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In March of this year, Steffi Vogel made the cut in a Ladies European Tour event. If she achieves nothing else in her golf career, that can never be taken away from her.
Yet when she began the PGA of Australia’s Membership Pathway Program straight out of high school, pitting her game against some of the best in the world was the furthest thing from her mind.
“I had no intentions of playing whatsoever,” said Vogel, who grew up playing junior golf at Cobram Barooga Golf Club and began the MPP under PGA Professional Michael MacGregor at her home club.
“I originally did it just to be able to either coach or be in a pro shop.”
For some who enter the MPP, playing is not the No.1 priority.
They see an avenue to be able to build a career within the Australian golf industry but, as Vogel discovered, taking the path to become a PGA Professional does not signal the end of your playing days.
Through weekly PGA Open matches, Vogel found that her game developed so much with regular competition that it fuelled her passion for playing at a high level again.
“Through the Monday matches I started playing really well and I thought maybe I actually do want to play as well on the side,” she added.
Emma Ash was a star junior growing up in Adelaide but recognised early the difficulty in forging a career in golf purely through playing.
A two-time winner of the SA Junior Amateur Championship, Ash appeared destined for the LPGA or Ladies European Tour until her brother’s interest in PGA education opened her eyes to the career paths that were available.
“It was always that I wanted to play, but as I got older and I got more realistic in life. I realised that there probably wasn’t the likelihood of making a career out of playing,” said Ash.
“I thought there was a big gap in coaching, particularly female coaching. From my experience as a player, I was never exposed to a female coach other than Fiona Pike and Anne-Marie Knight.
“I wanted to follow those footsteps and try to provide opportunities for more young girls in that coaching stream.”
After six years of concentrated work in the coaching realm, Ash made a return to the WPGA Tour of Australasia at the start of 2024.
She began with a victory at a rain-shortened Melbourne International and, like Vogel, made the cut at the Women’s NSW Open at Magenta Shores Golf and Country Club.
With her coaching business performing strongly, Ash is able to tee it up without the financial pressures that others may be feeling.
“It just makes it easier. I’m not playing for a cheque each week,” she said.
“I’m playing just because I enjoy the game, just want to have fun and I’m still competitive.”
Vogel, who was sixth at Webex Players Series Murray River and top-30 at the Vic Open, attributes all of the playing opportunities she has enjoyed the past 12 months to her PGA grounding.
“I’m very happy that I went through that direction. I certainly don’t think I’d be here without it,” said Vogel, who also played the Australian Women’s Classic at Bonville in April.
“I definitely recommend it. The assignments take a bit of time but you have plenty of time to do it whilst you’re out here playing.
“It’s good to have something away from playing as well to be able to focus on and to go back to when there are no tournaments.”
A new addition to the Membership Pathway Program is a dedicated ‘Playing’ stream, designed to not only provide qualifications but the foundation needed to mix it with the elite of world golf.
“They’re playing full-time on the LET and it’s good to see what they’re doing with their games,” Ash said of her LET experience.
“I encourage anyone to do the MPP just to give you more opportunities within the sport.”
To express your interest in starting the PGA Membership Pathway Program click here
Karl Vilips’ journey to his professional debut took an unexpected twist this week as he launches the next phase of his career at The Beachlands Victoria Open in Canada.
A recent graduate of Stanford University, Vilips closed out his college career with victory at the 2024 Pac-12 Men’s Golf Championship in May.
That result helped Vilips to finish 10th in the PGA TOUR University ranking and earn conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour and fully exempt status on the PGA TOUR of Americas.
A member of the Australian team that won silver at the World Amateur Teams Championship last October, Vilips had hoped to use his conditional Korn Ferry Tour status to qualify for this week’s Compliance Solutions Championship in Oklahoma.
As fellow Victorian Aiden Didone played his way into the field with a round of 4-under 68 at the Monday qualifier, Vilips set course for Canada after his round of 1-over 73.
The 22-year-old would soon discover, however, that the best laid plans are not guaranteed in the world of pro golf.
“I played the Monday qualifier for the Compliance tournament in Oklahoma, the Korn Ferry event,” Vilips told PGA TOUR of Americas.
“Didn’t close well, so I didn’t make it.
“Booked a flight out of Dallas, yesterday, mid-morning. So we drove the three hours from Norman to Dallas and got to the airport for an 11:30am flight. Didn’t end up taking off until about 7 so we had to change my flight to Victoria to a later one, which we barely made.
“Ended up getting to the hotel at about 11:35 to midnight and obviously didn’t get to sleep for a little bit.
“My bags didn’t come in, which was just another bonus to the travel day we had.
“I had to pick those up this morning. Was fortunate enough to get tournament organisers to shift my pro-am tee time around to the afternoon so I will be able to play the course and take a look at it.
“It’s been a hectic first week as a pro I would say.”
Vilips was Australia’s highest ranked player on the World Amateur Golf Ranking when he turned professional a fortnight ago.
A strong finish to his four-year stint at Stanford saw Vilips graduate from the amateur ranks No.12 in the world and ready to realise the promise he has displayed since his junior days.
The youngest competitor in Victorian pennant matches at just nine years of age for Southern Golf Club in 2011, Vilips was the gold medal winner at the 2018 Youth Olympics, a two-time Junior Presidents Cup representative and qualified for last year’s US Open.
He is among a host of star amateurs to recently move into the pro ranks including Maddison Hinson-Tolchard, Jye Pickin, Connor McDade, Jordan Doull and Blaike Perkins.
As Vilips makes his pro debut in Canada the eyes of the golf world will be largely trained on Sahalee Country Club in Washington for the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
There are a total of eight Aussies in the field including 2019 champion Hannah Green, this week marking the end to the two-year Olympic qualification period for the women’s competition in Paris.
Photo: Martin Dokoupil/Getty Images
Round 1 tee times AEST
LPGA Tour
KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
Sahalee Country Club, Sammamish, Washington
12:05am* Robyn Choi
12:22am Stephanie Kyriacou
12:27am* Gabriela Ruffels
12:33am Grace Kim
1:11am* Hannah Green
6:17am Minjee Lee
6:39am Lydia Ko (NZ)
6:56am* Hira Naveed
7:12am Sarah Kemp
Defending champion: Ruoning Yin
Past Aussie winners: Jan Stephenson (1982), Karrie Webb (2001), Hannah Green (2019)
Prize money: $US10.4 million
TV times: Live 6am-8am Friday on Fox Sports 505; Live 8am-12pm Friday on Fox Sports 503; Live 6am-8am Saturday on Fox Sports 505; Live 8am-12pm Saturday on Fox Sports 503; Live 5am-8am Sunday on Fox Sports 505; Live 8am-10am Sunday on Fox Sports 503; Live 4am-9am Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
PGA TOUR
Travelers Championship
TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut
12am Jason Day
1am Adam Scott
3:10am Cam Davis
Defending champion: Keegan Bradley
Past Aussie winners: Greg Norman (1995), Marc Leishman (2012)
Prize money: $US20 million
TV times: Live 10pm-8am Thursday, Friday; Live 9:30pm-8am Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
DP World Tour
KLM Open
The International, Amsterdam, Netherlands
4pm Sam Jones (NZ)
5pm David Micheluzzi
5:10pm Haydn Barron
8:30pm Tom Power Horan
10pm Andrew Martin
Defending champion: Pablo Larrazabal
Past Aussie winners: Jack Newton (1972), Graham Marsh (1979, 1985), Stephen Leaney (2000)
Prize money: $US2.5 million
TV times: Live 9pm-2am Thursday, Friday; Live 9:15pm-1:30am Saturday; Live 8:30pm-1:30am Sunday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
Asian Tour
Kolon Korea Open
Woo Jeong Hills Country Club, Korea
7:52am Jack Thompson
9:20am* Wonjoon Lee
12:30pm* Kevin Yuan
12:52pm Junseok Lee
1:03pm Travis Smyth
1:25pm* Kevin Chun (NZ)
1:58pm Brendan Jones
2:20pm Todd Sinnott
Defending champion: Seungsu Han
Past Aussie winners: Junseok Lee (2021)
Prize money: KRW1.4 billion
TV times: Live 2pm-6pm Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
LIV Golf
LIV Golf Nashville
The Grove, College Grove, Tennessee
Australasians in the field: Cameron Smith, Matt Jones, Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert, Danny Lee (NZ)
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US20 million
TV times: Live from 3:15am Saturday, Sunday, Monday on 7 Plus.
PGA TOUR Champions
DICK’S Open
En-Joie GC, Endicott, New York
Australasians in the field: Steve Allan, David Bransdon, Greg Chalmers, Richard Green, Mark Hensby, Rod Pampling, Cameron Percy, John Senden, Vijay Singh, Michael Wright.
Defending champion: Padraig Harrington
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US2.1 million
TV times: Live 2am-4am Saturday on Fox Sports 505; 10am-12pm Sunday on Fox Sports 503; 9am-11am Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Ladies European Tour
Tipsport Czech Ladies Open
Royal Beroun Golf Club, Czech Republic
3:56pm Kirsten Rudgeley
5:24pm Amy Walsh
5:24pm* Kelsey Bennett
8:41pm* Momoka Kobori (NZ)
8:52pm* Whitney Hillier
Defending champion: Diksha Dagar
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €300,000
Korn Ferry Tour
Compliance Solutions Championship
Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club, Norman, Oklahoma
10:11pm* Brett Drewitt
10:33pm Steven Bowditch
10:55pm Rhein Gibson
12:12am* Aiden Didone
3:35am Tim Wilkinson (NZ)
3:46am Dimi Papadatos
Defending champion: Jimmy Stanger
Past Aussie winners:
Prize money: $US1 million
Challenge Tour
Blot Open de Bretagne
Golf Bluegreen de Pléneuf Val André, Pléneuf, France
10:20pm Hayden Hopewell
10:30pm Connor McKinney
10:30pm* Blake Windred
10:40pm* Jeffrey Guan
Defending champion: Stuart Manley
Past Aussie winners: Scott Arnold (2015)
Prize money: €270,000
Epson Tour
Island Resort Championship
Sweetgrass Golf Club, Harris, Michigan
11:36pm Fiona Xu (NZ)
11:36pm* Amelia Garvey (NZ)
11:58pm Maddison Hinson-Tolchard
4:46am Cassie Porter
Defending champion: Tsai Ching Tseng
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US262,500
PGA TOUR Americas
The Beachlands Victoria Open
Uplands Golf Club, Victoria, British Columbia
1:20am Charlie Hillier (NZ)
1:30am Karl Vilips
1:40am* Harry Hillier (NZ)
6am* Grant Booth
Defending champion: Jimmy Stanger
Past Aussie winners:
Prize money: $US1 million
LET Access Series
Santander Golf Tour – AVILA
Naturavila Golf, Spain
4:40pm Wenyung Keh (NZ)
5pm Munchin Keh (NZ)
8:40pm* Hanee Song
8:50pm Belinda Ji (a)
9:10pm Stephanie Bunque
10pm* Laura Hoskin (NZ)
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: €45,000
Jason Day and Min Woo Lee are poised to make their Olympic debuts after finishing as the leading two Australians at the end of the men’s golf competition qualification period.
The Australian Golf team to represent their country at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be formally announced on June 29, the women’s qualification period closing at the completion of this week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
An absorbing US Open won by Bryson DeChambeau signalled the end to the three-year qualification period for this Olympic cycle for the men’s game. Day and Lee both qualified for the Australian team by virtue of being among the top 59 players eligible for selection on the Official World Golf Ranking.
Day, who was eligible for the 2016 Olympics at Rio de Janeiro but declined for family reasons, is ranked No.24 in the world despite missing the cut at Pinehurst.
It would have required something extraordinary for Lee to be unseated, a tie for 21st solidifying his spot at No.36 in the rankings and a likely Olympic debut.
Day had not publicly declared his Olympic intentions until after The Masters Tournament in April, declaring that if he qualified he would tee it up at Le Golf National.
“I’m looking forward to it. I think I made a bit of a mistake not going down to Rio, even though part of it was family related,” Day said.
“I kind of missed out on that, and I probably should have gone. But if I get the opportunity, I’m looking forward to going.”
Lee has never shied away from his Olympic ambition.
His older sister, Minjee, is on the verge of selection in her third straight Olympics, Min Woo’s qualification paving the way for the pair to join a rich history of siblings to have represented Australia at the Olympic Games.
“I would love to represent Australia. It’s one of the goals I’ve had from the last year or so when the talk started happening,” said Lee, who has confirmed his defence of his Australian PGA Championship defence at Royal Queensland in November.
Marcus Fraser and Scott Hend were Australia’s men’s representatives when golf made its Olympic return in 2016 while Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman competed at Tokyo 2020.
Fraser’s tie for fifth in 2016 is Australia’s best result in the men’s golf competition, Hannah Green’s narrowly missing out on a medal at Tokyo, her tie for fifth Australia’s best result in the women’s competition.
The men’s Olympic golf competition will be staged August 1-4 with the women’s competition to take place from August 7-10.
A first time on sand greens proved the charm for Joseph Owen who shot 62 in the second round to win the 29th Roy Hill Golf Classic Pro-Am by three at Port Hedland Golf Club.
Thanking good mate Brady Watt for enticing him to make the 1,600-kilometre trip north of Perth, Owen came from two strokes back of Round 1 leader Scott Strange with a birdie barrage in the second round.
He had 10 birdies and no bogeys for a two-round total of 16-under par, three clear of Braden Becker (64), Ryan Peake (65) and Jordan Doull (60), who smashed the course record with 11 birdies, an eagle and a single bogey.
New Zealand-born but now a Perth resident who won the 2022 Victorian Amateur, the Lake Karrinyup Country Club member adapted quickly to the vagaries of sand greens for his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win.
“This is my first time on sand greens, so I have not had any success,” Owen said.
“It was a new experience and I think I did pretty well.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Paired with Josh Greer and starting from the third tee, Owen generated early momentum with birdies at three of his first five holes.
He made pars at both eight and nine to enter the back nine 3-under on his round and would be 10-under by the time he walked off the 18th green.
Owen made back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11 and again at 13 and 14 before reeling off three straight from the 16th hole to take control of the tournament.
Becker and Doull both made charges and Peake went 36 holes bogey-free yet it wasn’t enough to rein Owen in.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Yesterday I actually didn’t feel like I hit it that well,” said Owen.
“I putted well on the sand greens from close range so today I thought if I could hit it a little bit better and give myself a few more opportunities, I thought I was a good chance to have a good round. I think I did that.
“I made really good birdies on 16 and 17. I thought those were two pretty tricky holes and to birdie those gave me a good little cushion going into my last three holes.
“That was key.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Joseph Owen 66-62—128
T2 Braden Becker 67-64—131
T2 Jordan Doull 71-60—131
T2 Ryan Peake 66-65—131
5 Scott Strange 64-68—132
6 Peter Cooke 66-68—134
7 Joshua Greer 66-69—135
8 Brady Watt 69-67—136
NEXT UP
Broome Golf Club hosts the WS6 Invitational on Tuesday in the lead-up to the two-day Broome Furnishings – Carpet Paint and Tile Pro-Am starting Friday while in Queensland the Mining Towns Series continues at Tieri on Wednesday with the JET Group Tieri Pro-Am.
Sydney’s Grace Kim has suffered a heartbreaking playoff defeat to be denied a second LPGA Tour win at the Meijer LPGA Classic in Michigan.
Kim began the final round at Blythefield Country Club with a five-stroke lead, an advantage that had been erased completely by the time she stepped onto the fifth tee.
As American Ally Ewing strung four straight birdies together from the third hole, Kim stumbled out of the blocks with back-to-back bogeys.
She matched Ewing’s birdie on six to retain a share of the lead yet her greatest challengers would emerge from back-nine charges by Lilia Vu and Lexi Thompson.
Vu’s bogey-free 7-under 65 would be the best of the day and allowed her to set the clubhouse mark at 16-under par.
Thompson (68) played the back nine in 4-under to also reach 16-under par as 23-year-old Kim showed impressive composure to stay in contention.
She dropped to 15-under with a bogey on nine but made birdie at the par-5 14th and numerous par saves to arrive at the 72nd hole tied for the lead.
A tee shot into the fairway bunker at the par-5 closer forced Kim to lay up and she had a lengthy putt from the back fringe to win in regulation.
Par for @gracekimeyy on 18 means we've got a playoff coming up!!!
— LPGA (@LPGA) June 16, 2024
Grace, @Lexi and @TheLiliaVu will be teeing it up in a sudden-death playoff shortly 🚨 pic.twitter.com/q1xJq6uBJm
That attempt just missed on the low side to close out a round of 1-oover 73, Thompson’s closing birdie sending all three players back to the 18th tee.
Again, Kim had a putt to win at the first playoff hole with an eagle try from just off the front edge of the green but had to hole a three-footer for birdie to match by both Thompson and Vu.
Power behind @gracekimeyy's second shot of the playoff 💪 pic.twitter.com/r2qacywYCZ
— LPGA (@LPGA) June 16, 2024
At the second playoff hole, Kim needed to hole a six-footer to stay in the playoff but an awkward lie right of the fairway and subsequent lay-up at the third playoff hole – the par-5 fourth – opened the door for Vu to clinch victory by getting up-and-down for birdie from the greenside bunker.
Despite the disappointment of falling just short, Kim acknowledged that it is another step forward in her young career.
“Going the three playoff holes with the Player of the Year last year, two major champions and obviously Lexi just being an icon for women’s golf says a lot about my game I guess,” said Kim, who now moves on to the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club.
“Obviously didn’t get it done. Yeah, it sucks, but I think I can see myself I guess in the future as well. Just how much I’ve grown.
“It’s only my second year out, and to be in this position it’s, as you can tell, overwhelming.
“All the credit goes to my team to push me this far.
“To get to these opportunities is, you know, unbelievable. To be able to play against these players in certain conditions and playoff for three holes, I think we all know we played some good damn golf.”
Kim wasn’t the only WPGA Tour of Australasia member with a top-10 finish this past week.
West Australian Kirsten Rudgeley continues to build towards a breakthrough win on the Ladies European Tour, finishing tied for sixth at the Ladies Italian Open as Whitney Hillier made an impressive return in her first LET start since last July.
An Aussie charge never materialised at the US Open where Min Woo Lee’s tie for 23rd was the best result, Bryson DeChambeau producing an extraordinary sand save on the 72nd hole to edge Rory McIlroy by a shot and claim his second US Open.
Photo: Raj Mehta/Getty Images
Results
US Open
Pinehurst Resort (No.2 Cse), Raleigh, North Carolina
1 Bryson DeChambeau 67-69-67-71—274 $US4.3 million
T21 Min Woo Lee 73-69-72-71—285 $203,607
T32 Cameron Smith 71-72-72-72—287 $105,775
T32 Adam Scott 70-72-76-69—287 $105,775
T56 Ryan Fox (NZ) 73-72-76-71—292 $43,676
MC Jason Scrivener 74-72—146
MC Jason Day 71-77—148
MC Cam Davis 77-72—149
LPGA Tour
Meijer LPGA Classic
Blythefield Country Club, Belmont, Michigan
1 Lilia Vu 69-70-68-65—272 $US450,000
Won on third hole of sudden-death playoff
T2 Grace Kim 68-65-66-73—272 $234,649
T17 Hira Naveed 69-70-71-68—278 $33,803
T17 Gabriela Ruffels 68-73-68-69—278 $33,803
MC Robyn Choi 73-70—143
MC Minjee Lee 72-78—150
Korean PGA Tour/Japan Golf Tour
Hana Bank Invitational
Namchuncheon CC, Chuncheon, South Korea
1 Takashi Ogiso 67-69-66-68—270 ¥28.02m
MC Anthony Quayle 73-70—143
MC Junseok Lee 71-74—145
MC Matthew Griffin 70-75—145
Ladies European Tour
Ladies Italian Open
Golf Nazionale, Italy
1 Amy Taylor 70-67-69—206 €45,000
T6 Kirsten Rudgeley 66-74-70—210 €8,640
T32 Whitney Hillier 70-71-76—217 €2,499
T45 Amy Walsh 74-69-76—219 €1,504.29
T45 Kelsey Bennett 73-74-72—219 €1,504.29
T62 Momoka Kobori (NZ) 74-72-78—224 €855
Korn Ferry Tour
Wichita Open
Crestview Country Club, Wichita, Kansas
1 Taylor Dickson 64-64-68-65—261
MC Tim Wilkinson (NZ) 71-68—139
MC Rhein Gibson 73-68—141
MC Brett Drewitt 74-68—142
MC Dimi Papadatos 70-72—142
MC Daniel Gale 74-70—144
MC Steven Bowditch 79-75—154
Challenge Tour
Kaskáda Golf Challenge
Golf Resort Kaskáda, Brno, Czech Republic
1 Hamish Brown 64-69-70-63—266 €43,200
T23 Blake Windred 68-70-71-68—277 €2,403
MC Connor McKinney 69-72—141
MC Jeff Guan 69-73—142
MC Tom Power Horan 76-70—146
MC Hayden Hopewell 72-76—148
Epson Tour
Otter Creek Championship
Otter Creek Golf Course, Columbus, Indiana
1 Savannah Vilaubi 67-68-71—206 $US45,000
Won on the second hole of sudden-death playoff
T47 Cassie Porter 73-71-72—216 $1,335
MC Amelia Garvey (NZ) 73-75—148
MC Fiona Xu (NZ) 75-75—150
MC Amy Chu 73-77—150
MC Maddison Hinson-Tolchard 71-79—150
WD Su Oh 78
LET Access Series
Amundi Czech Ladies Challenge
Panorama Golf Resort, Czech Republic
1 Helen Briem (a) 72-68-73—213 ——
T9 Hanee Song (NZ) 69-76-74—219 €1,317.50
T13 Stephanie Bunque 72-72-77—221 €1,147.50
T18 Munchin Keh (NZ) 76-74-72—222 €850
T25 Wenyung Keh (NZ) 78-73-73—224 €684.25
MC Belinda Ji (a) 77-80—157
Legends Tour
Paul Lawrie Match Play
Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club, Hertfordshire
Final
Angel Cabrera def James Kingston 3&1
Quarter-finals
Angel Cabrera def Michael Long 2&1
Bradley Dredge def Scott Hend 2 up
Round 3
Michael Long def Marc Farry 2&1
Scott Hend def Peter Fowler 3&2
Round 2
Michael Long def Michael Jonzon 3&2
Scott Hend def Adilson da Silva 2&1
Peter Fowler def David Gilford at 19th hole
Round 1
Michael Long def Andrew Raitt 1 up
Peter Fowler def Clark Dennis 4&3
Robert Coles def Peter O’Malley 2&1
Scott Hend def Jean Francois Remesy 3&2
West Australian Min Woo Lee is poised for a third consecutive top-30 finish in a major as reborn American Bryson DeChambeau took the outright lead at the US Open at Pinehurst No.2.
DeChambeau received treatment for a hip complaint throughout his round on Saturday but it did little to hold him back, the 2020 champion launching monster drives in his round of 3-under 67 to lead by three at 7-under through 54 holes.
The US Open champion at Congressional in 2011, Rory McIlroy (69) is in a tie for second at 4-under with Frenchman Matthieu Pavon (69) and American Patrick Cantlay (70), the trio among just eight players under par heading into the final round.
At 4-over par and in a tie for 25th, Lee is the best of the three Aussies who made the cut, his round of 2-over 72 comprised of five bogeys and three birdies.
All three birdies came in an even-par front nine of 35, the 25-year-old driving the green at the 316-yard par-4 third and two-putting from 56 feet for his first of the day.
A booming drive of 348 yards allowed Lee to go for the green in two at the par-5 fifth, just missing an eagle try from 24 feet for a second birdie in three holes.
Continuing to trade birdies for bogeys, Lee dropped a shot when he was unable to get up-and-down from the front of the par-3 sixth but got back to even par on his round when he hit his approach inside three feet at the par-4 seventh.
Second in Strokes Gained: Off The Tee in Round 3, Lee can now add to his strong performances in the majors this year having finished tied for 22nd at The Masters and tied 26th at the US PGA Championship.
Queenslander Cameron Smith moved into a tie for 35th and just one back of Lee thanks largely to a superb back nine on Saturday.
Five-over on his round after a double-bogey at the par-4 eighth, Smith responded in impressive fashion.
A brilliant bunker shot set up birdie from just outside three feet at the par-5 10th, going back-to-back when he found the right side of the cup from 11 feet at the par-4 11th.
Despite finding the native area right of the fairway with his tee shot, Smith produced a brilliant approach shot to six feet at the par-4 18th, converting for birdie and a bogey-free back nine of 3-under 32.
There were no birdies and six bogeys in a frustrating third round of 6-over 76 for Adam Scott, Kiwi Ryan Fox (76) also enduring a difficult day in finding Pinehurst’s treacherous greens in regulation.
Australasian scores
T25 Min Woo Lee 73-69-72—214
T32 Cameron Smith 71-72-72—215
T54 Adam Scott 70-72-76—218
T65 Ryan Fox (NZ) 73-72-76—221
MC Jason Scrivener 74-72—146
MC Jason Day 71-77—148
MC Cam Davis 77-72—149
Victorian Lachlan Aylen described it as a rare day when everything fell his way to record a one-stroke victory at the Foxleigh Mine Middlemount Pro-Am.
The second leg of the Onsite Rental Group Mining Towns Series, Aylen needed a clutch putt on his penultimate hole and then chipped in from 20 metres at his final hole for a round of 7-under 65 and one-shot win over Tim Hart (66) with Darcy Boyd, Connor McDade and Paul Donahoo all sharing third at 5-under 67.
“One of those rounds I got extremely lucky out there,” Aylen said of his second adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win.
“Everything that could go right did go right, which is pretty rare for golf.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
It took just two holes for Aylen to get into red figures at Middlemount Golf Club and he backed it up with two further birdies in his next three holes to be 3-under through five.
He sandwiched a bogey on 15 between birdies at 14 and 16 to get to 4-under and then made a three at the par-4 18th.
With Hart applying pressure courtesy of twin eagles at 10 and 14, Aylen had no option but to continue to push.
A birdie at one helped to maintain his buffer at the top of the leaderboard but a three-putt bogey at the par-3 third brought Hart and others back into the mix.
He rolled in a birdie putt from six feet dead centre on four and then holed his chip shot on five to come out on top.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“A chip-in on the last hole from about 15 or 20 metres really sealed the deal,” said Aylen.
“I thought it was missing and it sort of wobbled back and went in the hole.
“Missed a couple of short ones and made a few long ones so it was a good day.
“I usually only look at the leaderboard when I’m trying to chase last money, which has been pretty common as of late.
“I just sort of plodded along, everything was going right and didn’t really think it was necessary to look at it.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Lachlan Aylen 65
2 Tim Hart 66
T3 Darcy Boyd 67
T3 Connor McDade 67
T3 Paul Donahoo 67
T6 Dylan Gardner 68
T6 Blaike Perkins 68
NEXT UP
The Onsite Rental Group Mining Towns Series now moves on to Tieri Country Club for the two-day JET Group Tieri Pro-Am starting Wednesday.
As predicted by many, Pinehurst No.2 played tougher during the second round of the US Open, where three Australians are through to the weekend and ultra-impressive Swede Ludvig Åberg leads.
Seven shots back of the young European, Min Woo Lee and Adam Scott are the best place of the Aussie contingent, tied 27th on 2-over, with Cameron Smith another shot further back at 3-over. Kiwi Ryan Fox also through to the weekend with on the number that fell at 5-over-par.
Sitting on the wrong side of that cutline was Jason Scrivener (6-over), Jason Day (8-over) and Cam Davis (9-over).
With Lee authoring one of the rounds of the day in the afternoon, for the second straight day it was the par-4 eighth hole that stalled the Australian challenge late in the day. Lee arriving at the 494 yard hole 2-under for the day and perhaps already thinking about signing for just the ninth bogey-free round recorded at a US Open held at Pinehurst No.2 having started from the 10th tee.
His second shot bouncing long and left, with the West Australian unable to get up-and-down to drop his first shot in a 1-under round powered by impressive driving and putting where Lee made birdies at the third and 14th by rolling in mid-range putts.
Scott also made bogey at the eighth for his fourth dropped shot on the front nine Friday after no doubt enjoying his Thursday night following his final hole birdie to be well placed at even par.
That same fighting spirit arrived on the back nine during the second round, when the Queenslander made consecutive birdies at 10 and 11, before another came Scott’s way at the 14th against bogey the next to sign for a 2-over 72, the same score as Smith who shares 37th.
Unlike the up-and-down days of the Lee and Scott, the 2022 Open Champion played the steady golf US Opens are known for, with Smith failing to register a birdie and his 16 pars only interrupted by bogeys at second and 12th.
It was a rollercoaster start to the second round for Fox, who made four bogeys, one birdie and one par in his opening six holes, with the lone New Zealander in the field mixing birdies at 10 and 13 with six pars and a bogey on the back nine to earn his place on the weekend.
For the second straight day, Scrivener made his lone birdie at the par-5 10th in a two-over 72 to miss making his third major cut by a shot, with practice round partner Day’s hopes of the weekend coming unravelled across a four hole stretch starting at the fifth that included three bogeys and a double.
Managing a wry smile and arms raised celebration with caddie Andrew Tschudin when finally making his first birdie of the tournament after 28 holes, Davis produced another four holes later before closing a frustrating week with birdie at the 18th.
The US Open is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
Australasian Scores
T27 Min Woo Lee +2
T27 Adam Scott +2
T37 Cam Smith +3
T57 Ryan Fox+5
MC Jason Scrivener +6
MC Jason Day +8
MC Cam Davis +9
Having waited until the final moments to confirm his 92nd consecutive major start at the 1,000th USGA championship, Adam Scott showed why he has been a fixture, leading the Aussie charge at the US Open after the opening day at Pinehurst No.2.
Signing for an even par round of 70, Scott is tied for 16th, five back of leading pair Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay, who equalled 2014 champion Martin Kaymer’s course record mark of 5-under 65.
Scott’s fellow major winners from Queensland, Jason Day and Cameron Smith, are the next best of his compatriots in a share of 34th after 1-over 71s, with Min Woo Lee two shots further adrift alongside Kiwi Ryan Fox at 3-over. Jason Scrivener at 4-over and Cam Davis on 7-over round out the Australian contingent.
Playing in the late afternoon, when scores were expected to be higher as the Donald Ross design became firmer with greens rolling between 13 and 14 on the Stimpmeter, Scott authored a late mix of birdies and a double-bogey having felt rejuvenated after finally confirming his place in the field.
“I think generally I played quite well. But I didn’t hit that many shots close when I hit the green, so I was grinding hard,” Scott said.
“I didn’t really have many makeable birdie chances. I hit a couple good shots close and made them, and that helps.
“I think just generally, you should be happy if you shoot even par at a US Open, from my experience.”
Making a steady start with six straight pars from the 10th tee, his first hole of the day, Scott stumbled with back-to-back bogeys at the 16th and 17th, before flighting a beautiful wedge to four feet from 114 yards at 18 to set up his first birdie of the day.
The 43-year-old’s next birdie came in more dramatic fashion when he rolled in an 82-foot putt from off the front edge of the fourth green, before another close approach at seven took him to 1-under-par for the day and inside the top-10.
Missing the eighth green left, Scott watched on as his approach putt rolled back down one of Pinehurst’s famed swales almost to his feet and would head to the par-3 ninth over par after taking a double-bogey six.
Once again striking a pure iron from the tee of his last hole, Scott rolled in his fourth birdie of the day from 21 feet to return to even and be well placed at a venue where he has previously finished tied for 28th in 2005 and tied ninth in 2014.
“It’s the same for everyone, but I hit a pretty good shot into eight, and it’s very fine lines here on the greens, and I got a bounce to the left and it went into the worst spot you could miss it and made a double,” he said.
“I felt like I was kind of willing that one in on nine because I felt like I really deserved to shoot even par. I didn’t know why that one shot feels so much better than shooting over par, but it feels like a small victory to say you’ve shot par at a US Open.”
Smith similarly closed his first round with a birdie from over 20 feet at the ninth, the Queenslander also ending his front nine with his only other birdie of the day at the par-4 18th after a wedge that was all over the flag.
Starting his round from the first, it was a tale of two nines for Day. He made the turn without a birdie to his name and 3-over the card before birdies at 10 and 12 got him moving in the right direction until a bogey at 14 slowed his momentum.
The former world No.1 bounced back by finding the bottom of the cup from 46 feet and almost the entire width of the 16th green for birdie.
Like Scott, Lee made double-bogey at the eighth having only been able to move his second shot a matter of metres, with his steady play across the rest of the round another sign of the West Australian’s comfort at the US Open.
Fox similarly had a double on his card of 73, while Scrivener’s lone bright spot came with birdie at the monstrous 619 yard par-5 10th during his first major in almost two years.
The US Open is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
Australasian Scores
T16 Adam Scott EV
T34 Jason Day +1
T34 Cam Smith +1
T65 Min Woo Lee +3
T65 Ryan Fox +3
T86 Jason Scrivener +4
T132 Cam Davis +7
Promising teenagers Natascha Tennent and Noah Schammer are among the first six recipients of the Webex Golf Scholarships that will provide financial and practical support to continue their journeys in golf.
Tennent (pictured, right) and Schammer (centre) will receive Development Scholarships as Steven Alderson (left), Lachlan Wood, Garth Allen and Cameron Pollard were announced as the Full Scholarship recipients.
An expansion of the Webex Players Series All Abilities program, Tennent and Schammer will each receive $3,000 in coaching and tournament support while Full Scholarship holders will receive $6,000 in total funding and support.
In addition, there will be Adidas clothing, technology support and a monthly player education webinar as Webex continues to find new ways to promote and develop All Abilities golf.
A total of 19 applications were received from nearly every state and territory with the selection panel not only impressed by the quality of each application but taking the time to talk personally with each athlete about their journey in golf.
“Thanks to Webex, these scholarships provide a great opportunity for these world class athletes,” said Nick Bielawski, Senior Manager – Coaching Programs for the PGA of Australia.
“They’ll receive access to coaching from PGA professionals around Australia. In addition, they’ll receive travel and tournament support to play in more tournaments and improve their world ranking.”
“Webex is proud to be partnering with PGA Australia to enable the ongoing development of All Abilities golfers,” said Chris Bowman, Director of Marketing, Webex by Cisco, APJC.
“Through both funding and the use of our technology, we aim to unlock opportunities for these talented rising stars to be coached by the world’s elite golfing professionals and set them on their path to becoming the next generation of Australian golfing champions.”
Scholarship recipients were selected based on their GA handicaps, performances in Webex Players Series events and performances in WR4GD ranking events.
Full Scholarships
Lachlan Wood
Winner 2023 Australian All Abilities Championship
T4 at 2024 G4D Open in England
Ranked No.7 in WR4GD Gross Rankings
2nd at G4D Tour @ The CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Winner 2023 WA Open All Abilities Championship
Cameron Pollard
3rd at 2023 Australian All Abilities Championship
Winner 2024 Webex All Abilities Players Series Hunter Valley
Winner 2024 Queensland Inclusive Championship
2nd at 2024 NSW All Inclusive Championship
Steven Alderson
Ranked No.4 in Australia in gross rankings
Ranked No.6 in WR4GD Nett Rankings
Winner of Webex All Abilities Players Series South Australia
Tied 1st at Qld Inclusive Championship
2nd at SA Inclusive Championship
3rd at Vic Inclusive Championship
Garth Allen
Ranked No.8 in Australia in gross rankings
4th place at the 2024 Scottish Open
3rd place in his flight at US Open Adaptive Qualifying
3rd NSW All Abilities Championship
4th SA All Abilities Championship
Top-50 finish at 2024 G4D Open
Development Scholarships
Noah Schammer
Winner 2023 Riversdale All Abilities Cup
Ranked No.88 in WR4GD Gross Rankings
7th at 2024 Victorian Inclusive Championship
Natascha Tennent
Gold Medallist 2023 Special Olympics World Games
No.13-ranked female on WR4GD
Winner of Sporting Achievement Whilst Overcoming Adversity at 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards
Winner Nett Strokeplay Division at EDGA Algarve Masters in Portugal
