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Ryan Peake chipped in twice en route to a spectacular 6-under-par 64 and the halfway lead in the World Sand Greens Championship at Binalong Golf Club.
The West Australian lowered the Binalong course record by two strokes with six birdies, an eagle and two bogeys to take a one-shot edge over Lucas Higgins and Peter Cooke into Sunday’s final round.
But on a packed leaderboard, six players share fourth at 4-under with another six just a shot back from them.
Peake had a “pretty serious debrief” after letting slip his chance in the final group at the Queanbeyan regional qualifier for the New South Wales Open earlier this week.
And the left-hander – who once won an international amateur teams event paired with Cam Smith – is eager to make amends when he gets a repeat chance for a world title.
“I knew it was on TV and I really wanted to show something to my family and friends back in WA,” said Peake, a member at Lakelands Country Club north of Perth.
“But it got away from me quickly and I was really disappointed in what I did… I’m looking forward to setting the record straight a bit tomorrow.”
Peake, who began his round on the ninth hole, leapt from the blocks with a chip-in eagle on the short par-4 10th hole, but stagnated for an hour before a bogey on the short 14th triggered his record charge.
He birdied six of the next seven holes, including another greenside chip-in on the 18th.
“I missed a couple, too, but then again, I had a couple drop in for me, so it all evens out on sand greens – you just have to roll with it,” he said.
“I played a lot of state events on sand as an amateur and I really like it.”
South Australian Cooke, also no stranger to sand greens, said his round was “pretty stress-free” as he peeled off six birdies against just one bogey.
“I got up and down pretty well from the sides of most greens and made birdies on the holes you’d expect to,” Cooke said.
“It was just a solid round of golf.”
The X-factor in the final group is Higgins, a sand greens rookie from Murwillumbah who also found six birdies after not looking nearly as comfortable during his Friday pro-am round.
“I spent a lot of time looking at the way the ball was rolling around the greens and tried to take that out today and it worked pretty well,” Higgins said.
“I’m learning as we go, but I’m happy with the way it went.”
Blake Windred and Brett Rankin are the biggest names at 4-under, while veteran Rick Kulacz looms again at 3-under, just days after his runner-up finish at Queanbeyan.
The final group in Sunday’s final round will start at 11:50am, with live coverage on Seven Plus and streamed on the Golf NSW website.
Australians Adam Scott and Jason Day played their part and secured wins in a remarkable International team comeback on day two of the Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal today.
With captain Mike Weir pulling the levers and deploying a bunch of different pairings, the Internationals swept the USA in Friday foursomes matches before a raucous and partisan crowd in Canada.
It was 5-0 on the day when South Korea’s Si Woo Kim nailed a 15-foot par-saver at the 18th giving he and Ben An a 1-up win over Scottie Scheffler and Russell Henley. It is the first time ever that Presidents Cup matches have been swept two days in a row.
After a disastrous start on Thursday where the USA swept the four-ball matches 5-0, Weir’s team is now level at 5-5 overall with two days to play.
Scott partnered Canadian Taylor Pendrith in a 5&4 demolition of Sahith Theegala and Collin Morikawa. Day and South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout defeated Max Homa and Brian Harman 1 up.
“We didn’t get defeated,” said Scott. “There’s a lot of fight in this team. We’re not gonna go away.”
Min Woo Lee sat out the day’s contests on his Presidents Cup debut.
It was the veteran Scott’s 22nd point in Presidents Cup matches, making him the ‘winningest’ International player in the history of the event ahead of Ernie Els. This is his 10th appearance, and the Australian closed out the match with a nice putt in close from the fringe at the 14th hole.
Scott and Pendrith made five birdies and never trailed in the match.
Day and Bezuidenhout had a tougher time against Max Homa and Brian Harman with their match going to the 18th hole where Day hit a superb lob shot from the left rough to effectively finish the match.
The Internationals set the tone early with Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im beating Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay 7&6, rolling in seven consecutive birdies to stop the match at the twelfth green. It was the shortest match in Presidents Cup history.
“I had a good feeling about this when we were up here a couple weeks ago scouting,” said Scott. “We played a little bit, felt easy to me. I’ve played with lots of different guys, and I knew that we were going to be a good pairing, and the captains seemingly found a lot of good pairings in this format today.
“But (it) felt easy. The momentum got going our way, and in this format, that’s a big advantage. Happy to close it out like we did.”
The Montreal crowd was a factor today as local heroes Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Conners smashed Wyndham Clark and Tony Finau 6&5.
On Saturday there are eight matches in four-ball and foursomes format followed by 12 singles clashes to close out the contest on Sunday, local time.
The USA is protecting a 12-1 record with one tie, and is chasing a 10th consecutive Presidents Cup win.
Adam Scott celebrates a putt going down at the fifth today in his win. Image: Getty
Golf has a way of drawing you in from your very first swing. For Will Bruyeres, competing in this weekend’s World Sand Greens Championship at Binalong Golf Club, It began with nine holes of family bonding on a sand greens track three hours west of Toowoomba.
By David Tease
“My very first game of golf was on sand greens at Ingleston Golf Club, just outside Meandarra,” Bruyeres recalled with a smile. “My grandparents had a cattle property out there. My dad and grandpa were both playing. It was a family experience, and I had a lot of fun.”
Bruyeres, who said he ‘shot 74 or 75’ for nine holes, had no idea how special the experience was at the time.
“Looking back, it was the perfect initiation into the game,” he added. “I didn’t realise how special the experience was.”
That first day of fun on the sand started a golfing journey for Bruyeres, from junior golf around Logan City in Queensland to a college degree in Iowa, it reached a crescendo with a well-deserved victory on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia last month in Port Moresby.
Following his PNG victory, Bruyeres took a well-earned break for a friend’s wedding in the United States. He returned to action last week at the NSW Open Regional Qualifying events at Catalina Club and Queanbeyan. He is primed for this weekend’s world sand greens championship and relishes the bespoke challenge of the deceptively small putting surfaces at Binalong.
“They look great,” Bruyeres added.
“It’s going to be a mix between some guys going stupid low and some struggling with adjusting to the sand greens.”
“It’s going to be a test to work it out. Where do you land your second shots?”
“If you figure it out, you could go quite low.”
Sand Greens: A Unique Challenge
For those unfamiliar with sand greens, they offer a completely different experience from the typical lush, grass-covered putting surfaces.
‘Smoothing’ your line will be a first for more than a few competitors, as will the challenge of working out how exactly you stop your ball on some of the putting surfaces.
“I know playing sand greens can be tricky,” Bruyeres added. “The nuances can turn a straightforward game into a mental battle.”
“I expect you’ll see a mix of scores. Some players will figure it out and go extremely low, but others will struggle to adapt.”
“The key is managing your approach shots carefully.
“Land your second shot too hard, and the ball will bounce straight over the back and roll away.
“A nine-iron or a smooth run-on shot from inside 100 yards seems to work best.
“Work it out, and you can go quite low, quite quick. If you don’t, it will just be a bit of a head battle.
“I’m just going to try and smooth it around and hope the ball goes in the hole,” Bruyeres smiled.
Tournament Facts:
Host Venue: Binalong Golf Club
Dates: 28 – 29 September, 2024
Prize Fund: AU$140,000
TV Times:
Sunday 29 September 2024 from 12.00 pm on 7Plus
The Venue:
Binalong Golf Club has a long and rich history. Founded in 1857, the club’s original nine-hole layout was carved through the middle of a now-defunct horse racing track.
At 500 metres above sea level, the 18-hole, par-72 course is considered one of the best examples of a sand greens layout in regional New South Wales.
37km northwest of Yass, about one hour from Canberra and three hours from Sydney, Binalong is a hub for sporting activities and an integral part of the surrounding community.
The Men’s World Sand Greens Championship is supported by the NSW Government via its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
The star-studded United States team have asserted their dominance on day one of the Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal overnight, completing a clean-sweep in the Thursday four-ball matches to march to a 5-0 lead over the International team.
“It obviously didn’t go our way at all today. We’re now in a really tough spot, but thankfully there’s tomorrow,” said veteran Australian Adam Scott.
Playing with President’s Cup debutant Min Woo Lee today, Scott and Lee fought hard in their match against Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala.
Battling back from an early loss on the first hole, Lee and Scott managed to grab a 1-up lead on the sixth, courtesy on a Lee birdie, and managed to hold that lead until the 11th.
Two Morikawa birdies on 12 and 14 however, swung the 1-up lead in the opposite direction, and the Australian pair found themselves 1-down heading up the 18th.
Scott made a fighting birdie on the last, however it was matched by Theegala, the Internationals losing the match by the narrowest of margins.
“Yeah, I’m disappointed. I think Min Woo and I could have won that match today. It’s disappointing that we didn’t do just a little bit better,” said Scott.
“I have a feeling the matches were closer than what the score indicates. Our guys are just going to have to lift a little bit. We’re going to have to find another gear to beat a tough American team.”
Playing in the group ahead of Scott and Lee, Jason Day and his partner Byeong Hun An endured an equally close affair in their match against Tony Finau and Xander Schauffele.
An early 1-up lead to the Internationals was quickly snatched back by Finau and Schauffele, the Americans dominating much of the back-nine.
An made a clutch birdie on 15 however, and when Day was the only player to manage a par on 16, the match was suddenly all-square with two holes to play.
Schauffele’s birdie on the par-3 17th restored the American lead however, and as An and Schauffele traded birdies on the final hole, it was another agonisingly close-call for the Internationals.
“Yeah, it was close,” said Day. “Obviously we got lucky with 16, both of those guys three-putting there. Then Benny, the putt just needed to stay a little bit higher, and he would have holed it on 17 for birdie.
“That would have potentially flipped because obviously coming off the back end of a win on 16 and you’re looking for that momentum going into 18, but unfortunately, we just didn’t quite get it.
“The best players in the world had to birdie the last hole to beat us. That’s why grinding it out is important. We’ve just got to kind of regroup and think about tomorrow.”
Both Scott and Day will be out for redemption in the Friday foursomes matches, while Lee will sit the Friday out in preparation for a big weekend.
It took birdies at each of his final two holes for Chris Taylor to match Adam Henwood’s 9-under 62 and claim a share of victory at the Glen Innes Legends Pro-Am at Glen Innes Golf Club.
Eyeing off a low total upon driving in and seeing the course for the first time, Taylor had to push until the final hole to rein Henwood in.
The Victorian reached 10-under when he made six birdies in the space of seven holes only to drop a shot at his final hole, the par-3 seventh.
Taylor arrived at his penultimate hole, the par-4 16th, three shots back of Henwood but a birdie there and another at the par-3 17th saw him finish at 9-under for his 11th win of the season.
“I’m not a scoreboard watcher, so I never had any idea what Adam was on,” said Taylor.
“Obviously if he got to 10-under, he’s playing great golf.
“I was pleasantly surprised coming in for the first time and looking at the golf course.
“I though, yeah, this is a place where someone could really go really low.
“You can drive it down pretty close to the greens and as long as your short game is going OK, you’re always going to make plenty of birdies out there.”
There was a four-stroke gap to the next best with Simon Tooman (66) and Brad Burns (66) sharing third place.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Both Taylor and Henwood took advantage of the early holes at Glen Innes Golf Club to build their 9-under totals.
Taylor was fast out of the blocks with a run of four straight birdies after an opening with par at the par-4 18th and then drained a long putt for eagle at the par-5 ninth.
He would add just one further birdie in the next six holes before holing a 10-foot putt for birdie on 16 and then closing out his round with a birdie from eight feet on 17.
Henwood began his round with a par at the par-4 eighth and then soon found rhythm, picking up five birdies in his next seven holes.
After a stretch of three pars, Henwood returned to the Glen Innes front nine and unleashed a birdie barrage, picking up shots at one, two, three, five and six before an untimely bogey to finish on seven.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Anytime you jump out of the blocks and you make a heap of birdies up there straight away, you’re thinking, This could be a good day of shooting 7, 8-under,” said Taylor.
“The putter is still going well and happy to be out here still making a lot of birdies.
“I made a silly three-putt for par at the par-5 15th but the next two holes were kind to me.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 Adam Henwood 62
T1 Chris Taylor 62
T3 Simon Tooman 66
T3 Brad Burns 66
T5 Guy Wall 69
T5 Colin Hunt 69
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour heads to the coast on Friday for the Watsons Leisure Centre Legends Classic at Coffs Harbour Golf Club.
Adam Scott will bring up another remarkable milestone – his 11th Presidents Cup appearance – at Royal Montreal this week, aiming to end years of pain inflicted by the United States team on the Internationals.
The 44-year-old Scott’s Presidents Cup journey is like no other.
As a 23-year-old he made his International team debut at Fancourt in South Africa in the famous tied competition where darkness ended a titanic contest with Ernie Els and Tiger Woods on the course.
He remembers being “incredibly nervous” and leaning on his teammate Ernie Els for support; they played together at Fancourt, and Els remains a close confidante and mentor for Scott to this day.
His first match with Els sticks is embedded in his memory. “Ernie and I were 2-down with three to go in alternate shot and I was very nervous. He was playing great at the time, and I felt like it had been my fault we’re 2-down and he said, ‘Don’t worry about it, we’ve just got to stay the course’. He kept telling me that.
“And then I holed a good putt on 16, he holed a good one on 17 and then he chipped it stiff and we won the 18th and the match 1-up. That’s just one that really sticks with me. It was a great first match in the Presidents Cup for me, playing with one of the greatest friends and real flip in match play.”
As it happens 21 years on it is still the closest Scott has come to a win in International colours. Despite leading deep into the event at Seoul in 2015 where it ended up 15.5-14.5, and Melbourne in 2019 when it was 16-14, Scott still does not have a victory in this competition.
The Internationals’ win at Royal Melbourne in 1998 is the only time the US has lost in the Presidents Cup. Potentially, this could be Scott’s last opportunity.
“There’s been a lot of hurt, especially on a couple of the close calls, most recently in Korea and then in Melbourne,” he said. “Melbourne was a tough one going into Sunday with the lead in my home country and not getting it done. But the US is a great team.
“They keep putting up great teams and I feel like the great memories for me are being part of this team, being with the guys and on a different level for the week and hopefully inspiring some of the younger players now to continue to make the teams, continue to gain experience and eventually get the upper hand on the US team.”
Scott’s relationship with captain Mike Weir goes back years, including several times as a teammate for the Internationals. One of his most positive memories is of the famous singles match in Canada in 2007 when Weir took down Tiger Woods.
“I have strong memories of Royal Montreal with Mike in 2007 and for any of the younger guys, if they want to see what Mike is made of, they just need to watch him play Tiger (Woods) at Royal Montreal in 2007 and they know they’ve got a great leader.”
Scott is one of three Australians on the International team, with Min Woo Lee and Jason Day.
Day one matches begin at 1.35am (AEST) Friday.
PHOTO: Adam Scott tunes his bunker play at Royal Montreal on Tuesday. Image: Getty
Josh Armstrong took a while to get rolling, but the big rig found top gear just in time to nab the final trophy of the New South Wales Open Qualifying Series today.
Armstrong, a native Canberran now based in Sydney, carved out a sublime, bogey-free 6-under-par 64 on familiar Queanbeyan turf to hold off some bold challenges.
His 9-under total proved just enough to fend off the fast-finishing Corey Lamb (66) at 8-under, while Rick Kulacz (64) and Blake Windred (67) were each bogey-free in reaching 7-under.
They were joined in a share of third by joint overnight leader Will Florimo (69), who started well but couldn’t go with the chasing pack as it roared past.
Armstrong, 25, opened his tournament with a bogey on Tuesday and was still 1-over when he turned on to the back nine in the first round.
But he parlayed four back-nine birdies yesterday into another four today, then capped it with a stunning 10m eagle putt on the par-5 16th to ultimately seal victory.
“Overall I played really well, my putter was good today and it was pretty nice to make that big one on the 16th right when I needed to,” Armstrong said.
“I’ve been playing better than my results suggest, so it’s really nice to get rewarded for effort.
“And I’m really glad to do it with mum (Lynne) here and at a course I know so well, I’ve played a lot of golf here and I think that probably helped me out a bit.”
Kulacz, the 2006 NSW Open champion, was outstanding in setting the clubhouse mark for Armstrong to chase. The West Australian veteran is building back to his best form and sent a shiver through the field when he surged to 7-under with the long 16th to play.
But his long birdie try on the par-5 agonisingly hung over the lip and his momentum stalled.
He was joined in qualifying for the NSW Open at Murray Downs in November by Lamb and the home club’s assistant professional, Trent Britton.
Despite the final nine holes being played in miserable conditions, Britton had a generous gallery following him when he surged up the leaderboard with three successive birdies from the ninth.
But his chance slipped with his missed par putt on the short 15th as he closed with a 68 to be 6-under.
The NSW Open will be played at Murray Downs from November 14-17.
LEADERBOARD
-9: Josh Armstrong (NSW)
-8: Corey Lamb (NSW)
-7: Rick Kulacz (WA), Will Florimo (Qld), Blake Windred (NSW)
-6: Jay Mackenzie (NSW), Trent Britton (ACT), Andrew Kelly (Vic), Ed Donoghue (Vic)
NEXT UP
The $150,000 World Sand Greens Championships will be played at Binalong in country NSW on Saturday and Sunday.
The Men’s NSW Open Golf Regional Qualifying Series is proudly supported by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency.
Australian Travis Smyth will endeavour to stay out of his own way as he seeks to turn a run of red-hot form into a second Asian Tour title at this week’s Yeangder TPC in Chinese Taipei.
A return to Linkou International Golf and Country Club should elicit positive memories for Smyth, who broke through in this tournament two years ago for his maiden Asian Tour win and was second last year.
That win also marked the start of a new dietary regime that has significantly impacted Smyth’s health and enabled him to get the very best from his considerable talents on the golf course.
Runner-up at the Shinhan Donghae Open two weeks ago, Smyth was also fourth at the Mandiri Indonesia Open, tied fifth at the International Series Morocco to go with two further top-10 finishes.
Currently sixth on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, Smyth knows that all he needs now is patience to bring that second win to fruition.
“I feel like I’m playing good golf and really feel like a win is going to be coming very soon but I need to go out and earn it,” said Smyth.
“I can’t get in my own way and think about winning too much.
“It’s going to require a lot of patience, digging deep and focusing on those good shots. What do I have to do to hit those good shots?
“Then I think I’ll be in a good position.”
Smyth leads a contingent of 16 Australians in Taipei that includes another Aussie in good form in Aaron Wilkin.
Wilkin endured a heartbreaking playoff loss at the Indonesia Open four weeks ago to climb to 31st on the Order of Merit.
David Micheluzzi (75th) and Jason Scrivener (80th) can advance their chances of qualifying for the DP World Tour Playoffs at the Open de Espana in Madrid and Grace Kim and Stephanie Kyriacou lead the five Aussies at the LPGA Tour’s Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.
Photo: Jason Butler/Getty Images
Round 1 tee times AEST
Asian Tour
Yeangder TPC
Linkou International Golf and Country Club, Chinese Taipei
8:30am Deyen Lawson
8:50am Justin Warren
9am Jack Thompson
9:10am Todd Sinnott
9:10am* Kevin Yuan
9:20am Zach Murray
9:20am* Brendan Jones
9:30am Andrew Dodt
9:30am* Jed Morgan, Harrison Crowe
9:50am Lachlan Barker
1:40pm Aaron Wilkin
2:10pm Travis Smyth
2:30pm Jordan Zunic
2:40pm Sam Brazel
2:40pm* Maverick Antcliff
Defending champion: Poom Saksansin
Past Aussie winners: Travis Smyth (2022)
Prize money: $US1 million
Presidents Cup
Royal Montreal Golf Club, Montreal, Canada
Day 1: Fourballs
Day 2: Foursomes
Day 3: Fourballs/Foursomes
Final Day: Singles
Defending champions: United States
TV times: Live Friday 1:30am–8am; Live Saturday 3am–8am; Live Saturday 9pm–8am; Live Monday 2am-8am on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
LPGA Tour
Walmart NW Arkansas Championship
Pinnacle Country Club, Rogers, Arkansas
Australasians in the field: Grace Kim, Stephanie Kyriacou, Gabriela Ruffels, Hira Naveed, Robyn Choi.
Defending champion: Haeran Ryu
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US3 million
TV times: Live 6:30am-9:30am Saturday; Live 4am-7am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
DP World Tour
acciona Open de España
Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
5pm Jason Scrivener
5:40pm Andrew Martin
6:10pm Daniel Hillier (NZ)
9:40pm* David Micheluzzi
10:30pm* Haydn Barron
11:10pm Sam Jones (NZ)
Defending champion: Matthieu Pavon
Past Aussie winners: Rodger Davis (1990)
Prize money: $US3.25 million
TV times: Live 10pm-3am Thursday, Friday; Live 9:30pm-2am Saturday on Fox Sports 505; Live 9pm-2am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Ladies European Tour
Lacoste Ladies Open de France
Golf Barriere, Deauville, France
4:15pm* Momoka Kobori (NZ)
4:39pm Kelsey Bennett
9:03pm Kirsten Rudgeley
9:03pm* Whitney Hillier
Defending champion: Johanna Gustavsson
Past Aussie winners: Karen Lunn (1997), Stacey Keating (2012)
Prize money: €375,000
Japan Golf Tour
Vantelin Tokai Classic
Miyoshi Country Club (West Cse), Aichi
10:30am* Anthony Quayle
10:40am* Brad Kennedy
10:50am* Michael Hendry
Defending champion: Yuta Kinoshita
Past Aussie winners: Graham Marsh (1985, 1990), Brian Jones (1988)
Prize money: ¥110 million
Challenge Tour
Swiss Challenge
Golf Saint Apollinaire, Folgensbourg, France
4:56pm* Hayden Hopewell
5:29pm Connor McKinney
Defending champion: Adam Blomme
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €270,000
Debutant Min Woo Lee joins fellow Aussies Adam Scott and Jason Day on an International Team trying to end the dominance of the United States at the 15th staging of the Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Canada.
Seventeen years on from his epic singles victory against Tiger Woods at Royal Montreal, Canadian Mike Weir returns as captain of a team boasting three of his countrymen, three Aussies, four Koreans, Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
Standing between them and a first International win since a Peter Thomson-inspired upset at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in 1998 is an American team bursting at the seams with major winners and Olympic champions.
The undisputed two best players of 2024, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, headline a US team that also includes major champions in Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Keegan Bradley and Brian Harman.
Competition begins with five fourball matches on Friday morning AEST to be followed by five foursomes (alternate shot) matches on Saturday morning.
Sunday will see four fourball matches in the morning followed by four foursomes matches in the afternoon, the Cup to be decided on Monday morning with 12 singles matches.
Back for the first time since 2017 💪
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 24, 2024
Former World No. 1 @JDayGolf has returned for revenge with the @IntlTeam.
Everything you need to know before the 2024 Presidents Cup:https://t.co/PMMVGB6Q3R pic.twitter.com/2JeKYT8Oqj
As Lee makes his first Presidents Cup appearance, Day returns for the first time since 2017 for his fifth Presidents Cup while Scott is playing his 11th dating back to 2003. He has played more matches in the Presidents Cup than the entire US team combined.
Back for the first time in seven years, Day has already seen a transformation within the International team room that he hopes will translate to a drought-breaking win.
“I’ve missed the last couple, so it’s nice to be able to get into a room and have guys very passionate about trying to win the Cup,” said Day.
“Back in my day, maybe not a lot of the guys were maybe bought into the Presidents Cup as what I’m seeing now, myself included.
“The team environment has shifted a lot since when I first started.”
The Presidents Cup is live all four days on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo. Day one fourballs begin at 1:30am Friday morning AEST.
Details
DEFENDING CHAMPION: United States won 17.5-12.5 in 2022
TOURNAMENT RECORD: 12-1-1 (United States)
TEAMS
International: Hideki Matsuyama, Sungjae Im, Adam Scott, Tom Kim, Jason Day, Byeong Hun An, Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith, Mackenzie Hughes, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Min Woo Lee, Si Woo Kim. Captain: Mike Weir.
United States: Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay, Sahith Theegala, Sam Burns, Tony Finau, Russell Henley, Keegan Bradley, Brian Harman, Max Homa. Captain: Jim Furyk.
LIVE SCORES: www.pgatour.com
SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: @presidentscup; @presidentscupintlteam
X: @IntlTeam; @PresidentsCup
Facebook: @ThePresidentsCup
TV COVERAGE: The Presidents Cup is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
*All times AEST.
Day 1 (Fourball): Friday 1:30am–8am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
Day 2 (Foursomes): Saturday 3am–8am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
Day 3 (Fourball, Foursomes): Saturday 9pm–8am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
Final Day (Singles): Monday 2am-8am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
Photo: Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
Heaving Australian crowds and world-class courses are the perfect formula to recreate a major-like atmosphere on home soil says PGA TOUR star, Cam Davis.
Davis, Australia’s most recent winner on the PGA TOUR, confirmed his place in the summer’s two marquee events on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, the BMW Australian PGA Championship and ISPS HANDA Australian Open.
Davis was just 22 when he triumphed at The Australian Golf Club to claim the 2017 Australian Open and has finished tied seventh in each of his past two starts at the Australian PGA Championship.
But more than the lure of a second Stonehaven Cup and maiden Joe Kirkwood Cup, the 29-year-old points to the home-country support for elevating the tournaments to the equivalent of a major championship.
“It isn’t a major but, to an Australian, it still feels like a major,” said Davis.
“I think every player out there would feel that if you’re playing on the Aussie tour, these are your majors for the year.
“If you’re playing around the world, you might have played one or two (majors). But you come back and these have the same sort of atmosphere, especially as a local coming back to play at home.”
With the Australian PGA Championship finding a home at Royal Queensland and the Australian Open to return to the Melbourne sandbelt for the second time in three years, Davis says that the championship stages add to the feeling of prestige.
“It’s always great when you get the best courses in Australia involved in the biggest tournaments,” said the world No.42, who won the Rocket Mortgage Classic for a second time in June.
“There’s something about seeing a sandbelt golf course on TV and something about seeing Brisbane on TV.
“The environment that you’re playing in is so different to everywhere else in the world.
“Especially when you have been playing all over the world throughout the year, when you come back it’s awesome to be amongst that environment again.”
Bitterly disappointed to be overlooked for the International Team for this week’s Presidents Cup, the silver lining is that Davis has an extra week to refresh and set his sights on an Aussie summer assault.
Aware that with the likes of Jason Day, Cameron Smith and Min Woo Lee confirmed to return that victories won’t come easy, Davis will return to Australia with a burning ambition to complete the Aussie quinella.
“To try and get the Aussie PGA championship under my belt as well would mean a lot,” said Davis.
“I feel like having a trophy in both of the biggest events that Australia holds is a real feather in the cap, especially for an Australian player.
“I know what it was like to win the Australian Open and that doesn’t stop you from wanting to try and do it again.”
For BMW Australian PGA Championship tickets, go to ticketek.com.au
