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David Micheluzzi is about to enjoy a privilege afforded to the best PGA Professionals – the honour of defending a title. In this case, at the Vic PGA Championship at Moonah Links on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula beginning Thursday.
It’s 12 months since he reeled everyone in on the final day at Moonah to secure the title, coming from seven shots behind.
It was not his first win – he had earlier secured the WA PGA, the NSW Open and the Webex event in Sydney in his groundbreaking 2022-23 season – but could not find a way to defend those titles because of his playing schedule.
This time he is back as the winner and on familiar ground, at courses (the Open and the Legends) that he has played dozens of times. Plus with the pro-am element to this week brought by the Victorian Amateur Challenge, it means that he will play in a team with two good friends.
At the end of a long and arduous year travelling around the world on the DP World Tour, it has a good vibe to it. “It’s just good seeing the boys again and it’s a more relaxed environment. Just go out, play some golf and enjoy the end of the year.”
Micheluzzi has taken good strides since he won here last year, playing 24 times on his first full-time crack at the DP World Tour, making €609,000 and pushing his world ranking to 228th. His passport is chock full and “almost done”, but he is not looking for an out; he is renowned as a grinder, happy to play five or six weeks in a row.
“It’s been good. I’m slowly coming to terms with it becoming normal. At the start, it was like ‘I don’t feel like I belong yet’, whereas after Munich (where he was runner-up in the BMW Open), that’s when it kicked in.”
That performance took him inside the top 70 on the tour, and ultimately he made it all the way to the Abu Dhabi tournament in November, which means that in 2025, he will be in all the bigger European events. This time last year, he was at home working with coach Marty Joyce on lowering his ball flight to fit the majority of the courses on the DP World Tour.
“I’ve gotten better,” he said. “The results maybe haven’t shown it. I haven’t won this year, but at the same time, I feel like the golf game has developed from playing all different countries. My ball flight’s better, everything’s better. Now it’s doing all the little things to try and win a tournament. That’s what I have to focus on.
“I needed to change some things with my game to suit where I’m playing. This week is how I like it, low-running shots, ‘linksy’. My ball flight’s got higher. I had to because everything’s softer over there. It may not be tailored for it this week, but I’m working on things for next year.”
Micheluzzi will have a break after this week, but not for long. He’s playing the Sandbelt Invitational before Christmas, he’s entering the New Zealand Open and The National tournament to end the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season in March.
At 28, it feels like 2025 could be a big year for him. “I’m just playing bigger events, that’s all. I feel like I’m the same person.
“I want to try and make Dubai (the DP World Tour championship, for the top 70 players). I want to be a little more consistent with everything. It was a good year, a good learning experience. I was very up and down but in the last eight weeks, I’ve been more consistent.”
Micheluzzi is one of the marquee players in the field this week alongside the likes of two-time winner Jack Buchanan, Jasper Stubbs who was tied-third at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open last week and Queenslander Anthony Quayle.
The final two rounds of the Victorian PGA Championship will be broadcast live on both Fox Sports and Kayo with coverage to run from 3pm-6pm Saturday and 1pm-6pm Sunday AEDT.
The two leading teams could not be split at the NSW/ACT PGA Foursomes Championship held at Pymble Golf Club on Monday.
Faced with temperatures in excess of 35 degrees, the team of Jordan Mullaney and Jason Perkin and the pairing of Steve Vail and Neil Rolfe sharing top spot with rounds of 4-under 68.
Incredibly, both teams completed their rounds bogey-free, Mullaney and Perkin adding to their foursomes win of two years ago.
The condition of the greens received widespread compliments from the players in the field and the two winning teams both made special mention of Pymble Golf Club, in particular General Manager and PGA Member Jason Atkins, Head Professional Christian McGill and his team and the course staff for the presentation of the golf course.
David Bransdon hopes that success on home soil will translate into a maiden PGA TOUR Champions title in 2025 after taking out the Noosa Atlas Golf Services Legends Pro-Am at Noosa Golf Course.
Joint winner with Adam Henwood at the Gold Coast Senior PGA in his last start, Bransdon this time edged Henwood by a shot, his round of 7-under 65 made up of seven birdies, an eagle and two bogeys.
With two bogeys and an eagle in his opening four holes it was a somewhat mixed start for Bransdon before a hot putter enabled him to come home strong.
“It’s literally just the putter at the moment. I’m putting nicely,” said Bransdon.
“I’ve been hitting it good for a few months and I wasn’t far from a win in the States at the end of the season.
“If I can continue with the upward trend of my short game – which was a little tardy at times this year – I might be in for a ‘W’ next year on the big boys tour.”
Henwood (66) continued his excellent form with a share of second alongside Chris Taylor with Richard Gilkey (67) and Brad Burns (68) rounding out the top five.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
After his mixed start, Bransdon soon settled into his work and went about building a winning score.
He made birdies at 16 and 18 to get into red figures and then played the Noosa front nine in 5-under 31 with birdies at one, two, six, seven and eight.
He made par at each of his final three holes, just enough to hold on for a one-stroke win.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“It was a weird day,” said Bransdon.
“Got off to a cold start with the putter and then it turned into a really hot day with the putter.
“The golf course was a lot greener and nicer than last year, and it was a pleasure to play. The greens were rolling beautifully.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 David Bransdon 65
T2 Adam Henwood 66
T2 Christopher Taylor 66
4 Richard Gilkey 67
5 Brad Burns 68
T6 Rod Pampling 69
T6 David Diaz 69
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour is at Beerwah Golf Club Wednesday and Thursday for the Elgin Valley Beerwah Legends Pro-Am and then returns to Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club next Tuesday for the Sanctuary Cove G&CC Legends Pro-Am hosted by Peter Senior and Adam Scott.
First year PGA Associate Lachlan Chamberlain upstaged a host of Tour winners to claim a maiden adidas PGA Pro-Am Series victory at the Eastwood Golf Club Pro-Am in Melbourne.
Players the calibre of Lachlan Barker, Austin Bautista and Ashley Hall teed it up at Eastwood but Gold Creek Country Club Associate Lachlan Chamberlain blitzed the field with a superb round of 5-under 67.
It was four strokes clear of Barker, Ruben Lal and Lachlan Aylen while eight players shared fifth place at even par.
Chamberlain walked the course with good friend Matt Millar 12 months ago and said the prolific adidas PGA Pro-Am Series winner has been pivotal in his development as a player.
“He is a big help,” said Chamberlain. “Just being able to play with him a little bit back home and chat to him about what he kind of does and how he goes about things.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Second group off the first tee on Tuesday morning, Chamberlain started out with two pars and then made back-to-back birdies at three and four.
He dropped a shot at the long par-3 eighth but got that one back and then some with a birdie on 10 followed by eagle at the par-5 12th.
A second bogey at the par-5 13th was a slight setback but he rebounded with birdies at 16 and 18 to set a mark that the afternoon groups would never threaten.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“This is the second time I’ve been here,” said Chamberlain.
“The first time I was here I just went for a walk around watching last year.
“So the first time I’ve played here and really enjoyed the course. It’s in very good condition considering the few bits of rain they’ve got here and there and played well today.
“Managed to hit the ball where I needed to and made a couple of good putts.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Lachlan Chamberlain 67
T2 Ruben Lal 71
T2 Lachlan Aylen 71
T2 Lachlan Barker 71
T5 Alexander Pitty 72
T5 Toby Walker 72
T5 Caleb Bovalina 72
T5 Jayden Cripps 72
T5 Harvey Young 72
T5 Ryan Lynch 72
T5 Luke O’Sullivan 72
T5 Ashley Hall 72
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series has a short break now before resuming on Thursday, December 12 with the AB Comsure Invitational at Ryde-Parramatta Golf Club.
Three members of the North Warrnambool Eagles are hoping to erase the painful memories of a grand final defeat with victory at this week’s Scramble Championship Final at Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club.
The Warrnambool Golf Club team of Luke and Matthew Wines, Tom Batten, Ross Corbett and PGA Professional Ben Ford had a day out in Round 1 on Tuesday to lead by 1.1 shots.
Eynesbury-based Professional Ford picked up where he left off at the Regional Qualifying while Luke Wines proved deadly in his role as lead man on the greens, pouring in almost everything he looked at from inside 10 feet.
The Warrnambool team had six nett eagles in their round of 20.3-under par, putting them a little more than a stroke ahead of Kooindah Waters Golf Club (19.2-under) with Willunga Golf Club (18.2-under) a further shot back in third.
Just half a shot separates Ulverstone Golf Club (17.5-under), Moranbah Golf Club (17.1-under) and Bunbury Golf Club (17) but it is Warrnambool who leads the way.
Adamant they are here purely for the experience of playing in a Scramble Championship Final on the Gold Coast, there is motivation to win sitting just beneath the surface.
“We lost the grand final by a point. We don’t want to talk about that,” said Batten of their heartbreaking defeat to arch rivals South Warrnambool in September.
“It’s golf season at the moment.
“We’re enjoying the experience, to be honest, but I think everyone would be joking if they didn’t say they wanted to come up here and win.”
There is an AFL connection in the Kooindah Waters team also, Wyong Lakes teammates Jordan Deeble, Lee Moore, Dean Smith and Mitch McDonald proving to be a formidable combination on the golf course, too.
They recruited Toukley Golf Club Professional Mitchell Brown prior to their Regional Qualifier win at Pacific Dunes and now find themselves in the hunt for a national title.
Crediting Lee ‘Pixie’ Moore for some long bombs in their six eagles and seven birdies on day one, Mitch McDonald also expects the competitive juices to amp up over the final two rounds.
“We saw it as having won already, just getting up here and being so looked after, playing and staying here,” he said.
“It just already feels like a win so we didn’t feel that much pressure.
“A lot of us have played sport most of our lives so we’re going to get on the tee and want to win anyway.”
The Willunga team led by PGA Professional Cameron Bickley had four eagles and 11 birdies to sit in third place while Ulverstone played the front nine in 11-under on their way to a 17.5-under par total.
Moranbah Golf Club’s Kyle Cherry had the honour of hitting the opening tee shot of the tournament on Tuesday only to have nerves take hold and miss the ball entirely.
Despite the ignominy of that moment, Cherry more than made it for up when it mattered, hitting the approach shot and draining the putt for a nett eagle on Moranbah’s final hole as they climbed into fifth position.
For Jasper Stubbs, this weeks Vic PGA Championship at Moonah Links feels like home.
Although he was brought up in Gippsland and later moved to Melbourne, Stubbs and his family often holiday on the Mornington Peninsula.
“I’ve played junior tournaments there (at Moonah) and played there quite a bit,” he said.
“I like it. It’s windy and I like the wind so I’m excited to be there.”
Moonah’s two courses at Fingal – the brutish Open course originally designed by Peter Thomson to host the national championship, and Ross Perrett’s more friendly but broadly popular Legends course – will host the latest instalment of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia from Thursday.
With his outstanding tied-third finish in the ISPS HANDA Australian Open at Kingston Heath on Sunday, the 23-year-old rookie pro Stubbs now knows that his playing rights for next season at home are secure.
It gives him security to pursue his dreams with freedom; the top three on the Order of Merit pick up DP World Tour cards for next season, and he is currently 10th. Beyond Moonah Links, he plans on a crack at the Asian Tour Q-School in a couple of weeks, where the top 35 will receive cards for 2025.
Stubbs had only American Ryggs Johnston and Curtis Luck ahead of him at Kingston Heath. Given that he only turned pro for the WA PGA Championship in October, his improvement has been impressive.
“This was my second Aussie Open and my sixth start as a pro, so very happy,” he said. “It might take a while for it to sink in but I’m happy with how I handled the whole week and how I played. Top-three in my national Open is awesome. It sucks not to be a little closer to Ryggs, but it was a great week for me.”
Stubbs was right in contention for the win until he bogeyed the brilliant par-3 15th hole from behind the green. “It wasn’t a terrible golf shot,” he said. “Just pulled it a little and went into a bad spot. That’s what we’ve got in the sandbelt. You can be very close but end up dead.”
Stubbs was also frustratingly close to grabbing one of the three spots in next year’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush. Ultimately the third spot went to Marc Leishman who tied with him. So in effect, had Stubbs’ chip from beside the 18th green on Sunday gone in, he would have been going to Royal Portrush. Because they were tied-third, Leishman was awarded the spot because his world ranking is higher.
“I knew that was going to be the case,” said Stubbs. “I knew that I was tied with him on the last hole and I said to my caddie ‘just got to make one more birdie’. I gave it my best shot but didn’t quite get there. I’m a bit gutted not to get a ticket back to the Open but stoked with the week.”
This week’s field for the Vic PGA is headed by defending champion David Micheluzzi with a $250,000 prize fund.
The Victorian Celebrity Amateur Challenge, a best-ball nett stroke event where pros partner with an amateur, is another highlight with the likes of Brendan Fevola, Dermott Brereton and Ryan Papenhuyzen taking part.
PHOTO: Jasper Stubbs is a star attraction at the Vic PGA at Moonah Links this week.
Robert Mitchell has broken through for his maiden win on the PGA Legends Tour in what is possibly his final year on the senior circuit.
Mitchell had four birdies and an eagle in his round of 6-under 66 to share victory with the in-form Adam Henwood at the NewGen Caravans Tin Can Bay Legends Pro-Am at Tin Can Bay Country Club.
Hailing from Western Australia, Mitchell has been a member of the PGA Legends Tour for the past three seasons but said that 2024 could well be his last.
“This is my third year out here and I probably won’t be coming back next year, unfortunately,” said Mitchell.
“Got to get myself a full-time job, buy a house and all that sort of stuff.
“The missus has been awesome for letting me play three years so thank her a lot for that.”
Mitchell and Henwood finished two strokes clear of a group of four players at 4-under, Brad Burns, Peter Brown, Guy Wall and Mark Boulton all posting 68s.
HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED
Starting from the 15th hole it took only until Mitchell’s second hole to get under-par with a birdie at the par-4 16th.
He would stay in red figures for the entirety of his round, adding birdies at the fourth, eighth and 13th holes along with an eagle at the par-5 10th.
Henwood, too, was quick out of the blocks with birdie at the par-4 first only to give it back with a bogey at the very next hole.
He turned 2-under courtesy of birdies at five and eight, added two more immediately after the turn and then closed with birdies at 14 and 18 to match Mitchell’s 6-under total.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I played nicely, hit a lot of good shots, made some good putts,” said Mitchell.
“It was just solid all day. It felt good, which was nice.
“I knew I was sort of heading towards my first win and I just sort of hanging in there I suppose.
“My fellow legends players have been awesome for the last three years, so I’ll always thank them for that.
“You get a lot of guys that make a speech and they say it’s like a family here and it is like a family.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 Adam Henwood 66
T1 Robert Mitchell 66
T3 Peter Brown 68
T3 Guy Wall 68
T3 Mark Boulton 68
T3 Brad Burns 68
NEXT UP
The countdown to the season finale continues at Noosa Golf Course on Tuesday and then moves to Beerwah on Wednesday for the two-day Elgin Valley Beerwah Legends Pro-Am.
The majors may be over for another summer but the 2024/2025 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season remains in full swing with the Victorian PGA Championship at Moonah Links Resort.
The pro-am format that brings the tour’s best players together with golf-obsessed celebrities from the worlds of sport and entertainment on the spectacular Mornington Peninsula has proven to be a popular change.
This year, those stepping out of their comfort zone to share the stage with pro golfers include acclaimed Hollywood actor Michael Pena, three-time Paralympic gold medallist Dylan Alcott, AFL legends Dermott Brereton and Brendon Fevola and Melbourne Storm NRL star, Ryan Papenhuyzen.
They aren’t the stars of this show, though, with the likes of defending champion David Micheluzzi (pictured), Jack Buchanan, Jasper Stubbs and Anthony Quayle all seeking to advance their position on the Order of Merit.
The final two rounds of the Victorian PGA Championship will be broadcast live on both Fox Sports and Kayo with coverage to run from 3pm-6pm Saturday and 1pm-6pm Sunday AEDT.
DEFENDING CHAMPION: David Micheluzzi (Victoria)
PRIZEMONEY: $250,000
LIVE SCORES: www.pga.org.au
TV COVERAGE: Victorian PGA Championship is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
*All times AEDT.
Round 3: Saturday 3pm-6pm (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
Final Round: Sunday 1pm-6pm (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
FORMAT
The tournament will be contested over 72 holes of stroke play for the professionals with a separate team competition called the Victorian Celebrity Amateur Challenge played in conjunction. The field of 120 professionals will be paired with an amateur partner and play one round on both the Open and Legends courses at Moonah Links. The leading 50 professionals and ties will qualify for the final two rounds while in the teams event, the top 24 teams advance to Round 3 which is then pared back to the top eight for the final round. The final two rounds will both be played on the Open Course.
HEADLINERS
David Micheluzzi – Fresh off qualifying for the DP World Tour Playoffs in his rookie season, Micheluzzi was fifth at the BMW Australian PGA Championship and made the cut at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open. Micheluzzi came from six strokes in the final round to beat Ben Eccles by a shot 12 months ago.
Jack Buchanan – Continued his breakout season with a top-25 finish at the Australian Open. Winner of both the WA PGA and Webex Players Series South Australia this season already, Buchanan is currently fourth on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.
Jasper Stubbs – The 2023 Asia Pacific Amateur champion was in contention for Australian Open glory late on Sunday at Kingston Heath. In just his sixth start since turning professional, Stubbs’s tie for third saw him climb 766 spots in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Nathan Barbieri – The winner of Qualifying School at Moonah Links in April, Barbieri started the season with three top-20 finishes, the best of which was a tie for sixth at the WA Open at Mandurah.
Anthony Quayle – Tied for third at the BMW Australian PGA Championship, Quayle has returned home to play the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia as a way of relaunching his international career.
CELEBRITIES
Michael Pena – A passionate golfer, Pena’s Hollywood acting credits include Best Picture Academy Award winning films Million Dollar Baby and Crash along with highly acclaimed films End of Watch, The Martian and Ant-Man.
Dylan Alcott: Three-time Paralympic gold medallist and 2022 Australian of the Year
Dermott Brereton: AFL legend and five-time Hawthorn premiership winner
Brendon Fevola: Carlton great who is a two-time Coleman Medal winner and three-time All-Australian selection
Ryan Papenhuyzen: The Melbourne Storm NRL star was the Clive Churchill Medal winner in Melbourne’s 2020 grand final victory
Simon Marshall: Horse-racing identity who had 15 Group 1 wins as a jockey
RECENT CHAMPIONS
2023: David Micheluzzi
2022: Andrew Martin
2021: Blake Windred
2020: Chris Wood (Feb 2021)
2019: Campbell Rawson
2018: Aaron Pike
2017: Damien Jordan
2016: Ashley Hall
2015: Aaron Townsend
COURSE RECORD
Open Course: 62, Jim Herman (2010 Moonah Classic)
Legends Course: 62, Cameron John, Dimi Papadatos (2020 Vic PGA)
COURSE DESIGNER
Open Course: Peter Thomson, Mike Wolveridge and Ross Perrett
Legends Course: Ross Perrett
WPGA CEO Karen Lunn has won a major international award for her contribution to golf’s engagement with women and girls.
Lunn was named ‘International Woman of the Year’ at the annual awards presented by Women In Golf UK.
Lunn, who is still in the dark as to how she was nominated, is nevertheless proud.
“I’m really humbled and honoured because there are so many women around the world doing amazing things in golf,” she said. “To be even considered as a part of that group is an honour.”
Lunn is a former touring professional who played in Europe (1985-2013), on the LPGA Tour (1994-2002) and in Asia (1998-2005), serving on the LET board of directors for 14 years including a 10-year stint as chair as well as chair of the players’ council. A 10-time winner in Europe, the high point was her 1993 British Women’s Open victory.
In 2022, she became the first woman elected as Chair of the Australian Golf Industry Council, the collaboration of the main stakeholders in the sport.
She has witnessed much change in that period of almost 40 years.
“We’ve made great inroads the past few years,” she said. “We’ve gone from being really frustrated and at times it’s been a tough gig, to being really excited about the direction now. We’re in a much better place.
“What we’ve achieved working so closely with the PGA and Golf Australia since we put the five-year strategy in place, it’s really exciting. It’s a great time for women’s sport to evolve and to be recognised as a separate centrepiece to our male counterparts.
“We don’t want to be the poor man’s option, and not just a token organisation. There was a lot of that in the beginning: ‘Oh, we better have a woman’. Now there’s genuine commercial support from business and I think the Australian public is opening up. The Matildas were almost a revolution and the Women’s World Cup cricket, which I was fortunate enough to see live. There have been great moments.”
PGA Associate Katie Buckley hopes to see golf clubs across Australia express their creative side after launching a recycling initiative with a difference at Townsville Golf Club.
In the first year of the PGA’s Membership Pathway Program, Buckley transferred from the New South Wales South Coast to North Queensland earlier this year, a phone call from none other than seven-time major winner Karrie Webb convincing to pack the car – and her cat Denzel – and head north.
Shortly after arriving, Buckley was made aware of broken tees from the golf course being washed into adjoining waterways and, ultimately, out onto the Great Barrier Reef.
Sensing an opportunity to make a positive contribution to the club’s environmental impact while also feeding her creative side, Buckley instigated a ‘teecycling’ program that will result in an artwork that will be displayed in the clubhouse.
“We asked everyone to pick up five tees when they went out and played and to put them in a vase that we have on the counter at the pro shop,” says Buckley.
“The members got really engaged with it and the vase filled up really fast. Then the juniors got really excited and made it a little game within themselves.
“I’d be out playing and they would run over from other fairways with bundles of tees that they had collected.”
But it is not just the members at Townsville Golf Club who are excited by Buckley’s ‘teecycling’ program.
Rosemary Veitch is not only a member and Women’s Golf Group Coordinator at Townsville Golf Club but also a Townsville Northern Suburbs Lions Club member.
She presented the idea to a meeting of Lions Clubs in North Queensland, word spreading as far as south-east Queensland as ‘teecycling’ took on a life of its own.
“Rosemary’s very passionate about recycling and the environment so she was really excited when I wanted to do it,” Buckley adds.
“As well as the wooden tees, there are lots of little plastic tees that get broken which go into the waterways which is washing into our ecosystems with the animals and then feeds out into the reef water.
“As Rosemary said, it’s a little thing that everyone can do and it’s so easy to do, but actually if you compile it, it makes such a big difference.
“It was such a little idea. We’ll pick up the tees because they’re a problem and I’ll make an art project. And then within a couple of months, it’s literally spreading across Queensland and got so much interest, which is really cool.”
It also reaffirmed to Webb why she was so eager to have someone such as Buckley complete her PGA training at Townsville Golf Club.
“You can see how enthusiastic and full of energy she is,” Webb says.
“I think she’s someone that brings people together and all golf clubs need people like her.
“I look forward to seeing what Katie’s organised when I’m home next.”
With the vase on the pro shop constantly filling up, Buckley hopes to unveil her artwork to the Townsville members in March next year.
She is keeping tight-lipped on what can possibly be created with thousands of broken tees but would love to see other creative types express their visions at golf clubs across Australia.
“I went and played an Associates match at Tropics Golf Club recently and they had my poster up and a vase on the counter with tees in it,” she adds.
“I didn’t even know they were doing that, so it was cool to walk into another golf club and see it happening.
“Hopefully we see some cool art projects popping up in random golf courses all over Australia and perhaps I could judge them.
“I would love that. That would be right up my alley.”
