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Tiger’s back, Jason’s back is good to go and the desert swing goes up a notch as the PGA TOUR and European Tour arrive at two events with great historical significance
There could be few more appropriate venues for Tiger Woods to commence his 2020 campaign than Torrey Pines in California, a course he grew up playing on and which has been nothing short of his personal playground in his professional career.
Seven wins in previous Farmers Insurance Open tournaments in addition to his extraordinary 2008 US Open triumph at Torrey ensures Woods starts this year with perhaps greater expectation of his own chances to win than he has in recent injury-plagued seasons.
Speaking of injuries and our own Jason Day returns after an eight-week layoff with a back injury that cruelled his chances of playing in both the Australian Open and Presidents Cup.
A two-time winner, Day has been paired with defending champion Justin Rose and Jordan Spieth in one of the marquee groups while Sony Open champion Cameron Smith will spend the first two rounds in the company of Rory McIlroy and Brandt Snedeker.
Only one Aussie has ever won the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in its 30-year history, Richard Green defeating countryman Greg Norman and Ian Woosnam in a playoff in 1997.
Hong Kong Open champion Wade Ormsby leads a small Aussie contingent at the Karl Litten-designed Emirates Golf Club with Scott Hend hoping to build on his top-25 finish from last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Round 1 tee times AEDT
European Tour
Omega Dubai Desert Classic
Emirates Golf Club, Dubai, UAE
2.10pm* Scott Hend, Ahmed Marjan, David Lipsky
2.50pm Wade Ormsby, Paul Lawrie, Mikko Korhonen
3.10pm Ryan Fox, Steven Brown, Shubhankar Sharma
3.40pm* Lucas Herbert, Søren Kjeldsen, George Coetzee
6.40pm* Daniel Gaunt, Raphaël Jacquelin, Grant Forrest
6.50pm* Jason Scrivener, David Drysdale, Zander Lombard
TV: Live on Fox Sports 503 from 3pm Thursday
Australian winners: Richard Green (1997)
Top Aussie prediction: Jason Scrivener (T6 in 2018, T7 in 2019)
Farmers Insurance Open
Torrey Pines Golf Course, San Diego, California
Torrey Pines South
3am Danny Lee, Fabián Gómez, Robert Streb
3.40am* Matt Jones, Luke List, Sam Burns
3.50am* Cameron Davis, Zack Sucher, Scott Harrington
4.10am Aaron Baddeley, Rory Sabbatini, Roger Sloan
4.10am* Cameron Percy, JJ Spaun, Trey Mullinax
4.20am* John Senden, Beau Hossler, Bronson Burgoon
4.30am Jason Day, Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth
Torrey Pines North
3.20am* Tim Wilkinson, Graham DeLaet, Jamie Lovemark
3.30am* Cameron Smith, Rory McIlroy, Brandt Snedeker
4.30am* Marc Leishman, Pat Perez, Jimmy Walker
4.50am* Rhein Gibson, Robby Shelton, Ryan Brehm
TV: Live on Fox Sports from 7am Friday
Australian winners: Jason Day (2015, 2018)
Top Aussie prediction: Cameron Smith (T9 in 2019, T20 in 2018)
Twelve former champions have signed up to have another tilt at the ISPS HANDA Vic Open at 13th Beach Golf Links on the Bellarine Peninsula next month.
Eight male winners are on the field list, including last year’s dramatic winner, Scotland’s David Law.
The women’s winner, Frenchwoman Celine Boutier, is back to defend the first title of her LPGA Tour career, as well as two-time winner Minjee Lee from Perth, the world No. 9.
The field is a resounding endorsement of a tournament that, with its mixed format and informal ‘no-ropes’ atmosphere in a regional location, has won plaudits around the world for innovation.
The men’s past winners teeing it up are: Law (2019), Simon Hawkes (2018), Dimi Papadatos (2017), Richard Green (2015), Matthew Griffin (2014), Jason Norris (2010), Ash Hall (2009) and Gareth Paddison (2004)
Four of the past five women’s winners – Boutier, Lee (2014 and 2018) England’s Mel Reid (2017), and Barwon Heads-based Norwegian Marianne Skarpnord (2015) – are playing at 13th Beach in the groundbreaking event.
On the men’s side, the 28-year-old Scotsman Law won his first European Tour title at 13th Beach last February with an eagle at the 72nd hole and it set him up for a consistent year on tour. Australian Hawkes, who won in 2018, also won with his own heroics on the final green.
Papadatos, the 2017 winner, has been playing nicely in Europe and Matthew Griffin, the 2014 winner, is becoming a prominent player on the Japanese tour.
The ISPS HANDA Vic Open is a unique concurrent men’s and women’s professional tournament. It is jointly sanctioned by the ALPG, LPGA, ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and European Tour and features equal prizemoney for men and women, totalling $3 million.
Entry is free to all Victorian golf club members and all CFA volunteers, emergency workers and their families, but other tickets are on sale through oTix and remain some of the best value in elite sport at $10 per day, $30 for a season pass. Children under 18 and those with a Seniors Card are free. See vicopengolf.com/ticketing for details.
The ISPS HANDA Vic Open is proudly supported by the Victorian Government. The tournament is sanctioned by the LPGA Tour and ALPG Tour (Women’s) & European Tour and ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia (Men’s).
The title of 2020 ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School champion has gone down to a playoff at the Moonah Links Open Course with Luke Toomey beating Peter Wilson for the crown.
Toomey, a PGA TOUR Series-China regular, began his Final Stage Q-School charge with twin rounds of 67 before challenging weather conditions resulted in scores of 71 and 70 on the final two days for a 275 total.
ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia veteran Peter Wilson’s final score was a result of rounds of 67, 66, 71 and 71, taking the pair to a playoff for the top spot and the highest category on offer for Q-School participants.
“It feels awesome to win. I got chewed up and spit out by this course two years ago and it forced me to reshape my thinking around my development,” Toomey said.
“It’s been quite the adventure since then but one I’m proud of. This week was a nice exclamation on that two year process.
“Pete and I had a great couple days playing together. He’s a fantastic guy who has a bank of experience that I can learn from.
“I’m sure he will feature at some stage this year and I hope we have the opportunity to battle down the stretch in another event this season.”
After almost two years away from the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia the 26-year-old Kiwi is excited to return in 2020 with full status.
With an eye on a chance at the European Tour, 2020 is set to be a big year for Toomey whose season will begin at the ISPS HANDA Vic Open in February – a tournament fittingly co-sanctioned by the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and European Tour.
“A lot of reasons have amounted to my decision to come back here but I love the reward and opportunity this tour provides at the higher end of the Order of Merit,” Toomey said.
“It’s in line with a pathway I’d like to take through the European Tour.”
Big-hitting New South Welshman Lincoln Tighe was pleased to start his year on a high, taking out third place at 7-under the card, followed by James Grierson and Derek Ackerman in fourth and fifth.
The top-40 players plus ties earn status for the 2020 ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia season. Forty-six players secured status for the upcoming season after the number was set at 6-over the card.
For all final results please visit pga.org.au.
Brady Watt has secured his first Ladbrokes Pro-Am Series victory for 2020 at the Bendigo Bank Dingley Village Keysborough Golf Club Pro-Am which has raised in excess of $25,000 for bushfire relief.
Keysborough Golf Club took the opportunity to band together to raise an incredible sum for bushfire affected communities at the pro-am and its annual gala dinner with players and club members alike giving to the cause.
The Keysborough layout presented in excellent condition and despite a much-needed 40mm of rain overnight, Watt took advantage of the quick greens to continue his 2019 form in the pro-am’s afternoon field.
The West Australian who now calls Melbourne home collected seven birdies and two bogeys on his way to a winning total of 5-under 68.
“I had a great time out there, the course was excellent and my playing partners made the day enjoyable, winning was a bonus,” Watt said.
Completing the event with a round of even-par, former PGA TOUR player Nick O’Hern’s biggest impact on the day came in the form of an auction donation in support of the club’s bushfire appeal.
While Keysborough club members lead the drive at their Wednesday gala, O’Hern donated rounds of golf with himself as an auction item with many PGA Professionals also offering lessons for donations.
“It was amazing to see the club show their support and there was a really great feeling in the room at our gala night,” said Keysborough Golf Club General Manager Darren Eckhardt.
“Our members donated auction items from tournaments like the Presidents Cup, the Carlton Football Club got involved and offered training experiences and trades for a day were auctioned off.”
Keysborough Golf Club themselves went the extra step of donating $4280, a sum that was matched by the pro-am’s major sponsor Bendigo Bank Dingley Village to boost the initial donation pool to $8560.
“Our club members were also particularly generous and I have to thank one attendee who donated $6100 at our Gala night.
“At this stage we’re looking at donating half of the funds to the affected Mallacoota Golf and Country Club and the other half to the Rotary Club of Bairnsdale.”
Wade Lowrie completed the pro-am in second place after firing seven birdies in the morning field. His only blemishes came in the form of a double-bogey and bogey on the 17th and 18th holes for a round of 4-under the card.
Luke Hickman and Andrew Martin later joined Lowrie in second place with rounds of 4-under 69 ahead of Michael Choi and Michael Isherwood in a tie for fifth with rounds of 3-under 70.
He’s taking a longer path than originally intended but Ryan Ruffels’ dream of playing on the PGA TOUR is back on track after an impressive finish at the season-opening Great Exuma Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour.
The first event of the year on the PGA TOUR’s secondary tour featured high winds and high scores over the opening two rounds, former PGA TOUR winner Tommy Gainey shooting 67-69 over the final two rounds to win by four shots.
Following a hard-earned 74 in the first round, Ruffels moved inside the top 10 on the leaderboard with rounds of 69-70 but had to fight back late to end the week tied for 11th at the Greg Norman-designed Sandals Emerald Bay layout.
A birdie at the par-4 opening hole was countered by a bogey at the next, a further dropped shot at the par-4 seventh for the second day in succession sending the 21-year-old to the back nine 1-over on his round.
Further bogeys at 11 and 13 saw Ruffels slide further down the leaderboard but he responded in impressive fashion, picking up shots at the par 5s at 15 and 18 to sign for a 73 and establish a strong platform from which to build for the season ahead.
Sydney’s Jamie Arnold was the only other Australian to make the cut while Kiwi Steven Alker shot 70 in the final round to move up 23 spots and into a tie for 34th.
Korn Ferry Tour
The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic
Sandals Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Bahamas
T11 Ryan Ruffels 74-69-70-73—286 $US12,378
T34 Steven Alker 71-77-75-70—293 $3,510
T44 Jamie Arnold 77-72-72-74—295 $2,730
MC Brett Drewitt 73-77—150
MC Steven Bowditch 73-78—151
MC Curtis Luck 80-75—155
MC Brett Coletta 74-84—158
It’s been 587 days since Greg Chalmers last played a PGA TOUR event and now another crucial countdown begins.
This week’s The American Express at the Stadium Course at La Quinta in California is the first of seven events Chalmers can play on a medical extension, an extension granted on the basis of a back injury he thought could have ended his playing career.
When Chalmers shot 80-79 at the FedEx St Jude Classic in June 2018 he not only missed the cut, he finished dead last among those to complete 36 holes.
It was the last straw in his efforts to play on despite crippling back pain, pain that would later be diagnosed as arthritis in his spine and every joint in his lumbar spine as well as a torn ligament in Chalmers’ spine that went undiagnosed for more than six months.
Such was his despair the two-time Australian Open and Australian PGA champ enquired with coaches around his home in Dallas about the possibility of moving into a coaching role but arrived home over the summer a reinvigorated 46-year-old, a top-five finish at the Australian Open followed by a tie for 15th at the Australian PGA Championship.
In order to regain full status on the PGA TOUR Chalmers needs to earn 244.707 FedEx Cup points in the seven events available to him – the winner this week receives 500 – and is hopeful that he can play his way into a fuller schedule at least by the end of the year.
“I’ve got seven starts left on a medical and that’s my expectation right now, play my seven,” Chalmers explained.
“Depending on when I finish, though, and how I play, I could get four or five more starts in Reno, for example, or Barbasol or John Deere.
“There are some events that will pop up along the way so I could get 10 to 12 starts, which starting in January, you’re looking at maybe two starts a month, which wouldn’t be too bad for me after having 18 months off.
“Depending on how I go, I’m exempt into the Playoffs to get your card back on the Korn Ferry Tour, so I’ve got those three playoff events placed on previous performance.”
In addition to enhanced physical performance, Chalmers is also seeing the benefits of working with Bradley Hughes, a former Aussie tour player with a burgeoning reputation as an instructor.
Bringing Brendon Todd back from the abyss has elevated Hughes’s status as one of the hottest instructors in world golf and has Chalmers striking the ball as well as he ever has.
“For me, there was always a lot of room for improvement [with my ball-striking] and he came to me in Dallas at my home club,” Chalmers said.
“In two rounds we played together I shot 9-under with no bogeys and I was very pleased and excited.
“I said, ‘Mate, that’s the best I’ve ever hit it.’ Now, he’s a great ball-striker and to him, he said, ‘It looks kind of normal to me.’
“But for me it was really exciting.
“I told him, ‘Look, I don’t have time to rebuild the ark, I have a shorter window here, can you help me with my ball-striking without me taking years to get that done?’ He said, ‘Absolutely. I’ve taken a look at what you’re doing, I think I can help you.’
“It’s pretty simple stuff but very effective. Getting better use out of my feet and my groundwork, and then better position with my hands and path with the club through the ball.
“It’s led to better ball-striking and that’s important for me. If I can strike it even marginally better with my short game, it’s going to see some good results.
“I’m excited about the future.”
Played for almost 20 years as the Bob Hope Classic, Chalmers’ best result in the California desert pro-am came in 2011 when he was tied for 11th, Bruce Devlin (1970) the only Australian victor in the tournament’s history.
The other Aussies in the field this week across the three courses are John Senden, Aaron Baddeley, Cameron Percy, Cameron Davis, Rhein Gibson along with Kiwi pair Danny Lee and Tim Wilkinson.
See below for all the Aussie tee times on the PGA TOUR, European Tour and Asian Tour this week.
Round 1 tee times (AEDT)
Asian Tour
SMBC Singapore Open
Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore
10.40am Marcus Fraser, Hiroyuki Fujita, Amir Nazrin
10.40am* Andrew Dodt, Yosuke Asaji, Phachara Khongwatmai
10.50am Terry Pilkadaris, Danny Chia, Daijiro Izumida
11am Michael Hendry, Jack Harrison, Ryuji Masaoka
11.10am Jake Higginbottom, Joshua Shou, Chan Shih-chang
11.20am David Bransdon, Jyoti Randhawa, Yosuke Tsukada
11.40am Won Joon Lee, Danthai Boonma, Nicklaus Chiam (a)
12pm David Gleeson, Hung Chien-yao, Jeongwoo Ham
12.20pm* Aaron Pike, Taewoo Kim #1468, Marc Ong
12.30pm Josh Younger, Inhoi Hur, Malcolm Kokocinski
3.20pm Daniel Nisbet, Taehee Lee, Poom Saksansin
3.30pm* Travis Smyth, Aman Raj, Naoki Sekito
4.10pm* Adam Bland, Todd Baek, Janne Kaske
4.30pm* Matthew Griffin, Thitiphun Chuayprakong, Tatsuya Kodai
4.50pm* David Micheluzzi, Eric Sugimoto, Koki Shiomi
5.20pm Dylan Perry, Tomoyasu Sugiyama, Wee Jin Low (a)
European Tour
Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi
2.50pm Jason Scrivener, Andy Sullivan, Scott Jamieson
3pm Scott Hend, Chris Wood, Richard McEvoy
3.20pm Zach Murray, Zander Lombard, Ashley Chesters
3.30pm* Lucas Herbert, Guido Migliozzi, Julien Guerrier
7.25pm* Wade Ormsby, Marcus Kinhult, Steven Brown
8.15pm Ryan Fox, Alvaro Quiros, Thomas Aiken
PGA TOUR
The American Express
Stadium Course, La Quinta, California
Stadium Course
4.10am* Greg Chalmers, Troy Merritt
4.30am Cameron Percy, Ricky Barnes
5.10am Aaron Baddeley, James Hahn
La Quinta Country Club
4.30am Tim Wilkinson, David Hearn
5.30am* Rhein Gibson, Wes Roach
Nicklaus Tournament Course
4.40am John Senden, Peter Malnati
4.50am Danny Lee, Robert Streb
5.30am* Cameron Davis, Doug Ghim
* Starting from 10th tee
A back injury gave him cause to reevaluate, a baby daughter the motivation to prioritise quality practice over quantity.
The results were instant and ongoing and saw Queensland’s Andrew Dodt rise more than 300 places in the Official World Golf Rankings in the space of four months late last year.
Dodt is one of 15 Aussies teeing it up in the Asian Tour’s SMBC Singapore Open at Sentosa Golf Club on Thursday, Adam Scott’s third triumph in 2010 the last time an Aussie has been victorious at the spectacular Serapong Golf Course that was ranked 79th in the world in Golf Digest’s most recent list of the best courses on the planet.
Now based in Newcastle, Dodt was tied for 34th at Sentosa 12 months ago but enters 2020 with a much clearer idea of what he needs to do to be successful.
Forced to miss three months with a back injury early last year, Dodt returned at the Sarawak Championship in August and shot 24-under on his way to a third Asian Tour title.
He backed that up the following week with a tie for 10th at the Tailor-made Building Services NT PGA Championship and was top five at both the Vic PGA, AV Jennings NSW Open and was eighth in the Australian PGA Championship.
Due to celebrate his 34th birthday on Australia Day, Dodt says he is practising smarter, the lure of daddy-daughter time with 14-month-old Azalea the inspiration to make the most out of his time at the golf course.
“It makes my practice more quality at home because I don’t have as much time as I used to,” Dodt explains, Pacific Dunes and Waratah Golf Club his regular practice venues.
“I’m used to being at the golf course all day. Now it’s half to three-quarters of the day and more quality time so I can spend more time at home.
“I’m just practising more under pressure, which I never used to do. Just playing games against myself, specific drills.
“I just used to stand on the range all day and hit ball after ball with no meaning but now I’ve got a set where if I’ve got two weeks to prepare for a tournament, yes there’s some technical stuff if I need to work on anything but then I slowly move into reps and then match practice.
“I get to the tournament and I’m just ready to go.”
After an eight-week break between tournaments, Dodt’s back injury forced him to withdraw from the Trophee Hassan II tournament in Morocco in April, his victory in Sarawak in his first start back a shock even to himself.
“Winning was a surprise but playing well wasn’t a surprise because I had been playing well at home,” said Dodt.
“That’s always the challenge, playing well at home and then taking it to a tournament but I shot 24-under in my first event in three months.
“It really made me think that what I’m doing at home to prepare for tournaments is right.
“Even since then, when I’ve had three weeks, a month off, that first tournament back I’ve really been in the mix.
“The back injury was a good thing because I had the time to pull everything apart and look at everything again. See if I was doing everything the way I wanted to do things and came out in August and hit the ground running.
“That just tells me that what I’m doing at home is spot on.”
Veterans Marcus Fraser and David Gleeson have accepted invitations to play in Singapore this week as has rookie professional David Micheluzzi.
Terry Pilkadaris and Travis Smyth are both backing up following their strong performances at last week’s Hong Kong Open with Aaron Pike, Daniel Nisbet, Jake Higginbottom and Josh Younger also in the field.
Co-sanctioned with the Japan Golf Tour, the Singapore Open also provides an opportunity for a host of Aussies to begin their 2020 campaigns with Adam Bland, Matthew Griffin, Won Joon Lee, Dylan Perry, David Bransdon and Kiwi Michael Hendry all taking up the option to play this week.
Australian golf is pitching in to help the victims of the country’s bushfire crisis.
The central point for donations has been set up by the Australian Golf Industry Council (AGIC), the collaboration of all the industry bodies. It includes not only a GoFundMe page, but a designated bank account for donations for donors who prefer that method.
The 2020 Australian Golf Bushfire Appeal Fund kicked off earlier this month.
The industry has pledged to hand over 50 per cent of the total raised to the Disaster Relief Recovery Fund run by the Australian Red Cross.
The remaining funds raised will be distributed to other bushfire-related charities (including wildlife funds) and to any golf clubs impacted by the disaster.
The PGA TOUR and European Tour contributed $USD 100,000 while the annual Premiers Cup – brought forward to assist bushfire-affected communities – raised more than $550,000.
As a mark of respect for our fire and emergency workers, they and their families will be admitted to the upcoming tournaments – the ISPS Handa Vic Open at 13th Beach and the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open at Royal Adelaide – free of charge.
“Our industry is heartbroken at the devastation that has been caused by these fires,’’ said Gavin Kirkman, chair of the AGIC.
“It’s something that we need to act on and it’s something that needed a coordinated approach; a galvanisation of the golf industry.
“We’ve had contact from a number of clubs and other stakeholders looking to see what they can do to help, and we’ve had a number of high profile players who’ve already dug into their pockets to make donations. We are aiming to pull that together.’’
In addition, clubs and golf facilities throughout Australia are asked to dedicate their club competitions for one week from now until the end of February 2020 to a special fundraising appeal for bushfire relief via any of the following options:
All funds raised can be lodged either via the GoFundMe page or the Australian Golf Bushfire Relief Fund Bank Account.
NAB Account Name: 2020 Australian Golf Bushfire Relief Fund;
BSB: 083004
Account Number: 934028357
The golf industry recognises that a number of clubs and stakeholders have already decided to undertake their own fundraising efforts and are encouraged to continue with these appreciated efforts.
The industry applauds the efforts of people within our sport who are working to assist the victims of the bushfires. Please email details to [email protected] and your initiatives will be acknowledged at the designated appeal web page.
It was the asterisk that followed him everywhere but Cameron Smith can now happily leave it behind.
Smith broke through for his maiden solo PGA TOUR title at the Sony Open on Monday afternoon in a dramatic finale that saw him hang tough despite trailing by two with two holes to play.
On a rain-soaked and blustery Waialae Country Club layout, Smith trimmed the three-shot deficit that he began the day with to just one courtesy of a birdie at the opening hole but American Brendan Steele kept him at arm’s length.
Lengthy birdie putts led to tap-in pars, a birdie at 12 was cancelled out with a bogey at 15 yet still Smith stayed in contention.
Steele’s two-shot buffer was reduced to one after a bogey at the 71st hole and when the California native pulled his approach into the par-5 18th left of the grandstands a Smith win in regulation all of a sudden became a possibility.
Instead it was a clutch putt for birdie from nine feet by Smith and two-putt par from Steele that saw the pair finish level at 11-under par and sent the tournament into extra-time where even more drama would unfold.
Having drawn the honour Smith blocked his tee shot into the trees right of the 10th fairway but was able to apply pressure on Steele by hitting a superb recovery shot to around 10 feet.
In response, Steele went long with his second shot and was unable to get up-and-down to save par, Smith knocking his first putt to a foot from the hole before tapping in for his first individual title on the PGA TOUR.
“That’s been one that I’ve wanted to tick off for a long time,” said Smith, who won the 2017 Zurich Classic with Swede Jonas Blixt, a two-man teams event.
“I’ve been out here four or five years now and to finally say that I have won an event by myself is quite good.”
On a number of occasions Smith leant on his renowned short game to remain in the hunt and said it was just a matter of scrambling to stay in touch until an opportunity presented itself.
“You just had to hang in there,” explained Smith, a two-time Australian PGA champion.
“No one was playing good golf today it seemed like.
“The conditions got a lot easier at the end but just hung in there and what do you know.”
In a week where the golf world has extended its arms to help in fundraising efforts with the bushfire disaster gripping the continent, Smith hoped that his win and that of countryman Wade Ormsby in Hong Kong could brighten the spirits of those doing it tough.
“It’s been an Aussies week,” said Smith.
“Wade won this morning over in Asia and me winning here, I just hope that brings a little bit of joy to some people who are going through some tough times.”
The pain of falling short at the Australian PGA Championship three weeks ago has driven South Australian Wade Ormsby to a commanding win at the Asian Tour’s season-opening Hong Kong Open at the Hong Kong Golf Club.
Champion in 2017, Ormsby joins legendary figures Peter Thomson, Greg Norman and Frank Phillips as the only Aussies to win the Hong Kong Open on multiple occasions and he did so by leading from the front from day one.
A blistering start to the tournament where Ormsby birdied four of his opening seven holes gave him a share of the lead, a lead he would extend to as many as five shots over the following 65 holes before claiming a four-stroke victory.
A nervous start and a chasing pack that included Open champion Shane Lowry, US Presidents Cup representative Tony Finau and reigning Asian Tour No.1 Jazz Janewattananond applied some early pressure to Ormsby but a crucial up-and-down at the eighth hole and birdies at 11 and 17 ensured the walk down 18 would be one to savour.
Playing in the final group with good friend Adam Scott and Nick Flanagan, Ormsby bogeyed his final two holes to finish tied for third at the Australian PGA on the Gold Coast in December and admitted that making amends was important to start his 2020 campaign.
“Going through what I went through three weeks ago, that kind of hit me pretty hard,” Ormsby told Asian Tour Media of his PGA disappointment.
“I didn’t even want to know the game for three or four days.
“But to come back and do what I’ve done this week, like I said, proud of myself and proud of my team.
“I’ve been working my guts out the last 14 to 15 months trying to take my game to the next level. And like I just said, Australian PGA three weeks ago, losing that one really hurt me so I put a few changes in place.
“I worked out over the break and to come back here and get the win so soon, can’t put it into words really.”
A three-putt bogey on the 72nd hole gave Ormsby a nervous wait before breaking through for his maiden European Tour title in Hong Kong little more than two years ago with a one-stroke win.
However, a superb iron shot to four feet at the 17th hole on Sunday restored Ormsby’s four-shot buffer and left only the treacherous tee shot at 18 to navigate on his way to the title and a well-earned beer presented greenside by good friend Marcus Fraser.
“It’s still nerve-racking coming down the stretch,” Ormsby explained.
“That 18th hole, it can do anything to you. But I got the tee-shot in play and hit a weak iron shot into it… Four on the card and won by four, so I’m very happy.
“You’ve always got to play the Hong Kong Golf Club the same way. The wind obviously changes but you still try and fly it to the same spot.
“The game plan was the same. When you get in front there’s no point in changing that, no point trying to play defensive. The guys had to come and catch me basically.
“I have three wins on the main tours in my career and this is my first wire-to-wire. I’m very proud of my play this week.
“I was hoping to win this season but to do it in week two of the year in my first event is special and it will be one I’ll remember forever.”
The winner’s cheque for $US180,000 propels Ormsby to the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit and with winning momentum heading into the European Tour’s desert swing.
In a strong showing for the Australian contingent, David Gleeson continued his resurgence with a tie for seventh alongside Terry Pilkadaris with Travis Smyth starting his Asian Tour season on a positive note with a tie for 13th.
Next stop on the Asian Tour schedule is the SMBC Singapore Open to be held at the Sentosa Golf Club from Thursday where Australia’s Japan Golf Tour regulars can take advantage of the co-sanctioned opportunity.
Asian Tour
Hong Kong Open
Hong Kong Golf Club, Hong Kong
1 Wade Ormsby 65-66-66-66—263 $US180,000
T7 David Gleeson 66-71-67-68—272 $21,200
T7 Terry Pilkadaris 68-69-64-71—272 $21,200
T13 Travis Smyth 66-68-69-70—273 $14,175
T28 Andrew Martin 72-68-65-71—276 $8,950
T41 Marcus Fraser 69-69-69-72—279 $5,758
T47 Scott Hend 70-71-70-69—280 $4,700
T47 Jason Norris 70-68-71-71—280 $4,700
T65 Sam Brazel 71-70-74-71—286 $2,900
MC Josh Younger 72-71—143
MC Daniel Fox 75-68—143
MC Jake Higginbottom 73-72—145
MC Daniel Nisbet 76-69—145
MC Gareth Paddison 75-71—146
MC Denzel Ieremia 78-68—146
MC Aaron Pike 73-73—146
MC Andrew Dodt 76-71—147
MC Adam Blyth 71-77—148
