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Rising Sydney star Stephanie Kyriacou has revelled in her first experience mixing it with the men at The Players Series Sydney, shooting an opening round of 8-under 63 to take a one stroke lead at Bonnie Doon Golf Club.
A member of both the nearby The Lakes Golf Club and St Michael’s Golf Club, Kyriacou pitted her skills against male pros in friendly matches prior to joining the Ladies European Tour last year, that preparation leading to five top-10 finishes and LET Rookie of the Year honours.
Playing alongside the highly-touted Elvis Smylie (68) in his professional debut, Kyriacou bounced back from a bogey at her opening hole to reel off eight birdies and an eagle at the par-5 ninth to end the day one clear of Victorians Matthew Griffin and Peter Wilson and Queensland’s Shae Wools-Cobb who all shot 64.
Taking two months off following her four-month stint on the LET late last year, Kyriacou wasn’t ready to return at The Players Series event at Rosebud Country Club in January but underlined her immense talent with a sparkling display on day one at Bonnie Doon.
“I hadn’t practiced until the week of the event so I just didn’t feel ready. Thinking about it now, it wouldn’t have been a bad thing if I did play,” said Kyriacou, who had a gallery of family and friends watching her play on Thursday.
“I heard that the girls’ tees were pretty far forward (at Rosebud) and this week they have definitely tried to make them a bit fairer. I think it’s good because when you beat the boys you can kind of give it to them. I think it’s great.
“On the par 3s it was pretty much the same but on most of the holes that I hit my driver to wherever they hit it, they’re hitting an 8-iron in and I’m hitting 6-iron.
“On the last hole Elvis hit driver, 7-iron to just short of pin high and I hit driver, 3-wood.”
Five-under through 13 holes, Kyriacou was jostling for top spot with a mix of veterans and rising stars until a birdie at the par-4 eighth and eagle at the last propelled her to the top of the leaderboard.
“I hit a really, really good drive straight down the middle and then I had just over 200 to the pin,” said the 20-year-old.
“It was a little bit into the wind off the left and I just felt really good over the ball and hit the best 3-wood of my life to about four foot and then holed it.”
Frustrated by inconsistent putting for the first three weeks of the Victorian swing earlier in the year, Griffin made a slight adjustment prior to the final round of the Moonah Links PGA Classic, his Sunday 66 bettered only by eventual champion Bryden Macpherson.
A 15-footer for birdie at the par-4 fifth was the only putt of significance on Thursday as he assembled a relatively stress-free 7-under 64.
“I just had to play so well tee to green to have a decent score over those weeks,” said Griffin.
“Even starting today, once I rolled in a couple early you relax a bit with the putter and holed a few through the middle stages.”
Perfect conditions greeted the morning field on Thursday with the wind strengthening later in the round. That gusty wind enhanced the challenge for those players in the afternoon wave but Victorian Matias Sanchez and New South Welshman Andrew Evans both posted 6-under 65s in their opening rounds.
For Sanchez, that score matched his opening round at The Players Series Victoria and he hopes to continue his professional progression by following it up with another good round on Friday.
“Shooting that round at Rosebud was great but unfortunately didn’t follow it up for the next couple of days,” said Sanchez, who holed a bunker shot at the par-3 11th on his way to a back-nine of 5-under 29 on Thursday.
“I feel like my game’s there and if everything lines up it’s a pretty stress-free round. The game’s going in the right direction, I’ve just got to do it for three more days.”
Winner of the Australian Amateur in 2017 where he defeated Min Woo Lee in the 36-hole final and tied for 15th at the 2017 Australian Open, Sanchez concedes that he has to remain patient as he looks to take the next step in his professional career.
“I do sometimes think I should be ahead of where I am but then again, we didn’t really play at all last year,” said Sanchez, who spent most of 2020 working in the pro shop at The Sandhurst Club.
“My coach Tim Wendell and I have talked a lot the last few weeks on the phone. At one event I was a bit shitty because I just didn’t perform to my ability and he said to me, ‘Why are you in such a rush? You’re out there learning.’
“We’re each on our own journey so take it as it comes. Even though it’s pretty hard to swallow some bad golf it’s just another learning curve.
“I’m happy where I’m going and if it takes me x amount of years compared to what everyone else is doing, that’s fine.”
Level with Sanchez and Evans in a tie for fifth at 6-under are Blake Collyer and Blake Windred with recently-turned professional Jack Thompson, Deyen Lawson, Dimi Papadatos, Brett Rankin, Michael Wright and Simon Hawkes all at 5-under in a tie for ninth.
Amateur Grace Kim is the next best female in the field behind Kyriacou at 4-under with South Coast amateur Kelsey Bennett at 3-under and LPGA Tour player Su Oh 2-under.
The second round of The Players Series Sydney presented by Cisco Webex commences at 7.30am AEDT on Friday with the final two rounds to be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo on Saturday and Sunday.
Australian golf’s three newest professionals intend to make a strong first impression as they chase a healthy first pay cheque at this week’s The Players Series Sydney presented by Cisco Webex at Bonnie Doon Golf Club.
Familiar names and recent ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia winners are littered throughout the field that also boasts 35 female amateurs and professionals yet for Elvis Smylie, Jack Thompson and Doey Choi it represents the first step in what they each hope will be long and illustrious careers.
Thompson and Choi both left the amateur ranks immediately following the Australian Amateur at Kooyonga Golf Club in Adelaide in mid-February while Smylie’s announcement just last week generated headlines around the country.
Runner-up to Brad Kennedy at the inaugural event of The Players Series at Rosebud Country Club in late January – a result that would have netted the 18-year-old around $15,000 – Smylie said that performance confirmed his belief that he was ready to turn pro.
“Going back to Keperra last year, to win that (Keperra Bowl) by 13 shots in a high-class amateur field and then to be able to do what I did at Rosebud cemented making the decision that I’ve made,” said Smylie, who shot 63-63 on the weekend at The Players Series Victoria to finish one shot back.
“I felt so confident the week after Rosebud and to this day I’m extremely confident of what I’ve achieved and what I’m capable of doing.
“There has been a lot of blood, sweat and tears that has gone into it. It’s what I’ve wanted since I was a young kid and I can’t wait to make my debut this week and get amongst it right away.”
Thompson, too, narrowly missed out on a professional victory prior to leaving the amateur ranks, losing in a playoff to Anthony Quayle at the 2020 Queensland Open.
But it was getting within five rows of Tiger Woods at the 2009 Australian Masters at Kingston Heath that lit the fire within the then 11-year-old to drive him towards a dream of playing professional golf.
“I remember watching that and thinking, How good is it. All the gallery and stuff like that was incredible,” the South Australian recalled.
“From that day I always wanted to be a golfer. That reassured me that that was what I wanted to do.
“My mum Cynthia was six or seven months pregnant with me and still playing golf and that carried through. I always had a golf club in my hand when I was 1 or 2 swinging it around the backyard.
“It’s pretty much all down to her.”
Choi considered turning professional prior to TPS Victoria but as she had been issued an invite as an amateur was required to retain her amateur status to take her place in the field.
The Concord Golf Club member finished tied for 30th and equal-third among the women who made the cut and has already noticed some subtle differences from the amateur game.
Breaking the course record at Corowa Golf Club in her first round as a professional at the Murray River Open two weeks ago, Choi has come to realise the importance of each shot when there is money to be won.
“My pro debut, I just completely forgot halfway through that I had turned pro,” Choi admitted.
“I missed this short putt and I was like, These count now.
“Obviously I’m trying not to change too much and I’m trying not to think about money and things like that.
“I had a quick chat to Dimi Papadatos about it because he’s quite a successful pro and we’re quite good friends. I made comment about it and he gave me some really good advice.
“He said that starting out I’m going to be thinking about that and I’m going to be thinking of those poor shots or missed putts because of the money but later when you play big tournaments one shot could cost you $10,000.
“Right now it’s nothing and he said not to think about it and just play my own game.”
Smylie’s first taste of the big-time came as a 17-year-old at the 2019 Australian Open at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney.
He shared the putting green with South African Louis Oosthuizen and after four rounds was in front of Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els and defending champion Abraham Ancer, flirting with the top of the leaderboard through 36 holes.
“Actually being there, being on the putting green with Louis Oosthuizen, Ernie Els, Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Paul Casey, all these guys that I had grown up watching on TV, to be able to stand alongside them and play in the same tournament and compete, that was a very special week for me,” said Smylie, who played in the tournament by virtue of his Australian Boys Amateur win earlier that year.
“I knew that was what I wanted to do as a career.
“I’m still playing golf but it’s the next chapter of my life and the next step for me to become the best player in the world.
“I know that time’s now.”
The Players Series is a new and innovative tournament concept developed by Australian golf’s peak professional bodies, the PGA Tour of Australasia and the WPGA Tour of Australasia – will see the country’s leading male and female professionals compete in the same field for the same prize purse.
The tournament (Thursday, March 4 to Sunday, March 7) is the second of two events that will see up to 144 male and female professional golfers play in a 72-hole strokeplay event.
Using scaled tees, men and women golfers will compete on a level playing field, with the winner to claim the lion’s share of the $150,000 prize purse.
View the round 1 draw at pga.org.au.
He became one of the most decorated players of the past 20 years yet just three years before making his NRL debut Braith Anasta quit rugby league to chase his dreams of a professional golf career.
A one-time starter at the 2011 NSW PGA Championship in Wollongong, Anasta will this week serve as tournament host when the second event in The Players Series tees off at Bonnie Doon Golf Club in Sydney.
Now actively involved in golf through his sports management company Searoo Sports, Anasta’s passion for the game is well known. Less well known is the twist of fate that saw him give up golf and return to rugby league mid-season in 1998 and start his meteoric rise towards stardom.
The nephew of South Sydney legend George Piggins, Anasta had decided at age 15 to channel all of his considerable sporting talent into golf, mixing it on a regular basis with future tour players in James Nitties, Ewan Porter and Aron Price.
In 1998 he lost a playoff to Price in a Jack Newton Junior Golf event at Bondi Golf Club only to answer an SOS from the coach of the Rabbitohs’ SG Ball team that would change his life forever.
“I was playing league, union, cricket, golf, you name it, but golf was my absolute favourite and I was really passionate about it,” says Anasta, who would go on to play 288 first grade games and represent both NSW and Australia.
“I gave up league when I was 15 and focused on golf and wanted to put all my energy into that and give it a good crack.
“A few months into the year the fullback of the South Sydney SG Ball team went down with an injury and the coach, Danny Loftus, rang me and said they needed me for the last six games of the year.
“We went on to win the grand final, I got a contract and that was it. I didn’t play golf for basically the next 10 years.
“It was pretty crazy.”
Given his passion for golf and his background in elite-level sport, Anasta founded Searoo Sports with Justin Caines in 2018 with a view to guiding young golf professionals through the formative stages of their careers.
Aron Price is now part of the Searoo team based in America as Anasta offers a sense of team within a sport that can be solitary and lonely at times.
“Golf’s a bit of a gamble,” says Anasta of the difference between the two sports. “You actually don’t know if you’re going to make it until you take that leap.
“There’s not much security there until you make the transition and you are successful at it.
“You’re playing for your pay cheque every week but you don’t have the support network that team sports have.
“Golfers have mates on tour but it can be a really lonely place and I understood that because I’d been around it.
“I try to put a team environment around the players so that they’ve got someone they can lean on. A lot of golfers don’t want that, but I provide it so if they do want it it’s available to them.
“If they need a trainer, if they need a mental coach, if they need some money I’ll try and get them some sponsorship and leverage my position with my contacts so they can have the money they need to get to where they want to get to without all the stress and pressure.
“That’s what I love the most about it, being a mentor and trying to help these guys win tournaments and achieve their hopes and dreams.”
Dimi Papadatos, Aaron Wilkin, Anthony Quayle, Matt Stieger, Ryan Chisnall, Ben Eccles and Kiwi Ben Campbell are all currently on the Searoo books and Anasta intends to use this week’s TPS event to scout female players looking to join his team.
“I’m not one of those guys like Jerry Maguire who goes out to try and snap all the talent up,” says Anasta. “It’s more a relationship thing and if we can help that’s amazing.
“I do love watching the women play and I’d love to represent some of Australia’s best female golfers. I’ll be trying to do that over the next couple of years for sure.
“I hadn’t had much to do with the WPGA or the female golfers but now I do with this event and also through meeting the likes of Steph Kyriacou, Becky Kay and Su Oh.
“I’ve always looked up to Hannah Green, she’s amazing, so definitely want to get a couple of the girls on board.”
As for his own golf, Anasta is gradually trying to make the transition from professional hopeful to happy hacker.
“I wish I’d never ever reached the level that I had because now I’m so far from it that I find it hard,” says Anasta, 15 seasons of first grade rugby league taking a heavy toll on his body and limiting his ability to practice.
“I would have tried to tee it up this week if I was playing like I used to but I don’t think I ever will.
“I’ve come to terms with it the past six months but when you’re playing off +2 or +3 as a young fella and then you’re struggling to shoot 80, it does your head in a lot.
“I’ve accepted that I’ll never be that player ever again and that to me is hoping that I can enjoy playing golf without getting frustrated.”
Sarah Kemp has recorded her best LPGA Tour finish on American soil and Cameron Percy has logged his second top-10 of the PGA TOUR season in a weekend of strong performances by Aussies on tour around the world.
Starting with Greg Chalmers’ hole-in-one in the opening round of the Puerto Rico Open – his second ace in the event – a host of Australians and Kiwis played their way into contention without being able to close it out.
Cameron Smith tied his career-best score to par through the first 36 holes of an event on TOUR at the WGC-Workday Championship but a Saturday 77 that was derailed by two balls in the water and a triple bogey at the par-4 fifth set him back ahead of the final round.
He tapped back into his recent good form with a 5-under 67 on Sunday to lead the Australian contingent at The Concession Golf Club in a tie for 11th.
Jason Day wore red on Sunday as he joined a group of players in paying tribute to Tiger Woods as he recovers from the serious car accident he was involved in on Monday while Min Woo Lee gave the US an insight into his immense talent to finish in a tie for 28th, returning the equal best score of the third round alongside Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland.
At the concurrent Puerto Rico Open Percy displayed again his proficiency in the island winds as he equalled his second-best result on the PGA TOUR with a tie for seventh at the Grand Reserve Country Club.
One stroke off the lead heading into the final round, Percy made the turn in 1-under but two bogeys in his final five holes saw him end the week at 14-under, five shots back of champion Branden Grace.
“I love playing in the wind because you’ve got to hit the ball properly, with the right fly and all that sort of stuff,” said the Victorian veteran.
“Not only just smash it as far as you can, find it and then smash it again, sort of thing. Like you really got to either draw it, fade it, hit a high, hit it low, hit on the right side of the fairway, to have the better angle, that sort of stuff.
“So that sort of suits me a bit.”
Chalmers’ tie for 22nd was his best PGA TOUR result since the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship with Aaron Baddeley and John Senden the other Aussies to make the cut.
It was a week of great significance too for Kemp whose tie for fifth at the Gainbridge LPGA represents her best finish on American soil since joining the LPGA Tour in 2008.
As Nelly Korda finished three strokes clear at the top at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Florida, Kemp compiled four consistently excellent rounds to end the week at 10-under in her first start for the year.
Runner-up at the 2019 ISPS Handa Vic Open that was co-sanctioned with the LPGA Tour, Kemp’s previous best result in America was a tie for 10th at both the 2011 Safeway Classic and 2010 CVS/Pharmacy LPGA Challenge.
World Golf Championships
Workday Championship at The Concession
The Concession Golf Club, Bradenton, Florida
T11 Cameron Smith 68-66-77-67—278 $US189,666
T18 Jason Day 71-69-69-72—281 $125,500
T28 Min Woo Lee 74-71-66-72—283 $82,500
T39 Marc Leishman 72-70-74-71—287 $55,000
T41 Jason Scrivener 75-68-70-75—288 $52,500
T52 Wade Ormsby 68-74-78-72—292 $41,500
T54 Adam Scott 72-72-72-77—293 $38,300
T61 Brad Kennedy 81-73-69-73—296 $35,000
70 Lucas Herbert 77-77-74-74—302 $32,500
PGA TOUR
Puerto Rico Open
Grand Reserve Country Club, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
T7 Cameron Percy 67-69-67-71—274 $US91,125
T22 Greg Chalmers 66-68-76-68—278 $28,950
T27 Tim Wilkinson 69-68-74-68—279 $22,350
T30 Aaron Baddeley 70-70-71-69—280 $18,780
75 John Senden 70-72-76-73—291 $5,850
MC Mark Hensby 75-69—144
MC Rhein Gibson 72-74—146
MC Robert Allenby 81-77—158
LPGA Tour
Gainbridge LPGA
Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, Orlando, Florida
T2 Lydia Ko 65-69-72-69—275 $US158,959
T5 Sarah Kemp 70-69-70-69—278 $75,659
T36 Gabriela Ruffels 73-70-71-72—286 $11,197
MC Katherine Kirk 72-76—148
MC Sarah Jane Smith 75-76—151
Champions Tour
Cologuard Classic
Omni Tucson National, Tucson, Arizona
T58 Rod Pampling 73-75-76—224
As the golfing world mourns the loss of ‘Lynds’, Mike Clayton remembers his pal who was “everyone’s friend”.
There has been a long-time joke on the Australian tour about getting caught on the wrong side of the draw. You know, when half the field gets a perfect, windless morning only for the afternoon lot to have to play through a heavy seaside wind on greens drying out and getting slicker by the minute.
It’s been universally known in Australia as the ‘Lyndsay Stephen draw’ because you could guarantee ‘Lynds’ would be off in the brutal afternoon conditions. Or so it seemed.
Of course, these things are always 50/50 but the long hitting man from Perth perhaps noticed his misfortune more than some others.
“We would all joke about it when playing tournaments. You had no chance if you were on the same side as Lynds. We loved him for that,” said Ian Baker-Finch when his friends heard the, sadly, inevitable news he had died in Perth.
Lynds (no one ever called him Lyndsay) had been sick for a few years but he always seemed so optimistic he would somehow beat the cancer.
He was a beautiful looking player. Blessed with perfect rhythm and a big, handsome swing he was one of the few who could keep up with Greg Norman off the tee when both were at their flying best.
Not that it did either of them much good one day many years ago at Royal Melbourne. They were drawn with an aging Kel Nagle who, at his longest, earned the nickname the ‘Pymble Crusher’ but the older man’s length was all but gone by the time the trio teed up on the Composite Course in the mid-1980s. Playing into the 18th green Kel was going in from a long way back with a four wood and both Lynds and Greg had only nine irons left.
Kel bumped his wood onto 15-feet, well inside the two bombers decidedly average pitch shots. As they got to the green Kel turned to them both and said, “Not really too much you can say boys.” It was one of those stories no matter how many times you heard it, one more time was never one too many.
Lynds played in Europe in what really was a golden era for Australians on the European Tour. Greg was just heading off to America when our lot started but Rodger Davis, Finchy, Wayne Grady, Mike Harwood, Peter Fowler, Wayne Riley, Vaughan Somers, Peter Senior, Frank Nobilo, Greg Turner (we always counted the New Zealanders as ours) had about as much fun as you can imagine. It was competitive but if anyone needed help it was always there.
But there was one torment none of us could ever help Lynds with. He was desperate, as we all were, every year, to play in The Open. Finchy famously won it, Harwood, Grady and Davis played well enough to finish second at different times but Lynds never got to play the game’s oldest championship.
It really was a pity because he was easily a good enough player, but the cards just fell where they did.
1986 was a particularly torturous year. The top five non-exempt players in the previous week’s tournament at Moortown made it straight into Turnberry – the famous Greg Norman Open.
Lynds jumped out to an early, 65,67, lead on the famous Alister MacKenzie course but a 76 on Saturday did him no favours and a 70 on the final day tied him for ninth and a place in a four-man playoff for one spot.
He missed it, drove all the way to Scotland, teed up in the 36-hole qualifier and missed that by a shot. There’s not much you can say to a mate in that situation but you can bet it was a long drive back to London.
Later in the same year Norman was on his triumphant homecoming tour and in his best form. He won the Queensland, New South Wales, South Australian and West Australian Opens but Lynds was second at Concord, a shot ahead of Steve Elkington, tied with Mark O’Meara for fourth at Lake Karrinyup, 10th in Queensland and 14th at Kooyonga. Greg, of course eclipsed us all but it was an awfully nice run of form for the sweet swinger.
Three growing children brought him home from Europe and he parlayed his reputation into a career of corporate golf. He was a terrific imitator of swings, a great storyteller and had the necessary patience of a saint when it came to teaching amateurs, many of whom were there because they’d bought an expensive car and not because they were any great shakes as golfers. He would always make them laugh and sent them away better players than when they arrived.
Lynds truly did get the bad side of the draw when it came to the most important of things, but he handled it was well as anyone could have, and with nary a word of complaint.
Like golf, it wasn’t fair, but the many who met him all over the world will remember someone who, as Finchy said, “(Lynds) was everyone’s friend with not one enemy in the world.”
Anthony Quayle has climbed the Isuzu Queensland Open mountain; great mate Jake McLeod is eager to share the summit.
And, as ever for athletes with maroon coursing through the veins, the drive for both to excel on home soil at Pelican Waters next month adds an extra dimension.
Quayle and McLeod were among the first to confirm their entries for their state championship, each with lofty expectations before heading back to tour duties in Japan and Europe, respectively.
Defending champion Quayle, who held his nerve to outlast Jack Thompson in a playoff last year, said his breakthough win had been vital in his development.
“I’d been in position to contend probably a handful of times since turning pro and to be able to have it come together at home was something I’ll never forget,” Quayle said.
“One of the prizes I got was to become an honorary member at Pelican Waters and with the way things worked out in 2020, I’ve been very fortunate to be able to play and practise there a fair bit, so it even feels like more of a home game this time around.
“I feel like my game is not far away, so I’m really looking forward to getting back for my first title defence.”
McLeod has a host of top finishes at state Opens around the country – including a win in NSW in 2018 – as well as a third placing in the 2018 Australian Open.
Now, recovering from a lower arm injury, he’s eager to improve on his best, fourth place, in his home Open.
“This is a big event, but particularly for those of us who grew up here and always wanted to get our name among the stars on that trophy,” McLeod said.
“It would mean a lot. I can’t wait to get out there and have a crack at it.”
Golf Australia’s Queensland state manager Luke Bates said the home-grown talent would be well supported again by golf fans on the Sunshine Coast.
“Pelican Waters proved a great hit last year and we’ve got a great relationship with owners, the Palm Lake Group, who have great plans for the course, the clubhouse and developments in the precinct,” Bates said.
“So I’m sure there will be a host of supporters out to take in not only the brilliant golf on display, but also the world-class destination it’s becoming.”
The Isuzu Queensland Open is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland and features on the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar.
The 2021 Isuzu Queensland Open will be held at Pelican Waters Golf Club from 11-14 March. It is a key part of the 2020-21 ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia calendar and the second last event on its Order of Merit this season.
Visit the website for more information.
Cisco Webex has become the inaugural presenting partner of The Players Series (TPS), a new and innovative series of tournaments that sees Australia’s leading male and female golf professionals, together with elite amateur junior golfers, compete in the same field for the same prize purse.
This series, developed by the PGA Tour of Australasia and the WPGA Tour of Australasia, forms part of the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and has been a resounding success following the inaugural event in January, The Player Series – Victoria, at the Rosebud Country Club.
Cisco Webex will present the second edition of TPS in Sydney which will be held at Bonnie Doon Golf Club from 4-7 March 2021. The series embraces hybrid sports – bridging in-person interactions with digital connections through Cisco Webex.
“Cisco Webex is about bringing everyone together to deliver exceptional collaboration experiences and this couldn’t align more closely to our vision for the series, which sees women and men from professional, and elite amateur junior golf, come together in a series of televised golf events,” said Michael McDonald, Commercial Director of the PGA of Australia.
“The involvement of Cisco Webex shows their commitment to innovation and the immersion of technology in sport and golf, and we are thrilled to have them join the PGA community.”
Today’s announcement builds on Cisco’s existing commitments using technology to drive innovation, inspiration and inclusive participation in golf.
“Cisco is excited to work together with the PGA community in Australia, and The Player Series provides an opportunity to advance inclusivity in sport. Cisco’s is committed to supporting promising and diverse athletes, to help grow the game and inspire a new generation of golf fans and players through innovation and technology.
We look forward to supporting the PGA as they integrate Cisco Webex into professional sport, leading a new wave of opportunities to enhance the experience for athletes, organisers, fans and sponsors,” said Peter Self, General Manager of Collaboration, Cisco Australia & New Zealand.
Through this new partnership, Cisco Webex becomes a Major Partner of the PGA of Australia via The Players Series.
The Players Series, presented by Cisco Webex, is anticipated to grow rapidly over the coming years with more tournaments expected to be announced for the 2021/22 tour season.
The Players Series – Sydney, presented by Cisco Webex, will be held at the Bonnie Doon Golf Club from 4-7 March with free entry to spectators on all days.
The tournament will also be televised live through Fox Sports, Kayo and SkyNZ on Saturday 6 March and Sunday 7 March. Check local guides for broadcast times.
About Cisco Webex:
Cisco Webex delivers collaboration solutions that give everyone a voice — and business the ultimate edge. Because, when businesses enable employees to bring their best selves to work, everyone wins. Designing for these connections is at the heart of everything we do — from product design to new innovations to the way we engage inside and out. To learn more visit www.webex.com.
About Cisco:
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in technology that powers the Internet. Cisco inspires new possibilities by reimagining your applications, securing your data, transforming your infrastructure, and empowering your teams for a global and inclusive future. Discover more on The Network and follow us on Twitter.
About The Players Series:
TPS is a mixed tournament concept that sees men and women professionals compete in the same field using scaled tees for a share of the one prizemoney pool. In addition, 25 talented juniors will join the professionals for the final two rounds, competing in The Junior Players Series in a professional environment.
Aaron Wilkin has claimed the Dubbo Regional Open in a dominant display of golf at Dubbo Golf Club.
The Queenslander carded back-to-back rounds of 7-under 65 to cruise to a three-shot win from in-form Queenslander Charlie Dann, who closed with a 66.
Overnight leader Jordan Widdicombe, perhaps feeling some final group pressure, remained in the hunt all day but struggled to convert his chances over the last nine holes until it was too late.
Widdicombe’s closing 1-under par effort was still impressive for a young player unaccustomed to the pressure of professional tournament play.
It was Wilkin, with family roots firmly embedded in the nearby village of Yeoval, who was the man of the moment.
After starting the final round two back, the Queensland gun soon had his nose in front. An eagle on the second was followed with birdies on the 3rd and 4th to get his nose in front. From there, he was never headed.
A second eagle for the day on the ninth saw the lead get out to three, and despite a withering challenge from Daniel Gale, and towards the end, Charlie Dann, three more birdies and just one bogey (on the 11th) was enough for Wilkin to claim an emphatic victory.
“I played pretty well to be honest. The hole out on two always helps,”
“I had a chip on the 14th, I mean, I had a little bit of luck, but I played well,” Wilkin smiled post-round.
Wilkin admitted he felt comfortable in the final group, aware of what the overnight leader was doing while remaining conscious of the scores of those in front.
“I knew what he (Jordan) was shooting, and I knew what other guys were shooting too. The course was set up to go low.
“It’s good, but bad too. You have to concentrate on what others are shooting. I just tried to do my own thing to be honest.”
The win came in front of a good-sized gallery, something Wilkin said was great to experience after the restrictions of COVID and in no small part to the Yoeval connection of his grandmother.
“It was good. I didn’t know all of them, but a lot were Nan’s family and friends. I left here when I was ten, so it’s been a long time.
“To do it in front of Nan too, that was special. She’s had me in Yeoval for the week, so I’m pretty happy.”
The win also guaranteed Wilkin a place in the NSW Open.
“Jordan (Widdicombe) said Concord is in great shape, and I’m ready to push this win into that one.”
Although a small consolation, Widdicombe’s finish did guarantee his place in the 2021 NSW Open at his workplace, Concord. Also qualifying for the NSW Open was Troy Moses, whose closing 6-under 66 was enough for a tie for 5th and the third and final place for next month’s championship.
In-form Victorian pair Ryan McCarthy and James Marchesani have joined Justin Warren at the top of the leaderboard midway through the second round of the Moonah Links PGA Classic at the Moonah Links Open Course.
Players were greeted by perfect conditions on Wednesday morning to begin their second rounds with the gentle breeze fading to give the afternoon groups the perfect opportunity to make their moves up the leaderboard.
The mark they are chasing at present is 8-under par, Warren’s 3-under 69 and a pair of 5-under 67s from McCarthy and Marchesani lifting them to the top alongside overnight leader John Lyras, who is 2-under through seven holes of his second round.
Out of the game for two years after suffering nerve aggravation following a double hernia operation in 2017, McCarthy was prominent at the halfway mark of last week’s Vic PGA but struggled when the tournament moved across to the Open Course, using the day between events on Monday to devise a new approach to a course that has not been kind to him in the past.
“It’s just an enormous golf course that seems to beat me up,” said McCarthy, who was tied for eighth at The Players Series Victoria two weeks ago.
“I sat down Monday feeling a bit miserable about the weekend and thought that someone’s going to shoot 66 around there, how do you do it? How do you break it down?
“There are two short par-4s on each side, there are four par 5s, I’m hitting it well so it was a practice session on Monday and a change in mindset about the whole course.
“I’ve been playing quite solid the past four weeks. I’ve been hitting it really nicely and it’s just nice to see a few of the putts drop in now. I played the par 5s a lot better today than I have in some other sloppier rounds.”
An eagle and two birdies in his final four holes led to a rapid rise for Marchesani while Warren had to call on his days of playing college golf in America for South Mountain Community College and the University of Arkansas to grind out a round of 2-under 69.
“Bit of a frustrating day,” Warren conceded. “Bogey-free round of 69 could quite easily have been a lot worse if I didn’t do what I did on the front nine but could have been a hell of a lot better if I’d holed a few putts on the back.
“I do my absolute best to never give up on a round and a little bit of that has to do with the college background, playing college team golf over in America. We play 54-hole tournaments and if you have a bad first day you can’t throw in the towel and give up.
“You’ve still got your teammates relying on you to produce some scores over the next couple of days so the team can have a good chance at winning the golf tournament.
“Regardless of how bad I start or whatever I do to stick to whatever I’ve been working on, keep grinding and eventually that little amazing stretch of holes could start at any moment.”
Just 10 days out of hotel quarantine having returned from spending the past five months in America, Wollongong’s Travis Smyth gathered confidence with the putter in round one and cashed in on Wednesday morning to be one shot off the lead following a round of 5-under 67.
“I hit it OK last week (at the Vic PGA) but my putting was terrible,” said Smyth.
“I kept saying to myself that missing the cut might have been a blessing in disguise because it gave me two days to just go and work on it. I practiced my putting a lot and the last two days I’ve been putting nicely. I feel like I’m back to normal.
“It was a pretty solid two-club wind yesterday and I was hitting a lot of fairways, hitting a lot of greens, putted it pretty nicely.
“I had a few testy par putts that I holed to bring the confidence up and it was just really solid. I was very much looking forward to coming out today and the weather turned out perfect.”
Advice from two-time Australian Open champion Matt Jones and a putting tip from Order of Merit leader Brad Kennedy has positioned Sydney’s Justin Warren to contend for a tournament breakthrough yet again at the Moonah Links PGA Classic at Moonah Links.
The morning groups had less wind to contend with on the Open Course for Tuesday’s opening round and as such dominate the top of the leaderboard, another Sydneysider John Lyras in front by a stroke after a bogey-free 66 from a group of five players at 5-under.
Like Lyras, Kiwis Michael Hendry and Daniel Hillier and Queenslander Maverick Antcliff took advantage of the calmer conditions in the morning to shoot 67 in their first rounds with Warren and fellow New South Welshman Robert Hogan joining them in a tie for second with the equal best scores of the afternoon, Hogan keeping a clean card with his five birdies coming at one, four, seven, 10 and 18.
Confident from his first made cut as a professional a fortnight ago at The Players Series Victoria, Lyras went bogey-free across his opening 18 holes, describing his six birdies as “fairly commercial”.
“I just had to stay really patient and put the ball in the right spots all day,” said Lyras, who finished tied for 17th at Rosebud Country Club.
“I didn’t really leave myself any hard up-and-downs either, even though I had to chip out a few times and wedge up and get up-and-down from the fairway a few times.
“They were real momentum builders. It was just really nice to get that round in the books and keep it clean for the most part.”
The 36-hole leader of the Victorian PGA Championship also played at Moonah Links last week, Warren dropped to a tie for fifth by weekend’s end, his third top-five finish on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia since turning professional midway through 2019.
He knows that each time he contends in a tournament he is a step closer to that maiden victory and has sought the advice from proven performers to fast-track his own development.
Sharing a coach in PGA Professional Gary Barter, the 25-year-old texted Jones as he slept on the 54-hole lead at the NSW Open in 2019 and has sought the counsel of Kennedy the past week for ways to improve his putting performance.
“Being in contention is a great feeling,” said Warren, who rose to a career-high of 825 in the world on the back of his Vic PGA result.
“It’s always awesome to be up there in those last couple of groups on Saturday and Sunday, it’s simply working out a bit better game plan for when I get into certain situations where I may need to step away and think about the shots that I’m going to be hitting.
“The night before the last round of the NSW Open in 2019 I was struggling to get to sleep because I had so much adrenaline and was just wanting to go out and compete but I didn’t know what to do with that because it was 10 o’clock at night and I’m trying to get a good night’s rest.
“I sent Matt a text and asked what I should do and he said just to treat it like any other day. Don’t hype the situation up any more than what it is, you’re simply going back out there to play another round of golf.
“It’s so simple but it’s stuck with me because the more you treat golf and competition anything bigger than what it really is, you can really spin yourself out a little and blow it out of proportion.
“I was even speaking to Brad Kennedy on the putting green last week and this week with regards to some stuff with my putting and just getting better. Being able to speak to him for 15 minutes on the putting green is something that I appreciate very much and always look forward to, learning from guys who have been there and done it over the years.
“Since turning pro I have managed to get myself into contention quite a few times in some big events and the more you can put yourself in that position, the more comfortable you become.
“It’s a numbers game. Eventually you’re going to get over the line and get one done and when you do, it’s a hurdle that you get over and you become even more comfortable when you are in that position again.”
After giving himself the day off on Monday Warren made a somewhat shaky start to his first round with a bogey at the par-4 11th but after making the turn at even par picked up five birdies on his back nine to be within one of the lead.
“I took a day off yesterday so I was a bit shaky down 10 and made a bogey on 11 but after that I got into a bit of a groove,” said Warren, who sank a 30-footer for birdie on his final hole.
“I didn’t really miss too many shots and when I did I missed in the right spots.
“I’ve been a little angry the past couple of days from not quite executing on Saturday and Sunday but we’re out here playing again, it’s an awesome feeling and I’m just grateful. And that’s a nice feeling to have when you’re out there playing.”
One player who had no problem making a fast start was three-time China Golf Tour winner Maverick Antcliff, a brand new Titleist TSi3 driver that he had fitted on Monday having an instantly positive impact.
“It took care of itself. I could just aim where I wanted to and hit it as hard as I wanted which was nice,” said Antcliff of his equipment upgrade.
“The fitting I had previously was just out of my two-week quarantine when I came back from Europe so I probably wasn’t swinging it the best.
“I like to see the ball move left to right so I was just looking for something with less torque and a head that didn’t spin as much on the mis-hits. It looked good yesterday but then seeing what it did on course it matched up nicely.”
