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Western Australian amateur Adam Baillie has upstaged a host of Tour winners to claim the 2024 South West Isuzu South West Open at Bunbury Golf Club.
The reigning club champion at Lakelands Country Club in Perth’s northern suburbs, Baillie followed up a round of 3-under 69 on Saturday with 5-under 67 on Sunday to finish level with Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia regular James Marchesani (68-68) at 8-under par.
The pair squared off in a playoff where Baillie leant on his superb short game to claim victory, Marchesani having to be content with the winner’s prize purse.
Two strokes off the lead after Round 1, The National Tournament winner Cameron John shot 2-under 70 in the second round to finish outright third at 7-under.
Brady Watt (67) and Scott Strange (69) shared fourth spot at 6-under followed by Braden Becker (69), Marcus Fraser (70) and Zach Maxwell, whose 6-under 66 was the round of the tournament.
Third in the Gosnells Open two weeks ago, Baillie is eyeing off a potential move to the US to attend college.
A member at The Vines Resort, and coached by PGA Professional David Harris and Associate Daniel Hoeve, the 21-year-old is proving to be more mentally resilient of late and needed every ounce of it coming down the stretch.
Playing in the final group with John and fellow WA amateur Zach Capelli, Baillie birdied three of his final five holes to match Marchesani’s two-round total.
The next event on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series WA swing is the GMW & Radlink Wembley Pro-Am at Wembley Golf Course on Wednesday.
Ripper GC made it back-to-back wins in Singapore but it was an otherwise week of near misses for Aussies around the world.
Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman both finished two shots back of Brooks Koepka at LIV Golf Singapore, their collective efforts elevating Ripper GC to a three-stroke win in the teams event at Sentosa Golf Club.
“I kind of knew all year that we were going to get the ball rolling at some point,” said Smith, who combined with Leishman to win the teams event in a playoff at LIV Adelaide.
“I think internally that we’re the best team out here, and we’re going to be tough to beat when we all have our best stuff.”
Smith and Leishman were not the only Aussies to come within a whisker of individual success.
Queenslander Scott Hend lost out to Englishman Peter Baker in a playoff at the Barbados Legends on the Legends Tour while Stuart Appleby was denied a shot at a maiden PGA TOUR Champions title by weather.
The self-proclaimed “new kid on the block” with a Legends Tour win already to his name, Hend started the final round tied with Baker at the top of the leaderboard.
He held a two-stroke lead after a birdie at the par-4 15th but fell one behind when he made double-bogey at the par-3 16th to Baker’s birdie.
A birdie at the par-5 18th for the third straight day saw Hend join Baker at 10-under to force the playoff, Baker’s birdie at the first extra hole enough to edge Hend.
Appleby was not afforded that opportunity after rain heavily disrupted play at the Insperity Invitational in Houston.
All 36 holes of the scheduled 54-hole event were played on Saturday, heavy rain preventing any play Sunday as Scott Dunlap was declared champion.
Bettering his previous best finish – a tie for third at 2022 Regions Tradition – Appleby said after play on Saturday that he was coming to terms with what it takes to contend again.
“You’d think as you get older you’d just let it come when it comes and whatever doesn’t, it doesn’t,” said Appleby.
“Just try to get out of my own way, just enjoy the playing, go through my routine.
“When I played my best golf I got stuck into one shot at a time and that is something I have not done well enough.
“If I can boil it down to what the top players out here do, which is that, they really isolate a shot a time or putt at a time.”
Min Woo Lee was the best-placed Australian at the PGA TOUR CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Texas, Junseok Lee finished just outside the top 10 at the Asian Tour event in Korea and Jason Scrivener’s tie for 23rd led the Aussies at the DP World Tour Volvo China Open.
Results
PGA TOUR
THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson
TPC Craig Ranch, McKinney, Texas
1 Taylor Pendrith 64-67-63-67—261 $US1.71 million
T24 Min Woo Lee 66-68-66-69—269 $77,425
T30 Adam Scott 69-65-68-68—270 $52,293
T41 Aaron Baddeley 68-67-67-69—271 $33,725
T52 Harrison Endycott 67-66-71-70—274 $22,406
T59 Jason Day 66-70-71-68—275 $21,375
MC Ryan Fox (NZ) 68-72—140
DP World Tour
Volvo China Open
Hidden Grace GC, Shenzhen, China
Event reduced to 54 holes due to lightning storm
1 Adrian Otaegui 67-66-65—198 €356,293.78
T23 Jason Scrivener 70-70-68—208 €19,596.16
T23 Daniel Hillier (NZ) 67-69-72—208 €19,596.16
MC George Worrall 81-65—146
MC Kieran Muir (NZ) 72-80—152
Asian Tour
GS Caltex Maekyung Open
Namseoul Country Club, Korea
1 Hongtaek Kim 69-65-71-69—274 $US227,790.43
Won on the first hole of sudden-death playoff
T11 Junseok Lee 72-67-70-72—281 $15,322.70
T44 Todd Sinnott 74-66-74-74—288 $5,618.83
T56 Brendan Jones 74-68-73-76—291 $4,403.95
T63 Jack Thompson 71-69-75-79—294 $3,416.86
66 Wonjoon Lee 70-69-78-80—297 $3,037.21
MC Travis Smyth 72-72—144
MC Kevin Chun (NZ) 72-72—144
MC Andrew Dodt 74-71—145
MC Justin Warren 74-71—145
MC Kevin Yuan 73-73—146
MC Deyen Lawson 77-70—147
MC Zach Murray 72-77—149
MC Jed Morgan 77-77—154
LIV Golf
LIV Golf Singapore
Sentosa Golf Club (Serapong Course), Sentosa, Singapore
1 Brooks Koepka 66-64-68—198 $US4 million
T2 Cameron Smith 71-65-64—200 $1.875 million
T2 Marc Leishman 67-67-66—200 $1.875 million
T27 Lucas Herbert 67-67-74—208 $180,000
T37 Matt Jones 74-68-70—212 $140,333
T49 Danny Lee (NZ) 72-76-69—217 $60,000
Japan Golf Tour
Chunichi Crowns
Nagoya Golf Club (Wago Cse), Aichi
1 Ren Yonezawa 68-67-67-65—267 ¥22 million
T16 Michael Hendry 68-64-73-71—276 ¥1,622,500
T59 Anthony Quayle 72-70-71-75—288 ¥251,900
MC Brad Kennedy 72-73—145
PGA TOUR Champions
Insperity Invitational
The Woodlands CC, The Woodlands, Texas
Event reduced to 36 holes due to rain
1 Scott Dunlap 65-70—135 $US405,000
T2 Stuart Appleby 69-67—136 $216,000
T4 Steven Alker (NZ) 68-69—137 $145,800
T10 Rod Pampling 67-73—140 $58,050
T19 Richard Green 72-70—142 $28,418
T19 Mark Hensby 72-70—142 $28,418
T31 John Senden 71-72—143 $18,225
Legends Tour
Barbados Legends hosted by Ian Woosnam
Apes Hill Barbados, Saint James, Barbados
1 Peter Baker 67-67-69—203
Won on first hole of sudden-death playoff
2 Scott Hend 68-66-69—203
T21 Michael Campbell (NZ) 69-68-76—213
T28 Michael Long (NZ) 77-68-71—216
T45 Peter Fowler 71-73-76—220
Epson Tour
Casino Del Sol Golf Classic
Sewailo Golf Club, Tucson, Arizona
1 Madison Young 69-65-71—205 $37,500
T20 Fiona Xu (NZ) 69-70-71—210 $2,790
T37 Su Oh 71-73-68—212 $1,541
MC Cassie Porter 71-76—147
MC Amelia Garvey 78-74—152
PGA TOUR Americas
KIA Open
Quito Tenis Y Golf Club, Quito, Ecuador
Event reduced to 54 holes due to inclement weather
1 Thomas Longbella 66-69-65—200 $US40,500
T3 Harry Hillier (NZ) 65-71-67—203
T60 Charlie Hillier (NZ) 72-69-72—213
T71 Jason Hong 72-70-75—217
Royal Fremantle Golf Club amateur Zach Capelli leads a star-studded leaderboard by two strokes entering the final round of the South West Isuzu South West Open at Bunbury Golf Club.
The first event of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series WA swing has drawn a quality field of Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia regulars but it is Capelli who leads allcomers after a superb round of 7-under 65.
He will start Sunday’s final round with a two-stroke buffer from the most recent winner on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, Cameron John (67), while former PGA TOUR winner Andre Stolz (68) shares third with James Marchesani (68) and Englishman David Andrews (68).
Starting from the 10th tee, Capelli was level with the card when he gave back birdies at 11 and 12 with bogeys at 14 and 15 but played his next 11 holes in 7-under par to take top spot through Round 1.
“I got off to a pretty standard start really,” Capelli said.
“I parred the first and then had birdies on 11 and 12 but a couple of bogeys got me back to square.
“Played solid after that. Hit the ball in the right spot and kept myself on the right side of the hole and rattled off a few birdies, which was nice.”
Capelli had seven birdies in total along with an eagle at the par-5 second where he hit 8-iron for his second shot and proceeded to hole the putt.
John shapes as Capelli’s biggest threat, the Victorian shaking off the rust in his first start since his breakthrough Tour win at The National Tournament in March.
“I haven’t played for a while so it feels like it’s all just coming back to me,” said John, who had seven birdies and two bogeys in his round of 67.
“I just hit driver really well. It felt like a day where I had a lot of opportunities. There were probably a few missed ones but that’s just golf.”
After a short break, John said it was an easy decision to travel to Western Australia for the series of Pro-Ams.
“This Perth Pro-Am swing is one of the best,” he said.
“We always play good courses so coming over from Melbourne really is a no-brainer.
“One of my best friends, Braden Becker, he puts me up, so it’s really simple.”
Veterans Daniel Fox, Marcus Fraser and Scott Strange are in a tie for sixth with Kathryn Norris and amateur Adam Baillie at 3-under followed by Becker, Ryan Peake, Ethan Andrews and amateur Bailey Hampson at 2-under.
The final group of Capelli and John tees off at 12:09pm AWST.
Three weeks focusing on the flatstick paid immediate dividends for Bathurst’s Dylan Thompson who went bogey-free in his two-stroke win in the Campbelltown Golf Club Pro-Am.
Campbelltown Golf Club drew a field littered with Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia talent but it was Thompson’s 5-under 65 that shone brightest, two clear of James Conran (67) and Josh Armstrong (67).
Seeking his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win since the Kew Country Club Pro-Am last August, Thompson credited “countless hours” on the practice putting green with his third career victory.
“I hit it well at Yenda and Griffith but putted very poorly,” Thompson said.
“I’ve spent countless hours putting the past few weeks and it showed today.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Starting with birdies at one and four, Thompson was quick to establish his name prominently on the leaderboard.
A string of seven straight pars followed with numerous up-and-downs that would prove crucial in the final wash-up.
The 27-year-old moved to 3-under with a birdie at the par-3 12th but it would be the chip in for eagle at the par-5 13th that ultimately proved the difference.
Conran was the early front-runner with four straight birdies from the second hole but back-to-back bogeys at 10 and 11 would halt his momentum.
Armstrong’s challenge came late with birdies at 15 and 16 but he was unable to find the two more he needed to match Thompson’s 5-under total.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“No bogeys, made a lot of up-and-downs, chip-in eagle and holed a lot of short putts.
“I didn’t hit it into any bad spots at all. I always had a shot. Fairways and greens pretty much. Three birdies, an eagle, it was pretty straightforward golf really.
“Hopefully a few solid rounds in the Pro-Am Series, a few Monday pre qualifiers, see how that goes. No real goals at the moment, just play as much as I can around coaching and working in the shop.
“Hopefully a few rounds come together and I can finish high enough on the Order of Merit to move along next year.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Dylan Thompson 65
T2 James Conran 67
T2 Josh Armstrong 67
T4 Andrew Evans 68
T4 Jason Perkin 68
T4 Andrew Richards 68
T4 Soo Jin Lee 68
NEXT UP
The WA swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series starts Saturday with the $40,000 South West Isuzu South West Open at Bunbury Golf Club.
Victorian Daniel Gill has won the Victorian PGA Associate Championship in a playoff after a dramatic conclusion to the final round at Club Tocumwal.
Gill birdied the 18th hole of the Captain’s Course at Tocumwal to post a final round of 3-under 69 and 7-under total.
At that point he held the lead in the clubhouse but with 54-hole leader Baxter Droop (Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Resort) standing on the 18th tee at 9-under par, it didn’t look like being enough.
Unfortunately for Droop (73) his tee shot at the 72nd hole sailed out of bounds, the resulting double bogey dropping him to 7-under and tied with Gill.
The two players returned to the 18th hole and it was Gill who immediately took the upper hand.
As he found the fairway, Droop’s tee shot finished in the rough left of the fairway. Droop’s second shot came up short of the green but after chipping up to 12 feet was unable to make the putt for par.
Gill hit his approach to 20 feet on the left side of the green and showed great touch to roll his first putt down to just two feet.
With the championship there for the taking, Gill stepped in, holed his putt for par and claimed the biggest win in his two years in the Membership Pathway Program.
“This is my 12th win as a PGA Associate but my first major win,” said a jubilant Gill.
“Being four shots back standing on 17, I knew I had to birdie the last to have a chance but I didn’t think it would lead to a playoff.
“I would like to thank my home club, Peninsula Kingswood, who have been more than accommodating with my playing.
“They have allowed me to go part-time so I can spend more time on my playing career, which I’m very thankful for.”
Gill also paid credit to the team at Club Tocumwal for the presentation of the golf course and hospitality extended by everyone during the week.
“The course has been unreal every year and keeps getting better and better,” he added.
“I played golf as a junior here and so it was something special to take the win.”
The only player without an over-par round all week, Sheradyn Johnson (The National Golf Club) missed the playoff by just one stroke, ending her week with a round of 1-under 71 and 6-under total.
Damon Stephenson (69) and Jack Wright (73) shared fourth spot while Adam Naaman and Adam Migur shared the best score in the final round with rounds of 5-under 67.
Murray River local Baxter Droop has come within a whisker of setting a new course record as he assumed top spot at the Victorian PGA Associate Championship at Club Tocumwal on Thursday.
Completing the Membership Pathway Program under his father, Evan Droop, at Yarrawonga Mulwala Resort just 30 minutes up the Murray, Droop surged to a two-stroke lead with a superb 8-under 64 in Round 3.
That was just one short of the course record at the Captain’s Course but, at 8-under heading into the final round, provides a handy two-shot buffer from 36-hole leader Jack Wright (72).
Sheradyn Johnson (70) is third at 5-under followed by Daniel Gill (68) with Toby Walker (67) and Joseph Hodgson (69) in a tie for fifth at 3-under.
Trailing Wright by seven shots after Round 2, Droop was just 2-under on his round as he made the turn. From there he threw the after-burners to max, making six birdies in his next eight holes with what he claimed was a very simple strategy.
“Just focused on hitting fairways, as cliché as it sounds,” Droop said.
“Spent some time on the range concentrating on my driver and 3-wood to get myself in the best positions off the tee.”
Late on day three it appeared likely that there would be a tie at the top heading into the final round, only for Wright to drop shots at each of his final two holes in his round of 72.
The NSW/ACT Associate champion in 2023, Wright looms as Droop’s greatest threat as he seeks to go two better than his third-place finish in this event 12 months ago.
Although he will start the final round seven shots off the lead, Victorian Associate Noah Best has produced one of the most remarkable performances of the championship.
An opening round of 9-over 81 put Best in a difficult position to make the cut but back-to-back rounds of 5-under 67 will see him start the final round inside the top 10 and in red figures.
Queensland’s Jack Wright has his sights set on a second state Associate Championship after establishing a one-stroke lead at the halfway mark of the Victorian PGA Associate Championship at Tocumwal Golf Club.
In a dominant first season in 2023, Wright claimed the NSW/ACT Associate Championship and finished runner-up in his home state.
With rounds of 71-67 at Tocumwal’s Captain’s Course, Wright leads at 6-under par, one stroke clear of Damon Stephenson (69-70) with Sheradyn Johnson (69-72) from The National Golf Club two strokes further back in outright third at 3-under
Trailing Baxter Droop by three after Round 1, Wright started his second round from the 10th hole and soared up the leaderboard with three straight birdies from the 12th hole.
He dropped a shot on 18 but it would be only a temporary setback, picking up shots on his inward nine at four, six and nine to shoot 5-under and assume top spot.
Stephenson had five birdies and three bogeys in his second round of 2-under 70 while Johnson bounced back impressively after starting day two with a double bogey. She played her back nine in 3-under 33 to remain in the hunt heading into Round 3.
Joining Wright, Zac Wood and Noah Best with the equal best round of the tournament to date was NSW Associate Cameron Shearer, who shot an impressive 6-under par 30 on his back nine to sit in a tie for sixth and just five shots off the lead.
Runner-up 12 months ago, Joel Mitchell is in a tie for fourth after rounds at 74-68, level with Wood at 2-under.
The cut fell at 7-over with 56 Associates advancing to the final two rounds.
Those in the Murray River region are welcome to watch some superb golf live in person or you can follow the live scores here.
Australian Jason Day has credited a shift in mindset for his career resurgence as he prepares to defend his CJ Cup Byron Nelson crown at TPC Craig Ranch in Texas.
It had been five years between Day’s 12th and 13th PGA TOUR career victories and the circumstances were a mix of planets aligning and the golf gods rewarding persistence.
As his caddie wore the name of Day’s late mother on his bib and the final round falling on Mother’s Day, Day held off a fast-finishing Si Woo Kim (63) with a round of 9-under 62 to fast-track his climb up the world rankings.
Twelve months on he is Australia’s No.1-ranked male player, looks set to become an Olympian for the first time at Paris in August and will return to the International team for the Presidents Cup for the first time since 2017.
After years of juggling family life and the struggles through persistent back injuries, Day said that it was a switch in mentality that provided the path forward.
“Playing from more of a position of like love and passion of the game is I think far healthier to play from than having a chip on your shoulder,” Day reflected.
“It’s easy to find motivation when you have a chip on your shoulder because people are talking against you and all that stuff.
“Certain players play well with that, but I feel like that’s a limited period of time where that can happen.”
No one, according to Day, reflects the power of that mindset better than world No.1 Scottie Scheffler.
The winner of four of his past five tournaments – including a second Masters title – Scheffler is not in the field this week as he and wife Meredith await the birth of their first child.
For Day, seeing the apparent ease in which Scheffler is dominating world golf is a reminder of the power of positive thinking.
“There are guys that play from a good position of balance and love,” Day added.
“Looking at Scottie Scheffler right now, he is playing some of the best golf we’ve seen in a long time, probably since the Tiger (Woods) days. He seems like a very well-balanced person.
“It’s very difficult to do. For me personally, I’m just trying to find that balance in amongst professional life and personal life, business and everything this comes along with being a professional golfer.”
There is always more to learn for @JDayGolf.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 1, 2024
His victory last year @CJByronNelson was his first win in five years.
The 13-time TOUR winner has his eyes set on successfully defending his title in Texas. pic.twitter.com/7RZ4J5CuA2
And, as a father of five himself, what advice did Day offer Scheffler for the juggle he is about to begin?
“He’s going to have to adjust a little bit. It took me a year to really adjust to being a father,” Day conceded.
“I could not find my identity in being a father because of how selfish this game can be.
“Once I found that out and I could understand it a little bit more, that’s when I started becoming a better father.
“This is going to be a whole new world that’s going to open up.
“It’s going to be for the better.”
Day is one of five Aussies in the field at the Byron Nelson, a tournament Aussies have enjoyed success in dating all the way back to Peter Thomson in 1956, Thomson’s lone PGA TOUR victory in the US.
Northern Territory golfer George Worrall played his way into this week’s Volvo China Open on the DP World Tour via a two-round pre-qualifying tournament, the tournament making its return to the schedule for the first time since COVID-19.
There are 12 Aussies in Korea for the Asian Tour co-sanctioned GS Caltex Maekyung Open and the Cameron Smith-led Ripper GC team will be gunning for back-to-back team wins at LIV Golf Singapore.
There are five Aussies in the field for the Insperity Invitational on the PGA TOUR Champions and Scott Hend and Peter Fowler join Kiwis Michael Campbell and Michael Long for the first Legends Tour event of the season in Barbados.
Photo: Tim Heitman/Getty Images
Round 1 tee times AEST
PGA TOUR
THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson
TPC Craig Ranch, McKinney, Texas
10:45pm* Jason Day
10:56pm Aaron Baddeley
3:55am Adam Scott
4:06am Min Woo Lee
4:39am Ryan Fox (NZ)
4:39am* Harrison Endycott
Defending champion: Jason Day
Past Aussie winners: Peter Thomson (1956), Bruce Devlin (1969), Adam Scott (2008), Steven Bowditch (2015), Jason Day (2023)
Prize money: $US9.5 million
TV times: Live 9:45pm-9am Thursday, Friday; Live 11pm-8am Saturday; Live 10:30pm-8am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
DP World Tour
Volvo China Open
Hidden Grace GC, Shenzhen, China
10:20am* Daniel Hillier (NZ)
1:40pm* Kieran Muir (NZ)
2:30pm* Jason Scrivener
3:40pm* George Worrall
Defending champion: Mikko Korhonen (2019)
Past Aussie winners: Scott Strange (2009), Brett Rumford (2013)
Prize money: $US2.25 million
TV times: Live 3pm-8pm Thursday, Friday; Live 3:30pm-8pm Saturday; Live 2pm-7pm Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Asian Tour
GS Caltex Maekyung Open
Namseoul Country Club, Korea
7:41am Brendan Jones
8:03am Deyen Lawson
8:03am* Kevin Yuan
8:36am Jack Thompson
8:36am* Won Joon Lee
8:58am Justin Warren
9:09am* Kevin Chun (NZ)
9:31am Junseok Lee
1:03pm* Jed Morgan
1:14pm Travis Smyth
1:14pm* Andrew Dodt
1:58pm Zach Murray
2:31pm* Todd Sinnott
Defending champion: Jung Chan-min
Past Aussie winners: Mike Clayton (1984)
Prize money: KRW1,300,000,000
TV times: Live 2pm-6pm Thursday, Friday; Live 1pm-4:30pm Saturday on Fox Sports 505; Live 1pm-5pm Sunday on Fox Sports 507 and Kayo.
LIV Golf
LIV Golf Singapore
Australasians in the field: Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Matt Jones, Lucas Herbert, Danny Lee (NZ)
Defending champion: Talor Gooch
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US20 million
TV times: Live from 11:15am Friday, Saturday, Sunday on 7 Plus.
Japan Golf Tour
Chunichi Crowns
Nagoya Golf Club (Wago Cse), Aichi
8:30am Anthony Quayle
12:30pm Brad Kennedy
1:10pm* Michael Hendry (NZ)
Defending champion: Hiroshi Iwata
Past Aussie winners: David Graham (1976), Graham Marsh (1977, 1981), Greg Norman (1989), Peter Senior (1993), Roger Mackay (1994), Brendan Jones (2011)
Prize money: ¥110,000,000
PGA TOUR Champions
Insperity Invitational
The Woodlands CC, The Woodlands, Texas
1:20am Steven Alker (NZ)
1:52am* Richard Green
2:23am Mark Hensby, Rod Pampling
2:44am* John Senden
2:55am* Stuart Appleby
Defending champion: Steven Alker
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US2.7 million
TV times: Live 2:30am-5am Saturday; Live 5am-8am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
Legends Tour
Barbados Legends hosted by Ian Woosnam
Apes Hill Barbados, Saint James
Australasians in the field: Michael Campbell (NZ), Michael Long (NZ), Scott Hend, Peter Fowler
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Epson Tour
Casino Del Sol Golf Classic
Sewailo Golf Club, Tucson, Arizona
12:44am Cassie Porter
1:50am Su Oh
5:56am* Fiona Xu (NZ)
6:40am* Amelia Garvey (NZ)
Defending champion: Gigi Stoll
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US250,000
PGA TOUR Americas
KIA Open
Quito Tenis Y Golf Club, Quito, Ecuador
10:50pm Jason Hong
2:50am Harry Hillier (NZ)
3:30am* Charlie Hillier (NZ)
Defending champion: Toni Hakula
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US225,000
PING’s Dr Paul Wood, who oversees a team of close to 100 engineers and scientists at one of the world golf’s leading equipment brands, is the latest keynote speaker to be locked in for this year’s Golf Summit in Melbourne.
Wood is the Vice President of Engineering at PING where he coordinates a department responsible for innovation, design, testing and commercialisation of new golf clubs.
He graduated from St Andrews University with a MSc and PhD in Applied Mathematics and started at PING in 2005, working on the physics of ball flight, impact dynamics, advanced measurement tools and innovations in club fitting.
Wood has a passion leading his team and for making the highest performing clubs in the world.
At Golf Summit on October 16-17, he will speak on PING’s extensive research collaborations with top golf coaches from around the world.
Through data-driven analyses, his team tackles pressing questions on golf technique every day such as the advantages of shot shapes, optimal wedge techniques, swing dynamics, and equipment specifications for elite players, demonstrating their systematic approach to addressing key coaching inquiries.
These questions and constant consultation with players and coaches drive the innovation and quality that Wood and his team aspire for at PING.
Out of the PING office, Wood is a passionate supporter of All Abilities golf, a field hockey player and a keen trail runner.
His interesting and unique perspective from within the golf industry is not to be missed at the 2024 Golf Summit later this year.
The Asia-Pacific region’s premier event welcoming the entire golf industry, tickets for the 2024 Golf Summit are on sale now.
Find tickets HERE.
The Golf Summit is proudly supported by the Melbourne Convention Bureau and the State Government’s National Business Event Program
With golf as the regular family outing growing up in Byron Bay on the New South Wales North Coast, Jess Dengate was born to live, breathe and work in the game.
Having played in elite amateur teams, it was a natural choice for Dengate to turn professional.
However, while she was plying her trade on the WPGA Tour of Australasia (then the ALPG Tour), she was also completing the PGA Membership Pathway Program at Yarra Yarra Golf Club, becoming a PGA Professional in 2017.
“I tried to play a little bit, wasn’t quite good enough, but I had some pretty awesome experiences on tour as well,” says Dengate.
“I came back in 2017 to settle into, I guess, normal life if you will, in club-land.
“I wanted to use my PGA qualifications, work in pro shops and coach for a little while.
“I gradually found my way into the admin team where I am now at Latrobe.”
Working as the Operations Manager at Latrobe Golf Club in Melbourne’s north-east, Dengate is making use of her vast experience in the world of golf, as well as her learnings from studying at the PGA Institute.
Then known as the PGA International Golf Institute when she was a student, Dengate undertook the Diploma of Golf Management. That created several opportunities for a Tour player such as herself looking at the next step in their career.
“Leaving the Tour, I knew I had to find a bridge between the practical sense of the game and getting some business education,” she adds.
“I wasn’t quite ready for the step into full-time university yet, so the Institute was a great stepping stone.
“That first year, getting those credits for a university degree provided a great pathway into the golf industry.”
The PGA Institute has a proud list of partners with higher education providers. Students today can go on to study selected bachelor degrees with Griffith University, Deakin University, Torrens University, Victoria University and Holmesglen TAFE with the credits they earn.
On top of the pathways the Institute opened for Dengate, the flexible nature and self-driven study options suited her well.
“The flexibility was great too, working as well as studying, being able to do both and figure out my path,” she says.
“The opportunity to do it remotely, rather than on-site, for me made the biggest difference.”
As well as her role at Latrobe, Dengate has been a proud WPGA Tour of Australasia board member since 2016.
Now Vice President, her passion for women in golf stretches from the professionals all the way down to grassroots at club-land.
“When I started on the board, we only had three tournaments for the 2017 season,” Dengate says.
“To see where the Tour is now is pretty special in terms of growth for women’s golf.
“Golf Australia, the PGA, and the WPGA all working together in a much closer sense than they used to has definitely helped equality in the women’s game at club level.”
Dengate is an invaluable asset to both Latrobe Golf Club and the WPGA Tour of Australasia.
With her wealth of knowledge within the golf industry, coupled with her PGA Institute studies, she understands the needs of the members she works for, and represents them in a meaningful way.
For more information on additional education and training available through the PGA, visit pga.org.au/education/.
