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Connor McDade didn’t believe 5-under was enough yet his morning score could not be bettered as five players joined him at the top of the leaderboard at the Maryborough Pro-Am.
McDade was out in the morning wave at Maryborough Golf Club and despite starting with a bogey, recovered sufficiently to shoot 65 and give the afternoon players something to chase.
And chase they did.
Brady Watt, James Marchesani, Ben Henkel, Bailey Arnott and James Conran all got to 5-under but none would surpass it, joining McDade with a share of victory.
“It’s a good bunch of guys to share it with,” said McDade after his second adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win.
“I honestly kind of counted myself out of it a little bit. I saw there were maybe five or six guys that were within a shot with nine holes to play.
“I’m not really sure how 5-under held up, but it did, so I’ll take that for sure.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Six players ended the day at 5-under but they did so in a variety of ways.
After an opening bogey on three, McDade responded with three consecutive birdies from the fifth hole to get his scorecard heading in the right direction.
Along with birdies at his first and final holes the highlight of Watt’s round was an eagle at the par-4 sixth while Marchesani finished eagle-birdie after finding himself 2-over early in his round.
Conran needed four birdies in his final six holes to join the leaderboard logjam, Arnott had four straight birdies in the middle of his round while Henkel was 6-under through nine holes before also finishing at 5-under.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Kind of just proved to myself again that I can compete out here and compete with some of these players that have played a lot of good golf in their career,” who was the joint winner with Arnott and Henkel at the JET Group Clermont Pro-Am.
“The two wins I’ve had, I’ve been over-par through one hole, so I wasn’t too phased by it. I know that there’s birdies out here, so I just kept doing my thing and saw what happened.
“It’s good to share a win with players such as those guys. They’ve done a lot more than I have in a professional sense… but wouldn’t mind winning an event without Bailey and Ben Henkel there.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 Connor McDade 65
T1 Brady Watt 65
T1 James Marchesani 65
T1 James Conran 65
T1 Ben Henkel 65
T1 Bailey Arnott 65
T7 Josh Clarke 66
T7 Brett Rankin 66
NEXT UP
Tin Can Bay Country Club hosts the NewGen Caravans Tin Can Bay Pro-Am on Tuesday followed by the $80,000 Optilease Redcliffe Pro-Am starting Thursday.
Elvis Smylie didn’t think it would take this long to play his first Open Championship.
That may seem outlandish for a young man who turned 22 in April, but almost everyone who watched his meteoric entry into the world of professional golf thought the same.
Why wouldn’t you when, as a 19-year-old amateur, he very nearly won the very first Webex Players Series Victoria event at Rosebud Country Club in January 2021.
Beating the pros while still an amateur is a rite of passage for the very elite, but it was the way in which Smylie finished second that started the frenzy.
Tied for 97th after a 75 on day one, Smylie stormed home with matching 8-under 63s on the weekend to finish just one back of Brad Kennedy
A month later, in his first event as a professional, Smylie was tied for third at Webex Players Series Sydney. Three weeks after that, he was tied for second at the NSW Open at Concord Golf Club.
Within the space of two months he had exploded into golf’s consciousness, climbing from a 1,571st-ranked amateur to the 494th-best player on the planet with the world at his feet.
A few months later he was taking up sponsor invitations to play against the likes of Sergio Garcia, Viktor Hovland and Martin Kaymer on the DP World Tour, but the transition has been far from seamless.
While he continued to showcase his considerable talent on home soil, the silky left-hander missed the cut in all 10 DP World Tour events he has played on foreign soil to date.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way, yet a 22-year-old wise beyond his years now believes it is the path he was destined to take.
“Looking back on it, I think it’s been a blessing in disguise,” says Smylie ahead of his major championship debut at The Open Championship at Royal Troon this week.
“Everything that I’ve gone through from Rosebud to now is going to help shape me into the person that I’ll be in five, 10 years’ time.
“As much as it’s a little bit odd saying this, maybe it’s a good thing that everything’s happened this way.
“I’ve learned how to dig deep at certain times and get myself out of little holes that I’d been in. “As time’s gone on, I think I’ve appreciated everything that has happened. I’ve got a better perspective on how I can manage everything as well as I can moving forward.”
Sporting blood
Expectation is nothing new to Elvis Smylie.
Father Peter played doubles at three tennis Grand Slam championships and mother, Liz, featured in 13 doubles Grand Slam finals, winning the women’s doubles at Wimbledon in 1985 and the mixed doubles with fellow Australian John Fitzgerald at the 1983 US Open.
Yet while he played as a junior, tennis was never their youngest child’s calling.
“With tennis, you always needed somebody to hit with,” Smylie reasons.
“At the time, my two sisters were living overseas, my mum’s knee was no good and my dad wasn’t in the best shape.”
Growing up living at The Glades on the Gold Coast, golf was always available, and Smylie took every opportunity to feed his insatiable passion for the game.
A torch enabled extra practice on the chipping green late into the evening but it would be Adam Scott’s Masters win in 2013 that proved pivotal in setting Smylie’s path.
“I was at Southport Golf Club and about to go out and play,” he recalls of that fateful Monday morning.
“I was 11 at the time and stuff like that gave me goosebumps.
“Seeing Adam win I was like, ‘That’s what I want to do for a career’.”
Although he has gravitated towards a different sporting pursuit to his accomplished parents, Smylie says that their understanding of professional sport has been vital in navigating the challenging waters of injury and inconsistent form the past two years.
“You have a respect for Mum and Dad knowing that they’ve gone through what I’m going through, just in a different sport,” Smylie adds.
“It’s a very lonely sport, golf, and it’s very important to be able to surround yourself with people that not only want the best for you as a golfer but want the best for you as a person.
“Especially when you’re in those moments that aren’t very nice. Those moments where you’re missing cuts, you really have to rely on those people that are close to you, like your parents.
“To be able to give you that perspective of tough times won’t always last and just keep building towards what you think is the right path.”
Open learnings
Smylie had barely got his clubs in the car after finishing in a tie for second at Final Qualifying at Royal Cinque Ports two weeks ago before messages on Troon came flooding in from Mike Clayton.
A nine-time Open starter – including at Royal Troon in 1989 – Clayton has served as caddie and confidante during Smylie’s formative years in professional golf.
He is one of the most respected voices in world golf and shapes as an ace up Smylie’s sleeve, albeit from tens of thousands of kilometres away.
“He sent me a great e-mail with what to look out for at Troon,” says Smylie.
“The first six holes are the holes that you need to make your score on. And then the back six, I think from 13 to 18, the prevailing wind is straight into your face off the left, so you’re going to have to hit a lot of those low bullet shots that I’m quite familiar and comfortable with.
“Heading into the week, I’ve got a pretty good idea on what shots are required and how I’m going to come up with a really good game plan.”
It won’t be Smylie’s first time to Troon, having attended The Open with his parents as a 14-year-old back in 2016.
It was his first exposure to links golf and sprinkled an additional layer of inspiration into his competitive DNA.
There are plans afoot to play practice rounds with Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee – which could also include Viktor Hovland and Rory McIlroy – but Smylie does not view his debut Open Championship as an end-goal he has finally reached.
No, this is the start of the journey he now feels finally ready to begin.
“I do feel like I belong and I do feel like I can compete,” says Smylie, who joined the Ritchie Smith coaching stable in January after a long association with Ian Triggs.
“I’ve spoken to Min briefly about it and he is a really good guy to be able to try and learn off and see what areas of his game make him a top-30 player in the world.
“To be fair, I don’t feel like I’m too far away from that. I just need to have more experience.
“This is going to be a great stepping stone for me in the right direction.”
Photo: Tom Dulat/R&A/R&A via Getty Images
It took two spectacular finishes to deny Australians Stephanie Kyriacou and Adam Scott victories in two of golf’s most coveted championships.
A one-stroke leader entering the final round of The Amundi Evian Championship in France, Kyriacou hung tough in a see-sawing tussle with American Lauren Coughlin.
A birdie at the par-5 15th followed by a brilliant tee shot at the par-3 16th saw the 23-year-old regain the outright lead, but only briefly.
After missing the fairway left at the par-4 17th, Kyriacou came up short of the green with her shot out of the rough and subsequently chunked her chip shot on the way to her only bogey of the day.
As Coughlin dropped away, Kyriacou was joined at the top of the leaderboard by Japan’s Ayaka Furue, the pair locked together at 17-under with Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit (63).
Another missed fairway forced Kyriacou to lay up at the par-5 finisher.
Japan's second major champion in 2024. 🇯🇵
— LPGA (@LPGA) July 14, 2024
Following @kodebuchanayaka's electric win at the @EvianChamp, @HopeBarnett_ is here to run it back in LPGA Now! 👇 https://t.co/YLAgsFITsZ
Despite getting up-and-down from 125 yards for birdie and round of 4-under 67, Kyriacou could only watch on as Furue hit a brilliant second and holed the putt for eagle to play her final five holes in 5-under and claim a maiden major victory by one shot.
“It’s mixed emotions,” said Kyriacou after her round.
“Obviously I wanted to win but I played how I wanted to and I did my best and Ayaka just came in clutch at the end.
“It was a good week. Sucks not to hold the trophy but if you told me I would come second at the start of the week I would’ve been happy.”
It took an equally extraordinary conclusion to deny Scott at the Genesis Scottish Open.
Home country favourite Robert MacIntyre also finished in a flurry to go one better than his second-place finish to Rory McIlroy 12 months earlier at The Renaissance Club.
A birdie on 14 elevated the hopes of the enormous galleries but it was his second shot out of the rough to six feet at the par-5 16th that turned the tournament on its head.
He converted that opportunity for eagle and then holed a birdie putt from 22 feet at the 72nd hole to deny Scott what would have been his first win in more than four years.
A double-bogey at eight stunted Scott’s Sunday charge, but only momentarily.
He responded with consecutive birdies at nine and 10 and then took the outright lead when he hit his tee shot to just two feet at the par-3 14th.
Different class @AdamScott 👏#GenesisScottishOpen | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/WPkJ4ncJv3
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 14, 2024
A dropped shot at the next – a hole he had birdied each of the first three days – would prove costly.
The 43-year-old got that shot back with birdie on 16 but couldn’t find the extra shot he needed over the closing two holes to match MacIntyre’s 18-under total.
“I knew I had to at least birdie 16, and then I was trying to find one there at the last,” said Scott, who qualified for this week’s Open Championship by virtue of his finish at the 2023 ISPS HANDA Australian Open.
“I had quite a tricky putt to read. It was kind of down the spine, and I read it to go straight. I was like straight down the spine but it went right a little bit.
“It was fun to have one that mattered, actually. I’m excited to take some comfort inside of this and heading into a major next week on form.
“It’s been a while since I can say I’ve done that.”
The Open champion at St Andrews two years ago, Cameron Smith (68) earned a confidence-boosting tie for sixth at LIV Golf Andalucia while Michael Wright was the leading Australian at the Kaulig Companies Championship, banking $US106,750 for his tie for seventh.
Photos: Matthew Lewis/Getty Images (Kyriacou); Malcolm Mackenzie/PA Images via Getty Images (Scott)
Results
DP World Tour/PGA TOUR
Genesis Scottish Open
The Renaissance Club, North Berwick, Scotland
1 Robert MacIntyre 67-65-63-67—262 €1,448,974.80
2 Adam Scott 67-65-64-67—263 €906,644.23
T26 Cam Davis 68-66-66-70—270 €67,480.83
T46 Daniel Hillier (NZ) 66-71-66-70—273 €28,859.06
T57 Ryan Fox (NZ) 67-67-70-70—274 €23,100.80
T73 Min Woo Lee 67-70-70-75—282 €17,056.50
MC Jason Scrivener 68-73—141
LPGA Tour
The Amundi Evian Championship
Evian Resort Golf Club, Evian-les-Bains, France
1 Ayaka Furue 65-65-70-65—265 $US1.2m
2 Stephanie Kyriacou 66-66-67-67—266 $731,723
T39 Lydia Ko (NZ) 65-73-72-71—281 $40,061
T44 Hannah Green 73-69-70-70—282 $32,849
T49 Minjee Lee 70-69-68-76—283 $28,642
T51 Grace Kim 70-70-74-70—284 $26,440
T55 Gabriela Ruffels 69-72-76-70—287 $23,234
MC Sarah Kemp 75-71—146
MC Hira Naveed 75-73—148
PGA TOUR
ISCO Championship
Keene Trace Golf Club (Champions Cse), Nicholasville, Kentucky
T59 Aaron Baddeley 69-67-70-74—280
MC David Micheluzzi 70-67—137
MC Haydn Barron 70-71—141
MC Sam Jones (NZ) 74-72—146
WD Harrison Endycott 75
PGA TOUR Champions
Kaulig Companies Championship
Firestone CC, Akron, Ohio
1 Ernie Els 70-68-64-68—270 $US525,000
T7 Steven Alker (NZ) 68-65-74-70—277 $106,750
T7 Michael Wright 70-71-63-73—277 $106,750
T11 Cameron Percy 69-70-69-70—278 $77,000
T14 Mark Hensby 69-71-68-71—279 $64,750
T17 Richard Green 67-73-72-69—281 $51,013
T17 Stuart Appleby 72-71-66-72—281 $51,013
T33 Steve Allan 72-71-72-69—284 $21,150
T44 Greg Chalmers 73-75-70-68—286 $13,650
T56 John Senden 75-69-71-74—289 $7,175
T67 Rod Pampling 72-74-77-72—295 $3,547
LIV Golf
LIV Golf Andalucia
Real Club Valderrama, Sotogrande, Spain
1 Sergio Garcia 69-73-66—208 $US4m
Won in sudden-death playoff
T6 Cameron Smith 72-71-68—211 $608,334
T6 Danny Lee (NZ) 67-72-72—211 $608,334
T10 Marc Leishman 76-66-71—213 $392,250
T35 Lucas Herbert 75-75-70—220 $145,334
T45 Matt Jones 81-71-73—225 $125,000
Japan Golf Tour
Shigeo Nagashima Sega Sammy Cup
The North Country Golf Club, Hokkaido
1 Noriaki Hirata 66-68-65-68—267 ¥20m
T47 Brad Kennedy 72-69-73-68—282 ¥320,000
T54 Michael Hendry (NZ) 69-73-72-70—284 ¥242,166
MC Anthony Quayle 70-76—146
Korn Ferry Tour
The Ascendant presented by Blue
TPC Colorado, Berthoud, Colorado
1 Cristobal Del Solar 66-68-66-66—266
T13 Karl Vilips 67-69-70-68—274
MC Rhein Gibson 72-70—142
MC Curtis Luck 75-68—143
MC Brett Drewitt 77-71—148
Epson Tour
Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship
Great River Golf Club, Milford, Connecticut
T19 Cassie Porter 71-69-72—212
T43 Maddison Hinson-Tolchard 76-69-70—215
T69 Fiona Xu (NZ) 74-70-75—219
MC Amelia Garvey (NZ) 75-74—149
MC Su Oh 78-74—152
Korean PGA Tour
Gunsan CC Open
Gunsan CC, Korea
1 Jang Yu-bin 66-64-71-71—272
T19 Sungjin Yeo 66-70-74-71—281
T60 Junseok Lee 71-70-74-75—290
MC Kevin Chun (NZ) 69-74—143
MC Changgi Lee 75-70—145
PGA TOUR Americas
Explore NB Open
Mactaquac Golf Course, Mactaquac, New Brunswick
Event reduced to 54 holes
1 Ian Holt 63-62-62—187
T6 Grant Booth 66-65-66—197
T44 Harry Hillier (NZ) 67-67-67—201
Legends Tour
Swiss Seniors Open
Golf Club Bad Ragaz, Switzerland
1 Jarmo Sandelin 69-64-67—200
T15 Jason Norris 69-68-70—207
T20 Michael Long (NZ) 68-70-70—208
T29 Michael Campbell (NZ) 68-71-70—209
T52 Peter Fowler 69-71-77—217
T54 Peter O’Malley 74-72-72—218
Andre Stolz has solidified his place at the top of the PGA Legends Tour Order of Merit with a commanding seven-shot victory at the Urangan Smash Repairs Fraser Coast Classic.
Co-leader with Kiwi Dell Bain after Round 1 at Hervey Bay Golf and Country Club, Stolz took a stranglehold of the tournament with an outward nine of 5-under 30, Bain falling from contention by playing the front nine in 5-over 40.
Stolz narrowly missed a birdie putt on nine for a front nine of 29 but had done enough to separate himself from the field, his round of 5-under 65 and 7-under total making him the only player in red figures across the two rounds.
Ken Druce grabbed second with rounds of 71-69 as Euan Walters (71) and Nigel Weldon (68) shared third at 2-over par.
“It was sort of a nice, cruisy day, if that’s possible,” said Stolz.
“I didn’t birdie either of the par 5s today, so that was a bit disappointing and I hit one wrong club at the par 3.
“It came up short in the trap and made a nasty little bogey there but the rest of the day I pretty much had it on a string.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Runner-up to Simon Tooman at the Bargara Legends Pro-Am, Stolz began Sunday’s final round with a point to prove.
He began with two birdies in his opening three holes and, as Bain began to struggle in the group ahead, moved out to a handy lead with birdies at five and six.
A birdie at eight got Stolz to 5-under on his round, the bogey at the par-3 12th erased with a sixth and final birdie at the par-4 16th.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I certainly feel like I’ve been playing all right of late and I enjoy this course,” said Stolz.
“It’s a good test. I mean it doesn’t look that tricky when you first step up there, but the way they prepare the course it gets a bit tricky and bouncy out there.
“They’ve made a few changes here and I think it looks great.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Andre Stolz 68-65—133
2 Ken Druce 71-69—140
T3 Euan Walters 71-71—142
T3 Nigel Weldon 74-68—142
5 Stephen Woodhead 71-72—143
T6 John Martin 76-68—144
T6 Chris Taylor 73-71—144
T6 David Fearns 74-70—144
T6 Peter Senior OAM 72-72—144
NEXT UP
Players head south to the Sunshine Coast for the Belle Property Mt Coolum Legends Pro-Am at Mt Coolum Golf Club on Monday before a short break leading into the two events in Toowoomba from July 25.
Riverside Oaks Golf Club’s Cody Harper has topped a field of 63 PGA Professionals to book his place at the PGA Professional Championship National Final at The Heritage Golf and Country Club in October.
More than 80 NSW/ACT PGA Members attended the NSW/ACT Annual State Members Forum at Concord Golf Club where 50-Year Members Chris Gaffney, Brian Parkins, 60-Year Members Ted Stirling and Les O’Keefe and 70-Year Member Ian Alexander were in attendance.
With Life Members Geoff Scott and Kyle Francis also present, there was close to 400 years of PGA Membership in the room, CEO Gavin Kirkman and General Manager of Membership and Education, Geoff Stewart, sharing the vision for what the PGA hopes to achieve in the future.
Following the meeting, players took to a Concord Golf Club layout presented remarkably well given the course had been closed just 48 hours earlier due to rain.
Harper’s round of 4-under 67 was the best of the day, one clear of Bryce Hohnen (68) and Larry Austin (68).
It was an impressive performance given the Director of Golf at Riverside Oaks was operating on very little sleep following the birth of his second child just days earlier.
The top 15 qualifiers will all contest the National Final, Bree Arthur was the leading female qualifier and Leigh McKechnie booked a spot in the Australian PGA Senior Championship as the leading player over the age of 50.
PGA Professionals Championship National Final qualifiers
Queenslander Michael Wright is in contention for a life-changing senior major title after playing so well in Round 3 of the Kaulig Companies Championship that he “blacked out”.
At a course made famous by the deeds of Tiger Woods, Wright shot the round of the day at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, the clubhouse leader at 6-under par when he signed for a 7-under 63.
He would end the day in a tie for fourth as Steve Stricker (67), Ernie Els (64) and Robert Karlsson (66) all edged in front and will begin the final round three strokes off the lead held by Stricker.
With 18-year-old son Noah on the bag, Wright began day three in a tie for 23rd but rocketed up the leaderboard with eight birdies between the third and 13th hole.
Such was the zone the 50-year-old was in, he forgot to write down his scores as he picked off birdie after birdie.
“I had a section through the middle of the round where I actually blacked out,” Wright said.
“I didn’t even put any scores down on my scorecard. I had forgotten to write the scores, so just had a real just zone experience through that middle of the round.
“I think I was on about the 14th tee maybe and I said to Noah, my son, I pulled that scorecard and I was blank from three onwards.
“I was writing scores down and I said, ‘I don’t even know what I had.’
“Just totally oblivious to what I was meant to be doing other than hitting the ball, target, hole, target.
“It’s the greatest feeling. I wish we could do it more.”
Michael Wright was the last player in the field as an alternate.
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) July 13, 2024
After the best round of his PGA TOUR Champions career, the rookie is T4 @KauligChamp! pic.twitter.com/MkuFRqBHxc
Wright’s run began with five straight birdies from the third hole, his ‘zone’ experience so immersive that he struggled to recall how he even did it.
A 15-foot putt for par on eight was his longest of the day, carrying his momentum into the back nine with three more birdies on the trot from the 11th hole.
A dropped shot on 17 after finding the fairway bunker made Wright’s Sunday assignment slightly more challenging yet after his late call-up into the field, the Brisbane native wants to maximise his good fortune.
First alternate, Wright was only added when Harrison Frazar withdrew with a neck injury and is savouring every moment of the experience that he is sharing with his son.
“This is his third week on (the bag) and he’s done a great job so far,” Wright said.
“It’s been really cool to have him on the bag and someone I can trust and just share that experience with him is cool.
“Really looking forward to getting out there tomorrow and doing a bit of the same.”
Wright is not the only Australian name prominent on the leaderboard through three rounds with fellow Champions Tour rookie Cameron Percy (69) and Mark Hensby (68) in a share of 12th at 2-under par and Stuart Appleby tied for 16th after a 66 in Round 3.
Photo: Mike Mulholland/Getty Images
Round 3 Australasian scores
T4 Michael Wright 70-71-63—204
T10 Steven Alker (NZ) 68-65-74—207
T12 Mark Hensby 69-71-68—208
T12 Cameron Percy 69-70-69—208
T16 Stuart Appleby 72-71-66—209
T23 Richard Green 67-73-72—212
T42 Steve Allan 72-71-72—215
T42 John Senden 75-69-71—215
T59 Greg Chalmers 73-75-70—218
T71 Rod Pampling 72-74-77—223
Playing his 200th round on the PGA TOUR Champions, New Zealander Steven Alker fired the low round of the day to lead the Kaulig Companies Championship, where Cameron Percy is tied 11th and the best of the Australians.
An eight-time winner since turning 50, Alker sits at 7-under and one clear of defending champion Steve Stricker after a second round 65 that included seven birdies and a double-bogey at the fourth.
Alker’s scrambling from the tree-lined fairways on the back nine of Firestone Country Club keeping him clear at the top as he chases a second senior major championship win.
“I felt it early on, I was in the groove hitting my irons well, making a few putts,” Alker said.
“Very sloppy double on four … but eliminated that pretty quickly, made a couple of birdies coming back on the back nine.
“Then just got a bit loose on the back nine, but that happens around here. You get four rounds, you’re going to have one of those rounds where it’s just not quite there, you’ve got to work your butt off to make pars and I did that.”
Signing for an even par 70 to be 1-under and just outside the top-10, Percy is one of just 16 players under par for the tournament having made his senior debut at the recent KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship following his qualifying school victory before his 50th birthday in May.
Sitting one back of the lead after Round 1, Percy’s fellow Victorian Richard Green birdied the last on Friday to sign for a 3-over round and a share of 17th with compatriot Mark Hensby on even par.
Queenslander Michael Wright is another shot back at 1-over and sharing 22nd after a second round 71 that included a hole-out eagle at the 418 yard par-4 11th, with Australasian trio Vijay Singh, Stuart Appleby and Steven Allan two shots further in arrears on 3-over.
Despite sitting well back of Alker’s lead, with no cut in the limited field event, John Senden on 4-over will hope to continue his climb up the leaderboard after a second round of 1-under 69 that included an eagle of his own at the par-5 second.
Rod Pampling hoping to emulate his fellow Queenslanders’ eagle making over the weekend to improve on his 6-over total, so too Greg Chalmers, who sits 8-over par through 36 holes.
The Kaulig Companies Championship is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
Australasian Scores
1st Steven Alker -7
T11 Cameron Percy -1
T17 Mark Hensby EV
T11 Richard Green EV
T22 Michael Wright +1
T34 Vijay Singh +3
T34 Stuart Appleby +3
T34 Steven Allan +3
T40 John Senden +4
T56 Rod Pampling +6
T69 Greg Chalmers +8
Even though he hates sleeping on a lead, Christopher Wood completed a wire-to-wire victory in the $60,000 Ian Weigh Toyota Rockhampton Pro-Am by shooting a final round of 67 today.
A tournament best 65 on day one gave Wood control of the three-day event, but he had to hold off a challenge from fellow Queenslander Brett Rankin before emerging as a three-shot winner at 17-under-par.
“I hate it. I’d much rather go into a final round behind than leading,” said Wood who led by a single stroke overnight before being victorious for the second time this year in the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series.
“I’m a bit of a scoreboard watcher. I like to know what guys are doing and sometimes that can distract me as well.
“Bretto put some pressure on me late in round with three birdies in a row. The nerves were there with four or five holes to go so I’m happy to come out on top.”
Anthony Choat (NSW) and Dylan Gardner (Qld) shared third place on 12-under.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
A consistent winner of adidas Pro-Am Series events since 2013, Wood’s 67 was the equal best round of Friday.
He had four birdies on his front nine with a dropped shot on the par-5 seventh hole and another three birdies on the back, including on the 17th and 18th to finally see off Rankin, who bogeyed the par-five finishing hole after surging with three consecutive birdies.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“It was a really good week. I felt like my game was really nice all week,” Wood said.
“I had a good idea where the ball was going and the putter was listening from time to time.
“For some reason, I saw the lines on the greens really clearly this week, just trusted my stroke and all the practice that I’ve done.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-17: Christopher Wood (Qld) 65-67-67
-14: Brett Rankin (Qld) 67-66-69
-13: Anthony Choat (NSW) 67-68-68; Dylan Gardner (Qld) 68-67-68
-12: Andrew Campbell (NSW) 70-67-67; Kyle Michel (Vic) 66-67-71
-11: William Bruyeres (Qld) 67-70-68
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series heads down the Bruce Highway to the Maryborough Golf Club Pro-Am on Monday.
For the third consecutive senior major championship, Australian Richard Green sits inside the top-3 after the first round, with the left hander opening the Kaulig Companies Championship with a 3-under round of 67.
Part of an 11-strong Australasian contingent teeing it up in the formerly titled Senior Players Championship, Green continued his recent habit of starting well at the biggest events to sit one back of leading pair Duffy Waldorf and defending champion Steve Stricker.
“It’s probably one of the tougher courses that we play on Tour and it’s really, really rewarding to have shot a good score. I’m still playing pretty well, so very happy,” Green said.
“Same old stuff, just trying to hit good golf shots. Golf’s an ongoing test and got to ride the ups and downs a little bit sometimes.
“It’s been up for a bit for me, so I’m just going to just go with it as long as I can and keep working.”
Sharing third with Kenny Perry, Green sits one ahead of ahead of Kiwi senior major winner Steve Alker, who opened with 2-under, with Mark Hensby, Cam Percy and Fijian Vijay Singh another shot back and in a share in 10th.
Michael Wright also sitting inside the top-20 on even par and sharing 17th following round one at Firestone Country Club.
Chasing his first win on the PGA TOUR Champions having made 42 of 43 cuts in his career since turning 50, with 10 top-10s, Green made bogey early in his round at the 12th after starting on the 10th tee.
That was the lone dropped shot of the day for the Victorian, who got back to level par with birdie at the par-4 14th.
Runner-up at the KitchenAid Senior PGA and third at the US Senior Open in his last two major starts, Green climbed the leaderboard during his back nine on a day when only 16 players broke par.
Birdies at the first and second followed by another at the sixth.
“I love these events, I love all the Champions Tour events that we play. The majors are a highlight obviously. It’s a great place to test your game out and test out who you are as a golfer,” Green said.
“For me, like I said before, to come off and play – and have played well on this golf course, which I rate as a difficult one, it’s rewarding, very rewarding.”
Of the other Australians, Steve Allan, Rod Pampling and Stuart Appleby sit in a tie for 36th at 2-over-par and still in the mix with three rounds to play and only four shots out of the lead.
Greg Chalmers another shot further back after opening with a 3-over 73 and John Senden rounding out the contingent at 5-over-par.
The Aussies perhaps seeking out Green for some additional help on how to approach the Ohio course where he was tied 35th last year.
“I think it’s the accuracy that’s required off the tee. You’ve got to be so, so accurate. I call a lot of these trees around here overhead bunkers,” he said.
“They sort of come into play, they overhang the fairways a little bit, so it tightens the fairways even more. You’ve got to be in the right part of the fairway to have a go at the pin on some holes.
“I think the more you play Firestone, the more you understand it. I haven’t played it as much as some of the guys, but I’ve played enough.”
The Kaulig Companies Championship is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
Australasian Scores
T3 Richard Green -3
T5 Steven Alker -2
T10 Mark Hensby -1
T10 Cameron Percy -1
T10 Vijay Singh -1
T17 Michael Wright EV
T36 Steven Allan +2
T36 Rod Pampling +2
T36 Stuart Appleby +2
T47 Greg Chalmers +3
T67 John Senden +5
“The Chase Is On” for the professionals on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia with a busy schedule of tournaments for the first half of the upcoming 2024/25 season released today.
Starting from the PNG Open in August, 10 tournaments will be contested through to the end of the year, highlighted by the two Australian major championships co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour.
The first Australian events on the 2024/25 calendar will be the Western Australia double in October, beginning in Kalgoorlie at the CKB WA PGA Championship presented by TX Civil & Logistics (October 10-13).
It’s then on to the Mandurah Country Club, the new home for the Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet WA Open which will celebrate its 100th anniversary when it is played on October 17-20.
The ground-breaking Webex Players Series, featuring its format of men and women on the same course, vying for the same title, will have one event prior to the New Year with the McLaren Vale wine region once again the home of Webex Players Series South Australia hosted by Greg Blewett from October 24-27.
Another five Webex events will come in 2025, including the debut of Webex Players Series Perth hosted by Minjee and Min Woo Lee at Royal Fremantle GC in January.
The Tour then heads east to the Queensland PGA Championship played once again at Nudgee Golf Club in Brisbane from October 31 to November 3.
The NSW Open, offering a boosted purse of $800,000, returns to the schedule with the 2024 edition to be hosted for the first time by the Murray Downs Golf Resort on November 14-17 as the lead-in to the majors.
The BMW Australian PGA Championship will make its fourth consecutive appearance at Royal Queensland in Brisbane (November 21-24) while the ISPS HANDA Australian Open at two of Melbourne’s world renowned Sandbelt gems, Kingston Heath GC and Victoria GC, on November 28-December 1.
The schedule also features a date shift for the Victorian PGA Championship and Gippsland Super 6 which will now be played following the Australian Open in December.
“The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia is gaining in momentum, mirroring what is occurring with the game of golf in all metrics across Australia,” PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman said.
“When the Chase resumes in August, our next generation of stars will have their sights on the great opportunities and pathways that exist by being one of the leading players on our Tour.
“We experienced a fantastic 2023/24 season highlighted by Kazuma Kobori’s three victories which led him to our Order of Merit title, the return of some established names to the winner’s circle and the emergence of first-time tournament winners.
“The new season is sure to bring more spectacular golf when we kick off in PNG and then travel into five states including the return of NSW Open with a significant prizemoney boost at a new Tour venue we’re excited to visit.”
Building on the success of its tournament broadcast, which has brought the Tour and its new era of stars onto screens across the country and overseas, Fox Sports and Kayo will be home of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia. The two majors, the PGA and Open, will also be simulcast on Nine and 9Now. The NSW Open will appear on 7plus.
Challenger Chief Executive, Customer Mandy Mannix said: “We’re excited to begin our second year as naming rights sponsor with the PGA Tour of Australasia.
“Over the past year, in partnership with PGA, we’ve elevated professional golf’s profile and supported a beloved sport that brings joy to older Australians.
“As we embark on another thrilling golf season, we wish all players the best of luck, from seasoned professionals to rising stars, ensuring every swing and every round is a hole-in-one.”
The post-Christmas/New Year schedule of Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia events will be announced in coming weeks.
2024
August 15-18: PNG Open at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club ($200,000).
October 10-13: CKB WA PGA Championship presented by TX Civil & Logistics at Kalgoorlie Golf Course ($250,000)
October 17-20: Bowra & Odea Nexus Advisernet WA Open at Mandurah Country Club ($175,000 min)
October 24-27: Webex Players Series South Australia hosted by Greg Blewett in McLaren Vale wine region. Course TBC ($200,000)
October 31-November 3: Queensland PGA Championship at Nudgee Golf Club ($250,000)
November 14-17: NSW Open at Murray Downs Golf Resort ($800,000)
November 21-24: BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland Golf Club ($2 million)
November 28-December 1: ISPS HANDA Australian Open at Kingston Heath Golf Club and Victoria Golf Club ($1.7 million)
December 5-8: Victorian PGA Championship at Moonah Links Resort ($250,000)
December 12-15: Gippsland Super 6 at Warragul Country Club ($200,000)
