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Australian Minjee Lee has endured a horror back nine to let a third major championship slip through her fingers at the US Women’s Open.
Tied for the lead and playing in the final group at Lancaster Country Club, the two-time major champion was the leader by two after the first hole on Sunday.
Her birdie from just outside 10 feet and bogeys by 54-hole co-leaders Wichanee Meechai and Andrea Lee gave Lee a front-running position that she seemed destined to maintain.
When Andrea Lee made double-bogey on four and Meechai tripled the par-3 sixth after finding the penalty area with her tee shot, Minjee’s lead had grown to three strokes despite a three-putt bogey of her own on six.
Lee let a birdie chance slip by the right edge of the hole at the par-5 seventh yet would stand on the tee of the par-4 ninth three shots in front of the field at 4-under par.
A tee shot that found the fairway bunker led to a bogey on nine which would signify the beginning of the end.
Another three-putt on 10 saw Minjee fall into a tie for the lead with eventual champion Yuka Saso (68) at 2-under, but the tables would soon turn dramatically.
As Saso birdied the par-5 13th ahead, Minjee’s tee shot at the treacherous par-3 12th trickled back into the penalty area fronting the green, the double-bogey putting her three shots back in the blink of an eye.
It was a place from which she was unable to recover, making a second double-bogey on 14 followed by bogey on 15 for a final round of 8-over 78 and tie for ninth, seven shots back of Saso.
“I started good. Felt like I hit it pretty good; just missed a couple putts for birdie early and then I kind of blew up from there,” was Lee’s frank admission post-round.
“Obviously I’m going to acknowledge my disappointment and then come back stronger, take the positives out of the week.
“It’s a lot of pressure on the last day, so wasn’t my best performance but I’m sure there will be many better performances ahead.”
As Lee struggled, fellow West Australian Hannah Green matched the low round of the tournament, climbing into a tie for 16th with a 4-under 66 with Sarah Kemp and Gabriela Ruffels both even par for their final rounds.
Birdies at seven, nine and 11 generated the momentum that Green had been chasing all week, completing her climb up the leaderboard with birdies from five and three feet at 16 and 17.
“I feel like I gave myself better putts for birdie today, a lot more uphill putts, which was nice,” said Green.
“I felt like the first few rounds I had a lot of double breakers that had a couple feet of break. You can’t be aggressive with those because your eye is just not used to seeing that.
“The game plan was pretty much the same the entire week, it was just the execution that was different today.”
It was a near miss, too, for Rod Pampling at the Principal Charity Classic on the PGA TOUR Champions.
Tied for the lead entering the final round at Wakonda Club in Des Mines, Pampling kept pace with Ernie Els on the front nine but the South African surged clear with two birdies and an eagle shortly after the turn, Pampling’s 3-under 69 good enough for a share of third.
Kirsten Rudgeley finished just two shots shy of the playoff as she grabbed a top-five finish at the Dormy Open Helsingborg on the Ladies European Tour while Kiwi Ryan Fox continued his strong form on the PGA TOUR with a tie for seventh at the RBC Canadian Open.
Photo: Chris Keane/USGA
Results
US Women’s Open
Lancaster Country Club, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
1 Yuka Saso 68-71-69-68—276 $US2.4m
T9 Minjee Lee 70-69-66-78—283 $271,732.67
T16 Hannah Green 76-71-72-66—285 $161,840.67
T29 Sarah Kemp 75-72-72-70—289 $68,873.14
T51 Gabriela Ruffels 75-73-75-70—293 $26,209
T58 Amelia Garvey (NZ) 76-71-74-73—294 $23,035.89
MC Lydia Ko (NZ) 80-73—153
MC Steph Kyriacou 77-76—153
MC Keeley Marx (a) 76-81—157
PGA TOUR
RBC Canadian Open
Hamilton Golf & Country Club, Hamilton, Ontario
1 Robert MacIntyre 64-66-66-68—264 $US1.692m
T7 Ryan Fox (NZ) 66-64-70-70—270 $295,317
T42 Adam Scott 70-69-70-69—278 $29,986
MC Aaron Baddeley 77-71—148
MC Harrison Endycott 72-79—151
DP World Tour
European Open
Green Eagle Golf Courses, Hamburg, Germany
1 Laurie Canter 68-66-73-72—279 €392,765.45
T65 Daniel Hillier (NZ) 77-70-77-77—301 €5,660.44
MC Haydn Barron 77-71—148
MC Jason Scrivener 75-76—151
MC Sam Jones (NZ) 76-75—151
MC David Micheluzzi 74-78—152
Ladies European Tour
Dormy Open Helsingborg
Allerum Golf Club, Sweden
1 Perrine Delacour 68-70-67—205 €45,000
T5 Kirsten Rudgeley 69-71-67—207 €11,200
T64 Momoka Kobori (NZ) 75-70-74—219 €885
MC Amy Walsh 73-76—149
Korn Ferry Tour
UNC Health Championship
Raleigh Country Club, Raleigh, North Carolina
1 Kaito Onishi 68-69-69-66—272 $US180,000
T38 Rhein Gibson 72-70-66-73—281 $4,915
MC Brett Drewitt 71-72—143
MC Dimi Papadatos 66-77—143
PGA TOUR Champions
Principal Charity Classic
Wakonda Club, Des Moines, Iowa
1 Ernie Els 62-68-65—195 $US300,000
T3 Rod Pampling 65-65-69—199 $120,000
T6 Vijay Singh (FI) 64-68-68—200 $76,000
T8 Steven Alker (NZ) 67-68-66—201 $60,000
T10 David Bransdon 68-68-66—202 $50,000
T12 Stuart Appleby 68-69-66—203 $38,400
T12 Steve Allan 69-66-68—203 $38,400
T18 Michael Wright 67-70-68—205 $23,844
T27 Richard Green 70-69-67—206 $16,600
T32 Cameron Percy 66-69-72—207 $12,133
T41 David McKenzie 70-70-68—208 $8,800
T47 John Senden 70-69-70—209 $6,400
PGA of Australia Life Member Bob Shearer has been honoured by his beloved home club in Melbourne, Southern, with a life-size bronze statue outside the clubhouse.
Shearer, who died in 2022 aged 73, was a lifelong member of the club and to the time of his passing, played regular golf at Southern.
The statue by sculptor Louis Laumen and Cameron McIndoe of Fundere Foundry depicts Shearer striping a 6-iron down the first hole.
It was unveiled by the Shearer family – wife Kathie, sons Bobby and Brett and grandson Jake on Sunday.
“Bob never sought or expected accolades, but I know for a fact he would have been humbled and completely overwhelmed with this statue as a lasting tribute to his memory,” said Kathie Shearer.
Shearer won both the main titles on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia – the PGA Championship and the Australian Open – as well as a New Zealand Open, on the US PGA Tour and the DP World Tour and is one of the all-time greats of the sport.
Beyond tour golf he rode a cart from his Dingley Village home three times a week to play at Southern. Kathie Shearer said that the family knew when golf was on his radar as he would begin humming as he shaved, a few bars of Don’t Worry Be Happy or Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling.
“This was his club, this is what he loved, and I understood it. It was his values, it was the principles, it was the inclusiveness, it was the fun, but mostly it was the camaraderie and the people.”
Southern GC President Peter Anderson observed that there was a deeper meaning deeper to the erection of a statue than Shearer’s fine quality as a player. “I trust when you see this statue, please think about the camaraderie, the friendship, the mutual respect we all have,” Anderson said.
PHOTO: The Shearer family – wife Kathie, sons Bobby and Brett and grandson Jake – at the new Bob Shearer statue unveiled on Sunday.
Two late birdies by James Mee and an untimely bogey by Tim Hart saw the pair crowned joint winners at the CMR Recycling Sarina Golf Club Pro-Am.
One of the most prolific winners of pro-am events through North Queensland, Hart began his second round with a bogey, and would finish it in the same way,
In between were eight birdies on the 16-hole Sarina layout, back-to-back rounds of 6-under 57 enough to post 12-under and yet another victory.
Third at the Lexus Townsville Classic, Mee (58) monitored the leaderboard throughout the second round and thought that even a birdie-birdie finish might not be enough.
“I kind of just said to myself with four holes left that I just wanted to make two birdies, get to 12-under,” said Mee, who did not make a single bogey across the two rounds.
“To be honest, I thought Timmy was going to shoot 14 because he had probably one of the easier par 4s out there.
“But, luckily enough for me, he made bogey and we ended up joint winners.”
Mee and Hart both finished one clear of overnight leader Darcy Boyd (60) and Nathan Page (58) with Dylan Gardner (58) outright fifth at 10-under.
HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED
Starting the second round one back of Darcy Boyd, Mee made just one birdie in his first seven holes.
Back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11 brought Mee back into the mix but even his late charge with closing birdies at one and two looked unlikely to be enough.
Hart erased his opening bogey on three with a birdie at four and then made four birdies in the space of five holes from seven to vault up the leaderboard.
His hot hand continued with birdies at 14, 15 and 1 to reach 13-under only to bogey his final hole, the par-4 third.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
Tim Hart: “It’s good to just shoot back-to-back scores. To be honest, I’ve been struggling a bit lately trying to put some numbers on the board so it’s good just to shoot a nice one yesterday and then back it up today.
“I managed to hole a few putts that I haven’t been holing the last few weeks. I’m a very big confidence player so once I sort of started seeing them go in and seeing the red numbers there, then I try and keep going.”
James Mee: “I absolutely nuked the drive on the last and thought it was going to be on the green. All the boys on the team were like, ‘That’s mint’. And then it was just off the green and then I thought, You need to make birdie. I tried chipping in actually and hit a good chip and then raced on a little bit further than what I’d like. But then I holed the putt, which was nice.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 James Mee 56-58—114
T1 Tim Hart 57-57—114
T3 Darcy Boyd 55-60—115
T3 Nathan Page 57-58—115
5 Dylan Gardner 58-58—116
T6 Samuel Slater 58-59—117
T6 Jay Mackenzie 60-57—117
T6 Jake McLeod 60-57—117
T6 John Lyras 61-56—117
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series continues the North Queensland Series on Thursday with the two-day PIMS Group Mackay Pro-Am at Mackay Golf Club.
Time to dial in his new clubs is paying off for Darcy Boyd as he takes a one-stroke lead into the final round of the CMR Recycling Sarina Golf Club Pro-Am.
Boyd shot 8-under 55 in Round 1 on Saturday to edge James Mee (56) by a single stroke with Nathan Page (57) and Tim Hart (57) a shot further back in a tie for third.
Joint winner with John Lyras at Bowen just a few days ago, Boyd wielded his new clubs that he put in the bag prior to Townsville to great effect, opening his round with three straight birdies.
There would be six more over the course of his round and a lone bogey at the par-3 16th at the 16-hole Sarina layout.
“I got a new set of clubs at Townsville and put them straight in the bag,” said Boyd.
“I hadn’t really done any testing with them and they were sort of there at Townsville, but hadn’t really dialled them in yet.
“Had a few days off before Bowen and got my numbers and started to feel comfortable with them.
“I felt like I had a lot of good numbers again today. Started with three in a row and just had perfect numbers into each and they were sort of all tap in. Felt like I did that most of the day.”
In his second year on Tour and with a win at Portsea earlier in the year, Boyd says he has returned to the North Queensland swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series a more confident player.
“Last year was my first year out on Tour and I was a bit of a deer in headlights really,” he admitted.
“I thought my game was good enough, and it probably was, but in terms of just playing in the afternoon field and seeing guys shoot such low scores morning and afternoon, event after event, I probably wasn’t in the right mindset.
“I feel a bit more comfortable with it now and I think that’s just what you’ve got to do to compete, especially in this North Queensland swing.”
Two Members with a combined 110 years of service have been made Life Members of the PGA of Australia.
Kyle Francis (left) and Denis Brosnan (right) were announced as Life Members at the Annual General Meeting on Tuesday night in recognition of the more than 50 years that each have contributed to the growth of the Association and golf in Australia.
The Brosnan name is synonymous with golf equipment in Australia but Brosnan’s golf career began at the age of 12 with a part-time job in the pro shop at Virginia Golf Club in Brisbane’s north.
After a few years, Brosnan was put forward to begin his PGA Traineeship under Fred Anderson at Oxley Golf Club.
He completed his PGA training under Frank McCarthy Snr at Jindalee Golf Club, spent a few years as the PGA Professional at Caboolture Golf Club and was recruited to become the PGA Professional at Redcliffe Golf Club in 1967.
Brosnan was there for the next 24 years, working alongside his wife June – who passed away in 2016 – who would prove instrumental not only in the founding of Brosnan Golf in 1977 but in the company’s success over the coming decades.
Now in his 58th year as a PGA Professional, the establishment of 16 Golf World retail stores in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia would further entrench the Brosnan name in the consciousness of Australian golf and strengthen a love affair with the game that continues to this day.
“Golf is my life, as many of you know,” Brosnan said in a video message, his Life Membership application submitted by Nigel Lane and seconded by Wayne Grady and Richard Beer.
“I like to play golf regularly. I was the Club Professional at Redcliffe Golf Club for 24 years and it always gave me a great deal of pleasure to nurture young golfers, to bring them through, to teach golf.
“The PGA has meant so much to me over the years and, as a proud member of the Australian PGA, whether I travel throughout Australia or around the world, Australian PGA Professionals are admired. We are welcome in golf clubs all over the world.
“Thank you to the Australian PGA for the training, for the effort that they put in to nurturing and training Professionals for the future.
“The Australian PGA has a fantastic future going forward. Our current Board is brilliant, the ideas that they possess are very positive and growing.
“As a proud PGA Professional, I would like to say thank you very much.”
Kyle Francis’s influence on the PGA of Australia over the past 52 years is significant and varied.
Like Brosnan, it had humble beginnings, caddying and picking up balls for Billy Holder at The Lakes Golf Club in Sydney.
Francis completed his apprenticeship under Holder in 1971 and spent time under the legendary Alex Mercer at Royal Sydney in the late 1970s.
He was at New Brighton Golf Club for seven years before joining Concord Golf Club as Head Professional in 1987.
After a decade at Concord, Francis spent time playing again before stints working for Geoff Scott as his ‘roaming manager’ four years at Paradise Palms in Cairns before returning to Sydney and Bexley Golf Club in 2018 where he worked for five years prior to retirement.
In the 1980s, Francis became the National and State education Chairman, a role he would retain through until the mid-1990s.
He played a critical role in establishing what is now known as the ACE Program and, after joining the senior ranks in 2002, spent seven years as the Chair of the now PGA Legends Tour.
“This is the greatest honour that a member can receive and I am proud to be joining such an illustrious group of members, past and present,” Francis said in his acceptance speech.
“I’ve met many great people and made many terrific friends. I’d like to thank my lifetime friends, Col McGregor and Peter McWhinney for submitting my nomination to the Board, the Board for approving it to go to the Members and of course, all of you guys for voting for me.”
Darcy Boyd drew motivation from a John Lyras chip-in to earn a share of victory at the Abbot Point Operations Bowen Pro-Am at Bowen Golf Club.
An adidas PGA Pro-Am Series winner with wife Danni Vasquez on the bag at Portsea in January, Boyd had to conjure something special of his own to match Lyras’s score of 6-under 64.
Playing in the group behind Lyras in the afternoon wave, Boyd trailed by one as Lyras played the par-3 16th.
Last week’s winner at the Lexus Townsville Classic, Lyras hit his tee shot long of the green, took a free drop from the pump house and then chipped down to the front edge.
From there he chipped in for par which provided the momentum he needed for a final birdie at the par-5 17th.
Measuring 160 metres, Boyd gave himself a birdie look from 15 feet and converted from range for the first time in his round.
“I never looked like making a bogey all day, but I didn’t really hole any putts until I saw John Lyras in front of me on 16,” said Boyd.
“He chipped in for par and I hit it to about 10 or 15 feet and was able to roll that one in.
“That was a nice little momentum shift when I thought it had gone against me, to roll that one in.
“That felt really nice.”
Lyas and Boyd finished two shots clear of reigning Order of Merit winner Andrew Campbell, James Mee and Dylan Gardner while Danni’s tie for sixth at 3-under 67 made it a profitable day for the Boyd-Vasquez household.
HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED
On the back of his brilliant breakthrough at Townsville a week earlier, Lyras was forced to keep pace with playing partner Andrew Campbell early in the round.
At 4-under through eight holes, Campbell held a one-stroke advantage, a buffer that doubled when Lyras dropped a shot at the par-3 ninth.
Campbell made bogey himself at the par-4 10th before Lyras put the foot down, making four birdies and a bogey in his next five holes.
As Lyras and Campbell engaged in a shootout in the group ahead, Boyd patiently waited to take his opportunities.
He made birdie at each of the four par-5s along with one at the par-4 10th and, finally, the birdie on 16 that would match Lyras’s 64.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
John Lyras: “I missed the ball in predominantly the right spots and made a few putts. Played the par 5s pretty well and you really need to do that here. And there’s a few other good opportunities and with some short par 3s as well that you need to really hit the middle of the green. I felt like I did a really good job missing the ball on the right side, not missing the fairway on the wrong side as well. And when you can do that, you generally open up the hole pretty well.”
Darcy Boyd: “I was sort of watching the leaderboard all day and knew I had some work to do coming in. I couldn’t really get anything going and I needed to hole about a seven-footer for par on about my fifth-last hole. I was able to do that and then kicked on from there. Made that nice 15-footer on the third-last hole when I watched Johnny chip in for par when I thought I was going to get one back on him there.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 John Lyras 64
T1 Darcy Boyd 64
T3 Andrew Campbell 66
T3 James Mee 66
T3 Dylan Gardner 66
T6 Samuel Slater 67
T6 Connor McDade 67
T6 Danni Vasquez 67
NEXT UP
The North Queensland Series begins on Saturday with the two-day CMR Recycling Sarina Golf Club Pro-Am at Sarina Golf Club where Andrew Campbell is the defending champion.
She has doused her in champagne and this week is sharing a house yet Stephanie Kyriacou remains in awe of the form of fellow Australian Hannah Green ahead of the US Women’s Open in Pennsylvania.
With two wins this season and a runner-up finish to Nelly Korda at the Cognizant Founders Cup, Green arrives at Lancaster Country Club as the second-hottest player currently in the women’s game.
With $US12 million up for grabs, Green’s timing is ideal, yet Kyriacou is hoping to ride some of her wake in her US Women’s Open debut.
The 23-year-old has been one of the first to help celebrate two of Green’s three wins in the past 13 months and has seen first-hand what has elevated the West Australian to be the No.5 player in the world.
“I’m staying with her this week – she’s literally next door – but she just doesn’t really care what anyone thinks about how she goes about practice or what she does,” said Kyriacou.
“She’s literally the most chill and calmest person I’ve met on the golf course. I watch her and I feel like I’m more stressed than her.
“She just does not change her demeanour the whole time and I’m on the sidelines with my heart racing thinking I’m going to have a panic attack.”
The last time @hannahgreengolf was at Lancaster Country Club was in 2015, when she was a recipient of the @Karrie_Webb Series Scholarship, watching from outside the ropes 💚💛🇦🇺@uswomensopen | #USWomensOpen pic.twitter.com/KsMJwqUUFF
— Golf Australia ⛳️ (@GolfAust) May 28, 2024
Speaking just hours after American Lexi Thompson announced that, at 29 years of age, her 18th US Women’s Open would be her last, Kyriacou reflected on her path to play her first.
Twice a winner on the Ladies European Tour and boasting two top-10 finishes in major championships, the Sydneysider believes she is much better placed to handle the enormity of a US Women’s Open than she was even two years ago.
“The purses are bigger, the crowds are bigger, the set-up is harder so being thrown into the deep end in my rookie year would’ve been tough to adjust,” she admitted.
“But I’ve had experience, I’ve played well in majors, so I’m kind of familiar with the feeling.
“But I mean, again, it’s pretty exciting to be playing the US Open.”
Kyriacou and Green make up two of the six-strong Aussie contingent that also includes 2022 champion Minjee Lee, in-form Gabriela Ruffels, veteran Sarah Kemp and Victorian amateur Keeley Marx.
Elsewhere this week Adam Scott, Harrison Endycott and Aaron Baddeley are out to add another Aussie name to the Canadian Open honour roll, David Micheluzzi, Haydn Barron and Jason Scrivener are playing the European Open in Germany and there are nine Aussies playing the Principal Charity Classic on the PGA TOUR Champions.
Photo: Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Round 1 tee times AEST
US Women’s Open
Lancaster Country Club, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Round 1
8:45pm* Amelia Garvey (NZ)
9:18pm* Sarah Kemp
10:24pm* Lydia Ko (NZ)
10:35pm Gabriela Ruffels
10:57pm Keeley Marx (a)
2:52am Steph Kyriacou
3:58am Minjee Lee
4:09am Hannah Green
Round 2
9:07pm* Steph Kyriacou
10:13pm* Minjee Lee
10:24pm* Hannah Green
2:30am Amelia Garvey (NZ)
3:03am Sarah Kemp
4:09am Lydia Ko (NZ)
4:20am Gabriela Ruffels
4:42am* Keeley Marx (a)
Defending champion: Allisen Corpuz
Past Aussie winners: Jan Stephenson (1983), Karrie Webb (2000, 2001), Minjee Lee (2022)
Prize money: $US12 million
TV times: Live 2am–10am Friday, Saturday; Live 3am-8am Sunday; Live 4am-9am Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo
PGA TOUR
RBC Canadian Open
Hamilton Golf & Country Club, Hamilton, Ontario
9:29pm* Adam Scott
10:35pm Ryan Fox (NZ)
3:17am Aaron Baddeley
4:01am* Harrison Endycott
Defending champion: Nick Taylor
Past Aussie winners: Joe Kirkwood Snr (1933), Jim Ferrier (1950, 1951), Kel Nagle (1964), Greg Norman (1984, 1992), Nathan Green (2009), Jason Day (2015)
Prize money: $US9.4 million
TV times: Live 8:45pm-8am Thursday, Friday; Live 11:15pm-9:30am Saturday; Live 10:15pm-8:30am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
DP World Tour
European Open
Green Eagle Golf Courses, Hamburg, Germany
4:50pm David Micheluzzi
8:30pm Daniel Hillier (NZ)
9:30pm* Jason Scrivener
10:10pm* Haydn Barron
10:30pm* Sam Jones (NZ)
Defending champion: Tom McKibbin
Past Aussie winners: Graham Marsh (1981), Greg Norman (1986), Peter Senior (1990), Mike Harwood (1991)
Prize money: $US2.5 million
TV times: Live 9pm-2am Thursday, Friday; Live 9pm-1:30am Saturday; Live 8:30pm-1:30am Sunday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
Ladies European Tour
Dormy Open Helsingborg
Allerum Golf Club, Sweden
Australasians in the field: Kirsten Rudgeley, Momoka Kobori (NZ), Amy Walsh
Defending champion: Lisa Pettersson
Past Aussie winners: Rebecca Artis (2013)
Prize money: €300,000
Korn Ferry Tour
UNC Health Championship
Raleigh Country Club, Raleigh, North Carolina
9:16pm Dimi Papadatos
2:57am Rhein Gibson
3:08am Brett Drewitt
Defending champion: Jorge Fernández Valdés
Past Aussie winners: Mark Hensby (2000)
Prize money: $US1 million
PGA TOUR Champions
Principal Charity Classic
Wakonda Club, Des Moines, Iowa
Australasians in the field: Steven Alker (NZ), Steve Allan, Stuart Appleby, David Bransdon, Richard Green, David McKenzie, Rod Pampling, Cameron Percy, John Senden, Vijay Singh (FI), Michael Wright.
Defending champion: Stephen Ames
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US2 million
TV times: 9:30am-11am Saturday, Sunday; 9am-11am Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo
Major champion and Australian golf icon, Ian Baker-Finch, will succeed Rodger Davis as the next Chair of the PGA of Australia.
A member-elected Director for six years and Deputy Chair for the past two years, Baker-Finch officially starts as Chair today following the Annual General Meeting yesterday on May 28, marking the start of a three-year term.
He takes over from Rodger Davis who has helped to guide the PGA through a tremendous period of change in his six years as Chair.
The 1991 Open Champion at Royal Birkdale, Baker-Finch, 63, has become one of the most respected voices in world golf through his television commentary in both Australia and the United States.
Given his status within the game around the world, Baker-Finch hopes to use his position to further advance the game in Australia.
“Throughout the world, the popularity of golf is booming, and my central focus will be to leverage that interest to help the game continue to grow in my home country,” said Baker-Finch.
“The PGA Professionals that our organisation represents are at the forefront of delivering a wonderful golf experience, whether that be at golf courses, driving ranges or indoor golf centres.
“I am of the firm belief that by making the game of golf stronger, we grow opportunities for PGA Members to continue their role as custodians of the game in Australia.
“The PGA of Australia also operates the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and the WPGA Tour of Australasia, both of which are integral in developing our Tournament Professionals to become world-class players.
“Both tours have experienced significant growth in recent times and we are seeing increasing numbers of Australians represent our country on major world tours.
“It is vital that we continue to expand these opportunities and continue to inspire the next generation to strive for success in golf’s showpiece events.”
Baker-Finch’s ascension to the role of Chair follows in the footsteps of Rodger Davis, who has served with distinction and dedication.
Providing leadership through the challenges presented by the pandemic, Davis was on hand for the signing of the long-term Strategic Alliance with the DP World Tour, along with the opening of the PGA Learning Hub at Sandhurst in 2022, a facility that will provide world-leading education and training for those wishing to work in the golf industry.
“I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished during my time as Chair of the PGA of Australia,” said Davis.
“Through the hard work of our leadership team and a Board that boasts a wide array of knowledge and skills, I am pleased to leave the PGA of Australia in a very strong position.
“I have no doubt that Ian will lead with passion and integrity and carry the PGA of Australia forward into an evolving and exciting future.”
PGA of Australia CEO, Gavin Kirkman, praised Davis for his contribution to the PGA the past six years and is excited by Baker-Finch’s willingness to elevate his role within the organisation.
“We are very fortunate as an organisation that we can call on such respected and accomplished people as Rodger Davis and Ian Baker-Finch to Chair the PGA of Australia Board,” Kirkman said.
“Rodger has left a lasting legacy through his contribution as Chair and I have no doubt Ian will have a similar impact in the next three years.
“You only need to spend a little time with Ian at a major to appreciate the respect and esteem with which he is held throughout the golf world.
“I am excited to see what we can accomplish with Ian leading our highly accomplished Board.”
Tour player Matt Griffin was appointed as a Director at the AGM following the completion of Davis’s six-year term, while PGA Professional Josh Madden was reappointed for a second term.
An early burst of three birdies in Round 1 has paved the way for Victorian Mark Boulton to win the Busselton Legends Pro-Am by four strokes at Busselton Golf Club.
A new event on the PGA Legends Tour schedule, the Busselton layout 2.5 hours south of Perth presented a stern test for some of the best senior golfers in the country.
Boulton – a four-time winner in his rookie season in 2023 – was the only player to break par for the two rounds, his 36-hole total of 1-under putting him four strokes clear of Stuart Beament (72) with West Australians Brendan Chant (74) and Scott Barr (77) sharing third.
Boulton’s opening round of 3-under 69 was one of only two sub-par rounds for the tournament and was set up by a blistering start.
Beginning his first round from the third tee, Boulton made birdies at four, six and eight in a bogey-free round that would ultimately prove the difference.
“I didn’t see this one coming,” admitted Boulton, whose last win was at Coffs Harbour Golf Club last September.
“Been close on a couple of events this year, but yesterday felt good, played good.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Leading by two entering Round 2, Boulton’s game-plan centred around controlled aggression that would hopefully yield an improvement on his day one score.
A dropped shot at the par-4 seventh was an early step back but he responded with four straight pars.
A bogey at the par-3 12th was followed by a birdie at the par-5 13th and then a third bogey for the day at the par-4 14th.
A 2-over 74 was not how Boulton had hoped to close out the win but proved to be more than enough by day’s end.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Today was a lot harder,” Boulton said the second round.
“Certainly a challenging course. Just a strong course right from the tee, those back blocks and right up to the green and on the greens.
“Very, very pleased that I could get the job done. Just hung in there, I guess.
“I slept pretty good last night. Sometimes you don’t, your mind wanders a little, but today I just came in trying to be not super aggressive, but try to find a better score today.
“But every round of golf one day to the next can be just a little different. And today was that.
“Wasn’t exactly I guess the finish result I wanted, but it was good enough.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Mark Boulton 69-74—143
2 Stuart Beament 75-72—147
T3 Brendan Chant 74-74—148
T3 Scott Barr 71-77—148
T3 Paul Powell 72-76—148
T6 Stephen Herbert 72-77—149
T6 David Wilson 74-75—149
NEXT UP
There is now a one-week break on the PGA Legends Tour leading into the $50,000 Vuksich & Borich Fiji Legends Golf Classic at Denarau Golf & Racquet Club.
A Richard Bland buzzsaw and frustrating weather delay has conspired to deny Australians Richard Green and Greg Chalmers victory at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship in Michigan.
The 54-hole co-leader alongside Ernie Els at Harbor Shores, Chalmers went toe-to-toe with Bland until the Englishman’s eagle on 15 and a suspension of play shortly afterward robbed the West Australian of any positive momentum.
Play was suspended for a total of 74 minutes and, when it resumed, Chalmers made his first bogey of the day on 16, going straight underneath his ball with his chip shot after missing the green with his approach.
He fell out of contention with two more bogeys at 17 and 18 as Bland shot 8-under 63 for a 17-under total to win by three from Green (65) with Chalmers (68) falling to third.
Playing in his first senior tournament, Bland began the day one back of the lead yet two holes in had moved past both Els and Chalmers to assume the front-running position.
When he made bogey on three and Chalmers recorded his first birdie of the day, the lead once again changed hands, a trend that would continue throughout the day.
Four birdies in the space of six holes saw American Chris DiMarco join Chalmers and Bland at 12-under before falling one back when Chalmers and Bland both made birdies at the par-4 eighth.
Bland took full advantage of back-to-back par-5s at nine and 10 to lead by two, Chalmers responding with consecutive birdies of his own at 11 and 12 to stay within one.
Bland’s bogey at the par-3 13th and Chalmers’ birdie from 18 feet on 14 saw the West Australian once again take the outright lead only for Bland to come in over the top with an eagle from six feet at the par-5 15th.
Play was suspended 10 minutes later due to dangerous weather in the area and when it resumed the two-time Australian Open dropped shots at both 16 and 17, handing Bland a three-shot buffer heading to the 72nd hole.
“Even though I didn’t finish as strongly as I would like, I have to take solace in the fact that I was 3-over at the start of the tournament on Thursday and here I am, finished third outright,” said Chalmers, who earned $US238,000 for his week’s work.
Greg Chalmers with the CLUTCH birdie putt to take the lead! 🙌
— KitchenAid Senior PGA Champ (@seniorpgachamp) May 26, 2024
Catch the action LIVE on @Peacock.#SrPGAChamp pic.twitter.com/MN5rbQ9E29
“It’s a great week in any first major, first real taste of being in the last group and seeing some things about what it takes and what I need to work on and improve.
“I take a lot of positives about it. I’m hopeful I can get another opportunity down the line.
“Ironically, I’m in the US Open and the British Open coming up, so hoping I’ll get some chances to get in this position again.”
Green’s surge came late on Sunday with eagles at both 12 and 15, taking his tally for the week to five.
He holed an 8-iron from 139 yards at the par-4 12th and then converted his chance from eight feet at the par-5 15th to reach 14-under.
A three-time winner on the Legends Tour in Europe, Green believes he is closing in on a maiden win in the US.
“Just think it adds to your confidence and belief that you can hang in there under pressure, you can take it all the way to the end,” said Green, who earned $US378,000 for second.
“That’s all you can really take out of it. I work so hard on my game in the background and it’s up to me to be mentally strong in those situations.”
Richard Green surprises himself with this hole out for EAGLE! 🦅
— KitchenAid Senior PGA Champ (@seniorpgachamp) May 26, 2024
Watch all the action LIVE on @Peacock. #SrPGAChamp pic.twitter.com/Qfh8ZqzBR1
In a week that began with 14 Aussies in the field, five finished inside the top 20.
Queenslander Scott Hend (66) also made eagle on 15 on his way to a tie for fourth while Stuart Appleby shot 67 in the final round to climb into a tie for 14th.
Michael Wright (68) enjoyed his best finish on the PGA TOUR Champions with a tie for 17th as Cameron Percy finished tied 21st in his seniors debut.It was a near miss too for Rhein Gibson on the Korn Ferry Tour.
The New South Welshman eagled his final hole of the Visit Knoxville Open for a closing round of 4-under 66, one shy of the playoff won by Harry Higgs at the second extra hole.
Photos: Ryan Lochhead/PGA of America via Getty Images (Chalmers); Patrick McDermott/Getty Images (Green)
Australasian Results
PGA TOUR Champions
KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship
Harbor Shores, Benton Harbor, Michigan
1 Richard Bland 64-66-74-63—267
2 Richard Green 64-71-70-65—270
3 Greg Chalmers 69-68-66-68—271
T4 Scott Hend 68-68-70-66—272
T14 Stuart Appleby 70-69-72-67—278
T17 Michael Wright 69-67-75-68—279
T21 Cameron Percy 69-72-68-71—280
T39 David McKenzie 72-72-71-70—285
T57 Vijay Singh (FI) 67-77-73-72—289
T67 Mark Hensby 68-71-77-76—292
T75 Mick Smith 72-70-74-78—294
MC Steve Allan 73-73—146
MC Michael Long (NZ) 72-74—146
MC Rod Pampling 70-77—147
MC David Bransdon 76-75—151
MC Brad Burns 72-81—153
DQ John Senden 75-70—145
WD Michael Campbell (NZ)
PGA TOUR
Charles Schwab Challenge
Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas
1 Davis Riley 66-64-66-70—268 $US1.638m
T12 Adam Scott 69-68-69-71—277 $180,635
T24 Min Woo Lee 69-68-68-74—279 $70,866
T32 Ryan Fox (NZ) 68-67-71-74—280 $51,961
T56 Cam Davis 69-70-69-76—284 $20,839
DP World Tour
Soudal Open
Rinkven International GC, Antwerp, Belgium
1 Nacho Elvira 64-64-67-71—266 €393,133.92
T7 Sam Jones (NZ) 62-70-70-67—269 €59,663.85
T48 Jason Scrivener 72-66-69-70—277 €9,096.04
T57 David Micheluzzi 69-69-68-72—278 €6,590.77
MC Haydn Barron 72-72—144
MC Daniel Hillier (NZ) 72-70—142
Ladies European Tour
Jabra Ladies Open
Evian Resort Golf Club, France
1 Morgane Metraux 67-64-72—203 €45,000
T5 Momoka Kobori (NZ) 72-71-67—210 €9,500
T27 Kirsten Rudgeley 72-72-73—217 €3,375
MC Amy Walsh 75-74—149
Japan Golf Tour
Road to the British Open Mizuno Open
JFE Seto Inland Sea Golf Club, Okayama
1 Ryosuke Kinoshita 69-66-70-71—276 ¥20m
T28 Michael Hendry 68-73-71-74—286 ¥670,000
T35 Brad Kennedy 69-74-69-75—287 ¥540,000
MC Anthony Quayle 74-74—148
Korn Ferry Tour
Visit Knoxville Open
Holston Hills Country Club, Knoxville, Tennessee
1 Harry Higgs 64-65-67-65—261 $US180,000
Won on the second hole of sudden death playoff
T3 Rhein Gibson 66-66-64-66—262 $44,375
T64 Dimi Papadatos 66-69-70-69—274 $4,010
MC Brett Drewitt 68-72—140
MC Jimmy Zheng (NZ) 73-69—142
Challenge Tour
Danish Golf Challenge
Odense Eventyr Golf, Odense, Denmark
1 Andreas Halvorsen 66-66-66-71—269 €43,200
MC Andrew Martin 74-70—144
MC Tom Power Horan 74-75—149
MC Hayden Hopewell 77-73—150
MC Connor McKinney 76-80—156
Korean PGA Tour
KB Financial Liiv Championship
Blackstone Golf Club, Icheon, Korea
1 Seungsu Han 72-67-67-71—277
T55 Wonjoon Lee 73-71-75-74—293
T58 Sungjin Yeo (NZ) 73-71-76-74—294
MC Kevin Chun (NZ) 77-71—148
MC Junseok Lee 82-69—151
Sunshine Tour
KitKat Cash & Carry Pro-am
Irene Country Club, Centurion
1 Kieran Vincent 67-67-67-66—267
MC Austin Bautista 77-72—149
