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Gavin Fairfax stuck to his plan and held off a charging Lincoln Tighe to win one of the biggest events on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series, the PIMS Mackay Festival of Golf Pro-Am.
Rounds of 63-67 gave the Queenslander a 36-hole total of 12-under-par and his first pro-am title for 2025.
Tighe (NSW) produced the lowest round of the event, a 9-under-par 62, in the final round, which included a front nine of 30, to end up one shot behind after starting Friday in a share of 14th.
Host club amateur Josh Reid finished in impressive tie for seventh after shooting a 65 in the second round.
The pro-am, contested by a host of regulars from the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, was one of the features of the celebrations for Mackay Golf Club’s 100th anniversary.
Turning point
A two-shot leader after day one, Fairfax immediately set about consolidating his advantage with birdies at the first and third holes on day two, while his nearest challenger, James Gibellini, fell away.
Fairfax completed his 36 holes without a bogey and had the luxury of only needing a par on the par-5 18th to secure the one-shot win, his first title since Keysborough last March.
Quick quotes
Fairfax said: “I think I was 3-under through nine. I got both the par fives and then hit a good approach into the third, so that kind of got the momentum going a little bit.
“On the back nine, I kind of knew where I sat so I played away from a few pins. And being honest, I probably should have played a little more aggressively on the back nine.
“I did enough just to not put any damage on the card and I think that’s the main objective when you’ve got a lead and you’re trying to get it done.”
Leading scores
1 Gavin Fairfax (Qld) 63-67 – 130
2 Lincoln Tighe (NSW) 69-62 – 131
3 Douglas Klein (Qld) 66-67 – 133
4 Lucas Higgins (NSW) 69-65 – 134
T5 Alex Edge (NSW) 69-66 – 135
T5 Sam Brazel (NSW) 67-68 – 135
T7 Jack Munro (Qld) 71-65 – 136
T7 Josh Reid (Qld, a) 71-65 – 136
T7 Lachlan Aylen (Vic) 71-65 – 136
T7 James Gibellini (Qld) 65-71 – 136
Next up
The North Queensland swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series finishes with the Roy Powell Security Pioneer Valley Pro-Am on Sunday.
Andrew Campbell leads the standings in the North Queensland Series sponsored by Mackay Regional Council at 15-under-par, three ahead of Brendan Smith and four clear of Lachlan Aylen.
June 1
Campbell cashes in at Sarina
Coffs Harbour-based professional Andrew Campbell hopes to repeat his North Queensland Series win of two years ago after a three-shot win at the CMR Recycling Sarina Golf Club Pro-Am.
Victory at Sarina two years ago put Campbell on the path to claiming the North Queensland Series, a double he hopes to repeat in 2025.
Trailing Ben Henkel by three after Round 1, Campbell shot 6-under 64 in Round 2 for an 11-under total, three clear of Tropics Pro-Am winner Connor McDade (67), fellow Coffs product Jack Pountney (68), Will Bruyeres (65) and Brendan Smith (63).
“Fortunately, two years ago when I won this event, it set me up to win the Series prize,” said Campbell.
“That was my focus coming up here. I wanted to play good golf and put myself in a position to win that Series prize because that means, ultimately, I’m going to play five good rounds of golf.
“It’s almost like a tour event with an extra round. I just want to see where my game’s at and put myself in contention.
“There’s nothing like winning.”
Turning point
With ground to make up in Round 2, Campbell warmed into his work with two pars to start and then unleashed a birdie barrage.
He made four on the trot from the par-5 fifth and then made it six in seven holes with back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11.
A dropped shot at the par-4 12th was a slight stumble, one he regained with a birdie at the very next hole.
Quick quotes
“This win feels a little bit different to the rest,” said Campbell.
“It’s sort of been a little while since I’ve had a win and to come back here and get another win a couple of years since I won here… it feels a bit different.
“It’s really nice after having three months off and being stuck in Coffs where it’s been raining and really haven’t had much time to practise.
“Promising signs to start the season off.”
Leading scores
1 Andrew Campbell 65-64—129
T2 Jack Pountney 64-68—132
T2 Connor McDade 65-67—132
T2 William Bruyeres 67-65—132
T2 Brendan Smith 69-63—132
T6 Dillon Hart 70-63—133
T6 Ben Henkel 62-71—133
T6 Aaron Pike 64-69—133
T6 Tim Hart 67-66—133
Next up
After a couple of days’ rest, the North Queensland Series continues on Thursday for the two-day PIMS Mackay Festival of Golf at Mackay Golf Club.
May 28
McDade cruises home at Tropics
Melburnian Connor McDade has produced two superb days of golf to capture the Mercedes-Benz Tropics Golf Club Pro-Am by two shots, as the North Queensland Swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series got underway.
It is McDade’s first win of the year, however it is only his second event, and the win pockets him a nice $4,490 for topping the $25,000 event moving him to seventh on the National Pro-Am Order of Merit.
With rounds of 66 and 65, the Royal Melbourne Golf Club member finished at 13-under, clear of Brendan Smith (11-under) in second, and the in-form Jay McKenzie (8-under) in third.
Turning point
With Smith and McKenzie matching McDade’s final day 65, it was really the Victorian’s opening round that proved the difference.
His 6-under 66 on day one was the best round by two-shots on a day where only six players in the field carded a sub-70 round.
Quick quotes
McDade said: “It’s a nice hot start to the Troppo Tour, which is what I was looking for, so I’m stoked to put two hot rounds together.
“Brendan (Smith), he’s obviously a great player and has been for a long time. I don’t think he ever got within one shot of me at any time, but I just felt the pressure from him all day long. He had no let up and he was really trying to win the event, so that made it a lot tougher down the stretch.
“He (Smith) nearly holed his pitch shot on the last. He was really aggressive off the tee and put himself about 40-metres out from the green and nearly holed it. So that would’ve made it a little bit more interesting. But yeah, I made a really solid par on the last, so got it done.”
Leading scores
1 Connor McDade 131
2 Brendan Smith 133
3 Jay McKenzie 136
4 William Bruyeres 137
5 Lachlan Aylen, Dean Jamieson, Ben Hollis 140
Next up
The North Queensland Series sponsored by Mackay Regional Council begins with the 36-hole CMR Recycling Sarina Golf Club Pro-Am starting Saturday.
Damon Stephenson is the new Zigrete Queensland PGA Associates champion after a rollercoaster final day at Windaroo Lakes.
The leader after all three rounds, building on his gap to his nearest challengers each day, Stephenson surrendered a four-shot advantage early in the final round before rallying on the back nine to score a one-shot victory – his first in a four-round professional event.
A second year associate pro at nearby Gainsborough Greens Golf Club, Stephenson finished at 8-under-par for the tournament after his closing 3-over-par 76, holing a curling three-metre par putt on the final hole to see off ACT’s Lachlan Chamberlain (73) by a single shot.
Drew Herbert’s best of the day 6-under-par 67 moved him into outright third place, two back.
Stephenson’s hard-earned four-shot overnight lead disappeared within six holes today thanks to a double-bogey and two bogeys and a charge from former champion Jack Wright who went 4-under-par through the same stretch.
“I went out with a four-shot lead, not being complacent at all, but it disappeared really quickly and then it was a mental reset,” Stephenson said.
“It was like ‘okay, we’re tied for the lead. How do we approach this now’?”
While Wright, who had started the day seven behind, fell away on the back nine, Stephenson showed great resilience to birdie 10, 12 and 13 to regain his advantage.
Chamberlain moved back in touch thanks to an eagle on 16 and had a real chance to force a playoff when the leader bogeyed the 17th to see his margin cut to one and then missed the final green with his approach shot.
“I was reading the putt (to win) and I could feel myself getting emotional about it, thinking about making it,” Stephenson said.
“I had to snap back and realise you’ve just got to hit a good putt here. You’ve still got to make it, otherwise you’re going to a playoff.
“I got back in the present and just read it perfectly. It was lightning fast, broke about three cups and it went right in the heart. It was awesome.”
Next on his target list – a bottle of celebratory red wine with his father and maybe a late start at work at tomorrow.
With the support of Brisbane-based concreting company Zigcrete, this year’s championship boasted minimum total prize money of $47,500 and has become one of the most prestigious tournaments for those on the path to becoming a PGA Professional.
Leaderboard
1 Damon Stephenson 74-69-72-76 (284)
2 Lachlan Chamberlain 69-70-73-73 (285)
3 Drew Herbert 72-71-76-67 (286)
T4 Dylan Knox 73-70-69-76 (288)
T4 Justin Morley 71-74-73-70 (288)
6 Jack Wright 70-72-73-75 (290)
T7Jordan Rooke 79-69-71-73 (292)
T7 Campbell Jones 73-75-74-70 (292)
T9 Conor Whitelock 69-77-70-79 (295)
T9 Samuel Reece 74-74-73-75 (295)
Damon Stephenson is one round away from completing an all-the-way victory in the 2025 Zigcrete QLD PGA Associate Championship at Windaroo Lakes.
The leader by two shots following round one and three shots after round two, Stephenson will take a four-stroke lead into Thursday’s final round after shooting a 1-under-par 72 today.
His nearest challengers are fellow Queenslander Dylan Knox, whose 69 was the best score in round three, and ACT’s Lachlan Chamberlain who lost ground with his 73.
Chasing his biggest win as a professional, Stephenson’s steady third round included two birdies and the solitary bogey to move him to 11-under for the tournament.
“I’m in a good position,” the Gainsborough Greens associate professional said.
“I just need to execute my game plan, stick to my process and do what I’ve been doing and hopefully that’s good enough at the end of the week.
“Nothing’s going to change in terms of prep. Just go home, recover, rest up and a bit of a later tee time so a bit more sleep and get back out here tomorrow.”
Knox made his move with a back nine of 4-under 33. After being six shots behind Stephenson following round one, he has four to make up on the final day.
“I was just giving myself a lot of birdie looks and chances and that’s all I can really ask for out there, Knox, a third year associate from Indooroopilly Golf Club, said.
“I’ve really got to compliment my iron play. That’s something I’ve been working pretty hard on and I’m really happy with it.”
With the support of Brisbane-based concreting company Zigcrete, this year’s championship boasts minimum total prize money of $47,500 and has become one of the most prestigious tournaments for those on the path to becoming a PGA Professional.
Leaderboard
1 Damon Stephenson 74-69-72 (208)
T2 Dylan Knox 73-70-69 (212)
T2 Lachlan Chamberlain 69-70-73 (212)
T4 Jack Wright 70-72-73 (215)
T4 Beau Lavery 69-71-75 (215)
6 Conor Whitelock 69-77-70 (216)
7 Justin Morley 71-74-73 (218)
T8 Jordan Rooke 79-69-71 (219)
T8 Drew Herbert 72-71-76 (219)
For the second straight year, Damon Stephenson is the 36-hole leader at the Zigcrete QLD PGA Associate Championship at Windaroo Lakes.
The associate professional at nearby Gainsborough Greens followed up his opening round 67 with a 69 today to be 10-under-par for the tournament, three shots clear of ACT’s Lachlan Chamberlain (69-70).
In last year’s event, Stephenson led by four at the halfway mark before eventually finishing third.
“Everything’s in a good spot,” the 32-year-old said.
“Head feels good, swing feels good. Last year was last year, this year’s this year so it is just going to be about staying present, staying patient and just trying to execute my game plan.”
Stephenson has had 13 birdies throughout the first two rounds but noted the par-5s at Windaroo had not been as gettable as they were in this championship last October.
“A lot of the fives, which were probably iron into last year, are now either a 3-iron hybrid or a 3-wood,” he said.
“It’s more about leaving those approaches in the right spot around the greens to give yourself an easy up and down.”
Chamberlain, with top-10s on his record from both the NSW and Victoria Associate Championships, is on his first visit to Windaroo Lakes but has shown he will be a threat over the final two rounds.
“It’s my first time seeing the course and I’m enjoying it,” he said.
“Getting used to the grain has been a little bit tricky coming from Canberra so that’s been a bit of an adjustment.”
The big move in the second round came from Jordan Rooke who followed an opening 79 with a 4-under-par 69 to climb to a share of 13th place.
With the support of Brisbane-based concreting company Zigcrete, this year’s championship boasts minimum total prize money of $47,500 and has become one of the most prestigious tournaments for those on the path to becoming a PGA Professional.
Leaderboard
1 Damon Stephenson – 67-69 (136)
2 Lachlan Chamberlain – 69-70 (139)
3 Beau Lavery – 69-71 (140)
4 Jack Wright – 70-72 (142)
T5 Drew Herbert – 72-71 (143)
T5 Dylan Knox – 73-70 (143)
T7 Bronson White – 69-76 (145)
T7 Justin Morley – 71-74 (145)
T7 Minami Inoue – 75-70 (146)
The same 10 Aussie professionals feature in this week’s Australian Golf Power Rankings list with Hannah Green and Marc Leishman the notable improvers as we hit the middle of majors season.
On the outside looking in as some big events loom on the schedules of the elite tours are the likes of Cam Davis, Cam Smith, Grace Kim and Gabi Ruffels.
10. Elvis Smylie (Last week: 8)
After playing all four rounds in a major for the first time in his career at the PGA Championship, Smylie unfortunately missed the cut in the DP World Tour event in Austria and now sits 21st in the Race to Dubai standings.
9. Adam Scott (9)
Majors are on Scott’s mind with the US Open and The Open coming up. He had a horror first round at The Memorial, but fought back to finish T31, his fourth made cut in a row since The Masters.
8. Jason Day (6)
Day had to miss out on The Memorial due to soreness in his left wrist. He’s had just two top-25 finishes in 15 starts and won’t be seen in action again until the US Open next week.
7. Marc Leishman (10)
The LIV Golf Miami champion will be in a confident mood at LIV Golf Virginia, the closest Leishman gets to a home game, after he came through US Open Qualifying to reach his first major since 2022.
6. Minjee Lee (7)
Lee was thereabouts on the US Women’s Open at Erin Hills before sliding in the final round, eventually finishing T22. She’s only finished outside the top 25 twice this season.
5. Stephanie Kyriacou (4)
Coming off the back of T5 and T6 finishes in her previous two starts, the Sydneysider would have been hopeful of challenging at the US Women’s Open. However she missed the cut by three after rounds of 74-75.
4. Min Woo Lee (3)
The Texas Children’s Houston Open champion had another so-so week at The Memorial, finishing in equal 49th. He’s been outside the top 40 in each of his last four events since that breakthrough win.
3. Hannah Green (5)
It was a steady US Women’s Open performance from Australia’s highest ranked golfer. She tied for 12th which was nice improvement on her missed cut at the previous women’s major, the Chevron.
2. Karl Vilips (2)
The PGA Tour rookie, 65th in the FedEx Cp standings, unfortunately missed out on qualifying for the US Open today. He’s back in action at the Canadian Open this week after almost jagging a top-10 finish at The Colonial.
1. Lucas Herbert (1)
A rare setback for our No.1 this week, missing out on qualifying for the US Open. His last tournament appearance was a sixth career win at the International Series Japan on the Asian Tour. Boasts three top-five finishes on LIV Golf this season and will be one of the favourites this week in Virginia.
The Australian Golf Power Rankings is a subjective list developed with input from members of the Australian Golf media team.
Opting for a late change of mind with his putter proved to be a good decision for Damon Stephenson who leads the 2025 Zigcrete QLD PGA Associate Championship by two shots after day one at Windaroo Lakes Golf Course.
Stephenson shot a 6-under-par 67 to lead a group of five players following a round that featured eight birdies, the leader revealing post-round the thinking behind his equipment switch the night before the opening round.
“I’ve been tossing up between two putters this week. I had the Scotty Cameron and the L.A.B. which I’ve been using for about eight months,” Stephenson said.
“I played the practice round with the Scotty yesterday and then woke up this morning and said ‘nah, put the L.A.B. in’. It was a pretty last-minute thing, but I just went back to what was comfortable and putted pretty well for most of the day.”
Based at nearby Gainsborough Greens, Stephenson caught fire on the front nine, with birdies at the third, fourth, sixth, seventh and ninth to turn in just 31 shots.
His back nine started with a couple of bogeys but three birdies in a row from the 13th hole ensured the 32-year-old would be the overnight leader.
“It was relatively stress-free. Obviously pretty good scoring conditions today with no wind and pretty soft,” Stephenson said.
While the Queensland PGA Associates Championships has been dominated by players from the south-east corner of the state, Beau Lavery, from Rowes Bay Golf Club in Townsville, is flying the flag for the northerners.
He is part of the group of four players at 4-under-par following a round that was highlighted by an eagle at the par-5 12th.
Also firing 69s on day one were Bronson White (Noosa), Conor Whitelock (Brisbane), and Lachlan Chamberlain (Gold Creek).
With the support of Brisbane-based concreting company Zigcrete, this year’s championship boasts minimum total prize money of $47,500 and has become one of the most prestigious tournaments for those on the path to becoming a PGA Professional.
The second round gets underway at 7am Tuesday.
Leaderboard
67: Damon Stephenson
69: Bronson White, Conor Whitelock, Beau Lavery, Lachlan Chamberlain
70: Jack Wright, Caerwyn Ross, Kane Whitelock
71: Justin Morley
Without the benefit of a full practice round as he rested a back issue, Australia’s Cameron Percy has grabbed the first-round lead at the US Senior PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club.
A 5-under-par 67 in Maryland gave Percy a one-shot margin over South Africa’s Keith Horne as he attempts to win his first over-50s major.
Percy revealed post-round that his physiotherapist had advised him to rest pre-tournament, restricting his preparation to a full course walk around Congressional with his caddie, and playing nine holes in the rain on Wednesday.
“On Sunday, it was so wet and I slipped on a rock and made a mess of myself,” the Victorian said.
“I’ve been in the physio Monday, Tuesday for a good hour, hour-and-a-half and then yesterday for another hour. I’m pretty sore right now.
“I didn’t have a practice round, so I was still trying to work out where to go on the course and that, so it was pretty tricky.
“In the weather we had today, I’m pretty happy with a 5-under. It was nasty out there for a while.”
Percy’s bogey-free round was highlighted by an eagle at the par-5 sixth, his 15th hole of the day, where his 4-iron approach finished inside a metre from the cup.
He then moved past Horne into the outright lead with a birdie at the par-4 eighth.
Percy admitted post-round it was the remarkable start by his playing partner, Denmark’s Soren Keldsen, that had helped him to his lead.
“I was really just trying to keep up with Soren. He started incredible,” Percy said.
“He started eagle-birdie-birdie, and could have birdied a few more holes.
“He sort of dragged me along to start with. He was playing so nicely, it definitely helped.”
The next best Australians are Stuart Appleby and Scott Hend, who are in a big group tied for seventh at 2-under-par.
Appleby, who had five birdies in his round, was 3-under before he dropped a shot at the closing hole, while Hend picked up four birdies mixed in with two bogeys on the back nine.
The Senior PGA Championship will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo, starting at 3am on Friday and Saturday and 5am Sunday and Monday.
Australasian scores
1 Cameron Percy 67
T7 Stuart Appleby 70
T7 Scott Hend 70
T24 Brendan Jones 71
T24 Richard Green 71
T24 Mark Hensby 71
T35 David Bransdon 72
T35 Rod Pampling 72
T35 Mick Smith 72
T48 Andre Stolz 73
T71 Michael Wright 75
T71 Steven Alker 75
T107 Michael Campbell 77
Photo: PGA of America
Rookie professional Silvester Tan scored his first career win in the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series thanks to a round of 6-under-par 66 at the Peet – Yanchep Golf Estate Sun City Pro-Am on Friday.
Playing in just his fifth pro-am after turning pro following the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School – Final Stage in April, Tan beat Braden Becker by a single stroke, denying his fellow West Australian a third win of the WA swing in 2025.
It was the second victory in as many days for Tan, a former WA State Team member and graduate of Drake University in the US, who combined with veteran Brett Rumford to win the WA PGA Foursomes Championship at Nedlands on Thursday.
Sun City Country Club was also the site of Tan’s win in the WA Amateur Championship earlier in the year before he ventured to Q School.
Turning point
Tan was level with Becker on 5-under-par until he birdied his final hole at Sun City, the 455m par-5 fourth.
His winning round included seven birdies with a solitary bogey at the par-4 12th.
Quick quotes
Tan said: “It (winning) feels good. I’ve put a lot of work in so it’s nice to see a round like this come together.
“I’ve played plenty of golf here. I won the State Am here a couple of months ago so I saw the course plenty when I played then.
“I kind of started pretty slow. It was wet and windy but stayed in it and hit a few good shots, made a few putts coming in, and picked up a bit of momentum.”
Leading scores
1 Silvester Tan 66
2 Braden Becker 67
T3 Josh Greer 70
T3 Brody Martin 70
T5 Louis Dobbelaar 71
T5 Dale Howie 71
T5 Aaron Dobson 71
T8 Simon Houston 72
T8 Connor McKinney 72
T8 Joseph Owen 72
Next up
The North Queensland swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series starts with the Mercedes-Benz Tropics Golf Club Pro-Am at Tropics Golf Club in Townsville on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.
May 18
Becker breaks duck at Spalding Park
More than a decade of trips north to Geraldton finally got their reward as Braden Becker stormed home to claim the $50,000 Spalding Park Open at Spalding Park Golf Club.
Trailing Andrew Crabb by four strokes heading into the third and final round, Becker and great mate Cameron John were the only players to break 70 on Sunday, both posting 5-under 67 as Becker finished at 12-under for a one-stroke win.
In a field laden with Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia winners, Becker unleashed a stunning run of six birdies and an eagle across eight holes to edge Tim Hart (71) by one, Lachlan Aylen (70) and Daniel Fox (71) sharing third.
A visitor to Spalding Park since his days as a trainee, Becker was beyond thrilled to wear the Spalding Park Open champion’s jacket.
“I think that’s maybe 11 years I’ve been coming up to the Spalding Park Open but I’ve been up here to Geraldton maybe 13 or 14 times for different events,” said Becker.
“I just love it up here. The greens are fantastic; you just can’t fault them.”
Turning point
Becker was 1-over on his round, 6-under for the tournament and trailing Hart by four when he arrived at the par-5 ninth.
An eagle there would spark a run that included six birdies in his next seven holes and a four-stroke lead as he walked off the 16th green.
Hart’s birdie on 16 and a double-bogey by Becker on 17 quickly reduced the advantage to one, par at the par-4 finisher enough to hold on for victory.
Quick quotes
“I felt like the breeze was going to die at some point, so I thought if I hang in there, we’ll see how we go through the turn,” said Becker.
“There’s always a couple of birdies through that middle section on the par 5s into the 11th.
“Fortunately, I made eagle on nine and then birdie on 10, birdie on 11 where I holed a good putt.
“Thirteen is probably one of the harder tee shots, second shots, just very punishing, and I hit it to five foot and made birdie there.
“That really settled me and then I saw the leaderboard and I was still tied for the lead at that point, so I just thought, I’ve just got to keep going.
“Hit a great shot into the par 3 and holed a good 20-footer; super happy with that one.”
Leading scores
1 Braden Becker 69-68-67—204
2 Tim Hart 70-64-71—205
T3 Lachlan Aylen 68-69-70—207
T3 Daniel Fox 71-65-71—207
5 Cameron John 70-71-67—208
6 Deyen Lawson 68-71-70—209
Next up
Haydn Barron and Curtis Luck are among those entered for the WA PGA Foursomes Championship at Nedlands Golf Club on Thursday followed by the Peet – Yanchep Golf Estate Sun City Pro-Am at Sun City Country Club on Friday.
May 13
Bogey-free Brereton wins Wembley Pro-Am
Four birdies in his final six holes has propelled Darcy Brereton to a second win of the year at the GMW & Radlink Wembley Pro-Am.
Victorious on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series last month at Yenda, Brereton held off a field laden with Tour talent with a superb round of 8-under 64 at Wembley’s Old Course.
The 30-year-old finished two strokes clear of a seven-player logjam that included Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia winners Andrew Martin, Cameron John and Daniel Fox along with DP World Tour winner Marcus Fraser, Andrew Kelly, Lachlan Aylen and Alex Edge.
Turning point
Starting from the par-4 ninth hole, Brereton was 1-under through his first six holes but headed to the front nine 3-under after birdies at 15 and 17.
He moved to 4-under with birdie at the par-5 first but it was his late charge of four birdies in five holes from the par-4 third that separated Brereton from the pack.
Leading scores
1 Darcy Brereton 64
T2 Andrew Martin 66
T2 Alex Edge 66
T2 Cameron John 66
T2 Andrew Kelly 66
T2 Daniel Fox 66
T2 Marcus Fraser 66
T2 Lachlan Aylen 66
Next up
There are tournaments across three states on Friday highlighted by Round 1 of the $50,000 Mitchell and Brown Spalding Park Open. The single-round pro-ams being played Friday are the Hahn Shelly Beach GC Pro-Am and the inaugural Pacific Harbour Pro-Am at Pacific Harbour Golf Course on Bribie Island.
May 12
Double success for in-form Sanchez
Riding an improved putting game, Matias Sanchez has become a back-to-back champion in the adidas PGA Pro-Am series after claiming the Toro Australia – TQUIP Pro Am at The Western Australian Golf Club.
The winner of the Sanwell Cottesloe Open at the weekend, Sanchez shot a round of 6-under-par 64 to earn a one-shot margin over Daniel Fox (WA) and Tim Hart (Qld).
The Victorian’s hot streak in WA has included breaking the Cottesloe Golf Club’s course record with a 63 on Saturday.
Turning point
After starting his round on the ninth hole, Sanchez set up his latest victory with a run of four birdies in five holes on the back nine. Back-to-back birdies on the sixth and seventh completed the job.
Quick quotes
Sanchez said: “I just came out here and just tried to play my best golf and fortunately enough it was good enough.
“I’m just trying to be as free as possible out there and not try to think too much out there about what can go wrong or what might happen. I guess all you can do is just hit the shot that’s required so that’s what I was really trying to do.
“I’ve always been thought my putting was the best part of my game and it’s probably let me down the last two or so months, three months. It’s nice to see that it’s sort of coming back because the first half of last season it was really, really strong.”
Leading scores
1 Matias Sanchez 64
T2 Daniel Fox 65
T2 Tim Hart 65
T4 Jordan Doull 66
T4 Connor McKinney 66
T4 Samuel Slater 66
T4 Cameron John 66
9 Cory Crawford 67
Next up
The WA swing continues with the GMW & Radlink Wembley Pro-Am on the Old Course at Wembley on Tuesday.
May 12
Sanchez’s 63 sets up Cottesloe success
Matias Sanchez produced the third course record of the week in the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series on the way to winning the Sanwell Cottesloe Open at the weekend.
The Victorian professional’s record round on the Perth layout came on Saturday, a 9-under-par 63, highlighted by two eagles, which set up a three-stroke lead to take into the final day of the 36-hole event.
Sanchez lost the outright lead early on Sunday when Queenslander Louis Dobbelaar started with four straight birdies, but he managed to post a 3-under-69 to finish with a two-shot margin over Dobbelaar and Curtis Luck (WA), the duo shooting matching rounds of 67-67.
The 26-year-old’s course record was the third so far in the West Australian swing, following on from 63s by Hayden Hopewell at the South West Open at Bunbury and Braden Becker at the Kwinana Pro-Am.
Turning point
Searching for his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series victory since 2023, Sanchez looked like he was losing his grip on the title on Sunday when he made a double-bogey on the par-5 14th and followed up with a bogey on the par-4 15th.
But he turned the event back in his favour by making a two at the short par-4 16th, his tee shot ending up just five feet from the hole.
Quick quotes
Sanchez said: “A three-shot lead can get mowed down pretty quickly so I just had to stay focussed on making birdies and hitting the best possible shots.
“It was pretty up and down most of the day. I didn’t hit the ball as good as yesterday but yesterday was pretty amazing. It’s hard to beat what happened yesterday.
“It’s nice to get a win. I haven’t really won in a while and it’s nice to see the game’s coming together.”
Leading scores
1 Matias Sanchez 63-69 – 132
T2 Louis Dobbelaar 67-67 – 134
T2 Curtis Luck 67-67 – 134
T4 Andrew Kelly 69-67 – 136
T4 Jason Scrivener 69-67 – 136
T4 Cory Crawford 68-68 – 136
T4 Cameron John 66-70 – 136
T8 Joseph Owen 69-68 – 137
T8 Jarryd Felton 69-68 – 137
Next up
The WA swing continues with the Toro Australia – TQUIP Pro Am at Western Australian Golf Club on Monday followed by the GMW & Radlink Wembley Pro-Am on the Old Course at Wembley on Tuesday.
May 9
Becker sets new course record at Kwinana
Braden Becker has played at Kwinana Golf Club a countless number of times but he’s never produced a competition round like he did at the Dunning’s Kwinana Pro-Am on Friday.
Capitalising on an “absolute hot start”, the West Australian set a new course record of 9-under-par 63 to capture the club’s adidas PGA Pro-Am Series title by three shots over Deyen Lawson.
How the record unfolded
Becker made a tap-in eagle on the 459m par-5 first before following up with a birdie from eight-feet at the second.
He then almost aced the par-3 third and picked up another birdie at the fourth to be 5-under-par through four and with thoughts of a sub-60 round in his mind. He turned in 30 after a birdie at the ninth and added in another three birdies on the back nine.
All up, Becker was -5 on the par-5s for the day.
Quick quotes
“I reckon I’ve played the pro-am here every year since 2013 and apart from that I’ve played here a bunch of times because I only live 20-25 minutes away,” Becker said.
“I enjoy playing with the members here. They’re a great group of members.
“After that hot start, I was thinking ‘the course record is definitely on and hopefully we can get to that magical break 60 number’.
“The greens were just so perfect out there. It’s always a pleasure to play here for that reason.”
Leading scores
1 Braden Becker 63
2 Deyen Lawson 66
T3 Lachlan Aylen 67
T3 Daniel Fox 67
5 Max Ford 68
T6 Jordan Doull 69
T6 Andrew Kelly 69
T6 Dale Howie 69
T6 Adam Hatch 69
T6 Louis Dobbelaar 69
T6 Sam Slater 69
T6 Cory Crawford 69
T6 Jason Norris 69
Next up
The Sanwell Cottesloe Open will be played over two rounds at Cottesloe Golf Club this weekend.
May 7
Zach’s max reward at Secret Harbour
Brisbane’s Zachary Maxwell is eyeing a fast start to the upcoming Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season after a one-stroke win at the TenGolf Group Pro-Am south of Perth.
Played over two days at The Cut Golf Course and Secret Harbour Golf Links, Maxwell compiled consecutive rounds of 3-under 69 to finish one shot clear of Sydney’s Nathan Barbieri (71-68) with Lachlan Aylen (70-70) and Deyen Lawson (71-69) sharing third.
Maxwell’s only previous adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win was a lucrative one last July, pocketing close to $15,000 after taking out the Optilease Redcliffe Pro-Am.
The 25-year-old had two top-20 finishes during the 2024-2025 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season and will seek to build on that at the 2025 PNG Open in August.
“It’s really good just to top the funds up and go home and focus on training,” said Maxwell.
“Not work as much and just get ready for Papua New Guinea and start the Australian season off.”
Turning point
The only player to break 70 in Round 1 at The Cut on Tuesday, Maxwell began day two ahead by a single stroke from a group of five players.
That advantage soon disappeared with a bogey at his opening hole before Maxwell responded with birdies at 16 and 17.
One-under on his round when he reached the par-5 11th, Maxwell gave himself a look at eagle before tapping in for the first of two closing birdies.
“It was a very pivotal moment of the round,” said Maxwell.
“We checked the live scores and I had to really show up and hit a good golf shot.
“I hit a really, really good 3-wood in there tight for eagle. Unfortunately lipped out the putt, but it was a very comfortable birdie and helped me finish the round off.”
Quick quotes
“It was quite beautiful being able to play those two courses,” Maxwell said of playing The Cut and Secret Harbour in consecutive days.
“Being a Queenslander, but it’s very good to come over here to Perth and appreciate some of these beautiful courses.
“I’m very grateful to not only be able to play them, but get a win while doing so.
“This is going to be my last pro-am before the season starts.
“I’ll go home and play the close ones and Rockhampton but my main focus will be going to Papua New Guinea and being very ready for that one.”
Leading scores
1 Zachary Maxwell 69-69—138
2 Nathan Barbieri 71-68—139
T3 Lachlan Aylen 70-70—140
T3 Deyen Lawson 71-69—140
5 Tim Hart 70-71—141
T6 Scott Barr 71-71—142
T6 Caleb Bovalina 70-72—142
Next up
Dunning’s Kwinana Pro-Am at Kwinana Golf Club, Friday, May 9
May 4
Hopewell equals course record to triumph in Bunbury
Back home from competing on the European Challenge Tour, West Australian Hayden Hopewell tied the Bunbury Golf Club’s course record to win the South West Isuzu South West Open on Sunday.
A brilliant 9-under-par 63 in the final round, the best score of the day by four strokes, gave Hopewell a two-shot margin over NSW’s Nathan Barbieri to earn the second win of his career on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series.
Fresh off his victory at the Axedale Pro-Am in Victoria, Andrew Martin led at Bunbury Golf Club after an opening 65 on Saturday but the Victorian had to settle for third place after closing with a 71.
Hopewell is currently on a break from the Challenge Tour where he is ranked 47th on the Order of Merit as he strives for a DP World Tour card for 2025/26,
Turning point
Starting his round from the 10th tee, the former Bunbury junior made his run early, making five consecutive birdies from the 11th hole. An eagle at the par-5 second propelled him to 8-under for the day through 11 holes.
His only dropped shots for the day came with a double-bogey at the par-3 seventh, but he then birdied the eighth and ninth to see off Barbieri’s challenge.
Quick quotes
“Today was a special round,” the 23-year-old said.
“I hit it solid and the hole just felt like a bucket. I was seeing every putt and they were just dropping. It was quite uncanny at times.
“I was stoked to finish off the round by holing a nice putt on the last to tie the course record. It was on my mind. Being a junior here for a bit, it holds a special place in my heart.”
Leading scores
1 Hayden Hopewell 70-63
2 Nathan Barbieri 67-68
3 Andrew Martin 65-71
4 Jason Scrivener 69-68
T5 Braden Becker 69-69
T5 Cameron Kelly 67-71
T5 Daniel Fox 70-68
T5 John Boulton 69-69
9 Scott Strange 70-69
Next up
The TenGolf Group Pro-Am will be played The Cut Golf Club and Secret Harbour Golf Links on Tuesday and Wednesday (May 6-7)
May 1
Perkins, Dobbelaar share the title at Bunbury
Queenslanders Louis Dobbelaar and Blaike Perkins kicked off the Western Australia swing of the 2025 adidas PGA Pro-Am Series by sharing the title at the Urban Quarter Dunsborough Lakes Pro-Am on Thursday.
Rounds of 6-under-par 66 gave the duo a one-shot margin over PGA Legends Tour member Scott Barr (WA) in a field full of Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia talent.
For Perkins, it was his first pro-am series title, while the joint win continued a resurgence of form for Dobbelaar, who regained his Tour card at the recently completed Qualifying School at Moonah Links.
Turning point
Perkins rattled off five birdies in six holes on the back nine but was brought undone by going out of bounds which led to a double-bogey on the par-4 18th, his 12th hole of the day.
However a three on his final hole, the par-4 sixth, ensured he kept a share of top spot.
Meanwhile, Dobbelaar, who started on his round on the 14th, had seven birdies and a sole bogey in his round. He birdied the back-to-back par-fives on the back nine, 12 and 13, to get to 6-under.
Quick quotes
Perkins said: “I was flying at 6-under through 10 and then hole 18 hit me. I knew I had to get a few more birdies then to catch Louis and made a really nice short putt on the last there to tie him. It’s my first pro win so I’m pretty stoked about it.”
Dobbelaar said: “I got off to a good start and played the tough holes well. Hit the ball really nice and had a lot of opportunities during the day. It’s great to play a course in really nice conditions like here at Dunsborough Lakes. It was a bit of a treat.”
Leading scores
T1 Louis Dobbelaar 66
T1 Blaike Perkins 66
3 Scott Barr 67
4 Braden Becker 68
T5 Jordan Doull 69
T5 Cameron Kelly 69
T7 Cameron John 70
T7 Tim Hart 70
T7 Aaron Pike 70
Next up
The WA swing reaches Bunbury Golf Club for the South West Isuzu South West Open over 36 holes this weekend.
Close to six million Australians volunteer their time within local communities across the country, helping to create stronger and healthier environments, and this National Volunteer Week we celebrate those who donate their time to golf.
Volunteers are the lifeblood of Australian Golf, with around 30,000 donating their time and skills to ensure that our sport can be enjoyed by the 3.8 million Australians who played golf in the past year.
More than 1600 volunteers helped deliver successful Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and WPGA Tour of Australasia seasons this summer.
There were also more than 50 volunteers who assisted at professional and elite amateur events as Tournament Support Officials, helping with refereeing, registration, course set-up, and more.
With more than 30 professional events this past summer, volunteers were required across the country, and they answered the call at every stop.
Volunteers are the backbone of Australian Golf and the success and growth of our sport would not be possible without them.
Golf Australia, the PGA of Australia and the WPGA Tour of Australasia would like to say, “Three Cheers For Volunteers!”
The PGA Legends Tour is proud to announce Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Australia as its official charity partner
Since opening its first House in Australia in 1981, RMHC has provided vital support to families with ill or injured children.
In 2024 alone, RMHC supported more than 69,000 families across the country with accommodation and other essential services that ease the burden during some of life’s most difficult moments.
This partnership will see funds raised at PGA Legends Tour events go directly towards supporting families staying at Ronald McDonald Houses nationwide. Many of these families are in towns and cities featured on the PGA Legends Tour schedule, strengthening the local impact of this initiative.
The PGA Legends Tour players will donate a percentage of total prizemoney to RMHC and encourage its host venues to promote the charity and take donations on the day of events.
PGA Legends Tour co-ordinator Andy Rogers said the Tour and its members were delighted to welcome RMHC as its charity partner.
“It’s a privilege to team up with partner with RMHC Australia, a charity that plays a crucial role in the lives of so many Australian families,” he said.
“Our members are passionate about giving back, and this partnership allows us to make a real difference to families going through unimaginable challenges.
“As we travel the country, we constantly hear first-hand how RMHC has helped families stay together and close to their child’s healthcare needs. It’s a meaningful connection for us, and we’re proud to support their work through our events”
Barbara Ryan, CEO of RMHC Australia, welcomed the partnership and praised the PGA Legends Tour’s commitment
“We are thrilled to partner with the PGA Legends Tour,” she said. “Their support will directly help us continue to provide essential support to families during their most challenging times.
“Together, we can ensure that families can stay close to their children and focused on what matters most – their health and recovery.”
This partnership reflects a shared mission to improve health outcomes and support families across Australia, uniting sport and charity for a cause that touches thousands of lives each year.
