After a windswept final round he described as “super, super tough”, New Zealand’s Josh Geary clinched the 2025 Vic Open at 13th Beach Golf Links, his first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title in almost 12 years.
The leader after rounds two and three, Geary would never have thought a closing 6-over-par 78 to finish on 13-under-par would be good enough. But it was, by four strokes over West Australian Connor McKinney.
Only three men shot under-par rounds on Sunday – two-under-par 70s from McKinney, New Zealand’s Kerry Mountcastle, who took equal third, and local favourite Ben Eccles, who soared to a share of eighth.
Former Vic Open champion Michael Hendry (74) and NSW’s Austin Bautista (79) also had a share of third.
The afternoon of unyielding, buffeting winds from the Southern Ocean blew the scoring average for Sunday to 76.5 shots.
“It’s the hardest round of golf I’ve had to play,” the new champion said.
“It’s hard enough trying to close out a tournament, let alone in those conditions which meant literally you can make any score from anywhere.
“If you’d asked me if I shot 78 tomorrow if I’d still have a four-shot margin, I’d tell you you’re dreaming, but that’s just how hard it was.
“I’m super happy, obviously, and stoked to get it done.”
It was always going to be extremely difficult for Geary to match his near-faultless first 54 holes, a double-bogey on his final hole of the Creek Course on Friday were his only dropped shots in rounds of 64-65-68.
He bogeyed the first hole on Sunday but was impressively under par for the day after back-to-back birdies at the fifth and sixth.
It was at the par-four eighth, playing as the toughest hole of the day at almost a shot over par, where Geary’s round threatened to unravel – a penalty drop after a wayward approach shot into the greenside bush and three putts leading to a triple-bogey.
But a bounce-back birdie on No.9 ensured he would take a five-shot lead into the final nine holes of the tournament.
As his potential challengers fell away, the 2013 WA Open champion only had to avoid a catastrophe. Five bogeys on the way to the clubhouse didn’t create too many concerns.
“Even when you got downwind, you couldn’t hold the greens. You’d have a sand wedge and 180 metres and it’s going through the back of the green,” Geary said.
“I was just trying to keep it out of the real trouble.”
McKinney’s 70 allowed him to climb from a tie for 23rd overnight to second place, his best finish on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, just surpassing his tie for second at the 2023 WA Open.
The Scottish-born West Australian turned in 3-under 33 and finished his round with a total of four birdies.
Defending champion Brett Coletta (Vic) closed with a 72 to end in a share of 18th place.
The next Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia tournament is Webex Players Series Sydney, starting on Thursday, February 20.
The ultra-steady play of New Zealander Josh Geary has him in the box seat to win the 2025 Vic Open at 13th Beach Golf Links on Sunday.
A two-shot leader at the start of the third round, Geary adopted a conservative approach and played exceptional bogey-free golf in difficult, windy conditions to record a 4-under-par 68.
Chasing a first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia victory since the 2013 WA Open, he moved to 19-under for the tournament and a four-stroke advantage over NSW’s Austin Bautista (69).
NSW Amateur champion Declan O’Donovan (71) showed great resilience after a tough start to stay in the hunt at 14-under, while another shot behind is the Queensland duo of Kade McBride and Aaron Wilkin, who both posted 4-under 68s.
Thanks to birdies on the fourth, 10th and 13th holes, Geary was as many as five shots up before a late rally from Bautista slightly improved his chances of winning on Sunday.
“I’m really happy with the way I handled myself today,” Geary said after closing his day with a birdie at the last.
“My long game hasn’t been great, so a lot of times I played quite conservative, but you sort of could today.
“It was windy enough for 4-under to be a good score and to keep the bogeys off the card was good.
“Got a bit loose near the end but it was just hard. It was very hard.”
Back in contention for the first time in more than a year, Bautista has been in a similar mindset to the leader.
He’s had just one bogey and one double-bogey in the first 54 holes, the double coming on the par-4 14th on Saturday, but he bounced back with birdies on 15 and 17.
Bautista has been adopting the “when it’s breezy, swing easy” approach to playing in the winds on the Bellarine, which proved to be a real challenge late on day three and will be a factor again in the final round.
“I’ve focused really hard just on just tempo and transition and noticed a big difference,” the 2023 Webex Players Series South Australia champion said.
“I remember when I’m playing well, that is the tempo. It’s just funny when you start playing bad, you’re just trying to hit it so hard.”
In his first start on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia this season, Wilkin’s 68 included birdies on three of his last four holes to get him into the mix for his second Tour title.
“Hit it very well in the wind. Had a lot of chances, but also had to save a few for par, so I sort of just hung in there,” the former Queensland PGA champion said.
“It’s great to be in contention. That’s why I’ve come back and played.
“I love this golf course and the tournament set-up is really, really cool. I’m going to have to produce a pretty good one tomorrow by the looks of it but you never know.”
First-round leader McBride described his 68 as “about as bad a score as I could have shot out there today”.
“It’s always nice to have a chance. That’s all you want. And then you’ve just got to make sure the cards fall your way,” the Queenslander said.
The big morning moves came from Victorian Todd Sinnott (64) and Tasmania’s Simon Hawkes (66) who both moved to 11-under-par and a share of seventh.
After making the halfway cut on the number, Sinnott’s bogey-free round included just 31 strokes on the back nine, while Hawkes collected seven birdies with just the one dropped shot.
Defending champion Brett Coletta (72) made it through to Sunday’s play at 4-under.
LIVE SCORES: www.golf.org.au; www.pga.org.au; www.wpga.org.au
TV COVERAGE: The Vic Open is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
Kiwi Josh Geary’s preparation for another New Zealand Open tilt later this month may just include victory at the 2025 Vic Open.
Rounds of 64-65 on the first two days at 13th Beach Golf Links have handed Geary a two-stroke lead over NSW amateur Declan O’Donovan (65-66) as he tries to secure his first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title since the 2013 WA Open.
Not that there hasn’t been success in recent years. The 40-year-old has won the Order of Merit on the Charles Tour in his homeland the past two seasons, including claiming four event titles.
“My plan was to come over here and get ready for the New Zealand Open in a few weeks and the New Zealand PGA,” Geary said.
“I wasn’t feeling great about the way things felt coming into this week and, to be honest, some of the long stuff’s still pretty rough. But I managed to get it around and the scoring clubs are really sharp.”
Geary played 35 holes without a bogey across the Beach and Creek courses the past two days.
He was leading by five shots when he made double-bogey on his final hole, the par-4 18th on the Creek, when he missed the green to the right.
Two chips later, he was facing a bogey putt that lipped out.
“It all kind of turned to custard on one hole. To be honest, it was kind of coming,” said Geary.
“I had a few loose ones out there so it wasn’t that surprising.
“It just would’ve been nice to have it earlier on and finish on a better note. It always makes lunch taste a bit off.
“I’ve got a pretty poor history over on the Creek course. It was nice to get a good score there today, regardless of the last hole.”
Playing in his eighth Tour event as an amateur, O’Donovan has continued the form that took him into the last group of the final day of the Australian Amateur Championship at Commonwealth Golf Club followed by successfully defending his NSW Amateur title and then claiming the Avondale Amateur.
He played in the final group in Round 3 of the Queensland PGA Championship last November and has made just one bogey through 36 holes at 13th Beach.
“I’m not going to change anything,” the 21-year-old said of his plans for the weekend.
“My mate (Sean Ryan) and I have been doing a really good job. We’re just focusing on my processes and trying to stay away from the result as much as possible and I think I’ll just try to have as much fun as I can.”
Sharing third place at 12-under-par are two former Tour winners, South Australian Lachlan Barker (66-67) and NSW’s Austin Bautista (65-67).
With just one bogey across the two days, Bautista is delighted to be back in the mix at the weekend. The Sydney professional has endured a difficult run, with just one top 10 on Tour since his victory at the 2023 Webex Players Series South Australia.
“This is where I want to be. I mean, this is why I play golf,” Bautista said of his lofty position on the leaderboard.
“You want to be in the mix and be in contention. So yeah, definitely very excited about it.
“I’ve been working really hard. It’s definitely not just one thing with golf. I find that it’s not by chance you have good golf that comes out of nowhere.”
Overnight leader Kade McBride (Queensland) followed up his opening 62 with a second round of 1-over 73 in the afternoon wind on the Beach course to sit at -9-under overall.
Defending champion Brett Coletta (Vic) safely made the weekend play with rounds of 69-71, but is 11 shots from the lead. Order of Merit No.4 Jack Buchanan (72-69) is 12 behind.
Among those to miss the halfway cut at -3 were Order of Merit No.8 Corey Lamb (71-75) and two-time Vic Open champion Dimi Papadatos (73-75).
The final two rounds will be played on the Beach Course.
The leading group will tee off at 2pm on Saturday.
LIVE SCORES: www.golf.org.au; www.pga.org.au; www.wpga.org.au
TV COVERAGE: The Vic Open is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
Players can take the first step towards joining the elite of world golf by earning a place on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia through Qualifying School at Moonah Links Resort in April.
Entries are now open for both First and Final Stage to be played in consecutive weeks at Moonah Links Resort on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
First Stage will be held across both the Open Course and Legends Course at Moonah Links from April 9-11 with Final Stage to follow on the Open Course from April 14-17.
The reward on offer is playing rights for the 2025-2026 season; the opportunity is a place on the DP World Tour for the top three finishers on the Order of Merit at season’s end.
Kiwi Kazuma Kobori was an amateur when he conquered Q School in 2023. Less than two years on, he has won three times on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, contested two major championships and is now in his rookie season on the DP World Tour.
Those to secure status at Q School in 2024 included Jack Buchanan, Jordan Doull and Ben Henkel who have four wins between them this season already.
“The pathway from the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia to global tours and major championships is now clear and Qualifying School is the first step on that path,” said General Manager of Tournaments & Global Tour Relationships for the PGA Tour of Australasia, Nick Dastey.
“Kazuma showed what is possible when you give players that opportunity and how quickly they can advance their careers.
“Players such as Jordan Doull, Corey Lamb, Jack Buchanan and Ben Henkel have made a big impression on our Tour this season after coming through Q School.
“We’re excited to see who tees it up at Moonah Links in April and secures their place on Tour for the 2025-2026 season.”
While the introduction of the Future Tour has allowed amateurs to secure status on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia through strong showings the previous season, Q School is the primary pathway to begin a professional career.
“We have been able to showcase our best amateur talent through our Tour events but Q School is where they can earn Membership and lock in playing opportunities for the next 12 months,” Dastey added.
“Rather than heading overseas, our best young players can now start their careers in Australia and play their way onto global tours, just as Kazuma did.”
Co-sanctioning of the BMW Australian PGA Championship and Australian Open with the DP World Tour increases the importance of Category status for those already on tour and who wish to improve their Category through Q School.
Entry for Q School is now open with a deadline of March 25 for First Stage and April 1 for Final Stage.
For more information and to enter, click here
Royal Fremantle Golf Club’s Ritchie Smith has been acknowledged as Western Australia’s best coach for a second time at the 2024 WA Sport Awards presented by SportWest.
Held at Optus Stadium in Perth on Thursday night, Smith was named Coach of the Year ahead of WA men’s cricket coach, Adam Voges and WA Institute of Sport Swimming Head Coach, Ben Higson.
Nominated twice previously, Smith was named Coach of the Year in 2021 and received the honour again after a year in which he had three players represent Australia at the Paris Olympic Games, guided Hannah Green to three wins on the LPGA Tour and saw Elvis Smylie win both the WA Open and BMW Australian PGA Championship.
Named PGA National Coach of the Year – High Performance at the PGA Awards in November for a third time, Smith’s stable continues to grow and flourish.
He has coached both Green and Minjee Lee since they were just 12 years of age, Minjee’s younger brother Min Woo making it three out of four Smith athletes wearing the green and gold for the Australian golf team in Paris.
“I’ve known Richie since I was 12 years old, since I first got into the junior squad for the Interstate Matches,” said Minjee after her third Olympic selection.
“Obviously he’s got great coaching skills, but he also knows us inside out so he knows exactly what to say when we need to hear it or words of encouragement or when we’re doing well.
“He just knows how to keep us grounded as well.
“It just shows how good his relationship is with all of us, having three out of the four in the Olympic team.”
Green enjoyed one of the greatest years by an Australian on the LPGA Tour in 2024 and finished just one shot out of a playoff for a medal at the Olympic Games.
An influential figure on WA golf for more than a decade, Smith’s reach continues to grow.
He and his team put the finishing touches to Queenslander Elvis Smylie that has already yielded a DP World Tour card and he is currently working on resurrecting the career of Victorian Su Oh.
Kade McBride narrowly missed the chance to join his good friend and housemate this week, Jake McLeod, as a course record holder on the Creek Course at 13th Beach Golf Links today, but will be content with the title of first-round leader at the 2025 Vic Open.
Finding his best form again after a patchy start to the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season, McBride shot a bogey-free round of 10-under-par 62 that he described as “10 out of 10 stuff” to lead New Zealander Josh Geary by two shots.
McBride and McLeod, who holds the Creek record on 61 alongside Ryan Ruffels, are sharing a house at nearby Ocean Grove this week with fellow Queenslanders Louis Dobbelaar and Anthony Quayle – the quartet combining for 25-under the card on Thursday.
McLeod was tied for third at 7-under 65 through day one and Dobbelaar and Quayle were also well placed at 4-under as the field took advantage of benign morning conditions on the Bellarine Peninsula.
It’s not expected to remain calm tomorrow, especially in the afternoon when gusts up to 50 kph are forecast. A repeat of today where 18 players shot 66 or better is unlikely.
McBride won’t be too worried about the weather forecast, however, as he revels in being back in contention after being equal sixth here last year.
“I know Jake McLeod has the course record here at 11-under-par because he talks about it pretty regularly and I’m staying with him this week as well,” McBride said.
“I was thinking about it. ‘I was like, I can’t wait to break Jake’s course record’.”
McBride’s birdie putt on his final hole, the par-4 ninth, to shoot 61 hit the edge from around five metres away.
“I hit a really good putt and it looked like it was in until about the last two feet and then slid a couple feet by,” he said.
‘”That was one of the better rounds of golf I’ve played in terms of the golf shots throughout the day and holing putts – it was all 10 out of 10 stuff.”
“(But) I’m going to say nothing to Jake because he’s still got the wood over me.”
McLeod’s 65 continued his positive start to 2025 which has seen him lead the three Webex Players Series events – Perth, Victoria and Murray River – at various stages without being able to clinch a drought- breaking win.
McLeod and his team have spent time reviewing his near-misses and the Queenslander remains upbeat about coming so close to his first win since 2018.
“Been in contention the last few weeks, which was nice,” McLeod said.
“It’d obviously be nice to get the job done, but it’s always good putting yourself up there as much as possible. Hopefully (I) can get one of those soon.”
“I don’t think I did a very good job in Rosebud at all, but I thought I did a good job on Sunday in Perth and last week at Cobram it was just one of those days. I felt like I played good on the Saturday again, and then the Sunday the putts hit the edges instead of going in for me, which was how it goes sometimes.
“I think I’m getting better in those situations.”
Geary’s 64 on the Beach Course was the best score in the afternoon and the best on the layout which will host the final 36 holes.
He came home in 6-under-par 30 including birdies on his final three holes.
Defending champion Brett Coletta shot a 3-under-par 69 on the Creek course.
LIVE SCORES: www.golf.org.au; www.pga.org.au; www.wpga.org.au
TV COVERAGE: The Vic Open is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
Fresh from clinching the 2024 Asian Tour Order of Merit title, John Catlin from the United States will lead the strongest Asian Tour field to date at this year’s New Zealand Open.
The New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport, is set to take place at the prestigious Millbrook Resort from February 27 to March 2. Last month it confirmed players will be competing for a share of the NZD $2 million prize pool.
Catlin, who secured his maiden Order of Merit victory last season, was in sensational form throughout the year, with a string of standout performances that saw him hit the top spot in the rankings. Victories at the International Series Macau presented by Wynn and the Saudi Open presented by PIF, along with six other top-10 finishes meant he claimed the season-long Merit title ahead of Kiwi Ben Campbell.
“I’m incredibly proud to have secured the Order of Merit title last year. The consistency I was able to achieve was arguably the best patch of golf in my career so far,” Catlin said.
“I’m really excited to be coming back to Queenstown for the New Zealand Open. It’s a tournament I’ve always wanted to win, and the competition this year will be as strong as ever. The course at Millbrook Resort is stunning, and I’m excited to return.”
Catlin’s season also saw him take home the Kyi Hla Han Award for Player of the Year on the Asian Tour. It’s the second time he has won the award, and was the icing on the cake for an incredible season which included a 59 on day three in Macau. It was the first sub-60 shot ever on the Asian Tour.
“We are thrilled to welcome John back to the New Zealand Open,” said Tournament Director Michael Glading.
“His success last season was extraordinary, and it’s great that John is making his way back to Queenstown for the first time since 2020. He is definitely one to watch at Millbrook Resort.”
Catlin isn’t the only high-profile Asian Tour player heading to Queenstown, with seven of the top 12 in the 2024 Asian Tour Order of Merit making the trip to Central Otago.
Queenstown’s own Campbell will be joined by the likes of Jazz Janewattananond (Thailand), M.J. Maguire (U.S.A.), Miguel Tabuena (Philippines), Taichi Kho (Hong Kong), Steve Lewton (England), Jbe’ Kruger (South Africa), Jeunghun Wang (Korea) and Travis Smyth (Australia).
Another feature of this year’s Asian Tour entries is the inclusion of Scott Hend, a close runner-up at the New Zealand Open last year, and Liang Wenchong, one of China’s most successful golfers with 21 wins worldwide.
“It’s great to have so many top players from the Asian Tour in the field this year, from such a wide variety of countries. This is a real feature of the Asian Tour and we are delighted to partner with them,” said Glading.
The 104th New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport will tee off at Millbrook Resort in Queenstown between February 27 and March 2. For more information, please visit nzopen.com.
New Zealand Open 2025 – Asian Tour Entries
Australia’s influence on the LPGA Tour will reach record numbers this week when Queenslander Cassie Porter makes her debut at the Founders Cup in Florida.
Porter’s rookie campaign comes after two years on the Epson Tour highlighted by a breakthrough win last June at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship.
That provided the foundation to finish 10th on the season-long points list and earn a 2025 LPGA Tour card, taking the total number of Australians on the premier women’s tour this year to nine.
The previous record Aussie representation was eight (2008, 2009 and 2022) and Porter believes being surrounded by so many familiar faces will aid in her elevation to the LPGA Tour.
“I know it’s small, but hearing the accent is so big for me,” said the 22-year-old.
“You’re all kind of forced to be mates because you’re all Australian and we all kind of grew up together.
“Gracie (Kim), Steph (Kyriacou) and I, we all played a lot together growing up. They’ve been out there for a couple of years now, so we haven’t had a whole bunch of time to reconnect, but I’m excited for that.
“They’re all great human beings and we’re so lucky to have such a great Aussie community out there. All our physios are Aussie. A lot of the caddies are Aussie or from New Zealand.
“I’m just really excited to have that little community.”
As she settles into her new “community”, Porter was also welcomed into a new one in Tuesday’s practice round where she was joined by 11-time LPGA winner Lexi Thompson.
“Being on the practice green and the range with all the girls I watched play on TV, it’s really surreal,” Porter added.
“I was walking down the fairway yesterday, it was a Monday, and it’s really hard to believe.
“We’ve worked for this for most of our lives and to be here is pretty cool.”
With Grace Kim continuing her pre-season preparation back in Sydney and Sarah Kemp on the comeback trail after breaking her leg last year, seven Aussies are in action this week, including Karis Davidson who is playing her first LPGA Tour event since June last year. The other exempt players in 2025 are Hannah Green, Minjee Lee, Gabriela Ruffels and Hira Naveed.
It’s a season debut, too, this week for the Ripper GC team who will be out to defend their 2024 LIV Golf teams title.
The team of Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones all return at the inaugural LIV Golf Riyadh where Kiwi Ben Campbell will make his LIV Golf debut with the Range Goats.
West Australian Maddison Hinson-Tolchard makes her first appearance as a member of the Ladies European Tour at the Lalla Meryem Cup as seven Aussies tee it up on the PGA TOUR Champions Trophy Hassan II, also being played in Morocco.
Round 1 tee times AEDT
PGA TOUR
WM Phoenix Open
TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Cse), Scottsdale, Arizona
5:11am Ryan Fox (NZ)
5:22am Min Woo Lee
Recent champion: Nick Taylor
Past Aussie winners: Bruce Crampton (1973), Aaron Baddeley (2007)
Prize money: $US9.2m
TV times: Live 1am-12pm Friday, Saturday; Live 3am-10:30am Sunday; Live 2:30am-10am Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
DP World Tour
Commercial Bank Qatar Masters
Doha GC, Doha, Qatar
3pm* Elvis Smylie, Daniel Hillier (NZ)
3:50pm* Daniel Gale
7:25pm David Micheluzzi
7:55pm* Kazuma Kobori (NZ)
8:15pm* Jason Scrivener
Recent champion: Rikuya Hoshino
Past Aussie winners: Adam Scott (2002, 2008)
Prize money: $US2.5m
TV times: Live 8pm-1am Thursday, Friday; Live 8:30pm-1am Saturday; Live 7:30pm-12:30am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
LPGA Tour
Founders Cup presented by US Virgin Islands
Bradenton Country Club, Bradenton, Florida
11:26pm* Hira Naveed
12:21am Minjee Lee
12:21am* Stephanie Kyriacou
12:32am* Fiona Xu (NZ)
3:44am Karis Davidson
4:28am Hannah Green
4:28am* Lydia Ko (NZ)
4:39am Gabriela Ruffels
5:01am* Cassie Porter
Recent champion: Rose Zhang
Past Aussie winners: Karrie Webb (2011, 2014), Minjee Lee (2022)
Prize money: $US2m
TV times: Live 3am-6am Friday on Fox Sports 507; Live 3am-6am Saturday; Live 6am-9am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
LIV Golf
LIV Golf Riyadh
Riyadh Golf Club, Saudi Arabia
Australasians in the field: Cameron Smith, Lucas Herbert, Marc Leishman, Matt Jones, Ben Campbell (NZ), Danny Lee (NZ)
Recent champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US20m
TV times: Live 11pm-4am Thursday, Friday, Saturday on 7Mate.
PGA TOUR Champions
Trophy Hassan II
Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, Rabat, Morocco
6:45pm Cameron Percy, Stuart Appleby
7:33pm Scott Hend
7:57pm Greg Chalmers, Mark Hensby
8:09pm Rod Pampling
8:45pm Richard Green
8:57pm Steven Alker (NZ)
Recent champion: Ricardo Gonzalez
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US2.5m
TV times: Live 12am-3am Friday, Saturday on Fox Sports 506; Live 12am-3am Sunday on Fox Sports 507 and Kayo.
Ladies European Tour
Lalla Meryem Cup
Royal Golf Dar Es Salam (Blue Cse), Morocco
7pm* Momoka Kobori (NZ)
10:40pm* Maddison Hinson-Tolchard
11:20pm* Amelia Garvey (NZ)
Recent champion: Bronte Law
Past Aussie winners: Karen Lunn (2012)
Prize money: €450,000
Korn Ferry Tour
Astara Golf Championship
Country Club de Bogota, Bogota, Colombia
11:25pm Harry Hillier (NZ)
12:15am* Rhein Gibson
Recent champion: Kevin Velo
Past Aussie winners: Rhein Gibson (2023)
Prize money: $US1m
HotelPlanner Tour
Cell C Cape Town Open
Royal Cape Golf Club, Cape Town, South Africa
4:30pm Sam Jones (NZ)
4:50pm* Haydn Barron
5:20pm* Hayden Hopewell
Recent champion: Mikael Lindberg
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US375,000
Two-time winner Jack Buchanan is back on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia at the Vic Open this week with the goal of solidifying his lofty position on the Order of Merit.
The WA PGA and Webex Players Series South Australia champion sits in fourth place in the standings despite not banking any points in his last two starts and then missing Webex Players Series Victoria last month due to illness.
A return to the winner’s circle at 13th Beach Golf Links this week would lift the former Australian amateur representative above Lucas Herbert into third place and consolidate his hold on a DP World Tour card for the 2025/26 season.
“I’ve put myself in a really good spot now, so I just have to have a few good weeks,” Buchanan said of his approach to the rest of the Tour season.
“I really just have to find some form similar to the way it started and finish it off.
“I would say number one (on the Order of Merit) is the goal or just as long as I can play to my best ability and put in all the work that I can do, then that’s all I can do really.
“The game’s actually in a pretty good spot. I was a little bit unwell before, so I wasn’t able to play Rosebud.
“I Just need to get some more reps in, so hopefully this week will see some more results.”
Like Buchanan, former Queensland PGA champion Aaron Wilkin and 2021 Gippsland Super 6 winner Jack Thompson have made the trip from the International Series event in India last week to the Bellarine.
It’s the first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia start for the season for Wilkin and Thompson who campaign on the Asian Tour.
Buchanan and Thompson missed the cut in India while Wilkin finished T57.
West Australian Danny List has been handed a PGA TOUR debut by none other than Genesis Invitational tournament host, Tiger Woods.
Woods, a 15-time major champion, named List as the 2025 recipient of the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption which affords the 24-year-old a start at Torrey Pines Golf Course from February 13-16.
Awarded annually since 2009, the Sifford Exemption represents the advancement of diversity in the game of golf.
“Danny has shown resiliency and determination on the course by earning his DP World Tour card after returning from an injury,” Woods said. “He’s earned this opportunity, and I look forward to seeing Danny tee it up at Torrey.”
Born in Ghana to an Australian father who is the CEO of BCM Ghana, List developed his golf at Cottesloe Golf Club in Perth, coming close to selection in a number of Golf Australia national programs on a number of occasions.
He earned status on the Latin America tour in 2018 and has played sporadically in Canada before a stress fracture in his lower back forced List to miss the entire 2023 season.
The 26-year-old won the California Open last July before advancing through all three stages of DP World Tour qualifying school and earning status for the 2025 season. He played both the BMW Australian PGA Championship and ISPS HANDA Australian Open late last year.
Fresh off his best result as a professional – third at the MyGolfLife Open on the HotelPlanner Tour – List was extremely grateful for the honour bestowed by arguably the greatest player of all time.
“It’s an incredible privilege to be the recipient of the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption and be invited to compete at The Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines,” List said.
“To have this recognition, especially in Mr Sifford’s legacy, means the world to me.
“I’d like to thank Tiger for entrusting me with the opportunity to represent Mr Sifford’s pioneering spirit and all that he’s done for the game of golf.”
List is already engaged in youth programs, player development and community outreach work in Ghana through the Danny List Foundation but remains equally proud of his Australian upbringing.
“Golf Australia has always been great to me and I wish I could have two flags on there,” List said after obtaining his DP World Tour card.
“I love my heritage, love representing the Aussies.”
First introduced to the game at the age of 3, List learned to play in his hometown of Accra, Ghana, where he often competed as a junior in men’s tournaments.
His game continued to flourish when his family returned to Perth, leading to a scholarship to Wellington College in the UK where he completed his schooling and competed in British and European amateur tournaments.
List spent one year at the University of Washington (2016-17) before turning professional.
Since 2009, an exemption has been given to a deserving golfer representing a minority background to play in the annual PGA TOUR event. In 2017, the exemption was re-named to honor the memory of Charlie Sifford, the first African-American player to compete on the PGA TOUR and the winner of the 1969 Los Angeles Open at Rancho Park.
Previous Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption recipients: Vincent Johnson (2009), Joshua Wooding (2010), Joseph Bramlett (2011, 2020), Andy Walker (2012), Jeremiah Wooding (2013), Harold Varner III (2014), Carlos Sainz Jr (2015), J.J. Spaun (2016), Kevin M Hall (2017), Cameron Champ (2018), Tim O’Neal (2019), Willie Mack III (2021), Aaron Beverly (2022), Marcus Byrd (2023) and Chase Johnson (2024).