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Nathan Page started the Gippsland swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am series by denying Mark Panopoulous back-to-back victories with a one-shot win at the Sporting Legends Sale Pro-Am on Sunday.
Coming off a victory at Box Hill, Panopoulos shot a 2-under-par in the morning wave at Sale only to be pipped by Page’s 3-under 68 in the afternoon.
The 21-year-old was back on the pro-am circuit after bypassing the Queensland PGA Championship on the Challenge PGA Tour of Australasia as he managed a groin complaint which he hopes doesn’t affect his plans for the rest of 2024.
“I just couldn’t do the six days in a row,” Page said.
“It probably came at a good time because I wasn’t in a good mental space either.”
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
Beginning his round at the seventh hole, Page reeled off six straight pars before birdies came at the 13th, 15th and 18th with a solitary bogey at the 17th.
He birdied the first to make it four birdies in seven holes before parring his way to the end.
Meanwhile, Panopoulos was 4-under before two bogeys cost him the chance of the another title.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
Page said: “It was a good steady round. I just wanted to go out there and be positive. That’s something I’ve been working on a bit the last few weeks. Just trusting that what I’m doing will come.
“I made a few nice par putts early and then was able to work my way into it nicely.
“The greens are pretty small and the fairways are tight so you’ve got to be pinpoint and then the wind made it even more difficult which you can definitely see in the results with 3-under winning.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
67: Nathan Page (Vic)
68: Mark Panopoulos (NSW); Caleb Bovalina (Vic)
69: Chris Mueck (Vic)
71: Jayden Cripps (NSW); Steven Jones (Vic); Cameron Kelly (Vic); Michael Choi (Vic); Hayden Webb
NEXT UP
The Gippsland swing for the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series continues with the Community Bank Trafalgar & District Pro-Am at Trafalgar Golf Club on Wednesday
Hira Naveed’s impressive rookie year on the LPGA Tour has put her in with a chance of reaching the tour championship along with a bunch of other Australians.
The 26-year-old from Perth finished tied-17th in the Toto Japan Classic at the weekend, jumping four places to No. 70 on the points rankings.
The top 60 play off for $US11 million in the CME Group Tour Championship in Florida in November, with Naveed, who is 130 points behind the 60th player on the points list, teeing it up this week in Hawaii at the Lotte Championship with high hopes of grabbing a share of the 500 points on offer.
There are two tournaments remaining before the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida, from 21 November, in Hawaii this week and back in Florida from 14 November.
The Australasian players certain to be teeing it up in Florida are Lydia Ko (ranked 3rd), Hannah Green (6), Gabriela Ruffels (25) and Grace Kim (47). A slightly out-of-sorts Minjee Lee (54) and Steph Kyriacou (57) are likely to hold on to their places as well, although not certain, with Lee not on the start list for Hawaii this week.
Naveed was born in New Zealand but grew up in Perth, working through the junior programs and winning a Victorian Junior Masters and The Dunes medal as an amateur, before picking up a scholarship at Pepperdine University in the United States and spending four years in the college system.
She graduated to the LPGA Tour via the Epson Tour and earlier this year finished runner-up to Nelly Korda in the Ford Championship at just her second start as a full member of the LPGA Tour. She has earned more than $US340,000 in her first year.
Meanwhile Queenslander Maverick Antcliff is inside the top 15 on the Asian Tour order of merit after he finished tied-13th in the Indonesian Masters over the weekend.
Western Australian Haydn Barron is through to the third and final stage of DP World Tour School in Spain this week after he won the second stage at Fontanals Golf Club over the weekend.
PHOTO: Hira Naveed has won more than $US340,000 in her rookie season on the LPGA Tour. Image: Getty
Results
Asian Tour
BNI Indonesian Masters
Royale Jakarta Golf Club, Indonesia
1 Richard T Lee 62-67-66-70 – 265 $US 360,000
T6 Ben Campbell (NZ) 67-70-68-67 – 272 $61,800
T13 Danny Lee (NZ) 70-67-69-68 – 274 $27,133
T13 Maverick Antcliff 67-68-70-69 – 274 $27,133
19 Kazuma Kobori (NZ) 67-70-69-69 – 275 $23,100
T25 Nick Voke (NZ) 73-66-69-69 – 277 $18,200
T30 Wade Ormsby 71-69-70-68 – 278 $16,300
T37 Scott Hend 71-68-71-70 – 280 $13,000
T44 Jordan Zunic 68-71-71-72 – 282 $10,085
T44 Jack Thompson 69-70-72-71 – 282 $10,085
T51 Douglas Klein 71-70-71-71 – 283 $7800
T60 Sam Brazel 68-69-74-74 – 285 $6200
T63 Jed Morgan 69-72-71-74 – 286 $5400
T63 Justin Warren 67-73-74-72 – 286 $5400
MC Travis Smyth 72-70—142
MC Deyen Lawson 68-74—142
MC Kevin Yuan 71-72—143
MC Andrew Dodt 68-76—144
MC Aaron Wilkin 76-73—149
MC Marcus Fraser 77-75—152
MC Zach Murray 77-75—152
LPGA Tour
TOTO Japan Classic
Seta Golf Course, Otsu-shi, Shiga, Japan
1 Rio Takeda 69-65-67 – 201 $US 300,000
T17 Hira Naveed 70-66-72 – 208 $23,945
T34 Grace Kim 69-72-70 – 211 $12,292
T64 Minjee Lee 67-75-74 – 216 $4347
T64 Gabriela Ruffels 73-67-76 – 216 $4347
Ladies European Tour
Aramco Team Series Presented by PIF
Riyadh Golf Club, Saudi Arabia
1 Charley Hull 65-67-66—198 $US69,190.50
T29 Momoka Kobori (NZ) 69-72-72—213 $4,289.81
MC Kirsten Rudgeley 73-73—146
Challenge Tour
Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A
Club de Golf Alcanada, Port d’Alcúdia, Mallorca, Spain
1 Kristoffer Reitan 65-64-64-68 – 265 €85,000
27 Hayden Hopewell 69-68-72-72 – 271 €4650
KPGA Tour
Dong-A Membership Exchange Group Open
1 Dongmin Lee 63-70-65-67 – 265
T15 Sungjin Yeo (NZ) 69-67-71-68 – 275
T57 Wonjoon Lee 69-69-75-73 – 286
MC Kevin Chun 74-70 – 144
DP World Tour
Q School – Second Stage
Fontanals Golf Club, Girona, Spain
1 Hayden Barron 65-67-64-70 – 266 €2125
Golf Las Pinaillas, Albacete, Spain
1 David Booraboonsub 67-67-60-68 – 262 €2125
T16 Danny List 69-68-68-69 – 274 (qualifies)
25 Andrew Kelly 69-74-67-65 – 275
Isla Canela Links, Huelva, Spain
1 Clement Sordet 68-65-66-62 – 261 €2125
T17 Todd Sinnott 66-66-71-71 – 274 (qualifies)
T43 Jimmy Zheng (NZ) 76-69-69-66 – 280
T51 Josh Greer 74-70-69-69 – 282
T72 Matias Sanchez 72-68-72-78 – 290
Desert Springs Golf Club, Almería, Spain
Play suspended in round 3
David McKenzie was never in front – until it mattered most at the NSW Senior Open.
McKenzie, one of the most consistent golfers of his generation, stepped up at crunch time to birdie the final hole to win in Albury.
The Victorian carded a superb closing five-under-par 67 at Thurgoona Country Club to post 12-under, one clear of long-time leader Mat Goggin, who faltered with a pair of bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes.
Goggin put the disappointment of those errors behind him to notch his own closing birdie, which meant that McKenzie’s breathtaking approach to the final green proved the difference.
“At the time, you’re never really sure what’s going on around you, so in the end, even when I hit it into about a foot and a half, it still seemed a bit far away for my liking,” he joked of his near-perfect 9-iron from 136m.
“When I hit it, I thought it was left maybe 6-8 feet, but when everyone starts clapping and then starts roaring a bit, you know it’s within a few feet.
“It was closer than I thought actually – and I was really glad I didn’t have to make a 4-5 footer to win.
“They’re hard to win. I’ve had a lot of chances a lot of times and haven’t got it done. And the times I have won, I’ve won well and going away so it was good to get one in a close (finish).
“I’ve still got it sometimes – every now and again,” he joked.
“But it’s just a matter of making the putts when you need them. I made a few today and they were at the right times as it turned out.”
McKenzie jumped into calculations when he buried an eagle putt on the seventh hole, then made important birdies on 11 and 13 to pull level with Goggin who had started the day two clear of the Victorian.
But McKenzie appeared to have blown his chance when he couldn’t get up and down for par on the tough par-3 16th hole.
Goggin was surprised minutes later when his tee shot on that same hole came up short of the elevated green and trickled back towards the tee. His slightly thin chip shot eventually resulted in his own bogey.
But a missed par putt from 1m after a great bunker shot on the 17th proved the decisive moment.
“It was solid enough, just frustrating,” the Tasmanian lamented after a series of lost opportunities, particularly mid-round when some short-range chip shots didn’t have his customary polish.
“Saturday (65) was good, but I’ve just got to build on it because I haven’t been playing as much as I’d like and I’ve just got to take the positives… before the (upcoming) Champions Tour (Q-School).
“But that’s great for Macca… he’s been a good player for a long time.”
Scott Barr and Peter Lonard shared third another shot back with both having watched multiple chances slide narrowly past the cup on several holes.
Legendary Peter Senior loomed before lightning mid-round stopped play for 55 minutes, but he couldn’t maintain that momentum and finished at seven under in a share of fifth.
The closing day’s best round belonged to the mercurial Andre Stolz, who tore up the front nine in just 30 strokes but double-bogeyed the 10th immediately after the lightning break.
He bounced back with an eagle on the 14th and his closing 66 left him outright ninth at 5-under.
Low amateur for the week was New South Welshman James Swanson at 3-over.
Victorian Phoenix Campbell has become the first player in 26 years to win the Queensland PGA Championship in successive years in a pulsating final round at Nudgee Golf Club in Brisbane.
Seeking to complete a wire-to-wire victory with a one-stroke lead starting Sunday, Campbell had to contend with Jak Carter seeking redemption for his heartbreak two years ago and Cameron Smith just three strokes back in the rearview mirror.
Smith sent a shudder through the front-runners with birdie putts from around 10 feet at both the first and second holes but a bogey on three and double-bogey on four quelled Smith’s momentum before it hit top gear.
Campbell (70) pushed out to 11-under with birdies at two and four yet Carter (69) countered with birdies of his own in what became a two-man shootout as they began the back nine.
A brilliant second into the par-5 fifth gave Campbell an eagle opportunity that he duly converted and then he drove the green at the par-4 seventh for a straightforward two-putt birdie.
As Smith found his ball in the back of a golf cart and then behind a tree, Carter continued to apply the pressure.
The South Australian hit a superb shot into the par-3 eighth for birdie and when he holed his birdie putt from eight feet on 10, had joined Campbell at 13-under-par.
Campbell dropped from the top of the leaderboard for the first time all week when he made bogey at the par-3 11th, Carter maintaining his one-stroke edge with par from five feet at the par-4 12th.
The lead swung back in Campbell’s favour when Carter made bogey on 14 and the defending champ two-putted for birdie on 15 but more drama was to follow.
Campbell’s bogey and Carter’s par at the par-4 16th sent the two players to the 71st hole tied for the lead at 12-under where they both made bogey at the par-5 that was playing directly into the north-east wind.
Neither player could find the birdie that would have secured victory at the par-3 18th, sending the tournament into extra holes for the second time in three years.
Playing first, Campbell hit the right edge of the hole with his tee shot at the first playoff hole, Carter responding with a magnificent shot of his own as the pair squared the hole with birdies.
After a two-hole playoff, Phoenix Campbell is the 2024 #QldPGA champion! 🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/BggJj0QFfs
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) November 3, 2024
They both missed the green at the second playoff hole, Carter once again suffering some cruel misfortune when he was forced to play his bunker shot with one leg in and one leg out of the sand.
Playing from just beyond the putting surface, Campbell chipped down to three feet and calmly holed out for par after Carter tapped in for bogey.
In so doing, Campbell becomes the first player to go back-to-back at the Queensland PGA since Lucas Parsons in 1997-1998 and the first player to defend a title won as an amateur having turned professional since Aaron Baddeley’s Australian Open double in 1999-2000.
“Defending is definitely tougher,” said Campbell, who was tied second a week ago at the Webex Players Series South Australia and now moves to third on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.
“Last year I came from the clouds. I was in the clubhouse with four or five groups to come in still so it was a very different experience.
“There wasn’t much pressure on me. No one really expected much from you. This week, coming in, there’s a lot more expectations and obviously leading every day of the tournament.
“It’s a different event, so I can’t really compare myself to last year, but it just shows how far I’ve come in the last 12 months and that I’m on the right track.”
Playing the first of four events in Australia this summer, Smith (70) also believes he is set up for success in the weeks to come following his first Queensland PGA appearance since 2015.
“I feel like I played some really good golf this week,” said Smith, who finished three shots back in a tie for third with fellow Queenslander Blake Proverbs (68).
“Just missed so many putts from inside 15 feet and felt like I hit plenty of good putts.
“I don’t feel like I need to go out there and reinvent the wheel or anything the next week or so.
“It’s nice to play four rounds of competition and kind of feel the juices flow again. I’ll take a bit from that.
“I feel like my game’s in a really good spot. I just need to keep doing what I’m doing.”
PGA TOUR member Victor Perez heads a group of DP World Tour winners and rising stars who have been added to the fields for the Summer of Golf’s two majors, the BMW Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane and ISPS HANDA Australian Open in Melbourne.
The six Europeans will take on the best of Australian golf, including Jason Day, Cam Smith, Min Woo Lee, Cam Davis, Lucas Herbert and Marc Leishman across the two tournaments which are co-sanctioned by the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and DP World Tour.
The BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland Golf Club from November 21-24 will kick off the 2024/25 DP World Tour schedule and will be followed by a visit to the famous Melbourne Sandbelt for the ISPS HANDA Australian Open (November 28-December 1).
The first contingent of DP World Tour names who have booked their flights to Australia includes Perez, England’s Jordan Smith, German Yannick Paul, Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Danish young gun Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and former Ryder Cup player Nico Colsaerts (Belguim).
They will play in both the Open and PGA while 2024 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship winner Wenyi Ding, from China, will make his DP World Tour debut as a professional at Royal Queensland.
Perez said: “Australia is one of the best golf destinations in the world. You often hear players on both the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour talking about the tournaments and courses down there and how good the golf is.
“I played the BMW Australian PGA Championship in 2017 but not at Royal Queensland and I am yet to play an ISPS HANDA Australian Open so I can’t wait to get to Australia, enjoy the world class golf courses and see what both Brisbane and Melbourne are like away from the course.
“These two events have great histories, great lists of champions and I’d love to get my name on one of those trophies. But it’s going to be tough against the Aussies.”
Smith, who finished fourth in the Andalucia Masters at the weekend, is currently ranked No.13 on the Race to Dubai standings and is a former champion at the Portugal Masters and Porsche European Open.
“With the two Australian tournaments being the start of the 2024/25 DP World Tour, I’d love to get off to a hot start by challenging at both the PGA and Open and maybe getting a win in either of them,” Smith said.
“I know the Aussie fans love their sport. I’m expecting big crowds, lots of sun and three courses that are going to provide a proper test of our games.
“Kingston Heath, Victoria and the Melbourne Sandbelt in general are world renowned so I can’t wait to tackle both courses while Royal Queensland is definitely growing in reputation and profile amongst the DPWT players who have played it in recent years.
“Throw in the great atmosphere the BMW Australian PGA Championship has become known for and no doubt we are in for two great weeks in Australia”
Yannik Paul’s resume includes the 2022 Mallorca Golf Open with his 2024 campaign highlighted by a runner-up finish at the French Open earlier this month.
A frequent visitor to Australia and 2016 Ryder Cup representative, Rafa Cabrera-Bello climbed to as high as No.16 on the Official World Golf Ranking and has four DP World Tour victories on his record, the latest being the 2021 Open de Espana.
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen has climbed inside the world top 100 this year on the back of three wins and a runner-up placing on the Challenge Tour and a recent T4 finish at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the DP World Tour.
Wenyi Ding, a professional for just a few weeks, is regarded as one of the best young prospects in world golf and will be making his first visit to Australia since finishing runner-up to Australia’s Jasper Stubbs at the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur at Royal Melbourne. He went on to capture the 2024 AAC title in Japan in October.
A regular visitor to Australia, Colsaerts has won three DP World Tour events and returned to prominence this year with a runner-up placing at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
PGA of Australia General Manager of Tournaments & Global Tour Relationships Nick Dastey said: “The ISPS HANDA Australian Open and BMW Australian PGA Championship gain huge benefits from the strong contingent of international players who come to Australia annually thanks to our partnership with the DP World Tour.
“They add to the depth of our fields, providing the best of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia with the chance to challenge themselves against proven tournament winners.
“And their presence helps us to gain extra exposure to international audiences for our tournaments, our Tour and our partners.”
The remaining DP World Tour players to be included in the fields for both the PGA and Open will be finalised in coming weeks.
The 2024 ISPS HANDA Australian Open and BMW Australian PGA Championship will be broadcast on Fox Sports and Kayo, as well as the NINE Network/9NOW.
For BMW Australian PGA Championship tickets, go to ticketek.com.au
The Australian PGA Championship is supported by the Queensland Government, through Tourism and Events Queensland’s Major Events Program and Brisbane City Council, through Brisbane Economic Development Agency.
Defending champion Phoenix Campbell is ready to become the “main attraction” as Cameron Smith clawed his way back into contention late on day three of the Queensland PGA Championship at Nudgee Golf Club.
Campbell (73) birdied his final hole of Round 3 to take a one-stroke lead into the final round as WA Open runner-up Jak Carter (66) and 2023 Gippsland Super 6 winner Kerry Mountcastle (64) played their way into the final group with the two best rounds of the day.
Smith’s third round began with nine straight pars before a plugged second shot into the bunker at the par-4 10th led to his first bogey of the day.
A second followed when he failed to get up-and-down at the par-4 14th but birdies at 15, 17 and 18 has left the 2022 Open champion just three strokes back going into the final round.
After two days playing in front of Smith, Campbell was in the group behind on Saturday and hopes to draw a few more spectators back from Cam’s caravan of followers on Sunday.
“It’s actually really weird,” said Campbell.
“I didn’t feel like the main attraction today. I definitely wasn’t, despite leading the tournament.
“It’s a different vibe. It’s really cool to see so many people out and hopefully tomorrow there’ll be more people out again.
“I’m really looking forward to using the energy of the crowd.
“I play my best golf on Sunday so I’m really excited to get going.
“I feel like I can lift and play my best golf tomorrow.”
Conceding that his energy levels fluctuated as he made four bogeys in five holes around the turn, the 23-year-old responded with birdie at the par-3 11th – the second-hardest hole all week – and two more at 15 and 18 to edge one clear of Carter.
Carter was the 54-hole leader at Nudgee two years ago and is chasing redemption having made double-bogey on the 72nd hole to miss the playoff ultimately won by Aaron Wilkin.
“A hundred percent. A hundred percent,” Carter said after playing the back nine in 6-under 30.
“But I’m just heading out there tomorrow and playing golf because that’s all we can do.
“Just keep playing smart, wait to hole some putts and then just start going on a tear. Which was exactly what happened today.”
Late Saturday charge 🤝 Final group Sunday #QldPGA | #TheChaseIsOn pic.twitter.com/H4Gr6TRVJp
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) November 2, 2024
Even par through nine holes, Carter hit a wedge to three feet for birdie on 10, did the same on 12 to move to 2-under and then holed an 8-iron from 153 metres for eagle at the par-4 13th.
“The moment I hit it I was like, That’s exactly as I wanted to hit it,” Carter added.
“We were walking down there and bang, it was in the hole.”
Mountcastle delivered the round of the tournament less than 24 hours after hatching plans to head home.
T31 ➡️ 2nd
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) November 2, 2024
It's not called MOVING DAY for nothing 👏#QldPGA | #TheChaseIsOn pic.twitter.com/PSo3P7QItd
During Friday’s weather delay and with two holes left to play, Mountcastle looked for an early flight back to New Zealand. When play resumed, he holed an eight-footer for par on 17 and made birdie on 18 to ensure he had some money to play for over the weekend.
“My mindset yesterday afternoon wasn’t great actually when we had our delay, I was looking at flights to go home,” Mountcastle admitted.
“Consistent golf out there is not easy. There’s a lot of ebbs and flows. Today had nine birdies and a bogey, whereas yesterday I had six bogeys and four birdies.”
Revenge 😈#QldPGA | #TheChaseIsOn pic.twitter.com/vr2v91yIdb
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) November 2, 2024
Midway through the front nine, Smith found himself seven shots behind Campbell and struggling to stay inside the top 10.
“I did what I had to do today,” said Smith, who will tee off in the second-to-last group at 11:22am AEST on Sunday with Lucas Higgins (71) and 2022 Cameron Smith Scholarship holder, Billy Dowling (75).
“Tough to get going I guess is the right term.
“I feel like I did a lot of things right today, especially on that front nine. Just couldn’t get anything going and couldn’t get any putts to drop.
“It was just very frustrating but stuck in there.
“I was hitting the ball great and then holed a couple of putts at the end.”
The final round of the Queensland PGA Championship will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo from 11:30am-4:30pm AEST.
Entry for spectators is free with the first group to tee off at 8:16am and the final group to go off at 11:33am.
Mat Goggin flexed his muscles late today to set up a classic New South Wales Senior Open finale on Sunday.
There were a host of big-name moves in a scintillating second round, with Tasmanian Goggin’s seven-under-par 65 getting the Thurgoona Country Club Resort crowd buzzing.
It’s the proverbial “promoter’s dream” after Goggin’s closing birdie earned him a share of the lead alongside Victorian Euan Walters, who fired his own great 67 hours earlier to reach 9-under.
Overnight leader Scott Barr, endured a mixed bag in his second-round 71, but recovered to reach 8-under, one clear of big-name trio David McKenzie, Peter Lonard and red-hot Queenslander Chris Taylor, locked on seven under.
Also within striking distance at 6-under and 5-under respectively are Terry Pilkadaris and the legendary Peter Senior, all but ensuring an action-packed third and final round.
Goggin, on his PGA Legends Tour debut, hit some towering drives to take advantage of Thurgoona’s par-5s, but possibly could have gone even lower had his putter been remotely warm.
“I drove it really well and did what I needed to, getting it up and down when things went a bit astray with the mid-irons,” Goggin said.
“I haven’t been playing a lot, so I’m pretty happy to be in the mix. It’s always tough to win any professional golf tournament and I’ve given myself a chance.”
Walters looked set to blow the field away early when he leapt from the blocks with four birdies in the opening seven holes to assume the lead before cooling on the back nine.
“It’s been a battle this year, but I still love the fight and just lately it’s started to feel better, so hopefully I can keep it going tomorrow,” Walters said.
Barr struggled for momentum after his opening 65 and feared the worst when he hooked his drive on the 18th (his ninth) out of bounds.
The resultant double-bogey sent him tumbling off the leaderboard, but the West Australian journeyman showed great resolve after another bogey on the tough third, chipping in for eagle on the long fourth hole to spark a late rally that yielded two more birdies.
“I think you’ve got to look at the big picture, I’m still right in the hunt and hopefully things work out, I get off to a good start and roll in a couple of putts tomorrow,” Barr said.
“There’s a lot of people around me, so you’re going to have to play your best golf to get away with one tomorrow.”
All of the big names hot on their heels had moments of magic, with Pilkadaris having a rollercoaster back nine alongside Goggin and Lonard.
He birdied 11, almost holed out for eagle on 13 and then chipped in for eagle on 14 to race to 8-under.
He then stumbled with three straight bogeys from 15 before a long range birdie on the last steadied the ship.
McKenzie and Lonard looked ominous at times, while Senior didn’t have a lot of luck around the greens and Queenslander Taylor, already the winner of 12 PGA Legends Tour events this year, is enjoying the best form of his career and continues to lead the putting stats regularly.
All in all, it’s tough to pick a winner on what is sure to be a fascinating Sunday afternoon of golf.
A rookie with two pro starts to his name and two amateurs lead the way as Cameron Smith struggled on day two of the Queensland PGA Championship at Nudgee Golf Club.
Defending champion Phoenix Campbell added a 4-under 68 to his 6-under round on Thursday to take the 36-hole lead outright at 10-under, one-stroke clear of 19-year-old Gold Coast amateur Billy Dowling (69).
New South Wales amateur Declan O’Donovan (67) matched the equal best score of the day to climb into third position at 7-under, Smith two strokes further back at 5-under after a day in which he had to play from penalty areas on three separate occasions.
Smith’s shoes had to come off for his second shot at the par-3 11th but a late birdie at the par-5 17th dragged him back to level par for his round.
He will have to chase down Campbell and Dowling over the weekend, particularly excited at the prospect of potentially being paired with Dowling, a Cameron Smith Scholarship winner two years ago, in the final round.
While conscious of the threat posed by Smith, 23-year-old Campbell insists he won’t be looking backwards as he seeks to become the first back-to-back winner since Lucas Parsons in 1997-1998.
“I can’t really worry about what everyone else is doing,” said Campbell, who became the first amateur to win the Queensland PGA in its 92-year history 12 months ago.
“I’ve got to just stick to my game. That’s all I can control.
“I didn’t play quite as well as I did yesterday. I missed a couple of greens and made some really good up-and-downs, which kind of kept me in it.
“It wasn’t my best stuff, but I hung in there all day.”
Proud big brother vibes 🥹
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) November 1, 2024
Cam Smith on his 2022 scholarship recipient, Billy Dowling, who leads the #QldPGA. pic.twitter.com/Icjr5aZmpK
Tied for 15th a year ago, Dowling has also shown no signs of being overawed by the occasion.
Birdies at 14 and 18 were the highlights of Dowling’s 3-under round as he applies a sound strategy that belies his youthfulness.
“For me, you don’t need to try and force birdies,” said Dowling, who shot 59 at his home course of Surfers Paradise Golf Club in March last year.
“If you can just minimise the bogeys, then birdies will come.
“That’s just how I go about it. Other people might be different and then you see what happens at the end of the day.”
Despite more favourable conditions than the afternoon wave experienced in Round 1, Smith struggled to generate momentum early in his round on Friday.
He hit his tee shot at the par-5 fifth into the water on his way to bogey but got it back with a superb tee shot that danced around the hole at the par-3 eighth.
Smith’s drive at the par-4 ninth came to rest in bark left of the fairway as he made a second bogey but was back to square soon after with birdie on 10.
A bogey on 11 was countered with a birdie at 12, his birdie putt on 13 lipped out on the left edge and his par putt on 14 caught the right edge and also failed to fall.
A fourth birdie of the day on 17 was enough to get back to 5-under and in the second-last group on Saturday.
“It probably wasn’t as bad as what it looked,” said Smith. “It actually felt pretty good.
“It just seems like there’s a lot of birdie chances out there if you take driver. It’s what I did yesterday and kind of worked out and today not so much.
“The putter was a little bit cold. Hit a lot of lips but still feel like I played some pretty solid golf.
“Just wasn’t my day kind of thing.”
O’Donovan emerged as the real surprise packet in Round 2, the Avondale Golf Club member playing his final 12 holes in 6-under to play his way into the final group.
Winner of the NSW Amateur earlier this year, O’Donovan said he drew on Smith’s slow start on Thursday to stage a fightback of his own.
“Yesterday Cam was 1-over through six and finished 5-under,” said O’Donovan.
“I was 1-over through six and thinking, If Cam can do it, hopefully I can do it, too.
“I definitely got it going. Played some of my best golf today.”
Play was suspended for just over 80 minutes late on Friday due to an electrical storm, hail the size of golf balls lashing the course. The round resumed at 5:15pm AEST and was completed just after 6pm.
Round 3 will begin at 8:22am AEST on Saturday with the final group of Campbell, Dowling and O’Donovan to tee off at 11:45am.
The final two rounds will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo on both Saturday and Sunday from 11:30am-4:30pm AEST.
A conservative approach to his first 18 holes at Box Hill Golf Club paid dividends for Mark Panopoulos who claimed the Gorilla Ladders Box Hill Pro-Am today.
The Concord-based professional shot a round of 3-under-par 68 to beat a pair of Victorians, Cameron John and Ryan Lynch, by a stroke to claim his second adidas PGA Pro-Am Series title for 2024.
Panopoulos has another five pro-ams on his schedule before he attempts to qualify for the $800,000 NSW Open at Murray Downs later this month and has the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School as a longer term target.
Lynch’s round was the best of the morning field, while John birdied his final hole to grab a share of second.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
The winner’s scorecard featured five birdies, including one on his opening hole, the par-4 eighth, and one to finish at the par-5 seventh to claim the outright victory.
His only dropped shots came at the par-3 11th and at the longest par-4 at Box Hill, the 423m second.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
Panopoulos: “I played solid all day after getting off to a good start on my first hole. I hadn’t played here before I was just focussing on keeping the ball in play and not pushing it too much.
“Sometimes that works for me, where I don’t get too aggressive and play the safer and smarter shots.
“I had a look at the scoreboard with five or six to play, I like to do that, and realised I had a couple of par-5s in my last few holes and knew I might have some chances there. Nice to have them there as a back-up.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
68: Mark Panopoulos (NSW)
69: Cameron John (Vic); Ryan Lynch (Vic)
70: Harvey Young (Vic); Matt Dowling (Vic)
71: Nathan Kungl (Vic); Jack Chrystie (Vic)
72: Cameron Kelly (Vic); Josh Younger (Vic); Jayden Cripps (NSW); Wade Lowrie (Vic); Caleb Bovalina (Vic)
NEXT UP
The Gippsland swing for the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series begins with the Sporting Legends Pro-Am at Sale on Sunday followed by events at Trafalgar, Traralgon and Yarram
Scott Barr has taken the first-round lead at the New South Wales Senior Open with a stunning 7-under-par 65 at Thurgoona Country Club Resort.
The West Australian (pictured) was at his determined best in the morning half of the field, the only player in the to remain bogey-free on a day that was perfect for scoring.
Despite entering the tournament somewhat under the radar, Barr’s experience on the Thurgoona course is proving valuable. He finished 15th in 2022 while battling a wrist injury and was runner-up to Adam Henwood last year.
Off to a solid start early, Barr came alive on the back nine, dialling in a string of brilliant wedges to set up birdies on the 10th, 11th, and 17th holes. However, his birdie on the challenging third hole and clutch par saves on the 16th and 18th allowed him to keep his momentum.
“I feel like I know the course a bit now, the lines off the tees you learn a little bit more each time, and I feel like I know the shots required around here a bit more.
“There were three or four situations out there when I was happy to walk away with a par, where I managed to hole out to keep the round rolling.”
“Is it unfinished business? Yeah, sort of, but it would just be nice to win,” a delighted Barr said post-round.
Barr sits two shots ahead of Victorian David McKenzie, who posted a 5-under 67. The Victorian recovered from a difficult start, rallying with six birdies in his final seven holes.
“I’ve actually been playing well for a while but haven’t really gotten any reward for my good shots, so it was good to see a few go in there at the end,” McKenzie said after his round.
Other contenders include Peter Lonard (4-under), a two-time Australian Open champion, alongside Legends tour rookie Terry Pilkadaris and the evergreen Eaun Walters.
Three players – Chris Taylor, Murray Lott and Grahame Stinson – are at -3, while another rookie, Mat Goggin, runner-up at the 2008 Australian Open, heads a group of seven at -2.
Fifty professionals plus ties will make the all-important final round after tomorrow’s second round, with Sunday’s finale broadcast LIVE nationally on the 7PLUS digital platform.
