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Victorian Ben Henkel had shared two wins in this year’s adidas PGA Pro-Am Series but he made sure the next success was a solo victory at the Cohuna Stuart Appleby Pro-Am on Thursday.
A spectacular 7-under-par 65 on the country Victorian course gave Henkel a two-shot margin over two of Australia’s most experienced touring professionals, Matt Griffin and Marcus Fraser, as well as fellow Victorian Bradley Kivimets and NSW’s James Gordon.
A joint winner at Clermont and Maryborough in Queensland over winter, Henkel has been in solid form throughout 2024 with 12 top-10 pro-am finishes and he started the new Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season with a tie for ninth at last month’s PNG Open.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
After starting his round on Cohuna’s eighth hole, Henkel went on a run of three straight birdies on nine through 11. Although he dropped a shot at the long par-4 14th, he was -5 by the time he rolled in birdie number six for the day on the first.
Another birdie on the fourth and then an eagle on the 465m par-5 fifth sent the 23-year-old clear of the field, with a bogey on his second last hole only reducing the winning margin.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
Henkel said: “It feels great. Obviously most of these events don’t have playoffs and you really want to go out and win by yourself. Getting it done in an event solo, and shooting a good number to win by a couple, is a great feeling.
“Everything in my game has been really solid and I’m coming off some good results. Hitting the ball well off the tee was important here. It’s a pretty tight golf course. I also holed a couple of crucial par putts to keep the momentum going.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
65: Ben Henkel
67: James Gordon (NSW), Bradley Kivimets, Marcus Fraser, Matt Griffin
68: Ruben Lai, Harry Goakes, Andrew Kelly
69: Jake Fullerton, Steven Jones
(Vic players unless noted)
NEXT UP
The majority of the field that played at Cohuna will contest the 67th cluBarham Border Open at cluBarham Golf and Sports Club this weekend with 18 holes on both Saturday and Sunday.
Birdies on his final two holes saw Corey Lamb claim the Forster-Tuncurry Pro-Am in partnership with Ray White today, almost two years to the day since his last adidas PGA Pro-Am Series victory.
Hailing from two hours down the Pacific Highway at Branxton, Lamb shot a bogey-free 6-under-par 66 on the Tuncurry course to beat Andrew Evans (NSW) by a shot and claim the fourth pro-am title of his career.
Equal 17th in the PNG Open to start the new Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season, Lamb has been an infrequent starter in the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series this year, but came into today’s event off the back of a share of fourth at Hawks Nest on Saturday.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
Starting his round from the seventh tee, Lamb birdied the eighth and 11th and was still sitting at 2-under-par when he began the remainder of the front nine.
That’s where he made his move, picking up shots on the first and third before catching Evans, who played in the morning field, at the 5-under mark with a birdie thanka to a lengthy putt on the 491m par-4 fifth. The outright victory was sealed by a three thanks to a fine approach on the 376m sixth hole.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
Lamb said: “I’ve been doing a lot of work off the course just mentally and trying to get my body right so I can move forward. It’s good to see all the work I’ve been putting on my golf game in my scores.
“Golf this year is about keeping my Tour card here in Australia for next year and then maybe get on a tour overseas.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
66: Corey Lamb (NSW)
67: Andrew Evans (NSW)
69: Cameron John (Vic), Mitchell Brown (NSW), Matthew Millar (ACT)
70: William Bruyeres (Qld)
71: Neven Basic (NSW), Nathan Barbieri (NSW)
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series heads to the Ocean Shores CUB Pro-Am on Wednesday and McGrath Estate Agents Ballina Pro-Am on Thursday.
Australia’s Adam Scott will play in his 11th Presidents Cup after being confirmed as an automatic selection alongside countryman Jason Day in the International Team to take on the United States in Canada next month.
The top six players for both teams were determined following the conclusion of the BMW Championship today with the two Aussies to be joined at Royal Montreal by Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) and a trio of Koreans – Tom Kim, Sungjae Im and Ben An.
International Team Captain Mike Weir and US Team Captain Jim Furyk will announce captains’ picks live on Golf Channel on Tuesday, September 3 to round out their 12-man teams for the September 24-29 event.
Scott, who holds the record for International Team appearances, said: “I think qualifying for 11 straight Presidents Cups is certainly a highlight in the career.
“It’s not something that is focused on so much, but at this time of the year, it really feels like a great accomplishment to make this team and I’m really determined to keep making this team while I’m out on TOUR, being competitive and making sure the Internationals get another victory.”
Paris Olympian Day will be making his first Presidents Cup appearance since 2017.
“I’ll hopefully bring more experience to the team,” he said.
“I know we are going to have a pretty experienced team.
“It’s something that we’ve struggled to win in the past and looking at the team currently, we’ve got guys that can go out there and compete, and play well to win the matches when they need to.”
INTERNATIONAL TEAM
NO. 1 – HIDEKI MATSUYAMA
Country: Japan
Age: 32
PGA TOUR Wins: 10
Presidents Cup: 5 (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022) / 7-10-5 record
2024 Highlights: Two wins, including The Genesis Invitational and FedEx St. Jude Championship, where he vaulted from No. 8 to No. 3 in the FedExCup. Has notched six top-10s overall in the 2024 season and earned a bronze medal with a third-place finish in the Olympic golf competition.
Notable: Will be making his sixth Presidents Cup appearance, tied for fourth most in International Team history alongside Retief Goosen and Robert Allenby.
NO. 2 – SUNGJAE IM
Country: Republic of Korea
Age: 26
PGA TOUR Wins: 2
Presidents Cup: 2 (2019, 2022) / 5-3-2
2024 Highlights: Has recorded seven top-10 finishes, including a season-best T3 at the Travelers Championship, where he finished two shots shy of a playoff. Notched the third top-10 of his major championship career with a T7 at The Open Championship.
Notable: Owns an undefeated record in Sunday Singles play in the Presidents Cup after defeating Gary Woodland and Cameron Young in 2019 and 2022, respectively.
NO. 3 – ADAM SCOTT
Country: Australia
Age: 44
PGA TOUR Wins: 14
Presidents Cup: 10 (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022) / 18-25-6
2024 Highlights: Has notched four top-10 finishes including a pair of runner-up finishes at the Genesis Scottish Open and BMW Championship.
Notable: Will be making a record 11th start for the International Team in the Presidents Cup, which is second most in event history, trailing only Phil Mickelson (12). Scott has recorded 21 points in 49 career matches.
NO. 4 – TOM KIM
Country: Republic of Korea
Age: 22
PGA TOUR Wins: 3
Presidents Cup: 1 (2022) / 2-3-0
2024 Highlights: Recorded two top-10 finishes including a season-best runner-up at the Travelers Championship, where he lost to Scottie Scheffler in a playoff.
Notable: Delivered one of the moments of the week in 2022 while partnering with Si Woo Kim in Saturday afternoon’s Four-ball matches. On the 18th hole, tied with Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, converted a 10-foot birdie putt to win the match, 1-up.
NO. 5 – JASON DAY
Country: Australia
Age: 36
PGA TOUR Wins: 13
Presidents Cup: 4 (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017) / 5-11-4
2024 Highlights: Has recorded four top-10 finishes including a season-best T4 at the Truist Championship.
Notable: Will make his fifth appearance in the Presidents Cup and first since 2017. Best performance came in 2013 at Muirfield Village Golf Club near his home in Ohio, where he notched a 3-1-1 record and partnered with Canadian Graham DeLaet four times before defeating Brandt Snedeker in Sunday singles, 6 and 4.
NO. 6 – BYEONG HUN AN
Country: Republic of Korea
Age: 32
PGA TOUR Wins: 0
Presidents Cup: 1 (2019) / 1-2-2
2024 Highlights: Has recorded five top-10 finishes including a T2 at the Sony Open in Hawaii, where he lost in a playoff to Grayson Murray. Marked the fifth runner-up of his PGA TOUR career.
Notable: Played in all five matches at the 2019 Presidents Cup in Australia, partnering twice with Adam Scott in Four-ball competition. Match play history dates back to the 2009 U.S. Amateur, which he won at age 17 after defeating future PGA TOUR winner Ben Martin in the championship match.
U.S. TEAM
NO. 1 – SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER
Age: 28
PGA TOUR Wins: 12
Presidents Cup: 1 (2022) / 0-3-1
2024 Highlights: Claimed his first of six PGA TOUR wins on the season by winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard before successfully defending his title the following week at THE PLAYERS Championship, becoming the first champion to do so in the event’s 50-year history. One month later, won his second Masters Tournament before adding a fourth win on the season the following week at the RBC Heritage. Added two more Signature Event titles with victories at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday and the Travelers Championship. Made his debut in the Olympics and recorded a final-round 62 for a 19-under 265 total, good for a one-shot victory and the gold medal.
Notable: Made his Presidents Cup debut in 2022 with a 0-3-1 record at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte but owns a 2-2-3 overall record in two appearances in the Ryder Cup (2021, 2023).
NO. 2 – XANDER SCHAUFFELE
Age: 30
PGA TOUR Wins: 9
Presidents Cup: 2 (2019, 2022) / 6-3-0
2024 Highlights: Ended a 22-month victory drought with his first major championship victory at the PGA Championship, contested at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky. Converted a 6-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole for a one-shot victory over Bryson DeChambeau. Two months later, collected his second major championship of the year at The Open Championship, posting a 9-under 275 total for a two-shot win over Billy Horschel and Justin Rose.
Notable: Making his third appearance at the Presidents Cup after compiling a 6-3-0 record between 2019 and 2022, where he secured the winning point with a Sunday singles victory over Corey Conners. Has partnered with Patrick Cantlay seven times in Presidents Cup competition, where the duo owns a 4-3-0 record.
NO. 3 – COLLIN MORIKAWA
Age: 27
PGA TOUR Wins: 6
Presidents Cup: 1 (2022) / 2-1-0
2024 Highlights: Has notched seven top-10 finishes including a season-best runner-up at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, along with T3 and T4 efforts at the Masters Tournament and PGA Championship, respectively.
Notable: Made his Presidents Cup debut in 2022 compiling a 2-1-0 record. Has represented the United States twice in the Ryder Cup (2021, 2023) with a 4-3-1 record.
NO. 4 – WYNDHAM CLARK
Age: 30
PGA TOUR Wins: 3
Presidents Cup: First Appearance
2024 Highlights: Following a breakout 2023 campaign where he won the Truist Championship and U.S. Open, picked up the third win of his PGA TOUR career at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Posted back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and THE PLAYERS Championship in March.
Notable: Represented the United States in the 2023 Ryder Cup, compiling a 1-1-1 record.
NO. 5 – PATRICK CANTLAY
Age: 32
PGA TOUR Wins: 8
Presidents Cup: 2 (2019, 2022) / 6-3-0
2024 Highlights: Former FedExCup Champion has recorded four top-10 finishes in 2024, including season-best T3 efforts at the RBC Heritage and U.S. Open.
Notable: Making his third appearance at the Presidents Cup after compiling a 6-3-0 record between 2019 and 2022. Has partnered with Xander Schauffele seven times in Presidents Cup competition, where the duo owns a 4-3-0 record. Owns a 5-2-1 record in two appearances in the Ryder Cup (2021, 2023).
NO. 6 – SAHITH THEEGALA
Age: 26
PGA TOUR Wins: 1
Presidents Cup: First Appearance
2024 Highlights: Owns seven top-10 finishes on the year including runner-up efforts at The Sentry and RBC Heritage.
Notable: Only prior experience in international team competition came at the 2018 Arnold Palmer Cup in France, where he represented the United States while playing for Pepperdine University. Teammates included fellow PGA TOUR winners Collin Morikawa and Davis Riley.
For more information about the Presidents Cup, or to purchase tickets, please visit PresidentsCup.com.
Australia’s Adam Scott will challenge for his first PGA TOUR title since 2020 in tomorrow’s final round of the BMW Championship, while Steph Kyriacou remains the leading Aussie at the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews.
After shooting a brilliant 63 on day two to take the outright lead, Scott battled to a 74 at Castle Pines in Colorado on Saturday to sit at 11-under-par after 54 holes, one shot behind the leader, American Keegan Bradley.
Scott is trying to win on the PGA TOUR for the first time since the Genesis Invitational in early 2020, but he had a horror start to day three, hitting his opening tee shot out of bounds. That led to a bogey on the par-5 and the situation worsened with a double-bogey on the par-4 third and a bogey on the par-3 fourth.
However three birdies on the back nine ensured the Queenslander would be right in contention for the final round.
“I really struggled mostly on the greens today. They were just so different from yesterday’s round speed-wise and firmness and look and everything,” Scott said.
“Felt like I was on a different course almost, and I just battled that most of the round.
“The good shots I hit, I didn’t really get the reward. I’m in a good spot in the end of it to be one back.”
Cam Davis (-2) is the next best Australian in T27.
Meanwhile, Kyriacou will start tonight’s final round of the AIG Women’s Open in a share of 19th after shooting an even-par 72 on the Old Course in the third round.
She sits at even-par, seven shots behind the leader, reigning Victorian Open champion Jiyai Shin of Korea.
New Zealand’s Olympic champion Lydia Ko is in equal fourth, three strokes back.
BMW Championship leaderboard
1 Keegan Bradley (US) -12
2 Adam Scott -11
T27 Cam Davis -2
T37 Jason Day +2
AIG Women’s Open Leaderboard:
1 Jiyai Shin (Korea) -7
T4 Lydia Ko (NZ) -4
T19 Steph Kyriacou Ev
T70 Grace Kim +5
Josh Clarke secured his third win in six starts in the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series in 2024 when he completed a dominant victory at the Better Homes Port Macquarie Pro-Am yesterday.
The Sydney professional shot rounds of 69-68 to finish at 7-under-par, four shots ahead of a group of four players, including Queenslander Cory Crawford who produced an amazing turnaround in 24 hours to follow an opening 79 with a course record 10-under-par 62.
“My iron game has really gone to another level,” Clarke said of his recent improvement which saw him also claim a career-first title at Cowra in May and then Tin Can Bay in July.
“It’s always kind of been the weakest point of my game.
“My coach Blake Dowd out at Stonecutters and I found something four or five months ago and it’s really just clicked.”
Crawford’s spectacular morning round, which saw him jump ahead of 47 players, began at the 10th tee and featured six birdies in his first eight holes on the way to a back nine of 30.
Four pars to start the front nine represented just a brief quiet period before the 31-year-old rattled off birdies at the fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth.
Further down the leaderboard, PNG Open runner-up James Conran (73-69) finished in a tie for fifth alongside 2009 Canadian Open champion Nathan Green (74-68), who is just nine months away from being eligible for the seniors ranks.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
Fresh off a tie for 17th at the PNG Open to start a new Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia campaign, Clarke shot a round of 69 with five birdies and two bogeys on Tuesday to share the lead with Josh Chamberlain (ACT).
But while Chamberlain fell away, eventually posting a 79 on day two, Clarke collected three birdies in his first six holes to seize the outright lead. Another three birdies across the first four holes of the back nine consolidated his advantage.
Although he had two bogeys late on, a birdie on the par-5 18th sealed the comprehensive victory.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I played pretty conservatively really. It was windy on day one and early on in day two. I’m hitting the ball nicely at the moment,” Clarke said.
“It was a lot firmer and faster than PNG was playing so it needed a bit of adjustment. Had to be quite defensive on the putts. It was tricky but I’ve always liked this course.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
137: Josh Clarke (NSW) 69-68
141: Cory Crawford (Qld) 79-62; Nathan Miller (NSW) 73-68; Lucas Higgins (NSW) 73-68; Nathan Page (Vic) 71-70
142: James Conran (NSW) 73-69; Nathan Green (NSW) 74-68; Kyle Michel (Vic) 72-70
143: Jayden Cripps (NSW) 75-68; Andrew Kelly (Vic) 74-69; Toby Walker (Vic) 74-69; Aaron Maxwell (ACT) 75-68
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series heads down the Pacific Highway to the Hawks Nest Beachside Apartments Pro-Am at Hawks Nest Golf Club on Friday-Sunday.
After nearly securing an historic Australian double last year, Min Woo Lee has today confirmed that he will tee it up at the 2024 ISPS HANDA Australian Open in Melbourne as he chases his first Stonehaven Cup.
A rising star of the golf world who is popular the world over, Lee is the first player to formally commit to the ISPS HANDA Australian Open, which begins in 100 days on November 28, 2024.
To be played at Kingston Heath Golf Club and The Victoria Golf Club, the men’s, women’s and all-abilities events will once again be contested together with Lee hoping to improve on his 2023 third place when he finished two shots out of a play-off having won the BMW Australian PGA Championship the week prior.
“I’m so excited to be coming back home to play this year, and after last summer I know the vibe and atmosphere at the Australian Open will be incredible,” Lee said.
Recently becoming an Olympian for the first time, Lee is now a fixture on the PGA TOUR and has risen to world No.40. This year he is poised for more representative honours as part of the Presidents Cup International team in Canada.
“It’s been a huge year playing overseas, especially representing Australia at the Olympics and being full-time on the PGA TOUR, and I can think of no better way to finish than coming home and contending, and hopefully winning, the Stonehaven Cup,” the West Australian said.
Brother to two-time major winner Minjee, the 26-year-old has more than made a name for himself on and off the course, with his moniker of “The Chef” seeing fans wearing their own chef hats at every event he plays.
Lee hoping his dedicated following will once again be in full voice when he returns to play just his second professional event in Melbourne after he finished in third behind Adrian Meronk in 2022 when the dual gender format was played for the first time.
“The crowds last year in Australia were incredible and, as everyone knows, I love playing in front of big crowds,” he said.
“I hope as many people as possible get around the event and come and watch us play.”
Playing his national Open for the fifth time, Lee, a four-time winner around the world who finished in the top-30 at three majors in 2024, spoke of his excitement to play another Australian Open on the world famous Melbourne Sandbelt.
“Melbourne golf is known around the world, and it is awesome that the Australian Open is back on the Sandbelt,” Lee said.
“Kingston Heath and Victoria are two of the best courses in the world and it’s exciting to have the chance to play them in a tournament again.”
Offering prizemoney of $3.4 million, the men’s side of the ISPS HANDA Australian Open will again be co-sanctioned by the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and DP World Tour, with the women’s a WPGA Tour of Australasia event.
“Min Woo is one of the biggest names in golf, not just in Australia but globally,” Golf Australia CEO James Sutherland said.
“To have him confirmed for the Australian Open is very exciting and watching him take on two of the finest courses in the world is a tremendous prospect for the fans joining us in Melbourne, as well as the millions around the world tuning in to watch our best players on our best courses.”
Limited first release tickets for the ISPS HANDA Australian Open are available now via Ticketek. Save 20% off all tournament day passes for a strictly limited time.
Adam Henwood converted his rich vein of ball-striking form into another PGA Legends Tour victory today, coming from behind to win the Tropics Legends Pro-Am in Townsville.
Beginning the day in a share of fourth, three strokes behind overnight leader Andre Stolz, Henwood produced the lowest round of day two, a 3-under-par 68, to finish at 5-under for the 36 holes, overhauling the Order of Merit leader who followed his opening 66 with a 72.
Christopher Taylor, who won the first leg of the Townsville double at Rowes Bay on Tuesday, was outright third at -2 after two rounds of 70.
Despite not being happy with his putting, and trying to master a new green reading process, Henwood has now won four times on the PGA Legends Tour this year, including two in August, to be fifth on the Order of Merit.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
Henwood was the only player to break 70 today.
The Victorian kept himself in contention by being even-par through his first 11 holes before making his move after seeing he was closer to the lead than he thought, snaring a birdie on the 12th and picking up back-to-back shots on the 14th and 15th.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
Henwood said: “I played really nice both days but couldn’t make too many putts. Just ground it out and tried not to get too angry at myself.
“When I noticed Stolzy was going backwards I thought ‘here’s an opportunity, I’m hitting it good enough’. I made a couple of five-footers. It doesn’t sound like much but it’s all that was needed.
“When I had a look at the scores on the 11th tee, I didn’t actually think I was anywhere near the lead and it was ‘hang on I’m only one back’.
“I took everything on, had a good crack and hit some great shots down the stretch.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
137: Adam Henwood (Vic) 69-68
138: Andre Stolz (Qld) 66-72
140: Christopher Taylor (Qld) 70-70
141: Steve Conran (NSW) 69-72
142: Marcus Cain (Qld) 68-74; Murray Lott (Qld) 68-74
143: Brad Burns (Qld) 73-70; Russell Swanson (Qld) 70-73
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour has a short break before one of the highlights of the year, the $80,000 PNG Senior Open at Lae Golf Club on September 6-8
A birdie blitz on his back nine allowed NSW professional Aaron Townsend to overcome a rough start and some inner-doubts to grab a two-stroke win at the Gunnedah Golf Lion Co Pro-Am today.
After a double-bogey on his first hole, Townsend fought back to post a 4-under-par 66 at Gunnedah Golf Club in the north-west of New South Wales to head Jayden Cripps (68) and Darcy Boyd and Hayden Gulliver who shared third on 1-under.
The victory ended a run of six runner-up finishes in adidas PGA Pro-Am Series events since the 43-year-old’s last win in 2020.
However there had been signs in the recent NSW Open qualifier events that a win may not be far away, including finishing in a share of fourth in the South-West Rocks Open.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
Townsend made a mess of his opener, taking six shots at the 400-metre 10th, and turned in 2-over 36.
His second nine was full of fireworks, however, with birdies at 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 as he came home in just 30 strokes.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“It was a little bit of a setback, I’m not going to lie. I didn’t hit too many bad shots either. It was a strong hole to start on,” Townsend said of his early slip-up.
“The boys I played with were a bit shocked as well. I thought if I just hung in there a few birdies might come and it didn’t really happen on that nine.
“I caught fire a bit starting the second nine.
‘I played nicely in all those NSW Open qualifiers and found myself in positions where I was close to winning and didn’t finish it how I liked. I thought to myself ‘have I forgotten how to do this, how to close out events’. It’s nice to get it done. It’s been a few years since I’ve had a win.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
66: Aaron Townsend (NSW)
68: Jayden Cripps (NSW)
69: Darcy Boyd (NSW), Hayden Gulliver (NSW)
70: Danni Vasquez (NSW), Mitchell Brown (NSW), Belinda Diamond (NSW), Cameron Bell (Vic), Aaron Maxwell (ACT)
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series moves to the NSW North Coast for the Better Homes Port Macquarie Pro-Am on Tuesday-Wednesday next week followed by the Hawks Nest Beachside Apartments Pro-Am on Friday-Saturday.
Some of the biggest names in Australian golf over the past 30 years will be on show when the 54-hole $150,000 NSW Senior Open returns to Albury this November.
Now in its sixth edition, the NSW Senior Open, one of the biggest events on the PGA Legends Tour, will be played from November 1-3 at Thurgoona Golf & Country Club Resort. It is proudly supported by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
Golf NSW Chief Operating Officer Graeme Phillipson said the event was an extremely popular addition to the Albury/Border sporting calendar.
“Golf NSW is delighted to continue bringing one of our best tournaments back to Thurgoona Country Club,” he said.
“The sporting public of Albury has supported this event from the outset, and it is a pleasure to return to a city where everyone involved in the tournament, including the players, officials and staff, have been so warmly received.
“Golf is the number one pastime Australia-wide for those over 50, and the popularity of tournaments like the NSW Senior Open helps us promote the game as the ideal recreational activity for both young and old.”
The 2024 Championship is set to feature many of the greats of Australasian golf from the past 25 -30 years, including:
Other notables and past champions expected to play include Peter O’Malley (NSW), Chris Taylor (VIC), Grant Kenny (NSW), the inaugural champ in 2017, and 2019 victor Brad Burns (QLD).
PGA Legends Tour coordinator Andy Rogers said the players relished the opportunity to return to Albury and the Thurgoona Golf and Country Club Resort.
“We’re absolutely rapt to be coming back to Thurgoona,” said Rogers.
“We have seen through the quality of the field at Thurgoona in recent years just how much the players enjoy the golf course and visiting Albury.
“It’s a fantastic course and a perfect fit for a tournament that’s a really important part of our schedule.”
Adam Fitzgerald, General Manager of Thurgoona Country Club Resort, said the fan experience at this year’s tournament will allow unparalleled access. Spectators can walk the fairways beside their favourite players and see golf played at its best.
“There won’t be a better opportunity for sports fans in the Albury – Region to get up close and personal to witness the legends in action.
“It’s clear the players really enjoy the atmosphere and the connections with the fans in the gallery, and we are looking forward to another fantastic three days of action.”
The New South Wales Senior Open is proudly supported by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
One of the PGA Legends Tour’s most prolific winners, Queenslander Chris Taylor, wasn’t deterred by a rain-enforced change of format to claim the Rowes Bay Legends Pro-Am today.
His ninth victory in 2024, and a repeat of his 2021 success at the Townsville course, was a convincing one, with a 10-under-par total in the two-day event giving him a three-stroke margin over Adam Henwood (Vic) and Murray Lott (Qld).
More than 100mm of rain on Sunday and Monday forced the closure of the front nine at Rowes Bay, leading to the field receiving plenty of exposure to the much drier back nine which the profressionals covered twice on each day.
Order of Merit leader Andre Stolz held top spot after an opening day 66 but fell away to fifth following a second round of 74.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
Taylor, No.2 in the Order of Merit standings, put himself in contention with a 3-under-par 69 on day one that included just the solitary bogey on the par-5 18th.
He blitzed his opening nine holes on day two to seize the lead, taking just 31 strokes on the way to an event-best round of 65, featuring eight birdies.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
Christopher Taylor: “The last couple of days I played some really good golf. It was nice to get out there today and make a few more putts. A lot of the boys, from what I’ve heard, have struggled with their putting even though the greens were immaculate.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-10: Christopher Taylor (Qld)
-7: Adam Henwood (Vic), Murray Lott (Qld)
-6: Mark Boulton (Vic)
-4: Andre Stolz (Qld)
-1: Brendan Chant (WA), Peter Senior (Qld), Simon Tooman (Qld)
Even: Chris McCourt (Qld), Nigel Lane (Qld)
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour has its second leg of the Townsville double at Tropics (August 15-16).
