
“I come out to Australia for a month or two each year, try and play the Melbourne schedule and this year I included New Zealand,” said Hill.
“By the time I come to the end I’m normally just getting warmed up so today was a big thrill.
“I was supposed to be on a 3 o’clock flight to head back to Chattanooga, Tennessee but that all had to change and we’re now headed out at 8.30.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
A 30-footer for birdie on his opening hole was an ideal introduction to Hill’s new putter but his round wasn’t without its setbacks.
He picked up a second birdie inside his first three holes at the par-4 first but then had to endure a three-hole stretch on the bogey train.
The 63-year-old returned to red numbers with birdies at five and six but it was his final flurry that would prove the difference, three birdies in his final five holes building the buffer he needed to make the plane ride home one to savour.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I’ve been playing OK but really struggling with the putter. Last night at about 6pm I visited a local guy who is an expert in putters. Talked through a few things, he gave me a great putter last night and first hole, 30-footer, boom, went in. I missed two or three short ones but I putted well and I knew that if I could putt well, I could contend. Well, I was shocked, 4-under.
“The goals are the same as they have been the past 30 years; I just want to play to my potential, whatever that is. And I just feel like I am underperforming a lot but today I didn’t underperform.
“Whether I won or not, I’m just happy that I played to my potential.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 David Hill 66
T2 Andre Stolz 68
T2 Brendan Chant 68
T2 Scott Ford 68
5 David Diaz 69
T6 Peter Fowler 70
T6 Carl Smedley 70
T6 Christopher Hynes 70
T6 Adam Henwood 70
T6 Martin Peterson 70
NEXT UP
There is a short break in the schedule before the PGA Legends Tour embarks on its South Australian swing, starting with the QUBE Logistics Legends Pro-Am at Aston Hills Golf Club on March 20.
