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Jason Day is closing in on the type of form that produced one of the greatest seasons by an Australian golfer as he chases a third victory at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.
In an extensive pre-tournament interview Day gave his thoughts on a diverse range of topics, including:
It was 10 years ago that Day won at Torrey Pines for the first time, the first of what would be five PGA TOUR titles in 2015, including the 2015 US PGA Championship.
Not since Karrie Webb won five times on the LPGA Tour in 2006 had an Aussie enjoyed such success in a single season on a major tour, Cameron Smith’s historic three-win season in 2022 the only one to come close since.
On the back of a tie for third at The American Express – his best result since finishing tied for second at The Open in 2023 – it has given the 37-year-old cause to believe that his best is tantalisingly within reach.
“I feel like I’m preparing myself for another run,” said Day, a winner at Torrey Pines for a second time in 2018.
“I definitely think that not only is my body moving in the correct way, the correct direction, my swing’s moving in the correct direction and also my mind.
“I’ve actually struck it really nice over the last two weeks and I’ve putted poorly. If I can match those two things… but that’s just golf. When you feel like you’ve got one thing, the other thing goes missing.”
The self-confessed favourite club in his bag, the putter represents the key in Day winning on the PGA TOUR for a 14th time.
After ranking ninth in Strokes Gained: Putting in 2024, Day is currently 153rd from a small data pool.
For a player regarded as one of the greatest putters of the past 20 years, it is a statistical anomaly Day is eager to rectify.
“My putter by far because that’s the thing that I’m known for, even though I haven’t putted good the last few tournaments in a row,” said Day when asked to name the favourite club in his bag.
“It’s not the sexiest thing, you know what I mean? It’s not like hitting a drive like a Rory McIlroy or anything like that, but you hit a clutch putt down the stretch when you need to, nothing better than that because you need it.
“When all else fails and you have the putter going, it’s the thing that’s going to keep you in the game.
“That’s the reason why I love putting the most.”
Joining Day at Torrey Pines is Aaron Baddeley while on the DP World Tour the two most recent Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winners, David Micheluzzi and Kazuma Kobori, and this season’s leader, Elvis Smylie, are playing the Ras Al Khaimah Championship in the UAE.
There are nine Aussies teeing it up in the first Asian Tour event of the year in the Philippines and Hayden Hopewell begins his 2025 HotelPlanner Tour campaign in South Africa.
Photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Round 1 tee times AEDT
PGA TOUR
Farmers Insurance Open
Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Cse), San Diego, California
5:07am Aaron Baddeley
5:40am Jason Day
Past champion: Matthieu Pavon
Past Aussie winners: Jason Day (2015, 2018), Marc Leishman (2020)
Prize money: $US9.3m
TV times: Live 4am-11am Thursday, Friday; Live 4am-12pm Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
DP World Tour
Ras Al Khaimah Championship
Al Hamra GC, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE
2:10pm* Jason Scrivener
3:30pm* David Micheluzzi
7:05pm Elvis Smylie
7:35pm Ryan Fox (NZ), Daniel Hillier (NZ)
8:25pm Kazuma Kobori (NZ)
Past champion: Thorbjorn Olesen
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US2.5m
TV times: Live 7:30pm-12:30am Thursday, Friday: Live 7:30pm-12am Saturday; Live 7pm-12am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Asian Tour
Smart Infinity Philippine Open
The Manila Southwoods G&CC (Masters Cse), Philippines
9:45am* Denzel Ieremia (NZ)
10:35am* Jed Morgan
10:55am Lawry Flynn
2:15pm Brett Rankin
2:35pm Todd Sinnott
2:45pm* Nick Voke (NZ)
2:55pm Travis Smyth
3:05pm* Jack Thompson
3:15pm Maverick Antcliff
3:15pm* Aaron Wilkin
3:25pm Kevin Yuan
Past champion: Clyde Mondilla (2019)
Past Aussie winners: Norman Von Nida (1938, 1939), Bruce Crampton (1959), Frank Phillips (1960), Peter Thomson (1964), Rob Whitlock (1996), Adam Le Vesconte (2005), Scott Strange (2006), Marcus Both (2014)
Prize money: $US500,000
HotelPlanner Tour
SDC Open
Zebula Golf Estate & Spa, Limpopo, South Africa
9:20pm Hayden Hopewell
9:50pm Sam Jones (NZ)
Past champion: Rhys Enoch
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US375,000
Results
Korn Ferry Tour
The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club
The Abaco Club on Winding Bay, Great Abaco, The Bahamas
MC Harry Hillier (NZ) 77-65—142
MC Rhein Gibson 73-70—143
A few days out of the shop paid off for Corowa Golf Club PGA Professional James Gordon who claimed the Hewison Private Wealth King Island Pro-Am.
Played across the spectacular Cape Wickham Golf Links and Ocean Dunes Golf Course over two days, the King Island Pro-Am sees Professionals bring a team of amateurs for an unforgettable experience hosted by the team at Air Adventure Golf Tours.
A winner on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series three years ago at the Leeton Pro-Am, Gordon returned Stableford scores of 39 and 43 points for an 82-point total and seven-point win over Lachlan Wood (75) with Charlie Robbins (74) third.
Turning point
Leading by one point after day one at Cape Wickham, Gordon had a less than auspicious start to Round 2 at Ocean Dunes. Admitting that he “nearly missed my first tee shot of the day”, Gordon dropped a shot on his opening hole but made birdie on 18 and then eagled the par-5 first to build a hefty advantage.
Quick quotes
“The view on every hole is postcard material,” said Gordon of Cape Wickham.
“Every hole is different and what a stunning finish! Wind direction certainly changes the way you play each hole!
“The first hole tee shot (at Ocean Dunes) is daunting when you can see the green 500 metres away sitting on the ocean but another superb golf course with ocean views on nearly every hole. “Very fair for the members and certainly a challenge for the professionals.”
Leading scores
1 James Gordon 39-43—82
2 Lachlan Wood 38-37—75
3 Charlie Robbins 34-40—74
4 Ashley Hall 31-42—73
5 Ryan Lynch 33-39—72
6 Ben Ford 34-36—70
Next up
Melville Glades BYOG Pro-Am at Melville Glades Golf Club, February 6
January 5: Mee’s record-breaking win at Lonsdale Links
Queenslander James Mee will take winning form into the second half of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season after claiming the Geelong BMW Lonsdale Links Pro-Am.
A course record round of 8-under-par 62, which included two eagles and six birdies, gave Mee a one-shot victory over Austin Bautista (NSW) and a pair of Victorians, Ashley Hall and Andre Lautee.
It was a nice confidence boost for Mee who will head to this week’s Webex Players Series Perth hosted by Minjee and Min Woo Lee keen to improve on his 93rd position on the 2024/25 Order of Merit.
His only top-20 so far in his rookie season came in his opening event, the PNG Open.
Turning point
With Lautee waiting in the clubhouse after a morning round of 63, Mee needed a fast finish to take the winner’s cheque at Lonsdale. It came across the 11th to 13th holes, where the Queenslander went eagle-birdie-birdie to move to -8 for the day.
A par on his final hole, the par-3 14th, sealed his third adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win.
Quick quotes
“I came down here on Thursday to play these three pro-ams (Settlers Run, Portsea and Lonsdale Links) before the Tour season starts up again. I didn’t finish off too well at the end of last year.
“I wanted to get some reps in after Christmas because I didn’t touch a club for a couple of weeks.
“It all really started for me on my second hole, the 16th, where I hit a driver on a hole I probably wouldn’t go for if I’d known the course. I hit on to about 15 feet and rolled in the putt for eagle. That kickstarted the round.”
Leading scores
1 James Mee 62
T2 Andre Lautee 63
T2 Austin Bautista 63
T2 Ashley Hall 63
T5 Michael Choi 65
T5 Steven Jones 65
7 Matt Dowling 66
Next up
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series takes a short break before the three-day Hewison Private Wealth King Island Pro-Am at Cape Wickham Links and Ocean Dunes Golf Course on January 19-21.
January 4: Wood wins by one at Portsea
Queenslander Chris Wood enjoyed more success on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula with a one-stroke win at the $40,000 Peninsula Sotheby’s Portsea Celebrity Pro-Am at Portsea Golf Club.
Winner of the 2020 Victorian PGA Championship at Moonah Links, Wood had six birdies and an eagle in his round of 7-under 64 to finish one clear of Victorian Andrew Kelly.
Eager to make a quick start to the new year on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, Wood’s win is the ideal preparation for next week’s Webex Players Series Perth tournament at Royal Fremantle Golf Club.
“I generally have a bit more of a break and come out of the blocks pretty slow in the new year,” said Wood.
“I wanted to get the clubs in hand and put a bit of work in and the last couple of days have been nice.”
Turning point
Level with the best of the morning wave with a birdie on 16 and eagle at the par-5 third, Wood made his move around the turn at Portsea Golf Club.
Starting with a birdie at the par-4 sixth, Wood added four more on the trot from the par-5 eighth to race out to 8-under before his lone bogey of the day at the short par-3 12th.
Quick quotes
“I got off to a bit of an adventurous start,” said Wood.
“Teeing off on 16, I hit my tee shot straight into a divot and then hit the next shot about 10 or 15 metres.
“I then chipped in for birdie so it was sort of the golfing gods paying me back there.”
Leading scores
1 Chris Wood 64
2 Andrew Kelly 65
T3 Todd Sinnott 67
T3 Brendan Smith 67
T3 Darcy Brereton 67
Next up
Geelong BMW Lonsdale Links Pro-Am at Lonsdale Links, Sunday, January 5.
January 3: Wright triumphs at Settlers Run
Heading into his second season on the Champions Tour in the US, Wright went bogey free in his round of 6-under 66, two clear of Victorian Jack Harrison (68) as nine players finished tied for third at 3-under par.
Starting with a birdie at his opening hole, the short par-4 17th, Wright methodically went about building his round, closing it out with a sixth and final birdie at the par-5 16th.
Turning point
Level with the best of the morning scores at 3-under through 10 holes, Wright made birdie at the 481-metre par-5 ninth and then picked up a further shot at the par-3 11th to build a handy buffer heading into the final few holes.
Quick quotes
“I started off by hitting it into about 12 feet on the 17th hole and rolled that in, so that was a nice start,” said Wright.
“Managed to put another five (birdies) on the card in patches throughout the round and kept the bogeys off the card. It’s always good to not have a bogey and then to finish with a birdie was nice, too.”
Leading scores
1 Michael Wright 66
2 Jack Harrison 68
T3 Cameron Kelly 69
T3 Tim Walker 69
T3 Michael Choi 69
T3 James Mee 69
T3 Ruben Lal 69
T3 Josh Younger 69
T3 David Micheluzzi 69
T3 Douglas Klein 69
T3 Chris Wood 69
Next up
Peninsula Sotheby’s Portsea Celebrity Pro-Am at Portsea Golf Club, Saturday, January 4.
Director of Golf, Rodney Booth, has found the right balance of member play, visitor rounds and beginner programs for all ages to drive impressive growth at Catalina Country Club.
A favourite spot on the New South Wales South Coast for holidaymakers, retirees and young families, the 27 holes at Catalina have long been a popular playground for those who live in the area or those just in for the weekend.
That can create its own challenges in balancing member demand with the opportunity of visitor green fees yet Booth and his team have embarked on a range of initiatives that maintains member satisfaction while welcoming new golfers to the facility.
The result has been an explosion not only in membership numbers and visitor rounds but introductory programs that have proven popular for all ages.
“We have cadets from the age of eight beginning their lifelong journey all the way up to 70-year-olds that have decided to take the game up for one of many reasons,” said Booth, who was named the PGA National Club Professional of the Year at the 2024 PGA Awards.
“Within this age gap, we cater for an array of individuals and groups ranging from schools, work organisations, community groups, people with physical or mental limitations as well as those that just want to give golf a try who haven’t up until now.”
At either end of the age spectrum, newcomers to Catalina are relishing the start of their journey in golf.
In an area popular among retirees, the junior base has more than tripled while the beginner ladies programs have proved so popular there are now as many as four sessions per week.
“Our junior program’s gone from around 30 juniors up to more than 100 now,” Booth added.
“Our beginner ladies engagement programs are really kicking some goals now. We’ve got three or four clinics a week and even membership’s just grown exponentially over the last three or four years.
“We’re putting through more than 200 people a day at the moment so it’s busy but having that personal contact as much as you can goes a long way.”
Key to Catalina’s success has been a focus on making sure that each experience, no matter how frequent, is an enjoyable one.
“We’ve got a great product at Catalina – the clubhouse, the facilities, the service, the golf course – so it is then about making that day-to-day experience one that they remember,” said Booth.
“Whether it’s a member that’s frequenting two or three days a week, a visitor that comes out once a year or those participating in our various programs, making sure that their time and their experience is worthwhile and they want to come back in again.
“If they walk out of the pro shop with a smile on their face and appreciating the journey, then my job’s partly done.”
A first win for 2025 was just out of reach as the Australian flag flew proudly on international leaderboards this past week.
Starting with David Micheluzzi’s share of the lead after a round of 7-under 65 on day one of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour through to Jason Day’s spirited showing at The American Express, the Aussie influence looks like being strong again this year.
As Kiwi and Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia regular, Daniel Hillier, finished second in Dubai, Micheluzzi, Jason Scrivener and Min Woo Lee were all top-15 after 36 holes at the Emirates Golf Club.
Back home, ahead of this week’s Webex Players Series Victoria, West Australian Abbie Teasdale showed her credentials with a playoff win at the Drummond Golf Melbourne International in just her second start as a professional.
10. Kirsten Rudgeley
Tuned up for her quest to win a maiden Ladies European Tour title in 2025 with a wonderful first-up showing at Webex Players Series Perth. After not touching her clubs over the Christmas-New Year break, Rudgeley showed up to Royal Fremantle and led by two after 54 holes before missing the playoff by a shot.
9. Jordan Doull
Rose 560 places in the Official World Golf Ranking on the back of his playoff win at Webex Players Series Perth. Runner-up at the WA PGA Championship, Doull is ninth on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit and second behind Jack Buchanan in both Rookie of the Year points and Total Number of Birdies for the 2024-2025 season.
8. Anthony Quayle
Has one of three DP World Tour cards in his sights after committing to the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia. Comes into this week’s Webex Players Series Victoria at Rosebud Country Club with four top-five finishes in his past five starts.
7. Cameron Smith
Still in pre-season mode with the start of the 2025 LIV Golf season a further two weeks away. The Ripper GC captain led his squad to the team title in 2024 but will be desperate for an individual win this year to fuel his tilt at the majors.
6. David Micheluzzi
Started the year with a bang. Co-leader after Round 1 in his maiden appearance at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, Micheluzzi book-ended his week with another 7-under 65 on Sunday to climb into a tie for eighth. Rose to a career high of No.192 in the Official World Golf Ranking and is growing in stature on the DP World Tour with every event.
5. Cam Davis
In typically understated fashion, Davis walked away from The American Express with a tie for 19th. Dating back to his second Rocket Mortgage Classic win last June, Davis has finished top 20 in six of his past 12 starts. Was enough to elevate Davis back into the top 50 in the world ranking.
4. Elvis Smylie
Although he dropped three spots to sixth on the DP World Tour Race to Dubai Ranking, the BMW Australian PGA champ showed he is ready to take his place among the elite of world golf. Shot 68 in the second round of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic to advance to the weekend in his first Rolex Series event.
3. Jason Day
Climbs to No.33 in the Official World Golf Ranking on the back of his tie for third at The American Express in California. Day was in the hunt until late in the final round but dropped shots at the 14th and 18th holes to finish three back of champion Sepp Straka. It was his best finish on the PGA TOUR since he was runner-up at The Open in 2023.
2. Adam Scott
Will next tee it up in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am after logging a tie for 39th at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour.
1. Hannah Green
Has another week at home in Perth before the three-time winner in 2024 begins her 2025 season at the LPGA’s Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Florida.
The Australian Golf Power Rankings is a subjective list developed with input from members of the Australian Golf media team.
He’s the perennial tournament favourite yet James Marchesani has an old rival to contend with as younger brother Anthony returns to play the Webex Players Series Victoria at Rosebud Country Club.
The Marchesani name is etched across the honour boards at Rosebud, Anthony finally adding his following victory in the club championship last year.
Having spent a number of years on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia – including the first two editions of the Webex Players Series Victoria at his home course – Anthony took up a full-time job and regained his amateur status.
His club championship victory yielded an ‘Elite Amateur’ invitation to play this week, James not expecting Anthony to jump back on the bag for him on the weekend.
“He’ll be playing the weekend. I’ve got confidence in him there,” said James, who had Anthony caddie for him at the 2024 New Zealand Open.
“He’s actually playing some good golf at the moment, too, so it’d nice to see him do well for four days.
“He won club champs, which is his first, so he was pretty pumped about that. He always had to play against me and he wasn’t happy.
“It’ll be fun. It’ll be a fun week obviously at home. It’s always a good time with friends and fam, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Anthony’s last professional tournament was the 2022 Webex Players Series Victoria where he and James were paired for the opening two rounds.
Three years on, it is a pairing James would welcome once again.
“Since he’s gone full-time work, we haven’t played heaps together so hoping for a nice pairing,” said James, who was runner-up in 2023 and has not finished outside the top 20 in four starts at Rosebud.
“It’d be nice to play with him for a couple of days. We grew up playing together, we went to college together, we’d push each other along so it’d be fun if we did.
“I’m not asking for it but, if anyone’s listening, it would be fun.”
More than the renewal of a family-friendly rivalry, James has the opportunity to convert good form and home course advantage into a maiden win on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
The 34-year-old’s 8-under 64 was the equal-best of the final round at Webex Players Series Perth and earned him a tie for fifth.
It's raining birdies @RoyalFremantle 😮💨@JamesMarchesani | #WebexPlayersSeries
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) January 12, 2025
It is his best result since his near miss at Rosebud two years ago and cause to be confident heading back to such familiar turf.
“It’s nice to get some confidence in the game,” James added.
“Obviously I know Rosebud probably as good as anyone ever and have been close a couple of times.
“It’s nice to find a bit of form and then hopefully take that into Rosebud and just see what happens.”
Inaugural Webex Players Series Victoria champion Brad Kennedy returns to Rosebud again, joining six of the winners on tour this season.
Women seeking to replicate Min A Yoon’s triumph in 2023 include reigning Vic Open champion Ashley Lau, 2023 Women’s NSW Open winner Momoka Kobori and WPGA Tour of Australasia winners Cassie Porter, Kelsey Bennett and Lydia Hall.
The final two rounds of the Webex Players Series Victoria will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo. Coverage is from 3pm-6pm Saturday AEDT and 1pm-6pm Sunday AEDT.
Jason Day was left to rue two late mistakes as he came up just short of a first PGA TOUR win since 2023 at The American Express in California.
Needing to make up four strokes on Austrian Sepp Straka in the final round at the Pete Dye Stadium Course at La Quinta, Day had narrowed the gap to within three early in the back nine.
With Straka on the back fringe, Day had less than 17 feet for birdie at the par-4 14th yet ran the tricky downhiller four-feet past. The return four-footer horse-shoed wickedly from the right edge and spat out on the left, the resulting bogey a setback in Day’s late chase.
A two-shot swing at the par-5 16th gave the 37-year-old Queenslander a sniff yet a self-confessed “uncommitted” swing off the par-5 18th led to a closing bogey and a share of third.
“I wish I could have had the 18th tee ball back, it was a very uncommitted shot there,” said Day after his best finish since he was runner-up at The Open in 2023.
“But overall I feel like the stats this week were very solid from tee to green. Could have done a little bit better on the greens, but I think with a lie/loft adjustment and then also some putting practice, I think that should be back on top of it.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been in contention like that, so it’s nice to be able to stand there and hit some of the shots that I did knowing that, under the pump, you still got some really good stuff in there.
“Let’s just kind of build on that going forward.”
Another Aussie with plenty to build from after his first outing for 2025 is Victorian David Micheluzzi.
Embarking on his second year on the DP World Tour, Micheluzzi had a share of the lead after Round 1 of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Course in Dubai.
He, Jason Scrivener and Min Woo Lee all spent time inside the top 10 on the leaderboard through the four days, Micheluzzi shooting 65 in the final round to earn a share of eighth to climb to 13th on the Race to Dubai Ranking.
The 54-hole leader, Kiwi Daniell Hillier rose to second in the Race to Dubai Ranking courtesy of his runner-up finish, Englishman Tyrrell Hatton holding off Hillier to win by one.
Photo: Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images
Results
PGA TOUR
The American Express
Pete Dye Stadium Course, La Quinta, California
1 Sepp Straka 65-64-64-70—263 $US1.584m
T3 Jason Day 64-66-67-69—266 $519,200
T19 Cam Davis 69-67-67-69—272 $125,400
MC Aaron Baddeley 74-68-69—211
DP World Tour
Hero Dubai Desert Classic
Emirates GC, Dubai, UAE
1 Tyrrell Hatton 71-65-68-69—273 €1,486,699.47
2 Daniel Hillier (NZ) 68-65-70-71—274 €961,982.01
T8 David Micheluzzi 65-73-75-65—278 €207,263.40
T10 Ryan Fox (NZ) 68-70-69-72—279 €156,759.34
T17 Min Woo Lee 71-66-73-72—282 €111,065.20
T21 Jason Scrivener 67-69-74-73—283 €94,886.41
T37 Adam Scott 71-71-69-75—286 €55,095.33
T58 Elvis Smylie 74-68-72-75—289 €25,361.34
Korn Ferry Tour
The Bahamas Golf Classic at Atlantis Paradise Island
Ocean Club Golf Course at Atlantis, Paradise Island, The Bahamas
After Round 1
T83 Rhein Gibson 73
T113 Harry Hillier (NZ) 77
The Bahamas Golf Classic at Atlantis
The Ocean Club Golf Course at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas
1 Hank Lebioda 67-62-67-66—262 $US180,000
Won on the first hole of sudden-death playoff
T39 Rhein Gibson 65-72-66-70—273 $5,000
MC Harry Hillier (NZ) 72-70—142
PGA TOUR Champions
Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai
Hualalai GC, Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii
1 Ernie Els 67-65-66—198 $US340,000
T5 Steven Alker (NZ) 70-66-65—201 $93,000
T15 Rod Pampling 69-66-70—205 $35,000
T19 Mark Hensby 69-71-66—206 $27,200
Three chip-ins – two for eagle – have propelled Jason Day to a share of third after Round 1 of The American Express in California.
Playing the La Quinta course in the PGA TOUR event that uses a three-course rotation, Day shot 8-under 64 to sit two strokes back of JT Poston who shot 10-under 62 on the Nicklaus Tournament course.
Day’s 8-under round matches his tournament low score (Round 2, 2023) and was made possible by some sharp work with the short game.
On the back of consecutive birdies at four and five, Day chipped in for eagle from just short of the green at the par-5 sixth.
He used more loft to hole out from the rough short of the green at the par-4 10th and then chipped in for a third time to walk away from the par-5 13th with an eagle.
“Short game was nice,” said Day, who was T6 in putts per green in regulation in Round 1.
“Obviously chipped in three times – that usually helps – and two of those were for eagle.
“That’s always nice, to be able to be in position to give myself a good chance at birdieing the
par-5s here, because obviously you got to capitalise on the opportunities here.”
Since moving from five to four rounds in 2012, the average winning score at The American Express has been 25-under par.
In a similar position on the leaderboard through two rounds two years ago, Day knows he needs to maintain that pace on the Nicklaus Tournament course in Round 2.
“As long as you can stay in front of like 6-under per day, I think gives you a pretty good chance,” said Day.
“With that being said, I think the greens are firm, so I’m not sure what the scoring’s going to be like this week. It will be interesting.
“The goal was to try to stay in front of 6-under each day and go from there.
“All three golf courses can be gettable if you’re playing well, so I just got to take it a day at a time.”
Another Aussie in excellent position after Round 1 is Victorian David Micheluzzi.
Playing his first event of the year, Micheluzzi shot 7-under 65 on day one of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour.
David Micheluzzi's first time at @DubaiDCGolf and he currently shares the lead! #HeroDubaiDesertClassic | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/yhAuvTGywH
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 16, 2025
Micheluzzi had seven birdies in a flawless opening round – a remarkable achievement given the 28-year-old had never played the Majlis Course before.
“Everyone is saying how tough it was and today I played great. There’s nothing more to it,” he said.
“It was nice for the first, I’d say 11, 12 holes and then the wind got up a little bit.
“Just kept hitting good shots and stumped a few shots where I probably wasn’t aiming.
“Got lucky with those, and then holed some nice putts coming in.”
Fresh from a tie for fifth at Webex Players Series Perth, West Australian Jason Scrivener shot 67 in Round to be tied for fifth, Kiwi pair Ryan Fox and Daniel Hillier a further shot back in a tie for ninth.
The 2025 PGA TOUR Champions season is also now underway, Mark Hensby and Rod Pampling both tied for 10th after Round 1 of the Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hawaii.
Photo: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images
South African Leon Trenerry and former PGA Tour of Australasia player Neale Smith were among those to earn status on the 2025 PGA Legends Tour at Qualifying School at Murwillumbah Golf Club.
Growing up playing alongside the likes of Rory Sabbatini and Tim Clark, Trenerry spent six years on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa before embarking on a career change.
He emigrated to Australia in December 2020 and completed the Membership Pathway Program in 2023 at Oxley Golf Club in Brisbane.
Due to celebrate his 50th birthday in June, Trenerry shot rounds of 67-68 at Murwillumbah for a 7-under total to top Final Stage by four strokes. Meadowbrook Golf Club Teaching Professional Matthew Rogers took outright second at 3-under but will also have to wait until his 50th birthday in May before he can tee it up.
Victorian Derrin Morgan, New South Welshman Mark Gilson and Victoria’s David Tapping rounded out the top five who receive a higher category, those who finished 6-25 also earning status for the 2025 season that starts in New Zealand on January 30.
A regular on the Australasian Tour in the 1990s, Neale Smith played in Canada from 2000-2005 before establishing himself as one of golf’s most sought-after mental coaches, working with the likes of Jason Day, Hunter Mahan, Nick Flanagan and Nathan Green through his company, Process Performance.
Based in America for the past 20 years, Smith played both the NSW Senior Open and Australian PGA Senior Championship late last year and had rounds of 74-72 at Q School to earn a 2025 category.
Legend of the Australian golf industry, Denis Brosnan, has just bettered his age by 10 shots (!) at Legends Tour Qualifying School. pic.twitter.com/SP4TFONxPN
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) January 10, 2025
Arguably the most impressive performance at Q School came from PGA Life Member Denis Brosnan, the 79-year-old bettering his age by 10 strokes in Round 2 to finish tied for sixth with Douglas Gardner and Chris Hollingsworth.
The first event of the 2025 PGA Legends Tour season is the Expol Waihi Legends Pro-Am at Waihi Golf Club, the first of five tournaments in New Zealand to start the year.
With three wins on the LPGA Tour, Hannah obviously had a fantastic year in 2024. But when we looked at her play from the year prior, it was only a couple of putts a week that was the difference between a win and a top 10, explains coach Ritchie Smith.
What we saw with Hannah’s putting stroke in the pre-season was that the swing path was very square, but there was a lot of rotation at the face.
We wanted to discourage that rotation so that it matched up with the path better.
To address that, we changed the putter to a centre shaft.
It was the better choice of the equipment that helped to create a better pattern of movement.
Many club golfers use equipment that they like the look of, rather than what works best.
By spending as little as 10 minutes with a PGA Professional, you can work out what equipment you need by analysing the data.
The result won’t be instant, but with enough reps you will see a change in performance.
Which ultimately means more putts going in.
Based at Royal Fremantle Golf Club, Ritchie Smith was named the 2024 PGA National Coach of the Year – High Performance, the third time he has won that award. Ritchie’s athletes include Hannah Green, Minjee Lee, Min Woo Lee, Elvis Smylie and Hayden Hopewell.
West Australian Jason Scrivener is hoping that there truly is no place like home as he chases a long-awaited maiden win on the DP World Tour in 2025.
Scrivener is one of five Aussies in the field for this week’s $US9 million Hero Dubai Desert Classic, the first Rolex Series event of the 2025 DP World Tour season.
A two-time winner on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season this summer, Elvis Smylie has wasted no time in taking up the status he earned by virtue of his win at the co-sanctioned BMW Australian PGA Championship while Min Woo Lee makes his 2025 debut on the back of co-hosting last week’s Webex Players Series Perth.
Scrivener shot 5-under 67 to earn a share of fifth at Royal Fremantle Golf Club, chipping off some of the rust from a six-week break back home in WA.
When he holed out on Sunday his two boys, Felix, 3, and Charlie, 2, raced on to greet their dad (below). They are a big reason behind the change in how Scrivener will approach his season.
After two years on living in the US, Scrivener and wife Simone decided that a return home to be closer to family and friends would be best for the entire family.
“Nobody can really tell you, you’ve just got to figure it out yourself,” Scrivener said of the juggle between professional golf and fatherhood.
“My wife and I just tried to figure it out and I feel like things are starting to get somewhat easier. Or we’re at least getting used to the chaos, I guess.
“Things are settling down and hopefully I can have a good year.”
Scrivener flew out on Sunday night for a four-week stint in the Middle East, after which he will return home for a five-week break.
Simone and the boys will join him on tour for periods throughout the year as he tries to bounce back from a 2024 season in which he had only two top-10s and finished 87th on the Race to Dubai points list.
“I just needed a break, to be honest,” said Scrivener, who missed the cut at both the BMW Australian PGA and ISPS HANDA Australian Open.
“It was such an average year last year. I had to grind to keep my card and got sick a couple of times and there was just a lot going on.
“It just feels like there’s been a reset and excited for this year.”
A trio of Aussies are teeing it up at The American Express on the PGA TOUR, the PGA TOUR Champions season begins with Rod Pampling and Mark Hensby contesting the Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hawaii and Rhein Gibson is the sole Aussie at the Korn Ferry Tour Bahamas Golf Classic that starts January 19.
Photos: Cassandra Edwards/PGA of Australia
Round 1 tee times AEDT
PGA TOUR
The American Express
Pete Dye Stadium Course, La Quinta, California
4:14am Cam Davis
4:36am Aaron Baddeley
4:58am Jason Day
2024 champion: Nick Dunlap
Past Aussie winners: Bruce Devlin (1970)
Prize money: $US8.8m
TV times: Live 4am-11am Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
DP World Tour
Hero Dubai Desert Classic
Emirates GC, Dubai, UAE
2:45pm* Elvis Smylie
2:55pm* Ryan Fox (NZ)
3:05pm David Micheluzzi
6:35pm* Jason Scrivener
6:55pm* Daniel Hillier (NZ)
7:25pm Adam Scott
7:35pm Min Woo Lee
2024 champion: Rory McIlroy
Past Aussie winners: Richard Green (1997), Lucas Herbert (2020)
Prize money: $US9m
TV times: Live 3pm-12:30am Thursday, Friday; Live 3pm-12am Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Korn Ferry Tour
The Bahamas Golf Classic at Atlantis Paradise Island
Ocean Club Golf Course at Atlantis, Paradise Island, The Bahamas
Australasians in the field: Rhein Gibson, Harry Hillier (NZ)
2024 champion: Jeremy Paul
Past Aussie winners:
Prize money: $US1m
PGA TOUR Champions
Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai
Hualalai GC, Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii
7:55am Mark Hensby
8:17am Rod Pampling
8:23am Steven Alker (NZ)
2024 champion: Steven Alker
Past Aussie winners: Peter Thomson (1985), Bruce Crampton (1991)
Prize money: $US2m
TV times: Live 11am-2pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
