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An eagle on his final hole has pushed Brady Watt three strokes clear heading into the final round of the Mitchell and Brown Spalding Park Open in Geraldton.
A day after holing a gap wedge for albatross on the same hole, Watt had to be content with eagle at the par-5 ninth on Saturday to close out his round of 4-under 68 at Spalding Park Golf Club.
At 10-under par through two rounds Watt has a three-stroke lead from Ryan Peake (70), Scott Strange (69) and two-time Spalding Park Open champion Daniel Fox (69).
Kathryn Norris followed up her course record of 5-under 67 with a round of 1-under 71 to sit in outright fifth at 6-under, one clear of Cottesloe Open winner Nathan Barbieri (70) and Victorian Andrew Kelly (70).
Seeking his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win in close to a year, Watt began his second round with seven straight pars before trading a bogey with a birdie at 17 and 18 to complete his front nine.
Birdies at one and three continued that momentum into his back nine, momentum that he fully capitalised with his closing eagle on nine.
Three bogeys on his outward nine appeared to end Fox’s hopes of a third Spalding Park Open crown but after a birdie on nine lit up the back nine, keeping Watt within reach with four birdies in his final five holes as he played his final 10 holes in 6-under par.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the Spalding Park Open the inaugural Mitchell & Brown Spalding Park Legends Open is being played in conjunction.
PGA Legends Tour and adidas PGA Pro-Am Series players were paired together on Saturday and it was Order of Merit leader Chris Taylor who sits on top through two rounds.
One back of Terry Pilkadaris after Round 1, Taylor went bogey free in his second straight round of 3-under 69.
At 6-under par he is four strokes clear of Brendan Chant (69) with Jason Norris (74) and Pilkadaris (75) five shots off the lead in a tie for third.
On a rainy and dramatic second day of the PGA Championship which included delays, a tragic accident, an arrest and failure to complete the second round, Lucas Herbert emerged as Australia’s No.1 contender for the weekend.
Herbert shot a 67 in the second round to move to 6-under and in a share of 16th place, six shots behind leader Xander Schauffele.
Play was delayed early Friday at Valhalla Golf Club after a fatal road accident, which caused world No.1 Scottie Scheffler to be arrested after attempting to bypass the built-up traffic to enter the club. The American returned in time for his tee time to shoot a composed 66 and sit three back of Schauffele’s 12-under mark.
Three shots back of Scheffler, Herbert is two ahead of Cam Smith, Jason Day and Min Woo Lee in a tie for 29th. The trio at 4-under are the only other Australians who will make the halfway cut which will likely fall at 1-under when 18 players complete the second round Saturday.
Kiwi Ryan Fox will also play the weekend through his 2-under tournament total, while Adam Scott (3-over), Cam Davis (7-over) and Kazuma Kobori (8-over) will have a couple of days off.
Herbert’s climb up the leaderboard came primarily on Valhalla’s front nine, with the Victorian’s birdie at the fourth immediately given back with bogey at the next, before a hat-trick of birdies saw him turn in 3-under.
Taking on the par-5 seventh in two, Hebert got up-and-down for birdie, followed by a beautiful iron from the tee of the par-3 eighth settled to nine feet. The 28-year-old’s approach at the next finishing at almost the same distance.
“I felt like I got off to a solid start through the front nine. Obviously, a good finish there with birdie in the last three holes,” Herbert said.
“Sort of put me in some good momentum for the back nine where you weren’t really scrambling to make cut anymore.”
Some handy scrambling saved pars early in the back nine, before Herbert delivered his fifth birdie of the day for a 4-under round at the par-5 18th when his eagle try from 17 feet failed to drop.
“Scrambled really nicely, holed out really nicely from sort of three to eight feet again. So yeah, that’s given me the opportunity to be in the position I’m in now,” he said.
”Hopefully we can build into some contention on the weekend.”
Of the three at 4-under, it was Lee who provided the most excitement having opened the tournament with a 1-over 72, and in danger of missing the cut.
Starting on the 10th, Lee made an opening birdie before recording three chip-ins during a 5-under-par round of 66.
The first from long of the 12th green, with Lee’s best coming at the 16th from the long rough left of the green. His fortune, and skill, continuing on the front nine when holing out again from the fairway of the par-3 third.
“It is a weird one. The last couple weeks I haven’t chipped as good as I normally do,” Lee said.
“Normally I would have a chip-in around a tournament and I would chip it on a decent lie, I would probably nearly close to hole it or be around the hole, but the last couple weeks it’s been pretty average.
“It’s nice for the confidence to hole three of them and they weren’t easy ones. Sixteen was pretty special. It was in deep rough into the grain and I was just trying to get it on the green to close and it ended up going in.”
Noting a need for his iron play to improve over the weekend, Lee added three more birdies to his chip-in holes, while it was a more up-and-down day for Smith, who recovered from an opening bogey to shoot 1-under 70.
Mixing three birdies against the same number of bogeys through 13 holes, it was a second consecutive birdie at the 18th that took Smith under par for the day, but eight shots adrift of Schauffele.
For Day, things appeared promising as he made the turn in 3-under after opening his second round with a birdie at the 582 yard par-5 10th.
Making a third par-5 birdie of the round at the seventh, Day dropped his first shot at the par-3 eighth before getting it back at the ninth for a 4-under 67.
Fox was another to make birdie at the 10th to get his round started in the best way possible, before dropping that shot at 11 with two birdies at 17 and 18 creating some momentum for a back nine that included birdies at four and seven for a 3-under 68.
Finally registering a first birdie for the tournament at the 10th, Scott made another on 15, but it was too little too late for the major champion who was unable to convert birdie chances at 16, 17 and 18 too draw closer to the cutline.
After a horror opening day, Davis fought back admirably and improved his score by seven shots in an even par 71 that included five birdies, while Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner Kobori ended his major championship debut with a birdie at the 18th.
The PGA Championship is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
The West Australian swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series continues over the weekend at the Mitchell & Brown Spalding Park Open, where Brady Watt leads after opening with a 6-under 66 that included an albatross on Friday.
Played over three rounds, Watt was out in the early groups and made immediate headway with a birdie at the par-5 first hole and truly came to life with the two at the par-5 ninth.
“Driver, gap wedge from 131, one bounce and rolled in I think, pretty simple,” Watt said describing the albatross.
Asked after his round about the level of excitement from his playing partners, Watt described the atmosphere with a laugh having not seen the ball go in from the fairway.
“Nah, we were talking about the footy, the whole way,” he joked. “It was actually pretty uneventful; we weren’t actually sure if it went in or not because of the shade.”
Watt continued to push on the back nine, where he mixed four birdies, including three straight from the 15th, against one bogey at Spalding Park Golf Club, a course the West Australian is extremely familiar with.
“I’ve been coming here since I was 15, back when Sean McKay was winning. Been here a bunch.”
Watt’s fellow West Aussies, Ryan Peake, Kathryn Norris and Josh Greer share second place, one shot back on 5-under, with four players another shot back, including Daniel Fox who initially was sharing the lead with Watt before a rules clarification post round.
On the fast rolling Spalding Park greens, and in high wins, an ant moved Fox’s ball that he then replaced, rather than playing from where the ball came to rest.
Played concurrently, the PGA Legends Tour at Spalding Park sees Terry Pilkadaris in front on 4-under, with Chris Taylor and Jason Norris in joint second on 3-under, while Murray Lott and Stephen Herbert are tied for fourth at 1-under.
“I’ve played Legends Pro-Am in Mount Gambia the end of last month or start of May. But I haven’t picked up the clubs since, so we just get up and go again. But no, good start,” Pilkadaris, who had his own hole-out moment of excitement, said.
“Birdied 10, 11 and then I holed my wedge for eagle on 13 and then nearly holed another shot on 15. I was 5-under through six. It was a good start. And then the putter went cold.”
That cold putter played its part with three bogeys in five holes on the front nine, Pilkadaris’ back nine, before he finished strongly with birdies at the seventh and ninth for 68.
Now coaching and running golf tours, Pilkadaris echoed the thoughts of both fields on the quality of Spalding Park.
“Best greens we put on anywhere in Australia. Unbelievable. They’re the best,” he said.
“They pretty fast. They’re quick and they’re roll true and they’re perfect.”
Cameron Smith tops the Australian challenge at the PGA Championship at Valhalla, where American Xander Schauffele recorded a course record 62 to sit 9-under with a three-shot lead over Sahith Theegala, Tony Finau and Mark Hubbard.
Signing for a 3-under 68 and share of 18th, Smith made four birdies against one bogey during the opening round, with Lucas Herbert also under par at the year’s second men’s major after a 2-under 69.
Jason Day is the next best Australian at even-par, one in front of Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee, with Cam Davis rounding out the Australians on 7-over. Kiwi pair Ryan Fox and Kazuma Kobori, the reigning Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit champion, opened with 1-over and 2-over rounds respectively.
Starting his round on the 10th tee, Smith got to work early with a birdie at the long par-3 11th before making the turn in 2-under courtesy of another birdie at the par-5 18th.
The Queenslander added more birdies at the third and fourth to reach 4-under, and a spot in the top-10, before his lone bogey of the day came at the fifth after his drive found the native area.
“I actually hit the ball quite well. Probably the first 12 or 13 holes there,” Smith said.
“Kind of let go of it a little bit at the end, but everything felt really good. Managed to get a few good par saves and kind of keep the momentum going for tomorrow.”
Among those momentum maintaining pars was Smith’s going without his shoes and socks to strike his second shot at the par-5 seventh on the way to an unlikely five.
The major champion headed for the driving range followed by some rest on Thursday afternoon ahead of what could be a long tournament with rain predicted for much of the week in Kentucky.
“It’s going to be a long week. I think you know that at the start of the week anyway. It’s a major week,” he said.
“It’s always more demanding, so plenty of rest this afternoon. Maybe get a few balls, clean some stuff up and yeah, get a good sleep tonight.”
The first Australian on course, Herbert’s round got off to a rocky start when the Victorian bogeyed the par-4 10th, his opening hole of the day.
Another bogey at the 256 yard par-3 14th was an ominous sign, before an impressive fightback from the 28-year-old who made four straight birdies starting at the 15th before an even-par back nine left him tied for 32nd.
“I think everything was kind of decent, but nothing was amazing,” Herbert said.
“I think I holed out really well, holed some sort of nice five-footers, five sort of eight-footers just to keep momentum through the round.
“Obviously got off to a poor start there, but then caught that back up with four birdies. So just to keep that momentum going through the back nine and not drop any shots.”
Like Herbert, Day opened his account with a bogey in a front nine where pars were rare for the 2015 champion, who made three birdies against three bogeys to turn in even par. The Queenslander was yet another to drop a shot at the long 14th before birdie at the 18th for even-par would have made Day’s dinner taste a little sweeter.
Playing alongside Tiger Woods, Scott experienced a frustratingly consistent day where he made 17 pars, failed to make a single birdie and dropped a shot at the 14th, while Lee fought back from a 17th hole bogey with a birdie at the last to join Scott in T85.
Davis, who was without a birdie in his 78, has his work cut out in the second round to make the weekend.
Making his major championship debut, Kobori will no doubt be proud of his 73 on the game’s biggest stage, while compatriot Fox leaked oil in a bogey-bogey-double stretch from the 11th before righting the ship with birdie at the last.
The PGA Championship is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
He expects the week to be long and rounds to be disrupted yet Australian Cameron Smith has found a positive in the heavy conditions predicted for this week’s US PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky.
Being played less than 30 minutes from the home of the Kentucky Derby, heavy rain early in the week, predicted thunderstorms late in Round 2 and further rain for Round 3 on has the course shaping to play as a ‘Soft 7’ rather than a ‘Good 3’.
Fresh from back-to-back LIV Golf team wins with Ripper GC in Adelaide and Singapore, Smith knows that an adjustment will have to be made.
For a player with documented struggles with the driver the past 12 months, the 30-year-old understands that soft conditions could help to avoid the thick rough that abuts Valhalla’s fairways and greens.
“The rough doesn’t seem that long but it’s just really dense. It’s quite patchy so it’s hard to say whether it’s a good or a bad thing,” Smith told the PGA of America, his best finish in the PGA Championship coming 12 months ago where was tied for ninth.
“Obviously coming off the fairways will be far easier but I think the course is going to soften up a lot and probably be easier to hit those fairways and hit those greens.
“It’s probably going to be a long week if you look at the forecast this week. I think there’s going to be a few early mornings so probably keeping it a little bit lighter at the start of the week, conserving some energy will be good.”
Smith completed just nine holes of his practice round on Tuesday before play was suspended.
Having not played when Rory McIlroy won at Valhalla in 2014, he knows any time not spent playing will be dedicated to studying.
“I’ve only managed to play the first nine so far – we’ve got a little weather here today – so I’ll see as much of the course as I can today,” Smith added.
“The course is great, it’s in great shape and it’s tough.
“I haven’t been around here yet so there’ll be a ton of study to go over the next couple of days and a ton of rest.
“Everything feels good. Game feels great. I feel like it’s just been improving this whole year basically.
“I’m pumped and ready for this week.”
Smith is off in Round 1 at 10.26pm on Thursday night AEST with Lucas Herbert the first off the Aussies in action from 9:31pm.
Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner Kazuma Kobori makes his major championship debut from 2:40am Friday morning followed by Cam Davis (3:07am), 2015 champion Jason Day (3:18am) and Min Woo Lee (3:29am).
There are eight Aussies competing in the Mizuho Americas Open on the LPGA Tour while Gold Coast amateur Grace Williams will make her Epson Tour debut in Utah.
A recent graduate of Utah Tech University, Williams was granted a tournament invite to pit her game against those on the verge of playing the LPGA Tour.
“Being able to compete this week is unbelievably exciting,” said Williams, who joins fellow Aussies Cassie Porter and Su Oh in the Copper Rock Championship field.
“Having the opportunity compete and test my game against the pros is something I have been looking forward to all year.
“I believe that college golf in Utah has allowed my course management skill to evolve, as well just being able to play numerous different shots, especially when the weather changes so quickly out here in the desert!
“You really just need to be prepared for everything.”
Photo by Maddie Meyer/PGA of America/PGA of America via Getty Images
Round 1 tee times AEST
US PGA Championship
Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Kentucky
Round 1
9:31pm* Lucas Herbert
9:37pm Ryan Fox (NZ)
10:04pm* Adam Scott
10:26pm* Cameron Smith
2:40am* Kazuma Kobori (NZ)
3:07am Cam Davis
3:18am Jason Day
3:29am Min Woo Lee
Round 2
9:15pm Kazuma Kobori (NZ)
9:42pm* Cam Davis
9:53pm* Jason Day
10:04pm* Min Woo Lee
2:56am Lucas Herbert
3:02am* Ryan Fox (NZ)
3:29am Adam Scott
3:51am Cameron Smith
Defending champion: Brooks Koepka
Past Aussie winners: Jim Ferrier (1947), David Graham (1979), Wayne Grady (1990), Steve Elkington (1995), Jason Day (2015)
Prize money: $17.5 million
TV times: Live 9pm-10am Thursday, Friday; Live 3am-9am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
LPGA Tour
Mizuho Americas Open
Liberty National Golf Club, Jersey City, New Jersey
9pm Karis Davidson
9:33pm* Sarah Kemp
9:55pm* Lydia Ko (NZ)
10:06pm Gabriela Ruffels
10:17pm Hannah Green
2:05am* Stephanie Kyriacou
3am* Grace Kim
3:11am Minjee Lee
3:44pm Robyn Choi
Defending champion: Rose Zhang
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $3 million
TV times: Live 5am-8am Friday on Fox Sports 506; Live 5am-8am Saturday, Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 507 and Kayo.
Japan Golf Tour
Kansai Open Golf Championship
Meishin Yokaichi Country Club, Shiga
8:20am Anthony Quayle
1:30pm Brad Kennedy
1:40pm* Michael Hendry (NZ)
Defending champion: Yasuka Hanamigawa
Past Aussie winners: Brad Kennedy (2013)
Prize money: ¥80,000,000
Korn Ferry Tour
AdventHealth Championship
Blue Hills Country Club, Kansas City, Missouri
9:56pm* Dimi Papadatos
10:07pm* Rhein Gibson
10:18pm* Steven Bowditch
10:29pm Brett Drewitt
5:22am Charlie Hillier (NZ)
Defending champion: Grayson Murray
Past Aussie winners:
Prize money: $1 million
Ladies European Tour
Amundi German Masters
Golf and Country Club Seddiner See, Berlin, Germany
5:54pm* Momoka Kobori (NZ)
10:12pm* Amy Walsh
10:45pm* Kirsten Rudgeley
Defending champion: Kristyna Napoleaova
Past Aussie winners: Karrie Webb (2013)
Prize money: €300,000
TV times: Live 7pm-10pm Thursday, Friday; Live 8:45pm-11pm Saturday on Fox Sports 505; Live 8pm-11pm Sunday on Fox Sports 507 and Kayo.
PGA TOUR Americas
Inter Rapidisimo Golf Championship
Club El Rincón de Cajicá, Bogotá, Colombia
9:50pm Harry Hillier (NZ)
3:20am Jason Hong
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $225,000
Epson Tour
Copper Rock Championship
Copper Rock Golf Course, Hurricane, Utah
11:30pm* Amelia Garvey (NZ)
4:31am* Grace Williams (a)
5:04am Fiona Xu (NZ)
5:15am* Cassie Porter
5:59am* Su Oh
Defending champion: Savannah Vilaubi
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $250,000
Major season rolls along this week, with the PGA Championship marking the second men’s major of the year. The PGA of America’s showpiece event returns to Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky for the first time in a decade, and here is all you need to know.
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Brooks Koepka (US)
PRIZEMONEY: US$17.5 million
LIVE SCORES: www.pgachampionship.com
TV COVERAGE: The PGA Championship is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
*All times AEST.
Round One: Thursday 9pm–10am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo) and Thursday 10pm–10am (Fox Sports 505/Kayo)
Round Two: Friday 9pm–10am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo) and Friday 10pm–10am (Fox Sports 505/Kayo)
Round Three: Saturday 10:10pm–9am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo) and Saturday 11pm–8:30am (Fox Sports 505/Kayo)
Final Round: Sunday 10pm–9am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo) and Monday 1:30am–9am (Fox Sports 505/Kayo)
AUSTRALASIAN PLAYER PROFILES
CAM DAVIS
World ranking: 62
Age: 29
Professional wins: Four
Best finish at the PGA: T4 (2024)
The lowdown: Davis returns to the PGA Championship after recording his best ever finish at a major at Oak Hill last year, with the New South Welshman seemingly tailor made for this test.
Finished in a share of 12th at The Masters for his best result so far in 2024, with one or two bad holes the story of the weekend for Davis at Augusta.
Driving has been a strength this year for the PGA TOUR winner, and with long rough and strategy key to success at Valhalla, Davis’ accuracy should hold him in good stead this week.
JASON DAY
World ranking: 19
Age: 36
Professional wins: 19
Best finish at the PGA: Won (2015)
The lowdown: Enters the PGA fresh off a share of fourth last week at Quail Hollow in what was a similar golfing test to what will be presented this week in Kentucky.
A past champion of this event, Day owns nine top-25 finishes at the PGA from 14 starts and is experienced at Valhalla, where he tied for 15th in 2014 following a disappointing final round that dropped him from contention.
Speaking openly about his back issues and how close he came to quitting competitive golf on Fox Sports this week, Day is revitalised since his work with Chris Como and he showed plenty of positive signs at The Masters when T30.
RYAN FOX
World ranking: 58
Age: 37
Professional wins: 17
Best finish at the PGA: T23 (2023)
The lowdown: Fox arrives in Kentucky fresh of his best ever PGA TOUR result at the Myrtle Beach Classic last week, when he shared fourth in a positive sign for his chances this week.
The Kiwi has made five previous starts at the PGA and made four cuts, with his best result coming last year at Oak Hill, while he shared 38th at The Masters last month.
Known for his power off the tee, Fox’s ability to shape the ball, and particularly vary the flight will be a major strength at Valhalla, while his putting has been a standout so far in 2024.
LUCAS HERBERT
World ranking: 90
Age: 28
Professional wins: Four
Best finish at the PGA: T13 (2022)
The lowdown: Herbert’s record at the PGA is his best of the four majors, with the Bendigo boy making four cuts from five starts and a game that seemingly aligns with the typical course setups.
Part of two Ripper GC winning teams this year, Herbert will be hoping the team success translates into some higher individual results and his putting could be the key this week.
Owning plenty of power off the tee and a habit of making birdies in bunches, Herbert is becoming more experienced with the requirements of major championship golf and will want to take full advantage of his special invite here.
KAZUMA KOBORI
World ranking: 437
Age: 22
Professional wins: Five
Best finish at the PGA: Debut
The lowdown: Extended an invite for topping the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit, Kobori plays his first of two major starts this week.
A winner of three Webex Players Series events already in 2024, Kobori’s rise up the professional golf ranks has been meteoric after turning pro in November last year and the young Kiwi is looking forward to a chance to test his game against the world’s best this week.
Facing arguably his biggest test to date in not only the strength of the field but the length of the course, Kobori is a magnificent putter that will hope to get hot on Valhalla’s greens early to give him his best chance at featuring prominently on the weekend.
MIN WOO LEE
World ranking: 36
Age: 25
Professional wins: Four
Best finish at the PGA: T18 (2023)
The lowdown: Confirmed the notion that he is built for majors when sharing 22nd at The Masters despite breaking a finger in the lead up while in the gym.
Lee has only teed it up once since, finishing T24 in Texas but on a big golf course like Valhalla he will like his chances of taking advantage of his power, while also thriving in among the packed crowds.
Has the Olympics and Presidents Cup as big carrots this year, and a good result here would help in both pursuits, however, Lee will be only focused on the Wanamaker Trophy that could be his if he can lift his approach play and putting to compliment his exceptional driving of 2024.
ADAM SCOTT
World ranking: 56
Age: 43
Professional wins: 32
Best finish at the PGA: Third (2018)
The lowdown: Arrives with four straight finishes inside the top-30, including a T22 at The Masters, and with the experience of a share of 15th at Valhalla back in 2014.
Multiple parts of Scott’s game have been the reason for his solid form so far in 2024, particularly driving and putting, with iron play and particularly proximity to the hole the key for the Queenslander’s chances this week.
Has 13 top-25s at the PGA, showing his suitability for the style of play required, with his two third place finishes both coming on venues owning similarities to Valhalla.
CAM SMITH
World ranking: 61
Age: 30
Professional wins: 12
Best finish at the PGA: T9 (2023)
The lowdown: Cracked the top-10 at the PGA for the first time last year and arrives in good form after a second at LIV Golf’s Singapore event behind Brooks Koepka.
Like Herbert, Smith will be buoyed by recent team success and a putter that has continued to prove a serious weapon when presented with quick and smooth greens like the players will enjoy this week.
Was the best of the Aussie contingent at The Masters when sharing sixth, with consistency the primary driver and the likelihood of more birdies on offer this week suiting the Queensland third of three Queensland major winners teeing it up this week.
THE COURSE
Hosting the PGA Championship for the fourth time (1996, 2000, 2014), Valhalla Golf Club was purpose-built for big tournament golf and has delivered great stories and results each time it has welcomed a major.
Undergoing a regrassing to Zoysia in 2021, the fairways will be firmer and faster than previous tournaments here, while small greens, expansive bunkering and creeks running throughout pose plenty of questions for the players on the Jack Nicklaus design.
Able to be stretched to 7609 yards this week, Valhalla typically rewards quality ball strikers and players who are willing to take on risk, with the PGA of America already suggesting some tees could be moved up on shorter par-4s during the week.
Avoiding the 62 bunkers dotted across the course will also be important for the eventual champion who will join Mark Brooks, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy on the list of PGA winners at Valhalla at week’s end.
HEADLINERS
Scottie Scheffler – 2024 Masters champion and 2023 PGA Championship runner-up
Brooks Koepka – 2023 PGA champion and five-time major winner
Rory McIlroy – Wells Fargo Championship winner and PGA champion at Valhalla
Jon Rahm – Two-time major winner and world No.5
Ludvig Aberg – 2024 Masters runner-up and PGA TOUR winner
Xander Schauffele – Seven straight top-25s in 2024 and 12 top-10s at the majors
Wyndham Clark – 2023 U.S. Open winner
Bryson DeChambeau – T4 2023 PGA Championship and 2020 U.S. Open winner
Viktor Hovland – 2023 PGA Championship runner-up and world No.7
Tiger Woods – Four-time PGA Championship winner
PGA Professional Michael Mosher has forged a career taking golfers on the trip of a lifetime, all underpinned by a very simple business philosophy.
“We take people to the best golfing locations in the world, and we make sure they have a good time doing it,” says Mosher, PGA Professional and Director of Golf at one of Australia’s premier golf travel companies, Teed Up Golf Tours.
From Augusta to every course on The Open Championship rota – and most places in-between – Mosher and his team of staff are dedicated to ensuring that with them, customers can enjoy the golf experience of a lifetime.
Now a thriving business with more than 20 years’ experience, Mosher recalls that the idea behind Teed Up Golf Tours came about largely by chance when he was the Director of Golf at Mount Broughton Golf and Country Club in Bowral.
“A member bought a travel agency business and asked if I could help to organise a trip to The Masters,” he reflects.
“That was in 1999, but in 2004, a friend, who is now my business partner, encouraged me to start running tours as a business full-time.
“We took a risk, but we thought we had found a niche in the market. We did it as a bit of fun; a way to see the world, play some golf and have a good time.”
It is that approach that has sustained Mosher, as Teed Up Golf Tours has expanded from 8-10 person trips, to regularly hosting hundreds of keen golfers on trips to Augusta alone.
“We started small, but when we grew to getting about 40 people on those early trips to The Masters, it became a reality that we had something to work with,” he adds.
“When you step back from it for a moment, it’s really cool.”
Mosher credits much of the business’s success to his willingness to create and maintain strong relationships throughout the industry.
From his playing days when he recalls having to fax fellow players to stay in touch, to now engaging with a network of other PGA Professionals to get the word out about his tours, Mosher is a people person.
That, alongside his engaging personality, has helped to foster a sense of goodwill that continues to benefit the business.
“I really believe that PGA Professionals are very personable people, who want to help,” Mosher adds.
“When I look back on those early days, I was just keeping in touch and being friendly, but it also helped to build a database of people who wanted to be involved later down the line.”
That attitude enhances the experience for golfers on the tours as well, as Mosher and fellow PGA Professionals connect, cater to and care for each member of the touring party.
“These guys are engaging, friendly and want to help,” he says. “We will play with a different group every day of the tour, and it is in our nature to help – whether that is by offering a swing tip, or just talking golf.
“We are all there for the same reason and just love being around the game. Our passion rolls through the trips, and we know the customer feels that, too.”
The quality of golf courses is something that Mosher is meticulous about, wherever in the world Teed Up Golf Tours might be.
“On all of our tours, golfers will play all the best courses that are available,” he explains. “We don’t play average courses. Our motto is that we will drive a long way to play the best golf.”
Something made increasingly possible by his friendly nature of strong golfing network, the list of courses available to Mosher and his clients continues to grow.
“Over the journey, I’ve met a lot of people overseas who have helped us get on to courses I didn’t think was possible,” he says.
“From Pine Valley to Cypress Point and Whistling Straits, you keep building those relationships and more becomes possible.”
Victorian Cameron John has topped one of the strongest fields ever assembled for a one-day event on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series to claim the Toro Australia – TQUIP Pro-Am at The Western Australian Golf Club.
John’s bogey-free round of 7-under 63 was enough for a one-stroke win over Scott Strange (64) and Alex Simpson (64) with Deyen Lawson (65) outright third having won the 2022 Western Australian Open at the venue.
The 35-player field boasted current DP World Tour players in Jason Scrivener and Haydn Barron, former DP World Tour winners in Strange and Marcus Fraser, WPGA Tour of Australasia players in Whitney Hillier, Jess Whitting and Kathryn Norris and Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia winners in Lawson, Jarryd Felton, Rick Kulacz, Daniel Fox and Braden Becker.
John joined that list of PGA Tour of Australasia winners in March when he took out The National Tournament at The National Golf Club.
For the former 2017 Australian Junior champion who required wrist surgery little more than a year ago, it marked a major breakthrough that he has now backed up with wins at Kwinana and WA Golf Club in the past week.
“It was something that I have wanted to achieve for quite a long time,” said John, who won the 2017 Interstate Teams Matches in a Victorian team that also included David Micheluzzi and Zach Murray.
“Obviously since we’re young and start playing the game, we all want to win at the professional level.
“To get my first Tour win was something special and definitely something that I will cherish for a long, long time.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Tied for sixth at the Sanwell Cottesloe Open on Sunday, John was out off the third tee on Monday afternoon.
A birdie at his opening hole was an ideal start which he followed up with a birdie at the par-5 sixth.
As the likes of Strange, Simpson and Lawson took front-running positions, John was forced to bide his time.
His third birdie didn’t come until the par-3 11th but then they came in a flurry, picking up shots at five of his next eight holes before closing out a blemish-free round with pars at one and two.
Strange had an eagle at the par-5 eighth in his round of 6-under 64 while Simpson had eight birdies and two bogeys to also earn a share of second.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Really, really good,” John said when asked to sum up his round.
“I had seven birdies and no bogeys. It’s always good when you keep those bad ones off the scorecard.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Cameron John 63
T2 Scott Strange 64
T2 Alexander Simpson 64
4 Deyen Lawson 65
5 Jess Whitting 66
6 Nathan Barbieri 67
T7 Haydn Barron 68
T7 James Marchesani 68
T7 Jarryd Felton 68
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series now begins the northern run of its WA swing with the 50th anniversary of the Mitchell and Brown Spalding Park Open over three rounds starting in Geraldton on Friday.
Jason Day has declared his “game is trending” ahead of this week’s US PGA Championship as Gabi Ruffels logged her best finish yet on the LPGA Tour.
Both Day and Ruffels finished inside the top five respectively on the PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour yet both were distant from the winning score.
Day closed out his Wells Fargo Championship campaign with a 1-under 70 to finish 11 shots back of Rory McIlroy (65) in a tie for fourth while Ruffels was part of one of the most unusual leaderboards ever seen at the Cognizant Founders Cup.
Obviously pleased with a career-best third place finish, at 9-under par Ruffels (71) was 13 shots behind runner-up Madelene Sagstrom (69) who finished two shots back of Rose Zhang (66) at 24-under par.
“Kind of an up-and-down week,” was Ruffels’ summation after a round in which she had five birdies and four bogeys.
“That golf course is kind of like that. Other than Rose and Madelene, everyone was kind of under 10-under.
“There were a lot of bogeys out there and a lot of birdies as well. Just had to hang tough mentally, and I was proud of myself that I did that.”
With the US Women’s Open just two weeks away, Ruffels said it was a strong week in combining her play with her mental game.
“A few things with my swing that I’m working on, I feel like I’m making strides with that with my coach,” she added.
“Just mentally on a golf course like this, just trying to hang tough and just seeing where at that puts you.”
A decade after finishing tied for 15th at the 2014 US PGA Championship, Day will return to Valhalla Golf Club buoyed by his most recent showing.
T4 in Charlotte and game is trending heading into the @pgachampionship 👊🏽 pic.twitter.com/fMiG18nyis
— Jason Day (@JDayGolf) May 13, 2024
A tie for fourth is his best finish since the Genesis Invitational in mid-February as he and coach Chris Como work to bring his ball-striking up to major championship level.
“I’ve had a run over the last month-and-a-half, two months where it’s just been kind of poor,” said Day.
“I’ve been losing a ton of strokes to the field approach to green. Not necessarily on the driver, for instance.
“It’s weird, it’s kind of strange to drive it decently well and to hit it poor coming into the greens. But I feel like some of the stuff we’re working on, I’ll see little snippets of really good stuff.”
It was a week of celebration for our Kiwi compatriots with Michael Hendry earning his first Japan Golf Tour title in nine years and Ryan Fox securing the first top-five finish of his career on the PGA TOUR.
Just 13 months after being hospitalised with leukaemia, Hendry completed one of golf’s most inspirational comebacks with a one-point win in the modified Stableford format of the For The Players By The Players tournament in Japan.
In his first season as a member of the PGA TOUR, Fox had four birdies in his final six holes to climb into a tie for fourth at the Myrtle Beach Classic in South Carolina.
Photos: Andrew Redington/Getty Images (Day); Elsa/Getty Images (Ruffels)
Results
PGA TOUR
Wells Fargo Championship
Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina
1 Rory McIlroy 67-68-67-65—267 $US3.6m
T4 Jason Day 68-67-73-70—278 $880,000
T29 Adam Scott 71-71-73-71—286 $130,500
T38 Cam Davis 70-69-72-77—288 $88,500
Myrtle Beach Classic
The Dunes Golf and Beach Club, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
1 Chris Gotterup 66-64-65-67—262 $US720,000
T4 Ryan Fox (NZ) 70-66-66-67—269 $147,000
MC Aaron Baddeley 71-70—141
MC Harrison Endycott 66-75—141
LPGA Tour
Cognizant Founders Cup
Upper Montclair Country Club, Clifton, New Jersey
1 Rose Zhang 63-68-67-66—264 $US450,000
3 Gabriela Ruffels 69-72-67-71—279 $201,479
T7 Minjee Lee 70-70-72-69—281 $69,492
T18 Hannah Green 69-71-72-71—283 $33,801
T18 Stephanie Kyriacou 66-79-66-72—283 $33,801
T35 Sarah Kemp 69-72-74-71—286 $15,966
T35 Lydia Ko (NZ) 69-71-75-71—286 $15,966
T46 Grace Kim 68-74-75-70—287 $11,784
MC Robyn Choi 72-75—147
MC Karis Davidson 78-71—149
MC Hira Naveed 75-78—153
Japan Golf Tour
For The Players By The Players
THE CLUB Golf Village, Gunma
Modified Stableford format
1 Michael Hendry (NZ) 14-5-13-6—38 ¥10m
T48 Brad Kennedy 3-6-2-3—14 ¥141,500
MC Anthony Quayle 6-(-3)— – 3
PGA TOUR Champions
Regions Tradition
Greystone G&CC, Birmingham, Alabama
1 Doug Barron 65-72-66-68—271 $390,000
2 Steven Alker (NZ) 69-71-70-63—273 $228,800
T11 Stuart Appleby 71-67-71-70—279 $59,800
T14 Richard Green 73-69-73-66—281 $45,500
T18 Mark Hensby 74-67-70-71—282 $35,555
T37 Rod Pampling 68-76-75-67—286 $14,560
T50 Michael Campbell (NZ) 70-75-75-70—290 $7,800
T52 John Senden 72-76-75-68—291 $6,292
T67 Steve Allan 69-84-69-73—295 $2,548
Ladies European Tour
Aramco Team Series Presented by PIF – Korea
New Korea Country Club, Korea
1 Hyo-Joo Kim 68-70-68—206 $US69,714.75
T27 Momoka Kobori (NZ) 76-71-74—221 $4,587.23
T45 Kirsten Rudgeley 75-74-75—224 $2,378.05
Korean PGA
KPGA Classic
Golf Zone County Yeongam 45
Modified Stableford format
1 Chanwoo Kim 15-8-2-8—33 KRW140,618,722
T7 Kevin Chun (NZ) 9-13-(-5)-11—28 KRW19,124,146
T13 Sungjin Yeo 8-5-1-11—25 KRW13,499,397
T35 Wonjoon Lee 12-6-(-6)-4—16 4,077,942
MC Junseok Lee 5-4—9
Epson Tour
Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic
TPC Scottsdale (Champions Cse), Scottsdale, Arizona
1 Ruixin Liu 64-72-70-64—270 $US60,000
T17 Su Oh 68-70-72-69—279 $5,302
T21 Fiona Xu (NZ) 70-69-70-71—280 $4,534
T26 Cassie Porter 67-73-75-66—281 $3,737
MC Amelia Garvey (NZ) 76-69—145
Two eagles in a new course record of 8-under 64 propelled New South Welshman Nathan Barbieri to a one-stroke win at the 2024 Sanwell Cottesloe Open at Cottesloe Golf Club.
Two shots back of the course record 7-under 65 set by Curtis Luck and Braden Becker on day one, Barbieri ignited his round with an eagle at the par-5 eighth and then claimed a second at the par-5 17th for a two-round total of 13-under.
Playing on his home course on a rare trip back to WA from the US, Luck (67) held on for outright second with Becker (68) a further shot back in third at 11-under.
After missing out on retaining a full card by the narrowest of margins at The National Tournament in March, Barbieri went on to win Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School in April.
Last week he teamed up with Josh Greer to win the WA PGA Foursomes Championship at Nedlands and is relishing spending an extended period in the winner’s circle.
“I won Q School a couple of weeks ago and I guess that was a bit of a monkey off the back because I’d never really won anything,” Barbieri said.
“Little win the other day with Joshy which was good.
“I had a good feel this week and thought that the course suited me and the greens were awesome so I was able to put two good rounds together.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Early in Sunday’s second round it appeared Luck would canter towards what would have been a popular win amongst the Cottesloe members.
He began the day with a birdie at the first and an eagle on four to reach 10-under early but a dropped shot at six brought a whole host of challengers into the mix.
Greer birdied three of the first five holes to get to 8-under and was suddenly within one of the lead along with Becker, Barbieri, Jack Pountney and amateur Connor Fewkes.
A long putt for birdie on eight saw Fewkes slip past Luck and get to 10-under before Luck hit back with one of his own to be 10-under at the turn.
Birdies at 10 and 11 got Greer to 10-under where he was joined by Barbieri, the pair now part of a four-way tie at the top with Fewkes and Luck.
Greer’s birdie on 12 gave him a one-stroke edge but it would be Barbieri’s eagle on his penultimate hole that would seal the deal.
In the Lyndsay Stephen Invitational run for the over-50s in conjunction, Jason Norris had rounds of 68-71 to win by seven shots from Tim Elliott and Brendan Chant.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I played the first 14 holes not knowing (the leaderboard) and then I noticed a couple of people watching Josh ahead of me and I always want to beat him,” said Barbieri.
“I looked on the 15th fairway and saw that I was one back of him and Curto was a couple back but with the par-5s still to play.
“I knew I had to push a little bit but not too much because I still had a couple of chances. I chipped it from the left of 16 and then holed a good putt and then eagled the 17th.
“I wasn’t planning on that. I thought a couple of birdies might have done it but that gave me less stress playing the last.
“I honestly didn’t think it would be enough. I thought I might be going down to a playoff with Curto but lucky I guess.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Nathan Barbieri 67-64—131
2 Curtis Luck 65-67—132
3 Braden Becker 65-68—133
T4 Deyen Lawson 68-66—134
T4 Joshua Greer 67-67—134
T6 Josiah Edwards (a) 68-67—135
T6 Cameron John 66-69—135
NEXT UP
The WA swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series stays in Perth on Monday for another new event, the Toro Australia – TQUIP Pro-Am at Western Australian Golf Club.
