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Reigning Australian PGA champion Min Woo Lee has locked in the defence of his title at Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane from November 21-24.
One of the emerging stars in world golf whose style of play and charisma on and off the course has attracted a massive global fan base, Lee will have his sights on being the first player to defend the Joe Kirkwood Cup since Cam Smith in 2018.
The West Australian scored a memorable three-shot win at Royal Queensland last November, shooting a total of 20-under-par to secure his biggest title on home soil.
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Since his PGA success, his fourth victory as a professional, Lee has moved to the United States to play as a full-time member of the PGA TOUR, has improved his world ranking to a career-high of No.31 and is a strong contender for selection in Australia’s Olympic Games golf team for Paris.
The 25-year-old’s 2024 campaign has included a tie for second at the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches.
Min Woo Lee said: “The Australian PGA Championship was a very special event for me last year, seeing a lot of friends, being in contention and then closing the win out on Sunday.
“The crowds at Royal Queensland are always awesome. It’s a great vibe that just keeps getting bigger.
“Coming back as the defending champion is going to be a new experience, but I’m already looking forward to it.”
PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman said: “It’s a huge boost for the 2024 Australian PGA Championship to have our defending champion Min Woo Lee signed on to compete at Royal Queensland in November.
“Min put on an awesome show last year, showing why he is one of world golf’s biggest drawcards.
“He has that X factor that golf fans here in Australia and overseas love to see and get behind.
“We have already experienced strong early ticket sales for this year’s event and having confirmation from Min that he will be coming back to Royal Queensland should give us another huge boost.”
Minister for Tourism and Sport, Michael Healy said: “This is terrific news, having one of the world’s most exciting and dynamic players in Min Woo Lee, commit to return and defend his Australian PGA title at the historic Royal Queensland course later this year.
“We’re thrilled to be hosting Australia’s oldest professional golf tournament again in 2024, an event that always assembles world-class fields, attracts massive galleries, and further cements Queensland’s reputation as a premier destination for major sporting events.
“Last year’s tournament welcomed over 61,000 people to Royal Queensland Golf Club injecting more than $14 million into the local visitor economy.”
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the return of the 2023 champion and rising star is a huge win for local golf fans.
“We are thrilled to welcome Min Woo Lee for another Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland later this year,” Cr Schrinner said.
“This event is a major driver for visitation to Brisbane, with more than 61,000 fans attending to watch Lee claim his first Australian PGA victory last year.
“Brisbane is proud to host the Australian PGA Championship once again, with the event to deliver incredible economic support to local Brisbane businesses with hotels, tourism experiences and restaurants set to experience the economic upswing.”
The Australian PGA Championship is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland, and Brisbane City Council via Brisbane Economic Development Agency
Nathan Barbieri clinched the 2024/25 Challenger PGA Tour of Australia Qualifying School’s Final Stage by running down all-the-way leader Max Charles before winning a three-man sudden-death playoff at Moonah Links today.
The Sydney professional went birdie-birdie-birdie-birdie-eagle over his final five holes on the Open Course to card an 8-under-par 64 and finish the 72 holes at 16-under, level with Victorian Charles (69) and New Zealand’s Denzel Ieremia (65).
Ieremia birdied the par-5 final hole, while Charles could only manage a par.
After the first two playoff holes were squared with pars, Barbieri clinched the win by rolling in a metre-long birdie putt after a pinpoint gap wedge approach on the par-4 10th hole.
By winning Q-School, the 27-year-old from Monash earns a start in all Challenger PGA Tour of Australia tournaments next season, including the big three – the Australian Open, Australian PGA and New Zealand Open.
.@barbieri_nathan is victorious at the 2024-25 PGATA Q School following a three-hole playoff 🐤👏 pic.twitter.com/yQP2G3raAf
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) April 12, 2024
Although he has been a regular on leaderboards since turning professional in 2020, Barbieri was coming off a disappointing season on the 2023/24 campaign, falling to 54th place on the Order of Merit.
After losing his place in the top 50 on the final day of season, his Tour status for 2024/25 received a significant upgrade thanks to today’s success.
“I hadn’t been playing too good but I felt like it clicked maybe the second round in New Zealand and then I played well in the last event at The National,” Barbieri said.
“Winning here is massive.
“I can plan my schedule now which is awesome.
“I came here for one reason – to win it – and I’ve done it so that’s very good.”
Charles will consider himself very unlucky to miss out on the rewards that top spot offers after starting the day with a four-shot lead and shooting a steady 3-under 69.
He only dropped shots on three of the 75 holes he played, the majority of them as the joint or outright leader.
“Max and Denzel played great all day. It was a good battle,” Barbieri said.
“There were a few nerves on that final putt. I didn’t actually think I’d be that nervous and it almost went right on me as well. I was happy to get it.”
Thirty-six players gained Tour cards for 2024/25 – and inclusion in Category 14 – by finishing at 2-over-par or better, including amateurs Tyler Duncan (Qld), Segunda Oliva Pinto (Argentina), Siddharth Nadimpalli (Vic), Jordan Doull (WA), Ben Henkel (Vic), Jye Pickin (NSW) and Ryan Ang (Singapore).
After being the joint leader after rounds one and two, Victorian rookie professional Max Charles seized control of the Final Stage of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia’s Qualifying School with a 66 on day three at Moonah Links today.
Sitting at 13-under-par after 54 holes, the former Australian amateur representative will head into the final round with a four-shot lead over New Zealand’s Denzel Ieremia and on track for his biggest moment as a professional.
The 23-year-old had a best finish of T42 in his four Tour starts in the 2023/24 season, but he’s looked very comfortable in the lead this week, dropping just three shots over the opening three rounds – a double-bogey on the 12th hole of the Open Course on Wednesday and a bogey on the opening hole today.
He followed that early mis-step with birdies on the third, fourth, seventh, eighth and ninth to turn in 32 before adding in birdies on the 14th and 18th.
Meanwhile, Ieremia surged to second thanks to the low round of the tournament so far. His eight-under 64 featured eight birdies – three on the front nine and five on the back which he completed in just 31 strokes – and saw him jump 12 positions after he struggled to a 76 on day two.
Also still in contention heading into Friday are Nathan Barbieri (NSW), who is five shots back at -8, James Mee (Qld) at -7 and Brett Rankin (Qld) and Adam Brady (WA) who are sharing fifth at -6.
Round three saw some important big moves further back in the field including a 67 from Queensland amateur Tyler Duncan to move him to a share of ninth and a 67 from NSW’s Dylan Perry, despite two late bogeys, which lifted him into a share of 25th.
Argentinian amateur Segunda Oliva Pinta solidified his position with a 69 to be equal seventh at 5-under, alongside joint 36-hole leader Corey Lamb (NSW) who double-bogeyed the second hole on the way to a 74.
The top 30 finishers after the 72 holes conclude tomorrow will earn Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia and be placed in a Tournament Exemption Category.
The cut line for those slots sits at +1 entering the final round.
Those players finishing beyond 30th place and ties, who complete 72 holes at Final Stage, will be eligible for Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia, however, they will not hold an exemption category for the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
All players who play 72 holes of the Final Stage will earn a pro-am exemption category and be eligible to enter adidas PGA Pro-Am series events.
A 7-under-par 65 has propelled Corey Lamb into a share of the halfway lead at the Final Stage of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School at Moonah Links.
After starting with an even-par 72 on Tuesday, the Hunter Valley professional, who almost broke through for a Tour victory at Webex Players Series South Australia last October, is alongside rookie Victorian pro Max Charles (66-71) at -7 after 36 holes.
Western Australia’s Ryan Peake (66-72) is a shot back in third, one clear of NSW’s Nathan Barbieri (68-71) and WA’s Adam Brady (71-68).
The two leading amateurs in the field, Australian representative Jye Pickin (70-72) and Argentina’s Segundo Oliva Pinto (71-71), are tied for 10th at -2.
Lamb’s 65, the low score in the opening two rounds, was highlighted by an eagle two at the 355m par-4 ninth hole, with his only bogey coming two holes later on the 404m par-4 11th.
After starting the day in a share of the lead with Peake, Charles dropped his first shots of the tournament with a double-bogey on the 385m par-4 12th but bounced back with an eagle on the par-5 15th (491m).
The top 30 finishers after the 72 holes conclude on Friday will earn Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia and be placed in a Tournament Exemption Category.
Those players finishing beyond 30th place and ties, who complete 72 holes at Final Stage, will be eligible for Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia, however, they will not hold an exemption category for the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
All players who play 72 holes of the Final Stage will earn a pro-am exemption category and be eligible to enter adidas PGA Pro-Am series events.
Photo: Corey Lamb, tied for the lead at Final Stage of Q-School
The first major championship of the year is upon us, with 89 players descending on Augusta National Golf Club for the 88th Masters Tournament, including six Australians.
Seeking to become just the second Australian to have the green jacket draped on their shoulders, Cameron Davis, Jason Day, Min Woo Lee, Cameron Smith and amateur Jasper Stubbs join 2013 champion Adam Scott in Georgia.
With the eyes of the golfing world on The Masters, here is all you need to know to follow the action.
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Jon Rahm
PRIZEMONEY: $US18 million (expected to be same as 2023)
LIVE SCORES: www.masters.com
TV COVERAGE: The Masters Tournament rounds are live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo, as well as 9GemHD and 9Now.
Fox Sports 503 will be a dedicated Masters channel this week, while featured holes and groups will be shown on Kayo, Fox Sports 505/506 and 9Now.
*All times AEST.
Par-3 Contest: 5am – 7am Thursday (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9Now)
Round One: Featured groups 11pm Thursday – 5am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9Now);Regular coverage Friday 5am – 9:30am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9GemHD/9Now)
Round Two: Featured groups 11pm Friday – 5am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9Now);Regular coverage Saturday 5am – 9:30am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9GemHD/9Now)
Round Three: Featured groups 12am Sunday – 5am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9Now);Regular coverage Sunday 5am – 9am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9GemHD/9Now)
Final Round: Featured groups 12am Monday – 4am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9Now);Regular coverage Monday 4am – 9am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9GemHD/9Now)
ROUND ONE TEE TIMES (AEST)
Cameron Davis: 1:18am (Friday)
Jason Day: 3:24am (Friday)
Min Woo Lee: 12:06am (Friday)
Adam Scott: 3:12am (Friday)
Cameron Smith: 12:54am (Friday)
Jasper Stubbs (a): 11:00pm (Thursday)
AUSTRALIAN PLAYER PROFILES
CAMERON DAVIS
World ranking: 62
Age: 29
Professional wins: Four
Best finish at The Masters: 46th (2022)
The lowdown: Making his second Masters start, Davis returns after a year away from Augusta National when he managed his best ever finish at a major with a T4 at the 2024 U.S. PGA Championship.
Making the cut in his one appearance, Davis is now a fixture, and winner, on the PGA TOUR and has the ball striking prowess to succeed at The Masters.
Sharing 21st in his last start, the Seattle-based Sydneysider has a best finish of T18 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational so far this year and is chasing a second Presidents Cup spot in 2024.
JASON DAY
World ranking: 21
Age: 36
Major wins: One (2015 U.S. PGA Championship)
Professional wins: 19
Best finish at The Masters: T2 (2011)
The lowdown: Returning to the winners’ circle on the PGA TOUR and finishing runner-up at The Open in 2024, Day arrives in solid form with three top-10s already to his name so far this year.
Long considered a player purpose built for Augusta, Day, who has made nine cuts in 12 starts, nearly joined the exclusive club of winning The Masters on his first try when he was joint second in 2011 behind South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel.
Rebuilding his game with Tiger Woods’ former coach Chris Como after years of back injuries, Day still has the high ball flight best suited to MacKenzie’s design, while his putting is among the best in the game when on.
MIN WOO LEE
World ranking: 32
Age: 25
Professional wins: Four
Best finish at The Masters: T14 (2022)
The lowdown: After a stellar summer at home, where he won the Australian PGA Championship and was third at the Australian Open, Lee will arrive well rested after a break following the PGA TOUR’s ‘Florida Swing’, albeit nursing a finger which he fractured in a weights session.
Sharing second at the Cognizant Classic last month, Lee’s ‘It’ factor will no doubt be on show again this week, as it was on debut two years ago when the West Australian equalled the front nine tournament scoring record of 30.
Boasting major championship pedigree from sister Minjee, Min Woo missed the weekend last year but has shown an early aptitude at the majors, where he has five finishes in the top-10 from six starts.
ADAM SCOTT
World ranking: 53
Age: 43
Major wins: One (2013 Masters)
Professional wins: 32
Best finish at The Masters: Win (2013)
The lowdown: Never discount a winner at Augusta, and that is certainly the case with Scott who broke the Aussie duck 11 years ago in the rain.
The Queenslander recorded dual top-10s at the Australian PGA and Australian Open before winning the Cathedral Invitational to end 2023, with Scott finishing in the top-20 five times already this year.
Tied for 14th in Texas last week, Scott is making his 23rd Masters appearance, a record that has included 20 made cuts including the last 14 straight. In addition to his green jacket, the former World No.1 has nine other results better than T25 over his tremendous Masters career.
CAMERON SMITH
World ranking: 68
Age: 30
Major wins: One (2022 Open Championship)
Professional wins: 12
Best finish at The Masters: T2 (2020)
The lowdown: A proven performer at the majors, the winner of the 150th Open’s biggest question heading into this week is his health after a bout of food poisoning cruelled his final prep last week.
Physically on the improve, Smith became the first player to shoot four rounds in the 60s at The Masters only to be trumped by Dustin Johnson in 2020 for the title. Winning his own major two years later, the Queenslander’s short game is his ace in hole this, and every, week.
Missing out in a play-off a few weeks back, Smith has already developed a strong Masters resumé with seven made cuts from seven starts and four top-10s to his name. Beware the wounded golfer!
JASPER STUBBS (a)
World ranking: 1410
Age: 22
Professional wins: None
Best finish at The Masters: Debut
The lowdown: The fourth Australian winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, Stubbs punched his Masters (and Open) ticket last year at Royal Melbourne with a steely play-off win to follow in the recent footsteps of Harrison Crowe.
Getting the awe of a first visit out the of the way earlier in the year, Stubbs will stay in the Crows Nest early in the week before settling into some off site accommodation, with making the cut the first goal for the low amateur at the Australian Open.
Has gained plenty of experience playing alongside the pros on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia this past season, and will attempt to glean as much as possible from Cam Smith during a scheduled Wednesday practice round.
THE COURSE
As it has done 87 times before, Augusta National Golf Club welcomes The Masters this week to its golf course that is known the world over.
Opened in 1933, the host venue was designed by Dr Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones with tournament golf front of mind and has been regularly updated to challenge the modern day player.
In preparation for this year’s tournament, 10 yards have been added to the sweeping dogleg left par-5 second hole that makes it the longest hole on the course at 585 yards. Interestingly, every hole at Augusta is listed at five yard increments with the par-72 totalling 7555 yards for 2024.
Immaculate condition of the overseeded ryegrass fairways and bentgrass greens, as well as surrounding flowers, are par for the course where the three holes known as ‘Amen Corner’ are always crucial come Sunday afternoon.
Comprising the 520-yard par-4 11th (White Dogwood), 155-yard par-3 12th (Golden Bell) and the 545-yard par-5 13th (Azalea), the famous trio have seen green jackets won and lost over the years.
Ball striking is at a premium at Augusta National, where Nick Price (1986) and Greg Norman (1996) hold the course record of 63 (nine-under).
HEADLINERS
Jon Rahm, 2023 Masters champion
Scottie Scheffler, World No.1 and 2022 Masters champion
Brooks Koepka, Five-time major winner and 2023 runner-up
Tiger Woods, Five-time Masters champion and 15-time major winner
Wyndham Clark, 2023 U.S. Open winner
Hideki Matsuyama, 2021 Masters champion
Rory McIlroy, Four-time major winner
Jordan Spieth, Three-time major winner
Dustin Johnson, Two-time major winner and 2020 Masters champion
Xander Schauffele, World No.5 and 2019 Masters runner-up
Phil Mickelson, Six-time major winner and 2023 runner-up
Still in the early months of his professional career, former Victorian amateur star Max Charles has taken a share of the lead after day one of the Final Stage of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia’s Qualifying School.
Charles, who turned pro after a top-five finish at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne last October, shot a 6-under-par 66 on the Moonah Links Open Course to sit atop the leaderboard with West Australian Ryan Peake.
Kiwi Denzel Ieremia is next in line at 5-under, one ahead of NSW duo Nathan Barbieri and Josh Clarke.
Peake, who finished 79th on last season’s Order of Merit, was first to post 6-under with his round highlighted by a back nine of 30, while Charles birdied four of his last eight holes on a bogey-free day.
Charles’ Asia-Pacific teammate, Jye Pickin (NSW), is the leading amateur, in equal eighth at 2-under.
It was a rocky start to Final Stage for the winners of First Stage, also played at Moonah Links, last week.
Jordan Doull, from Mt Lawley Golf Club in Perth, was the best of the trio, in a share of 29th after a 2-over 74, while Queensland professional Zachary Maxwell shot a 76 to be T46 and Ryan Swann, from Pacific Golf Club in Brisbanem battled to a 79 to be in 65th position.
The top 30 finishers after 72 holes will earn Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia and be placed in a Tournament Exemption Category.
Those players finishing beyond 30th place and ties, who complete 72 holes at Final Stage, will be eligible for Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia, however, they will not hold an exemption category for the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
All players who play 72 holes of the Final Stage will earn a pro-am exemption category and be eligible to enter adidas PGA Pro-Am series events.
Photo: Victorian professional Max Charles
Players from six separate nations will take on Australians hoping to shore up their status on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia when the Final Stage of Qualifying School begins at Moonah Links on Tuesday.
A total of 36 players advanced from two sections of First Stage played across the Open and Legends courses at Moonah Links last week and are now joined by 24 players who finished between 51st and 100th on the 2023/2024 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.
West Australian Joseph Owen was exempt into Final Stage due to his finish on the Future Tour Order of Merit last season while Singapore’s Ryan Ang and Argentinian Segundo Oliva Pinto have been issued amateur exemptions for a total field of 66 players.
Ang (pictured) was 11th at the Australian Men’s Amateur Championship in January while Oliva Pinto has spent five years playing college golf in the US, firstly for the University of North Carolina Wilmington and most recently the University of Arkansas.
Justin Quiban of the Philippines already boasts top-10 finishes on the Asian Tour while Canadian amateur Dustin Franko is another recent college graduate from The University of Hawai‘i at Hilo.
Congratulations to the 36 players advancing to the 2024-25 Final Stage Qualifying School at Moonah Links next week!
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) April 5, 2024
Final scores: https://t.co/x31wjbjXFB pic.twitter.com/kmboLdeGm9
Along with four Kiwis, American Matt Siporin completes the league of nations, the mini tour veteran in the US successfully navigating First Stage of Q School to pursue full status for the 2024/2025 season.
In addition to the international contingent, there are a host of familiar Aussie names also eager to secure playing opportunities for the coming season.
Amateurs Jordan Doull (WA), Jye Pickin (NSW), Connor McDade (VIC), Ben Henkel (VIC), Tyler Duncan (QLD), Ryan Swann (QLD), Siddharth Nadimpalli (VIC), Blaike Perkins (QLD), Harry Goakes (VIC) and Dominic Brettkelly (NZ) can all kick-start their journey into the professional ranks while others, such as Lincoln Tighe, Nathan Barbieri and Denzel Ieremia are out to enhance their category positions.
Twelve months ago, New Zealand amateur Kazuma Kobori was Q-School medallist, going on to win three times in his rookie season to claim the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.
All four rounds of Final Stage will be played at the Moonah Links Open Course with Round 1 to tee off at 8am Tuesday morning.
The top 30 finishers will earn Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia and be placed in a Tournament Exemption Category.
Those players finishing beyond 30th place and ties, who complete 72 holes at Final Stage, will be eligible for Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia, however, they will not hold an exemption category for the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
All players who play 72 holes of the Final Stage will earn a pro-am exemption category and be eligible to enter adidas PGA Pro-Am series events.
Amateurs from Queensland and Western Australia have had section wins in the First Stage of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia’s Qualifying School at Moonah Links.
Ryan Swann, from the Pacific Golf Club in Brisbane, topped Section A, played on the Legends Course, by two shots after a closing with a 5-under-par 67 to be 9-under for the 54 holes, two clear of fellow amateur Harry Goakes (Victoria), West Australian professional Adam Brady and Victorian pro Caleb Bovalina.
Brady surged home with the day’s low round, a 6-under 66.
In Section B on the Open Course, amateur Jordan Doull, from the Mt Lawley Golf Club in Perth, posted a 4-under-par 68 to catch the overnight leader, Queensland professional Zac Maxwell (72). The duo finished on 8-under, three ahead of Victoria’s Lachlan Aylen, who had the section’s low round of Friday – a 5-under 67.
With his place in next week’s Final Stage in jeopardy, Victorian amateur Connor McDade produced a bogey-free 4-under 68 on the Open Course to move on despite starting with a 77 which left him in a share of 35th on Wednesday.
He finished a tie for eighth at 1-under and was one of three members of the Australian team at last year’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne to be among the 18 players from their section to qualify for final stage.
Jye Pickin (NSW) shared fifth at 3-under, while Victoria’s Max Charles, who turned pro after a T4 finish at the Asia-Pacific, claimed a share of 15th at +1.
In Section A, the 18 qualifiers included the first-round leader Konrad Ciupek (T9 at 2-under) and recent Riversdale Cup champion Blaike Perkins who birdied his final hole to finish one shot inside the cut line in a tie for 16th at even-par.
The 72-hole Final Stage of Qualifying School, which has a confirmed field of 66 starters, gets underway on Tuesday with the top 30 finishers to earn Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia and be placed in a Tournament Exemption Category.
Those players finishing beyond 30th place and ties, who complete 72 holes at Final Stage, will be eligible for Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia, however, they will not hold an exemption category for the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
All players who play 72 holes of the Final Stage will earn a pro-am exemption category and be eligible to enter adidas PGA Pro-Am series events.
Photo: WA amateur Jordan Doull
Queenslander Quinn Croker will be one of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia’s rookies to watch in 2024/25 but before then he has his sights on some big amateur events in the United States.
With a sequence of outstanding results in the recently completed Tour season, Croker locked up the Future Tour Order of Merit by a wide margin to secure a Tour card which ensures he can bypass the upcoming Qualifying School at Moonah Links.
A member of Australia’s team at last year’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, Croker made the cut in all nine Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia tournaments he contested, highlighted by a second-place finish at The Heritage Classic in January.
And he finished outside the top 15 in only two events, gaining great experience to take into the next stage of his career and impressing those who saw his game first-hand and on the Fox Sports telecasts.
PGA.org.au caught up with the 21-year-old after his final Tour event as an amateur, The National Tournament, to get some key takeaways on his fantastic season.
What reflections do you have on the 2023/24 season overall?
I enjoyed it this year. It was fun. I played plenty of different tournament and got the chance to go to plenty of different places. It was a good year.
What did you learn most about what life as a touring professional would be like?
Something that sticks out the most is the uncontrollables. There’s so many things you can get mad at or angry at, your feelings towards them, that don’t really matter. You can deal with them after if you have to.
It’s no use getting annoyed about something that doesn’t really matter and then bringing that out on the golf course. You just have to go out and play the 18 holes.
I played a couple of events and realised that ‘my game is kind of there so if I just let it happen it will turn into a good result’. I showed myself that I could play out here and some good golf, not perfect golf, can get it done some times.
What was your favourite event of the season?
I really liked the two events in WA, the Open and the PGA. Joondalup was a really cool course.
Heritage was obviously the best finish, the most I was under-par, and it was good to get used to the TV cameras following me and having to manage my time with some extra requirements. That was a learning curve that week.
Who sticks in your mind as someone who was really enjoyable to play with?
Playing with Griffo (Matt Griffin) in the final round at The Heritage was pretty big. Just being able to have a good chat with him while he’s trying to win a golf tournament. You just can’t chat like two mates walking down the fairway because you still have a job to do, but I really enjoyed his company. He’s a good bloke who knows a lot and is open to helping you. He has so much knowledge.
Also what comes to mind is the Sandbelt Invitational. I played with Geoff Ogilvy the first day and then Nico Colsaerts the next day. To with able to play with them on back-to-back days, and play some pretty good golf in front of them, was really good. I thought ‘wow, I’m playing with a US Open winner and the vice-captain of Europe’s Ryder Cup team’. That was pretty cool.
What’s your plans for the next few months?
We’re going to work pretty hard on my game in the next couple of months and hopefully get some progression then there’s some amateur events in the US that I hope to tap into and play. It’s going to be tough in terms of knowing a schedule.
We’ll try to play as many events as we can over there in their summer and then come home. I think by that time, it might be the start of the new season here so then I might be looking to use the Future card and play a season as a professional on this Tour.
Although they weren’t quite able to make it into the top three on the Order of Merit to earn a DP World Tour card, there were plenty of players on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia who definitely trended in the right direction in season 2023/24.
Here’s a look at some of our biggest improvers in the top 20.
Andrew Campbell – Up 88 to No.14
The winner of this year’s adidas PGA Pro-Am Series Order of Merit also made the biggest jump into the top 20 of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit. Campbell’s Tour campaign featured six top-10s, including a runner-up finish at Webex Players Series South Australia at Willunga. Until this season, he hadn’t produced a top 10 on Tour, making the Coffs Harbour professional a prime contender for status as the most improved touring professional in the country.
Ben Eccles – Up 85 to No.8
The feel good story of the first half of the season was the Victorian pro who broke through for his first win in eight years at the CKB WA PGA Championship in Kalgoorlie where he had a five-shot margin over runner-up Haydn Barron. He almost made it a double at the Vic PGA, eventually finishing second behind a charging David Micheluzzi after weekend rounds of 66-68.
Austin Bautista – Up 67 to No.16
Bautista produced a brilliant final day 64 to claim the inaugural Webex Players Series South Australia title by a shot, riding a hot putter to come from four shots back on Sunday. He was back in the mix three events later at the Vic PGA at Moonah Links, claiming a tie for sixth to be right in the hunt for a DP World Tour card into the second half of the schedule.
Matt Griffin – Up 57 to No.4
The former Order of Merit champion was a frequent presence on leaderboards, especially after the Christmas-New Year break. He kicked off January with a runaway win at The Heritage Classic, starting with a brilliant 61 before going on to post a 72-hole total of 24-under-par. The Victorian was also in final day contention at the New Zealand Open, eventually finishing in a tie for third before also challenging at the season finale at The National..
Cameron John – Up 56 to No.7
On his way back from wrist surgery that curtailed his end to the 2022/23 season, the Victorian was having a solid but unspectacular campaign until he arrived at The National Tournament presented by BMW. An impressive 16-under-par tally around the Moonah Course gave him a three-shot margin over Daniel Gale and opened the door to some new career possibilities.
Lachlan Barker – Up 50 to No.10
One of the first-time winners on Tour in 2023/24, Barker was the early leader in the Order of Merit race. He backed up his maiden success at the PNG Open with a share of third at the CKB WA PGA Championship and a T9 at the Tailor-Made Building Services NT PGA.
Jak Carter – Up 49 to No.6
The South Australian’s fine form started in Western Australia with a T6 at the WA Open followed by a T9 at the WA PGA. All up, he had five top-10 finishes across the season, highlighted by a tie for second behind Matt Griffin at The Heritage Classic and a third at the Gippsland Super 6. Not only did he finish just outside the DP World Tour cards, his world ranking halved from No.1899 to No.900.
Nick Voke – Up 26 to No.13
The New Zealander was the joint 36-hole leader after a day two 62 at the Queensland PGA Championship, eventually figuring in an eight-way tie for second behind amateur Phoenix Campbell, and was again well in the hunt on the final day of the Vic Open, sharing top spot after 54 holes, before finishing T6. A share of 14th at the NZ Open presented by Sky Sports solidified his place inside the top 15 on the Order of Merit.
