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Tom Power Horan has already secured DP World Tour playing rights for next season and is battling through an endurance test of 11 tournaments in 12 weeks, but he is far from done.
The Melburnian shot a brilliant 6-under-par 66 at the Moonah course today to seize the lead in The National Tournament presented by BMW as the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia season draws to a close.
Starting out three shots back from midway leader Elvis Smylie, Royal Melbourne’s Power Horan had a hot streak going birdie-birdie-eagle from the seventh to jump into the lead as Smylie tread water.
At one point he led by three shots, but the Moonah course with a southerly breeze presents challenges, especially on the closing stretch, and bogeys at the 16th (from the fairway trap) and 17th (from long and left of the green) brought the Victorian back to the field.
Closing out with a par at the 18th he posted 14-under overall following rounds of 68-68 on Thursday and Friday, and his lead is a shot from Sydney’s John Lyras at 13-under.
In a bunched leaderboard 20-year-old wunderkind Smylie (71 today) and Murwillumbah professional Lucas Higgins, who threatened the course record and ultimately posted 64, are next in line at 12-under and well in contention.
Power Horan, 30, has had his best-ever season having switched across to the coaching of the South Carolina-based Australian Brad Hughes, winning the Gippsland Super 6 and picking up one of the three playing cards offered for the DP World Tour in 2023-24 as a top-three finisher in the Order of Merit.
He has worked hard for it, missing just one week of tournament play in the past three months, and he looks forward to a break next week before he heads over to the Asian Tour for the middle part of the year.
But he is not complaining in the slightest. “It’s been good,” he said. “I played great which makes it a lot easier, and I actually feel pretty good.
“I’m a bit more relaxed this week. It’s the last event and there’s not as much on the line for me.
There’s not as much pressure, and it’s been great staying with the boys and pretty low key.”
Smylie began with a two-shot lead in the afternoon and struck the ball nicely early, but his frustration grew as chances went begging on the greens, and by the end he was scrambling for pars with gutsy saves at the 14th and 18th mixed with bogeys at 14 and 16 and a bomb for birdie at the par-3 17th that drew a fist pump from the young Gold Coast professional.
Both Smylie and Lyras are chasing their first wins on tour, the Sydneysider making a nice eagle at the par-5 second hole with driver-wedge and a two-metre putt, then hanging tough on the back nine to put himself in the mix again.
The 26-year-old Lyras can jump into the top-five on the Order of Merit with a win this week, which would give him significant exemptions at overseas tour schools; similarly Smylie has a lot to play for other than the obvious carrot of a win and $36,000 prizemoney.
The surprise packed of the day was 23-year-old New South Welshman Higgins, who is playing for his tour card this week, currently 63rd and needing to get inside the top 50 to retain his rights.
He made two eagles and five birdies for the day including a remarkable birdie from close range at 10 after he feared he had lost his ball in deep rough.
“I’ve been playing average on the weekends, so it’s kind of nice to finally put a good round together and give myself a chance tomorrow,” said Higgins.
As for Power Horan, equation is simple in his eyes.
“There’s money on the line, and I like to win,” he said. It would be a great way to finish the season.”
Sunday’s final round will be televised live from noon by Fox Sports, Kayo Sports and Spark (NZ).
Budding star Elvis Smylie played one of the rounds of his young life to seize the lead in The National Tournament on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula today.
Smylie’s course record 63 on the Moonah course, with nine birdies and not a single blemish, vaulted him up the field and put him in contention to win his first tournament as a professional.
Long touted as the Next Big Thing of Australian golf, the 20-year-old Gold Coast left-hander rolled in six birdie putts including a couple of bombs on the front nine, then kept it together on the more difficult back nine to post his score, nailing another birdie putt at the tough par-3 17th and narrowly missing a 20-footer for a 62 at the par-4 18th.
He leads by two shots from Sydney’s John Lyras and Daniel Gale, who both posted 66 in conditions that were unpleasant with the rolling rain showers, but score-able because the greens were soft and the wind not as strong as Thursday.
First-round leader and Order of Merit champion David Micheluzzi dropped back, four shots behind after a second-round 71 today.
It was Smylie’s day. A Golf Australia Rookie Squad member and former Australian Boys’ champion, he is at 11-under par overall after opening with a 2-under 70 on Thursday.
Grouped with Lyras and Blake Windred, they formed the hot group of the day. “It was pretty easy to play some good golf out there, watching Elvis today,” said Lyras. “I think it’s probably the best golf I’ve ever seen up close and personal. It was nice to be able to feed off that and keep chasing him.”
Sweet-swinging Smylie was white hot with the putter, making everything on the greens and using his imagination with former touring pro Mike Clayton on the bag. His 63 lowers the Moonah course record of 66 set by Micheluzzi on Thursday.
“It was weird, I mean everything seemed to go in my favour today,” said the Queenslander, whose mother Liz won four Grand Slams on the tennis circuit.
“I just played really good golf. It got a little bit windy out there which I like. I love the windy conditions. You have to shape your shot and control your ball flight really well. I did a good job of that and made a couple of long putts that I probably shouldn’t have made, but it was a really good day and I’m excited for the weekend.”
Smylie had not played the Moonah course prior to this week, but not surprisingly, it fits his eye.
“I love this style of golf,” he said. “It’s my favourite style, especially when it gets a little bit tricky. I love it when it gets hard, and it definitely separates the men from the boys.”
Smylie is 10th on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit for 2022-23 and a win this week would push him into the top five, giving him direct access to the final stage of the Q-School on the Korn Ferry Tour in the United States, and potentially the same for the DP World Tour.
But he was philosophical about his position today. “For me it’s about focusing on the little step-by-step things that I’m doing well at and controlling the things that I can control. That’s all noise for me, so for me it’s what I can control and see what happens from there.”
Lyras is a regular on the top of the leaderboard who is still chasing his first win on tour, and he has again put himself in the mix.
In fact the 26-year-old from St Michael’s could have gone lower than his 66; he left several putts in the jaws, and made a double bogey 6 at the par-4 sixth hole after finding the deep bunker on the left and leaving one in the sand.
Close at the NSW Open a couple of weeks ago – he was in the final group but fell away to tied-eighth suffering with a shoulder injury – Lyras was happy to make himself prominent again.
“You can’t win tournaments from 10 shots behind often. It’s nice to be up the top and close to the lead going into the weekend,” he said.
The National Tournament is the season-ending event on the Australasian Tour with the Order of Merit and all its exemptions to be decided on Sunday along with the $200,000 prize pool.
Saturday and Sunday’s play will be telecast live on Fox Sports, Kayo Sports and Spark (NZ).
Two Australians have locked in a chance to compete for a major championship with Min Woo Lee off to The Masters next month and Travis Smyth set for The Open in July.
Lee confirmed that he will be at Augusta National for a second straight year by winning one of his three group matches at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in Texas to earn an invitation via keeping his world ranking inside the top 50 at No.47.
The 24-year-old lit up the first major of the year in 2022 with a front nine 30 to finish inside the top 15 and he will head down Magnolia Lane brimming with confidence courtesy of his stellar performances in recent months that includes a tied sixth finish at The Players Championship and six top 10 results on the DP World Tour.
Smyth has also started the year in impressive fashion with the Sydneysider chalking up three top 10s on the Asian Tour and he continued his good form with a third-place finish at the World City Championship in Hong Kong to grab one of the four Open spots on offer.
The 27-year-old will make his major debut at Royal Liverpool after he closed out the third and final round – the tournament was reduced to 54 holes due to inclement weather – with a second consecutive four-under par 66.
Smyth joins defending champion Cameron Smith, Adam Scott, Asia-Pacific Amateur champion Harrison Crowe, ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner David Micheluzzi, Lee and Haydn Barron – who both earned spots at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open – as Australians who have already confirmed their place in the field.
“I am super excited, as I haven’t played a major before,” Smyth said. “The Open at a links course means tough conditions and a tough major championship which I really look forward to.”
Vic Open champion Michael Hendry came runner-up to Taichi Kho of Hong Kong, but the New Zealander booked in a third trip to The Open having previously played in 2017 and 2018.
Jason Day’s rankings rise continues with the former world No.1 moving to 33rd in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Day reached the quarterfinals at Austin Country Club where he went down to world No.1 Scottie Scheffler 2&1. He infamously suffered from vertigo when he collapsed at the 2015 US Open and during his match with Scheffler, Day was experiencing head spins and cloudiness, but he eased concerns by confirming that those symptoms were related to allergies.
Only weeks ago, Day’s place at The Masters was in the balance but after missing the chance to compete for the green jacket last year, he has comfortably met the criteria to receive an invite for a shot at a second major title.
Day and Lee’s addition to the field stretches out the Australian contingent to five with Smith, 2013 champion Scott and Crowe already invited.
The news was not as kind for Lucas Herbert who will not be in the field at Augusta National with his Round of 16 loss to Rory McIlroy not enough to push him inside the world top 50. The 27-year-old made seven birdies to McIlroy’s nine in the contest that went to the 18th hole, and he has moved from No.56 to No.51 in the world.
Brett Drewitt registered the best result of an Australian this week with a tied fourth finish at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Club Car Championship in Georgia.
Drewitt has come inside the top eight in four of his five Korn Ferry Tour starts this year and he is currently eighth on the Points List with the top 30 at season’s end to be awarded PGA Tour membership.
Gabi Ruffels backed up her win last week by coming in a tie for sixth at the Epson Tour’s IOA Championship, while Sam Brazel, Zach Murray, Brett Coletta and Deyen Lawson all shared ninth place to round out a strong Australian showing on the Asian Tour.
New Zealand’s Steven Alker shone on the PGA Tour Champions once again with a runner-up result at the The Galleri Classic where Rod Pampling was tied 10th.
Hannah Green was the only Australian to make the cut at the LPGA’s Drive On Championship in Arizona and she strung together back-to-back rounds of 69 on the weekend.
Results
PGA Tour
World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play
Austin Country Club, Austin, Texas
Corales Puntacana Championship
Puntacana Resort & Club (Corales GCse), Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
LPGA Tour
LPGA Drive On Championship
Superstition Mountain G&CC, Gold Canyon, Arizona
Asian Tour
World City Championship
Hong Kong Golf Club, Hong Kong
Korn Ferry Tour
Club Car Championship
The Landings Golf & Athletic Club (Deer Creek), Savannah, Georgia
Epson Tour
IOA Championship
Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon, Beaumont, California
PGA Tour Champions
The Galleri Classic
Mission Hills Country Club, Rancho Mirage, California
PGA Tour Lationamerica
Roberto de Vicenzo Memorial 100 Years
Ranelagh Golf Club, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Victorian Lucas Herbert looks to have come up agonisingly short of his Masters dream despite taking Rory McIlroy to the 18th hole at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin, Texas.
It took a birdie on the final hole for McIlroy to get past Herbert 2 up in the Round of 16 as Jason Day advanced with a 1 up win over Matt Kuchar in a match in which he never trailed.
Three birdies and an eagle in the opening six holes of the quarter-finals gave Day an early 3 up advantage over Scottie Scheffler before the world No.1 fought back with birdies at nine, 12 and 13 to flip the tables and go 2 up, booking his place in the semi-finals with a 2&1 win.
Realistic about his prospects in the Round of 16 should McIlroy arrive with his “A game”, Herbert went 1 down to McIlroy’s birdie at the opening hole but never let the four-time major champion get more than two holes up.
The Victorian birdied five and six to square the match but McIlroy responded with birdies at seven and nine to be 2 up at the turn.
Herbert’s birdie on 10 reduced the deficit to one but McIlroy’s birdie on 12 – as Herbert’s ball came to rest against a wooden sleeper beside the green – again extended his advantage.
Showing tremendous spirit, Herbert fought back with a birdie of his own on 13, McIlroy forced to birdie each of the final three holes to keep Herbert at bay and move on to the quarter-finals.
“I’ve got nothing but just pride for the way I played,” Herbert said following the match. “Pushed him all the way to the end.
“I got beaten by the best player in the world probably playing the best golf of anyone in the world would today.
“I just didn’t feel like there was a hell of a lot more I could have done. I played really, really nicely. Played nicely for four days in a row, so it’s frustrating to finish the tournament here. Just really proud of myself.”
Adding to Herbert’s pain is the projected change to his Official World Golf Ranking.
Coming into the week ranked 56th and needing to move into the top 50 to secure a spot at The Masters, unofficial projections suggest Herbert will be 51st when the rankings are updated and will not receive a late invite to Augusta National.
Although he didn’t progress out of the group stage Min Woo Lee will hold on to his top-50 ranking to play The Masters for the second year running while Day continues his ascension back toward the pointy end of the ranking.
The 35-year-old halved each of the first four holes against Kuchar with pars before taking a 2 up lead with a birdie on five and eagle at six.
A former winner, Kuchar fought back with birdies at nine and 13 to level the match before Day edged clear again with a birdie on 16 for a 1 up win.
Day’s fast start put Scheffler on the back foot, but not for long.
After going 1 up on 13, Day’s bogey on 14 gave Scheffler a 2 up lead, the pair trading birdies on 15 and 16 before the Texas native closed out a 2&1 win with a tee shot to two inches on the par-3 17th.
“The game is looking nice,” said Day, who returns to Augusta National after missing the 2022 tournament.
“There’s still some stuff swing-wise that pops in every now and then, like the wedge shot on 14 that – it’s just in between patterns. I’ve just got to kind of work out those kinks.
“I feel happy with where I’m at.”
Round of 16
Rory McIlroy def Lucas Herbert 2 up
Jason Day def Matt Kuchar 1 up
Quarter-finals
Scottie Scheffler def Jason Day 2&1
A win or tie in Round 3 will be enough for both Jason Day and Lucas Herbert to advance out of the group stages at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin, Texas.
Day got the better of Frenchman Victor Perez 2&1 on day two as Herbert accounted for England’s Tyrrell Hatton 2&1 thanks to birdies on the 16th and 17th holes, Cam Davis the other Aussie to win in the second round with a 3&1 victory over American Tom Hoge.
Adam Scott (1 down to Sam Burns), Min Woo Lee (2&1 to Matt Fitzpatrick) and Kiwi Ryan Fox (2&1 to Andrew Putnam) all went down in their matches, leaving Day and Herbert as the only Aussies with their fate solely in their hands.
A win or tie against Collin Morikawa will be enough to secure Day’s spot in the knockout stage while Herbert can secure safe passage with either a win or a tie against American Ben Griffin.
The remaining Aussies are not guaranteed to advance even with wins in their final matches that will pit Adam Scott against Adam Hadwin, Lee against the undefeated JJ Spaun and Davis against Aaron Wise.
A two-time Match Play champion in 2014 and 2016, Day’s recent resurgence suggested he would mount a strong campaign at Austin Country Club.
He surrendered a 2 up advantage with consecutive bogeys on seven and eight – but his finishing stretch indicated those aforementioned signs of sky-high potential.
After Perez won the par-5 12th with a chip-in eagle to go 1 up, Day answered with back-to-back winning birdies at 13 and 14. Day drained an 11-foot birdie to win the par-5 16th, and a routine two-putt par at the par-3 17th sufficed to tie the hole and close the match.
“The intensity will be so much more than what it has been over the last two days, so that’s exciting,” Day said of his match-up with Morikawa.
“I guess the willingness to grind it out is going to be more imperative to handle or take care of business tomorrow.
“I’m just not really looking too far ahead. I’ve just got to stick to that process and try and take on every shot the best I can. At the end of the day if that’s good enough to beat Collin, great; if not, then go back to the drawing board and get after it again.”
Herbert didn’t lead in his match with Hatton until the 16th hole and then closed out the result at the next.
Hatton was 1 up to the par-5 12th hole, but Herbert uncorked a 412-yard drive, leading to a 166-yard approach to nine feet and subsequent winning eagle to tie the match.
The match remained tied to the par-5 16th, which Herbert won with a six-foot birdie, and he closed the deal with a five-foot birdie at the par-3 17th after Hatton couldn’t convert from 22 feet.
Given he is currently ranked 56th in the world, the deeper Herbert can travel into the knockout phase the greater his chances of earning a late invitation to The Masters.
“I was in the same position last year and lost and then lost the playoff so I’m very aware that I need to play better than I did last year,” said Herbert, who fell at the hands of Takumi Kanaya 12 months ago.
“I need to have a different mindset to what I did last year.
“I want to finish 3-0 and get through to that next round and be playing on Saturday. The way to do that is to make sure I win tomorrow, don’t give anything up, don’t give the other guys a chance.
“That’s a good position to be in.”
Lee ran into a red-hot Fitzpatrick in their round two match, the reigning US Open champion making five birdies over his first 13 holes to go 1 up.
Lee missed a 10-footer for par at 15, and Fitzpatrick doubled his lead. Fitzpatrick made a clutch 17-foot birdie putt at 17 to match Lee and stay 2 up. Fitzpatrick then walked in a 16-foot birdie putt at 17 (his seventh birdie) for the win he needed.
Scott’s match with Sam Burns was a scrappy affair for the most part and ended in unfortunate circumstances for the 2013 Masters champion.
Burns won the eighth hole with a bogey when Scott made double bogey and then went 1 up at 13 when he had a short look for birdie and Scott bladed a chip.
Scott tied the match with an approach to 17 inches at the par-4 15th and the score stayed that way until 18 where Scott drove it left into a penalty area.
He made bogey, leaving Burns two putts from 22 feet to move to 2-0.
All square with Hoge through the opening six holes of their match, Davis went 1 up when Hoge made bogey at the par-3 seventh.
Hoge won the eighth hole with a birdie to tie the match again, Davis taking control again with a birdie on 10.
From there he was never headed, moving 3 up with birdies on 13 and 14 before closing out the match by winning the 17th hole with a birdie.
Round 2 results
Jason Day def Victor Perez 2 &1
Lucas Herbert def Tyrrell Hatton 2&1
Cam Davis def Tom Hoge 3&1
Adam Scott lost to Sam Burns 1 down
Min Woo Lee lost to Matt Fitzpatrick 2&1
Ryan Fox (NZ) lost to Andrew Putnam 2&1
Round 3 draw
Jason Day v Collin Morikawa
Lucas Herbert v Ben Griffin
Min Woo Lee v JJ Spaun
Cam Davis v Aaron Wise
Adam Scott v Adam Hadwin
Ryan Fox (NZ) v Will Zalatoris
Mercurial David Micheluzzi pulled off a stunning last-day coup at Rich River to win his third tournament of a remarkable season at the PLAY TODAY NSW Open on Sunday.
The 26-year-old Victorian has closed out the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour Order of Merit with his two-shot win in the $400,000 tournament, unreachable at the top with just one tournament remaining next week.
He has previously won the WA PGA Championship and the TPS Sydney tournaments, and he looks ready to take on the world.
It is the first three-win season on the Australasian Tour since Robert Allenby’s famous 2005 triple crown.
A former world top-five amateur, Micheluzzi will get that opportunity soon; his Order of Merit victory will give him a start in the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, and top-three on the OOM gives him a ticket to play on the DP World Tour from the start of the 2023-24 season.
Micheluzzi grabbed the Kel Nagle Cup and a $72,000 prize cheque with a dazzling 65, coming from five shots back, and at 20-under he won by two from Kade McBride, the Queenslander who led into the final round.
New South Welshmen Lincoln Tighe (63 today), Dylan Perry and Nathan Barbieri were tied-third at 17-under par.
It was quite a day for the Melburnian who grew up playing junior golf at Cranbourne Golf Club in Melbourne’s southern suburbs, and quite a day for McBride, the Queenslander who took a three-shot lead into the final round but watched it disappear and then had the championship wrenched away from him at the 72nd hole.
McBride was steady for most of the day and four shots ahead early in the final round, but by the time he reached the 18th tee, the reachable par-5, he was tied with Micheluzzi at 20-under, the Victorian watching from the scorers’ enclosure and waiting.
A birdie at 18 would give the Gold Coast professional the win, and par would force a playoff with Micheluzzi.
But the 28-year-old had to lay up short of the green after his drive went slightly left, and his wedge from 100 metres out caught the collar of a greenside bunker by a factor of centimetres. From there, he blasted out beyond the flag, made double bogey, and had to sign for a 1-over-par 72 and second place. “It just missed by a ‘smidge’,” said McBride. “And in that bunker is as dead as dead gets.”
Over in the scorers’ area, Micheluzzi emerged to be drenched with sports drinks by the likes of friend Harrison Crowe. His parents Frank and Claudia had driven up from Melbourne to witness the final day’s play, and they were on the scene soon as well.
His round had been ignited by a chip-in from the fringe of the par-4 9th, but he played brilliant golf overall, call it “the best tournament I’ve ever played tee-to-green”. Further birdies at 10, 11 and from close range at the 17th put the pressure on McBride that he needed to create.
“It feels pretty awesome,” said Micheluzzi. “I hit it awesome, didn’t putt my best but gave myself enough chances, and I’m stoked to be here.”
The Victorian intends playing the final tournament of the season at The National in Victoria from next Thursday before a break.
But today it was time for celebrations. “I wouldn’t mind some KFC wouldn’t mind some Coke,” he said. “I might watch the F1 qualifying. I’m not sure what I’ll do, but KFC’s on my mind.”
The Open Championship in July will be his first-ever appearance in a major. “It’s amazing to be playing the first major at the Open,” he said. “It’s the best major in my opinion and to be at Hoylake will be so exciting. It’s going to be a fun week.”
McBride has not won on the primary tour and he will take a lot from this week. After his final-hole issues, he was still able to speak to media.
“I’m alright with it. I was playing to win,” he said.
Rich River was a genial host and the NSW Open moves along the river to beautiful Murray Downs next year, under an announcement by the Deputy Premier of NSW, Paul Toole, today.
Only four players stand in the way of Victorian David Micheluzzi claiming the 2022/2023 ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit ahead of the season’s penultimate event starting Thursday.
As a Band 2 tournament, the $400,000 Play Today NSW Open will distribute a total of 2,000 Order of Merit points with the three DP World Tour cards for the top three finishers on the Order of Merit still very much up for grabs.
Micheluzzi arrives at Rich River Golf Club with a 228-point buffer from New Zealand Open champion Brendan Jones, who in turn has a gap of 142.36 points to the fourth-placed Andrew Martin.
Successive victories in the coming two events would yield the winner a total of 570 points, meaning that there are only four eligible players capable of denying Micheluzzi the No.1 spot and all its subsequent rewards.
As they won’t play the minimum four events necessary to be eligible for the Order of Merit, Cameron Smith (third), Min Woo Lee (seventh), Adam Scott (eighth) and Jason Scrivener (10th) are no longer vying for the various exemptions on offer.
The most prized of these are the three cards on the DP World Tour for the 2024 season, one of which is safely within Micheluzzi’s grasp.
“To win twice in a season is extremely impressive and David has shown all season that he is very deserving of one of the cards on the DP World Tour,” said PGA of Australia Tournaments Director Australasia, Nick Dastey.
“He started the season with a win at the WA PGA Championship at Kalgoorlie and then produced one of the great final rounds to win again at TPS Sydney last month.
“Not only that, but he has finished runner-up twice and recorded four additional top-10s so there’s no question David has earned his ticket to the DP World Tour.”
But while his pathway to Europe is now clear, Micheluzzi is not yet guaranteed the Order of Merit crown.
With additional exemptions associated – including a spot at The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in July – there are four additional players still in the mix.
Almost all are predicated on Micheluzzi adding very few points to his tally in the coming two tournaments yet there are ways for Brendan Jones, Andrew Martin, Tom Power Horan and Michael Hendry to play their way into No.1.
If Jones wins this week – and Micheluzzi finishes worse than a tie for second – the 48-year-old will move to the top. He would then need to play his fourth event for the season at The National and finish equal or better than Micheluzzi to finish on top.
The Vic PGA champion at Moonah Links late last year, a win this week would see Martin move past Micheluzzi but only if Micheluzzi finishes 39th or worse at Rich River.
Power Horan and Hendry both need to win this week and have a high finish at The National to be any chance of reigning in Micheluzzi.
Depending on whether Jones plays the final event of the season, the race for the final DP World Tour cards could fall down as far as Deyen Lawson (ninth), Brett Coletta (11th), John Lyras (12th) and Justin Warren (13th).
“Our aim in moving to a points-based system for the first time this year was to reduce the disparity between the various tournaments on our schedule,” Dastey added.
“Given the number of different scenarios that can play out over the next two events – and the number of players still in contention for those exemptions – we feel confident that we have achieved that aim.
“The quality of our winners and the depth of the field at each of the events is a testimony to the support that the players have shown for the format and the opportunities that it affords them.
“We’re heading for a thrilling final two weeks starting Thursday at Rich River and culminating at The National.”
The primary Order of Merit is not the only source of interest.
With majority of the focus being on the prize at the top of the OOM, there is also a lot of pressure on players to keep their cards for next season by finishing inside the top 50, providing strong playing opportunities for next year.
Currently David Bransdon sits on the number (50th) with 111.40 pts with many below looking to leap-frog into the top 50.
Amateurs competing through the Future Tour Affiliation can also secure playing rights for next season through gaining points equivalent to the professionals from the position they have finished in each tournament.
Those currently lower than 50th will be trying to advance their positions inside the top 50 to earn one of three opportunities to secure a category for the 2023/24 season.
Rising star Jeffrey Guan is currently equivalent to 49th on the Order of Merit and will earn status should he remain inside the top 50 while South Australian Jack Buchanan can enhance his chances with a strong showing this week.
ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit (through NZ PGA)
1. David Micheluzzi 1,031.67 (13)
2. Brendan Jones 803.67 (2)
3. Cameron Smith 772.76 (2)
4. Andrew Martin 661.31 (13)
5. Tom Power Horan 609.23 (12)
6. Michael Hendry 571.68 (7)
7. Min Woo Lee 470.00 (2)
8. Adam Scott 456.05 (2)
9. Deyen Lawson 446.46 (13)
10. Jason Scrivener 431.30 (3)
Must play minimum four events to be eligible for Order of Merit
Order of Merit leader David Micheluzzi wants to close out the season-long ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia title with a win at the Play Today NSW Open beginning on Thursday at Rich River, and put to bed the notion that he can be overhauled when a tantalising Open Championship spot is in his sights.
The 2022/2023 season reaches its climax over the next three weeks, with the $400,000 NSW Open on the Murray this week, and closing out at The National in Victoria from March 30.
With 1,031.67 points, 26-year-old Micheluzzi has a lead of 228 points on Canberra’s Brendan Jones, who vaulted into contention by winning the NZ Open in Queenstown.
But Jones will likely overhaul the Melburnian if he wins this week and collects the 380 points available to the winner at Rich River.
Micheluzzi may have been tempted to check the points machinations – this is the first season that the Tour has used points rather than dollars to calculate Order of Merit rankings – but ultimately, he stripped it back to basics after his early struggles as a professional.
“I’m just trying to win,” he said on the eve of the first rounds. “If I win, I’m safe. I want to play a good tournament and if I do, the points take care of themselves.”
Micheluzzi was a world top-five amateur and finished inside the top five in an Australian Open as a teenager, but his early years as a professional were difficult. He has said that he grew so anxious about results that he feared where the ball was going, but he appears to be through the worst of that, winning twice on Tour this season.
“I’m playing golf,” he said. “That’s what I did as a kid, but I kind of lost sight of that. I lost the enjoyment of the game because I was playing bad golf. Everyone goes through that… Or I’m sure that if they haven’t yet, they will at some stage. If you don’t, you’ve had an unreal career.
“I’ve gone back to what I was doing as a kid, playing so much. Even weeks off, I’m playing so much, and making it competitive as well so that when I come out here, it feels normal. I’m playing for money, your four-ball in your group, all of that.
“That makes golf fun for me. It might not do it for other people, but the competing is what I love. Hopefully I can keep that trend going.”
Micheluzzi skipped the NZ PGA Championship after a long stint of tournament play, went home and put his feet up.
It’s left him fresh.
“I had a week off to recharge,” he said. “I’d played six weeks in a row, and I had a first, a second and a third in those weeks and the mental energy was low.
“I went home and I didn’t play a round of golf for five days, which felt like a long time for me, because I play a lot. I played Saturday and Sunday, but it was nice to see friends and family.
“I’ve fixed a couple of things in my swing. It feels great. I’m ready to go.
“I thought I’d be around about here, but I didn’t expect to be exactly where I’m at now, which is cool. Because all the stuff I’ve done behind the scenes is working and we’re heading in a good direction compared to a couple of years ago. I’m just excited to play again, compete and see what happens.”
As for Jones, his situation exemplifies how important this week is for all the players who have a string of exemptions attached to the Order of Merit, including DP World Tour cards for the top three.
The 48-year-old had been in a rut before he won the NZ Open; now he can claim another Open Championship spot at Royal Liverpool in July if he can catch Micheluzzi on top of the Order of Merit.
He needs a good result this week, or it’s back to his usual job on the Japan Tour, where he has two more years of playing rights. If he’s in contention for the OOM title, he will tee it up at The National in a fortnight.
“It’s the reason why I’m here now,” Jones said. “I’ve got a lot to play for this week, like a lot of players do.
“Others are playing for DP World Tour cards and things that can help their careers out. I’m here for another reason. I’d love to play another Open.
“It’s just nice to be playing well again. I had a lean year last year, but I’ve hit the ground running.”
In the strongest field seen in a NSW Open for some years, Micheluzzi goes at 8.15am Thursday with NZ PGA winner Louis Dobbelaar and defending champion Harrison Crowe, one of the best amateurs in the world. Jones is in the next group off the 10th with Brad Kennedy and Kiwi Michael Hendry, another Order of Merit contender.
Scores are likely to be low in warm conditions, given that at the qualifying round you needed six-under to get through and 61 led them home.
It is a welcome return to big tournament golf for the resort, which hosted both the Rich River Classic and the Australian Senior PGA in the 1980s.
The tournament will be televised live on Friday, Saturday and Sunday on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports.
PLAYTODAY CC has streaming and feature groups from 1pm Thursday and from 10am Friday at https://playtoday.cc.
Photo by Dylan Robinson/Golf NSW
A five-hour wait to see whether he’d made the cut has become a remarkable New Zealand Open triumph for Australian Brendan Jones.
Out in the eighth group of the day on Saturday after his 36-hole total of four-under just scraped inside the cut-line, Jones shot nine-under 62 in Round 3 and then backed that up with a five-under 66 in Sunday’s final round to win by three at the Millbrook Resort.
He began the final round four strokes adrift of 54-hole leader Shae Wools-Cobb but took little time in elevating himself into the logjam at the top of the leaderboard.
As Wools-Cobb made a disastrous start with a bogey and double bogey to start his final round, contenders came from all corners.
Sydney’s John Lyras (64) was the first into the clubhouse at 15-under at which point there was a five-way tie at the top.
Jones was among those but separated himself with a birdie on the par-5 14th and then a sensational 8-iron shot into the par-3 15th that he thought, momentarily, may have even gone in.
Despite flirting with the out of bounds right of the green with his second, Jones added a birdie on 17 to get to 18-under. After holing out with a regulation par on the par-3 18th was doused in champagne by 12 mates who flew in from Canberra on Sunday and roared home every par save and birdie try of his final round.
“This is just incredible,” said Jones.
“I ground my arse off those first two rounds because I didn’t have my best stuff and then yesterday, that round was pretty special.
“I two-putted from about 60 feet on the last hole, holed a nice little five-footer which, at the time, I didn’t think too much of.
“Without that, I wouldn’t be here.
“I don’t know what’s happened but I’ve won it and I played some pretty awesome golf, for an old guy anyway.
“It’s a dream come true.”
Aware that the 54-hole front-runners had come back to the pack early in the round, Jones set about adding his name to the mix before producing two shots he rates among the greatest of his career.
“I’ve hit probably two of the greatest shots I’ve ever hit back-to-back on the par 5 and then the par 3,” Jones said of his shots into the 14th and 15th greens.
“That second shot into 14 was probably the best 3-wood I’ve ever hit in my life and to then hit that 8-iron into the following hole was unexpected but, at the same time, I felt like I knew where the ball was going.
“It’s nice to be able to do that while I’m nervous and under pressure.
“A lot of my friends have won this – Matty Griffin, Brad Kennedy – plus all the legends that have come before me.
“To have my name engraved on the trophy is going to be pretty special.”
Six Australians who have lifted the New Zealand Open trophy gathered in Queenstown on Monday night to mark the return of one of the most popular events on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia schedule.
Peter Fowler (1993), Dimitrios Papadatos (2014), Jordan Zunic (2015), Matt Griffin (2016), Zach Murray (2019) and Brad Kennedy (2020 & 2011) posed with the trophy their names are etched on at Millbrook Resort as they relived past glories and shared their delight to be across the Tasman for the first time since 2020.
Japan Tour regular Griffin has triumphed on seven occasions throughout his career spanning the Japanese, Australasian, One Asia and Korean Tours, but he regards his thrilling victory with a final hole birdie to overcome Japan’s Hideto Tanihara by a shot as his most significant.
“The New Zealand Open is always one of my favourite weeks of the year, and being unable to play the last two years has been really frustrating,” Griffin said.
“Playing events that you have won in the past always fills you with great memories.
“In 2016, I had my now wife, parents and friends at the tournament, which made winning extra special.
“My manager had a tour group in Queenstown and brought a bottle of Grange with him in case one of his players won. We drank that from the trophy and had a big party with around 30 people.”
Griffin is a member of an illustrious club of Australians to have won the New Zealand Open.
Five-time Open champion Peter Thomson’s name appears on the trophy more than anyone else’s with the Australian golf icon taking out the title on nine occasions.
Such was the impact Thomson made during his battles with the likes of fellow Open champions Kel Nagle and Sir Bob Charles that in 2019 he became the first Australian to be inducted into the New Zealand Golf Hall of Fame.
Thomson also helped grow the event by bringing Gary Player, Harold Henning and David Thomas to compete in 1958.
Nagle is the equal second most decorated golfer alongside New Zealand’s Andrew Shaw with seven titles, while 1991 Open champion Ian Baker-Finch is the other Australian major winner on the honour roll.
Among the crop of Australian past champions teeing it up this week, Papadatos has a unique connection with Thomson and Nagle.
The New South Welshman joined those two legends of Australian golf as a multiple champion of the Vic Open with his victory at 13th Beach last year, and he wants to replicate that feat with a second New Zealand Open crown.
“Obviously some great players have won this event, it’s a massive honour,” Papadatos said.
“Coming back to Queenstown is always a highlight on the calendar. Definitely one of the best tournaments in the world at one of, if not, the best place in the world.
“The New Zealand Open was my first professional win and I’d love to win another one.”
