Want to recieve exclusive news, videos, tournament highlights, golf important tips and more ?
Want to recieve exclusive news, videos, tournament highlights, golf important tips and more ?
Portsea Professional Brad Kivimets has renewed his love affair with The Valley Golf Course, recording a one-stroke win at The Valley Pro-Am.
An eagle at the par-4 fifth would prove crucial at day’s end, Kivimets’ round of 4-under 63 enough for a second adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win at The Valley Golf Sport and Leisure.
He finished one clear of Martin Doyle (64) and Alex Edge (64) at a layout he admitted is very much to his liking.
“Being a bit shorter probably does play into my hands a little bit,” said Kivimets.
“Sometimes I can be accurate, sometimes not so much but around here, the holes where you need to make birdie I’ve played those quite well.
“Some of the trickier ones where you need to just get it in play and make a par and get out of there, I’ve been able to do that.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
It took only until Kivimets’ second hole before he collected his first birdie of the day at the par-5 10th.
He gave that shot back with a bogey on 11 but made three birdies on the trot from the 232-metre par-4 14th to climb towards the top of the leaderboard.
He remained patient as he picked off six straight pars and then collected what he conceded was a “bonus” when he holed out for eagle at the 360m par-4 fifth.
From that point it was a matter of holding his round together, a bogey on seven the only backward step as he added to his victory at The Valley in 2020.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“It was an interesting round. I’d had a good result here in the past so it was good to come back and see some of the holes and remember some of the shots that I hit.
“I got a good break and made a two on the fifth for eagle which helped calm me down a bit. From there I was just trying to not hit it over the fence really.
“There are only three other courses that I’ve played and had a win on for the Pro-Am Series so it’s nice to come back. First time back since that 2020 event so it’s always good.
“I seem to really like the greens here. Rolled a few putts in and it’s nice to have those good feelings and memories to draw on.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Bradley Kivimets 63
T2 Martin Doyle 64
T2 Alex Edge 64
T4 Tim Elliott 65
T4 Cameron Kelly 65
T6 Michael Choi 66
T6 Ruben Lal 66
NEXT UP
With just four events remaining on the 2023/2024 schedule, the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series moves on to Northern Golf Club in Melbourne for the Dallas Building and Maintenance Northern Pro-Am on Tuesday.
Odd pieces of misfortune and a frustrating period with the putter was all forgotten when Andre Stolz prevailed by two strokes at the Gardiners Run Legends Pro-Am at Gardiners Run Golf Course in Melbourne.
The hot weather that has been a feature of the PGA Legends Tour swing in Melbourne continued on Friday where Stolz’s round of 6-under 66 gave him a two-stroke win from Chris Taylor (68) with Carl Smedley (69) third a further shot back.
The reigning Order of Merit champion was without a win heading into this latest event, shrugging off near misses in recent events to get his first victory of the year in convincing fashion.
“There’s been a lot of weird stuff happen lately and been a bit frustrated,” Stolz admitted.
“I feel like I’ve been playing all right so it was nice to play properly.
“I felt good about the way I played today and ended winning, which was good.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Although unable to take advantage of starting his round on a par-5 – the 518-metre 10th – Stolz was in red figures shortly thereafter.
He made his first of six birdies for the day at the par-3 11th and after back-to-back birdies at 14 and 15 made the turn in 3-under par.
There was a run of seven straight pars before Stolz again picked up a shot at the par-4 fifth, building his winning buffer with further birdies at seven and eight for his 6-under total.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“It’s an interesting course this. It’s been bashing me up a bit over the last couple of years. It looks like an easy course but it’s not. You’ve got to drive the ball great here. Fairways are tight enough to give you a bit of grief but if you drive the ball well you can make a ton of birdies out there.
“The fairways are perfect – I didn’t get a bad lie all day – and the greens, with the heat we’ve had this week they’ve had to water fairly heavily so that top surface was soft enough that you could go at a few flags.
“The pins were tucked pretty well but if you hit a good quality shot from the fairway it would finish close, which is exactly what you want. I like when you can tuck the flags but be fair about it. If you hit a perfect, well-struck shot you can finish close and if you’re out of position you’re going to struggle.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Andre Stolz 66
2 Chris Taylor 68
3 Carl Smedley 69
T4 Mark Boulton 70
T4 Martin Doyle 70
T4 Michael Long 70
T4 Guy Wall 70
T4 Peter Fowler 70
NEXT UP
After enjoying the weekend off the PGA Legends Tour will resume on Monday with the Higgins Coatings Portsea Legends Pro-Am at the ever-popular Portsea Golf Club.
Long-time Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia member Terry Pilkadaris bounced back from an injury layoff to figure in a three-way tie for top spot in the De Bortoli Heidelberg Golf Club Pro-Am on Friday.
The winner at Heidelberg in 2015, Pilkadaris shot a 4-under-par 68 that was matched by Jake Hughes and DJ Loypur on a crowded leaderboard that featured 13 players within two shots.
Ranked as high as 153rd in the world at the peak of his career, Pilkadaris has missed most of the Australian Summer of Golf after tearing a rib muscle “trying to hit it too hard” in November.
He made his comeback on the PGA Legends Tour earlier this week with a tie for sixth place at Southern Golf Club and then a share of second behind Terry Price at Settlers Run before heading back to the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series.
“I’m old so the body’s not working too well,” he joked.
One of the professionals who took part in the start of the Victorian Pennant season last weekend, playing in the No.3 spot for Kingston Heath, Jake Hughes brought in some hot form, clinching his match 4&3 before playing on to shoot 8-under for the 17 holes he played at The National.
Pilkadaris and Loypur will head to the season-ending National Tournament Presented by BMW on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia starting on March 14.
HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED
All three Heidelberg winners played in the afternoon wave with Hughes teeing off the fourth, Loypur the 10th and Pilkadaris the 17th.
Hughes was -4 after just six holes but bogeys on the 17th and third prevented him from going lower as he finished with six birdies for the day.
Loypur, who also mixed in six birdies with two bogeys, had a chance to win on his final hole. But after picking up shots on the three previous par-5s he played, could only manage a par on the 479m ninth.
The only bogey for Pilkadaris came on the par-4 eighth.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
Pilkadaris described his round as “nice and steady”.
“I kept the ball in play off the tee. Heidelberg is quite a tight course and tried to keep the ball below the hole because the greens were quite quick. I thought I had it there (a 67) on my final hole, but it wasn’t to be.”
DJ Loypur was thankful he holed some putts after being “a little all over the place”.
“I had to figure out where I was going out here because I hadn’t been here for a few years. Had a couple opportunities late to make another birdie but missed them unfortunately.”
Hughes said: “I started off hot, but then got into a bit of a lull with pars on two par-5s on the back nine. From there, I cruised on in.
“I’ve been playing solid, getting the handicap down to +5 at Kingston Heath. I’m hoping to get an invite into The National and continuing on in the Order of Merit.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
68: Jake Hughes, DJ Loypur, Terry Pilkadaris
69: Darcy Brereton, Wade Lowrie, Rick Kulacz, Steven Jones
70: Michael Dean
71: Dylan Higgins, Lachlan Aylen, Toby Walker, Matt Dowling, Alex Edge
NEXT UP
The 2023/24 adidas Pro-Am Series reaches its conclusion in Victoria next week with events at Northern, Keysborough, Eynesbury and Geelong.
Victorian Nathan Page secured his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win for 2024, shooting a bogey-free 6-under-par 65 to claim the Hahn Shelly Beach Pro-Am on the NSW Central Coast on Friday.
Birdies on his final two holes secured Page, who only turned pro last year, a one-shot win over a group of three NSW professionals – Bryce Hohnen, James Conran and Robbie Minns.
Page secured his Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia card at Qualifying School at Moonah Links in April and has had a best finish of equal eighth at the Heritage Classic in his rookie Tour season to sit 65th on the Order of Merit.
After missing out on qualifying for this week’s New Zealand Open, a pro-am victory with soothe some of that disappointment ahead of the Tour finale at The National in a fortnight.
Like Page, Hohnen and Minns posted their 66s in the morning wave, while Conran’s 5-under was the best of the afternoon field.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Starting his round on the second hole in the morning shotgun start, Page had five straight pars on one of the layout’s most testing stretches of holes before gaining some momentum with birdies on the seventh and ninth.
It was a late charge that secured his win, with the Victorian picking up four shots in his last five holes, including back-to-back birdies on the par-5 18th and first.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
“I had a quick look at the course with a mate when we drove up on Monday. It’s a lovely course with some great views,” Page said of the beachside course.
“I missed a couple of putts early but got it going late then drained a few nice 10-footers to keep things rolling.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
65: Nathan Page
66: Bryce Hohnen, Robbie Minns, James Conran
67: Sung Park, Luke Parker
68: William Bruyeres, Andrew Richards, Arthur Barakat, Alexander Simpson, Dillon Hart, Gavin Fairfax, Patrick Joseph
NEXT UP
The 2023/24 adidas PGA Pro-Am Series reaches its conclusion in Victoria next week with events at Northern, Keysborough, Eynesbury and Geelong.
His upcoming wedding on Saturday will be double cause for celebration after Clayton Bridges broke the course record to win the Great Northern Toukley Pro-Am at Toukley Golf Club.
After making a rare appearance on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series at Waratah on Wednesday, Bridges found form in familiar territory at Toukley.
His 7-under 65 was five clear of Josh Clarke (70), Jonathan Pepper (70) and Gavin Fairfax (70) and is particularly well timed given he will marry Alexa this weekend.
“Managed to get a couple of days off. Played Waratah yesterday where I crumbled coming home but was able to get the win today,” said Bridges, who played regularly on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia from 2015-2018.
“Got my wedding coming up on Saturday so was able to get a couple of dollars to pay off the nice, cheap wedding that’s about to happen.”
HOW THE ROUND UNFOLDED
The Newcastle native wasted little time in making an impression on the leaderboard in the afternoon wave.
He birdied his opening hole – the par-4 18th – and then expertly navigated his way around the twisting, tight Toukley layout.
Bridges made it two-from-two when he birdied the par-5 first and then went one better when he made eagle at the par-5 fourth.
His lone bogey of the round came at the par-4 fifth but he made further birdies at seven, nine, 12 and 17 to win by five, capping off a spectacular round with a 50-footer for birdie on his final hole to better Mitchell Brown’s previous course record of 66 by one.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Everything just went my way today.
“I hit it really well and holed heaps of putts. When I put myself in a bad spot I was able to get away with it. And capped it off at the last with a nice 50-footer to shoot seven (under).
“It’s tight off the tee and you’ve got to shape your shots off the tee. I was able to get myself in the middle of the fairway on pretty much every hole. If I was off the fairway I was only just off.
“I was able to get myself in play and then give myself good chances and managed to hole them.
“It all lined up for me.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Clayton Bridges 65
T2 Josh Clarke 70
T2 Jonathan Pepper 70
T2 Gavin Fairfax 70
T2 Aaron Townsend 70
T6 Michael Smyth 71
T6 Dylan Grogan 71
T6 Larry Austin 71
T6 Alexander Simpson 71
T6 William Bruyeres 71
T6 Anthony Choat 71
T6 Robert Hogan 71
NEXT UP
There is a double booking of adidas PGA Pro-Am Series events on Friday with the Hahn Shelly Beach Golf Club Pro-Am on the NSW Central Coast and the De Bortoli Heidelberg Golf Club Pro-Am in Melbourne.
Tournament host David Diaz showed the rest of the field how it’s done, shooting 9-under 61 to win The White Glove Mover Legends Pro-Am by three strokes at Albert Park Golf Course.
Tasked with the course set-up at the course he calls home, Diaz relaxed after an opening bogey and played his final 12 holes in 9-under par to finish three clear of Andre Stolz (64) and PGA Legends Tour Order of Merit leader Murray Lott (64).
Although not his best at the venue – Diaz boasts a 59 at Albert Park “a long time ago” – he was nonetheless thrilled to play so well in his home tournament.
“It was a bit of a shock but it’s all good,” Diaz said of his low score.
“That (the 59) was about 25 years ago when I had a bit of game.
“Bit of a surprise but I’m really happy, more so that everyone has a really great day when it’s your home event.”
HOW THE ROUND UNFOLDED
Starting from the par-4 13th, Diaz may have been the architect of his own demise as he began the day with a bogey.
He took just three holes to get that back with a birdie at the short par-4 16th, heading to the first tee at even par.
That was when the fireworks began.
He made three straight birdies, added a fourth at the sixth and then made eagle at the par-5 ninth for a front nine of 6-under 30.
Staying with the hot hand, Diaz birdied each of his final three holes to play his final four holes in 5-under par and 9-under total.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“The course scrubbed up pretty well given the weather has been quite dry.
“The course was good. I was in charge of the set-up so I tried to vary some of the par 3s and the pin placements on them.
“It’s a public golf course and it gets a ton of traffic so we’re pretty happy with how it was presented.
“I’ve been playing pretty solid. I putted pretty ordinary the second round at Rich River last week, came back here on Saturday morning and played in the comp and shot 64.
“I started with a bogey today and I thought I’d just relax and see what happens. Hit some good shots, made some putts and all of a sudden it was 61.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 David Diaz 61
T2 Andre Stolz 64
T2 Murray Lott 64
T4 Tim Elliott 65
T4 Adam Henwood 65
T4 John Wade 65
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour continues its Melbourne run with the Gardiners Run Legends Pro-Am on Friday to be followed by the Higgins Coatings Portsea Legends Pro-Am at Portsea Golf Club on Monday.
Six of West Australia’s top talents have been named as finalists for the Outstanding Achievement in Golf Award at next month’s WA Golf Industry Awards.
By Golf WA
Six of West Australia’s top talents have been named as finalists for the Outstanding Achievement in Golf Award at next month’s WA Golf Industry Awards.
The award recognises an individual as The Western Australian Golfer of the Year for their golfing achievements in 2023, with organisers spoilt for choice after numerous WA players produced standout years.
While superstar siblings Minjee and Min Woo Lee are the headline names, they are joined in the list by four more worthy contenders from the professional and amateur ranks, highlighting the strength in depth of golf in the state.
Alongside the Lees, the other finalists are LPGA Tour winner Hannah Green, DP World Tour rookie Haydn Barron and two rising stars from the women’s amateur game in Maddison Hinson-Tolchard and Abbie Teasdale.
The overall winner is decided upon by an expert panel of WA golf industry representatives. Minjee Lee has won the award in each of the past three years. Brief bios of all the finalists – and their 2023 achievements – can be read below.
Haydn Barron: The Western Australian Golf Club member won Rookie of the Year on the PGA Tour of Australasia standings for the 2022-23 season and made his Open Championship debut at Royal Liverpool. He earned fully exempt status on the DP World Tour for 2024 with a top-10 finish at the six-round final stage of Qualifying School.
Hannah Green: Mount Lawley’s Hannah Green won the JM Eagle LA Championship in a sudden-death playoff in April to earn her third title on the LPGA Tour. She also represented Australia in the International Crown team event and achieved five further top-20 finishes around the world.
Maddison Hinson-Tolchard: The Gosnells golfer excelled in US college golf for Oklahoma State University, winning the individual title at the Big 12 Championship in Dallas and finishing T4th at the season-ending NCAA Women’s Championship. She represented the International Team in the Palmer Cup and Australia in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. In addition, Maddison qualified for the US Women’s Open and secured her playing rights on the 2024 Epson Tour.
Minjee Lee: The two-time Major champion won two LPGA Tour events at the Kroger Queen City Championship in September and the BMW Ladies Championship a month later. She accrued five more top-10 finishes, including a playoff loss at the Cognizant Founders Cup, and T6th at the Evian Championship. Finished the year in 5th place in the Rolex Rankings.
Min Woo Lee: Won the Asian Tour’s Macau Open before a thrilling victory at The Australian PGA Championship in November. Achieved eight top-10 finishes in PGA Tour and DP World Tour events, including runner-up at the Abu Dhabi Championship; T6th at The Players Championship; T3rd at the Australian Open and T5th at the US Open – his best finish in a Major.
Abbie Teasdale: The Royal Fremantle member won the prestigious Concord Cup in February before making her Australian debut at March’s Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific. She subsequently claimed the Women’s Amateur Championship of WA for the second time and won the English Women’s Under 25 Open Amateur Strokeplay and English Women’s Open Strokeplay Championship titles in August.
A hole-in-one proved the difference as Andrew Richards claimed a maiden adidas PGA Pro-Am Series victory at the 35 Latitude Waratah Pro-Am at Waratah Golf Club in Newcastle.
An ace at the 144-metre par-3 third was the major highlight in Richards’ round of 7-under 64, good enough to finish one clear of Victorian Nathan Page (65) with Josh Clarke (66) and Aiden Didone (66) sharing third.
With his driver wayward for much of the round, Richards leant on his wedge play to post a score in the morning wave, including a perfectly executed pitching wedge at the third hole.
“I hit a pitching wedge,” Richards said of the club selection that yielded his ace.
“I was in between clubs; had 9-iron and then switched back to the pitching wedge and gave it a good hit.
“I couldn’t see it, couldn’t see where the hole was exactly but it landed about eight feet behind it and spun back in.”
Pick it out of the hole and pose.
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) February 28, 2024
Congrats to Andrew Richards on his hole-in-one on the 144m 3rd hole at Waratah Golf Club in today's Waratah Pro-Am.#adidasPGAProAmSeries pic.twitter.com/Egx0F3bn4X
HOW THE ROUND UNFOLDED
Two bogeys in his opening five holes gave little indication of the fireworks that were to follow.
Starting his round from the 10th tee, Richards made bogey at 10 and 14, offset slightly by a birdie at the par-5 12th.
A birdie on 16 allowed the 27-year-old to make the turn at even par and then he unleashed a scoring blitz on the Waratah Golf Club front nine.
Birdies at one and two were trumped by the ace on three, adding further birdies on five, seven and nine for a front nine of 7-under 28 and a breakthrough win.
Nathan Page had a hot streak in the middle of his round of 6-under 65, peeling off five birdies in six holes around the turn to snare outright second.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“The course was soft but you could tell that the greens were going to be spinning but they held up really well all day.
“I hit a lot of good wedges today. Early on I hit some pretty bad drives so I would pitch it out and then pitch it close.
“I only hit one fairway on the par 5s and I made par on that one.
“Just wedging it close and being tidy around the greens.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Andrew Richards 64
2 Nathan Page 65
T3 Josh Clarke 66
T3 Aiden Didone 66
5 Nathan Miller 67
T6 Jason Perkin 68
T6 Jayden Cripps 68
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series remains in the NSW Hunter Valley on Thursday for the Great Northern Toukley Pro-Am at Toukley Golf Club before returning to Melbourne on Friday for the De Bortoli Heidelberg Golf Club Pro-Am at Heidelberg Golf Club.
More majors and an Olympic medal are Minjee Lee’s primary focus as she makes her 2024 debut at this week’s HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore.
A two-time runner up at Sentosa Golf Club, Lee starts the year as the No.5-ranked player in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking thanks in no small part to her blistering finish to her 2023 campaign.
After an uncharacteristically slow start to her year, in her last seven starts to 2023 Lee won the Kroger Queen City Championship and the BMW Ladies Championship, was runner-up at the Hana Financial Group Championship and Women’s Australian Open and had top-10 finishes at the Aramco Team Series – Riyadh and the CME Group Tour Championship.
It was a dramatic form reversal that the 27-year-old hopes to carry into a 2024 campaign ripe with opportunity.
“I didn’t really have the quick start to the year last year,” Lee conceded.
“It was really nice to finish off with some confidence and a couple wins there and some good finishes.
“Hopefully I can keep the good momentum going into the start of this year and the rest of the year.”
Welcome Reception @HWWCGolf! 📸 pic.twitter.com/0XXKO6OsEK
— LPGA (@LPGA) February 28, 2024
Now a two-time major winner and with 10 career wins on the LPGA Tour, Lee’s resume is on a trajectory that will be LPGA Hall of Fame worthy by the time she finishes.
With five majors on the line again in 2024 along with a third Olympic campaign in Paris, Lee may never have a greater opportunity to have the year of her life.
“Obviously it’s a big year with the Olympics and all the majors,” said Lee, the only Australian golfer to compete at both the Rio and Tokyo Olympics.
“They are always on the top of my priority list, I guess. Always want to be playing well in those and contending.”
As for her outstanding record at Sentosa Golf Club, Lee believes the challenge of the golf course plays to her greatest strength.
“I definitely think ball-striking is a big thing out here,” said Lee, who has been drawn to play with New Zealand’s Lydio Ko and last week’s winner, Patty Tavatanakit.
“You want to hit the fairways, hit the greens and you’ll have good chances with birdies.
“That is a big key around the course.”
It shapes as a big week, too, for Minjee’s younger brother, Min Woo Lee.
Lee and Aaron Baddeley are the only two Aussies in the field for the PGA TOUR’s Cognizant Classic at PGA National, Lee now second behind Jason Day as leading Aussies on the Official World Golf Ranking.
The Olympic team will not be named until June but having moved past Cameron Smith (45), Lee – currently 42nd – can advance his cause further with a strong showing in Florida.
Smith will once again lead Ripper GC at this week’s LIV Golf event in Saudi Arabia while three-time PGA Tour of Australasia winner, Tom Power Horan, joins the Aussie contingent at this week’s Argentina Open on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Round 1 tee times AEDT
PGA TOUR
Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches
PGA National Resort (The Champion Cse), Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
3:45am Greyson Sigg, SH Kim, Ryan Fox (NZ)
4:07am Lanto Griffin, Denny McCarthy, Min Woo Lee
5:02am Aaron Baddeley, Padraig Harrington, Justin Lower
Defending champion: Chris Kirk
Past Aussie winners: Stuart Appleby (1997), Adam Scott (2016), Matt Jones (2021)
Prize money: $US9 million
TV times: 11:30pm-10am Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
LPGA Tour
HSBC Women’s World Championship
Sentosa Golf Club (Tanjong Cse), Singapore
11:25am* Aditi Ashok, Hannah Green, Andrea Lee
11:44am Esther Henseleit, Sarah Kemp, Lim Kim
12:25pm* Carlota Ciganda, Grace Kim, Miranda Wang
1:13pm* Eun-Hee Ji, Stephanie Kyriacou, Azahara Munoz
1:20pm Lydia Ko (NZ), Minjee Lee, Patty Tavatanakit
Defending champion: Jin Young Ko
Past Aussie winners: Karrie Webb (2011)
Prize money: $US1.8 million
TV times: Live 1:30pm-6:30pm Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
DP World Tour
SDC Championship
St Francis Links, Eastern Cape, South Africa
4:50pm* Jason Scrivener, JC Ritchie, Marco Penge
8:30pm Toto Thimba Jnr, Keegan McLachlan, Haydn Barron
10:20pm Sam Jones (NZ), Richie O’Donovan, Nikhil Rama
Defending champion: Matthew Baldwin
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US1.5 million
LIV Golf
LIV Golf Jeddah
Royal Greens Golf and Country Club, Saudi Arabia
Australasians in the field: Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert, Matt Jones, Danny Lee (NZ)
Defending champion: Brooks Koepka
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US25 million
TV times: Live from 6:15pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday on 7 Plus.
Korn Ferry Tour
117 Visa Argentina Open
Olivos Golf Club, Buenos Aires, Argentina
9:53pm* Rhein Gibson, Jamie Lovemark, Cristobal Del Solar
10:24pm* Brendon Jelley, Ryan Hall, Tom Power Horan
2am Roberto Díaz, Curtis Luck, Tim Widing
2:10am Brett Drewitt, Quade Cummins, Braden Thornberry
Defending champion: Zack Fischer (2022)
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US1 million
For Australian David Micheluzzi, there was no question about taking a break from the DP World Tour and returning to Queenstown for his second New Zealand Open which is set to be a pivotal battleground in the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit race.
The reigning Order of Merit champion has his sights on retaining his title and comes into this week ranked fourth behind Kazuma Kobori, Daniel Gale and Brett Coletta, who are all in the field.
A win at Millbrook Resort could vault Micheluzzi back to No.1 with just one event, The National Tounament (March 14-17), remaining.
“Who wouldn’t want to come back to Queenstown,” said Micheluzzi. “Everything just adds up to me being here this week.
“To have two Order of Merit wins in a row, I don’t think that has been done in a long time so to have that, I think would be satisfying and I’m just looking forward to the whole experience.”
After enjoying a continuation of his 2022/23 form at the beginning of his season, including a win at the Vic PGA and a dramatic T2 with seven other players in the Queensland PGA Championship, Micheluzzi was propelled into second place on the Order of Merit, leadng a shift in his plans for the year.
“I did not expect to have a second and a win in my first two events of the season,” he said.
“That vaulted me up to second on the Order of Merit, so it changed my plans a little bit.
”There are a few events on the DP World Tour over the next few weeks but there is also a lot up for grabs this week.
“It’s quadruple (OOM) points this week and then we’ve got The National… If I can play really well, then that will set my year up very well.”
Preparing for his second appearance in Queenstown, Micheluzzi says he is feeling confident in his game, in particular his skill in shaping shots to navigate the Coronet and Remarkables courses.
“I’m hitting it okay at the moment so right now [my game] isn’t too bad. You have to shape your game to the pins and the slopes around here,” he said.
Micheluzzi is also comfortable to be playing a different, more relaxed tournament style, teaming up with an amateur partner over the first two days and hopefully again into the weekend.
“I love the format. I personally think there should be a lot more of these because there is a lot more to golf than what everyone sees and when you’re inside the ropes. I think it’s really cool,” he said.
“To see what the pros do right then, and right there, it is a massive thrill.
“If this tournament wasn’t here, the area wouldn’t be what it is.”
The only place to watch every upcoming event on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia live is on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
