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A birdie blitz on his back nine allowed NSW professional Aaron Townsend to overcome a rough start and some inner-doubts to grab a two-stroke win at the Gunnedah Golf Lion Co Pro-Am today.
After a double-bogey on his first hole, Townsend fought back to post a 4-under-par 66 at Gunnedah Golf Club in the north-west of New South Wales to head Jayden Cripps (68) and Darcy Boyd and Hayden Gulliver who shared third on 1-under.
The victory ended a run of six runner-up finishes in adidas PGA Pro-Am Series events since the 43-year-old’s last win in 2020.
However there had been signs in the recent NSW Open qualifier events that a win may not be far away, including finishing in a share of fourth in the South-West Rocks Open.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
Townsend made a mess of his opener, taking six shots at the 400-metre 10th, and turned in 2-over 36.
His second nine was full of fireworks, however, with birdies at 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 as he came home in just 30 strokes.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“It was a little bit of a setback, I’m not going to lie. I didn’t hit too many bad shots either. It was a strong hole to start on,” Townsend said of his early slip-up.
“The boys I played with were a bit shocked as well. I thought if I just hung in there a few birdies might come and it didn’t really happen on that nine.
“I caught fire a bit starting the second nine.
‘I played nicely in all those NSW Open qualifiers and found myself in positions where I was close to winning and didn’t finish it how I liked. I thought to myself ‘have I forgotten how to do this, how to close out events’. It’s nice to get it done. It’s been a few years since I’ve had a win.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
66: Aaron Townsend (NSW)
68: Jayden Cripps (NSW)
69: Darcy Boyd (NSW), Hayden Gulliver (NSW)
70: Danni Vasquez (NSW), Mitchell Brown (NSW), Belinda Diamond (NSW), Cameron Bell (Vic), Aaron Maxwell (ACT)
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series moves to the NSW North Coast for the Better Homes Port Macquarie Pro-Am on Tuesday-Wednesday next week followed by the Hawks Nest Beachside Apartments Pro-Am on Friday-Saturday.
Plenty of low scoring was produced on day two of the PNG Open, but it is New South Welshman Andrew Campbell who sits alone atop the leaderboard at the halfway mark at Royal Port Moresby.
Searching for his first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia win after a string of top-10s last season, Campbell was one of six players to card a 7-under 65 today to move to 11-under for the week, one shot ahead of James Conran (NSW).
New Zealander James Hydes sits in third alone at 9-under, with Daniel Fox (WA) a further shot back at 8-under after a 65 of his own today.
West Australian Braden Becker heads up a strong group of players tied seventh at 7-under after an albatross on the par-5 first hole kickstarted an incredible 7-under 30 on his second nine.
Although he enjoyed a breakout season on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia last summer, including six top-10 finishes, a win eluded Campbell who ended the campaign in 14th on the Order of Merit.
“I got off to a good start and gave myself a lot of chances early,” Campbell said.
“Didn’t quite make that many putts but I managed to turn 1-under and then sort of just got on a run on the back nine.”
Starting his day on what has proved to be a more difficult back nine, the 34-year-old was able to capitalise on scoring opportunities in the latter part of his round, going 6-under on Royal Port Moresby’s front nine.
His surge up the leaderboard included seven threes in a row from the third to the eighth.
“Just really happy with where I’m at. I was putting it quite well and just hitting a lot of good shots, giving myself chances, which is the main thing you got to do around here,” he said.
“I feel like I’m in a great place with my game, a great place mentally, so just got to put myself in the fight. That’s all, I know I’m good enough to win.”
Second-placed Conran’s 65 included eight birdies with just the sole bogey at the par-4 seventh.
“I drove it in play for most of the day where you need to on those short par-4s, got it up next to the green and hit a few good chips and had tap-in birdies, then sort of just kept it going into the back nine,” said Conran.
“A good finish is pretty pivotal for me because I’m not actually a part of the tour this year.
“I’ve got a full membership category, so I don’t have that guaranteed start to each event. It’s nice to get a good week going here. I mean, a win would be great.”
Papua New Guinea amateur Morgan Annato fought hard today in his national open, carding a 1-under 71 to make the cut on the number at even-par.
Notable players to miss the cut included 2023 Webex Players Series South Australia winner Austin Bautista, as well as last year’s PNG Open runner-up Jack Murdoch.
Some of the biggest names in Australian golf over the past 30 years will be on show when the 54-hole $150,000 NSW Senior Open returns to Albury this November.
Now in its sixth edition, the NSW Senior Open, one of the biggest events on the PGA Legends Tour, will be played from November 1-3 at Thurgoona Golf & Country Club Resort. It is proudly supported by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
Golf NSW Chief Operating Officer Graeme Phillipson said the event was an extremely popular addition to the Albury/Border sporting calendar.
“Golf NSW is delighted to continue bringing one of our best tournaments back to Thurgoona Country Club,” he said.
“The sporting public of Albury has supported this event from the outset, and it is a pleasure to return to a city where everyone involved in the tournament, including the players, officials and staff, have been so warmly received.
“Golf is the number one pastime Australia-wide for those over 50, and the popularity of tournaments like the NSW Senior Open helps us promote the game as the ideal recreational activity for both young and old.”
The 2024 Championship is set to feature many of the greats of Australasian golf from the past 25 -30 years, including:
Other notables and past champions expected to play include Peter O’Malley (NSW), Chris Taylor (VIC), Grant Kenny (NSW), the inaugural champ in 2017, and 2019 victor Brad Burns (QLD).
PGA Legends Tour coordinator Andy Rogers said the players relished the opportunity to return to Albury and the Thurgoona Golf and Country Club Resort.
“We’re absolutely rapt to be coming back to Thurgoona,” said Rogers.
“We have seen through the quality of the field at Thurgoona in recent years just how much the players enjoy the golf course and visiting Albury.
“It’s a fantastic course and a perfect fit for a tournament that’s a really important part of our schedule.”
Adam Fitzgerald, General Manager of Thurgoona Country Club Resort, said the fan experience at this year’s tournament will allow unparalleled access. Spectators can walk the fairways beside their favourite players and see golf played at its best.
“There won’t be a better opportunity for sports fans in the Albury – Region to get up close and personal to witness the legends in action.
“It’s clear the players really enjoy the atmosphere and the connections with the fans in the gallery, and we are looking forward to another fantastic three days of action.”
The New South Wales Senior Open is proudly supported by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
It’s not often that the first reserve gets called up on the Thursday of a professional golf tournament due to the Prime Minister withdrawing, but that’s exactly what occurred today at the PNG Open and young Victorian Connor McDade made the most of the opportunity it created.
Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape, an avid golfer who played in his national Open in 2023, was unable to take his position in the field due to official duties, giving McDade, who was warming up waiting for his chance, his first start as a professional on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
The former Australian amateur representative took the opportunity with both hands and didn’t look back, carding a 5-under 67 at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club for a share of the lead as the 2024/25 Tour season got underway.
Joining McDade at the top of the leaderboard are fellow young gun Josh Greer (WA), William Bruyeres (Qld) and in-form Brett Rankin (Qld)
Four players – James Gibellini (Vic), Zachary Maxwell (Qld), Andrew Campbell (NSW), James Hydes (NZ) – share fifth position, just one back from the leaders.
The leading PNG player after day one is amateur Morgan Annato, who carded a tidy 1-over 73 on the opening day of his native open.
McDade’s score is made all the more remarkable by the fact that when he arrived at Royal Port Moresby at 6.45 this morning, he was not 100% sure he would be in the field, although there had been suggestions a vacancy may open up.
By 7am, PM Marape’s name had come off the timesheet and by 7.38am, McDade’s first tee shot was sailing down the 10th fairway.
“I mean, this is probably as good as this day could have gone for me,” McDade said post-round.
“There was a lot of uncertainty, but yeah, played really well and took it how it came so I’m happy.”
McDade took a while to getting going, making two early bogeys before reaching the turn at 1-over.
After missing out on a scoring opportunity at the par-5 first, McDade soon caught fire, collecting four consecutive birdies from holes three through six before making eagle at the par-5 ninth, his last hole.
As the first reserve, McDade could have been waiting all day for a player to withdraw, if at all, so admits the early tee time was a welcome surprise.
“I came a long way to come and play golf and was just waiting to see what happened for me,” he said.
“It was definitely an easier day than I thought it was going to be.
“I was kind of prepared to sit on the first and 10th tees for 12 hours, but it didn’t really work out that way. I was off the tee within an hour, so yeah, that was really lucky.”
Leading the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series Order of Merit, Rankin continued his good form with four birdies and an eagle in his 67.
Bruyeres snared seven birdies, including a run of three to start the front nine, while Greer cashed in late with four birdies in his last five holes.
Defending champion Lachlan Barker (SA) slipped to +4 after his first seven holes but fought back to shoot 1-over 73.
Four Australians have made it through to the first week of the FedEx Cup playoffs at the St. Jude Championship on the PGA TOUR, with Min Woo Lee needing a solid week to advance further in the playoffs.
With only the top-50 on the standings advancing to next week’s BMW Championship, Lee is currently sitting 62nd, needing a T17 or better at the very least at Memphis to keep his season alive.
Both Cam Davis and Adam Scott sit just inside the safe zone at 44th and 46th respectively, and will be keen to lock in their BMW spots as well as move closer to the top 30 who qualify for the Tour Championship.
Leading Australia Jason Day (26th) is very safe for the BMW Championship but needs to consolidate his place in the Tour Championship over the next fortnight.
With all the focus on Minjee Lee and Hannah Green at the Olympic Games last week, some may have forgotten Steph Kyriacou’s performance in the most recent major championship.
Kyriacou’s runner-up performance at The Amundi Evian Championship announced to the world that she has the game to compete on the biggest stages.
While this week’s ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open is not a major itself, many will be using it as preparation for next week’s AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews, the final women’s major for 2024.
Outdone by an eagle-finish by Evian winner Ayaka Furue, Kyriacou has had two mixed results since her runner-up finish, but a few weeks off, soaking up the European sun has her ready to regain that form.
“Obviously, a lot of stuff worked well for me this week, so just trying to keep the same mindset going forward and hopefully I can win,” said Kyriacou following the Evian.
Seven Australians, including world No.15 Minjee Lee, and one Kiwi, Olympic gold medallist Lydia Ko, will be teeing it up at Dundonald Links for the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open.
Elsewhere, Five Australians are teeing it up at the Czech Masters on the DP World Tour, with all three players who topped the 2022/23 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit — David Micheluzzi, Thomas Power Horan and Andrew Martin — getting the chance to move up the Race to Dubai standings.
*All times AEST
PGA TOUR
FedEx St. Jude Championship
TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
10:50pm Cam Davis
12:55pm Min Woo Lee
2:00am Adam Scott
2:40am Jason Day
Defending champion: Lucas Glover (USA)
Past Aussie winners: Bruce Crampton (1970), David Graham (1976), Wayne Grady (1989), Adam Scott (2013), Jason Day (2015).
Prizemoney: US$20,000,000
TV times: Thursday and Friday 10:15pm-8am Fox Sports 503 and Kayo. Saturday and Sunday 10:30pm-8am Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
LPGA TOUR/LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open
Dundonald Links, Ayrshire, Scotland
4.32pm: Lydia Ko (NZ)
5.38pm: Grace Kim
5.49pm: Whitney Hillier
5.49pm: Hira Naveed
9.10pm: Steph Kyriacou
9.32pm: Minjee Lee
10.05pm: Gabi Ruffels
10.49pm: Kirsten Rudgeley
Defending champion: Celine Boutier (France)
Past Aussie winners: Rebecca Artis (2015)
Prize money: $2 million
TV times: Live 11pm Thursday on Fox Sports 506 and Kayo; Live 11pm Friday on Fox Sports More 507 and Kayo; Live 10pm Saturday on Fox Sports More 507 and Kayo; Live 9pm Sunday on Fox Sports More 507 and Kayo.
DP WORLD TOUR
D+D REAL Czech Masters
PGA National OAKS Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
3:30pm Andrew Martin
5pm Jason Scrivener
4:20pm* David Micheluzzi
5:30pm* Thomas Power Horan
8:30pm* Sam Jones (NZ)
10:30pm* Haydn Barron
Defending champion: Todd Clements (ENG)
Past Aussie winners: Nil.
Prizemoney: €2,000,000
TV times: Thursday and Friday 9pm-2am Fox Sports 505. Saturday 9pm-1am Fox Sports 505 and Kayo. Sunday 7:30pm-10pm Fox Sports 503 and Kayo, 9:50pm-12:30am Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
LIV GOLF LEAGUE
LIV Greenbrier
The Old White at The Greenbrier, Greenbrier, USA
3:15am Lucas Herbert, Matt Jones, Danny Lee (NZ), Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith
Defending champion: Bryson DeChambeau (USA)
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prizemoney: US$20,000,000
TV Times: Saturday, Sunday and Monday 3:15am 7plus.
EPSON TOUR
Wildhorse Ladies Golf Classic
Wildhorse Resort and Casino
Pendleton, Oregon
Australasians in the field: Amelia Garvey, Cassie Porter, Fiona Xu, Maddison Hinson-Tolchard,
Defending champion: Xiaowen Yin (China)
Past Aussie winners; Nil
Prizemoney: US$262,500
KORN FERRY TOUR
Magnit Championship
Metedeconk National Golf Club, Jackson Township, New Jersey, USA
8:56pm Karl Vilips
9:18pm Rhein Gibson
3:10am Brett Drewitt
Defending champion: Chan Kim (USA)
Past Aussie winners: Nil.
Prizemoney: US$1,000,000
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
Rogers Charity Classic
Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club, Calgary, Canada
Australasians in the field: Steven Alker (NZ), Steve Allan, Stuart Appleby, David Bransdon, Greg Chalmers, Richard Green, Jason Norris, Rod Pampling, Cameron Percy, Vijay Singh (FIJI), Michael Wright.
Defending champion: Ken Duke (USA)
Past Aussie winners: Nil.
Prizemoney: US$2,400,000
TV times: Monday 7am-9am Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
EUROPEAN LEGENDS TOUR
Zambia Golf Legends Championship
Bonanza Golf Club, Lusaka, Zambia
Australasians in the field: Michael Campbell (NZ), Michael Long (NZ)
Defending champion: Inaugural event
PGA TOUR AMERICAS
Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open presented by Lake Country Co-Op
Elk Ridge Resort – Tournament Course, Waskesiu Lake, Sask, Canada
11:50pm* Grant Booth
1:20am* Charlie Hillier (NZ)
6:10am Harry Hillier (NZ)
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Prizemoney: US$225,000
CHALLENGE TOUR
Vierumäki Finnish Challenge supported by Finnish Golf Union
Vierumäki Resort, Vierumäki, Finland
3:40pm Hayden Hopewell
7:50pm Blake Windred
7:50pm* Connor McKinney
8:10pm* Zach Murray
Defending champion: Lauri Ruuska (FIN)
Past Aussie winners: Marcus Fraser (2003)
Prizemoney: €250,000
LET ACCESS
Ahlsell Nordic Golf Tour
Destination Gotland Ladies Open
Gumbalde Resort, Stanga, Sweden
Australasians in the field: Wenyung Keh (NZ); Munchin Keh (NZ)
Defending champion: New event
Prize money: 45,000
Just days ago, Lachlan Barker was strolling the lush green fairways of Foxhills Country Club in England, and after a missed cut, many would have forgiven him for taking a week off, even if his next event was just down the road and not on the other side of the planet.
As it turns out, the South Australian embarked on a gruelling 39-hour journey to make sure he made it to Port Moresby for the PNG Open, and his reason why shows how much this event means to him.
“You don’t know how many times you’re going to be able to try and defend a title,” said Barker after the Wednesday Pro-Am at Royal Port Moresby ahead of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia’s season opener.
“This was my first pro win, so I have to come back and defend it.”
Barker’s win at last year’s PNG Open got his second season on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia off to the perfect start, and he was able to carry that momentum throughout, finishing tenth on the Order of Merit standings.
While many may shudder at the thought of playing in England and Papua New Guinea in consecutive weeks, Barker admits he didn’t think twice about making the trip.
“I’m all for having four, five, six weeks in a row, and practising that, because that’s one of the arts of pro golf,” he said.
“Yes you’ve got to be a good golfer, but there’s a lot of those other parts to it that a lot of people don’t understand.
“You’ve got to travel halfway across the world four times in a row and get up and be ready to go. This week was another good chance to practise that.”
Barker admits the course is playing quite different this week than it was last year, with the change to the schedule meaning that Royal Port Moresby is significantly drier.
“We were here in May last year, and it was lot greener and a lot more grass around, so then driving was paramount. To win you had to drive it well,” he explained.
“Because if you hit it in the trees you had to chip out, you were in this thick cow grass.
“But now it’s a lot drier, so I hit it in the trees a couple of times today and was able to get a lot of spin on the ball, hooks and cuts to get it back into play.
“Normally if you keep it in play and putt well, you’re always going to be up near the top, but I’m not too sure what to expect and I think it’ll be different to last time.”
A winner by four-shots last year, Barker recalls a special moment that he hopes to replicate on Sunday.
“Knowing that I’d won on the 18th green was pretty special,” he said.
“I was standing there and I looked over at Liam Georgiadis who was standing off to the side of the green and sort of gave him the ‘how are we looking?’, and he just nodded his head.
“I noticed I was looking down, in my own internal thoughts, so I just lifted my head up and thought ‘Yep, this is pretty cool’.”
The Chase Is On when the 2024/25 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia begins this week in the South Pacific as players descend on Royal Port Moresby Golf Club for the PNG Open.
Last year’s tournament, won by Lachlan Barker, marked a successful return of professional golf in Papua New Guinea after complications with Covid-19 saw three years go by without a PNG Open being staged.
Barker is back to defend his title after last year’s four-stroke victory provided the perfect start to his second year on tour, giving him the confidence to know he belongs.
“I’d say the first year I always felt on edge in my rookie season,” Barker reflected in an interview earlier this year.
“I suppose even if I was playing well and my game was great, I still felt like I was on edge and not that comfortable.
“So first event of the season. Papua New Guinea. Win. I just felt a lot more settled … and it’s allowed me to know that when I’m hitting it well I’ll play better.”
Joining Barker is 2019 PNG Open winner Peter Cooke, who used his driving accuracy on the tight fairways of Royal Port Moresby to claim the title five years ago.
Another player looking to use his experience in PNG to his advantage this week is Brett Rankin, who won the 2019 Morobe Open at Lae Golf Club, and was runner-up in the 2017 PNG Open.
While prior experience is a huge bonus in the hot conditions, a strong group of young players are out to follow in Barker’s footsteps and notch their first career win at Port Moresby.
Josh Greer, Max Charles, Jye Pickin, and Jack Buchanan are just some of the next wave looking to make on early splash.
Players will be competing for $200,000 prize fund, and to get an early advantage on the Order of Merit standings.
HOW TO FOLLOW
For live scoring and the latest news visit www.pga.org.au.
Exclusive content and tournament updates will also be posted regularly on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia’s social media channels.
Instagram: @pgatouraus
Twitter: @PGAofAustralia
Facebook: @PGAofAustralia, @PGATourAus
Official hashtags: #PNGOpen #ChaseIsOn
FORMER CHAMPIONS
2023: Lachlan Barker
2022-2020: No tournament
2019: Peter Cooke
2018: Daniel Gale
2017: Cory Crawford
2016: Brad Moules
COURSE RECORD
61, Daniel Gale: 2018
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Lachlan Barker: 2023 PNG Open winner
Austin Bautista: 2023 Webex Players Series South Australia winner
Andrew Campbell: 14th on last season’s Order of Merit
Brett Rankin: 2019 Morobe Open and NT PGA Championship winner
Peter Cooke: 2019 PNG Open winner
Nathan Barbieri: 2024 Qualifying School winner
Louis Dobbelaar: 2023 NZ PGA Championship winner
Joshua Greer: Hunting his first win after a strong first Tour season
Native Queenslander Dillon Hart has fired a 4-under 68 to claim the Powers Lager Kooralbyn Valley Pro-Am for the second year in a row today.
On a wet day where only three players managed to navigate the Kooralbyn Valley course under-par, Hart had no trouble finding scoring opportunities, with five birdies and only one blemish on his card.
Fellow Queenslander Jack Munro was runner-up after a 2-under 70, while Dylan Gardner rounded out the podium with a 1-under 71.
This is Hart’s second win on the adidas PGA Pro-Am series for 2024, and further solidifies his place in the top-10 on the Order of Merit list.
HOW THE WINNING SCORE UNFOLDED
Starting his day on the second at Kooralbyn Valley, Hart birdied his opening hole, but gave that shot straight back at the long par-3 fifth.
After that it was all smooth sailing however, Hart managing four more birdies coming in, including two in his last four holes.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Obviously started on the second hole and got away with a birdie, just sort’ve saw the rain coming in and thought if we can just get a couple of birdies for the day in the wet we can see what happens and managed to do that,” said Hart.
“Generally hit a lot of greens which saved me, and holed a few putts.
“It’s always good to win in Queensland, back home you feel like you should get one or two so it’s nice to finally get one.
“Obviously played well here last year, won here last year, and came back again. It feels really comfortable for me, obviously you have to strike the ball well, being long you just have to.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
68 Dillon Hart (QLD)
70 Jack Munro (QLD)
71 Dylan Gardner (QLD)
72 Gavin Fairfax (QLD), Nicklaus Rogers (QLD), Matthew Rogers (QLD), Steven Jeffress (QLD)
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series next heads to Gunnedah Golf Club for the Gunnedah Golf Lion Co Pro-Am on Friday.
If he’s being honest, Matt Portelli himself may not have known exactly how he was going to make it happen.
A PGA Professional since 2003, Portelli was one of the first to complete the 20-hour All Abilities Accreditation course that is a joint initiative by the PGA of Australia and Golf Australia.
Seeing an opportunity to expand his coaching business and bring a whole new realm of golfers into the game, Portelli completed the course in 2016. Shortly thereafter he reached out to local disability organisations to offer golf as an activity.
One of those to take up the offer was the Sale and District Specialist School, a school that caters specifically to children aged 5-18 with an intellectual disability. The school brought more than 40 kids out to Maffra Golf Club to try golf, including a boy with cerebral palsy who was confined to a motorised wheelchair.
As kids moved forward to try their hand at golf, the boy found himself at the back of the class, until Portelli asked the teachers whether he might like to try, too.
“They sort of looked at me blankly like, Oh, I’m not quite sure how this is going to work,” recalls Portelli, who has been coaching at Bairnsdale Golf Club for the past four years.
“I asked him first if he was able to have a go and he could communicate with me in what I would say was fairly non-verbal. He would grunt and nod to let me know he understood what I was saying.
“I pushed an alignment stick into the ground, put a rubber driving range tee on top with a ball so it was probably three feet off the ground.
“We used one of the bigger-headed All Abilities kit clubs which he could hold with his right hand and put a hoop out five metres out on front as a target.
“I got him to swing the club and hit the ball towards the target. His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.
“You could see the teachers react like, Oh cool, he can have a go. He can participate.’”
Given close to a decade of experience coaching All Abilities golf it is just one example of how Portelli is not only changing the lives of those he coaches, but also those who are witness to what is possible.
Seb McCormick is a Special Olympics athlete that Portelli has coached for the past two years at Bairnsdale Golf Club.
McCormick has represented both Queensland and Victoria in Special Olympics competition and regularly plays in the member comps at Bairnsdale.
The relationship between Portelli and McCormick has developed so much in the past 18 months that where Portelli would once get only one word answers to his questions, now when they play the coach struggles to get a word in.
“He just yaks to me now the whole time. He just talks to me the whole time,” says Portelli.
“He’s completely come out of his shell. He loves his golf, he’s always excited to be there.”
So excited is McCormick to be at the golf club that he has told Portelli that he is getting a job there; news that he hadn’t yet shared with his parents.
“I’ve learned too, that he can be quite creative sometimes,” Portelli adds.
And when Sebastian rips a drive 180 metres down the centre of the fairway, it’s not only a thrill for coach and player but a demonstration to members of golf’s enormous reach.
“There’s a lot of members that know him now and will say g’day to him,” says Portelli.
“It’s opened up those members’ eyes that people with those disabilities can get out there and play golf.
“We can make it possible.”
To find an All Abilities accredited coach near you, visit www.pga.org.au/find-a-pga-pro/
One of the PGA Legends Tour’s most prolific winners, Queenslander Chris Taylor, wasn’t deterred by a rain-enforced change of format to claim the Rowes Bay Legends Pro-Am today.
His ninth victory in 2024, and a repeat of his 2021 success at the Townsville course, was a convincing one, with a 10-under-par total in the two-day event giving him a three-stroke margin over Adam Henwood (Vic) and Murray Lott (Qld).
More than 100mm of rain on Sunday and Monday forced the closure of the front nine at Rowes Bay, leading to the field receiving plenty of exposure to the much drier back nine which the profressionals covered twice on each day.
Order of Merit leader Andre Stolz held top spot after an opening day 66 but fell away to fifth following a second round of 74.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
Taylor, No.2 in the Order of Merit standings, put himself in contention with a 3-under-par 69 on day one that included just the solitary bogey on the par-5 18th.
He blitzed his opening nine holes on day two to seize the lead, taking just 31 strokes on the way to an event-best round of 65, featuring eight birdies.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
Christopher Taylor: “The last couple of days I played some really good golf. It was nice to get out there today and make a few more putts. A lot of the boys, from what I’ve heard, have struggled with their putting even though the greens were immaculate.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-10: Christopher Taylor (Qld)
-7: Adam Henwood (Vic), Murray Lott (Qld)
-6: Mark Boulton (Vic)
-4: Andre Stolz (Qld)
-1: Brendan Chant (WA), Peter Senior (Qld), Simon Tooman (Qld)
Even: Chris McCourt (Qld), Nigel Lane (Qld)
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour has its second leg of the Townsville double at Tropics (August 15-16).
