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Major champion Cam Smith is locked in to be the star attraction at the $800,000 NSW Open at Murray Downs Golf and Country Club in November.
Smith, 31, continues to enjoy a stellar career, including an historic Open Championship win at St Andrews in 2022, six titles on the PGA TOUR, three BMW Australian PGA Championships and multiple individual and team titles with Ripper GC on LIV Golf.
His participation in the NSW Open was confirmed this evening by Golf NSW.
“I love supporting Australian golf and when the opportunity arises to play, I want to be there,” Smith said.
“I try to get back home as much as I can.
“The NSW Open is growing into a major event and I’m excited to be able to play in the tournament this year, which will be part of a great summer of Australian golf.”
The prestigious event, part of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, will take place from November 14-17 at the picturesque Murray Downs Golf & Country Club.
Designed by Ted Parslow, it is ranked as the No.1 golf course on the Murray River and one of Australia’s best inland layouts. The course is renowned for its challenging layout and stunning scenery.
“It’s fantastic it is being played in a regional area and I can’t wait to see how many fans are at Murray Downs,” Smith added.
Smith’s commitment to the NSW Open not only adds to the tournament’s prestige but also signifies his support for Australian golf and its passionate fan base.
Tournament organisers are thrilled with Smith’s decision to play at this year’s championship. His participation is expected to draw significant attention, with fans eager to see one of the world’s top golfers in action.
“Cam’s participation is a massive boost for the NSW Open,” said Graeme Phillipson, Chief Operating Officer at Golf NSW.
“His presence will undoubtedly elevate the level of competition and create an incredible atmosphere for all attendees.”
“We were anticipating large crowds this year, but the numbers will be massive thanks to his star power.”
The NSW Open Golf Championship has a rich history dating back to 1931 and is one of Australia’s premier golf events. Past champions include Greg Norman (four times), Peter Thomson, Ian Baker-Finch, Jack Newton and Kel Nagle, whose name adorns the championship trophy.
Tickets for the 2024 NSW Open Golf Championship are now available online. Fans are encouraged to secure theirs early to witness what promises to be a spectacular championship showcasing Australian best golfers.
For more information on the event, visit the official NSW Open website at www.nswopen.com
The New South Wales Open is proudly supported by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
Thurgoona Country Club Associate Luke Porritt is the only player under par after strong winds caused havoc on day two of the NSW/ACT Associate Championship sponsored by North Eden Timber.
Sheradyn Johnson and Joel Mitchell returned the best scores of Round 2 at Tura Beach Country Club, their even par rounds of 73 remarkable given the difficulty of the challenge presented.
Following on from a 5-under 68 in Round 1, Porritt battled gamely in a round of 2-over 75 to be 3-under at the halfway mark and the leader by three strokes.
A double-bogey at the par-5 fourth was Porritt’s first stumble, a stumble he recovered from with back-to-back birdies at seven and eight.
A bogey at the par-3 ninth would be a portent of the difficulties to come, Porritt making five bogeys in the space of six holes.
But in a turnaround that could prove crucial by the end of the tournament on Friday, Porritt responded with birdies at 15, 17 and 18 to give him a three-stroke advantage from William Bayliss (77) with Daniel Gill (78) and Baxter Droop (76) a further three shots back at 3-over par.
“That was one of the hardest rounds of golf I’ve ever played,” Porritt said.
“The wind, along with the challenge of the greens, just made it hard to score.”
Round 3 gets underway at 8am Thursday with the leaders teeing off at 10:24am off the first tee.
Players will welcome the forecast for Round 3 as it is set to be sunny skies, minimal cloud cover and much lesser winds than experienced on Wednesday.
Twin eagles have catapulted Thurgoona Country Club’s Luke Porritt to the top of the leaderboard after day one of the NSW/ACT PGA Associate Championship proudly sponsored by North Eden Timber.
Tura Beach Country Club on the New South Wales South Coast was an absolute picture and it was Porritt who took greatest advantage of the superb conditions.
Beginning the championship from the 10th tee on Tuesday, Porritt was 2-over through six holes before a birdie at 16 and eagle at the par-5 18th got him into red figures by the turn.
From that point there was no turning back.
He made it two eagles in his round with a second at the par-5 fourth and then birdied holes seven and eight for a round of 5-under 68 and a one-stroke lead.
Proving crucial to his mid-round turnaround, Porritt admitted that he may have struggled to make par had his eagle putt on 18 not dropped.
“I smashed an 8-iron for my second shot on the 18th to about 20 feet above the hole,” Porritt recalled post-round.
“I’m glad I holed the putt, otherwise it was going into the bunker!”
Porritt’s closest challenger has a strong history at Tura Beach, 2023 runner-up William Bayliss from Pymble Golf Club again in contention after a round of 4-under 69 that featured seven birdies.
Steve Vail from Pennant Hills Golf Club is outright third after a round of 3-under 70 with three players in a share of fourth one shot further back after rounds of 2-under 71.
Round 2 gets underway at 7:21am on Wednesday morning with Porritt teeing off in the afternoon wave off the first tee at 12:25pm.
The total prize purse is $50,000 thanks to naming rights sponsor, North Eden Timber.
Birdies on his final two holes saw Corey Lamb claim the Forster-Tuncurry Pro-Am in partnership with Ray White today, almost two years to the day since his last adidas PGA Pro-Am Series victory.
Hailing from two hours down the Pacific Highway at Branxton, Lamb shot a bogey-free 6-under-par 66 on the Tuncurry course to beat Andrew Evans (NSW) by a shot and claim the fourth pro-am title of his career.
Equal 17th in the PNG Open to start the new Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season, Lamb has been an infrequent starter in the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series this year, but came into today’s event off the back of a share of fourth at Hawks Nest on Saturday.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
Starting his round from the seventh tee, Lamb birdied the eighth and 11th and was still sitting at 2-under-par when he began the remainder of the front nine.
That’s where he made his move, picking up shots on the first and third before catching Evans, who played in the morning field, at the 5-under mark with a birdie thanka to a lengthy putt on the 491m par-4 fifth. The outright victory was sealed by a three thanks to a fine approach on the 376m sixth hole.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
Lamb said: “I’ve been doing a lot of work off the course just mentally and trying to get my body right so I can move forward. It’s good to see all the work I’ve been putting on my golf game in my scores.
“Golf this year is about keeping my Tour card here in Australia for next year and then maybe get on a tour overseas.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
66: Corey Lamb (NSW)
67: Andrew Evans (NSW)
69: Cameron John (Vic), Mitchell Brown (NSW), Matthew Millar (ACT)
70: William Bruyeres (Qld)
71: Neven Basic (NSW), Nathan Barbieri (NSW)
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series heads to the Ocean Shores CUB Pro-Am on Wednesday and McGrath Estate Agents Ballina Pro-Am on Thursday.
Tomorrow marks the start of the NSW/ACT PGA Associate Championship proudly sponsored by North Eden Timber, being played at Tura Beach Country Club, 5 hours south of Sydney on the Sapphire Coast of NSW.
A total of 120 PGA Associates (84 from NSW and 36 from Interstate) are teeing it up at Tura Beach, with 2024 the first year of a three-year tournament hosting agreement at Tura Beach Country Club and the first year that the total prize purse is $50,000.
Naming rights sponsor North Eden Timber, has come on board this year which has helped in elevating the prizemoney purse significantly.
Jack Wright, last year’s champion, is back to defend his title that he won by one shot from Pymble GC’s Associate William Bayliss.
Bayliss also returns, vying to earn his second State Championship win around the famed and familiar Tura Beach layout, having won the Tasmanian PGA Associate Championship in 2023 by six shots.
Others to watch this year will be Linus Yip (Avondale GC) Associate, Ethan Chambers (The Lakes GC) Daniel Gill (Peninsula Kingswood) and Levi Sclater (2023 National PGA Associate Championship & from Rossdale GC).
From further outside, another player who could be a chance this week will be Sheradyn Johnson (PGA Associate from The National GC) who finished third in this year’s Victorian PGA Associate Championship at Tocumwal GC back May.
The first round kicks off on Tuesday (27/08) morning at 7.21am. There will be a cut on Wednesday evening to 50 plus ties with rounds three and four to follow on Thursday and Friday.
Click HERE for live scoring.
Adam Scott returns to the PGA TOUR’s Tour Championship for the 10th time in his career after falling just short of victory at the BMW Championship in Colorado.
Chasing his first PGA TOUR win in more than four years, Scott couldn’t have made a better start to the final round at Castle Pines Golf Club, the site of his first PGA TOUR appearance in 2000.
An eagle at the opening hole saw Scott join eventual champion Keegan Bradley at 13-under par, a position he would reclaim again with a birdie at the par-5 eighth.
But a problematic day with the putter and three straight bogeys after the turn ultimately cruelled Scott’s charge, the 44-year-old finishing one stroke back in a tie for second.
It is his second runner-up finish inside a month and propelled him from 41st to 14th in the FedEx Cup standings, the only Aussie to qualify for the 30-man season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
“I’m disappointed not to have won today, but I’m pretty happy to be going to East Lake
because that wasn’t on the cards a couple weeks ago,” said Scott, who also locked up his spot as one of six automatic qualifiers for the International team to contest the Presidents Cup next month.
“After a couple days of rest and getting my head into next week, it’ll be fun to go and have a couple good rounds and kind of find my way up the leaderboard at East Lake.
“A lot can happen in a few weeks out here. All of a sudden, I’ve gone from a very frustrating year had I not finished well to now feeling pretty pleased with myself.
“It’ll be fun to go and run the tables next week.”
Scott gave up more than two shots to the field on the greens in the final round, conceding that the comfort he felt on the first two days deserted him over the weekend.
“It’s amazing it came down to one shot,” Scott lamented.
“I felt like my bogeys on 10, 11, 12 gave Keegan a bit of breathing space. The pressure wasn’t really on him and he didn’t make any mistakes.
“I was in position with wedges on every hole and made three bogeys. That’s almost unthinkable, really.
”Just didn’t quite have the confidence in some of those putts. I thought I played well off the
tee today, which was nice, but just didn’t take advantage from there.”
Cam Davis closed out his season with a round of 66 and a tie for fifth, climbing from 49th to 36th in the FedEx Cup standings.
Entering the week inside the top 30 of the FedEx Cup, Jason Day’s tie for 33rd in Colorado saw him drop from 25th to 33rd to miss the season finale.
A strong weekend showing saw David Micheluzzi record his third top-10 DP World Tour finish in his past five starts at the Danish Golf Championship while Steve Allan’s hopes of a maiden PGA TOUR Champions title were cruelled when his tee shot at the par-4 14th could not be found and he made double bogey.
A tie for 24th in the first event of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals has Karl Vilips 17th on the points list with three events remaining, the top 30 after the Tour Championship to earn status on the PGA TOUR in 2025.
Grace Kim’s tie for 37th was the best of the Aussies as Kiwi Lydia Ko claimed the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews and Jess Whitting was one of six Aussies to advance from LPGA Pre-Qualifying to Stage 1 of Q-Series.
Photo: Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Final results
PGA TOUR
BMW Championship
Castle Pines Golf Club, Colorado, USA
1 Keegan Bradley 66-68-70-72—276 $US3.6m
T2 Adam Scott 68-63-74-72—277 $1.503m
T5 Cam Davis 72-70-72-66—280 $728,750
T33 Jason Day 78-69-71-71—289 $119,667
LPGA Tour/Ladies European Tour
AIG Women’s Open
St Andrews Old Course, St Andrews, Scotland
1 Lydia Ko (NZ) 71-70-71-69—281 $US1.425m
T37 Grace Kim 77-71-73-71—292 $45,568
T60 Stephanie Kyriacou 76-68-72-79—295 $19,105
MC Hannah Green 77-74—151
MC Minjee Lee 78-75—153
MC Hira Naveed 80-76—156
MC Gabriela Ruffels 81-76—157
MC Karrie Webb 82-77—159
DP World Tour
Danish Golf Championship
Lübker Golf Resort, Aarhus, Denmark
1 Frederic Lacroix 67-71-67-65—270 €381,991.28
T10 David Micheluzzi 71-70-67-69—277 €43,816.65
T27 Jason Scrivener 71-71-67-71—280 €19,661.32
T42 Sam Jones (NZ) 67-73-66-76—282 €11,684.44
MC Haydn Barron 72-76—148
MC Andrew Martin 76-75—151
PGA Tour Champions
The Ally Challenge
Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club, Michigan, USA
1 Stewart Cink 67-66-66—199 $US330,000
T5 Steve Allan 70-66-71—207 $80,960
T10 Rod Pampling 67-70-71—208 $45,886
T17 Mark Hensby 73-66-70—209 $34,100
T19 Greg Chalmers 68-72-70—210 $26,023
T26 Richard Green 70-72-69—211 $17,527
T38 Cameron Percy 69-73-71—213 $11,220
T38 David Bransdon 72-68-73—213 $11,220
T52 Michael Wright 73-70-73—216 $5,573
T55 John Senden 77-73-67—217 $4,840
Korn Ferry Tour
Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron
Hillcrest Country Club, Idaho, USA
1 Matt McCarty 63-64-67-69—263 $US270,000
T24 Karl Vilips 67-67-67-70—271 $12,620
MC Brett Drewitt 69-71—140
MC Rhein Gibson 72-69—141
PGA Tour Americas
CentrePort Canada Rail Park Manitoba Open
Southwood golf and Country Club, Canada
1 John Keefer 63-61-71-67—262 $US40,500
MC Grant Booth 72-66—138
MC Harry Hillier (NZ) 69-70—139
MC Charlie Hillier (NZ) 71-73—144
Challenge Tour
Indoor Golf Group Challenge
Landeryds Golfklubb – Vesterby Links, Vesterby, Sweden
1 Joakim Lagergren 68-70-66-68—272 €43,200
T37 Connor McKInney 70-70-72-71—283 €1,674
MC Hayden Hopewell 70-75—145
MC Blake Windred 74-72—146
LET Access Series
Ladies Slovak Golf Open
TALE Ski Golf & Hotel Resort, Slovakia
1 Tina Mazarino 70-70-70—210 €7,200
T2 Wenyung Keh (NZ) 66-72-75—213 €4,072.50
T47 Kristalle Blum 76-76-79—231 €321.75
MC Munchin Keh (NZ) 74-83—157
MC Stephanie Bunque 76-84—160
Japan Golf Tour
Sansan KBC Augusta
Keya Golf Club, Fukuoka
1 Jinichiro Kozuma 68-66-66-69—269 ¥20m
Won on the second hole of sudden-death playoff
T20 Michael Hendry 67-76-69-67—279 ¥1.18m
MC Brad Kennedy 72-75—147
MC Anthony Quayle 73-76—149
LPGA Q-Series
Pre-Qualifying Stage
Top-95 and ties advance to LPGA Q-Series Qualifying
1 Ashley Menne (a) 69-66-69-68—272
T8 Jess Whitting 67-73-68-70—278
T22 Kelsey Bennett 70-70-71-71—282
T49 Jennifer Herbst 69-76-73-67—285
T49 Lion Higo (a) 78-66-69-72—285
T60 Claire Shin (NZ) 69-73-75-69—286
T60 Sarah Yamaki Branch 70-73-71-72—286
T80 Caitlin Peirce (a) 72-71-74-71—288
MC Grace Williams (a) 73-77-70—220
MC Jordan O’Brien 71-76-73—220
MC Justice Bosio (a) 72-72-78—222
MC Amy Chu 81-75-72—228
MC Linley Ooi 73-81-79—233
MC Makensie Toole (a) 82-76-77—235
Australia’s Adam Scott will play in his 11th Presidents Cup after being confirmed as an automatic selection alongside countryman Jason Day in the International Team to take on the United States in Canada next month.
The top six players for both teams were determined following the conclusion of the BMW Championship today with the two Aussies to be joined at Royal Montreal by Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) and a trio of Koreans – Tom Kim, Sungjae Im and Ben An.
International Team Captain Mike Weir and US Team Captain Jim Furyk will announce captains’ picks live on Golf Channel on Tuesday, September 3 to round out their 12-man teams for the September 24-29 event.
Scott, who holds the record for International Team appearances, said: “I think qualifying for 11 straight Presidents Cups is certainly a highlight in the career.
“It’s not something that is focused on so much, but at this time of the year, it really feels like a great accomplishment to make this team and I’m really determined to keep making this team while I’m out on TOUR, being competitive and making sure the Internationals get another victory.”
Paris Olympian Day will be making his first Presidents Cup appearance since 2017.
“I’ll hopefully bring more experience to the team,” he said.
“I know we are going to have a pretty experienced team.
“It’s something that we’ve struggled to win in the past and looking at the team currently, we’ve got guys that can go out there and compete, and play well to win the matches when they need to.”
INTERNATIONAL TEAM
NO. 1 – HIDEKI MATSUYAMA
Country: Japan
Age: 32
PGA TOUR Wins: 10
Presidents Cup: 5 (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022) / 7-10-5 record
2024 Highlights: Two wins, including The Genesis Invitational and FedEx St. Jude Championship, where he vaulted from No. 8 to No. 3 in the FedExCup. Has notched six top-10s overall in the 2024 season and earned a bronze medal with a third-place finish in the Olympic golf competition.
Notable: Will be making his sixth Presidents Cup appearance, tied for fourth most in International Team history alongside Retief Goosen and Robert Allenby.
NO. 2 – SUNGJAE IM
Country: Republic of Korea
Age: 26
PGA TOUR Wins: 2
Presidents Cup: 2 (2019, 2022) / 5-3-2
2024 Highlights: Has recorded seven top-10 finishes, including a season-best T3 at the Travelers Championship, where he finished two shots shy of a playoff. Notched the third top-10 of his major championship career with a T7 at The Open Championship.
Notable: Owns an undefeated record in Sunday Singles play in the Presidents Cup after defeating Gary Woodland and Cameron Young in 2019 and 2022, respectively.
NO. 3 – ADAM SCOTT
Country: Australia
Age: 44
PGA TOUR Wins: 14
Presidents Cup: 10 (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022) / 18-25-6
2024 Highlights: Has notched four top-10 finishes including a pair of runner-up finishes at the Genesis Scottish Open and BMW Championship.
Notable: Will be making a record 11th start for the International Team in the Presidents Cup, which is second most in event history, trailing only Phil Mickelson (12). Scott has recorded 21 points in 49 career matches.
NO. 4 – TOM KIM
Country: Republic of Korea
Age: 22
PGA TOUR Wins: 3
Presidents Cup: 1 (2022) / 2-3-0
2024 Highlights: Recorded two top-10 finishes including a season-best runner-up at the Travelers Championship, where he lost to Scottie Scheffler in a playoff.
Notable: Delivered one of the moments of the week in 2022 while partnering with Si Woo Kim in Saturday afternoon’s Four-ball matches. On the 18th hole, tied with Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, converted a 10-foot birdie putt to win the match, 1-up.
NO. 5 – JASON DAY
Country: Australia
Age: 36
PGA TOUR Wins: 13
Presidents Cup: 4 (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017) / 5-11-4
2024 Highlights: Has recorded four top-10 finishes including a season-best T4 at the Truist Championship.
Notable: Will make his fifth appearance in the Presidents Cup and first since 2017. Best performance came in 2013 at Muirfield Village Golf Club near his home in Ohio, where he notched a 3-1-1 record and partnered with Canadian Graham DeLaet four times before defeating Brandt Snedeker in Sunday singles, 6 and 4.
NO. 6 – BYEONG HUN AN
Country: Republic of Korea
Age: 32
PGA TOUR Wins: 0
Presidents Cup: 1 (2019) / 1-2-2
2024 Highlights: Has recorded five top-10 finishes including a T2 at the Sony Open in Hawaii, where he lost in a playoff to Grayson Murray. Marked the fifth runner-up of his PGA TOUR career.
Notable: Played in all five matches at the 2019 Presidents Cup in Australia, partnering twice with Adam Scott in Four-ball competition. Match play history dates back to the 2009 U.S. Amateur, which he won at age 17 after defeating future PGA TOUR winner Ben Martin in the championship match.
U.S. TEAM
NO. 1 – SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER
Age: 28
PGA TOUR Wins: 12
Presidents Cup: 1 (2022) / 0-3-1
2024 Highlights: Claimed his first of six PGA TOUR wins on the season by winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard before successfully defending his title the following week at THE PLAYERS Championship, becoming the first champion to do so in the event’s 50-year history. One month later, won his second Masters Tournament before adding a fourth win on the season the following week at the RBC Heritage. Added two more Signature Event titles with victories at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday and the Travelers Championship. Made his debut in the Olympics and recorded a final-round 62 for a 19-under 265 total, good for a one-shot victory and the gold medal.
Notable: Made his Presidents Cup debut in 2022 with a 0-3-1 record at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte but owns a 2-2-3 overall record in two appearances in the Ryder Cup (2021, 2023).
NO. 2 – XANDER SCHAUFFELE
Age: 30
PGA TOUR Wins: 9
Presidents Cup: 2 (2019, 2022) / 6-3-0
2024 Highlights: Ended a 22-month victory drought with his first major championship victory at the PGA Championship, contested at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky. Converted a 6-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole for a one-shot victory over Bryson DeChambeau. Two months later, collected his second major championship of the year at The Open Championship, posting a 9-under 275 total for a two-shot win over Billy Horschel and Justin Rose.
Notable: Making his third appearance at the Presidents Cup after compiling a 6-3-0 record between 2019 and 2022, where he secured the winning point with a Sunday singles victory over Corey Conners. Has partnered with Patrick Cantlay seven times in Presidents Cup competition, where the duo owns a 4-3-0 record.
NO. 3 – COLLIN MORIKAWA
Age: 27
PGA TOUR Wins: 6
Presidents Cup: 1 (2022) / 2-1-0
2024 Highlights: Has notched seven top-10 finishes including a season-best runner-up at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, along with T3 and T4 efforts at the Masters Tournament and PGA Championship, respectively.
Notable: Made his Presidents Cup debut in 2022 compiling a 2-1-0 record. Has represented the United States twice in the Ryder Cup (2021, 2023) with a 4-3-1 record.
NO. 4 – WYNDHAM CLARK
Age: 30
PGA TOUR Wins: 3
Presidents Cup: First Appearance
2024 Highlights: Following a breakout 2023 campaign where he won the Truist Championship and U.S. Open, picked up the third win of his PGA TOUR career at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Posted back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and THE PLAYERS Championship in March.
Notable: Represented the United States in the 2023 Ryder Cup, compiling a 1-1-1 record.
NO. 5 – PATRICK CANTLAY
Age: 32
PGA TOUR Wins: 8
Presidents Cup: 2 (2019, 2022) / 6-3-0
2024 Highlights: Former FedExCup Champion has recorded four top-10 finishes in 2024, including season-best T3 efforts at the RBC Heritage and U.S. Open.
Notable: Making his third appearance at the Presidents Cup after compiling a 6-3-0 record between 2019 and 2022. Has partnered with Xander Schauffele seven times in Presidents Cup competition, where the duo owns a 4-3-0 record. Owns a 5-2-1 record in two appearances in the Ryder Cup (2021, 2023).
NO. 6 – SAHITH THEEGALA
Age: 26
PGA TOUR Wins: 1
Presidents Cup: First Appearance
2024 Highlights: Owns seven top-10 finishes on the year including runner-up efforts at The Sentry and RBC Heritage.
Notable: Only prior experience in international team competition came at the 2018 Arnold Palmer Cup in France, where he represented the United States while playing for Pepperdine University. Teammates included fellow PGA TOUR winners Collin Morikawa and Davis Riley.
For more information about the Presidents Cup, or to purchase tickets, please visit PresidentsCup.com.
Red-hot Josh Clarke continues to pick up victories in the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series, the latest coming thanks to a 15-under-par total in the two-day Hawks Nest Beachside Apartments Pro-Am.
The winner at Port Macquarie three days earlier, Clarke (NSW) shot rounds of 64-65 to beat Victoria’s Kyle Michel (63-68) by two shots.
After going three years without a pro-am victory, the 31-year-old has now won four titles in just over four months – and thrown in a top-20 at the PNG Open on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
Reigning Webex Players Series South Australia champion Austin Bautista shot the lowest round of day two, an 8-under 64, to take third place, four back of Clarke.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
Clarke went bogey-free across the 36 holes at Hawks Nest.
His day one 64 featured two eagles and four birdies while the closing 65 included five birdies and a repeat eagle on the 450m par-5 second.
A run of three birdies in four holes early in his back nine took him clear of overnight leader Michel who, after shooting a front nine of 31, faltered with bogeys at 12 and 13.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I’ve been playing good for quite a while so it’s not a shock that I’m starting to post some good scores,” Clarke said.
“I was a little nervous out there today at a few points. Hit a couple of scratchy tee shots but got a bit lucky. Other than that I was really steady and hit a lot of greens, didn’t miss any short putts.
“I can’t thank (PGA Professional) Blake Dowd at Stonecutters enough. He’s been massive for me. He answers my calls and texts at any hour of the night if I’m panicking.
“We found something a little while ago that helped for my back and help to achieve the shots that we want. It just made every super simple and I love it.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
129: Josh Clarke (NSW) 64-65
131: Kyle Michel (Vic) 63-68
133: Austin Bautista (NSW) 69-64
134: Corey Lamb (NSW) 66-68; Blake Proverbs (Qld) 69-65
135: Jye Pickin (NSW) 65-70; Andrew Kelly (Vic) 68-67
136: Nathan Barbieri (NSW) 71-65
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series heads to the Forster-Tuncurry Pro-Am on Monday followed by the Ocean Shores CUB Pro-Am on Wednesday and McGrath Estate Agents Ballina Pro-Am on Thursday.
Australia’s Adam Scott will challenge for his first PGA TOUR title since 2020 in tomorrow’s final round of the BMW Championship, while Steph Kyriacou remains the leading Aussie at the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews.
After shooting a brilliant 63 on day two to take the outright lead, Scott battled to a 74 at Castle Pines in Colorado on Saturday to sit at 11-under-par after 54 holes, one shot behind the leader, American Keegan Bradley.
Scott is trying to win on the PGA TOUR for the first time since the Genesis Invitational in early 2020, but he had a horror start to day three, hitting his opening tee shot out of bounds. That led to a bogey on the par-5 and the situation worsened with a double-bogey on the par-4 third and a bogey on the par-3 fourth.
However three birdies on the back nine ensured the Queenslander would be right in contention for the final round.
“I really struggled mostly on the greens today. They were just so different from yesterday’s round speed-wise and firmness and look and everything,” Scott said.
“Felt like I was on a different course almost, and I just battled that most of the round.
“The good shots I hit, I didn’t really get the reward. I’m in a good spot in the end of it to be one back.”
Cam Davis (-2) is the next best Australian in T27.
Meanwhile, Kyriacou will start tonight’s final round of the AIG Women’s Open in a share of 19th after shooting an even-par 72 on the Old Course in the third round.
She sits at even-par, seven shots behind the leader, reigning Victorian Open champion Jiyai Shin of Korea.
New Zealand’s Olympic champion Lydia Ko is in equal fourth, three strokes back.
BMW Championship leaderboard
1 Keegan Bradley (US) -12
2 Adam Scott -11
T27 Cam Davis -2
T37 Jason Day +2
AIG Women’s Open Leaderboard:
1 Jiyai Shin (Korea) -7
T4 Lydia Ko (NZ) -4
T19 Steph Kyriacou Ev
T70 Grace Kim +5
It is time once again to celebrate all things golf in Victoria. Golf Australia, the PGA of Australia, Golf Management Australia and the Victorian Golf Course Superintendents Association will be coming together at the Victorian Golf Industry Awards Night.
It is time once again to celebrate all things golf in Victoria. Golf Australia, the PGA of Australia, Golf Management Australia and the Victorian Golf Course Superintendents Association will be coming together at the Victorian Golf Industry Awards Night.
The event will be held on Thursday October 31, at Southern Golf Club in Keysborough.
With the game that’s growing in numbers, from the beginner to the professional, it’s very important to acknowledge how you get there, who helped you, who went the extra mile; who in the industry is not just growing the game but enjoying it with others.
This is the night where we can recognise this contribution.
For full details click here.
To purchase tickets click here.
