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A harsh lesson learned at last week’s Moama Masters paid off for veteran Terry Price with a one-stroke victory at the Settlers Run Legends Pro-Am at Settlers Run Golf and Country Club in Melbourne.
With the course playing long and tough, Price’s 3-under 69 was good enough to edge Terry Pilkadaris (70), Brendan Chant (70) and Tim Elliott (70) by a single stroke.
A three-time winner on the PGA Legends Tour last season, Price was in contention last week at Rich River Golf Club before a poor decision led to a double-bogey on his penultimate hole.
He would ultimately finish in a tie for ninth four shots back of winner Peter Lonard, making sure not to make the same mistake twice at Settlers Run.
“It was probably course management,” Price said of the key to his winning score.
“I played at Moama last week and made a silly mistake on the second-last hole which cost me about six places.
“I had an opportunity to be silly again today and did not do that so that was probably the best thing that happened today.”
HOW THE ROUND UNFOLDED
A bogey on his opening hole – the par-5 ninth – was not how Price had hoped to start his round.
He would recover in impressive fashion, though, making four birdies in the space of five holes from the par-4 12th to vault to the top of the leaderboard.
A birdie at the par-4 second helped to further separate Price from the field, his buffer trimmed to a single shot with a bogey at the par-4 fifth.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“It was a tough start. I played the easiest hole first and made a bogey so it looked like being a long day.
“Came good after that. A bogey at the end which was not really pleasing but, in the middle, very nice play.
“The course was set up very tough. We played off some back markers and the greens dried out this afternoon so birdies were not plentiful. The course was a real challenge; you had to have your thinking cap on.
“Gardiners Run on Friday will be my last event down here and I’m really looking forward to having a hit there. Barb Kelly and the team down there do a fantastic job and have been great supporters of the Legends Tour so looking forward to getting back there.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Terry Price 69
T2 Terry Pilkadaris 70
T2 Brendan Chant 70
T2 Tim Elliott 70
T5 Michael Long 71
T5 John Wade 71
T5 Peter Fowler 71
T5 Euan Walters 71
T5 Murray Lott 71
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour is in central Melbourne on Thursday for The White Glove Movers Legends Pro-Am at Albert Park Golf Course before moving on to Gardiners Run Golf Course for the Gardiners Run Legends Pro-Am on Friday.
Kiwi Daniel Hiller will enter the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sports, starting on Thursday, with some advice from his country’s No.1 men’s golfer firmly in his mind.
While Ryan Fox is unable to be at Millbrook Resort as he commits to his first full year on the PGA TOUR, his influence remains strong with young New Zealanders such as Hillier, a winner on the DP World Tour for the first time in 2023 at the British Masters.
Fox’s tip to Hillier is simple and current for any week on tour – don’t change anything in his game to suit the golf course, no matter how spectacular the setting.
“There will be golf courses out there that suit me more than the others,” Hillier, the world No.150, said.
“I have played pretty well here in the past so if I play my game, and have a solid plan that I can trust and execute, hopefully you will see my name near the top of the leaderboard.”
In four starts on the DP World Tour in 2004, Hillier has made three cuts with a best finish of T23 at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship.
He was equal 12th in his home open last year, five shots behind the winner, Brendan Jones, after shooting four rounds in the 60s.
“My form has been OK. I haven’t played my best stuff for the first part of the year,” he said at today’s pre-tournament media conference.
“I know there is a long year ahead so I am not too fazed how the year has started. It would be nice for everything to click this week as it is obviously an exciting week ahead.
“The course is pure as always which is great. The rough is up a little bit but I did not spend much time in it today so hopefully I can keep that up.”
Hillier was part of an interesting practice group pairing on Tuesday, joining rookie Kazuma Kobori who has already claimed three Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia victories this year to lead the Order of Merit and have one hand on a 2024/25 DP World Tour card.
“He is really impressive to watch and you can see why he has done so well in Aussie this year,” Hillier said of his countryman.
“You can see he wants to get his hands on the trophy as well. I’m playing the first two rounds with him as well so we will be seeing a bit of each other.”
The star NZ duo will be on the Remarkables course on Thursday morning followed by the Coronet layout on Friday afternoon.
Photo: Daniel Hillier at the 2023 NZ Open presented by Sky Sports. Credit: Hannah Peters/Getty Images
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.
No one ever described Tiger Woods’ game as ‘consistent’. Given Woods held the No.1 world ranking for 683 weeks – including 281 weeks straight – and made 142 consecutive cuts on the PGA TOUR, perhaps we should have.
‘Consistent’, though, is just not very sexy.
It verges on boring.
Ask golfers to sum up Tiger Woods in one word and you’re more likely to hear ‘thrilling’, ‘explosive’, ‘fearless’ and ‘box office’. (Yes, I know, that’s two words.)
But ask those who have spent the summer finishing second to Kazuma Kobori on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and you invariably get the same response: ‘Consistent’.
For a player with three wins in his first 10 starts as a professional – Hello, Mr Woods – and all but a lock for a DP World Tour card heading into this week’s New Zealand Open, it’s not meant as a slight.
It’s simply an admission that from tee-to-green he is all but flawless… and that he makes more putts than he misses.
In statistics provided by Matt Green of GreenForm Golf, Kobori is 109-under par this season in just nine events. (The next best is Brett Coletta at 86-under par.)
His average-to-par per round of -3.41 is 1.45 shots better than Coletta and he is ranked first in Back 9 Strokes Gained with +1.58.
It has been the hallmark of an amateur career that includes wins at the Australian Amateur, PGA Tour of Australasia Q School, Western Amateur in the US and individual honours at the Eisenhower Trophy… all in the past 14 months.
So, when those who have seen the 22-year-old play from close quarters – Ashley Lau, Jeffrey Guan and Kerry Mountcastle – describe his game as ‘consistent’, Kobori takes it as a compliment.
“It’s something that I’ve always had actually, consistency,” says Kobori, who is coached by Golf New Zealand National Coach, Jay Carter.
“As an amateur growing up, I was never one to really shoot the lights out. I was always cruising around 2-under, 3-under and over the course of a tournament I might get just under 10-under.
“Some weeks that’s OK, some weeks you get blown out by 15.
“It’s something that I have always had and for that to turn into a strength is very cool to see for me.”
Those who veer ever so slightly from the script use words that any rookie professional would love to be associated with.
3 x #WebexPlayersSeries Champion 🏆🏆🏆
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) February 11, 2024
Congratulations Kazuma Kobori 👏 pic.twitter.com/JoiOzwtDJi
Reigning Order of Merit champion David Micheluzzi – who also won three times in his breakout season last year – saw a side to Kobori that few others have when they were paired together in the final round of the Victorian PGA Championship at Moonah Links.
On that Sunday, Kobori began the day six shots clear but, in just his second start after turning professional, shot 77 to Micheluzzi’s 68 to end the day three back.
Now in his fifth year since turning pro himself, Micheluzzi saw enough to label Kobori’s game in a way that should also serve him well.
“Discipline.”
It’s a quality that the 22-year-old hopes to tap into again this week at the Millbrook Resort.
Low amateur in a top-10 finish 12 months ago, Kobori knows that Millbrook presents something of a different challenge to anything he has faced thus far this summer.
“It’s going to require a bit more discipline,” admitted the winner of Webex Players Series events at Cobram Barooga Golf Club, Rosebud Country Club and Castle Hill Country Club.
“There are certain places (at Millbrook) where if you miss it, I don’t care if you have the best short game in the world, you’re not getting up and down.
“I’ve talked to my coach, Jay Carter, and we’ve figured out a plan for this week and how we can prepare best.”
But perhaps the final word – literally – belongs to the person who knows his game best.
Although they are rarely in the same postcode these days, Momoka and Kazuma Kobori have grown up playing against each other.
They went head to head first on the Charles Tour in New Zealand and now the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, with bragging rights split.
So how does Momoka – and anyone who saw his putt on the 72nd hole at Rosebud – describe his game in one word?
“Clutch.”
Much more Tiger-like.
Photo: Kurt Thomson/Kurtogram
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.
The work he put in throughout 2023 is finally coming to fruition for Brock Gillard who earned his second adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win since December at the Cardinia Beaconhills Pro-Am.
The Head PGA Professional at Yarrambat Park Golf Course, Gillard’s pro-am starts have been infrequent yet his recent form has raised the possibility of returning to Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School in April.
Winner of the Maffra Pro-Am on December 11 and runner-up at Settlers Run on January 5, Gillard’s 6-under 65 in the morning round at Cardinia Beaconhills Golf Links would hold up all afternoon as Alex Edge (66), Kyle Michel (66) and Wade Lowrie (66) all got within one. Cameron Kelly and Lachlan Armour would round out the top five with rounds of 4-under 67.
HOW THE ROUND UNFOLDED
Starting his round from the 11th tee, Gillard was quick out of the blocks.
He birdied his second hole and then added two more at 14 and 15 to be 3-under after five.
A dropped shot at 16 was quickly forgotten with birdies at 17 and 18, heading to the front nine at 4-under par.
A second bogey at the par-3 second threatened to suck the life out of a round that showed so much promise early but he steadied with birdies at three and seven, separating himself from the field with a closing birdie at the par-5 10th.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I haven’t been playing that much but when I have been playing I’ve been hitting it really straight, which is a nice change, and the putter has been running a little bit hot.
“It’s been really nice for everything to be clicking.
“I did not touch a club at all (over Christmas). The 5-under at Settlers Run was a surprise and it’s a surprise again today.
“I really worked on my game last year and didn’t get the results that I wanted. It’s just shining through now.
“Q School is definitely on the radar. Haven’t made my decision just yet though. Need to see how things align with that but it’s definitely an option.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing a little bit more of this form before I dive more deeply back into it.
“It’s very nice to be able to turn up and actually post a nice score and enjoy your day.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Brock Gillard 65
T2 Wade Lowrie 66
T2 Alex Edge 66
T2 Kyle Michel 66
T5 Cameron Kelly 67
T5 Lachlan Armour 67
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series heads north into New South Wales on Wednesday for the 35 Latitude Waratah Pro-Am at Waratah Golf Club in Newcastle.
Kelsey Bennett has blitzed her way through the Sunday match-play finals to be crowned – literally – The Athena champion.
The 24-year-old, who celebrated her birthday only weeks ago, played consistently in Saturday’s Combine skills challenges, plotting her way around without any stand-out shots, before a clinical Sunday performance.
“I just thought I’d aim for the win yesterday, and worse case I’d finish where I was,” she said.
“I didn’t end up using the mulligan because I was playing steady enough that I just couldn’t really choose a time to play it.”
Today the woman from New South Wales revealed she was saving her best game for the Sunday matches, going -1, -1 and Even in her three four-hole matches.
“I just felt like I knew exactly where the ball was going to go the whole time, so yeah, it’s a good feeling,” Bennett said, drenched in champagne.
Bennett faced the in-form Jess Whitting in her first match of the day, and looked to have the win secured before a long par-saving Whitting putt on the last.
Forced to make a tester now for par herself to tie and force a putt-off, Bennett stepped up and poured it in, and again in the putt-off while Whitting missed. One down.
Her second match proved to be a little easier, with Sarah Yamaki Branch – who knocked out day one leader Cassie Porter – struggling off the tee against Bennett. Two down.
Amy Chu, who defeated Steph Bunque in an extended putt-off and Elmay Viking in rounds one and two, stood between Bennett and the trophy.
An eagle-par-par start for Bennett, to Chu’s birdie-bogey-bogey afforded Bennett a three shot buffer heading down the last.
Finding the fairway bunker off the tee, then the back greenside bunker, Bennett’s buffer began to shrink.
The shrinking continued on the putting surface with a couple of missed putts, but the scoring and hard work over the first three holes allowed for that, Bennett finally tapping in to make The Athena trophy hers.
Bennett heads to the Singapore Women’s Open next week, before the Women’s NSW Open and the Australian Women’s Classic, where a another win could prove life-changing.
The Athena is Bennett’s biggest win, adding to her WPGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School win last year.
In true Athena fashion, all the competitors were out supporting the remaining groups all day, where the camaraderie and fun atmosphere bleeds into the strong competition.
In its fourth year, The Athena has demonstrated again that this is golf done different. It is fun, exciting, and let’s Australia’s brightest golfers showcase their skill and personality.
A red-hot Peter Lonard produced the first round of 59 in PGA Legends Tour history to score a remarkable victory at the Moama Masters on Rich River Golf Club’s East Course on Friday.
The three-time Australian PGA champion and two-time Australian Open winner collected 12 birdies on his record-setting day and would have posted a 58 had he not bogeyed his final hole, the short par-3 ninth, where he found the greenside bunker.
Feeling some nerves in the moment, the 56-year-old holed a bogey putt from just inside two metres to break the magical 60 barrier for the first time in his career. He had two rounds of 60 more than two decades ago.
Lonard’s great day out sent PGA Legends Tour officials searching through their records to establish whether he had become the first player to beat 60 in an over-50s professional event in Australia.
While there have been a number of 60s on a par-64 course and a 61 on a par-67 course, the check revealed that no-one had managed to achieve what Lonard had just completed.
After starting the second day nine shots behind the overnight lead after an opening 3-over 73, the Sydneysider’s 14-shot turnaround was enough to claim the 36-hole Masters by one stroke over John Onions, who closed with a 63 to finish on 7-under.
American Shaquill Mongol and England’s Ben Jackson had a chance to draw level with Lonard at -8, but they both bogeyed their final hole to drop back to a share of third.
Simon Tooman produced another final-round highlight with a hole-in-one on the 145m eighth hole.
HOW THE WINNING SCORE UNFOLDED
Starting his day on the 10th tee, Lonard picked up six birdies in three groups of two on his first nine (holes 11-12, 14-15 and 17-18).
Another spurt of birdies, three in a row from the second to the fourth, moved him to 9-under-par for the day and he reached double-figures under-par with a three on the par-4 sixth.
Two more birdies on the seventh and eighth holes had him standing at 12-under for his round coming to the last.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“It was a bit of a day today,” Lonard said.
“Yesterday I was never playing again, giving up golf and getting a job and today all of a sudden I’m back, I love the game and everything’s happy.
“It’s a funny game. Sometimes it gives it to you and sometimes it doesn’t.
“It’s the first time I’ve had a 59. I’ve had a couple of other goes at it. I parred the last in Sao Paulo years ago for a 60 and at the Jack Newton Classic at Twin Waters (in 2002) I missed a putt for a 59.
“I didn’t think I’d get another chance of doing it. It’s a nice little thing to happen towards the end of my career I suppose.
“I was very happy to see that last putt go in.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-8: Peter Lonard (73-59)
-7: John Onions (70-63)
-6: Shaquill Mongol (68-66); Murray Lott (66-68); Ben Jackson (64-70)
-5: Mark Boulton (65-70)
-4: Terry Price (70-66); Peter Senior (69-67)
NEXT UP
The Melbourne swing on the PGA Legends Tour gets underway with the Southern Golf Club Legends Pro-Am on Monday followed by Settlers Run (Tuesday), Albert Park (Thursday) and Gardiners Run (Friday).
He might be the most unlikely player on the PGA TOUR Champions in 2024 but Queensland’s Michael Wright is determined to make the most of his rookie season on the senior tour.
Wright will make his Champions Tour debut in Morocco on Thursday night AEDT the day after celebrating his 50th birthday.
Teeing it up against major champions including Tom Lehman, Jose Maria Olazabal, John Daly and Angel Cabrera might be the best birthday present Wright could hope for, a gift that has been 10 years in the making.
Winner of the 2011 WA PGA Championship when it was on the secondary Von Nida Tour, Wright’s career has been largely spent just fighting to keep the dream alive.
He has juggled professional golf with his career as a PE teacher but changed the trajectory of his career in spectacular fashion when he holed his third shot for birdie on the 72nd hole of Champions Tour Final Qualifying School last December.
As improbable as it all may seem, it’s the culmination of a plan hatched a decade ago.
“I could not fast forward time quick enough,” Wright said of the goal he set himself after turning 40.
“As soon as you get into adulthood you want to rewind the clock. But I was always trying to fast forward it.”
“Now I’m trying to pause it because I’m obviously the youngest of the lot over there.”
Inspired by the performances of Kiwi Steven Alker the past two years, Wright begins his Champions Tour journey in good form.
Thanks in no small part to a dedicated gym regimen and daily stretching routines, Wright is physically in good shape and has amassed four top-10 finishes this season on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
It’s why he joins the senior circuit with high hopes.
“I’m such a more complete player now,” Wright insists.
“That’s partly maturity, partly that flexibility and strength. I’m probably stronger now than I ever was.
“It’s always been hard because I’ve had that financial gremlin knocking at my head in the subconscious.
“I think I’ll even play better as the year goes on because that financial bug that’s in the back of my head will disappear.
“This year will be great and then the following years, if all goes well, it’ll just keep getting better and better I think.
“But I’ve really got to make my mark in the first few years. That’s my best chance.”
"It was one shot, but it was 25 years of hard work." ❤️
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) December 9, 2023
With a hole-out birdie at the 72nd hole, Michael Wright is a 2024 Champions Tour member! pic.twitter.com/MrQpmollJf
As Wright expands the Aussie presence to nine in Morocco, West Australian Hannah Green makes her first appearance for 2024 at the Honda LPGA Thailand.
Starting the year No.28 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking, Green will be keen to stave off the challenge posed by both Grace Kim and Stephanie Kyriacou with the Paris Olympics less than six months away.
Harrison Endycott and Aaron Baddeley will be joined by Kiwi Ryan Fox at the PGA TOUR Mexico Open and there are 17 Aussies teeing it up at the International Series Oman on the Asian Tour.
Round 1 tee times AEDT
PGA TOUR
Mexico Open at Vidanta
Vidanta Vallarta, Vallarta, Mexico
12:41am* Maverick McNealy, Ben Taylor, Ryan Fox (NZ)
1:47am Harrison Endycott, David Skinns, Matt Atkins
5:15am Nate Lashley, Aaron Baddeley, Alex Smalley
Defending champion: Tony Finau
Past Aussie winners: David Graham (1980), Jarrod Lyle (2008, Nationwide Tour)
Prize money: $US8.1 million
TV times: Live 2am-11am Friday, Saturday; Live 1am-10am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
DP World Tour
Magical Kenya Open
Muthaiga GC, Nairobi, Kenya
3:20pm* Josphat Rono, Connor McKinney, Kristian Krogh Johannessen
4:30pm Sam Jones (NZ), Om Prakash Chouhan, Ronald Rugumayo
9:10pm* Haydn Barron, Benjamin Rusch, Andrea Pavan
9:40pm* Thomas Power Horan, Oliver Bekker, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
Defending champion: Jorge Campillo
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US2.5 million
TV times: Live 9pm-2am Thursday, Friday; Live 8:30pm-1am Saturday; Live 8pm-1am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Asian Tour
International Series Oman
Al Mouj Golf, Oman
1:45pm Aaron Wilkin, Justin Quiban, William Harrold
1:45pm* Justin Warren, Ye Wocheng, Saud Al Sharif
2:15pm* Wade Ormsby, Sebastian Munoz, Jinichiro Kozuma
2:35pm Andrew Dodt, Michael Maguire, Jeev Milkha Singh
2:55pm* Poom Saksansin, Sihwan Kim, Harrison Crowe
3:15pm Faisal Salhab, Deyen Lawson, Yeongsu Kim
6:25pm* Tatsunori Shogenji, Joshua Grenville-Wood, Maverick Antcliff
6:35pm Sampson Zheng (a), Jaco Ahlers, Jack Thompson
6:45pm Ratchanon Chantananuwat (a), Danny Lee (NZ), Eugenio Chacarra
6:45pm* Richard T Lee, Scott Hend, Matt Jones
6:55pm Ben Campbell (NZ), Branden Grace, Scott Vincent
7:05pm Travis Smyth, Dean Burmester, Kieran Vincent
7:15pm Denwit Boriboonsub, Lucas Herbert, Takumi Kanaya
7:15pm* Pavit Tangkamolprasert, Seungtaek Lee, Jed Morgan
7:35pm* Kevin Yuan, Rattanon Wannasrichan, Mingyu Cho
7:45pm* Carlos Pigem, Junggon Hwang, Todd Sinnott
7:55pm Jared Du Toit, Marcus Fraser, Chikkarangappa S
7:55pm* Zach Murray, Ervin Chang, Wooyoung Cho
Defending champion: Takumi Kanaya
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US2 million
TV times: Live 8:30pm-12:30am Thursday on Fox Sports 507; Live 10:30pm-12:30am Friday on Fox Sports 505; Live 7pm-11pm Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 507 and Kayo.
LPGA Tour
Honda LPGA Thailand
Siam Country Club (Old Cse), Chonburi, Thailand
12:02pm Hannah Green, Natthakritta Vongtaveelap, Chanettee Wannasaen
12:26pm* A Lim Kim, Stephanie Kyriacou, Anna Nordqvist,
12:38pm Sarah Kemp, Xiyu Lin, Emily Kristine Pedersen
12:50pm Erika Hara, Nasa Hataoka, Grace Kim
Defending champion: Lilia Vu
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US1.7 million
TV times: Live 2:30pm-7pm Thursday; Live 2pm-7pm Friday; Live 5pm-7:30pm Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Ladies European Tour
Lalla Meryem Cup
Royal Golf Dar Es Salam (Blue Cse), Morocco
7:25pm* Hannah Burke, Anne-Lise Caudal, Momoka Kobori (NZ)
12:07am Sophie Witt, Cara Gorlei, Kirsten Rudgeley
Defending champion: Maja Stark
Past Aussie winners: Karen Lunn (2012)
Prize money: €450,000
PGA TOUR Champions
Trophy Hassan II
Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, Rabat, Morocco
7:52pm Rob Labritz, Ángel Cabrera, Stuart Appleby
7:52pm* Tim Petrovic, John Senden, Olin Browne
8:16pm Tom Gillis, David McKenzie, Billy Mayfair
8:40pm* Steve Allan, Ricardo Gonzalez, Carlos Franco
8:52pm* Michael Jonzon, Russ Cochran, David Bransdon
9:04pm* Michael Wright, Esteban Toledo, Joakim Haeggman
9:16pm Richard Green, Billy Andrade, Boo Weekley
9:28pm Ken Duke, Rod Pampling, Paul Broadhurst
9:40pm KJ Choi, José María Olazábal, Mark Hensby
Defending champion: Stephen Ames
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US2 million
TV times: Live 1am-3am Friday; Live 12:30am-3am Saturday; Live 12am-3am Sunday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
Challenge Tour
NMB Championship
Humewood GC, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
5pm* Hayden Hopewell, Peter Karmis, James Kamte
Defending champion: Dylan Mostert
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US350,000
Cancer-survivor Michael Hendry firmly believes he can add a second New Zealand Open title to his resume when the 103rd event tees off in Queenstown next week.
Now a cancer-free, leaner, fitter Hendry – more worldly for his experiences – is confident he can play a major hand at the New Zealand Open at Millbrook Resort. And what has changed, should he not attain his goals, is that he is at peace with his journey to return to the game he loves.
His last biopsy has come back negative of any trace of leukaemia and now he is turning his attention to achievement on the golf course.
“Success nine months ago would have been just being able to turn up,” said Hendry.
“Fortunately, the hard work I have done has put me in a position where I feel I have a genuine chance to win the tournament if things click.”
For the full story click here
Photo: Courtesy of Photosport NZ
A blistering finish over the final five holes enabled Grahame Stinson and Greg Smith to split the Victorian PGA Seniors Foursome Championship with Guy Wall and Perry Parker.
Playing for the Jack Harris and Brian Twite Trophy on the West Course at Rich River Golf Club, the winning pairs both posted scores of 4-under 67 but did so in vastly different fashion.
Out in the first group of the day, Wall and Parker began their round with a birdie and were 2-under through five holes before making the turn at 1-under.
They moved back to 2-under with a birdie at the par-4 11th and then edged clear with back-to-back birdies on 15 and 16.
When they walked off the 11th hole in the group directly behind, Stinson and Smith were 1-over par and three shots off the pace but would turn that around in spectacular fashion.
A birdie on 12 got them back to level par and followed that up with four straight birdies from the 14th hole to match Wall and Parker’s 4-under total.
The legendary Peter Senior and great mate Greg Rix were outright third at 3-under 68 with four pairings sharing fourth spot at 2-under.
The PGA Legends Tour stays at Rich River Golf Club for the next two days to play the Moama Masters on the East Course.
PGA Immortal Alex Mercer and legendary Tour player Billy Dunk stole the show at a gathering of PGA Members from New South Wales and the ACT at The Lakes Golf Club on Monday.
Held every two years in recognition of PGA Members with more than 50 years of membership, Monday’s get together had a combined PGA Membership of more than 2,000 years including Life Members and past Presidents.
PGA of Australia Chair Rodger Davis, PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman and PGA of Australia Senior State Manager David Barker were also in attendance in a celebration of the formative years of the Association and those who paved the way.
There were 31 Members present with more than 50 years of Membership of the PGA and CEO Gavin Kirkman was honoured to be able to join them to mark such significant milestones.
“All of these Members have sweated the brand and positioned the PGA to where we are today,” said Mr Kirkman.
“They are the founders and the pioneers who took the PGA through the tough times when Professionals weren’t allowed in clubhouses and the like.
“We are now in a place where more than 150 PGA Members are General Managers at golf clubs throughout Australia and we conduct tournaments for men, women, juniors and All Abilities players to play together.
“We are now a leader of our sport and we have arrived here due to the hard work and the hard knocks that the founding members took in establishing the PGA of Australia.”
Due to turn 90 next month and now in his 68th year as a PGA of Australia Member, Alex Mercer carries with him a gentle aura that those within Australian golf and admire and respect.
A five-time winner of the Australian PGA Championship, Billy Dunk (below, with Gavin Kirkman) is a Life Member of the PGA and credited with more than 30 course records during his time in professional golf.
Both spoke on Monday and reiterated to Kirkman, and all of those in the room, why they take such pride in their Membership of the PGA of Australia.
“To be in the room with Mr Mercer – as I call him – was not just a thrill and an honour for me but for all of the Members in the room,” Mr Kirkman added.
“What comes through is their passion and what the PGA means to them.
“Billy Dunk spoke to this, that they were successful and have very good life journeys because they were PGA Members. They don’t forget that.
“That’s why I have the best job in golf, because I get to watch the game grow and evolve and innovate but while holding true to the tradition and history of the sport.
“These are the people that helped shape and advance our Association and we certainly have a lot to thank them for.”
