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Henkel grabs solo success at Cohuna


Victorian Ben Henkel had shared two wins in this year’s adidas PGA Pro-Am Series but he made sure the next success was a solo victory at the Cohuna Stuart Appleby Pro-Am on Thursday.

A spectacular 7-under-par 65 on the country Victorian course gave Henkel a two-shot margin over two of Australia’s most experienced touring professionals, Matt Griffin and Marcus Fraser, as well as fellow Victorian Bradley Kivimets and NSW’s James Gordon.

A  joint winner at Clermont and Maryborough in Queensland over winter, Henkel has been in solid form throughout 2024 with 12 top-10 pro-am finishes and he started the new Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season with a tie for ninth at last month’s PNG Open.

HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED

After starting his round on Cohuna’s eighth hole, Henkel went on a run of three straight birdies on nine through 11. Although he dropped a shot at the long par-4 14th, he was -5 by the time he rolled in birdie number six for the day on the first.

Another birdie on the fourth and then an eagle on the 465m par-5 fifth sent the 23-year-old clear of the field, with a bogey on his second last hole only reducing the winning margin.

WHAT THE WINNER SAID

Henkel said: “It feels great. Obviously most of these events don’t have playoffs and you really want to go out and win by yourself. Getting it done in an event solo, and shooting a good number to win by a couple, is a great feeling.

“Everything in my game has been really solid and I’m coming off some good results. Hitting the ball well off the tee was important here. It’s a pretty tight golf course. I also holed a couple of crucial par putts to keep the momentum going.”

LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN

65: Ben Henkel

67: James Gordon (NSW), Bradley Kivimets, Marcus Fraser, Matt Griffin

68: Ruben Lai, Harry Goakes, Andrew Kelly

69: Jake Fullerton, Steven Jones

(Vic players unless noted)

NEXT UP

The majority of the field that played at Cohuna will contest the 67th cluBarham Border Open at cluBarham Golf and Sports Club this weekend with 18 holes on both Saturday and Sunday.


Yamba’s Reilly Wunderlich has claimed the biggest win of his career thanks to a 2&1 victory over Conor Whitelock in the 36-hole Pampling Plate Final on Thursday.

Completing a marathon week at Caboolture Golf Club where he played a total of 137 holes in just four days, Wunderlich took advantage of a strong start to build an early lead and then hold off Whitelock’s late fightback.

The fact that Whitelock slept through his alarm and only arrived at the golf course 13 minutes before the match began may have worked in Wunderlich’s favour.

He won the opening hole to go 1 up before Whitelock squared the match again by winning the third hole.

But with wins at the fourth, seventh, 10th and 11th holes Wunderlich was soon 4 up, his lead never dropping below two holes until midway through the afternoon round.

Originally from Ballina but now undertaking the Membership Pathway Program at The Brisbane Golf Club, Whitelock won the 29th hole to get back to 1 down but Wunderlich responded by winning the next hole to return to a 2-up advantage.

The pair would halve the next five holes for Wunderlich to clinch a 2&1 victory and his second major title in the past month having won the Queensland Foursomes Championship with Jack Wright, who served as his caddie on Thursday.

“It’s so good to finally get an individual win off the back,” said Wunderlich, pictured with tournament host Marge Pampling.

“Been knocking on the door for a while now, so good to get it finally over with.”

In an all-New South Wales Northern Rivers final, Wunderlich admitted that it was a somewhat bittersweet victory given he and Whitelock grew up playing junior golf together.

“It’s certainly a lot harder to beat one of your good mates,” he added.

“Obviously you still want to beat him but it’s a lot harder to do it to one of your good mates and make them feel so bad.”

Whitelock was endeavouring to complete the Pampling Plate double having won Monday’s 36-hole Pro-Am qualifier.

Although disappointed to fall just short in the final, Whitelock leaves Caboolture proud of his performance.

“Obviously not the finish that I wanted, but I’m still very chuffed to be a finalist in this event in my first year here,” said Whitelock, who played 124 holes after contesting last week’s NSW/ACT Associate Championship at Tura Beach Country Club.

“I couldn’t really imagine it going too much better without winning.

“Obviously sleeping through the alarm didn’t help, getting here 13 minutes before the tee time.

“Got off to a rough start and trying to claw back, just couldn’t quite get there but was close in the end.”

Final scores


Brisbane’s Gary Bruyeres is content to play second fiddle to his son, William, but wants to make his own mark when the PNG Senior Open begins at Lae Golf Club on Friday.

The past two PNG Senior Open winners, Peter Senior and Chris Taylor, are in the field for the $80,000 54-hole championship along with the Order of Merit champions for the past seven years, Andre Stolz and Brad Burns.

With a lone top-20 finish this season, Bruyeres is realistic about his prospects of winning but hopes to add to Will’s PNG Open triumph on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia last month in the country of his birth.

Gary’s parents first met playing golf in Goroka so the family connection to PNG runs deep, a connection he hopes to honour with a good showing in Lae.

“Hopefully I don’t ride his coattails because I want to be my own player,” Bruyeres said.

“I’ve had all Dad’s trophies here from when he played in Port Moresby so each day (during the PNG Open) I’d take a photo of one and I’d send it to him the night before.

“I think that gave him a bit of perspective of where he was and what PNG meant to the family.

“I was born there and spent a lot of time there working as an engineer so, to me, it’s one of those feelings when you go there of, I’m home.”

After moving to the Gold Coast at the age of five following the passing of his father in a car accident in PNG, Bruyeres continued his golf development at Burleigh Golf Club.

He hoped to pursue a PGA traineeship only to lose two fingers on his right hand in an accident that curtailed that dream.

It’s now been eight years since Bruyeres earned his PGA Legends Tour card and subsequently turned professional, his best result a runner-up finish at the Victor Harbor Legends Pro-Am in 2018.

A second operation on his right knee last year kept him off the golf course for six months but Bruyeres is excited about the prospect of playing more tournaments as his work life winds down.

“I was in a wheelchair for 14 weeks last year because of the knee so you lose a lot of strength and getting that back has been difficult,” he added.

“I’m looking forward to playing better golf. I’ve got no aspirations of winning the PNG Senior; there are too many young fellows out there now who just hit the ball further and harder and faster.

“But I’ll be competitive in my own mind, which is the best part about it.”

With work commitments and knee surgery limiting his Legends Tour appearances to just 21 in the previous two seasons, Bruyeres hopes to expand his playing schedule this season and into next year.

“When I first started, I travelled everywhere and then work commitments kicked in,” Bruyeres said.

“This year I’ve been able to negotiate a new contract and the knee’s getting better and I’m getting stronger, so I’ll be putting more time out in more tournaments.

“New South Wales I think is the next step after PNG so I’ll spend a bit of time down there playing.”

As for keeping up with his son, Bruyeres is more than content to revel in William’s success.

“He was 14 when he beat me for the first time,” Bruyeres recalled.

“It was at Logan City. It was in the first round of the club championships. I shot a 69. He shot a 68, so I remember it like it was yesterday.

“And I was the proudest person in that golf club.

“Then he took the No.1 Pennant spot off me and I became No.2 and, as a father, that’s what you want. You want them to succeed.”

Round 1 draw


Victorian David Micheluzzi has adopted the mindset employed by F1 superstar Max Verstappen to play his way into contention for the season-ending DP World Tour Playoffs.

In his first full season on the DP World Tour, Micheluzzi currently sits 63rd in the Race to Dubai rankings heading into this week’s Omega European Masters in Switzerland.

The 28-year-old earned his DP World Tour card by virtue of winning the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit in 2022/2023 and is on the verge of becoming an entrenched member of the Tour.

The top 70 players in the Race to Dubai rankings following the Genesis Championship in Korea (October 24-27) qualify for the first leg of the DP World Tour Playoffs, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

The top 50 after that event advance to the DP World Tour Championship, a spot well within Micheluzzi’s reach given his recent run of form.

Sitting outside the top 115 cut-off to keep his card for much of the season, Micheluzzi vaulted from 120th to 57th with a runner-up finish at the BMW International Open in Germany.

On the back of that result he also climbed to a career high of 204th in the Official World Golf Rankings, taking a page from the Verstappen performance book as a way of pushing even further.

“I don’t know if this is why I started to play a lot better but in recent times idolising Max Verstappen,” said Micheluzzi, a self-confessed rev-head, on the Tee It Up podcast.

“A lot of people don’t like him but if you look at him and see what he actually does, he races non-stop.

“Not many people know that he does sim racing – he does everything in racing – and he’s just hardcore.

“He won’t sugar-coat anything and that’s what I like about it. ‘I want to step on your throat.’

“I’ve adopted that kind of mentality. What is that mentality? Just doing your job and being better at it.”

Seventeen years since Brett Rumford was victorious at the stunning Crans-sur-Sierre layout, Micheluzzi is joined in the field by fellow Aussies Jason Scrivener, Haydn Barron and Andrew Martin.

The 10 Australians in the field will be looking to solidify their place inside the top 72 of the Charles Schwab Cup standings at the PGA TOUR Champions’ Ascension Charity Classic in Missouri while there are seven Aussies in action at the Asian Tour/Japan Golf Tour co-sanctioned Shinhan Donghae Open in Korea.

With just four events left in the season Cassie Porter can inch closer towards an LPGA Tour card at the Epson Tour’s Guardian Championship while Kelsey Bennett (22nd) and Stephanie Bunque (27th) can push their claims for a Ladies European Tour card at the Rose Ladies Open on the LET Access Series.

Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Round 1 tee times

DP World Tour
Omega European Masters
Crans-sur-Sierre GC, Crans Montana, Switzerland
5:10pm            David Micheluzzi
5:20pm            Haydn Barron
5:30pm            Andrew Martin
9:50pm*          Jason Scrivener
10:30pm          Sam Jones (NZ)

Defending champion: Ludvig Aberg
Past Aussie winners: Graham Marsh (1972), Brett Rumford (2007)
Prize money: $US3.25 million
TV times: Live 9:30pm-2:30am Thursday, Friday; Live 8:30pm-1:30am Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.

Asian Tour/Japan Golf Tour
The 40th Shinhan Donghae Open
Ocean Course at Club72, Korea
9am                 Wonjoon Lee, Anthony Quayle
9:40am*           Brad Kennedy
12:50pm*         Brendan Jones
1:20pm*          Kevin Yuan
1:40pm            Travis Smyth
2:20pm*          Junseok Lee

Defending champion: Koh Gun-taek
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: KRW1.4 billion
TV times: Live 2pm-6pm Thursday, Friday on Fox Sports 503; Live 1pm-5pm Saturday on Fox Sports 505; Live 1pm-5pm Sunday on Fox Sports 507 and Kayo.

PGA TOUR Champions
Ascension Charity Classic
Norwood Hills Country Club, St Louis, Missouri
Australasians in the field: Steven Alker (NZ), Steve Allan, Stuart Appleby, David Bransdon, Greg Chalmers, Richard Green, Mark Hensby, Rod Pampling, Cameron Percy, John Senden, Michael Wright.

Defending champion: Steve Flesch
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US2.1 million
TV times: Live 5am-8am Saturday, Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.

Challenge Tour
Big Green Egg German Challenge
Wittelsbacher Golfclub, Neuburg an der Donau, Germany
10:10pm          Hayden Hopewell

Defending champion: Francesco Laporta
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €270,000

PGA TOUR Americas
Fortinet Cup Championship
TPC Toronto (North Cse), Caledon, Ontario
3:04am*           Grant Booth
3:15am            Harry Hillier (NZ)

Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US225,000

Epson Tour
Guardian Championship
Capitol Hill Golf Club, Prattville, Alabama
Australasians in the field: Cassie Porter, Fiona Xu (NZ), Amelia Garvey (NZ), Maddison Hinson-Tolchard, Su Oh

Defending champion: Cydney Clanton
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US262,500

LET Access Series
Rose Ladies Open
The Melbourne Club at Brocket Hall, England
Australasians in the field: Kelsey Bennett, Stephanie Bunque, Momoka Kobori (NZ), Wenyung Keh (NZ)

Defending champion: Chiara Tamburlini
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €70,000

Legends Tour
Legends Open de France
Le Touquet Golf Resort (La Forêt Cse), France
Australasians in the field: Scott Hend, Michael Campbell (NZ), Michael Long (NZ)

Defending champion: Adilson da Silva
Past Aussie winners: Nil


Ballina’s Conor Whitelock is on track to complete the Pampling Plate double after earning a place in the final against fellow Northern Rivers product Reilly Wunderlich at Caboolture Golf Club on Thursday.

Winner of Monday’s 36-hole Pro-Am to qualify as the No.1 seed, Whitelock needed 19 holes to move past Justin Morley in Wednesday morning’s quarter-final and then edged Campbell Jones 1 up in their afternoon semi-final.

Wunderlich was also taken to the 18th hole in both the quarter-finals and semi-finals, defeating Ben Hollis 1 up in the morning matches and then advancing to the final with a 1 up win over Zach Ion.

Whitelock and Wunderlich will now face off in Thursday’s 36-hole final in the Pampling Plate’s 20th anniversary, the two former junior combatants ready to put friendship aside for one gruelling day.

“I grew up playing junior golf with Reilly so I know him really well,” said Whitelock, who recently transferred to The Brisbane Golf Club to continue the PGA’s Membership Pathway Program.

“We’re good mates. We go back to 2013 or 2014 playing Northern Rivers District Golf Association junior events.

“I’m excited to play him tomorrow, it should be fun.”

“Played a lot of junior golf with Conor,” confirmed Wunderlich, who last month won the Queensland Foursomes Championship with fellow Associate Jack Wright.

“Me and him have been pretty good mates for a long time, so should be a good day.”

It took a strong comeback for Wunderlich to fight his way back from 3 down with six holes to play and defeat Ion on the 18th hole.

“Zachy was 3 up with five or six to play so I had to get going a bit and put the foot down,” added Wunderlich, a second year Associate at Yamba Golf and Country Club.

“I’ve always felt that I’ve played pretty well in matchplay.

“My attitude towards matchplay is obviously pretty good. I feel like I hit the ball well and putting is also a strong part of my game.

“If I do that then I go low.”

To add the Plate to his win on Monday would be a remarkable performance from Whitelock who has been receiving treatment for thyroid cancer the past 18 months.

“I’ve just kept myself in the game really,” was Whitelock’s summation of his week to date.

“I’ve only had one water ball this whole week and I’ve putted pretty well.

“I haven’t had any three putts and I’ve just struck the ball nicely all week which has kept me in the game.”

The 36-hole final begins at 7am on Thursday morning with Ion and Jones to face off in the consolation final from 11am.

Scores


Swing changes with coach Chris Gibson enabled Lucas Higgins to navigate strong winds and blow the rest of the field away to take out The Lion Richlands McLeod Pro-Am at McLeod Country Golf Club.

Eleven players finished within one stroke of each other in challenging conditions on Tuesday but no one got within three strokes of Higgins, who shot 6-under 65 to claim his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win of the year.

Boasting six top-six finishes since the start of August, Higgins was thrilled to finally get across the line.

“I was really struggling with my swing maybe a few months ago and we just really tried to make it simple,” said Higgins.

“Just trying to really enjoy my golf again and not put too much pressure on myself.

“Go back to hitting fades, hitting it a lot better and giving myself a lot more looks.”

Veteran Steven Jeffress joined Sam Slater, Brett Rankin and Jake McLeod in a share of second with rounds of 3-under 68, one clear of Scott Barr, Dillon Hart, Riley Taylor, Zach Maxwell, Peter Martin, James Mee and Alex Simpson.

HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
With two birdies and two eagles in his first nine holes, Higgins wasted no time in climbing to the top of the leaderboard.

His first birdie came at the par-4 fourth and then Higgins converted an eagle opportunity at the par-5 seventh.

He added a birdie at the par-5 ninth and then made it two eagles in the space of four holes at the par-5 10th to reach 6-under par as others struggled to make inroads.

Higgins’ lone dropped shot came at the par-4 13th but got back to 6-under with birdie at the short par-3 18th.

WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I hadn’t played here in a while, so I was just trying to figure out where I was going,” said Higgins.

“I hit it really, really solid in the wind and just gave myself a lot of good looks.

“Took advantage of a couple of the par 5s downwind and holed a couple of nice putts which got me the win.”

LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1          Lucas Higgins              65
T2        Steven Jeffress             68
T2        Samuel Slater               68
T2        Brett Rankin                 68
T2        Jake McLeod                68

NEXT UP
Either end of the New South Wales border hosts adidas PGA Pro-Am Series events on Thursday with Marcus Fraser and Matthew Griffin headlining the Cohuna Golf Club Stuart Appleby Pro-Am as Higgins returns to his home course for the Coca-Cola Murwillumbah Pro-Am.


Australia’s Min Woo Lee will achieve his aim of a maiden appearance in the Presidents Cup in Montreal later this month, after he was added to the International team.

International captain Mike Weir chose the 26-year-old Lee as one of six discretionary selections.

It brings to three the number of Australians on the 12-man International team to play the USA later this month, with Adam Scott and Jason Day automatically qualified on world rankings.

The top six after the BMW Championship were guaranteed starters, and Lee, who was ninth-placed, was widely tipped to be included as one of the top young players in the world.

Another who was in that group just outside, Cam Davis, missed out on selection despite being an International team member in 2023 in North Carolina. He will count as one of the most unlucky players to be left out.

Weir said: “As one of the most popular players on the PGA TOUR, Min Woo is going to be an incredible addition to the International Team and our passionate fans in Montreal. He is one of the best drivers of the golf ball, and I can’t wait to let him cook at the Presidents Cup in a few weeks.”

Lee, who also made his Olympic Games debut this year, is fired up. “What I can bring to the International Team is flair and hopefully some good golf. I’ve been playing pretty solid this year. Being on the International Team is very special and obviously being the home side, it’ll be massive to play good in front of the fans.”

Weir chose three Canadians (Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith, Mackenzie Hughes), South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout, South Korea’s Si Woo Kim and Lee to round out his team.

The Presidents Cup is at Royal Montreal from 26 September.

INTERNATIONAL TEAM
Hideki Matsuyama
Sungjae Im
Adam Scott
Tom Kim
Jason Day
Byeong Hun An
Corey Conners
Taylor Pendrith
Mackenzie Hughes
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Min Woo Lee
Si Woo Kim
US TEAM
Scottie Scheffler
Xander Schauffele
Collin Morikawa
Wyndham Clark
Patrick Cantlay
Sahith Theegala
Sam Burns
Russell Henley
Keegan Bradley
Brian Harman
Tony Finau
Max Homa

PHOTO: Min Woo Lee is likely to get the fans engaged at Royal Montreal. Image: Getty


Queenslander Aaron Wilkin saw a maiden Asian Tour win elude his grasp in dramatic fashion on a see-sawing final day at the Mandiri Indonesia Open.

After breaking a 30-year course record at Damai Indah Golf’s PIK Course in Round 1, Wilkin started the final round with a one-stroke advantage.

When Englishman Steve Lewton (68) stood on the 72nd tee the 2022 Queensland PGA champion trailed by two but was given a last-minute lifeline when Lewton made double-bogey on the final hole.

He could have won in regulation with a birdie at his final hole, Wilkin’s par and round of 2-under 69 ultimately earning him a playoff berth alongside Lewton and China’s Sampson Zheng.

All three players made bogey at the first extra hole and then Lewton stepped up to convert his birdie chance from six feet after Wilkin missed one of his own from closer to eight feet.

While disappointed not to get the job done, Wilkin remained philosophical about his playoff defeat.

“I thought I handled myself pretty well to be honest. I just didn’t play well enough to be fair,” said Wilkin.

“I controlled my emotions pretty well until probably the playoff, but I reckon that was just poor swings.

“I still felt pretty good. I’m happy, it’s all good. I would have loved to win, it would have wrapped up my card for the year, or a couple years, but I feel like the game is going in the right direction.”

Another Aussie whose game is trending in the right direction is Adam Scott.

Unlikely to make the Tour Championship a month ago, Scott completed a stellar finish to his 2024 PGA TOUR season with a round of 4-under 67 and tie for fourth at East Lake Golf Club.

Next up for Scott is an 11th appearance for the International team at the Presidents Cup in Canada, a first-time win over the US now firmly on his mind.

“I was kind of struggling on the points list for most of the year, and then the last couple months really solidified my position on the team,” said Scott.

“All of a sudden I feel like I’m a good player again and I’m looking forward to going up there and winning some points.”

The third Aussie to log a top-five finish the past week was West Australian Kirsten Rudgeley.

Rudgeley delivered four consistent rounds at the Women’s Irish Open to earn her third top-five result of the season and move to 21st on the Order of Merit.

After a 74 in Round 1, it as a strong showing from Hannah Green at the inaugural FM Championship, who fought back to finish in a tie for 10th at TPC Boston.

Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images

Results

PGA TOUR
TOUR Championship
East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia
1          Scottie Scheffler           65-66-66-67—264       $US25m
T4        Adam Scott                  66-67-68-67—268       $3,933,333

DP World Tour
Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo
The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, England
1          Niklas Norgaard           70-66-64-72—272       €537,134.46
T25      Jason Scrivener            70-73-73-70—286       €30,490.28
T31      David Micheluzzi          69-73-73-72—287       €26,698.74
T53      Daniel Hillier (NZ)         71-74-72-74—291       €10,308.24
T73      Haydn Barron               73-72-77-74—296       €4,728.92
MC       Daniel Gale                  70-76—146
MC       Sam Jones (NZ)            72-77—149

LPGA Tour
FM Championship
TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts
1      Haeran Ryu                  69-62-78-64—273 $US570,000
T10      Hannah Green              74-69-69-67—279 $67,065     
T25      Robyn Choi                  69-68-76-70—283  $33,609   
T52      Grace Kim                    76-68-73-71—288   $11,203   
MC       Hira Naveed                 78-73—151
MC       Stephanie Kyriacou      80-73—153
MC       Sarah Jane Smith         78-75—153

Asian Tour
Mandiri Indonesia Open
Damai Indah Golf (PIK Cse), Indonesia
1          Steve Lewton               67-67-66-68—268       $US90,000
Won on the second hole of sudden-death playoff
T2        Aaron Wilkin                61-71-67-69—268       $43,250
T4        Travis Smyth                73-65-64-67—269       $22,750
T16      Doug Klein                   69-66-69-70—274       $6,065
T16      Andrew Dodt               64-71-68-71—274       $6,065
T16      Denzel Ieremia (NZ)     66-70-67-71—274       $6,065
T21      Jack Thompson            71-69-67-68—275       $5,075
T30      Harrison Crowe            71-68-64-74—277       $4,016.67
T48      Marcus Fraser              71-70-66-74—281       $2,200
T48      Maverick Antcliff          68-68-71-74—281       $2,200
T48      Scott Hend                   72-69-70-70—281       $2,200
T54      Justin Warren               69-71-68-74—282       $1,850
T61      Sam Brazel                   68-69-74-74—285       $1,525
T61      Kevin Yuan                   68-73-71-73—285       $1,525
T61      Lachlan Barker              71-70-75-69—285       $1,525
T71      Connor McDade          67-71-76-77—291       $1,075
MC       Brendan Jones             70-72—142
MC       Jordan Zunic                71-72—143
MC       Todd Sinnott                74-71—145
MC       Louis Dobbelaar          74-71—145
MC       Deyen Lawson             73-74—147

Japan Golf Tour
Fujisankei Classic
Fujizakura Country Club, Yamanashi
Event reduced to 36 holes due to rain
1          Noriaki Hirata               68-63—131     ¥11 million
T41      Michael Hendry (NZ)    72-70—142     ¥178,828
MC       Brad Kennedy              77-68—145
WD      Anthony Quayle           73       

Ladies European Tour
KPMG Women’s Irish Open
Carton House (The O’Meara Cse), Ireland
1          Annabel Dimmock       72-66-65-70—273       €60,000
Won in sudden-death playoff
T5        Kirsten Rudgeley          71-68-70-69—278       €12,000
T38      Kelsey Bennett             70-74-72-72—288       €2,560
64        Whitney Hillier             73-71-79-74—297       €1,040
MC       Amy Walsh                   77-71—148
MC       Momoka Kobori (NZ)   74-75—149

PGA TOUR Americas
CRMC Championship
Craguns Legacy Course, Brainerd, Minnesota
1          Frederik Kjettrup          62-63-65-66—256
T59      Charlie Hillier (NZ)        67-70-69-75—281
MC       Harry Hillier                  73-69—142
MC       Grant Booth                 70-72—142

Challenge Tour
Rosa Challenge Tour
Rosa Golf Club, Konopiska, Poland
1          Angel Ayora                 66-65-66-70—267       €43,200
MC       Hayden Hopewell        73-70—143
MC       Andrew Martin             67-77—144
MC       Blake Windred             74-70—144
MC       Connor McKinney        71-76—147

LET Access Series
Get Golfing Women’s Golf Championship
The Club at Mill Green, England
1          Megan Dennis             71-67-71—209 €12,800
T19      Stephanie Bunque        71-76-72—219 €1,177.33
MC       Wenyung Keh (NZ)       79-73—152
MC       Munchin Keh (NZ)        80-76—156

Epson Tour
Four Winds Invitational
South Bend Country Club, South Bend, Indiana
1          Yahui Zhang                 67-68-75—210 $39,375
T22      Cassie Porter                73-69-76—218 $US3,038
T46      Fiona Xu (NZ)               67-77-79—223 $1,287
MC       Amelia Garvey (NZ)      73-77—150
MC       Maddison Hinson-Tolchard      78-74—152

Korean PGA Tour
Lexus Masters
A1 Country Club, Korea
1          Lee Seung-taek            69-70-66-65—270
T14      Kevin Chun (NZ)           72-68-68-71—279
T46      Wonjoon Lee                72-72-72-68—284
T52      Changgi Lee (NZ)         71-70-73-71—285
MC       Junseok Lee                  71-74—145
MC       Sungjin Yeo (NZ)          72-73—145

Legends Tour
HSBC India Legends Championship hosted by Jeev Milkha Singh
Jaypee Greens, Delhi
1          Joakim Haeggman       65-70-72—207
T28      Michael Long (NZ)        76-74-72—222
T44      Michael Campbell (NZ) 73-79-76—228

Sunshine Tour
Gary and Vivienne Player Challenge
Kyalami Country Club, Midrand, South Africa
1          Daniel van Tonder        70-66-66—202
T15      Austin Bautista             72-69-68—209


Michael Sim says he “feels some good vibes” every time he comes to the Coolangatta-Tweed Heads Golf Club and he added to them with a course record round today.

A 9-under-par 63 on the West Course gave the Gold Coast-based 39-year-old a two-shot win in the Love Golf Fitting & Coaching Studio Coolangatta and Tweed Heads Golf Club Pro-Am.

It was a repeat of his victory in 2021 when he shot a 7-under-par 65 and if you look deeper into Sim’s career wins you’ll find a Greg Norman Junior Classic triumph at the NSW/Queensland border club.

Sim plays competition golf infrequently these days, spending more time coaching at Lakelands Golf Club.

But he says a round like this one, with nine birdies and nine pars, which beat Brad McIntosh’s previous course record of 64 may encourage more regular outings.

Fellow Queenslander Cory Crawford, who won the Ballina Pro-Am on Thursday, continued his fine form in the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series to finish second at Coolangatta and Tweed Heads.

His 65 was six shots better than the next best score in the morning groups. Crawford played the five par-5s in a combined 5-under-par, highlighted by an eagle at the 18th.

HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED

Starting his round on the 11th hole, playing alongside host professional Jared Love, Sim quickly moved to -2 with birdies on the 12th and 14th and surged to -5 with three straight birdies around the turn.

He eventually caught Crawford with a three on the long par-4 fifth hole and moved clear with birdies on the seventh and ninth.

WHAT THE WINNER SAID

Michael Sim: “I got it going early and was 4-under with four par-5s still to play. It ended up being a good day.

“I really enjoy coming here. A strength of mine is driving accuracy and iron play and it’s suited here. You don’t have to be too long on both Coolangatta-Tweed courses. There’s a lot of doglegs and the par-5s are all reachable.

“I’m still a bit undecided with what my future holds with tournament play but days like this maybe makes the decision a little easier.”

LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN

63: Michael Sim (Qld)

65: Cory Crawford (Qld)

67: Brett Rankin (Qld), Samuel Slater (Qld)

68: Lucas Higgins (NSW), Blaike Perkins (Qld)

69: Dillon Hart (Qld), Brendan Smith (NSW), Harrison Wills (Qld), Jayden Cripps (NSW)

NEXT UP

The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series returns to Brisbane for the Austbrokers Comsure Charity Day at The Brisbane Golf Club on Monday followed by the Lion Richlands McLeod Pro-Am at McLeod Country Golf Club on Wednesday.


The second restart after suffering a fractured back is right on track after Cory Crawford claimed a one-stroke win at the McGrath Estate Agents Ballina Pro-Am at Ballina Golf Club.

It took an eagle on his penultimate hole for Crawford to edge in front, his round of 6-under 66 enough to finish one clear of Sydney’s Jack McLeod (67) with Will Florimo (68), Damon Stephenson (68) and James Mee (68) all sharing third.

Winner of the PNG Open in 2017, Crawford has had stints playing in China, Canada and on the Asian Tour in recent years before a back injury curtailed his career.

Returning from a four-month break last year proved to be a false start but he hopes his Ballina win can be a portent of better things to come.

“It’s been very frustrating at times,” Crawford conceded.

“I’ve had a four-month break, then a restart, then a five-month break and now I’m getting back into it again.

“I’m three-and-a-half weeks into that restart and it honestly feels like I’m learning golf again.

“Hopefully I can play all the way through now, but it’s all pending my injury and how I hold up after playing a bunch of golf.”

HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED

Tied for 22nd at the PNG Open earlier this month on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, Crawford’s start on Thursday was less than auspicious.

A double-bogey at his opening hole – the par-4 eighth – was an early setback but three straight birdies from the 11th hole quickly got Crawford back into red figures.

Back-to-back birdies at 18 and one further advanced Crawford’s cause but it would take a birdie-eagle finish to stop McLeod from winning his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series event.

WHAT THE WINNER SAID

“I actually started with a double on the first hole and had to work really hard after that to try and figure it out and get my swing back to where I needed it to be,” said Crawford.

“It took a few holes and then I made a few birdies and after that I was sort of freeing up a little bit and was able to play some good golf the rest of the day.

“I’m at the stage with my restart that I’m just trying to go through the processes and not thinking about outcome at all.

“I just wanted to keep making good swings coming in. And I made a great swing on the second-last hole and made the putt.”

LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1          Cory Crawford             66
2          Jack McLeod                67
T3        Will Florimo                 69
T3        Damon Stephenson     69
T3        James Mee                   69
T6        Zach Maxwell               70
T6        Dillon Hart                   70
T6        Lucas Higgins              70

NEXT UP

The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series nudges towards the Queensland border on Friday with the Love Golf Fitting & Coaching Studio Coolangatta & Tweed Heads Golf Club Pro-Am at Coolangatta-Tweed Heads Golf Club.


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