Want to recieve exclusive news, videos, tournament highlights, golf important tips and more ?
Want to recieve exclusive news, videos, tournament highlights, golf important tips and more ?
Lucas Herbert completed the Bendigo region double on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series with a runaway win in the Symes Motors Axedale BMW Pro-Am today.
A day after shooting an equal course record 9-under-par 61 to claim the pro-am at his junior club, Neangar Park, Herbert flirted with a 59 before carding a 7-under-62 to beat fellow Victorians Cameron Kelly and Euan Walters by four shots.
The Axedale victory was a first for the 27-year-old who ran third and seventh in his previous appearances.
HOW THE WINNING SCORE UNFOLDED
Preparing for the LIV Adelaide event later this month, Herbert was 7-under through 11 holes but his bid for a 59, to match the Axedale record held by Kris Mueck, was halted by pars on 12, 13, 14 and 16.
A bogey on the par-4 17th ended up costing him back-to-back 61s to celebrate his return home.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Today was solid. Similar to yesterday I thought I played reasonable enough and made some pretty good putts,” Herbert said.
“It’s tricky around here. You can get yourself in some tough positions very easily.
“I managed to avoid as many of those as possible and put some numbers on the board which was nice.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-7: Lucas Herbert (Vic)
-3: Cameron Kelly (Vic), Euan Walters (Vic)
-2: Michael Choi (Vic)
-1: Roland Baglin (Vic)
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series stops off in Leeton in NSW for the two-day Leeton Golf Club SunRice Pro-Am this weekend.
Nathan Barbieri clinched the 2024/25 Challenger PGA Tour of Australia Qualifying School’s Final Stage by running down all-the-way leader Max Charles before winning a three-man sudden-death playoff at Moonah Links today.
The Sydney professional went birdie-birdie-birdie-birdie-eagle over his final five holes on the Open Course to card an 8-under-par 64 and finish the 72 holes at 16-under, level with Victorian Charles (69) and New Zealand’s Denzel Ieremia (65).
Ieremia birdied the par-5 final hole, while Charles could only manage a par.
After the first two playoff holes were squared with pars, Barbieri clinched the win by rolling in a metre-long birdie putt after a pinpoint gap wedge approach on the par-4 10th hole.
By winning Q-School, the 27-year-old from Monash earns a start in all Challenger PGA Tour of Australia tournaments next season, including the big three – the Australian Open, Australian PGA and New Zealand Open.
.@barbieri_nathan is victorious at the 2024-25 PGATA Q School following a three-hole playoff 🐤👏 pic.twitter.com/yQP2G3raAf
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) April 12, 2024
Although he has been a regular on leaderboards since turning professional in 2020, Barbieri was coming off a disappointing season on the 2023/24 campaign, falling to 54th place on the Order of Merit.
After losing his place in the top 50 on the final day of season, his Tour status for 2024/25 received a significant upgrade thanks to today’s success.
“I hadn’t been playing too good but I felt like it clicked maybe the second round in New Zealand and then I played well in the last event at The National,” Barbieri said.
“Winning here is massive.
“I can plan my schedule now which is awesome.
“I came here for one reason – to win it – and I’ve done it so that’s very good.”
Charles will consider himself very unlucky to miss out on the rewards that top spot offers after starting the day with a four-shot lead and shooting a steady 3-under 69.
He only dropped shots on three of the 75 holes he played, the majority of them as the joint or outright leader.
“Max and Denzel played great all day. It was a good battle,” Barbieri said.
“There were a few nerves on that final putt. I didn’t actually think I’d be that nervous and it almost went right on me as well. I was happy to get it.”
Thirty-six players gained Tour cards for 2024/25 – and inclusion in Category 14 – by finishing at 2-over-par or better, including amateurs Tyler Duncan (Qld), Segunda Oliva Pinto (Argentina), Siddharth Nadimpalli (Vic), Jordan Doull (WA), Ben Henkel (Vic), Jye Pickin (NSW) and Ryan Ang (Singapore).
Lucas Herbert returned home to Bendigo and treated a big local following to a day to remember, equalling the course record on the way to a four-shot win in the Evolution Neangar Park Pro-Am.
The winner at Neangar Park on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series last year, Herbert’s round of 10-under-par 61 started with a bang when he holed a wedge shot for an eagle on the opening hole, a 367m par-4.
Although he only arrived back in Australia yesterday from overseas duties with LIV Golf, the 28-year-old added nine birdies, and had just a solitary bogey, to match the course record set only a few days earlier by a young club member, Morten Hafkamp.
Ironically the teenager was in Herbert’s group today.
“I’m not sure whether he was cheering for me to knock that putt in on the last. But it was nice to tie that record with him because he’s obviously played a great game of golf last weekend,” Herbert said of his younger playing partner whose 61 sealed the 2024 club championship.
“It was good to play with him today and see where his game is at.”
Fellow Victorian Josh Younger, fresh off his 2023/24 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia campaign, shot a 6-under 65 to take second spot.
HOW THE WINNING SCORE UNFOLDED
After his magical two on the first, Herbert dropped a shot on the second but that was his only setback for the day.
A trio of birdies came from the fourth to sixth and after making his way to -7 after 13, he closed off his round with another three in row, including a three-metre putt for birdie on the last.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
Herbert’s availability for Neangar Park only became possible after the club changed its pro-am date to accommodate the local favourite.
“The jet lag has been hitting me pretty hard but I managed to hold it off for as long as I could to get through that round of golf,” he said.
“I’m not used to being back here this time of year. It’s odd to be here when it’s not really hot. Usually summer is our time and you’re sitting around outside, hoping for a cool breeze.
“For me, being able to give back to Australian golf, and give back to my local community as much as I can, has been something I’ve enjoyed doing over the last few years when I’ve had the chance.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-10: Lucas Herbert (Vic)
-6: Josh Younger (Vic)
-4: Wade Lowrie (Vic)
-3: Finlay Bellingham (Vic), Adam Burdett (Vic), Levi Burns (Vic)
NEXT UP
Herbert will again be the star attraction at the second leg of the Bendigo region double, the Symes Motors BMW Axedale Pro-Am, on Friday before the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series stops off in Leeton in NSW for the two-day Leeton Golf Club SunRice Pro-Am
After being the joint leader after rounds one and two, Victorian rookie professional Max Charles seized control of the Final Stage of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia’s Qualifying School with a 66 on day three at Moonah Links today.
Sitting at 13-under-par after 54 holes, the former Australian amateur representative will head into the final round with a four-shot lead over New Zealand’s Denzel Ieremia and on track for his biggest moment as a professional.
The 23-year-old had a best finish of T42 in his four Tour starts in the 2023/24 season, but he’s looked very comfortable in the lead this week, dropping just three shots over the opening three rounds – a double-bogey on the 12th hole of the Open Course on Wednesday and a bogey on the opening hole today.
He followed that early mis-step with birdies on the third, fourth, seventh, eighth and ninth to turn in 32 before adding in birdies on the 14th and 18th.
Meanwhile, Ieremia surged to second thanks to the low round of the tournament so far. His eight-under 64 featured eight birdies – three on the front nine and five on the back which he completed in just 31 strokes – and saw him jump 12 positions after he struggled to a 76 on day two.
Also still in contention heading into Friday are Nathan Barbieri (NSW), who is five shots back at -8, James Mee (Qld) at -7 and Brett Rankin (Qld) and Adam Brady (WA) who are sharing fifth at -6.
Round three saw some important big moves further back in the field including a 67 from Queensland amateur Tyler Duncan to move him to a share of ninth and a 67 from NSW’s Dylan Perry, despite two late bogeys, which lifted him into a share of 25th.
Argentinian amateur Segunda Oliva Pinta solidified his position with a 69 to be equal seventh at 5-under, alongside joint 36-hole leader Corey Lamb (NSW) who double-bogeyed the second hole on the way to a 74.
The top 30 finishers after the 72 holes conclude tomorrow will earn Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia and be placed in a Tournament Exemption Category.
The cut line for those slots sits at +1 entering the final round.
Those players finishing beyond 30th place and ties, who complete 72 holes at Final Stage, will be eligible for Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia, however, they will not hold an exemption category for the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
All players who play 72 holes of the Final Stage will earn a pro-am exemption category and be eligible to enter adidas PGA Pro-Am series events.
Ulverstone Golf Club Professional Darren Spencer has booked his spot for the PGA Professionals Championship National Final with a one-stroke win at the Tasmanian PGA Professionals Championship at Claremont Golf Club.
The top three finishers earned a place in the National Final at Heritage Golf and Country Club in October, Spencer’s 1-under 68 giving him the victory from Daniel Smith (69).
The third and final spot required a playoff, with Scott Priest, two-time Dan Cullen Cup winner Scott Laycock, David Tapping and Steve Frith all finishing at 1-over 70.
Consecutive pars at the first and second playoff holes would prove to be good enough for Priest to join Spencer and Smith at The Heritage.
The next qualifying tournament is the PGA Professionals Championship of North Queensland, to be played at Townsville Golf Club on Monday, April 22.
Six All Abilities golfers will receive scholarships to pursue their golf dreams in a new funding program titled the Webex Golf Scholarship.
An expansion of the Webex Players Series All Abilities program, the scholarships have been made available due to additional funding provided by Webex in partnership with the PGA of Australia and Golf Australia.
Four players will receive full scholarships to the value of $6,000 each and two players will receive a development scholarship worth $3,000 each.
In addition to funding for coaching and tournament support, scholarship holders will receive clothing courtesy of adidas and technology support to continue to elevate their performances.
The program is the brainchild of PGA Academy Coaching Programs Manager Nick Bielawski who believes sustained support will give Australian All Abilities golfers the best chance to succeed internationally.
“The Webex All Abilities High Performance Camp that we staged last year was a great success, but we acknowledged that the support needed to be more ongoing,” Bielawski said.
“Thanks to the additional funding provided by Webex, we have been able to structure a scholarship program that provides not only coaching support but practical financial support to travel to tournaments.
“Australia has a number of players that have proven that they can compete with the best All Abilities golfers in the world.
“We hope that a program such as this will allow others to become the best golfers they can be and to pursue opportunities both in Australia and overseas.”
Glenn Smith, Regional Manager, Collaboration for Cisco-Webex, was thrilled to see the extension of the Webex All Abilities Players Series into a scholarship program that will provide further opportunities for athletes.
“Webex is excited to support the Webex Golf Scholarship program for All Abilities athletes,” said Smith.
“The addition of the All Abilities trophy during the 2022/23 Webex Players Series has seen it become the most inclusive series of tournaments in golf.
“We are very proud to be partnering with the PGA of Australia to continue supporting development initiatives and showcase the exceptional talent of these athletes to a wide audience.”
To be considered for a Team Webex scholarship, athletes must meet the following criteria:
Athletes that meet the above criteria will then be assessed on:
Applicants must complete an application form to apply for Team Webex. After applications have closed, athletes will be shortlisted with further interviews arranged to determine the final recipients of the scholarships and whether it be a full or development scholarship.
Full scholarship recipients will receive:
Development scholarship recipients will receive:
To apply for a Team Webex scholarship click here
Mark Panopolous earned his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win as Tim Hart celebrated his 100th career victory at the Orora Yenda Pro-Am at Yenda Golf Club.
Panopolous and Hart both posted rounds of 4-under 44 at the 12-hole layout to finish one clear of Marcus Fraser (45), Jayden Cripps (45) and Kyle Michel (45) in the first event of the 2024/2025 season.
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series Order of Merit winner in 2021 and 2022, Hart was shocked to find out post-round that it was 100th tournament win across pro-am and Associate events.
“I didn’t think I was that old,” said Hart.
“If that is the case, that’s awesome.
“That’s something good to look back on and know that my game’s in pretty good stead year in, year out.
“Just going to build off that and hopefully start doing it in bigger events.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED
Playing in consecutive groups, Hart set a cracking pace with birdies at his opening two holes.
He made his only bogey of the day at the par-4 third but picked up shots at six, nine and 11 to get into the clubhouse at 4-under.
Hart would soon have company as Panopolous came in with a score of 4-under in the group behind.
Like Hart, Panopolous birdied the par-5 first and then made birdies at five and six to be 3-under at the halfway mark of his round.
The Concord Golf Club Assistant Professional made bogey at the par-3 ninth but back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11 enabled him to join Hart at the top of the leaderboard.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
Mark Panopolous: “Playing here last year definitely helped, understanding where you can hit it and where you can’t. There are quite a few holes where you have to take on the boundary line, so just trying to be aggressively conservative.
“I was talking to a good mate John Lyras this morning and just really working on some pre-shot routine processes to try and get me more into the shot. Just got me a bit more locked into the shot I’m trying to hit, really visualising it and really just trying to be really tight with my routine, keep it repeatable.
“I wasn’t doing it very well so I was happy to listen and try and make it better and obviously it’s worked for me today.”
Tim Hart: “It was nice to go out there and shoot a score. I know it’s only 12 holes but I hit it pretty well and good signs leading into the next few pro-ams at Griffith and Leeton.
“I found something the last six months on tour, done a lot of mental work, mental side of the game just to stay calmer out there.
“I struggled a bit with injuries and stuff the last few years, so it’s good to sort of understand that a bit more and understand my body more.
“Been hitting it a lot better the last few months in the tour events and it’s good to see some results in four-rounders.
“We’ll just use the middle part of this year to play a few more pro-ams and get it all ready for the tour events later in the year.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 Tim Hart 44
T1 Mark Panopoulos 44
T3 Kyle Michel 45
T3 Jayden Cripps 45
T3 Marcus Fraser 45
T6 Alexander Simpson 46
T6 Toby Walker 46
T6 Dillon Hart 46
NEXT UP
Two-time DP World Tour winner Lucas Herbert is back home to defend his Neangar Park Pro-Am by Evolution Copy Print Solutions on Thursday and will also tee it up at Friday’s Symes Motors BMW Axedale Pro-Am.
He made waves as a rookie by staking his claim to Tiger Woods’ No.1 mantle and now Jason Day has had a subtle dig ahead of their pairing for Round 1 of The Masters Friday morning.
Day has been drawn to play with Woods and American Max Homa for the first two-rounds, the 2011 runner-up to begin his tournament at 3:24am AEST on Friday.
The 36-year-old will be the last of the six-strong Aussie contingent to take to the famed Augusta National Golf Club layout, Victorian amateur Jasper Stubbs off in Group 6 at 11pm Thursday night alongside former champion Zach Johnson and Canadian Correy Conners.
Day made headlines prior to his rookie season on the PGA TOUR by declaring his goal to reach No.1 in the world and “take Tiger down”.
That goal doesn’t seem to have changed given his response when told he would be playing with the five-time Masters champion in Thursday’s opening round.
“As long as I beat that old man, I’m happy,” Day joked.
Now in his 17th year on Tour, Day has established a close relationship with Tiger.
Woods once reached out to pick the 2015 US PGA champion’s brain about his chipping technique and the pair often engage in banter via text message.
They have played together often in golf’s showpiece events and Day insists that he won’t be impacted by all that comes with being inside the ropes with Tiger Woods.
“As long as you’re concentrating on what you need to do, then it shouldn’t matter,” Day said of possible crowd distractions.
“I’ve played out here a long time. There’s guys that don’t like people moving around the greens, but, for the most part, I’ve never really been too distracted with people moving.
“If I am distracted, just come off and readjust and go in again.
“It’s going to be fun knowing I’m playing with Tiger and Max the first two rounds. That’s exciting. Obviously, I’m looking forward to the challenge, especially the first two days.”
If not for an extraordinary back nine charge by Charl Schwartzel, Day came within a whisker of succeeding Raymond Floyd in 1976 as the most recent first-time winner in 2011.
In a heartbreaking Monday morning for Australian golf, he and Adam Scott both finished in a tie for second, two shots back of Schwartzel.
He has recorded further top-five finishes in 2013 and 2019 but is adamant that Augusta owes him nothing.
“Augusta doesn’t owe anyone,” Day replied.
“Golf doesn’t owe anything to me. I owe a lot to golf, and especially this place here, as well, because of just the opportunity that I’ve had.
“I’ve just got to not think about it, not get too worked up about it. To be honest, just trying to get my ball going straight where I need it to go, so that’s kind of taken most of the pressure off my head.”
Round 1 tee times AEST
The Masters
Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia
Round 1
11pm Zach Johnson, Corey Conners, Jasper Stubbs (a)
11:12pm Sergio Garcia, Chris Kirk, Ryan Fox (NZ)
12:06am Patrick Cantlay, Min Woo Lee, Rickie Fowler
12:54am Wyndham Clark, Viktor Hovland, Cameron Smith
1:18am Camilo Villegas, Denny McCarthy, Cameron Davis
3:12am Adam Scott, Sam Burns, Cameron Young
3:24am Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Max Homa
Round 2
10:12pm Camilo Villegas, Denny McCarthy, Cameron Davis
12:06am Adam Scott, Sam Burns, Cameron Young
12:18am Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Max Homa
2:12am Zach Johnson, Corey Conners, Jasper Stubbs (a)
2:24am Sergio Garcia, Chris Kirk, Ryan Fox (NZ)
3:12am Patrick Cantlay, Min Woo Lee, Rickie Fowler
4am Wyndham Clark, Viktor Hovland, Cameron Smith
Defending champion: Jon Rahm
Past Aussie winners: Adam Scott (2013)
Prize money: $US18 million
TV times: Par 3 Contest Live 5am-7am Thursday on Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9Now; Live 11pm-9:30am Thursday, Friday on Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9Now; Live 12am-9am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9Now.
Korean PGA Tour
19th DB Insurance Promy Open
Ravie Belle CC (Old Cse), Chuncheon
9:20am Jaehyun Jeong, Seonghyun Jeon, Kevin Chun (NZ)
9:30am Taehee Lee, Taehoon Kim, Junseok Lee
2pm Wonjoon Lee, Youngsu Kim, Sanghee Lee
Defending champion: Go Guntaek
Prize money: 700,000,000 KRW
Past Aussie winners: Nil
A 7-under-par 65 has propelled Corey Lamb into a share of the halfway lead at the Final Stage of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School at Moonah Links.
After starting with an even-par 72 on Tuesday, the Hunter Valley professional, who almost broke through for a Tour victory at Webex Players Series South Australia last October, is alongside rookie Victorian pro Max Charles (66-71) at -7 after 36 holes.
Western Australia’s Ryan Peake (66-72) is a shot back in third, one clear of NSW’s Nathan Barbieri (68-71) and WA’s Adam Brady (71-68).
The two leading amateurs in the field, Australian representative Jye Pickin (70-72) and Argentina’s Segundo Oliva Pinto (71-71), are tied for 10th at -2.
Lamb’s 65, the low score in the opening two rounds, was highlighted by an eagle two at the 355m par-4 ninth hole, with his only bogey coming two holes later on the 404m par-4 11th.
After starting the day in a share of the lead with Peake, Charles dropped his first shots of the tournament with a double-bogey on the 385m par-4 12th but bounced back with an eagle on the par-5 15th (491m).
The top 30 finishers after the 72 holes conclude on Friday will earn Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia and be placed in a Tournament Exemption Category.
Those players finishing beyond 30th place and ties, who complete 72 holes at Final Stage, will be eligible for Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia, however, they will not hold an exemption category for the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
All players who play 72 holes of the Final Stage will earn a pro-am exemption category and be eligible to enter adidas PGA Pro-Am series events.
Photo: Corey Lamb, tied for the lead at Final Stage of Q-School
The first major championship of the year is upon us, with 89 players descending on Augusta National Golf Club for the 88th Masters Tournament, including six Australians.
Seeking to become just the second Australian to have the green jacket draped on their shoulders, Cameron Davis, Jason Day, Min Woo Lee, Cameron Smith and amateur Jasper Stubbs join 2013 champion Adam Scott in Georgia.
With the eyes of the golfing world on The Masters, here is all you need to know to follow the action.
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Jon Rahm
PRIZEMONEY: $US18 million (expected to be same as 2023)
LIVE SCORES: www.masters.com
TV COVERAGE: The Masters Tournament rounds are live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo, as well as 9GemHD and 9Now.
Fox Sports 503 will be a dedicated Masters channel this week, while featured holes and groups will be shown on Kayo, Fox Sports 505/506 and 9Now.
*All times AEST.
Par-3 Contest: 5am – 7am Thursday (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9Now)
Round One: Featured groups 11pm Thursday – 5am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9Now);Regular coverage Friday 5am – 9:30am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9GemHD/9Now)
Round Two: Featured groups 11pm Friday – 5am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9Now);Regular coverage Saturday 5am – 9:30am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9GemHD/9Now)
Round Three: Featured groups 12am Sunday – 5am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9Now);Regular coverage Sunday 5am – 9am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9GemHD/9Now)
Final Round: Featured groups 12am Monday – 4am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9Now);Regular coverage Monday 4am – 9am (Fox Sports 503/Kayo/9GemHD/9Now)
ROUND ONE TEE TIMES (AEST)
Cameron Davis: 1:18am (Friday)
Jason Day: 3:24am (Friday)
Min Woo Lee: 12:06am (Friday)
Adam Scott: 3:12am (Friday)
Cameron Smith: 12:54am (Friday)
Jasper Stubbs (a): 11:00pm (Thursday)
AUSTRALIAN PLAYER PROFILES
CAMERON DAVIS
World ranking: 62
Age: 29
Professional wins: Four
Best finish at The Masters: 46th (2022)
The lowdown: Making his second Masters start, Davis returns after a year away from Augusta National when he managed his best ever finish at a major with a T4 at the 2024 U.S. PGA Championship.
Making the cut in his one appearance, Davis is now a fixture, and winner, on the PGA TOUR and has the ball striking prowess to succeed at The Masters.
Sharing 21st in his last start, the Seattle-based Sydneysider has a best finish of T18 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational so far this year and is chasing a second Presidents Cup spot in 2024.
JASON DAY
World ranking: 21
Age: 36
Major wins: One (2015 U.S. PGA Championship)
Professional wins: 19
Best finish at The Masters: T2 (2011)
The lowdown: Returning to the winners’ circle on the PGA TOUR and finishing runner-up at The Open in 2024, Day arrives in solid form with three top-10s already to his name so far this year.
Long considered a player purpose built for Augusta, Day, who has made nine cuts in 12 starts, nearly joined the exclusive club of winning The Masters on his first try when he was joint second in 2011 behind South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel.
Rebuilding his game with Tiger Woods’ former coach Chris Como after years of back injuries, Day still has the high ball flight best suited to MacKenzie’s design, while his putting is among the best in the game when on.
MIN WOO LEE
World ranking: 32
Age: 25
Professional wins: Four
Best finish at The Masters: T14 (2022)
The lowdown: After a stellar summer at home, where he won the Australian PGA Championship and was third at the Australian Open, Lee will arrive well rested after a break following the PGA TOUR’s ‘Florida Swing’, albeit nursing a finger which he fractured in a weights session.
Sharing second at the Cognizant Classic last month, Lee’s ‘It’ factor will no doubt be on show again this week, as it was on debut two years ago when the West Australian equalled the front nine tournament scoring record of 30.
Boasting major championship pedigree from sister Minjee, Min Woo missed the weekend last year but has shown an early aptitude at the majors, where he has five finishes in the top-10 from six starts.
ADAM SCOTT
World ranking: 53
Age: 43
Major wins: One (2013 Masters)
Professional wins: 32
Best finish at The Masters: Win (2013)
The lowdown: Never discount a winner at Augusta, and that is certainly the case with Scott who broke the Aussie duck 11 years ago in the rain.
The Queenslander recorded dual top-10s at the Australian PGA and Australian Open before winning the Cathedral Invitational to end 2023, with Scott finishing in the top-20 five times already this year.
Tied for 14th in Texas last week, Scott is making his 23rd Masters appearance, a record that has included 20 made cuts including the last 14 straight. In addition to his green jacket, the former World No.1 has nine other results better than T25 over his tremendous Masters career.
CAMERON SMITH
World ranking: 68
Age: 30
Major wins: One (2022 Open Championship)
Professional wins: 12
Best finish at The Masters: T2 (2020)
The lowdown: A proven performer at the majors, the winner of the 150th Open’s biggest question heading into this week is his health after a bout of food poisoning cruelled his final prep last week.
Physically on the improve, Smith became the first player to shoot four rounds in the 60s at The Masters only to be trumped by Dustin Johnson in 2020 for the title. Winning his own major two years later, the Queenslander’s short game is his ace in hole this, and every, week.
Missing out in a play-off a few weeks back, Smith has already developed a strong Masters resumé with seven made cuts from seven starts and four top-10s to his name. Beware the wounded golfer!
JASPER STUBBS (a)
World ranking: 1410
Age: 22
Professional wins: None
Best finish at The Masters: Debut
The lowdown: The fourth Australian winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, Stubbs punched his Masters (and Open) ticket last year at Royal Melbourne with a steely play-off win to follow in the recent footsteps of Harrison Crowe.
Getting the awe of a first visit out the of the way earlier in the year, Stubbs will stay in the Crows Nest early in the week before settling into some off site accommodation, with making the cut the first goal for the low amateur at the Australian Open.
Has gained plenty of experience playing alongside the pros on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia this past season, and will attempt to glean as much as possible from Cam Smith during a scheduled Wednesday practice round.
THE COURSE
As it has done 87 times before, Augusta National Golf Club welcomes The Masters this week to its golf course that is known the world over.
Opened in 1933, the host venue was designed by Dr Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones with tournament golf front of mind and has been regularly updated to challenge the modern day player.
In preparation for this year’s tournament, 10 yards have been added to the sweeping dogleg left par-5 second hole that makes it the longest hole on the course at 585 yards. Interestingly, every hole at Augusta is listed at five yard increments with the par-72 totalling 7555 yards for 2024.
Immaculate condition of the overseeded ryegrass fairways and bentgrass greens, as well as surrounding flowers, are par for the course where the three holes known as ‘Amen Corner’ are always crucial come Sunday afternoon.
Comprising the 520-yard par-4 11th (White Dogwood), 155-yard par-3 12th (Golden Bell) and the 545-yard par-5 13th (Azalea), the famous trio have seen green jackets won and lost over the years.
Ball striking is at a premium at Augusta National, where Nick Price (1986) and Greg Norman (1996) hold the course record of 63 (nine-under).
HEADLINERS
Jon Rahm, 2023 Masters champion
Scottie Scheffler, World No.1 and 2022 Masters champion
Brooks Koepka, Five-time major winner and 2023 runner-up
Tiger Woods, Five-time Masters champion and 15-time major winner
Wyndham Clark, 2023 U.S. Open winner
Hideki Matsuyama, 2021 Masters champion
Rory McIlroy, Four-time major winner
Jordan Spieth, Three-time major winner
Dustin Johnson, Two-time major winner and 2020 Masters champion
Xander Schauffele, World No.5 and 2019 Masters runner-up
Phil Mickelson, Six-time major winner and 2023 runner-up
