PGA Tour Archives - Page 25 of 129 - PGA of Australia

Kobori crowned Order of Merit champion for 2023/2024


Breakout Kiwi star Kazuma Kobori is ready to rub shoulders with the likes of Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth at this year’s Open Championship after being officially declared the 2023/2024 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit champion.

A three-time winner since January after earning his Tour card by winning Qualifying School last April, Kobori has an unassailable lead with just one event remaining, this week’s The National Tournament presented by BMW at The National Golf Club.

While six other players are still in the hunt for the final two DP World Tour cards, Kobori can tee it up from Thursday safe in the knowledge that he will have status when the 2025 DP World Tour commences with the Australian PGA Championship from November 21-24.

It is a rapid ascension for a 22-year-old who only turned professional at the start of November and who, midway through the season, was concerned that he wouldn’t keep his card.

But the golf world is soon to open up to him, including an exemption to the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon in July.

“I was just trying to get the DP World Tour card for next year and then my manager called me a couple of days after NZ Open and said that I had The Open sealed up too,” said Kobori.

“That’s pretty cool. For me, it was a bit of a bonus because I actually didn’t know that was part of the deal.

“Needless to say, I’ll take it.”

Given that he didn’t take up golf seriously until he was 12 years of age, Kobori’s earliest memories of major championships are post-2010, when McIlroy and Spieth were at their most dominant.

He is now coming to terms with the fact that he will play The Open Championship alongside them in just four months’ time.

“Obviously Tiger Woods was pretty dominant at the major championships but I started golf a bit later, when I was 10. Properly started playing when I was 12 so 2010 onwards, the guys playing major championships, those really stuck to me,” he added.

“Rory, Jordan Spieth winning The Open Championship, stuff like that.

“To be able to play in that tournament myself is something that I am really looking forward to.”

Changing seasons

Truth be told, this Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season was Kobori’s back-up plan.

With a category secured at Q School, Kobori’s major focus was the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in October.

The week prior, he was individual medallist at the Eisenhower Trophy in Abu Dhabi and, after one round at Royal Melbourne, was leading by two strokes.

A win that week would have earned Kobori a start at both The Open and The Masters, provided he retained his amateur status.

He would ultimately finish sixth, turn pro three days later and finish tied for ninth in his first start at the Queensland PGA Championship at Nudgee.

Two weeks later he squandered a six-stroke lead on the final day of the Victorian PGA Championship and, after missed cuts at both the Australian PGA and Australian Open, took a reality check heading into Christmas.

“This was the plan, and the best possible outcome, if you will. That being said, it’s not how I thought it would go at all,” Kobori conceded.

“After the Aus Open I was sitting 38th or something on the Order of Merit and thinking, This is pretty brutal if I’m going to try and keep my card.”

As others took a Christmas break, Kobori went to work.

After a poor finish at the Heritage Classic to start 2024 he won three of the next four tournaments, matching Tiger Woods’ lofty mark of three wins in his first 10 starts as a professional.

Although a missed cut at the New Zealand Open delayed confirmation if only for a couple of days, Kobori has now advanced further down his professional golf pathway than he could have imagined only a few months earlier.

“It’s fantastic; it’s a dream come true,” he said of his Order of Merit rewards.

“I’ll be 23 by the time I start my DP World Tour season properly but that’s way further ahead of my timeline than I could have ever imagined.

“This is the pathway that I planned out for myself but it’s gone much more quickly than I had thought.”

The only place to watch The National Tournament presented by BMW live is on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.

Photo: Monica Marchesani


An Order of Merit champion crowned, global opportunities created and futures secured on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.

All will unfold at the final event of the 2023/2024 season, The National Tournament presented by BMW at the iconic The National Golf Club on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.

Twelve months ago, Tom Power Horan claimed his second victory of the season at one of the best layouts in the country, the Greg Norman-Bob Harrison designed Moonah Course.

With the Moonah Course again to host this week, there are two players with multiple wins already this season heading into the finale for 2023/2024.

Kiwi rookie Kazuma Kobori – winner of Qualifying School last April – leads the Order of Merit comfortably thanks to Webex Players Series wins at Cobram Barooga, Rosebud and Castle Hill Country Club in Sydney.

Twelfth on his home course at Castle Hill, Daniel Gale added to his earlier win at the NT PGA with victory at the closing Webex Players Series event of the year at Oaks Cypress Lakes in the Hunter Valley.

It puts Gale in prime position to snare one of the three DP World Tour cards on offer for the top-three Order of Merit finishers come Sunday evening.

Kobori is guaranteed one but Gale, Vic Open winner Brett Coletta, Heritage Classic champion Matthew Griffin, reigning Order of Merit winner David Micheluzzi, the consistent Jak Carter and WA PGA victor Ben Eccles can all leap into the top three with a win this week.

But it is not only about winning.

Prominent finishes on the Order of Merit open opportunities at qualifying schools internationally while those who finish in the top 50 earn a full card for the 2024/2025 season.

Prior to the New Zealand Open, Ben Wharton had all but resigned himself to losing his spot on tour, potentially for good.

Up to that point, Wharton had endured a tough run this season on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, his best result a tie for 15th at the Victorian PGA Championship at Moonah Links.

Well outside the top 50 that retain their status for the following season, Wharton was weighing up his options.

There was a very real possibility that this week’s tournament could have been his last. If he’d decided to tee it up at all.

With a baby on the way, it was clear to Wharton that something had to change.

With tears in his eyes, leader in the clubhouse at the Millbrook Resort if only for the next few hours, he tried to explain what comes next after signing for a potentially career-saving Sunday 64.

“Coming in this week, I was looking at racking up the sticks for good,” said Wharton.

“It was pretty nice to play well when I had to.”

After nearly walking away with a car on the 72nd hole of the tournament – where he was inches away from a hole-in-one at the par-3 18th – Wharton is now looking forward to what the future has to offer.

“That kind of defines to me that I am good enough to hang around the top of the leaderboard when I allow my mind to do it,” added Wharton, who climbed from 69th to 27th on the Order of Merit as a result.

By virtue of the recently established exemption for the leading five players from the International Federation Ranking — the top players from the money lists of Australasia, Japan, Asia and South Africa – the winner of the Order of Merit will be automatically exempt into The Open Championship at Royal Troon in July.

The top three on the Order of Merit earn a category on the DP World Tour next season and the leading three finishers (not otherwise eligible, down to 20th place) are exempt into Final Stage of DP World Tour Qualifying School.

There are also exemptions into the Alfred Dunhill Championship played at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns for those who finish high on the Order of Merit.

HOW TO FOLLOW

For live scoring and the latest news visit www.pga.org.au Exclusive content and tournament updates will also be posted regularly on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia’s social media channels.

Instagram: @pgatouraus
Twitter: @PGAofAustralia
Facebook: @PGATourAus
Official hashtag: #TheNationalTournament

HOW TO WATCH
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.

Round 3: Saturday 4pm-7pm AEDT
Round 4: Sunday 2pm-7pm AEDT

FORMER CHAMPIONS
2023: Tom Power Horan (Moonah)
2022: Derek Ackerman (Gunnamatta)

COURSE DESIGNER
Greg Norman/Bob Harrison (2000)

COURSE RECORD
Elvis Smylie, 63 (Rd 2, 2023)

CURRENT ORDER OF MERIT
1. Kazuma Kobori         833.93
2. Brett Coletta             599.76
3. Daniel Gale               539.84
4. Matthew Griffin        494.69
5. David Micheluzzi      372.64
6. Jak Carter                 360.60
7. Ben Eccles                358.35
8. Kade McBride           345.53
9. Kerry Mountcastle    331.35
10. Lachlan Barker        326.88


It’s the differences between Australia’s greatest golf siblings that grab all the attention -Minjee Lee is “the scientist”, the disciplined, serious one; her little brother, Min Woo Lee, “the artist” with freewheeling flair.

He’s the extrovert, revving up the gallery to the chorus of “Let him cook”, the quirky chant that has earned him the nickname The Chef among his 700,000-plus social media followers. She finds the self-promotion of social media awkward.

Even the siblings play up their differences. “Minjee’s a straight line,” Min Woo tells Australian Story. Always focused on excellence as a golfer, never detouring.

His path in professional golf, he says, has been more “like a random, squiggly line”.

And with both now playing at the top tier of the game globally, the ever-present, low-level sibling rivalry has come to the fore.

“I want to do better, a little bit better [than Min Woo],” Minjee says.

Min Woo says it may be petty but he loves to one-up his sister.

All this talk of opposites and rivalry, though, can give the impression that this duo is like oil and water; two diverse personalities with little in common.

But put them together and it’s obvious how much this sister and brother like each other. There’s a relaxed, playful vibe as they rush to tell a childhood story, talking over each other one minute, finishing each other’s sentences the next.

Both herald their sibling’s strengths but still manage to get in a few good-natured jibes at each other.

And bond over annoying stuff — like pesky pimples.

In the days after a nailbiting but unsuccessful tilt at the Australian Open women’s and men’s titles, the duo sits side-by-side, chatting freely, as the Australian Story crew gets ready to film a joint interview. Minjee surveys her brother’s face and compliments him on his unblemished forehead.

Min Woo points out a double pimple near his nose, whispering that he made the mistake of popping it.

“I had one, too,” Minjee says, grinning as she locates it on her face.

“Acne,” says Min Woo into the camera when he realises they’ve been sprung conducting a skin assessment. “It’s a human problem.”

But these aren’t run-of-the-mill humans; they are superstars of the game of golf.

Minjee, 27, has won two of the Ladies Professional Golf Association’s (LPGA) major championships, including the prestigious US Open, with 10 tournament wins in almost 10 years on the circuit.

She’s currently number five in the world, with earnings of about $20 million. A survey in 2023 rated her Australia’s highest-earning female athlete.

Min Woo, 25, turned pro in 2019, three years after winning the boys’ US Junior Amateur Championship, just as his sister had done four years earlier in the girls’ comp, making them the first sibling duo to hold the titles.

He’s had four professional wins, although never a major, and boasts a career purse of about $5 million, along with a chunk of cash from the endorsement deals his flashy style attracts.

It takes all kinds to succeed in the high-pressure world of golf, says Minjee.

“There is no one correct path,” she says. “You take your own path, your own journey to get there.”

“Swing your swing,” adds Min Woo, who is ranked 42nd in the world right now but makes no secret he’s aiming for number one.

As is Minjee, who got tantalisingly close in 2019 and 2022, hitting the number two spot.

“So close,” says Min Woo, holding his thumb and index finger a centimetre apart.

“I think I can get there,” Minjee says.

Min Woo will brook no doubt. “She’ll get there, she’ll get there. Not you think you can,” he chides his sister. “You will.”

He’s even prepared to put a timeframe on it. This will be Minjee’s year, he says, the year his hard-working big sister will be the world’s number one female golfer. If all goes to plan, The Chef won’t be far behind.

The moustache, mullet and mock-neck shirt

The way Min Woo tells it, being a hit on social media and positioning himself as the fashion-forward, hip young dude of golf was the only way to trump his more seasoned sister.

She plays too good all the time,” he says. “I mean, I’m busting my butt to win a couple of tournaments and she’s just doing it regularly so I’ve got to somehow work my way out of that shadow.”

He’s been credited with bringing “dirtbag cool” to golf; swaggering about the course in his trademark “mock-neck” shirt, sporting a manicured moustache and short-cut mullet. Sometimes, he tops the look off with a chef’s hat, or leads the crowd in a thunderclap.

“I’m just trying to make [golf] younger and cooler,” he says.

Min Woo’s early years on the circuit weren’t dazzling but last year, he captured the attention of US golf lovers at the PGA’s Player Championship at the elite Floridian course, Sawgrass.

Despite being the last player selected for the event, it was Min Woo who was at the final tee, battling world number one Scott Scheffler for the trophy.

He didn’t make it but won a lot of fans and kudos for his gutsy effort and entertaining style. He’s since scored a coveted PGA tour card – a pass to play on the American tour.

“That [event] was a big part of who I am now,” he says. “Since then, I’ve had massive popularity boosts on social media and just around the world.”

Minjee prefers a grateful smile and a wave for her fans but she’s not surprised by the hubbub Min Woo creates and his social media success.

“I knew with his style, his energy, he would get a lot of attention if his game was trending up.”

‘The invisible champion of Australia’

Their difference in style was evident from the beginning, when the siblings began playing at Royal Fremantle Golf Club in Western Australia.

Minjee says her brother probably has more natural talent but she was the conscientious one, practising her drives, putts and swings for hours while he was mucking about with trick shots in the rough.

“I didn’t do the boring stuff … I did all the crazy stuff,” Min Woo says.

“That’s why, when I’m behind a tree, I can somehow get it close. While she never really hits into a tree, so there was no point [in her] practising that stuff.”

Min Woo says he’s been knuckling down on the basics since hitting the pro circuit because “talent only gets you so far and hard work beats a lot”.

Still, he says, his sister could probably learn a bit of crazy from him.

Both learned to play golf under the tutelage of their mother Clara, a former golf teacher. Her husband, Soonam, was a swimming and basketball instructor in the couple’s home country of South Korea, and a reasonable golfer. Competition is in the blood.

“We were just always around that energy and competitive vibe,” says Minjee, whose parents moved to WA in the mid-90s.

“We used to play golf at the local club together and Mum would always want to win.”

Not only is Soonam competitive, he’s a prankster, too, like his son.

“I learned from the best,” Min Woo says.

As a youngster, Min Woo preferred fast-paced sports like basketball but Minjee, also a talented swimmer and clever student, became obsessed with golf. She made the WA junior team at 13 where she was coached by Ritchie Smith. He’s still her coach – and Min Woo’s – today.

“He’s like family to me,” Minjee says. “We just have great trust in each other. And obviously, he knows my game really well.”

At 18, with the US Junior championship under her belt, Minjee turned professional. Clara joined her on the circuit, while Soonam looked after Min Woo. Within the year, she’d won her first LPGA tournament.

“I was like, ‘Oh, man, I won on the LPGA!’ Dream come true.”

Her climb up the ranks was done the Minjee way — quietly.

In 2019, when she became world No.2 for the first time, headlines heralded her “the invisible champion of Australia”. Last year, she didn’t even make it onto a list of Australia’s most influential sportswomen.

Karrie Webb, Australia’s most successful female golfer, says it’s disappointing Minjee has not received the recognition she deserves in her home country.

“Winning two majors in less than a year’s span [in 2021 and 2022] and almost getting to number one a couple of times, she definitely deserves being spoken about in the same conversation as a lot of top female athletes,” Webb says.

Minjee is not too fussed, saying women’s golf doesn’t have the profile in Australia, or the number of live events, as in the US, where she lives and is well-known.

She feels the pressure to be more active on social media but, she jokes, she will never be as prolific as Min Woo “who loves to post everything”. Says Minjee: “It’s hard when you’re not that kind of person.”

Still, if recognition from your peers – not Instagram followers or likes – is the hallmark of success, Minjee is doing OK. Late last year, after recovering from a form slump following the high of the US Open win and a bad dose of COVID, she took out the Greg Norman Medal.

It’s Australia’s most prestigious golf award and it was Minjee’s third time taking it home – a record.

“It was very special to me,” says Minjee, given the hard work she put in to climb out of the slump and back into the top five. “I felt like I really deserved it.”

There was some stiff competition. Among the contenders were Australia’s other well-known, mullet-loving golfer, Cameron Smith – and her brother.

Min Woo took his sister’s triumph well, telling Australian Story: “It just motivates me to be in her footsteps and hopefully win it one day.”

Min Woo says he’s often asked, “Does it suck?” to have such a talented sister. “I think it’s amazing,” he says. “I’d rather her do well than not.”

Webb says having a sibling’s support is a big plus on the pro golf circuit, which can be a lonely and tough place.

“Only people that have been there and done that understand what it’s like,” Webb says. “If that person is totally in your corner, you can really talk about it.”

Siblings go toe-to-toe

Together, the Lees are a formidable package – but with a competitive edge. When one wins a tournament, the other is keen to win back bragging rights.

“Min Woo and I, we have a really great relationship,” Minjee says, “but I think we have more of a rivalry now, now that we’re both winning professional events.”

Their coach, Smith, says they push each other to succeed.

“I think they’re seeing the benefit of training together … of watching each other’s golf,” he says.

“It’s pretty beneficial for all.”

It’s quite a change from their days at Royal Fremantle Golf Club, back when Min Woo says his sister would “bite my ear off” any time he came near her on the golf course.

“I always annoyed Minjee and she always got pissed off at me,” he says.

“In my eyes,” says Minjee, smiling at her little brother, “he was so naughty.”

It’s taken time and maturity, but Minjee and Min Woo Lee are closer now. Not just to each other but, if their drive is straight and the green is kind, to the holy grail of becoming the best female and male golfer in the world.

By Leisa Scott and Lisa McGregor

You can stream Minjee Lee and Min Woo Lee’s Australian Story documentary now on ABC iview: https://bit.ly/3Paqgajand YouTube: https://bit.ly/3InOzxW


Takahiro Hataji has created history with his first victory as a professional, becoming the first player from Japan to win the New Zealand Open in its 103-year history.

On an absorbing final day at the Millbrook Resort in Queenstown, Hataji held off a persistent stream of potential challengers with a bogey-free round of 4-under 67 to win by a single stroke with a four-round total of 17-under par.

Co-leader overnight, Australian Scott Hend (69) arrived at the 72nd hole with a share of the lead.

After hitting his tee shot to the back edge of the 18th green, Hend’s putt for the championship ran five feet past, his come-backer for par lipping out hard off the left edge to fall one shot short in outright second.

Boasting five top-five finishes on the Japan Golf Tour in 2023, 30-year-old Hataji is not only the first player from Japan to win the New Zealand Open but the first from Asia, surpassing the runner-up finishes of countrymen Tomoyo Ikemura (2023) and Hideto Tanihara (2016).

Hataji also becomes the first Japanese winner on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia since Isao Aoki won the 1989 Coca-Cola Classic at Royal Melbourne Golf Club.

“It was a really tough day but I have the trophy so I am feeling very happy now,” said Hataji after taking ownership of the Brodie Breeze Trophy.

“I’m happy but he played very well so when his putt missed I felt a bit sorry for him too,” he added of Hend’s final hole misfortune.

Kiwi hope Josh Geary (69) required treatment for his troublesome back on the 12th tee yet battled on gamely to keep himself in the mix.

A birdie at the par-5 17th kept his faint hopes alive, a par at the last earning a share of third with Griffin (70) and Anthony Quayle (67), the fourth top-five finish in his national Open.

“I am absolutely proud of my week, especially as I have lacked international play the last few months,” said Geary.

“To come here and hold my nerve when things weren’t going great is rewarding. Couple of putts here and there and who knows.

“I would love to come back here and get the job done. Sometime we will do it.”

One back at the start of the final round, Hataji joined Hend and Griffin at 14-under with a birdie at his opening hole and was never headed at the top of the leaderboard.

Australian Ben Wharton rocketed into contention with a final round of 7-under 64, posting 14-under in the clubhouse as the lead groups were just getting their final rounds underway.

That stood until Quayle signed for 15-under but Hataji was always just out of reach.

Hend missed a number of birdie opportunities early in the back nine but drew to within one when he converted a birdie chance from just four feet on the par-4 16th, the hole where he holed out for eagle 24 hours earlier.

Seeking to surpass Kel Nagle as the oldest winner of the New Zealand Open in the modern era, Hend backed up his birdie on 16 with birdie at the par-5 17th to join Hataji at 17-under and set up a thrilling climax for the large crowd gathered around the 18th green.

His tee shot released to the back edge after landing just to the right of the flag, his three putts a cruel way to be denied his own shot at history.

Although they finished two shots shy of the winner, both Quayle and Griffin enhanced their Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit aspirations in Queenstown.

Winner of the Heritage Classic in January, Griffin will pick up 218.67 points to join the race for a DP World Tour card while Quayle picks up his first points in his third start this season.

“It’s my first event back in three months,” said Quayle, who missed the cut at both the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship and ISPS HANDA Australian Open.

“It’s kind of nice to know that the work I’ve been doing in the off-season has been productive and kind of validate where I am in my position in the game a little.”

In the pro-am team competition, Indonesian Jonathan Wijono and amateur partner Jubilant Harmidy shot 14-under 57 in the final round to win by two strokes at 39-under par.


They got there in wildly fluctuating fashion yet Aussie pair Matthew Griffin and Scott Hend will start the final round tied for the lead at the 103rd New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport.

After three birdies in his first seven holes, Griffin (pictured) ground his way to eight straight pars before dropping a monster putt for birdie at the par-4 16th to take the outright lead.

That lead seemed short-lived when he hit his second shot at the par-5 17th into the scorers’ tent left of the green. Yet, after receiving a free drop, he chipped on and two-putted to keep his card bogey-free.

Griffin made par at the final hole for a 4-under 67 to be the first to post 14-under, joined late by Hend whose back nine scorecard resembled a colour chart.

The 50-year-old went out in 1-over 36 before a coming home in 3-under, consisting of an eagle on 16, four birdies, a bogey on 15 and a double-bogey on the par-3 11th.

It looked anything like a round that would earn a share of the lead until it did, rejoining fellow first round leader Griffin at 14-under with a round of 2-under 69.

Kiwi Josh Geary kept alive his hopes of a maiden New Zealand Open title with a round of 3-under 68, in a share of third at 13-under with Japanese pair Kodai Ichihara (63) and Takahiro Hataji (66).

The New Zealand Open champion in 2016, Griffin will draw on his wire-to-wire win at The Heritage Classic on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia in January when he tees off in the final group on Sunday.

That win was his first since his NZ Open triumph almost eight years earlier but will be a source of confidence as he seeks to become a multiple winner of New Zealand’s national open.

“Going into the Sunday at Heritage, I didn’t know how I’d feel leading a big tournament,” admitted Griffin.

“Having the confidence that I was able to head off some good challengers on the last day means I’ll be positive heading into tomorrow.

“There are a lot of good players just behind me, but I’ll make sure I’m hard to beat.”

A 10-time winner on the Asian Tour, Hend struggled in the middle part of his round as the wind switched direction, only to play his way into contention again with a perfectly executed sand iron from 118 metres at 16.

“Didn’t want to miss to the right of the green so played it up the spine hoping for a little kick. It did, got lucky and went in,” said Hend of his timely eagle.

“Got a chance to win a tournament now so got to be happy.”

For Geary, Sunday presents yet another opportunity at his national Open.

His runner-up finish to Zach Murray in 2019 is one of three top-five finishes in the event, keeping his hopes alive with five birdies in his final seven holes.

“I hit it in the right spots most of the day. The two bogeys were actually from really easy positions,” said Geary.

“Overall very good. I kept it in play and did my thing. The putting didn’t feel that good but I made a couple at the end with helped.

“I have had so many close calls here over the years, it would be amazing to win it. It would be pretty cool to get this one across the line.”

With 760 points up for grabs on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit, Griffin knows there are added incentives to notch a second NZ Open title.

Currently 13th and 557.91 points behind provisional No.1 Kazuma Kobori with two events left in the season, Griffin would leap into top spot with a win given Kobori missed the cut.

“It’s a great opportunity and if I can get the win it will shoot me right up probably to the top,” said Griffin.

“It’s an added bonus but a national title would be nice along the way.”

Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho (67) and South African Ian Snyman (65) are two shots off the lead in a tie for sixth at 12-under, Kiwi James Hydes and Australian Justin Warren both launching up the leaderboard and into a tie for eighth at 11-under with rounds of 7-under 64 on Saturday.


Queensland’s Scott Hend is poised to extend the streak of veteran success at the New Zealand Open after moving out to a two-stroke lead on Friday.

Tied at the top with fellow Australian Matthew Griffin overnight at the Millbrook Resort in Queenstown, Hend followed up his opening round of 7-under 64 with 5-under 66 on the Coronet Course on Friday to establish a handy advantage from Aussies Marcus Fraser (66), Sam Brazel (67) and Griffin (68) and Kiwi hopes Daniel Hillier (65) and Josh Geary (65) at 10-under par.

The past two winners of the New Zealand Open – Brad Kennedy in 2020 and Brendan Jones in 2023 – were both on the other side of 45 when they won.

Hend, already a winner on the Legends Tour in Europe, turned 50 last August but has continued to split his time across both the Asian Tour and the senior circuit.

Twelve months ago, Hend was two shots off the lead going into the third round of the New Zealand Open and, as a 10-time winner on the Asian Tour, knows the reality of the task at hand.

“You can’t win every tournament but as long as you give yourself an opportunity come the weekend,” Hend reasoned.

“If someone shoots a better score than you, then that’s the way it goes.

“But just give yourself opportunities. The more opportunities you get, the more you’re going to win tournaments.”

Five years Hend’s junior, Fraser is taking advantage of his tournament exemption by virtue of his career prize money on the Asian Tour.

After stepping away from full-time professional golf just prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Fraser completed the PGA of Australia’s Tour Professional Articulation and was quickly elevated to Director of Coaching at Peninsula Kingswood Country Golf Club.

In late 2022, however, tour life came calling again.

Fraser has made just two cuts in his 19 starts over the past 12 months but seems to have unlocked the form that once took him to No.51 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

“Yesterday I felt like I played as good golf as I’ve played for a long time,” said Fraser, who bolstered his second round with an eagle at the par-5 first, his 10th hole of the day.

“To back it up again today and play pretty solid was nice. It’s been a long time for me to put one good round together, let alone two.

“Just trying to stay as positive as I possibly can and when your results are far from where they need to be, it’s hard to do that.

“But the appetite for the game and those competitive juices have been flowing pretty hard. Feel like I’ve made some big progress.”

Seeking to join Michael Hendry (2017) as the only home-grown winners of New Zealand’s national Open since Mahal Pearce in 2003, Hillier and Geary mastered the challenging conditions on the Coronet Course to play their way into title contention.

One-under through 10 holes of his second round, Hillier tried to stay patient through the middle of his round, taking full advantage of the scoring opportunities as the wind abated late.

“Definitely a bit of a grind out there but a few chances coming in and managed to make the most of them,” said Hillier, who for the second straight year has Tiger Woods’ former caddie, Steve Williams, on the bag.

“The key today was staying patient and hopefully I can keep that up tomorrow.”

There are a host of international challengers just three strokes from the lead in a tie for seventh, Indonesia’s Jonathan Wijono (66), Korean Soonsang Hong (68) and Japan’s Yuta Sugiura (65) level with Queenslander Kade McBride (67) and Kiwi Nick Voke (65) at 9-under par.

The 36-hole cut fell at 4-under with 75 players advancing to the weekend.

Not advancing was provisional Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit leader Kazuma Kobori, who shot rounds of 72-72 for a 2-over total.

That opens the door for Griffin, McBride, Voke, David Micheluzzi and Brett Coletta to advance their hopes of a DP World Tour card with strong performances across the final two rounds.


One was close to quitting while the other never stops playing and now Matthew Griffin and Scott Hend are co-leaders after day one of the 103rd New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sports.

Winner of the Heritage Classic on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia in early January, Griffin had eight birdies and a lone bogey in his round of 7-under 64 on the Remarkables Course in perfect conditions at the Millbrook Resort on Thursday morning.

It looked to be enough to hold the outright lead until Hend swooped late with a 64 of his own, also on the Remarkables, making five birdies in eight holes for a back nine of 5-under 30.

In a jam-packed leaderboard littered with international flags, there are a total of 36 players within just three strokes of the lead after Round 1, the Remarkables Course playing to an average of 69.03 and the Coronet 70.57.

Local favourite Ben Campbell, Korean pair Soonsang Hong and JungHyun Um, Thailand’s Gunn Charoenkul and Aussies Ben Wharton, Jay Mackenzie, Sam Brazel and Kevin Yuan all posted 6-under 65 to share third through 18 holes.

Now 40 years of age and a father of two, Griffin has recently pulled back from his long-time commitment to the Japan Golf Tour to spend more time at home.

He’d been exploring new opportunities outside of professional golf but went wire-to-wire at The Heritage Golf and Country Club last month.

Griffin again finds himself on top of the leaderboard at Millbrook as he seeks a second NZ Open title to go with his triumph at The Hills in 2016.

“It’s nice to roll a few putts in and make plenty of birdies and get right into the leaderboard,” said Griffin after his morning round.

“I feel like my game’s in great shape and feel like if I can continue playing the way I have, I’ll give myself a good chance.”

Hend only squeezed in one practice round after arriving from last week’s Asian Tour event in Oman.

Dividing his time between the Asian Tour – where he is a 10-time winner – and the senior circuit, Hend has not yet given up showing the young guys how it’s done.

“I still don’t want to admit that I’m 50,” Hend joked. “I keep telling myself I’m 18 and I can keep up with all these young guys.

“It’s more about being smart these days. I’m not too smart so it takes all I’ve got to keep up with them.”

A perennial Queenstown contender, Campbell is seeking to become just the second home-grown winner of the NZ Open since Mahal Pearce in 2003.

He was runner-up to Michael Hendry in a playoff in 2017 and climbed into contention with a long bomb for eagle at the par-5 18th on Thursday.

Campbell leads a group of six Kiwis within three strokes of the lead after Round 1 and content with where he finds himself heading into Round 2.

“It was good to finally hold one there on the last,” Campbell said of his final flurry.

“I probably had four or five putts sort of just come up short that I thought were in so nice to make one there on the last.

“My game wasn’t too far away today. It could have been a really low one so nice to start like that.”

Given the number of points on offer, this week is pivotal in determining the top three on the Order of Merit.

Projected No.1 Kazuma Kobori got off to a difficult start with a round of 1-over 72 while Brett Coletta (third), Daniel Gale (fourth) and David Micheluzzi (fifth) are among the 19 players at 4-under par.

“Played with ‘Micha’ today and we’re kind of just egging each other along towards the end there,” said Coletta.

Now plying his trade on the DP World Tour, reigning Order of Merit champion Micheluzzi shot 67 despite some struggles off the tee.

“I started off a bit all over the shop to be honest,” Micheluzzi conceded.

“I kind of hit it everywhere, but I managed to score all right.

“It’s close. If I can get the driver in play, which it has been of late, I like my chances of being up there in contention.”


Brendan Jones doesn’t expect to win this week’s New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sports. No matter his affinity for the Millbrook Resort just outside Queenstown, Jones knows that the odds are stacked against him.

He knows that fairytales rarely come with sequels.

Yet despite the prospect of leaving New Zealand on Monday without the Brodie Breeze Trophy that now bears his name as the 2023 champion, Jones is ready to revel in everything that comes with being the defending champion.

And while having his face plastered across posters is unfamiliar for a veteran with 15 victories on the Japan Golf Tour to his name, Jones is savouring an experience he knows doesn’t come along too often.

“I am confident of putting in a good showing but to say I am going to defend and be a two-time New Zealand Champion is a bit far-fetched,” said Jones, who was runner-up to Kazuma Kobori at the Webex Players Series Sydney earlier this month.

“The only thing that I’ve been thinking about is that I will be flying back to Australia on Monday not as the current New Zealand Open champ and that is making me a little sad.

“I’ve still got four days of golf in front of me and if I do what I did last year, then who knows? It was a bit of a fairytale for me last year.

“I have won a lot of tournaments around the place but not too many when I understand what’s going on because in Japan I don’t speak Japanese and they don’t really want to talk to me the next year.

“This is special. This is my favourite golf tournament to play anywhere in the world and I’m coming back to my favourite place in the world.

“It’s just exciting to be back.”

Another excited to be back in Queenstown is local favourite Steven Alker.

A phenomenon since joining the PGA TOUR Champions in late 2021, Alker is also a realist when it comes to opportunities to win his national open.

The New Zealand PGA champion in 2009, Alker shot 65 in Round 1 at Millbrook a year ago before finishing tied for 30th.

Now 52 years of age, Alker wants to parlay his eight wins on the Champions Tour in the past three years into a treasured victory on home soil.

“I am still competitive. I am still playing professional golf,” said Alker, who will have wife Tanya on the bag this week for the first time since the 2014 US Open.

“There is probably not too many left in me, so just to come back to play and compete in New Zeeland when we are in New Zealand… It is a special place to come back to.”

At the other end of the career spectrum, much attention this week will be centred on rookie Kazuma Kobori.

A three-time winner this season on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, Kobori is all but guaranteed a spot on the DP World Tour for the 2025 season, Alker a keen observer from the other side of the world.

“I have been reading the press and how he has been playing,” said Alker.

“It’s very impressive if you compare it with what Tiger Woods did when he was young and started his career, although on a different level.

“To win events at his age as a professional is impressive. I wouldn’t have ever dreamt of that when turning pro but the young guys coming out now seem to be ready to play and hungry to win.

“He has obviously got that which is great and being from New Zealand is even better.”


For Australian David Micheluzzi, there was no question about taking a break from the DP World Tour and returning to Queenstown for his second New Zealand Open which is set to be a pivotal battleground in the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit race.

The reigning Order of Merit champion has his sights on retaining his title and comes into this week ranked fourth behind Kazuma Kobori, Daniel Gale and Brett Coletta, who are all in the field.

A win at Millbrook Resort could vault Micheluzzi back to No.1 with just one event, The National Tounament (March 14-17), remaining.

“Who wouldn’t want to come back to Queenstown,” said Micheluzzi. “Everything just adds up to me being here this week.

“To have two Order of Merit wins in a row, I don’t think that has been done in a long time so to have that, I think would be satisfying and I’m just looking forward to the whole experience.”

After enjoying a continuation of his 2022/23 form at the beginning of his season, including a win at the Vic PGA and a dramatic T2 with seven other players in the Queensland PGA Championship, Micheluzzi was propelled into second place on the Order of Merit, leadng a shift in his plans for the year.

“I did not expect to have a second and a win in my first two events of the season,” he said.

“That vaulted me up to second on the Order of Merit, so it changed my plans a little bit.

”There are a few events on the DP World Tour over the next few weeks but there is also a lot up for grabs this week.

“It’s quadruple (OOM) points this week and then we’ve got The National… If I can play really well, then that will set my year up very well.”

Preparing for his second appearance in Queenstown, Micheluzzi says he is feeling confident in his game, in particular his skill in shaping shots to navigate the Coronet and Remarkables courses.  

“I’m hitting it okay at the moment so right now [my game] isn’t too bad. You have to shape your game to the pins and the slopes around here,” he said.

Micheluzzi is also comfortable to be playing a different, more relaxed tournament style, teaming up with an amateur partner over the first two days and hopefully again into the weekend.

“I love the format. I personally think there should be a lot more of these because there is a lot more to golf than what everyone sees and when you’re inside the ropes. I think it’s really cool,” he said.

“To see what the pros do right then, and right there, it is a massive thrill.

“If this tournament wasn’t here, the area wouldn’t be what it is.”

The only place to watch every upcoming event on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia live is on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.


Everything you need to know ahead of the 103rd New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sports from Thursday 29 February to Sunday 3 March.


Being played at the stunning Millbrook Resort, the tournament is one of three marquee events on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and the Tour’s penultimate event, with a share of $2 million NZD and 4,000 Order of Merit Points to be distributed. 

For only the third time this summer, the best players on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia are up against the stars of the Asian Tour and a host of players from the Japanese Golf Tour. 

Played along similar lines to the world-renowned Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland, the New Zealand Open also hosts up to 156 amateur players which will this year include the likes of Ash Barty, Ricky Ponting, Andy Lee, and Sir Ian Botham, each partnering with a professional in a two-person best-ball event, competing for the NZ Open Pro-Am Championship.

See the full Round 1 Draw here

FORMAT – Professionals

Each professional will play one round at Millbrook Resort’s Coronet and Remarkables courses on the Thursday and Friday of the event. Both these rounds they will be partnered with an amateur player.

After round two, the top 60 Professionals (plus ties) will proceed to rounds three and four.

FORMAT – Amateurs 

Each amateur will play with a professional in a two-person Pro-Am team in a two-ball best-ball format

On each hole, for the teams’ event, the best single net score from the two players will count towards the team score.

On the completion of the first two rounds, a Pro-Am teams cut will be made with the leading 40 teams going through to the third round on the Saturday at Millbrook Resort.

All amateurs who miss the two-round teams cut will have the opportunity to play at The Hills New Zealand Open Challenge.

After the third round, a final Pro-Am team cut will be made, with the best 10 teams going through to the final round at Millbrook Resort.

HOW TO FOLLOW

For live scoring and the latest news visit nzopen.com
Exclusive content and tournament updates will also be posted regularly on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia channels.
Instagram: @pgatouraus
Twitter: @PGAofAustralia
Facebook: @PGATourAus
Official hashtag: #NZOpen

HOW TO WATCH

In person – spectators will be admitted FREE at Millbrook Resort. 

On your screen – 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

  • Thursday 29 February: 12:00 – 16:00 AEDT
  • Friday 1 March: 12:00 – 16:00 AEDT
  • Saturday 2 March: 12:00 – 16:00 AEDT
  • Sunday 3 March: 12:00 – 16:00 AEDT

RECENT WINNERS

2023 – Brendan Jones
2020 – Brad Kennedy
2019 – Zach Murray
2018 – Daniel Nisbet
2017 – Michael Hendry
2016 – Matt Griffin

COURSE DESIGNER
OCCM – Mike Cocking (lead designer)

PLAYERS TO WATCH – Professional

Brendan Jones, defending champion and 15-time Japan Golf Tour
David Micheluzzi, reigning Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner
Kazuma Kobori, three-time winner on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia this season
Daniel Hillier, 2023 Betfred British Masters champion on DP World Tour
Tomoharu Otsuki, three-time winner on Japan Golf Tour
Jazz Janewattananond, former world No.38, seven-time Asian Tour winner
Steven Alker, winner of eight Champions Tour titles since November 2021
Jasper Stubbs, 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur champion

PLAYERS TO WATCH – Amateurs 

Ash Barty, former world No.1 tennis player
Larry Fitzgerald Jnr, second all-time for receiving yards in the NFL
Sir Ian Botham, England cricket legend
Sir Russell Coutts, world champion yachtsman and five-time America’s Cup winner
Sean Fitzpatrick, former All Blacks captain
Stephen Fleming, former New Zealand cricket captain
Andy Lee, TV and radio personality
Ricky Ponting, former Australian cricket captain

Click HERE to view all professional players. 
Click HERE to view all Pro-Am Ambassadors. 


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