Lonard aces 15 for share of the PGA Seniors lead

Peter Lonard has catapulted himself into a share of the lead after round two of the Australian PGA Seniors Championship at Richmond Golf Club with an ace at the par-3 15th.

The three-time Australian Open champion made the most of calm morning conditions to record two birdies and a hole-in-one in his opening nine holes for a second round of 3-under 67 and a two-round total of 5-under.

Also at 5-under par is defending champion and overnight co-leader Michael Long who after an opening round of 66 posted a solid 69 in round two to remain in contention for back-to-back wins.

Six-time European Senior Tour winner Peter Fowler showed his current form with a round of 68 which included three birdies in a row from holes 15 to 17 to bounce back from two bogeys.

The round of the day came from Cromer Golf Club Professional Nicholas Robb who recorded a 6-under par round of 64 to sit one shot off the lead.

Turning 50 earlier in the year, Robb successfully qualified for the Senior Open Championship at Royal Lytham St Annes and is now looking to break through for his maiden Ladbrokes Legends Tour title.

Perennial crowd favourite Peter Senior will find himself in the penultimate group of the day and well within striking distance at 4-under par after opening rounds 69 and 67.

The final round of the Australian PGA Seniors Championship will conclude on Saturday with the last group of Long, Fowler and Lonard teeing off at 10:10am.

Spectators are welcome and entry to the course and clubhouse is free.

For live scores from the Australian PGA Seniors Championship visit pga.org.au.

The stakes have never been higher for Geoff Ogilvy, Marcus Fraser and Brendon Goddard than what they’ll face at next week’s Gippsland Super 6 tournament.

Friendly mid-week rounds are commonplace for the trio but when they grace the fairways of Yallourn Golf Club from 7-10 November the level of competition will be taken to new heights.

Joining the field of an ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia tournament for the first time, Goddard will face the big time alongside two of Australia’s top golfing exports.

“It’s pretty casual but it’s very competitive,” Ogilvy said of their mid-week jaunts.

“Obviously Frase and I have played golf for a very long time competitively but BJ (Goddard) is probably more competitive than all of us. He takes it very seriously.”

Goddard, a former AFL player for the St Kilda and Essendon football clubs, is well accustomed to playing sport at the highest level but insists this will be unlike anything he has done before.

“I’m hoping not to embarrass myself but also hoping deep down that I make the weekend or if I beat one of these two blokes I’ll be pretty happy as well,” Goddard said.

The innovative tournament format will see a field of 132 PGA Professionals and amateurs compete across three rounds of regular stroke play, as they endeavour to qualify for a dramatic fourth and final round.

The top 24 players will then compete across a six-hole medal (stroke) match play shootout to determine a champion on the final day.

Providing an exciting point of difference for players and spectators alike, Fraser – a three-time European Tour winner – hopes the Super 6 format will entice the Gippsland and Yallourn locals to support Australia’s golfing talent.

“It’s huge for the Gippsland area. Hopefully all of the locals get out there and around the tournament,” Fraser said.

Goddard, a Gippsland local originally from Glengarry, believes the tournament will be of great benefit to the community.

“It’s great that the PGA saw an opportunity there and has given it to Gippsland and the town of Yallourn,” Goddard said.

“If you’re in the area I encourage you to get down there because it’s not every day that you get to see golfers as up close as what you can at Yallourn and walk the fairways and be literally a couple of meters from these guys playing golf.”

Australia’s 2006 U.S. Open winner Ogilvy hopes the match play format will be to his advantage if he is able to make it to the top 24.

“It’s a pretty cool concept but match play is a tough format. Across six holes, everyone’s in a small little loop,” Ogilvy said.

“You get lots of action and lots of matches in a day. I love match play so hopefully over six holes I do alright.”

In order to have his name engraved as the first on the Gippsland Super 6 trophy, Ogilvy will need to overcome an in-form Marcus Fraser who recorded a runner-up finish at last week’s Victorian PGA Championship.

A number of Australians competing overseas will venture home for the tournament including three-time China Tour winner Maverick Antcliff, while recent Australasian Tour victors Campbell Rawson and Darren Beck will also feature.

The 132-man field will compete for the winner’s share of the $125,000 prize purse from 7-10 November at Yallourn Golf Club. Entry is free to the public.

The winner of the Gippsland Super 6 will also receive World Golf Ranking Points and full exemption onto the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia until the end of the 2020 season, including a place in the field at the 2019 Australian PGA Championship.

For the full entry list visit pga.org.au.

To purchase hospitality packages click here.

Adam White and Brendon Goddard are with Matt Griffin. The trio chat with PGA TOUR and two-time PGA Championship winner Cameron Smith, as well as #VicPGA victor Campbell Rawson.

Plus Craig Spence has got another special tip for the week in his coaching masterclass segment!

Campbell Rawson has won his first ISPS HANDA Tour of Australasia event after securing the Victorian PGA Championship in a titanic finish.

Rawson edged out European Tour and Olympian Marcus Fraser by a single stroke, following a 5-under 64 performance to finish 10-under par for a total of 270 for the tournament.

The New Zealander withstood a fast-finishing Fraser, who was twice the joint leader, before Rawson broke clear to secure the Jack Harris trophy, named after the golf legend who won six Victorian PGA Championships.

The 31-year-old hopes today’s breakthrough can take his career to new heights.

“I’m pretty excited. I can’t wait to celebrate a little bit. Now I’m really focused on some of the bigger events I’ll get exemption to and hopefully can put up some good performances there,” Rawson said.

Rawson, who’s been a Professional golfer for five years, narrowly avoided the cut following rounds of 70 and 71.

He finished Friday 1-over the card and scraped through to the weekend’s action.

Rawson has never finished in the top 10 at a Tour of Australasia event.

He vaulted to contention following an eagle on the second hole. He calmly slotted consecutive birdies on eight and nine to hold a handy three-shot lead by the turn.

Rawson said a key focus to his maiden victory was to combat his biggest competitor – his mind.

“I’m an over-thinker, so all day I’ve told myself not to try not to think. I just focused on playing and letting it happen,” he said.

“I knew I was hitting it well. I’ve been hitting it well for a couple of weeks now and I knew the putts were rolling on a really good line. It was just a matter of getting out of my own way not over-complicate it.

“I probably haven’t had a more nervous two-footer than I’ve had on the last, especially after missing one earlier in the day. I’m overwhelmed to win.”

The Auckland-born player’s rise to secure one of the country’s most prestigious tournaments is a remarkable one.

Rawson was lured to Adelaide in hope of securing an AFL career.

Rawson played Aussie Rules in New Zealand and was identified as showing potential.

He toiled in the reserves for South Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League before self-identifying that he lacked the attributes to make it to the elite level.

Rawson was set to make his senior debut for the Panthers but injured his ankle playing indoor netball.

“I knew pretty early on I wasn’t up to it. Guys that grow up playing the game have a greater awareness of how the game is played,” he said.

“I was getting tackled by guys who I didn’t know were there. I didn’t have that acute spatial awareness.”

At 23, Rawson abandoned his AFL ambitions and focused on his career in the finance sector. But niggling away was an aspiration to delve deeper into his passion for golf.

“To be frank, I got sick of sitting behind the desk and felt I need to have a crack at golf. At the time I wasn’t world class, but knew I had a lot of ability,” he said.

“I had the competitive advantage with the length I was able to hit it. Thankfully the guys at work supported me and gave me the opportunity to break out and shift my attention on golf.”

Fraser’s dashing resurgence has dampened the elation of securing second place, ahead of Michael Sim, who finished 6-under.

He shared the lead as late as the 15^th hole before Rawson mustered the resolve to break through.

“It’s not often you’re disappointed after shooting 64 in the last round bogey-free. I desperately wanted to have my name on that trophy,” Fraser said.

“After scaling back my overseas playing schedule, I want to come home and play well. I feel like I played well this week, but felt my earlier rounds let me down.

“I was on the back foot going into the weekend, but really happy with yesterday’s round and to have played well today and give myself a chance.

“If you probably have given me second at the start of the week I would’ve almost taken it. I desperately wanted my name on that trophy and have to wait another 12 months to get that chance again.”

Australia’s next crop of Professionals is evidently strong following the performances of two of its most promising stars.

David Micheluzzi, who was in the final group today, and debutant Blake Collyer proved that have the metal to compete with the country’s best.

In his second Professional event, Micheluzzi, 24, finished tied for seventh, while Collyer, who shot 10-under to be the overnight leader following round 2, was fourth.

Mark Brown rounded out the top five, tying with Andrew Dodt at 4-under.

Marcus Fraser and Campbell Rawson are deadlocked on the back nine during the fourth round of the Victorian PGA Championship at RACV Cape Schanck Resort.

Rawson and Fraser are both 8-under, with the New Zealander having a hole in hand trailing Fraser’s group.

Young gun Blake Collyer is two behind at 6-under, while Michael Sim is making a desperate late charge at 5-under.

Rawson is hoping to secure his first win on Tour, having never finished in the top 10 at an ISPS HANDA Tour of Australasia event in his career.

Live stream the action via PGATV.

The winner of the 2019 Vic PGA Championship will receive the bulk of the $125,000 prize course, as well as Official World Golf Ranking Points and full exemption onto the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia for the 2020 season, including a place in the PGA Championship field.

Australia’s finest golfers have commenced round 2 at the #VicPGA at RACV Cape Schanck Resort.

Challenging conditions of heavy winds and light rain look set to settle in and test the resolve of the field.

Check out how yesterday’s round 1 action unfolded:

A dominant 6-under 64 handed young gun Brady Watt a two-stroke advantage following the first round of the Victorian PGA Championship at RACV Cape Schanck Resort.

And a veteran has wound back the clock with an extraordinary par 3 hole-in-one.

Combating blustery conditions, Watt produced an impressive three-birdie, two-eagle round that has catapulted the former world no.1 amateur into contention of securing his first ISPS HANDA Tour of Australasia victory.

“I’m thrilled. I saw the forecast at the start of the week and knew the practice rounds weren’t going to be helpful in adapting to the conditions,” Watt said.

“Luckily I have a few friends that work down here, so over the winter we played a lot of rounds to better understand the conditions and pins.”

The 29-year-old is clear of New Zealander Denzel Ieremia and 2019 TX Civil & Logistics WA PGA champion Darren Beck, who both shot 4-under 66.

Six players are tied for 4^th with reigning Vic PGA champion Aaron Pike, Jarryd Felton, Michael Sim, Michael Wright, Jason Norris and Aaron Wilkin all scoring 3-under 67.

Watt was last year absent from competitive golf, opting to have a gap year after five years competing in Latino America and on Canada’s Mackenzie Tour.

He said time away from the game was the “ultimate reset”, where he also worked at his parents’ cleaning company and got “a taste of the normal life”.

“I’m feeling great. Today has given me confidence. I’m looking forward to the challenge of tomorrow,” he said.

After being 6-over the card as he switched to the front nine, Terry Pilkadaris clawed his way back up the leaderboard, thanks to an incredible ace on the seventh hole.

Using a 7-iron, Pilkadaris overshot the green, but a fortuitous slope guided the ball into the cup.

“I definitely needed that ace to get me back in the game. It’s my 13^th hole-in-one across my career. Hopefully it brings me more luck,” Pilkadaris said.

Last year’s winner Pike, who shot a bogey-free 67, highlighted the difficulty in mastering the Mornington Peninsula course.

He said patience was paramount in taming the brutal undulating resort.

“My secret to winning out hear is whoever is the most patient. You’re going to get beat up by this golf course. The weather’s gonna get ya. Most of the guys beat themselves before they let the golf course beat them,” Pike said.

“I played well late, but realistically that was probably the worst score I could’ve had. I missed about three putts inside four or five feet, which is normally a strength of my game.”

Felton launched to a promising start, hitting three front nine birdies before succumbing to the challenging course with a pair of bogeys.

“I was a little disappointing in the back nine, but I got off to a good start,” the 24-year-old said.

“I managed to putt a ball into a bunker today, which is a first. My game had to adapt to conditions…

The West Australian, who recently finished second at the WA PGA, credits his string of consistent performances to controlling his temper, recruiting a new mental skills coach that has reformed his emotions.

“I’ve changed my mental coach, which can be attributed to my good form,” he said.

“I do get angry on the course. I can identify these moments better and bring myself back. It’s definitely helped my game.”

PGATV will be live streaming round three on Saturday (1pm-4pm AEDT) and Sunday’s round four (noon-5pm). Head to pga.org.au to catch all the action.

Be patient and hang in there for as long as you can.

This is Aaron Pike’s advice for those competing in the Victorian PGA Championship at RACV Cape Schanck Resort from 24-27 October.

The reigning champion, who won the 2018 tournament by one stroke in a down-to-the-wire finish, is adamant that the player who hedges his bets and plays smart on the picturesque Mornington Peninsula course is the most likely to claim the Jack Harris trophy.

For the 92 professionals teeing it up this week, Pike’s warning is one that should be heeded by all.

“I said it last year right from the outset. I played the practise round earlier in the week and turned to the boys and said, ‘it’s probably not going to be who plays the best round on this golf course that wins, it’s going to be the guy who is the most patient and who hangs in there the longest’,” Pike said.

“My only advice to anyone this year is exactly that again, it’s whoever is going to hang in there the longest.

“This place is difficult, it’s going to beat you up, the wind is going to get you. You’re not going to be perfect but you’ve just got to know that going into it. Otherwise, this place can get the better of you.”

Known for its undulating fairways, stunning views and rugged landscape, the par-70 Cape Schanck layout provides a test for all golfers.

Simple strategy was the key to Pike’s victory last year and is one he will apply yet again in 2019.

“Sunday was brutal playing this tournament last year,” he said.

“There was wind going everywhere, guys were having big numbers on holes, leads were changing and I didn’t really let any of that affect me, I just kept plugging away.

“By the end of it I walked up to Michael Sim on the last and said ‘what have I got to do’ and he said you’ve got to get up and down.

“So I hit it stiff and got up and down and won the hole so realistically it won the tournament.”

Set on the southernmost tip of the Mornington Peninsula, the course is susceptible to fierce winds and heavy rain, both of which are expected to hit the course in the tournament’s final three rounds.

The conditions will also prove a test for the 81 amateurs competing in pairs with professionals in the Victorian PGA Celebrity Amateur Challenge.

Setting a strong lead in warm, sunny conditions in Thursday’s opening round will be an important task when the teams combine for the 4 Ball Best Ball pro-am format, in which the top 25 teams will advance to Saturday’s third round and the top-eight advance to the final round on Sunday.

While looking to improve his mindset on the course, Pike believes the pro-am style could be to his advantage.

“I’ve always played quite well in this kind of format, I think it’s something that sits well with me and might relax me a bit more,” he said.

“I can joke around and have a bit of a chat with whoever I’m playing with, take my mind off things and maybe help them and give them a few tips.”

Celebrities competing in the challenge include tennis star Sam Groth, AFL legends Michael Roberts, Ryan Schoenmakers, Luke Breust, Dale Thomas, cricketer Damien Fleming and Australian TV personalities Scott McGregor, Keith Schleiger and Jesse Raeburn.

The winner of the 2019 Victorian PGA Championship will receive the lion’s share of the $125,000 prize purse as well as Official World Golf Ranking Points and full exemption onto the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia until the end of the 2020 season, including a place in the Australian PGA Championship field.

The final two rounds of the Victorian PGA Championship will be live-streamed on PGATV from 1pm AEDT on Saturday 26 October and 12pm AEST on Sunday 27 December.

For round one tee times visit pga.org.au.

Two-time PGA TOUR winner Cameron Champ hopes to finish his season on a high after announcing he’ll take part in the Australian PGA Championship.

Champ, the longest hitter in professional golf, will compete in his first tournament down under at the #AusPGA at RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast on 19-22 December.

Champ joins a world-class field that features back-to-back champion Cameron Smith and former world no.1 Adam Scott.

The 24-year-old Californian star says he’s elated to take part in one of the sport’s most prestigious tournaments.

“I can’t wait to head to the Gold Coast and finish the year playing against some of the world’s best,” Champ said.

“I’m sure there will be lots of local hype after the Presidents Cup and I’ve heard great things about the golf course, as well as the fun atmosphere surrounding the event. I am really looking forward to trying to win the tournament.”

Champ, ranked no.71 in the world, is regarded as one of the PGA TOUR’s brightest prospects, with his long-ball driver a popular drawcard with fans.

PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman said Champ’s participation at the PGA Champs strengthens what’s set to be one of Australia’s strongest ever summers of golf.

“Cameron Champ is a shooting star of the PGA TOUR. His booming drives will be a key feature of the fun of the Australian PGA Championship,” Mr Kirkman said.

“I can’t wait to see him strike the ball from the first tee at RACV Royal Pines Resort. There’s no doubt he’ll be a crowd-puller and add to the festival atmosphere that we’ve developed at the PGA Champs.

“Champ’s participation in our event punctuates what’s going to be an incredible summer of golf. It follows a star-studded Australian Open field and excitement around the Presidents Cup. Golf is set to be the sport of the season.”

Few players have made as big an impact as Champ in his first two seasons on the TOUR.

Champ last month won the Safeway Open in an emotion-charged performance. It follows his life-changing victory at the Sanderson Farms Championship last October.

Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones said the inclusion of Champ enhanced the world-class reputation of the Australian PGA Championship.

“Cameron has just won on the PGA TOUR and is one of the rising stars of world golf, so to secure him for the Gold Coast is a huge coup and further strengthens what is already a world-class field,” she said.

“The Australian PGA Championship is renowned around the world for attracting the world’s best players and this year’s event will be no different, so I encourage as many people as possible to get out and see the players in action.”

The Texas A&M graduate will have to overcome local heroes Smith and Scott to return home with the Joe Kirkwood Cup – Australia’s oldest pro golf trophy.

Smith is hoping to create history by becoming the first person in more than 100 years to win three consecutive Australian PGA Championship titles.

The Australian PGA Championship is a week-long festival of golf, with plenty of action-packed, family-friendly activities to entertain fans beyond the ropes.

The famous Gold Coast beaches will again be brought to the greens, with the Oakley Gold Coast Beach Club taking centre stage at the lucrative 16th hole, the home of the Soniq Million Dollar Hole (SMDH).

The SMDH is moving to Saturday this year where a group of lucky fans will have the opportunity to try their luck at hitting a hole-in-one on the par-3 hole to win $1 million.

The players will be competing for AU$1.5 million in prizemoney, and as the Australian PGA Championship continues to co-sanction with the European Tour, players have the opportunity to earn valuable world ranking points early in the 2019/2020 season.

Channel 7 is the exclusive domestic broadcast partner of the Australian PGA Championship.

The Australian PGA Championship is one of the PGA of Australia’s flagship events co-sanctioned by the European Tour and ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

General admission to the Australian PGA Championship is $25. Children (aged 16 and under) get in free with a paying adult.

For more information and tickets, head to championship.pga.org.au.

Crowds flocked to Cottesloe Golf Club to see who would win the 2019 Nexus Risk WA Open Championship and the players did not disappoint.

All eyes were on the final group of Michael Sim, Rick Kulacz and Hayden Hopewell who were collectively 35-under par for the first three rounds of the Ladbrokes Pro-Am Series tournament.

The pressure of last group quietened the scoring through the front-nine where Kulacz and Hopewell both recorded even-par.

Sim was the only one in the red at 1-under par as the trio moved into the back-nine tightly bunched.

Six groups ahead of the leaders was Dale Williamson who was putting together a very impressive round that included three eagles, three birdies along with two bogies to post a final round 7-under par 65 and sign his card tied for the lead.

“I played really nice in that wind, controlled my ball well and rolled it on the greens really nice,” said Williamson who eventually tied for third place at 12-under the card.

Michael Wright stretched to a 13-under par total and joined Sim at the top of the leaderboard before an unfortunate bogey at the last dropped him back to a 12-under total and in tie for third place with Williamson, Daniel Fox and Aaron Wilkin.

Yet it was Sim who continued to put space between himself and the field with birdies at 11,14, 16 and 17 to reach 15-under par with one to play and be two shots ahead of overnight leader, amateur Hayden Hopewell.

The 18^th threw a spanner in the works when Sim hit his drive left and had to chip out short right of the green and Hopewell hit his second shot to 40 feet from the pin.

Sim went on to hit an amazing chip shot to three feet but that’s when things got heated. Hopewell went on to roll his birdie putt in, all but forcing Sim to hole his downhill three-footer for the win.

Sim held his cool to record his first WA Open title and take home the winner’s cheque for $18,301.

“I knew I had two shots going up the last but when Hayden holed his, I had to switch and make sure of holing the small putt,” Sim said.

This and a third place result last week at the WA PGA Championship kick-starts a big summer of golf for the West Australian.

“It’s amazing to get another win and especially to back up from last week, this will give me a lot of confidence moving into some big events now.”

A fantastic effort from Hopewell earned the young-gun outright second place at 14-under the card.

Sim will be one to watch when the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia returns at the Victorian PGA Championship at RACV Cape Schanck Resort from Thursday.

Amateur Hayden Hopewell has gained a two-stroke lead heading into the final day of the Nexus Risk WA Open following a consistent display of golf in hot and windy conditions.

Hopewell led the pack through the halfway mark and continued to look back at the field through 54 holes with a three-round total of 13-under.

Tomorrow Hopewell will attempt to be the fourth amateur in eight years to win the coveted Open trophy and kick-start what already looks to be a very impressive golf career.

“I’m pretty happy, it was tough out there today in that wind. I played solid today and unfortunately left a couple out there but that’s golf,” Hopewell said.

“There will be nerves tomorrow but I’m confident in my game plan and look forward to the opportunity.”

Former PGA TOUR player Michael Sim has continued his great form from Kalgoorlie where he finished third, shooting a 5-under par 67 in round three to sit in second place alongside Rick Kulacz.

Sim, who sits two shots behind Hopewell at 11-under the card, was excited about the opportunity to get back in the winner’s circle following his Queensland Open win in 2017.

“I played solid last week, I’m playing good this week and looking forward to what tomorrow brings,” Sim said.

“Every player’s goal is to get in a position to win the event on Sunday and I’ve ticked that box so I’m very happy.”

West Aussie Rick Kulacz is a fan of the Cottesloe Golf Club and knows how to make the most of the course having won the Cottesloe Open back on the May/June Ladbrokes Pro-Am Series circuit.

“I got hot through that patch on the back-nine where I had four birdies in a row,” Kulacz said.

“There is some great golf being played out here so it’s to be a great battle out there tomorrow, one I’m really looking forward to.”

A pack of golfers will look to pounce in the final round including 2015 WA Open winner Daniel Fox who sits in outright fourth on 10-under par followed by Callan O’Reilly, Michael Wright and Chris Wood on a 9-under par total.

Saturday’s third round also marked the start of the WA Open All Abilities Championship where Geoffrey Nicholas leads following a 4-over par 76 ahead of Arnold Bamroong in second place with 80.

The All Abilities Championship will precede the final round play beginning from 8.30am at Cottesloe Golf Club. Keep up to date with scores through the ww.pga.org.au or via the PGA of Australia app.

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