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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).
Kelsey Bennett won three times in 2024 and secured a Ladies European Tour card at Q School. Here, long-time coach John Serhan, shares how they have established a winning mindset.
Kelsey won three times in 2024 but it was her finish to Ladies European Tour Q School that was the best example of having the courage to go for her shots.
Needing to make birdie on the final hole, Kelsey secured her 2025 LET card by hitting two shots when she needed them most when there was a temptation to play safe instead.
Can you win playing conservatively all the time?
The answer these days is definitely not.
If you can’t win playing that way, you need the courage to commit to every shot.
There’s a great deal of acceptance that comes with that because you may not hit the perfect shot. But it might go exactly where you want it to, and that should be your focus.
Everyone has those thoughts of where they don’t want to hit it, but those who do it better have awareness and strategies to get their focus back on what they want to achieve.
Find a divot a couple of metres in front of you, visualise the ball flying through the air and then landing on the green.
Trust that your body knows what to do and allow the subconscious mind to create the shot.
More than not being scared to win, it’s also about not being scared to fail.
John Serhan is the Head Teaching Professional at St Michael’s Golf Club in Sydney and was named 2022 PGA NSW Coach of the Year – High Performance. Among the athletes he coaches are Tour Players Kelsey Bennett, Harrison Crowe, Sarah Kemp and Nathan Barbieri.
LPGA Tour winner Grace Kim will headline the 2025 Australian WPGA Championship on the Gold Coast from March 6-9.
A winner on the world’s premier women’s circuit in 2023, Kim will be one of the stars of the show when the contest for the Karrie Webb Cup is played for the first time at the renowned Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club.
Hailing from Sydney, the 24-year-old claimed her maiden title, the Lotte Championship in Hawaii, in just the third start of her debut year on the LPGA Tour.
She backed up her strong rookie season with a runner-up finish at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, making 22 cuts from 28 starts overall and finishing inside the top-25 on eight occasions.
Kim is excited to tee it up in her home nation and hoping to go one better than when the Australian WPGA Championship debuted at Royal Queensland and the Avondale Golf Club product finished runner-up to Su Oh as a newly minted professional.
“It’s always so special to come back home to Australia and play in front of family, friends and a home crowd,” Kim said.
“I’m looking forward to the return of the WPGA Championship, especially this year with the Ladies European Tour (LET) part of the event meaning the Aussies can show their skills against some of the best in the world.”
Co-sanctioned by the WPGA Tour of Australasia and LET, the WPGA Championship will headline the new Gold Coast Festival of Golf at Sanctuary Cove from March 6-9, players will be determined to lift the trophy named in honour of Australia’s best ever female player.
“Karrie is obviously a legend of our sport and I’ve been so fortunate to spend time with her. To win the trophy named after her would be absolutely awesome,” Kim said of the seven-time major winner.
The WPGA Championship is the first of three LET co-sanctioned events on Australian shores, with a strong European presence expected to take on some of Australia’s best alongside Kim.
“Grace went so close to getting her hands on the Karrie Webb Cup at the inaugural Australian WPGA Championship back in 2022, I know that she will be incredibly determined to go one better this year and get her first major win on home soil,” WPGA Tour of Australasia CEO Karen Lunn said.
“Having Grace tee it up at this event is a fantastic vote of support for what we are doing, and I am sure fans will embrace the opportunity to catch a glimpse of one of the brightest young talents in the global game.
“Women’s golf has a long history on the Gold Coast and the entire field, including Grace, will experience a tournament unlike any other as part of the Gold Coast Festival of Golf that is exciting not just for our players, but everyone involved in the sport of golf in this country.”
Held in the heart of Sanctuary Cove, the Gold Coast Festival of Golf will combine the thrill of the game with an unforgettable festival atmosphere. Featuring live music, pop-up bars, dedicated participation zones, interactive experiences, plus golf and lifestyle displays showcasing the latest and greatest in golf.
“The Festival of Golf will be the perfect spot for everyone,” Lunn said.
Tickets to the WPGA Championship are now available via Ticketek and are just $15 or adults, with kids 17 and under free.
The 2025 WPGA Championships is supported by Experience Gold Coast and the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland.
Australians made their presence known on the major tours this past week as the 2024-2025 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season approaches crunch time.
Sydney’s Cam Davis conjured a shot that sent social media into a tailspin on his way to a share of fifth at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am as West Australian Minjee Lee produced her career-low round on the LPGA Tour – 10-under 62 – with an Odyssey Golf broomstick putter in play for the first time.
This week sees the men’s and women’s Vic Open championships played at 13th Beach Golf Links while internationally, the LIV Golf season kicks off in Saudi Arabia, the PGA TOUR is at the WM Phoenix Open, the DP World Tour is in Qatar and Cassie Porter makes her LPGA debut as one of seven Aussies playing the Founders Cup in Florida.
10. Kelsey Bennett (New entry)
At a career high of 319 on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking after finishing tied for 14th at Webex Players Series Murray River. Can improve on that even further with a good result at this week’s Vic Open as she readies herself for a rookie season on the Ladies European Tour.
9. Jordan Doull (Last week: 9)
The Webex Players Series Perth champion was tied for 10th at Rosebud and tied for 19th at Cobram Barooga to continue his push towards the Order of Merit rewards on offer at season’s end. Has risen 578 places in the Official World Golf Ranking since the start of the year.
8. Anthony Quayle (8)
Moved up one spot on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit to seventh despite a disappointing finish at Webex Players Series Murray River where he finished tied for 32nd. Arguably the hottest player on the Australasian Tour without a win this season.
7. Minjee Lee (New entry)
With the broomstick putter in the bag for the first time, Lee shot a career-low 10-under 62 in the final round of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Florida. The two-time major winner needed just 51 putts across the final two rounds to start her year with a tie for fourth, her best result since the Blue Bay LPGA in March last year.
6. David Micheluzzi (6)
Currently at a career high of 191 in the Official World Golf Ranking as he continues to grow in confidence on the DP World Tour. Book-ended his tie for 49th at the Bahrain Championship with rounds of 69 and is entered to play this week in Qatar.
5. Elvis Smylie (4)
The BMW Australian PGA champion returns to action on the DP World Tour this week at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters after a missed cut at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship and skipping the Bahrain Championship.
4. Jason Day (3)
Holds firm at No.32 in the world ranking on the back of a tie for 13th at Pebble Beach. In a positive sign moving forward, Day shrugged off some recent frustrations with the putter to rank 20th in Strokes Gained: Putting for the week.
3. Adam Scott (2)
Posted the low round of the day in the final round at Pebble Beach to climb into a tie for 22nd. His bogey-free 8-under 64 tied his lowest 18-hole score in 17 career rounds at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
2. Cam Davis (5)
Climbed eight spots to No.44 in the Official World Golf Ranking on the back of his tie for fifth at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Produced a contender for shot of the year on the 72nd hole and has finished top 20 in three of his four starts this season on the PGA TOUR.
1. Hannah Green (1)
A three-time winner in 2024, Green began her 2025 LPGA Tour campaign with a solid tie for 20th at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Florida.
The Australian Golf Power Rankings is a subjective list developed with input from members of the Australian Golf media team.
One of Australian professional golf’s oldest events, the Vic Open, returns to 13th Beach Golf Links on the Bellarine Peninsula this week with Brett Coletta and Ashley Lau defending their men’s and women’s titles.
The tournament that spawned the mixed-gender format celebrates its 12th year at 13th Beach in 2025 with men and women, professionals and amateurs, once again playing on the same course, but for separate trophies, with each purse worth $200,000.
And they’ll tackle two different courses – three rounds on the Beach and one on the Creek for those who make the halfway cut. Both are par-72 layouts at the mercy of the winds that come off the adjacent Southern Ocean.
Founded in 1958, the men’s Vic Open has an illustrious group of winners that includes the likes of major winners Peter Thomson, Kel Nagle, Gary Player, David Graham, Greg Norman and Ian Baker-Finch and, in recent years, Min Woo Lee, Michael Hendry and Dimi Papadatos.
Meanwhile, the women’s tournament, founded in 1988, can boast an equally impressive past champions list highlighted by Minjee Lee, Hannah Green, Celine Boutier and Jiyai Shin, the 2023 winner who headlines this year’s field.
Now based predominantly in Japan, Shin is trying complete a rare Australian Open-Vic Open double after triumphing in the national championship at Kingston Heath and Victoria in December, her last tournament appearance.
Her main competition this week may come from LPGA Tour star Jenny Shin, who now spends a good part of the year in Australia.
In the men’s field, there are seven winners from this year’s Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, headed by two-time champion Jack Buchanan who sits in fourth place on the Order of Merit list.
Numbers seven through 10 on the OOM list – Anthony Quayle, Corey Lamb, Jordan Doull and Jak Carter – will also tee it up chasing valuable points as the season heads towards its conclusion in March.
One noticeable change for the players this week is the lengthening of the par-4 15th hole on the Beach Course, with the tees pushed back from where they have been in recent years. It now plays 342m for the men and 292m for the women.
LAST YEAR’S CHAMPIONS: Ashley Lau and Brett Coletta
PRIZEMONEY: $400,000
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.
*All times AEDT.
Round 3: Saturday 2pm-7pm (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
Final Round: Sunday 1pm-6pm (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
HEADLINERS
Jiyai Shin – 2024 ISPS HANDA Australian Open champion
Brett Coletta – 2024 Vic Open men’s champion
Ashley Lau – 2024 Vic Open women’s champion
Jack Buchanan – 2024 WA PGA and Webex Players Series SA champion
Jenny Shin – LPGA Tour member
Kelsey Bennett – 2024 The Athena champion
Matthew Griffin – 2024 Heritage Classic champion
Lydia Hall – 2012 Ladies British Masters winner
There are just six events left to decide who will secure cards to the DP World Tour in 2026 as the 2024-2025 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season approaches its exciting climax.
While the Order of Merit champion receives an exemption into The Open Championship in addition to a DP World Tour card, there are a range of international playing opportunities for those who finish inside the top 15 at season’s end.
Queenslander Blake Proverbs climbed 17 spots to 14th on the Order of Merit on the back of his playoff victory at Webex Players Series Murray River on Sunday as runner-up Jason Norris leapt 43 places to 24th.
As the countdown to the season finale intensifies, here are the six players to watch in the final six tournaments of 2024-2025.
Anthony Quayle
Current OOM position: 7th
Battling a rib injury, Quayle leap-frogged Newcastle’s Corey Lamb into seventh spot on the Order of Merit despite a disappointing finish at Webex Players Series Murray River.
Top-five in five of his previous six starts, Quayle shot 2-over 74 in the final round at Cobram Barooga Golf Club to drop into a share of 32nd.
Expect it to be only a temporary setback; a win this season seems almost inevitable.
Lucas Herbert
Current Order of Merit position: 3rd
After confirmation that he will make a fourth and final start for the season at the 104th New Zealand Open starting February 27, Herbert (pictured, centre) remains in the hunt to snatch the Order of Merit title.
Currently 530 points behind two-time winner this season, Elvis Smylie, the Ford NSW Open winner would need to win in Queenstown to secure the No.1 spot and that exemption to Royal Portrush.
Can’t be discounted for a player who was runner-up in the NZ Open in 2020.
Corey Lamb
Current Order of Merit position: 8th
An uncharacteristic missed cut on the Murray River saw the man they call ‘Chops’ drop to eighth on the Order of Merit.
A two-time runner-up this season to go with three further top-10 finishes, the Branxton ball-striker is one win from forcing his way into the top five.
Lamb (pictured, left) trails fifth-placed Curtis Luck by just 60 Order of Merit points and has a handy 80-point buffer from Webex Players Series Perth champion Jordan Doull.
A win on the run home could be life changing.
Jake McLeod
Current Order of Merit position: 26th
There has been too much good golf of late from the 2018 Order of Merit champion to not expect something special in the coming two months.
Sitting in 59th position going into the Christmas break, McLeod (pictured, right) has had at least a share of the lead in each of the three tournaments played in 2025 to date.
Fourth at Webex Players Series Perth, tied for 10th at Webex Players Series Victoria and now tied fifth at Webex Players Series Murray River, McLeod needs only to put four rounds together to start knocking on the door of the top 10.
Jordan Doull
Current Order of Merit position: 9th
Runner-up to Jack Buchanan in the second event of the season, Doull joined the Order of Merit race in earnest with his playoff win over Haydn Barron at Webex Players Series Perth at Royal Fremantle.
He followed that up with a tie for 10th at Rosebud and tie for 19th at Cobram Barooga to keep the top three within reach.
It might take another win – or two! – but Doull can do it.
Jack Buchanan
Current Order of Merit position: 4th
The past two Order of Merit champions – David Micheluzzi and Kazuma Kobori – both did so with three wins in the season; it might take Jack Buchanan four if he hopes to do the same.
Victorious this season at the WA PGA and Webex Players Series South Australia, Buchanan has skipped the past two events on home soil after starting 2025 with a missed cut in Perth.
With challengers amassing behind him, Buchanan could use a switch in momentum starting this week at 13th Beach Golf Links.
Current Order of Merit top 10
1 Elvis Smylie 1,247.56 (7)
2 Cameron Smith 735.68 (4)
3 Lucas Herbert 717.06 (3)
4 Jack Buchanan 620.11 (10)
5 Curtis Luck 523.44 (4)
6 Marc Leishman 488.00 (2)
7 Anthony Quayle 467.75 (9)
8 Corey Lamb 463.24 (11
9 Jordan Doull 381.73 (13)
10 Jak Carter 360.26 (9)
(Minimum of four events required to be eligible on final OOM)
Minjee Lee wielded her new broomstick putter with expert precision to log her career low-round on the LPGA Tour and start 2025 with a top-five finish in Florida.
Putting the Odyssey broomstick in play for the first time at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, Lee took just 26 putts on Sunday in a round of 10-under 62 that catapulted her into a share of fourth.
With new caddie Mikey Paterson on the bag, Lee needed just 51 putts total across the final two rounds and hit 16 of 18 greens in Round 4 to send a clear signal that the 28-year-old is eager to add to her two major championships to date.
Two birdies out of the blocks was the ideal start but it took until the par-4 eighth to get her third for the day.
That was the first of four straight and with further birdies at 13 and 14 and an eagle at the par-5 15th, Lee played the eight-hole stretch in 7-under par.
There was an opportunity to get to 11-under at the par-3 17th that eluded Lee but the West Australian was thrilled to finish the first event of the year in such impressive fashion.
“Before I started today I was like, let’s just get off to a really fast start and see how low I can go today,” said Lee, who shot 63 in Round 2 of the Cognizant Founders Cup that she went on to win in May 2022.
“Having an eagle on 15, it was like the cherry on top. Just hit it really solid and made some really nice putts.
“It was easy today.
“Just with the new putter, getting a little more settled and getting used to that, I think it’s just a really nice confidence booster that I got this round under my belt.”
Lee was one of three Aussies to log top-five finishes this past week, with Cam Davis producing a contender for shot of the year at Pebble Beach and Danny List earning a podium spot on the HotelPlanner Tour in South Africa.
In and around the top of the leaderboard from the moment he shot 65 in Round 1 of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Davis saved his greatest party trick for the 72nd hole of one of golf’s most iconic venues.
With his ball nestled in between exposed roots of the fir tree that sits to the right of the 18th green, Davis sent social media into meltdown with a spinning miracle to less than three feet that set up a birdie to earn a share of fifth and a cheque for $US755,000.
Now based in the US having grown up in Perth, List climbed to third on the Order of Merit with his third-place finish at the MyGolfLife Open.
List earned a DP World Tour card at Qualifying School in November and showed the depth of his talent with a round of 10-under 62 in Round 3 at Pecanwood Golf & Country Club.
There was a strong Aussie presence at the International Series India where Kevin Yuan and Travis Smyth finished inside the top 10 while reigning Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner Kazuma Kobori was tied for 24th alongside fellow Kiwi Dan Hillier at the DP World Tour’s Bahrain Championship.
Photo: Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images
Results
PGA TOUR
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am
Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill, California
1 Rory McIlroy 66-70-65-66—267 $US3.6m
T5 Cam Davis 65-68-69-69—271 $755,000
T13 Jason Day 70-69-68-69—276 $368,500
T17 Min Woo Lee 69-71-68-69—277 $272,000
T22 Adam Scott 74-71-69-64—278 $146,909
LPGA Tour
Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions
Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, Florida
1 A Lim Kim 65-69-67-67—268 $US300,000
T4 Minjee Lee 72-70-70-62—274 $115,392
6 Lydia Ko (NZ) 73-67-65-70—275 $84,205
T20 Hannah Green 70-71-74-71—286 $28,193
DP World Tour
Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship
Royal GC, Kingdom of Bahrain
1 Laurie Canter 68-69-68-69—274 €408,869.12
Won in sudden-death playoff
T24 Daniel Hillier (NZ) 70-71-74-65—280 €23,209.34
T24 Kazuma Kobori (NZ) 68-73-72-67—280 €23,209.34
T49 David Micheluzzi 69-73-73-69—284 €9,620.45
T55 Jason Scrivener 69-70-73-73—285 €7,696.36
MC Daniel Gale 76-69—145
Asian Tour
International Series India
DLF Golf and Country Club, Gurugram, India
1 Ollie Schniederjans 71-69-69-69—278 $US360,000
T8 Kevin Yuan 73-73-69-74—289 $45,900
T10 Travis Smyth 72-69-73-76—290 $32,083.33
T21 Wade Ormsby 77-70-73-73—293 $21,200
T24 Maverick Antcliff 78-73-75-69—295 $17,950
T57 Aaron Wilkin 74-77-73-80—304 $6,900
70 Scott Hend 74-75-85-79—313 $4,600
MC Jed Morgan 82-73—155
MC Jack Buchanan 83-74—157
MC Jack Thompson 78-79—157
MC Lawry Flynn 77-80—157
Korn Ferry Tour
Panama Championship
Club de golf, Panama
1 Josh Teater 68-70-68-65—271 $US180,000
MC Rhein Gibson 72-72—144
MC Brett Drewitt 76-69—145
MC Harry Hillier (NZ) 74-75—149
HotelPlanner Tour
MyGolfLife Open
Pecanwood Golf & Country Club, Hartbeespoort, South Africa
1 Daniel Van Tonder 62-66-66-67—261 €57,181.55
3 Danny List 70-65-62-67—264 €25,217.60
T13 Sam Jones (NZ) 70-68-65-67—270 €4,960.54
T28 Hayden Hopewell 68-69-72-63—272 €3,535.52
MC Haydn Barron 69-70—139
