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After a week of playing concurrently, the men and women get back to head-to-head competition at the fourth edition of the Webex Players Series Sydney hosted by Braith Anasta.
Moving to Castle Hill Country Club, the tournament marks a return to a venue that has hosted the Australian PGA Championship, NSW PGA, NSW Open and Canon Challenge. The course also marks a return home for seven either current, or former, members.
Included in that group, 2023 NT PGA winner Daniel Gale.
Getting a first taste of big-time tournament golf at Castle Hill as Nathan Holman’s 2013 NSW Open caddie, Gale has been popular among his peers looking to glean as much of his local knowledge as possible.
“I’ve had a few,” Gale said of course-based queries. “I played with Derek (Ackerman) and Brady (Watt) for the back nine yesterday, but a few have reached out.”
Hidden in Gale’s answers to helping his fellow pros was the fact that the 27-year-old shot 59 during his Monday practice round.
Although not official, the 59 is one better than the course record of Paul Gow at the 2001 Canon Challenge, with Gale perhaps using some of the local knowledge that he isn’t imparting to others.
“There are definitely some lines here and there that I might take, we’ll see,” Gale said somewhat cryptically.
“I’m not going to reveal too much. But there are definitely some things that may be an advantage.
“Where you should miss it and all that for best angles and stuff. I only bought a yardage book to see where they actually stick it on the greens, but I won’t be using it at all this week because I feel pretty confident I know my way around here.”
Also knowing their way around are Alex Edge, Lucy Harris, Aaron Townsend, Justin Hatchett and Brad Fasher as current members. So too former member and 2022 Webex Players Series Sydney runner-up Brendan Jones, whose photo adorns the Castle Hill clubhouse wall.
Beyond the local contingent, there are a host of recent winners and well-credentialled players looking to upset the home crowds.
Both Brett Coletta and Ashley Lau will back up from their Vic Open wins last week, while Heritage Classic winner Matt Griffin and the winner of the two most recent Webex Players Series events, Kazuma Kobori, are also in the field.
There are a total of 16 nations represented in the Sydney field that includes LPGA Tour winner, Jenny Shin.
The international flavour is an increasing factor following the recent WPGA Tour of Australasia qualifying school and the pathways on offer via the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit, pathways Gale admits can be difficult to keep from mind.
“A little bit just because it is getting down to the final stages,” he said when asked if the three DP World Tour cards play on his mind.
“I’m not looking too far ahead. If I just focus one week at a time, one shot at a time, do the best I can, that’s all I can control and wherever that leaves me, it leaves me.”
Another 59 this week would certainly leave him in a good place.
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, @WPGATour
Twitter: @PGAofAustralia, @WPGATour
Facebook: @PGATourAus, @WPGATour
Official hashtag: #WebexPlayersSeries
HOW TO WATCH
Round 3: Saturday 4pm-7pm AEDT
Round 4: Sunday 2pm-7pm AEDT
FORMER CHAMPIONS
2021: Andrew Martin
2022: Jarryd Felton
2023: David Micheluzzi
COURSE RECORD
60, Paul Gow (Round 1, Canon Challenge, 2001)
COURSE DESIGNER
Eric Apperly (1951); Jack Newton, Graeme Grant and John Spencer (1992-2006); Bob Harrison (2019).
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kazuma Kobori, 2024 Webex Players Series Victoria and Webex Players Series Murray River winner
Jenny Shin, LPGA Tour winner
Matthew Griffin, 2024 Heritage Classic winner
Ashley Lau, 2024 Vic Open winner
Brett Coletta, 2024 Vic Open winner
Holly Clyburn, Ladies European Tour winner
Daniel Gale, 2023 Sandbelt Invitational and NT PGA winner
Justice Bosio, World No.65 ranked amateur
Peter Lonard, PGA Tour winner
Felicity Johnson, two-time Ladies European Tour winner
Victoria’s Brett Coletta came out on top in a head-to-head duel with Jordan Zunic to claim the biggest victory of his career at the $420,000 Vic Open today.
After starting the final round on the Beach Course at 13th Beach Golf Links two shots from the lead, Coletta fired a sensational 7-under-par 65 to claim his third Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title and move to second place on this year’s Order of Merit.
Zunic, who ended up two shots in arrears following a 67 to be -16 overall, went birdie for birdie for Coletta – the duo combining for 11 birdies and an eagle overall for the day.
Victorian Andrew Martin (68) charged late with four birdies in his last five holes to match Zunic in a share of second.
On an enthralling final nine, playing partners Coletta and Zunic were level with four holes remaining before the 27-year-old Victorian moved clear by picking up shots on the par-4 15th and 16th holes, sealing the deal with a purely struck fairway wood onto the green on the final hole.
From the Sandhurst Club in Melbourne’s south, Coletta came into this week with three top-10s on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia this season to be 20th on the Order of Merit, but he can now seriously eye off the huge career rewards which come with a top-three finish at the end of the campaign.
“This was an 18-hole duel. Fortunately it was my day today,” said the new champion, who admitted he was nervous last night thinking how about important this Sunday was to his professional career.
“This is pretty big. I’m pretty emotional inside.
“I know I’m able to win out here in the smaller events, the tier twos I suppose. The next level is to really up your game and win these bigger ones.
“Hopefully I can continue the trend and roll the dice at the bigger events, the PGA and the Australian Open.
“This was one of those times when it was my time I guess.”
Despite missing out on his first Tour title since 2018, Zunic was happy with his week, which continued a fine run of form including securing his Asian Tour card for 2024.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in that position. It was really enjoyable all day,” Zunic said.
“I played well, but Brett just played better and holed a few more putts down the end there.
“I had my chances and unfortunately they just didn’t go for me.”
In a men’s tournament which featured a packed leaderboard all week it was no surprise that five players were within one shot of the lead going into the back nine on Sunday.
One of those was Queensland’s Jed Morgan who found the spark he’s been waiting some months to discover, shooting an 8-under-par 64 to end up at 14-under for the tournament, in a share of fourth with Travis Smyth (66).
Morgan revealed he started to have thoughts about the way he charged to his runaway victory at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland in 2022 when the birdies kept flowing on the back nine.
“That round has been coming for a little while, probably a little over six months,” Morgan said.
“I’ve been working on some things. That’s one round in the books.
“It was nice to be in that environment again and in that position. I saw on 15 tee that I was only one back and made birdie there.
“It was cool to keep pushing because I haven’t had the opportunity to do that for a little while.”
Morgan is hoping the Sunday surge will spark a good start to his 2024 Asian Tour campaign which begins at the Malaysian Open later this month.
Chasing his third consecutive Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia victory to match a feat last achieved by Robert Allenby in 2005, Kazuma Kobori finished in a share of 10th after a final round of 66, his best for the week.
He threatened to go very low after opening with four birdies in his first six holes.
“I played nicely. It’s starting to come together, more than the first three days anyway,” Kobori said.
“Very good vibes going into next week (at Webex Players Series Sydney).”
After starting with back-to-back birdies, joint overnight leader Nick Voke’s challenge was brought undone by a triple-bogey at the par-5 fifth.
He eventually shared sixth with Kade McBride (72), former champion Richard Green (68) and 18-year-old Queensland Amateur champion Billy Dowling (66).
Two players seeking their first win on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia have a one-shot lead over a home club favourite heading into the final day of the Vic Open at 13th Beach Golf Links.
New Zealand’s Nick Voke (68) and Queenslander Kade McBride (66) sit at 13-under-par after 54 holes of the Beach and Creek courses, with Andrew Martin lurking at -12 after a nine-shot turnaround in just 24 hours produced a 65 on day three.
Although he isn’t in top spot ahead of teeing off on Sunday afternoon, with the experience gained from two Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia victories, and a wealth of home course knowledge, the resident of nearby Ocean Grove looms as the player to beat.
“It’s always handy to have local knowledge on a few things and I think that’s what made me comfortable today,” Martin said.
“I’ve only been here three years but I’m here most days when I’m not away for a tournament.
“Me and the boys – (fellow Tour pros) Josh Younger and Jack Murdoch – if we’re home, we’ll play most Wednesday and Saturday comps and my brother is here as well.
“It’s one of the joys of coming down to the Coast from Melbourne and having this sort of lifestyle.”
Voke and McBride have yet to win on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, but have gone close before, the Kiwi tying for second at the Queensland PGA in October and McBride finishing runner-up in the NSW Open to David Micheluzzi last March.
“I got out of the gates quickly which is always nice. I hit the ball exceptionally well on the front nine and just had to stay patient on the back nine,” McBride said.
“The course is obviously going to get more difficult tomorrow. The greens are fast and really hard now so I think you just have to take your chances when you get them.
“A win would be awesome.”
Starting the day with a one-shot lead, Voke slipped up with a bogey on the second but that was his only dropped shot of a round that featured five birdies.
Like Martin, PGA Champions member and former Vic Open champion Richard Green, Victorians Ben Wharton and Brett Coletta and NSW’s Jordan Zunic all shot 65s to make big leaderboard moves on day three.
Coletta and Zunic sit at 11-under, two from the lead, with Green and Wharton two shots further back.
Back in his own bed, a pitching wedge from the 13th Beach layout, before heading back to the United States soon for his second year on the most lucrative seniors tour in the world, Green’s day was kickstarted by an eagle on the par-5 second hole.
“This is a great lead-up for the rest of the year for me,” said the 52-year-old who beat his own expectations by finishing 12th on the Charles Schwab Cup standings in his rookie PGA Champions campaign.
“I was pleasantly surprised when I got over there how well I played and how competitive I was against guys like Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Steve Stricker, Padraig Harrington. I was hovering around them most of the time and contending.”
After anticipating the leading score would eventually get to 15-under by the end of the day, Green is better placed than he expected for a Sunday challenge for a second Vic Open title.
For Zunic, his 65 was the continuation of a good run of form which saw him progress through back-to-back weeks of the Asian Tour Qualifying School to secure his card for 2024.
“I was pretty tired when I got back from Thailand and then played at Rosebud last week so I’ve been trying to manage my energy levels,” Zunic said.
“I’ve just been doing what I’ve had to and hopefully will get a week off soon.
“I’m trying to enjoy myself, not too much pressure on myself which is what we’re all trying to do.
“It’s nice to have a round like this one to build my confidence a little bit.”
Coletta, another of the previous winners on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia at the top of the leaderboard, has had his sights firmly on gaining one of the DP World Tour cards on offer to the top three finishers on the end-of-season Order of Merit.
With five top-15s this season, he came into this week ranked 20th but could climb as high as No.3 with a victory tomorrow afternoon.
“The goal is to win the actual whole thing (the Order of Merit) and I’m going alright at the moment,” Coletta said.
“A win out here is paramount really with the double points that are available. There’s such a premium on our majors like this one.”
Wharton’s charge up the leaderboard actually started late in the second round when he had four birdies on his second nine on the Creek Course to make the cut by just two shots.
“It was nice to hole a few putts. It’s been a long time coming,” he said.
“I seem to hit every green in regulation every time I play and walk off with 34 putts.
“It’s been nice today to see a few go in.”
The leading groups will tee off between 1pm and 1.45pm tomorrow.
The only place to watch the Vic Open live is on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo. Vic Open coverage starts at 3pm (AEDST).
Photo: Kade McBride tees off the first at 13th Beach today
Married for less than a year and with a baby on the way, today was a great time for Ben Wharton to find his putting game at 13th Beach Golf Links.
The Victorian was one of the big movers in the morning groups in the third round of the $420,000 Vic Open, posting a 7-under-par 65, including six consecutive threes on the back nine of the Beach Course.
Moving to 9-under after 54 holes, four from the leaders Nick Voke and Kade McBride, has set up the possibility of his best cheque on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
A runner-up in the 2021 NT PGA Championship, Wharton currently sits in 80th place on this season’s Order of Merit.
His charge up the leaderboard actually started late in the second round when he had four birdies on his second nine on the Creek Course to make the cut by just two shots.
“It was nice to hole a few putts. It’s been a long time coming,” he said.
“I seem to hit every green in regulation every time I play and walk off with 34 putts.
“It’s been nice today to see a few go in.”
The 36-year-old has had significant life changes recently with more to come, including building on his coaching career and preparing for the birth of his first child with wife Katherine after their wedding in the Yarra Valley last May.
“It’s been a little more stressful to honest, trying to make a quid,” Wharton said of playing professionally with the extra responsibilities in his personal life.
“We’re trying to get a mortgage sorted and there’s a baby on the way.
“There’s a lot more grown up things I have to do along the way.”
An ambassador for Moonah Links Golf Club, Wharton was spurred along to his low round of the year by his playing partners Peter Wilson and Jason Norris, who during the round set a group target of birdies to help inspire their mate.
The goal was 15 and they finished on 12. Next week they’ll live together in the same house at Webex Players Series Sydney.
“They definitely helped me today,” he said.
“It was great to have their support when they knew I’d got off to a good start.
“As I was rolling along, I reminisced about a day I played with Brad Kennedy a couple of years ago when he shot 7-under and catapulted to the top five.
“I thought ‘the lead’s only 9-under if I can do that I can get up near the lead which would be a cool thing to do’ and that’s how it’s panned out at the moment.”
Billy Dowling is built like he could ride at Randwick or Flemington, but on a day when yet another Kiwi jumped to the top of the men’s leaderboard in the Vic Open, the amateur emerged as the best-placed Australian along with New South Wales professional Travis Smyth and Queenslander Jack Munro.
The 18-year-old Dowling, who says the bathroom scales have him “in the 60s”, is making a habit of fighting out of his weight division.
Before Christmas he played in the final group at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne.
On Saturday, the kid from the Gold Coast will play in the last group in a Vic Open with Aucklander Nick Voke, who is aiming to extend the run of New Zealand wins on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia to three after Kazuma Kobori’s consecutive Webex Players Series triumphs at Cobram Barooga and Rosebud.
Dowling shot 3-under 69 in the difficult afternoon winds on the Beach Course today to leapfrog up the leaderboard into joint second at 8-under with Smyth (66 on the Creek), who is coming off a good year on the Asian Tour, and Munro (68 on the Creek).
The Australian trio are a shot behind Voke, who went bogey-free in his 68 on the Creek Course today.
A bunch of four players are at 7-under – Northern Territory pro Jake Hughes who had to qualify this week, Victorian Caleb Bovalina, Queenslander Kade McBride and New South Welshman Chris Fan, whose recipe for avoiding a missed cut after a 1-over opening round was a 64 today on the Creek.
Dowling has Golf Australia High Performance coach Matt Ballard on his bag and he acknowledged that the support was valuable.
“I knew today was going to be tough and windy and that anything under par would be good,” he said.
Hailing from Helensvale on the Gold Coast, he has been on the radar for some years, twice shooting 59, joining the Golf Australia programs and winning the most recent Queensland Amateur.
Although he’d like more bulk, it’s not a focus.
“I’m not too stressed about, because I’ve got plenty of time to get bigger,” he said.
“I’m still an amateur, I’m not thinking about turning pro yet. It’s not a huge deal at the moment because the golf’s showing that it’s good enough.”
With the overnight leader Andrew Martin dropping back with a 2-over 74, Voke barged through the open door in the morning with his 4-under.
He admitted that Kobori’s dual wins, to go with victories by Lydia Ko and Steve Alker overseas and Kerry Mountcastle on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, were inspiring Kiwis.
“Absolutely,” he said. “I think we’re not doing justice by saying ‘two in a row’. I think his last six months have been unbelievable, winning Eisenhower (the world amateur), the Western Amateur. That was unbelievable.
“It’s nice to see a guy kick on like that. Any success for New Zealanders on the world stage, Steve Alker, Lydia Ko… unbelievable. We’re very proud of that.”
Smyth came in with no expectations after a holiday in Thailand and some time back in Sydney over Christmas, and he is trying some new irons and wedges this week. But he has been razor sharp, and quickly so.
“It was blowing heaps, putting was difficult,” he said.
“I had to step away because half the time the wind beats the break. It was all timing, the putting as well. It was brutal.
“It felt strange on the eighth I hit a normal golf swing where I let the ball get up in the air. I was knocking everything down, cutting it, drawing it, there were never free swings out there.”
The 36-year-old Munro’s late rally was admirable, coming off his best performance in a while in Rosebud last week where he was inside the top 20. Caught in the more difficult afternoon winds he had five consecutive birdies in the middle of his round of 4-under.
“I don’t think I’ve played like that for a while,” he said.
Kobori suffered a little in the breezy afternoon conditions on the Beach Course and in the end, posted a 3-over 75 to drop back to 1-under, making the cut on the number. His task of becoming the first player to win three straight tournaments on the Australasian tour since 2005 is now enormous.
The cut was set at 1-under par but there will be another cut on Saturday night to 35 players and ties before the final round.
Entry at 13th Beach Golf Links is free.
The only place to watch the Vic Open live is on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo. Vic Open coverage starts at 3pm (AEDST) on Saturday and Sunday.
PHOTO: Caddie Matt Ballard and Billy Dowling size up a putt today. Image: Daniel Pockett
New Zealanders are dominating world golf at the moment and the positive contagion has spread to the Vic Open at 13th Beach, with Nick Voke soaring on the Bellarine Peninsula.
Aucklander Voke, 29, shot a 4-under 68 with no bogeys on the Creek course to jump up to 9-under overall and a one-shot lead at the halfway mark of the men’s tournament as he chases his first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title.
Another Kiwi – Christchurch’s Kazuma Kobori who made the cut today by a shot at 1-under – has won the past two tournaments on Tour, the first to go back-to-back since 2013. Countryman Kerry Mountcastle won the Gippsland Super 6 in November and Ben Campbell won the Hong Kong Open on the Asian Tour late last year.
Voke said Kobori’s sensational performance – and wins by the likes of Lydia Ko and Steve Alker in America – were driving the other Kiwis forward.
“Absolutely,” he said. “I think we’re not doing justice by saying ‘two in a row’.
“I think Kazuma’s last six months have been unbelievable, winning Eisenhower (the world amateur), the Western Amateur. That was unbelievable.
“It’s nice to see a guy kick on like that. Any success for New Zealanders on the world stage, Steve Alker, Lydia Ko… unbelievable. We’re very proud of that.”
Voke came to 13th Beach gutted by just missing out on his Asian Tour card at the recent Qualifying School in Thailand.
“It was a long flight to Melbourne from Thailand,” he said.
“I was on Korn Ferry four years, Asian Tour last year, this is the first year without a main card somewhere, but there are plenty of opportunities out there; plenty of avenues, so just keep on getting better and see what happens,” he said.
He is 45th on the Australasian Order of Merit, but a win at 13th Beach this week would vault him into a position to challenge for a top-three position, which presents a playing card for next season’s DP World Tour.
“The brilliant thing is there are plenty of opportunities that come from this tour,” he said.
“Even beyond the top three, if you finish top 10 you get starts in Europe, Asia, all over the show.
“It’s one of those things, if you play good golf, it takes care of a lot of things.”
The wind was up at 13th Beach this morning but the crowds were out and the scoring was still low, with New South Welshman Chris Fan roaring around in an 8-under 64 to move -7 overall.
Andrew Martin is waking up in his own bed on the Bellarine Peninsula this week and it works a treat for him.
The Ocean Grove resident threatened a couple of records on his way to a first-round 65 on the Creek Course at 13th Beach Golf Links to seize a share of the lead with fellow Victorian Aiden Didone in the men’s section of the Vic Open today.
Martin was electrifying in the back half of his round, having started early on the 10th tee in nice conditions, and playing at his home course.
He made eight consecutive birdies from the 18th to the seventh holes, just one short of James Nitties’ record of nine in a row on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, and his front nine of 29 shots was just a shot away from the Tour record for nine holes.
Through seven holes of his opening round, he was 1-over par and struggling, notably with his driver.
But he picked up eight shots from there thanks to a white hot putter, and getting up-and-down from the back trap at the par-4 ninth, to post 7-under for the day.
Meanwhile, 26-year-old Melburnian Didone rolled in four birdie putts in his last six holes in his 65 on the more difficult Beach Course. His was the lowest round of the day on that course.
“I had a feeling I was going all right the last five or six holes,” he said. “It’s good when the putts roll in. Somedays they lip out.”
Martin and Didone are a shot ahead of three other Victorians – Caleb Bovalina, Todd Sinnott and DJ Loypur – at 6-under with a bunch of players in the pack at 5-under.
Kiwi Kazuma Kobori, winner of the past two tournaments on tour, opened with 4-under 68 on the Creek Course to maintain his momentum and continue his push to become the first winner of three straight tournaments in Australia since Robert Allenby in 2005.
“I actually drove it very badly, but the putter saved me,” Martin said.
“I know the lines, I know where not to go on the front nine. I went everywhere I didn’t want to and I made it hard on myself.”
Martin is enjoying the week at home, allowing his wife Rachel dog walking duties in the morning so that he can practice, and picking up the afternoon shift.
He is a remarkable story; an Australian Amateur winner, he did not win an Australasian Tour event until 2021, and has since added another.
On the surface, he is playing better than ever
“I’m more mature. (I) know my game and play to my strengths. Some people get comfortable … when it’s bright and energetic. I didn’t like the spotlight even when I first turned (professional).
“I was happy to be in the background. But I’m more comfortable with cameras and stuff like that and a bit more mature in the way I play the game. Be a bit calmer when you don’t expect too much from yourself as well. It’s probably the best I’ve played.”
Martin will complete the season at home before heading off to play on the DP World Tour as a result of his top-three finish in last season’s Order of Merit.
“I’ve been waiting a long time to get it, so I’ll be happy to take what I can get. And be ready when I get the call-up,” he said.
Of the chasing pack the one with the regrets was Adam Stojanovic, the New South Wales amateur who shot a 5-under 67 on the Creek Course despite carding a triple-bogey seven on the short par-4 ninth hole, his last of the day.
At that point, he led the tournament by four shots.
But a flared tee shot into heavy mulga cost the 27-year-old dearly.
Originally from Sydney and a graduate of the Jack Newton Junior Golf programs, he is nowadays working in the shop at Yarra Bend links in Melbourne, and contemplating a return to serious golf after not playing for at least two years.
“I hit one bad shot all day and it was on the last,” he said.
“I thought I may as well hit through and make another birdie. Tried to carry the bunkers and hit it bad.”
The only place to watch the Vic Open live is on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
Just one month into 2024 and rookie professional Kazuma Kobori has ticked off one of his major goals for the year.
He wanted to get to Christmas will two victories on his resume.
At the Vic Open at 13th Beach Golf Links starting today, he can keep working on another goal that will set up his future in the game – finishing in the top three on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.
With back-to-back victories at Webex Players Series Murray River and Victoria, the 22-year-old New Zealander has rocketed to No.2 in this season’s OOM standings, trailing only Min Woo Lee, to be well on the way to earning a DP World Tour card for 2024/25.
The Vic Open, with double OOM points on offer compared to a regular Tour event, and the New Zealand Open, with quadruple points like the Australian PGA and Australian Open, are big ticket items on the February schedule for Kobori and the rest of the field as they chase the end-of-season pot of gold to progress their careers.
Whoever finishes at No.1 will also snare an Open Championship berth at Royal Troon in July.
Kobori said one of his premier goals for 2024 was to grab two victories – and even he’s a little bit surprised it has happened so soon.
“At the start, my expectations about turning pro was about trying to make cuts, try to get all four rounds in, because it’s all about experience,” he said.
“And if you can play four rounds a week over two weeks, then you’re getting double the experience, right?
“So that was my goal going in and then at the Vic PGA I got close and I thought ‘I can do it for real, be in contention week in, week out’.
“It feels great to get two wins on the board early.
“I set some goals for the New Year, what I wanted to get out of the rest of the season and one of them was getting two wins specifically.
“The Order of Merit was also on that goals list, to get in the top three, and now I’m second. I’ll just keep going and see where I finish up at the end.”
What has attracted plenty of attention in Kobori’s winning run in Australia, which started at last year’s Qualifying School in Moonah Links, is his exceptional putting which came to the fore again at the weekend at Rosebud Country Club where his red-hot blade was the prime reason he held on for a one-shot win.
But has Kobori always been an excellent putter? Not so, said the man who has jumped almost 600 places on the Official World Golf Ranking since the start of January.
“I never used to be a good putter, I never practised it,” he said.
“But obviously I don’t hit the ball a long way, so I’ve got to do something to make up for that.
“That’s when I started practising my putting a little bit.
“I was a streaky putter in my junior days; I would have hot rounds and cold rounds.”
With everyone now well aware of what he is capable of achieving, Kobori will start his Vic Open campaign alongside another Kiwi, defending champion Michael Hendry, on the Creek course on Thursday morning before heading over to the Beach course on Friday afternoon.
“I’m just trying to conserve as much energy as possible because being in contention two weeks in a row is pretty draining,” he said after his pro-am round.
Entry to the Vic Open is free on all four days.
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.
Kiwi Kazuma Kobori’s chase for a third consecutive Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title, a feat not achieved in almost two decades, and the appearance of a couple of women’s major golf champions will provide two of the major storylines at the Vic Open this week.
The tournament that spawned the mixed-gender format has reached 11 years at one of the country’s premier facilities, 13th Beach on the Bellarine Peninsula, with men and women once again playing together but in two separate tournaments, each worth $420,000, across the Beach and Creek courses.
Still in the early months of his professional career, Kobori has ridden consistent ball striking and a hot putter to highly impressive back-to-back wins in the Webex Players Series events at Cobram Barooga and Rosebud and will be attempting to match the three-in-a-row feat of Robert Allenby who clinched the “big three” of Australian Open, PGA and Masters in 2005.
Former world No.1s Jiyai Shin and Karrie Webb, who share nine major championships between them, head a women’s field that also includes two Webex Players Series victors from last year – Min A Yoon and Sarah Jane Smith.
Now ranked 15th in the world, Shin contended strongly in two majors in 2023 as well as collecting another three victories for the year, taking her career win tally to 64 since turning professional in 2005.
She will be defending her title this week and attempting to become the first back-to-back Vic Open women’s champion.
Webb, the winner of more major championships than any other Australian golfer, has only a limited playing schedule these days but is keen to play more tournament golf in the year she turns 50.
Also among the chief women’s contenders are LPGA Tour member Karis Davidson, last year’s runner-up Cassie Porter, two-time WPGA Tour of Australasia winner Sue Oh and last week’s Webex Players Series Victoria runner-up Ashley Lau.
The men’s field is also stacked as the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit race heats up with Kobori surging to the No.2 spot behind Min Woo Lee.
The champion at 13th Beach in 2014 and third in 2022, Matthew Griffin is a perennial Vic Open contender and is already a winner in 2024 at the Heritage Classic.
He is joined by eight other tour winners this season in Kobori, Lachlan Barker (PNG Open), Daniel Gale (NT PGA), Simon Hawkes (WA Open), Ben Eccles (WA PGA), Austin Bautista (Webex Players Series SA), Kerry Mountcastle (Gippsland Super 6) and amateur star Phoenix Campbell (Qld PGA).
Adding to the depth are three former PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit champions in Jed Morgan, Jake McLeod and Brett Rumford, reigning NZ Open champion Brendan Jones, and the highest-ranked player in the field, Travis Smyth, who is coming off a career-best year on the Asian Tour.
In a Vic Open built upon inclusivity, the world’s No.1-ranked player with a disability and former Australian All Abilities Championship winner, England’s Kipp Popert, will tee it up in the men’s field.
Fans can walk the fairways with pooches and players throughout the course of the four days or watch the enthralling action unfold each and every round on Foxtel and Kayo Sports.
HOW TO FOLLOW
For live scoring and the latest news visit https://www.golf.org.au/vicopen/scores Exclusive content and tournament updates will also be posted regularly on Golf Australia’s social media channels.
Instagram: @VicOpenGolf @golfaust
Twitter: @VicOpenGolf @GolfAust
Facebook: @GolfAustraliaVIC @GolfAust
Official hashtag: #VicOpen
HOW TO WATCH
The Vic Open is live on Foxtel and Kayo.
Round 1: Thursday, 3pm – 7pm (AEDT)
Round 2: Friday, 3pm – 7pm (AEDT)
Round 3: Saturday, 3pm – 7pm (AEDT)
Round 4: Sunday, 3pm – 7pm (AEDT)
RECENT CHAMPIONS
Men:
2023: Michael Hendry
2022: Dimitrios Papadatos (2)
2021: Not played
2020: Min Woo Lee
2019: David Law
2018: Simon Hawkes
2017: Dimitrios Papadatos
2016: Michael Long
2015: Richard Green
Women:
2023: Jiyai Shin
2022: Hannah Green
2021: Not played
2020: Park Hee-young
2019: Celine Boutier
2018: Minjee Lee (2)
2017: Melissa Reid
2016: Georgia Hall
2015: Marianne Skarpnord
COURSE RECORD
Beach Course Men’s: 62, Braden Becker
Beach Course Women’s: 65, Soo Jin Lee an Su Oh.
Creek Course Men’s: 61, Jake McLeod and Ryan Ruffels.
Creek Course Women’s: 64, Cassie Porter.
COURSE DESIGNER
Beach Course: Tony Cashmore
Creek Course: Sir Nick Faldo and Tony Cashmore
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Women:
Jiyai Shin: Defending champion and two-time major champion
Karrie Webb: Seven-time major champion
Karis Davidson: LPGA Tour member
Ashley Lau: Top-3 in last two Webex Players Series events
Cassie Porter: 2023 WPGA Melbourne International champion
Momoka Kobori: 2023 Women’s NSW Open champion
Men:
Kazuma Kobori: Winner the last two weeks in both Webex Players Series events
Travis Smyth: Highest ranked men’s player in the field
Michael Hendry: Defending champion
Jak Carter: Currently sixth on the order of merit
Matthew Griffin: 2024 Heritage Classic winner and 2014 Vic Open champion
Brendan Jones: 2023 NZ Open champion
Fresh off an outstanding 2023, Travis Smyth is kicking off the new year with high expectations at this week’s Vic Open where he arrives as the highest ranked player in the men’s field.
Although a win proved to be elusive, the New South Welshman had four top-three finishes on the Asian Tour, as part of a haul of six top-10s overall, to climb to a career-high of No.242 on the Official World Golf Ranking by the end of the year.
His 2023 campaign also included an appearance in his first major, The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, where he produced one of the shots of the tournament – a hole-in-one on the much talked about redesigned par-3 17th hole.
“It was definitely a career-best year,” Smyth said after a practice round at 13th Beach Golf Links today ahead of his first tournament for 2024.
“From start to finish, last year was the most consistent I’ve been by far.
“I didn’t miss a cut in 2023 and I don’t ever want to miss a cut again although I’m sure I’m going to miss a cut some day.
“I guess this year comes with a lot of high expectation.
“The game feels good. I’m working on some things and it feels pretty nice.
“I’m more motivated than ever so it’s an exciting period of my career.”
In the last two years, Smyth has really started to make moves in the professional game. Back in 2021, he was outside the top 700 in the world and now he has arrived on the Bellarine as the highest-ranked player in a Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia tournament for the first time and a joint favourite in betting markets.
“I guess you never really know when the peak period of your career is,” he said.
“You always strive for more. Hopefully I can become one of the world’s best golfers.
“I don’t know when I’m going to get there, but I’m going to do as much as I can to try and get there.”
The 29-year-old has had mixed results at this week’s venue – the Beach and Creek courses – with a best finish of a tie for third coming in 2020 when he finished at 14-under-par, four shots behind the winner, Min Woo Lee.
He didn’t play in last year’s event and missed the cut by two shots in 2022.
“That year (2020) was my best result here by far. I hadn’t had much success around here before then, but it brings back good memories.
“I can remember the final round like it was yesterday – my shots plus some of Min Woo’s shots. It was a fun afternoon.
“To win around here requires such good golf. If you can win around here, you can probably play around most places on any tour.
“This golf course is a pretty strong test, especially when the wind blows.
“You’ve got to golf your ball pretty well.”
Smyth’s one win on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia came in 2017 by an impressive six shots at the NT PGA Championship.
The Vic Open will be one of two appearances he will make on his home tour with the NZ Open presented by Sky Sports to follow in Queenstown later in February.
“I haven’t played that event for a number of years now. It’s going to be awesome to be back there and I’m playing with a good friend who’s going to be my amateur partner,” he said.
“It will then be Asian Tour all the way this year before most likely I go to a Q School. I want to be playing on the best tours so I need to try to break away from Asia and go to a Q School somewhere to take my game up a level.”
Also a high priority for Smyth in the coming weeks is the Malaysian Open (February 15-18) which offers three automatic qualifying positions for this year’s Open Championship at Royal Troon.
Entry to the Vic Open is free on all four days.
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.
