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Former New South Wales Amateur champion Austin Bautista will make his Korn Ferry Tour debut this week after recording nine birdies to top Monday qualifying for this week’s Wichita Open in Kansas.
Now residing in Altadena, California, Bautista’s brilliant 8-under 64 continues a recent run of scintillating form that culminated with a victory at the Temecula Creek Championship on the California-based Golden State Tour last month.
In addition to the Golden State Tour Bautista has been grinding on other American pay-for-play tours such as the APT Tour and Outlaw Tour but this week gets to mix with other PGA TOUR hopefuls in Wichita.
Since turning professional in 2017 Bautista’s best results are two top-15 finishes on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, a tie for 12th at the 2017 Nexus Risk TSA Group WA Open and tied for 11th at the 2018 Rebel Sport Masters in New Zealand.
The addition of Bautista takes the Australian representation to five this week along with Kiwi pair Steven Alker and Nick Voke, Voke looking to build on his top-10 finish at last week’s Evans Scholars Invitational.
Four Australasian players are backing up from last week’s brutal US Open at Winged Foot with the highest-placed Australian Lucas Herbert one of three players returning to the European Tour for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at the Galgorm Spa and Golf Resort.
Matt Jones is the only Aussie combatant from Winged Foot playing the PGA TOUR’s Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship in the Dominican Republic, a final round 67 launching the New South Welshman inside the top 20 in this event a year ago.
Aaron Baddeley returns to the site of his tie for seventh in 2019 along with Rhein Gibson and veterans John Senden and Cameron Percy, who have been paired together for the opening two rounds.
Round 1 tee times (AEST)
PGA TOUR
Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship
Corales Golf Club, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
9.20pm John Senden, Cameron Percy, Branden Grace
9.30pm* Tim Wilkinson, David Lingmerth, DJ Trahan
10.20pm Rhein Gibson, Thomas Detry, Luke Graboyes
1.40am Matt Jones, Beau Hossler, Peter Uihlein
2.30am Aaron Baddeley, John Rollins, Henrik Norlander
Defending champion: Graeme McDowell
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Aaron Baddeley
TV schedule: Live 5am-8am Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday on Fox Sports 503
European Tour
Dubai Duty Free Irish Open
Galgorm Spa and Golf Resort, Ballymena, Northern Ireland
5.10pm Wade Ormsby, Ashun Wu, Edoardo Molinari
5.40pm Michael Campbell, Adri Arnaus, Andrea Pavan
6.15pm Ryan Fox, Wilco Nienaber, Nicolas Colsaerts
6.15pm Lucas Herbert, Shane Lowry, George Coetzee
7.30pm Jason Scrivener, Julien Guerrier, Richard Bland
7.40pm Jake McLeod, Benjamin Poke, Yikeun Chang
7.50pm Maverick Antcliff, Jonathan Caldwell, Lee Slattery
9.30pm Scott Hend, Tom McKibbin, Sebastian Soderberg
10.10pm Min Woo Lee, Marcus Kinhult, Joël Stalter
11.15pm Zach Murray, Dale Whitnell, Robin Sciot-Siegrist
Defending champion: Jon Rahm
Past Aussie winners: Brett Rumford (2004)
Top Aussie prediction: Lucas Herbert
TV schedule: Live 10pm-3am Thursday and Friday; Live 10.30pm-3am Saturday and Sunday on Fox Sports 503
Korn Ferry Tour
Wichita Open Supporting Wichita’s Youth
Crestview Country Club, Wichita, Kansas
10.50pm* Jamie Arnold, Sam Saunders, Tyson Alexander
11.30pm* Harrison Endycott, Cameron Young, Chandler Blanchet
3.40am* Steven Alker, Nicholas Lindheim, Brandon Harkins
4.20am* Brett Drewitt, Mark Hensby, TJ Vogel
5am* Nick Voke, Max Rottluff, KK Limbhasut
5.10am* Ryan Ruffels, Theo Humphrey, James Nicholas
5.30am Austin Bautista, Landon Lyons, Spencer Soosman
Defending champion: Henrik Norlander
Past Aussie winners: Bradley Hughes (2004), Mathew Goggin (2011)
Top Aussie prediction: Brett Drewitt
Nobody said a US Open at Winged Foot would be easy, but the Aussie contingent would have loved just a tad more “fair” during round three.
With the remaining quartet all neighbours on the time sheet, it was at the height of winds gusting around 40km/h that they teed off in what proved a rugged third round.
And by the time the wind diminished for the leaders, the damage was well and truly done. Adam Scott remains the top-placed Australian at nine over, but his second consecutive round of 74 was more fight than the grace he customarily provides.
Scott made three birdies – among two bogeys – in his closing five holes, but had been five over for his round before the dam broke.
The world No.12 said after his second round that he’d need to make a solid start in round three, but he took three bogeys in his first five again, bringing to eight his total on that stretch over the three days so far.
Lucas Herbert made a miraculous start with a curling chip-in for birdie from a savage lie alongside the first green.
But the young Victorian gave it back and more in the height of the wind as he, too, carded a 74 to fall to 10 over.
Asked if it would prompt an attacking approach on the final day, Herbert summed up the challenge the famous West Course presents.
“You can’t attack. If you get out of position, (the strategy is to) limit the damage and don’t make double,” he said.
Jason Day actually made some great saving putts, particularly early, but other than the course’s easiest rated hole, the par-5 ninth, he couldn’t find a birdie and meandered backwards through the field with a 76 that left him 12 over.
Fellow Queenslander Cam Smith had a front-row seat to Rory McIlroy’s (68) run up the leaderboard, but couldn’t match the Northern Irishman.
Smith’s papers were marked when he went long and left on the par-3 third hole en route to a double-bogey and he couldn’t recover – or find a birdie – in his flat 78 to be 12 over.
“I didn’t put myself in a position off the tee where I could score very well, so yeah, plenty of missed fairways and then just out of position from the tee,” Smith said.
“It was just hard to kind of get it around with that.”
They’re a distance behind, but Adam Scott firmly believes the reduced Aussie contingent still has valid US Open aspirations.
Australia’s nine-strong tilt became four today as Winged Foot bit back on a brutal scoring day in New York.
The task of following up countryman Geoff Ogilvy’s 2006 heroics is now left with Cameron Smith (+4), Scott (+5), Danny Lee (+5), Lucas Herbert and Jason Day (both +6).
And while those scores sound distant from leader Patrick Reed’s four under halfway total, none are without a chance should the infamous course continue to have its fangs sharpened for the weekend.
Smith’s highlight came early with a brilliant long iron to the second for his lone birdie. The Queenslander held it together well for much of his round, but a leaked drive into sand on 17 consigned him to a second late bogey on his way to a second-round 73.
Scott appeared frustrated when some back-nine putts didn’t drop, but he made a wonderful two-putt par on the last to enable him to sign for a 74.
Uncustomarily, the 40-year-old has made 12 bogeys in his opening 36 holes, but his chances of a weekend resurrection are bolstered by the seven birdies he’s already carded.
“It’s a lot to digest really. When it gets tough at a US. Open … unless you shoot even par, you’re trying to figure out how it’s all a positive,” said Scott, who was three over after four holes of his second round.
“It’s just very, very hard to get in a rhythm out there because if you’re just off the fairway, you’re just slashing and scrambling.
“It’s a hard start and a hard finish and I got off to a bad start. I finished well, hung in there. I still like my chances for the weekend.
“I’ve got to play a great round tomorrow. (But) if I shoot under par tomorrow, I’ll be right in the mix for Sunday.
“I’m confident now, after seeing what was out there this afternoon, (that) over par will win this tournament.
“The greens finally dried out. If there’s any breeze, over par is winning.” Herbert, who began his round on the 10th with a double-bogey, looked in trouble in the sand off the tee on the tough 17th when already four over for his round.
But a world-class scrambled par kept his mojo bubbling. A second double-bogey on the first threatened to derail him again, but back-to-back birdies on the second and third – the latter from a greenside bunker blast – was just reward for his efforts in a blue-collar 74.
“I just didn’t get much to go my way early, but I got it in the house as needed,” said Herbert, who, like Scott, maintained he wasn’t too far back to get back in the mix because of the course’s propensity to throw up large scores.
“It’s brutal. I aimed at two flags the entire day with my approach shots … and there would be five holes on the course (that) you may as well take bogey as soon as you miss the fairway.”
Day, as it turned out after a subsequent bogey on the 18th, made a rare and brilliant birdie on the 17th to ensure he made the cut on the number.
Like his compatriots, his 74 doesn’t sound great, but came after three bogeys in the first five holes set him up for a meritorious day-long fight.
Matt Jones was the pick of the other Aussies on day two, but his 74 still left him at 10 over.
Marc Leishman’s papers were stamped when he took a double-bogey seven on the long 12th hole en route to a 78 and 11 over, alongside Curtis Luck who signed for a 76 to end his US Open debut.
Melbourne amateur Lukas Michel, for the second straight day, made two birdies on the front nine. But similarly, he was outgunned on the back nine where he again made two double-bogeys en route to a 77 and 17 over finish.
And in near darkness, Scott Hend almost made a spectacular birdie up the last, but could only watch as his putt slid by almost to sum up his 84 that left him at 18 over.
Our Aussies were flying the flag all over the world this week with top 10s recorded at the year’s second women’s major and in Portugal.
Jason Scrivener flew the flag proudly in Portugal this week, the ultra-consistent West Aussie notching another impressive top 10, his fifth top 25 result on the European Tour this year.
At the year’s second women’s major Kiwi Lydia Ko led the charge for the Australasians by claiming outright sixth place after a final round of 66, ahead of Katherine Kirk and Minjee Lee who took different routes to the top 10 but both were more than deserving.
World No.5 Lee roared home with a Sunday 67, while Kirk gave herself a shot at a maiden major title on Sunday with matching 67s on Friday and Saturday.
But our #AussieOfTheWeek winner came from Switzerland this week, as rookie pro Steph Kyriacou’s fairytale introduction to the top level continues with closing rounds of 66 and 65.
The St Michael’s member backed up last week’s top five with a maiden runner-up in just her fifth career start as a professional.
So for finishing in the top handful in three of her last six LET starts, we had no choice but to award Steph Kyriacou with our latest #AussieOfTheWeek crown!
LPGA TOUR
ANA Inspiration
Mission Hills CC, Rancho Mirage, California
Won by Mirim Lee (KOR) at -15 in a playoff over Brooke Henderson and Nelly Korda
6 – Lydia Ko, -10, 69-74-69-66
T7 – Minjee Lee, -9, 71-69-72-67
T7 – Katherine Kirk, -9, 72-67-67-73
T15 – Gabi Ruffels (am), -7, 71-68-71-71
T62 – Hannah Green, +5, 69-74-74-76
MC – Su Oh, +6, 72-78
LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
Swiss Ladies Open
Golfpark Holzhausern, Switzerland
Won by Amy Boulden (WAL) at -17 by three shots
2 – Steph Kyriacou, -14, 71-66-65
T24 – Whitney Hillier, -3, 71-70-72
MC – Amy Walsh, +6, 76-74
PGA TOUR
Safeway Open
Silverado Resort and Spa, Napa, California
Won by Stewart Cink (USA) at -21 by two shots
T23 – Cameron Percy, -14, 64-68-68-74
T36 – Cameron Davis, -12, 71-68-70-67
T36 – Tim Wilkinson, -12, 67-68-68-73
73 – Rhein Gibson, +3, 73-66-76-76
MC – Aaron Baddeley, -4, 72-68
MC – John Senden, +2, 72-74
EUROPEAN TOUR
Portugal Masters
Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course, Vilamoura
Won by George Coetzee (RSA) at -16 by two shots
8 – Jason Scrivener, -9, 69-68-70-68
T32 – Ryan Fox, -5, 67-69-75-68
MC – Maverick Antcliff, E, 74-68
MC – Zach Murray, E, 72-70
MC – Jake McLeod, +1, 72-71
MC – Wade Ormsby, +7, 75-74
KORN FERRY TOUR
Evans Scholars Invitational
Chicago Highlands Club, Illinois
Won by Curtis Thompson (USA) at -17 by one shot
T7 – Nick Voke, -13, 69-67-71-68
T16 – Brett Drewitt, -11, 75-66-66-70
T58 – Jamie Arnold, -3, 70-68-76-71
MC – Ryan Ruffels, -1, 70-73
MC – Harrison Endycott, E, 71-73
MC – Steven Alker, +1, 74-71
MC – Brett Coletta, +4, 72-76
MC – Curtis Luck, +5, 75-74
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Sanford International
Chicago Highlands Club, Illinois
Won by Miguel Angel Jimenez (ESP) at -14 by one shot
T17 – Rod Pampling, -7, 70-63-70
T30 – David McKenzie, -5, 68-68-69
T47 – Stephen Leaney, -1, 73-65-71
Australia’s top-ranked female golfer Minjee Lee is remaining patient in her quest to win a maiden major title but knows her time is coming.
Fresh from posting her best finish in a major championship at the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Troon three weeks ago, Lee enters the second major of the year ranked No.5 in the world and with three top-four finishes in five starts since the post-COVID resumption.
Prior to her third-place finish at Troon Lee’s best result in a major was a tie for third at the ANA Inspiration three years ago, her final round pairing with Open champion Sophia Popov again raising questions about when her breakthrough major championship would eventuate.
Unphased by any outside expectations, the 24-year-old knows that until she can add to her five career LPGA Tour titles with one that cements your legacy in golf history, the questions will remain.
“To be honest, it wasn’t even in the back of my mind that people were looking at me,” Lee told the Inside The Ropes podcast of her flirtation with the Women’s Open crown.
“I only saw it as support on social media and stuff.
“It will be my time soon.
“The majors are always a big focus for me and they have been for a couple of years now.
“I definitely want to have good results in the majors and hopefully I can be in contention in a couple more of them finishing the year.”
Lee has been paired with last-start winner for the opening two rounds with Australia’s most recent major winner, Hannah Green, to play with 2019 Women’s Open champion Hinako Shibuno in the scorching heat expected at the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California.
Veteran Katherine Kirk and exciting young talents Su Oh and amateur Gabi Ruffels round out the Australian contingent with Kiwi Lydia Ko looking to add to her two major wins.
Elsewhere this week there are five Aussies hoping to start the 50-event 2020/2021 PGA TOUR season on a positive note at the Safeway Open, five more teeing it up at the European Tour’s Portugal Masters, recent winners Brett Drewitt and Curtis Luck headlining a group of six Aussies and two Kiwis at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Evans Scholars Invitational and three Aussie girls playing the Swiss Ladies Open.
Round 1 tee times (AEST)
LPGA Tour
ANA Inspiration
Rancho Mirage, California
1.18am* Lydia Ko, Lizette Salas
1.36am* Hannah Green, Hinako Shibuno
6.09am Minjee Lee, Austin Ernst
6.36am* Katherine Kirk, Elizabeth Szokol
6.45am* Su Oh, Chella Choi
6.54am Gabi Ruffels (a), Yealimi Noh
Defending champion: Jin Young Ko
Past Aussie champions: Karrie Webb (2000, 2006)
Top Aussie prediction: Minjee Lee
TV schedule: Live 2am-6am, 9am-11am Friday, Saturday; Live 4am-8am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503
European Tour
Portugal Masters
Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course, Vilamoura, Portugal
8.45pm Jake McLeod, Wilco Nienaber, Alvaro Quiros
9.25pm Ryan Fox, Thomas Bjorn, Stephen Gallacher
9.55pm Maverick Antcliff, Richard Bland, Toby Tree
10.25pm Zach Murray, Jamie Donaldson, Marcel Schneider
11pm Wade Ormsby, Matthew Baldwin, Joakim Lagergren
11.50pm Jason Scrivener, Raphaël Jacquelin, Jean-Baptiste Gonnet
Defending champion: Steven Brown
Past Aussie champions: Richard Green (2010)
Top Aussie prediction: Jake McLeod
TV schedule: Live 8pm-10pm, 11pm-2am Thursday, Friday; 10.30pm-3am Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503
PGA TOUR
Safeway Open
Silverado Resort and Spa (North Cse), Napa, California
12am* Cameron Davis, Bill Haas, Rafa Cabrera Bello
12.10am* Aaron Baddeley, Josh Teater, Maverick McNealy
1.10am* Tim Wilkinson, Jhonattan Vegas, Sam Ryder
1.40am* Rhein Gibson, Dominic Bozzelli, Akshay Bhatia
5am* Cameron Percy, Johnson Wagner, Kelly Kraft
6am* John Senden, Alex Cejka, Jonathan Byrd
Defending champion: Cameron Champ
Past Aussie champions: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Cameron Davis
TV schedule: Live 6am-9am Friday, Saturday; Live 8am-11am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503
Korn Ferry Tour
Evans Scholars Invitational
Chicago Highlands Club, Westchester, Illinois
9.40pm* Steven Alker, David Kocher, Andres Gonzales
10.10pm* Brett Coletta, David Lingmerth, Alex Prugh
10.30pm Brett Drewitt, John Chin, Austin Smotherman
11.30pm* Nick Voke, Zach Wright, Eric Cole
2.50am* Jamie Arnold, Kevin Dougherty, Nicolas Echavarria
3.20am Curtis Luck, Zecheng Dou, Roberto Díaz
4am Ryan Ruffels, Brad Hopfinger, Sebastián Vázquez
4.30am* Harrison Endycott, Conrad Shindler, Rico Hoey
Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler
Past Aussie champions: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Harrison Endycott
Champions Tour
Sanford International
Minnehaha Country Club, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Aussies in the field: Stephen Leaney, David McKenzie, Rod Pampling
Defending champion: Rocco Mediate
Past Aussie champions: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Rod Pampling
TV schedule: 11am-12.30pm Saturday, Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503
Ladies European Tour
VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open
Golfpark Holzhausern, Rotkreuz, Switzerland
4.25pm Whitney Hillier, Elena Moosmann, Liz Young
8pm Stephanie Kyriacou, Tereza Kozeluhova, Leonie Harm
9.25pm Amy Walsh, Isabelle Boineau, Leticia Ras-Anderica
Defending champion: Carly Booth (2012)
Past Aussie champions: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Stephanie Kyriacou
TV schedule: Live 10pm-2am Thursday; Live 10pm-1am Friday; 9.30pm-1am Saturday on Fox Sports 505
Korean PGA Tour
Shinhan Donghae Open
Bear’s Best Cheongna Golf Club, Incheon, South Korea
Aussies in the field: Won Joon Lee, Junseok Lee, Doeun An
TV schedule: Live 12pm-5pm Thursday, Friday; Live 12.30pm-5pm Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503
* Starting from 10th tee
Australian Brett Drewitt celebrated his own Father’s Day with his first victory in his 116th career start on Sunday at the Lincoln Land Championship presented by LRS.
“I was talking to my parents last night and I was kind of thinking about how cool it would be to win on Father’s Day,” said Drewitt, a father to his 18-month-old Brady. “I didn’t say anything to my parents because lately my words have been coming back to bite me, but it’s a surreal feeling.”
At 19-under 265, Drewitt edged a trio of players by one stroke. In the end, he carded five birdies and two bogeys on Sunday for a closing 3-under 68, but perhaps more importantly, he parred his final two holes. The par-3 17th (215 yards) and the par-4 18th (451 yards) played as the two toughest holes on the course on Sunday.
Playing in the penultimate group, Drewitt had to wait to see if rookie Austen Truslow would make birdie to force a playoff. Nervously hitting shots on the driving range, Drewitt knew it was over when fellow Korn Ferry Tour pro Tag Ridings came running towards him to shower him in beer.
“I look over and saw Tag giving me the fist-pump from by the 18th green, and then they started running over towards me and Cam, my caddie, said, ‘Man you did it,’” laughed Drewitt. “At that point I was just bracing myself for the beer to get sprayed all over me.”
The win celebrates a high point in what had previously been a disappointing season for the 29-year-old. He is one of six players who have played in all 19 events thus far but entering the week he had made just six cuts. Including this tournament, he had competed in 13 consecutive weeks.
“It’s surreal right now; it’s been a hard road over the last couple of years,” said Drewitt, who entered the week 73rd in the points standings. “This year has been a rollercoaster. When I got to the PGA TOUR, I led in ball-striking out here [in 2016]. I just trusted that I still had it, even if it might not show in my stats. And then the putts started dropping and that’s just the way it goes.”
Drewitt’s win came at the expense of rookies Austen Truslow and Harry Hall, along with Ben Kohles, who finished one shot back. Truslow and Kohles each had long birdie attempts to tie at the final hole, while Hall needed to get up and down for par to remain at 19-under. Hall, an Englishman competing in his fifth event, missed a downhill three-footer for par to slip one stroke off the lead. Still, the runner-up finishes were the best in the young careers of Truslow and Hall.
With the win, Drewitt moves from 73rd to 18th in the Korn Ferry Tour points standings.
The Australian Golf Industry Council (AGIC) has released a first-of-its-kind three-hour-long slow TV production that promotes the mental health benefits of golf.
The feature film, titled Tee Your Mind, is a golf mindfulness experience that packages some of Australia’s most breathtaking courses into an 18-hole experience that accentuates the natural ambiences encountered on the fairway.
Tee Your Mind follows the rounds of men and women golfers at Collaroy’s Long Reef Golf Club and St Michael’s Golf Club in Little Bay and brings to life the calming and meditative sensations of the game, such as the trees bending by the coastal breeze and native birds singing.
“Golf is the perfect sport for creating the conditions for true happiness,” said Performance Psychologist Jonah Oliver.
“Happiness comes from finding the sweet spot between challenge and skill. Combine this with doing exercise in nature and you have the perfect recipe for lifelong mindfulness and psychological health.”
Golf has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence during the COVID-19 pandemic with many lapsed and disengaged golfers returning to the game.
To seize on this participation boom, the AGIC has created Tee Your Mind to mimic the true golf experience in a digital format to engage more people to the game by highlighting the sport’s mental and physical health capabilities.
“Golf has been an antidote to an incredibly stressful year brought on by the once-in-a-generation challenges of COVID-19,” said Gavin Kirkman, AGIC Chairman and PGA of Australia chief executive.
“Given golf can be played in a safe, socially distant environment, many new and returning participants have used the sport to reconnect with friends and nature. Our game is one of the best whole body and mind experiences and many have used golf as a valuable mental health outlet during this difficult period.”
Golf Australia Chairman Andrew Newbold said golf is a powerful respite to help people overcome their anxieties.
“The benefits of golf are diverse and extend beyond the physicalities of the sport,” Newbold said.
“During COVID-19 we have seen more Australians turn to golf and we think our sport, with its unique blend of open space and nature, can offer a solution for people exploring new ways to take a break from the day-to-day.”
The University of Southern Queensland is also exploring the role sport, including golf, plays in creating a strong sense of connectedness and belonging, by embarking on a research study investigating the relationship between sport participation and mental health issues.
“We know that our exposure to green spaces can have a positive impact on our overall well-being, we often feel happier, more relaxed and more positive. Alongside our research, this suggests our response to experiencing nature is emotional and essential to our mental health,” said Andrea Lamont-Mills, Professor of Psychology, University of Southern Queensland.
Over the course of the film, Tee Your Mind provides a peaceful escape for viewers to unwind and immerse in the calming elements of golf.
Tee Your Mind will be live on Friday 4 September 2020 on https://www.golf.org.au/teeyourmind/
New South Wales’ premier golf championship has received a timely boost with the NSW Government ensuring the tournament’s future for 2021 and beyond.
The Deputy Premier, John Barilaro MP, announced on Thursday that the NSW Open Golf Championship would be played at the renowned Concord Golf Club in Sydney’s inner west from March 25th to 28th, 2021.
“This investment is vital to ensure one of the most important fixtures remains on the Australian golf calendar.
“The players who qualify through the regional tournaments will be playing for the ultimate prize on one of the best courses in NSW,” Mr Barilaro said.
Stuart Fraser, CEO of Golf NSW, was thrilled with the announcement of the dates and venue for the tournament.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for us to ensure the tournament continues to be one of the most important fixtures on the Australian golf calendar,” Mr Fraser said.
The host venue, Concord, is no stranger to professional golf or the NSW Open, having hosted the tournament an impressive ten times in its 90-year history.
The list of players who have been crowned the NSW Open Champion at Concord is extensive and includes some of the greatest names in Australian golf. Vic Richardson, Eric Cremin and Norman Von Nida all tasted victory at the revered course, while four-time champion Greg Norman made the tournament his own during the 1980s, lifting the Kel Nagle Cup at Concord three times in five years.
“The golf community has been incredibly resilient during this challenging period, and we are pleased we can stage the NSW Open at a later date,” said Nick Dastey, the PGA of Australia’s Tournaments Director Australasia.
“The NSW Open Honour Roll highlights the event’s distinguished history. For it to return to Concord Golf Club where some of Aussie golf’s legendary figures have been victorious is a great coup for the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and our players.”
The $400,000 NSW Open will take place at Concord Golf Club from March 25th to 28th 2021. It forms part of the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.
Tournament Facts:
Host Venue: Concord Golf Club, Majors Bay Road, Concord, NSW.
Dates: 25 – 28 March 2021
Website: www.nswopen.com
Prize Fund: AU$400,000 (TBC)
Image: Concord Golf Club
It was a glimpse into the struggles of everyday club golfers and Zach Murray didn’t much care for it.
Not only was the 87 he posted in the second round of the Celtic Classic the worst of his professional career by five shots – and only the third time he has shot worse than 80 in a pro tournament – but the type of score he can’t even remember having as a kid.
But a much-needed shot of confidence and the return to the sunny skies of Spain has put Murray in a more positive frame of mind ahead of this week’s Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia Masters at Real Club Valderrama.
Initially unsure as to whether he would travel to Europe to play within the European Tour bubble, Murray put girlfriend Amy on the bag to ensure he had someone to talk to at all times, her psychology degree coming in handy as his return to tournament golf hit an unexpected bump in the road.
After opening with a 6-over 78 Murray played the front nine of the second round in 4-over before imploding on the back nine, a quadruple bogey, triple bogey and double bogey contributing to a nine-hole total of 47 strokes and very unfamiliar territory.
“I’m not going to lie, those first couple of weeks were pretty hard,” Murray revealed. “To shoot 87 at Celtic Manor and then go out and play the same golf course again the next week, I found that pretty tough.
“There are some holes where you remember what you did the week before but you have to put it in the back of your mind and still try and grind it out.
“Those first couple of weeks I really didn’t know what I was doing.
“It was weird because before lockdown I was playing so well and competing at the highest level. In the last four or five events before lockdown I was in contention at most events and the game was feeling pretty easy.
“It’s a tough game sometimes. I wasn’t really worried but you can’t help thinking, How does it change so much in five months?”
With the help of Amy and some good-natured ribbing from fellow Aussies Scott Hend, Jake McLeod, Min Woo Lee and Jason Scrivener, Murray was able to shake off his Celtic Manor calamity and take positive steps at last week’s ISPS HANDA UK Championship at The Belfry.
Despite missing the cut for the third straight week, an opening round of 71 and some productive time on the range has given Murray the injection of confidence he needs to get back in contention.
“Although I missed the cut I played quite well in tough conditions and just made a few errors from being down on confidence,” Murray said of his second round of 78 last week.
“That’s all I’m really lacking at the moment, a bit of game-time confidence.
“I was disappointed (to miss the cut) and it was the first time I’d been frustrated on the trip because I knew I was playing better than I was scoring.
“I walked off 18 on Friday afternoon knowing that I was missing the cut but knowing that I’d played well. I had three double bogeys from three shots that weren’t that bad. I did some practice on Saturday morning and thought to myself that I was hitting it really good which excited me.
“It’s nice to go to an event knowing that you’re playing well.
“The confidence is a lot higher than it has been which is all it will really take for me, just a bit of confidence. String a couple of good weeks together and off I’ll go again.”
As for the support of Amy during time away that he hopes will carry through until the DP World Tour Championship from December 10, Murray admits that he would unlikely be playing without her.
“The travel stuff is sometimes a little difficult for me and I just thought that if I wanted to get back over and play I needed to have Amy with me,” said Murray, the 2019 New Zealand Open champion.
“That’s made it a lot easier. She has been around the game and around tournaments long enough now to know what she’s doing. She’s really good so that’s been nice.
“Her personality is super understanding and caring so for what I sometimes go through getting to tournaments or off the course, to have her to witness when it’s the most I’ve struggled on the course since I was a little kid has been pretty good because she saw that it’s not all smooth sailing all the time.
“It’s nice to have someone like her here that I can talk to and bounce ideas off because if you internalise a round like that it can turn pretty sour and spiral into a pretty tough time.”
Round 1 tee times (AEST)
European Tour
Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia Masters
Real Club Valderrama, Sotogrande, Spain
4.35pm Wade Ormsby, Steven Brown, Thomas Bjorn
5.45pm Zach Murray, Calum Hill, Dave Coupland
7.20pm Jake McLeod, Carlos Pigem, Garrick Porteous
9.40pm Maverick Antcliff, Andres Romero, Toby Tree
10.20pm Jason Scrivener, Matthieu Pavon, Joakim Lagergren
10.50pm Michael Campbell, Ricardo Santos, David Howell
Defending champion: Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Wade Ormsby
TV schedule: Live 8am-10pm, 11pm-2am Thursday, Friday; Live 9.30pm-2am Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 503.
PGA TOUR
Tour Championship
East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia
2.20am Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith
Defending champion: Rory McIlroy
Past Aussie winners: Adam Scott (2006)
Top Aussie prediction: Cameron Smith
TV schedule: Live 3am-8am Saturday, Sunday; 3am-9am Monday; 2am-8am Tuesday on Fox Sports 503.
Korn Ferry Tour
Lincoln Land Championship
Panther Creek Country Club, Springfield, Illinois
9.50pm* Steven Alker, Kyle Reifers, Nick Hardy
10.40pm Curtis Luck, David Lingmerth, Sam Saunders
11.10pm Brett Drewitt, Zach Wright, Chandler Phillips
3.40am* Jamie Arnold, Curtis Thompson, Jim Knous
4.30am* Nick Voke, Steve Lewton, Matt Gilchrest
Defending champion: Xinjun Zhang
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Jamie Arnold
Two more Australian men have been added to this month’s US Open field in New York.
Curtis Luck and Matt Jones were notified of their inclusion today, bringing to nine the total number of Aussies to tee it up at Winged Foot in Mamaroneck from 17-20 September.
They will join compatriots Adam Scott, Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith, Jason Day, Lucas Herbert, Scott Hend and amateur Lukas Michel in the rescheduled second major championship of the disjointed 2020 calendar.
The final members of the 144-strong field will be determined after this week’s US PGA Tour Championship, but because of the global pandemic, it will not feature qualifiers as normal, only players “exempt” by specific categories.
Luck, 24, was added to the field courtesy of his win in the recent Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship that put him in the top five of the Korn Ferry Tour finals rankings completed on Monday.
It will be the West Australian’s first US Open after he forewent the 2017 edition to turn professional, thereby giving up the status he’d earnt with his victory at the previous year’s US Amateur.
The 2020 tournament will be Jones’ fifth tilt at a US Open crown and third in succession, but he’s yet to make a cut in the event regarded as the toughest annually.
