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Reigning Australian PGA champion Min Woo Lee has locked in the defence of his title at Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane from November 21-24.
One of the emerging stars in world golf whose style of play and charisma on and off the course has attracted a massive global fan base, Lee will have his sights on being the first player to defend the Joe Kirkwood Cup since Cam Smith in 2018.
The West Australian scored a memorable three-shot win at Royal Queensland last November, shooting a total of 20-under-par to secure his biggest title on home soil.
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Since his PGA success, his fourth victory as a professional, Lee has moved to the United States to play as a full-time member of the PGA TOUR, has improved his world ranking to a career-high of No.31 and is a strong contender for selection in Australia’s Olympic Games golf team for Paris.
The 25-year-old’s 2024 campaign has included a tie for second at the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches.
Min Woo Lee said: “The Australian PGA Championship was a very special event for me last year, seeing a lot of friends, being in contention and then closing the win out on Sunday.
“The crowds at Royal Queensland are always awesome. It’s a great vibe that just keeps getting bigger.
“Coming back as the defending champion is going to be a new experience, but I’m already looking forward to it.”
PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman said: “It’s a huge boost for the 2024 Australian PGA Championship to have our defending champion Min Woo Lee signed on to compete at Royal Queensland in November.
“Min put on an awesome show last year, showing why he is one of world golf’s biggest drawcards.
“He has that X factor that golf fans here in Australia and overseas love to see and get behind.
“We have already experienced strong early ticket sales for this year’s event and having confirmation from Min that he will be coming back to Royal Queensland should give us another huge boost.”
Minister for Tourism and Sport, Michael Healy said: “This is terrific news, having one of the world’s most exciting and dynamic players in Min Woo Lee, commit to return and defend his Australian PGA title at the historic Royal Queensland course later this year.
“We’re thrilled to be hosting Australia’s oldest professional golf tournament again in 2024, an event that always assembles world-class fields, attracts massive galleries, and further cements Queensland’s reputation as a premier destination for major sporting events.
“Last year’s tournament welcomed over 61,000 people to Royal Queensland Golf Club injecting more than $14 million into the local visitor economy.”
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the return of the 2023 champion and rising star is a huge win for local golf fans.
“We are thrilled to welcome Min Woo Lee for another Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland later this year,” Cr Schrinner said.
“This event is a major driver for visitation to Brisbane, with more than 61,000 fans attending to watch Lee claim his first Australian PGA victory last year.
“Brisbane is proud to host the Australian PGA Championship once again, with the event to deliver incredible economic support to local Brisbane businesses with hotels, tourism experiences and restaurants set to experience the economic upswing.”
The Australian PGA Championship is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland, and Brisbane City Council via Brisbane Economic Development Agency
Two-time European Tour winner, Noel Ratcliffe, has passed away, aged 79.
A PGA of Australia Member of 47 years, Ratcliffe joined the Association in 1977 after an illustrious amateur career where he represented Australia in the 1972 Eisenhower Trophy alongside Terry Gale, Mike Cahill and Tony Gresham.
That team finished to an American team boasting future two-time Masters champion, Ben Crenshaw.
Ratcliffe himself would go on to forge a highly decorated career after joining the professional ranks at age 29.
Affectionately known as ‘The Rat’, Ratcliffe won 1978 Belgian Open and the 1987 Benson and Hedges International Open, when he eagled the 72nd hole for a memorable victory.
Domestically, Ratcliffe’s greatest victory came at the 1977 South Australian Open at Royal Adelaide, joining an honour roll that boasts legendary figures such as Peter Thomson, Ted Ball, Billy Dunk, Graham Marsh and Greg Norman.
Ratcliffe played The Open Championship on five occasions between 1978 and 1988, his best result coming in his final appearance at Royal Lytham and St Annes where he was tied 38th.
Upon turning 50, Ratcliffe focussed his attention to the senior circuit and had enormous success throughout Europe and Australia.
He was an eight-time winner on the European Seniors Tour, winning the Order of Merit in 2000.
He was also a prolific winner on the Australian PGA Legends Tour, including the 1995 Australian Senior Open and the 2001 and 2008 Australian PGA Senior Championships.
Photo: Phil Inglis/Getty Images
Australia’s No.1-ranked male golfer has confirmed that he “made a mistake” by not competing at the 2016 Olympic Games and wants to make amends at Paris 2024.
Currently ranked No.21 in the world, Jason Day closed out his 2024 Masters Tournament with a round of 3-under 69 that is projected to see him finish in a tie for 30th.
It may be enough to move back inside the top 20 in the Official World Golf Ranking and, barring something extraordinary from his fellow countrymen, ensure he will don the green and gold at Le Golf National in August.
Since his resurgence the past 18 months, Day’s status as a potential Olympian has been a point of conjecture.
He was among a number of Aussie male golfers who chose to skip golf’s Olympic return in Rio eight years ago, citing concerns over the Zika virus and family.
The 36-year-old has been in regular contact with Australian Olympic Golf Captain, Karrie Webb, without publicly declaring his availability.
Less than four months before competition begins, that conjecture has now been put to bed.
“I’ll play. If I’m in, I’ll play for sure,” confirmed Day, pictured after winning the 2013 World Cup with Adam Scott at Royal Melbourne.
“I’m looking forward to it. I think I made a bit of a mistake not going down to Rio, even though part of it was family related.
“I kind of missed out on that, and I probably should have gone. But if I get the opportunity, I’m looking forward to going.”
If the Australian Olympic golf team were to be selected this week Min Woo Lee would be Day’s teammate in Paris.
The former world No.1 said that he has no preference for who he pairs with in Paris, acknowledging that Cameron Smith is reliant on strong showings in the majors given his commitment to LIV Golf.
“Whoever is playing the great, that would be great,” said Day.
“Min Woo is playing good solid golf, too. And obviously ‘Smithy’, playing in LIV, you don’t get World Ranking points. He needs to play well in the major championships, trying to shoot himself up the leaderboard.”
Entering the week feeling the effects of a broken finger, Min Woo Lee also signed off from The Masters with a round of 3-under 69.
Shortly after completing his round, he was told of his potential pairing with Day in Paris.
“When you’re a professional, you don’t really get to represent the Australian side,” said the world No.32.
“Obviously every week, week in and week out you represent Aus, but when you’re an amateur, I got to play for Australia a lot of times. I do miss putting on the green and gold.
“Jason as a playing partner and a teammate, that will be really special.
“My sister (Minjee Lee) is going to be in there, too, so it will be an unbelievable experience.
“Hopefully it can stay this way and I can play.”
Day had four birdies and a lone bogey in his final round of the 2024 championship at Augusta National, the highlight a near ace at the par-3 16th.
He hopes it will provide the foundation for a strong summer of majors and, ultimately, Australia’s first Olympic golf medal.
“The short game’s nice. Putting’s nice,” Day added.
“I just made too many cheap errors out there, not enough capitalisation on the opportunities that I had, especially with the par-5s. And then just soft bogeys.
“Just kind of clean that up, tighten the swing up a little bit, and I should be good to go.”
Photo: Robert Prezioso/Getty Images
Lucas Herbert completed the Bendigo region double on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series with a runaway win in the Symes Motors Axedale BMW Pro-Am today.
A day after shooting an equal course record 9-under-par 61 to claim the pro-am at his junior club, Neangar Park, Herbert flirted with a 59 before carding a 7-under-62 to beat fellow Victorians Cameron Kelly and Euan Walters by four shots.
The Axedale victory was a first for the 27-year-old who ran third and seventh in his previous appearances.
HOW THE WINNING SCORE UNFOLDED
Preparing for the LIV Adelaide event later this month, Herbert was 7-under through 11 holes but his bid for a 59, to match the Axedale record held by Kris Mueck, was halted by pars on 12, 13, 14 and 16.
A bogey on the par-4 17th ended up costing him back-to-back 61s to celebrate his return home.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Today was solid. Similar to yesterday I thought I played reasonable enough and made some pretty good putts,” Herbert said.
“It’s tricky around here. You can get yourself in some tough positions very easily.
“I managed to avoid as many of those as possible and put some numbers on the board which was nice.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-7: Lucas Herbert (Vic)
-3: Cameron Kelly (Vic), Euan Walters (Vic)
-2: Michael Choi (Vic)
-1: Roland Baglin (Vic)
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series stops off in Leeton in NSW for the two-day Leeton Golf Club SunRice Pro-Am this weekend.
Nathan Barbieri clinched the 2024/25 Challenger PGA Tour of Australia Qualifying School’s Final Stage by running down all-the-way leader Max Charles before winning a three-man sudden-death playoff at Moonah Links today.
The Sydney professional went birdie-birdie-birdie-birdie-eagle over his final five holes on the Open Course to card an 8-under-par 64 and finish the 72 holes at 16-under, level with Victorian Charles (69) and New Zealand’s Denzel Ieremia (65).
Ieremia birdied the par-5 final hole, while Charles could only manage a par.
After the first two playoff holes were squared with pars, Barbieri clinched the win by rolling in a metre-long birdie putt after a pinpoint gap wedge approach on the par-4 10th hole.
By winning Q-School, the 27-year-old from Monash earns a start in all Challenger PGA Tour of Australia tournaments next season, including the big three – the Australian Open, Australian PGA and New Zealand Open.
.@barbieri_nathan is victorious at the 2024-25 PGATA Q School following a three-hole playoff 🐤👏 pic.twitter.com/yQP2G3raAf
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) April 12, 2024
Although he has been a regular on leaderboards since turning professional in 2020, Barbieri was coming off a disappointing season on the 2023/24 campaign, falling to 54th place on the Order of Merit.
After losing his place in the top 50 on the final day of season, his Tour status for 2024/25 received a significant upgrade thanks to today’s success.
“I hadn’t been playing too good but I felt like it clicked maybe the second round in New Zealand and then I played well in the last event at The National,” Barbieri said.
“Winning here is massive.
“I can plan my schedule now which is awesome.
“I came here for one reason – to win it – and I’ve done it so that’s very good.”
Charles will consider himself very unlucky to miss out on the rewards that top spot offers after starting the day with a four-shot lead and shooting a steady 3-under 69.
He only dropped shots on three of the 75 holes he played, the majority of them as the joint or outright leader.
“Max and Denzel played great all day. It was a good battle,” Barbieri said.
“There were a few nerves on that final putt. I didn’t actually think I’d be that nervous and it almost went right on me as well. I was happy to get it.”
Thirty-six players gained Tour cards for 2024/25 – and inclusion in Category 14 – by finishing at 2-over-par or better, including amateurs Tyler Duncan (Qld), Segunda Oliva Pinto (Argentina), Siddharth Nadimpalli (Vic), Jordan Doull (WA), Ben Henkel (Vic), Jye Pickin (NSW) and Ryan Ang (Singapore).
Lucas Herbert returned home to Bendigo and treated a big local following to a day to remember, equalling the course record on the way to a four-shot win in the Evolution Neangar Park Pro-Am.
The winner at Neangar Park on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series last year, Herbert’s round of 10-under-par 61 started with a bang when he holed a wedge shot for an eagle on the opening hole, a 367m par-4.
Although he only arrived back in Australia yesterday from overseas duties with LIV Golf, the 28-year-old added nine birdies, and had just a solitary bogey, to match the course record set only a few days earlier by a young club member, Morten Hafkamp.
Ironically the teenager was in Herbert’s group today.
“I’m not sure whether he was cheering for me to knock that putt in on the last. But it was nice to tie that record with him because he’s obviously played a great game of golf last weekend,” Herbert said of his younger playing partner whose 61 sealed the 2024 club championship.
“It was good to play with him today and see where his game is at.”
Fellow Victorian Josh Younger, fresh off his 2023/24 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia campaign, shot a 6-under 65 to take second spot.
HOW THE WINNING SCORE UNFOLDED
After his magical two on the first, Herbert dropped a shot on the second but that was his only setback for the day.
A trio of birdies came from the fourth to sixth and after making his way to -7 after 13, he closed off his round with another three in row, including a three-metre putt for birdie on the last.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
Herbert’s availability for Neangar Park only became possible after the club changed its pro-am date to accommodate the local favourite.
“The jet lag has been hitting me pretty hard but I managed to hold it off for as long as I could to get through that round of golf,” he said.
“I’m not used to being back here this time of year. It’s odd to be here when it’s not really hot. Usually summer is our time and you’re sitting around outside, hoping for a cool breeze.
“For me, being able to give back to Australian golf, and give back to my local community as much as I can, has been something I’ve enjoyed doing over the last few years when I’ve had the chance.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-10: Lucas Herbert (Vic)
-6: Josh Younger (Vic)
-4: Wade Lowrie (Vic)
-3: Finlay Bellingham (Vic), Adam Burdett (Vic), Levi Burns (Vic)
NEXT UP
Herbert will again be the star attraction at the second leg of the Bendigo region double, the Symes Motors BMW Axedale Pro-Am, on Friday before the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series stops off in Leeton in NSW for the two-day Leeton Golf Club SunRice Pro-Am
After being the joint leader after rounds one and two, Victorian rookie professional Max Charles seized control of the Final Stage of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia’s Qualifying School with a 66 on day three at Moonah Links today.
Sitting at 13-under-par after 54 holes, the former Australian amateur representative will head into the final round with a four-shot lead over New Zealand’s Denzel Ieremia and on track for his biggest moment as a professional.
The 23-year-old had a best finish of T42 in his four Tour starts in the 2023/24 season, but he’s looked very comfortable in the lead this week, dropping just three shots over the opening three rounds – a double-bogey on the 12th hole of the Open Course on Wednesday and a bogey on the opening hole today.
He followed that early mis-step with birdies on the third, fourth, seventh, eighth and ninth to turn in 32 before adding in birdies on the 14th and 18th.
Meanwhile, Ieremia surged to second thanks to the low round of the tournament so far. His eight-under 64 featured eight birdies – three on the front nine and five on the back which he completed in just 31 strokes – and saw him jump 12 positions after he struggled to a 76 on day two.
Also still in contention heading into Friday are Nathan Barbieri (NSW), who is five shots back at -8, James Mee (Qld) at -7 and Brett Rankin (Qld) and Adam Brady (WA) who are sharing fifth at -6.
Round three saw some important big moves further back in the field including a 67 from Queensland amateur Tyler Duncan to move him to a share of ninth and a 67 from NSW’s Dylan Perry, despite two late bogeys, which lifted him into a share of 25th.
Argentinian amateur Segunda Oliva Pinta solidified his position with a 69 to be equal seventh at 5-under, alongside joint 36-hole leader Corey Lamb (NSW) who double-bogeyed the second hole on the way to a 74.
The top 30 finishers after the 72 holes conclude tomorrow will earn Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia and be placed in a Tournament Exemption Category.
The cut line for those slots sits at +1 entering the final round.
Those players finishing beyond 30th place and ties, who complete 72 holes at Final Stage, will be eligible for Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia, however, they will not hold an exemption category for the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
All players who play 72 holes of the Final Stage will earn a pro-am exemption category and be eligible to enter adidas PGA Pro-Am series events.
Six All Abilities golfers will receive scholarships to pursue their golf dreams in a new funding program titled the Webex Golf Scholarship.
An expansion of the Webex Players Series All Abilities program, the scholarships have been made available due to additional funding provided by Webex in partnership with the PGA of Australia and Golf Australia.
Four players will receive full scholarships to the value of $6,000 each and two players will receive a development scholarship worth $3,000 each.
In addition to funding for coaching and tournament support, scholarship holders will receive clothing courtesy of adidas and technology support to continue to elevate their performances.
The program is the brainchild of PGA Academy Coaching Programs Manager Nick Bielawski who believes sustained support will give Australian All Abilities golfers the best chance to succeed internationally.
“The Webex All Abilities High Performance Camp that we staged last year was a great success, but we acknowledged that the support needed to be more ongoing,” Bielawski said.
“Thanks to the additional funding provided by Webex, we have been able to structure a scholarship program that provides not only coaching support but practical financial support to travel to tournaments.
“Australia has a number of players that have proven that they can compete with the best All Abilities golfers in the world.
“We hope that a program such as this will allow others to become the best golfers they can be and to pursue opportunities both in Australia and overseas.”
Glenn Smith, Regional Manager, Collaboration for Cisco-Webex, was thrilled to see the extension of the Webex All Abilities Players Series into a scholarship program that will provide further opportunities for athletes.
“Webex is excited to support the Webex Golf Scholarship program for All Abilities athletes,” said Smith.
“The addition of the All Abilities trophy during the 2022/23 Webex Players Series has seen it become the most inclusive series of tournaments in golf.
“We are very proud to be partnering with the PGA of Australia to continue supporting development initiatives and showcase the exceptional talent of these athletes to a wide audience.”
To be considered for a Team Webex scholarship, athletes must meet the following criteria:
Athletes that meet the above criteria will then be assessed on:
Applicants must complete an application form to apply for Team Webex. After applications have closed, athletes will be shortlisted with further interviews arranged to determine the final recipients of the scholarships and whether it be a full or development scholarship.
Full scholarship recipients will receive:
Development scholarship recipients will receive:
To apply for a Team Webex scholarship click here
A 7-under-par 65 has propelled Corey Lamb into a share of the halfway lead at the Final Stage of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School at Moonah Links.
After starting with an even-par 72 on Tuesday, the Hunter Valley professional, who almost broke through for a Tour victory at Webex Players Series South Australia last October, is alongside rookie Victorian pro Max Charles (66-71) at -7 after 36 holes.
Western Australia’s Ryan Peake (66-72) is a shot back in third, one clear of NSW’s Nathan Barbieri (68-71) and WA’s Adam Brady (71-68).
The two leading amateurs in the field, Australian representative Jye Pickin (70-72) and Argentina’s Segundo Oliva Pinto (71-71), are tied for 10th at -2.
Lamb’s 65, the low score in the opening two rounds, was highlighted by an eagle two at the 355m par-4 ninth hole, with his only bogey coming two holes later on the 404m par-4 11th.
After starting the day in a share of the lead with Peake, Charles dropped his first shots of the tournament with a double-bogey on the 385m par-4 12th but bounced back with an eagle on the par-5 15th (491m).
The top 30 finishers after the 72 holes conclude on Friday will earn Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia and be placed in a Tournament Exemption Category.
Those players finishing beyond 30th place and ties, who complete 72 holes at Final Stage, will be eligible for Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia, however, they will not hold an exemption category for the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
All players who play 72 holes of the Final Stage will earn a pro-am exemption category and be eligible to enter adidas PGA Pro-Am series events.
Photo: Corey Lamb, tied for the lead at Final Stage of Q-School
Still in the early months of his professional career, former Victorian amateur star Max Charles has taken a share of the lead after day one of the Final Stage of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia’s Qualifying School.
Charles, who turned pro after a top-five finish at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne last October, shot a 6-under-par 66 on the Moonah Links Open Course to sit atop the leaderboard with West Australian Ryan Peake.
Kiwi Denzel Ieremia is next in line at 5-under, one ahead of NSW duo Nathan Barbieri and Josh Clarke.
Peake, who finished 79th on last season’s Order of Merit, was first to post 6-under with his round highlighted by a back nine of 30, while Charles birdied four of his last eight holes on a bogey-free day.
Charles’ Asia-Pacific teammate, Jye Pickin (NSW), is the leading amateur, in equal eighth at 2-under.
It was a rocky start to Final Stage for the winners of First Stage, also played at Moonah Links, last week.
Jordan Doull, from Mt Lawley Golf Club in Perth, was the best of the trio, in a share of 29th after a 2-over 74, while Queensland professional Zachary Maxwell shot a 76 to be T46 and Ryan Swann, from Pacific Golf Club in Brisbanem battled to a 79 to be in 65th position.
The top 30 finishers after 72 holes will earn Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia and be placed in a Tournament Exemption Category.
Those players finishing beyond 30th place and ties, who complete 72 holes at Final Stage, will be eligible for Full Tournament Membership of the PGA of Australia, however, they will not hold an exemption category for the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
All players who play 72 holes of the Final Stage will earn a pro-am exemption category and be eligible to enter adidas PGA Pro-Am series events.
Photo: Victorian professional Max Charles
