Want to recieve exclusive news, videos, tournament highlights, golf important tips and more ?
Want to recieve exclusive news, videos, tournament highlights, golf important tips and more ?
Victoria’s Brett Coletta came out on top in a head-to-head duel with Jordan Zunic to claim the biggest victory of his career at the $420,000 Vic Open today.
After starting the final round on the Beach Course at 13th Beach Golf Links two shots from the lead, Coletta fired a sensational 7-under-par 65 to claim his third Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title and move to second place on this year’s Order of Merit.
Zunic, who ended up two shots in arrears following a 67 to be -16 overall, went birdie for birdie for Coletta – the duo combining for 11 birdies and an eagle overall for the day.
Victorian Andrew Martin (68) charged late with four birdies in his last five holes to match Zunic in a share of second.
On an enthralling final nine, playing partners Coletta and Zunic were level with four holes remaining before the 27-year-old Victorian moved clear by picking up shots on the par-4 15th and 16th holes, sealing the deal with a purely struck fairway wood onto the green on the final hole.
From the Sandhurst Club in Melbourne’s south, Coletta came into this week with three top-10s on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia this season to be 20th on the Order of Merit, but he can now seriously eye off the huge career rewards which come with a top-three finish at the end of the campaign.
“This was an 18-hole duel. Fortunately it was my day today,” said the new champion, who admitted he was nervous last night thinking how about important this Sunday was to his professional career.
“This is pretty big. I’m pretty emotional inside.
“I know I’m able to win out here in the smaller events, the tier twos I suppose. The next level is to really up your game and win these bigger ones.
“Hopefully I can continue the trend and roll the dice at the bigger events, the PGA and the Australian Open.
“This was one of those times when it was my time I guess.”
Despite missing out on his first Tour title since 2018, Zunic was happy with his week, which continued a fine run of form including securing his Asian Tour card for 2024.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in that position. It was really enjoyable all day,” Zunic said.
“I played well, but Brett just played better and holed a few more putts down the end there.
“I had my chances and unfortunately they just didn’t go for me.”
In a men’s tournament which featured a packed leaderboard all week it was no surprise that five players were within one shot of the lead going into the back nine on Sunday.
One of those was Queensland’s Jed Morgan who found the spark he’s been waiting some months to discover, shooting an 8-under-par 64 to end up at 14-under for the tournament, in a share of fourth with Travis Smyth (66).
Morgan revealed he started to have thoughts about the way he charged to his runaway victory at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland in 2022 when the birdies kept flowing on the back nine.
“That round has been coming for a little while, probably a little over six months,” Morgan said.
“I’ve been working on some things. That’s one round in the books.
“It was nice to be in that environment again and in that position. I saw on 15 tee that I was only one back and made birdie there.
“It was cool to keep pushing because I haven’t had the opportunity to do that for a little while.”
Morgan is hoping the Sunday surge will spark a good start to his 2024 Asian Tour campaign which begins at the Malaysian Open later this month.
Chasing his third consecutive Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia victory to match a feat last achieved by Robert Allenby in 2005, Kazuma Kobori finished in a share of 10th after a final round of 66, his best for the week.
He threatened to go very low after opening with four birdies in his first six holes.
“I played nicely. It’s starting to come together, more than the first three days anyway,” Kobori said.
“Very good vibes going into next week (at Webex Players Series Sydney).”
After starting with back-to-back birdies, joint overnight leader Nick Voke’s challenge was brought undone by a triple-bogey at the par-5 fifth.
He eventually shared sixth with Kade McBride (72), former champion Richard Green (68) and 18-year-old Queensland Amateur champion Billy Dowling (66).
Two players seeking their first win on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia have a one-shot lead over a home club favourite heading into the final day of the Vic Open at 13th Beach Golf Links.
New Zealand’s Nick Voke (68) and Queenslander Kade McBride (66) sit at 13-under-par after 54 holes of the Beach and Creek courses, with Andrew Martin lurking at -12 after a nine-shot turnaround in just 24 hours produced a 65 on day three.
Although he isn’t in top spot ahead of teeing off on Sunday afternoon, with the experience gained from two Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia victories, and a wealth of home course knowledge, the resident of nearby Ocean Grove looms as the player to beat.
“It’s always handy to have local knowledge on a few things and I think that’s what made me comfortable today,” Martin said.
“I’ve only been here three years but I’m here most days when I’m not away for a tournament.
“Me and the boys – (fellow Tour pros) Josh Younger and Jack Murdoch – if we’re home, we’ll play most Wednesday and Saturday comps and my brother is here as well.
“It’s one of the joys of coming down to the Coast from Melbourne and having this sort of lifestyle.”
Voke and McBride have yet to win on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, but have gone close before, the Kiwi tying for second at the Queensland PGA in October and McBride finishing runner-up in the NSW Open to David Micheluzzi last March.
“I got out of the gates quickly which is always nice. I hit the ball exceptionally well on the front nine and just had to stay patient on the back nine,” McBride said.
“The course is obviously going to get more difficult tomorrow. The greens are fast and really hard now so I think you just have to take your chances when you get them.
“A win would be awesome.”
Starting the day with a one-shot lead, Voke slipped up with a bogey on the second but that was his only dropped shot of a round that featured five birdies.
Like Martin, PGA Champions member and former Vic Open champion Richard Green, Victorians Ben Wharton and Brett Coletta and NSW’s Jordan Zunic all shot 65s to make big leaderboard moves on day three.
Coletta and Zunic sit at 11-under, two from the lead, with Green and Wharton two shots further back.
Back in his own bed, a pitching wedge from the 13th Beach layout, before heading back to the United States soon for his second year on the most lucrative seniors tour in the world, Green’s day was kickstarted by an eagle on the par-5 second hole.
“This is a great lead-up for the rest of the year for me,” said the 52-year-old who beat his own expectations by finishing 12th on the Charles Schwab Cup standings in his rookie PGA Champions campaign.
“I was pleasantly surprised when I got over there how well I played and how competitive I was against guys like Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Steve Stricker, Padraig Harrington. I was hovering around them most of the time and contending.”
After anticipating the leading score would eventually get to 15-under by the end of the day, Green is better placed than he expected for a Sunday challenge for a second Vic Open title.
For Zunic, his 65 was the continuation of a good run of form which saw him progress through back-to-back weeks of the Asian Tour Qualifying School to secure his card for 2024.
“I was pretty tired when I got back from Thailand and then played at Rosebud last week so I’ve been trying to manage my energy levels,” Zunic said.
“I’ve just been doing what I’ve had to and hopefully will get a week off soon.
“I’m trying to enjoy myself, not too much pressure on myself which is what we’re all trying to do.
“It’s nice to have a round like this one to build my confidence a little bit.”
Coletta, another of the previous winners on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia at the top of the leaderboard, has had his sights firmly on gaining one of the DP World Tour cards on offer to the top three finishers on the end-of-season Order of Merit.
With five top-15s this season, he came into this week ranked 20th but could climb as high as No.3 with a victory tomorrow afternoon.
“The goal is to win the actual whole thing (the Order of Merit) and I’m going alright at the moment,” Coletta said.
“A win out here is paramount really with the double points that are available. There’s such a premium on our majors like this one.”
Wharton’s charge up the leaderboard actually started late in the second round when he had four birdies on his second nine on the Creek Course to make the cut by just two shots.
“It was nice to hole a few putts. It’s been a long time coming,” he said.
“I seem to hit every green in regulation every time I play and walk off with 34 putts.
“It’s been nice today to see a few go in.”
The leading groups will tee off between 1pm and 1.45pm tomorrow.
The only place to watch the Vic Open live is on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo. Vic Open coverage starts at 3pm (AEDST).
Photo: Kade McBride tees off the first at 13th Beach today
Married for less than a year and with a baby on the way, today was a great time for Ben Wharton to find his putting game at 13th Beach Golf Links.
The Victorian was one of the big movers in the morning groups in the third round of the $420,000 Vic Open, posting a 7-under-par 65, including six consecutive threes on the back nine of the Beach Course.
Moving to 9-under after 54 holes, four from the leaders Nick Voke and Kade McBride, has set up the possibility of his best cheque on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
A runner-up in the 2021 NT PGA Championship, Wharton currently sits in 80th place on this season’s Order of Merit.
His charge up the leaderboard actually started late in the second round when he had four birdies on his second nine on the Creek Course to make the cut by just two shots.
“It was nice to hole a few putts. It’s been a long time coming,” he said.
“I seem to hit every green in regulation every time I play and walk off with 34 putts.
“It’s been nice today to see a few go in.”
The 36-year-old has had significant life changes recently with more to come, including building on his coaching career and preparing for the birth of his first child with wife Katherine after their wedding in the Yarra Valley last May.
“It’s been a little more stressful to honest, trying to make a quid,” Wharton said of playing professionally with the extra responsibilities in his personal life.
“We’re trying to get a mortgage sorted and there’s a baby on the way.
“There’s a lot more grown up things I have to do along the way.”
An ambassador for Moonah Links Golf Club, Wharton was spurred along to his low round of the year by his playing partners Peter Wilson and Jason Norris, who during the round set a group target of birdies to help inspire their mate.
The goal was 15 and they finished on 12. Next week they’ll live together in the same house at Webex Players Series Sydney.
“They definitely helped me today,” he said.
“It was great to have their support when they knew I’d got off to a good start.
“As I was rolling along, I reminisced about a day I played with Brad Kennedy a couple of years ago when he shot 7-under and catapulted to the top five.
“I thought ‘the lead’s only 9-under if I can do that I can get up near the lead which would be a cool thing to do’ and that’s how it’s panned out at the moment.”
New Zealanders are dominating world golf at the moment and the positive contagion has spread to the Vic Open at 13th Beach, with Nick Voke soaring on the Bellarine Peninsula.
Aucklander Voke, 29, shot a 4-under 68 with no bogeys on the Creek course to jump up to 9-under overall and a one-shot lead at the halfway mark of the men’s tournament as he chases his first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title.
Another Kiwi – Christchurch’s Kazuma Kobori who made the cut today by a shot at 1-under – has won the past two tournaments on Tour, the first to go back-to-back since 2013. Countryman Kerry Mountcastle won the Gippsland Super 6 in November and Ben Campbell won the Hong Kong Open on the Asian Tour late last year.
Voke said Kobori’s sensational performance – and wins by the likes of Lydia Ko and Steve Alker in America – were driving the other Kiwis forward.
“Absolutely,” he said. “I think we’re not doing justice by saying ‘two in a row’.
“I think Kazuma’s last six months have been unbelievable, winning Eisenhower (the world amateur), the Western Amateur. That was unbelievable.
“It’s nice to see a guy kick on like that. Any success for New Zealanders on the world stage, Steve Alker, Lydia Ko… unbelievable. We’re very proud of that.”
Voke came to 13th Beach gutted by just missing out on his Asian Tour card at the recent Qualifying School in Thailand.
“It was a long flight to Melbourne from Thailand,” he said.
“I was on Korn Ferry four years, Asian Tour last year, this is the first year without a main card somewhere, but there are plenty of opportunities out there; plenty of avenues, so just keep on getting better and see what happens,” he said.
He is 45th on the Australasian Order of Merit, but a win at 13th Beach this week would vault him into a position to challenge for a top-three position, which presents a playing card for next season’s DP World Tour.
“The brilliant thing is there are plenty of opportunities that come from this tour,” he said.
“Even beyond the top three, if you finish top 10 you get starts in Europe, Asia, all over the show.
“It’s one of those things, if you play good golf, it takes care of a lot of things.”
The wind was up at 13th Beach this morning but the crowds were out and the scoring was still low, with New South Welshman Chris Fan roaring around in an 8-under 64 to move -7 overall.
Andrew Martin is waking up in his own bed on the Bellarine Peninsula this week and it works a treat for him.
The Ocean Grove resident threatened a couple of records on his way to a first-round 65 on the Creek Course at 13th Beach Golf Links to seize a share of the lead with fellow Victorian Aiden Didone in the men’s section of the Vic Open today.
Martin was electrifying in the back half of his round, having started early on the 10th tee in nice conditions, and playing at his home course.
He made eight consecutive birdies from the 18th to the seventh holes, just one short of James Nitties’ record of nine in a row on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, and his front nine of 29 shots was just a shot away from the Tour record for nine holes.
Through seven holes of his opening round, he was 1-over par and struggling, notably with his driver.
But he picked up eight shots from there thanks to a white hot putter, and getting up-and-down from the back trap at the par-4 ninth, to post 7-under for the day.
Meanwhile, 26-year-old Melburnian Didone rolled in four birdie putts in his last six holes in his 65 on the more difficult Beach Course. His was the lowest round of the day on that course.
“I had a feeling I was going all right the last five or six holes,” he said. “It’s good when the putts roll in. Somedays they lip out.”
Martin and Didone are a shot ahead of three other Victorians – Caleb Bovalina, Todd Sinnott and DJ Loypur – at 6-under with a bunch of players in the pack at 5-under.
Kiwi Kazuma Kobori, winner of the past two tournaments on tour, opened with 4-under 68 on the Creek Course to maintain his momentum and continue his push to become the first winner of three straight tournaments in Australia since Robert Allenby in 2005.
“I actually drove it very badly, but the putter saved me,” Martin said.
“I know the lines, I know where not to go on the front nine. I went everywhere I didn’t want to and I made it hard on myself.”
Martin is enjoying the week at home, allowing his wife Rachel dog walking duties in the morning so that he can practice, and picking up the afternoon shift.
He is a remarkable story; an Australian Amateur winner, he did not win an Australasian Tour event until 2021, and has since added another.
On the surface, he is playing better than ever
“I’m more mature. (I) know my game and play to my strengths. Some people get comfortable … when it’s bright and energetic. I didn’t like the spotlight even when I first turned (professional).
“I was happy to be in the background. But I’m more comfortable with cameras and stuff like that and a bit more mature in the way I play the game. Be a bit calmer when you don’t expect too much from yourself as well. It’s probably the best I’ve played.”
Martin will complete the season at home before heading off to play on the DP World Tour as a result of his top-three finish in last season’s Order of Merit.
“I’ve been waiting a long time to get it, so I’ll be happy to take what I can get. And be ready when I get the call-up,” he said.
Of the chasing pack the one with the regrets was Adam Stojanovic, the New South Wales amateur who shot a 5-under 67 on the Creek Course despite carding a triple-bogey seven on the short par-4 ninth hole, his last of the day.
At that point, he led the tournament by four shots.
But a flared tee shot into heavy mulga cost the 27-year-old dearly.
Originally from Sydney and a graduate of the Jack Newton Junior Golf programs, he is nowadays working in the shop at Yarra Bend links in Melbourne, and contemplating a return to serious golf after not playing for at least two years.
“I hit one bad shot all day and it was on the last,” he said.
“I thought I may as well hit through and make another birdie. Tried to carry the bunkers and hit it bad.”
The only place to watch the Vic Open live is on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
Just one month into 2024 and rookie professional Kazuma Kobori has ticked off one of his major goals for the year.
He wanted to get to Christmas will two victories on his resume.
At the Vic Open at 13th Beach Golf Links starting today, he can keep working on another goal that will set up his future in the game – finishing in the top three on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.
With back-to-back victories at Webex Players Series Murray River and Victoria, the 22-year-old New Zealander has rocketed to No.2 in this season’s OOM standings, trailing only Min Woo Lee, to be well on the way to earning a DP World Tour card for 2024/25.
The Vic Open, with double OOM points on offer compared to a regular Tour event, and the New Zealand Open, with quadruple points like the Australian PGA and Australian Open, are big ticket items on the February schedule for Kobori and the rest of the field as they chase the end-of-season pot of gold to progress their careers.
Whoever finishes at No.1 will also snare an Open Championship berth at Royal Troon in July.
Kobori said one of his premier goals for 2024 was to grab two victories – and even he’s a little bit surprised it has happened so soon.
“At the start, my expectations about turning pro was about trying to make cuts, try to get all four rounds in, because it’s all about experience,” he said.
“And if you can play four rounds a week over two weeks, then you’re getting double the experience, right?
“So that was my goal going in and then at the Vic PGA I got close and I thought ‘I can do it for real, be in contention week in, week out’.
“It feels great to get two wins on the board early.
“I set some goals for the New Year, what I wanted to get out of the rest of the season and one of them was getting two wins specifically.
“The Order of Merit was also on that goals list, to get in the top three, and now I’m second. I’ll just keep going and see where I finish up at the end.”
What has attracted plenty of attention in Kobori’s winning run in Australia, which started at last year’s Qualifying School in Moonah Links, is his exceptional putting which came to the fore again at the weekend at Rosebud Country Club where his red-hot blade was the prime reason he held on for a one-shot win.
But has Kobori always been an excellent putter? Not so, said the man who has jumped almost 600 places on the Official World Golf Ranking since the start of January.
“I never used to be a good putter, I never practised it,” he said.
“But obviously I don’t hit the ball a long way, so I’ve got to do something to make up for that.
“That’s when I started practising my putting a little bit.
“I was a streaky putter in my junior days; I would have hot rounds and cold rounds.”
With everyone now well aware of what he is capable of achieving, Kobori will start his Vic Open campaign alongside another Kiwi, defending champion Michael Hendry, on the Creek course on Thursday morning before heading over to the Beach course on Friday afternoon.
“I’m just trying to conserve as much energy as possible because being in contention two weeks in a row is pretty draining,” he said after his pro-am round.
Entry to the Vic Open is free on all four days.
The only place to watch every upcoming event on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia live is on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
In-form Jason Norris clinched a sudden-death playoff win at the PGA Legends Tour’s 2023 season finale to go with a share of the Sunshine Coast Series title on a day to remember at Headland Golf Club.
Despite closing with a 5-under 64 to finish at 6-under after 36 holes at the Living Choice Australian Legends Tour Championship, Norris was caught by 62-year-old Terry Price who beat his age with a spectacular 61.
The duo went to a playoff where Norris, the defending champion at Headland, triumphed with a par on the second hole to record his sixth PGA Legends Tour victory for 2023 and have the honour of being the first winner to have his name engraved on the Glenn Joyner Memorial Mug.
On a crowded leaderboard, Murray Lott (68-65) and joint day one leader Martin Peterson (65-68) finished just a shot back at -5.
In the Sunshine Coast Series played across seven rounds in four events, Norris remarkably came from 12 shots behind after the opening round at Beerwah to share top spot with Order of Merit champion Andre Stolz at 20-under-par.
The Gold Coast-based Victorian, battling jet lag after finishing tied for eighth at the Staysure Legends Tour’s final event in Mauritius, slipped to a 6-over 78 to kick off the six-round event but then followed up with rounds of 68-68 at the Sunshine Coast Masters at Twin Waters and 64-68 to clinch the Queensland Senior PGA Championship at Maroochy River.
His 64 in the final round at Headland allowed him to close down a two-shot lead that Stolz, the joint winner at Twin Waters, held after the first five rounds.
The early series leader, Beerwah winner David Bransdon, was tied for the lead coming into the final day but dropped to fourth with a closing 68.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“It’s a great thrill to come up here and win two in a row. I must like this place,” Norris said.
“It was an amazing score from Terry to break his age. To be honest, I thought if I lose to Terry it’s quite fitting since he’d broken his age with a 61 but I’m happy to take the win.
“I was a bit jetlagged at Beerwah after coming back from Mauritius and ended up 6-over and 12 behind. Andre’s a great player, the Player of the Year on the Legends Tour, and it was good to tie with him in the overall series.
“I’ll definitely be back next year.”
Norris’s 2024 plans also include a return to the Staysure Legends Tour in Europe, as well as attempting to Monday qualify for some PGA TOUR Champions events in the US.
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-6: Jason Norris (68-64), Terry Price (71-61) – Norris won sudden-death playoff.
-5: Murray Lott (68-65); Martin Peterson (65-68)
-4: Brad Burns (68-66); Richard Gilkey (69-65); Andre Stolz (68-66)
SUNSHINE COAST SERIES
-20: Andre Stolz, Jason Norris
-18: Murray Lott
-15: David Bransdon
-13: Terry Price
-11: Brad Burns
-10: Brendan Chant
NEXT UP
Qualifying School stage one for the 2024 PGA Legends Tour will be held at Sandhurst in Melbourne’s south on January 9-10 with final stage at the same venue on January 11-12.
The 2024 Tour will kick off with eight events in New Zealand in January-February.
Jason Norris added the Queensland Senior PGA Championship to his growing list of achievements on the PGA Legends Tour with a dominant victory at Maroochy River Golf Club on the Sunshine Coast.
The winner of the Australian Senior PGA Championship in October, Norris (64-68) finished on an impressive 12-under-par total for the 36 holes to be three shots ahead of new PGA TOUR Champions member David Bransdon (69-67).
It was the fifth victory of the year, and eighth overall, for Norris on the PGA Legends Tour as he finishes off a busy 2023 which has also seen him compete on the Staysure Legends Tour in Europe, where he had three top-10s, and the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
The shot of the tournament, the third leg of the Sunshine Coast Series, came from Queensland’s Richard Backwell who aced the par-3 12th hole on day two, holing out from 135 metres with an eight-iron.
HOW THE VICTORY UNFOLDED
Norris had visions of shooting his first 59 in competition when he was an incredible 10-under-par after 14 holes in his opening day 64 at Maroochy River.
Starting on the 12th, the 51-year-old birdied his opening four holes and then produced another streak of four in a row from the 4th to the 7th.
Bogeys on the 9th and 11th ruined the 59 chances but still left the Victorian with a two-shot overnight lead over Paul Gow and Marcus Cain.
A front nine of 31 in windy conditions sealed the win on day two where the only bogey of his round came at the short par-4 15th.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“It was just amazing golf,” Norris said of his opening day 64.
“The putts went in, the drives went straight and my irons were good. It doesn’t happen often so you take it while you get it.
“I started really well again today which was nice but the putts didn’t go in on the back nine.
“I’m a score looker, I like looking at scores, and there were a couple of guys coming closer so I felt a bit of pressure which was nice.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-12: Jason Norris (64-68)
-9: David Bransdon (69-67)
-7: Mark Boulton (69-68)
-6: Terry Price (69-69), Murray Lott (68-70)
-5: Paul Gow (66-73)
NEXT UP
The Sunshine Coast Series reaches its finale with the Living Choice Australian Legends Tour Championship at Headland Golf Club on Wednesday and Thursday. The 36-hole event has a $30,000 prize purse with Norris as the defending champion.
Photo: Jason Norris with his son Bailey at Maroochy River
Rookie professional Toby Walker clinched the final event for 2023 in the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series, firing a 7-under 65 to claim a three-shot win in The Middle of Everywhere Yarram Pro-Am on Saturday.
Eagles on two short par-4s were the highlight of Walker’s bogey-free round which left Ryan Haywood (68) and Alex Edge (69) to fill the minor placings on the last leg of the Gippsland swing.
It was the second win on the pro-am circuit for Walker, who turned professional earlier this year after a win as an amateur in the Tasmanian Open and broke through in the Emu Park Pro-Am in Queensland in June. Ironically, his round that day also featured two eagles.
He’s heading back north to work on his game with new coach, John Wright, on the Sunshine Coast before getting set for 2024.
“I’ll play the Tour season out and as many pro-ams as I can. Looking forward to it,” he said of his New Year plans.
HOW THE WINNING SCORE UNFOLDED
Beginning his round on the fifth hole, a par-five which be birdied to make a fast start, Walker was -4 after his opening five holes, including a two on the 256m par-4 ninth. Walker’s back nine featured eight pars and a birdie before he posted a second eagle on the 278m par-4 third.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I hit driver very well on the holes that I needed to, holed some nice putts and had two eagles which definitely helps,” Walker, from the Heritage Golf and Country Club, said.
“It’s always fun when you have a bogey-free round.
“Golf is what I want to do for life, but this playing (for a living) it’s not easy. We’ll keep going.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-7 (65): Toby Walker
-4 (68): Ryan Haywood
-3 (69): Alex Edge
-2 (70): Alexander Simpson
NEXT UP
After the Christmas-New Year break, a stacked field will contest the $40,000 Peninsula Southeby’s Portsea Celebrity Pro-Am on January 3. Peter Wilson is the defending champion, with the likes of Austin Bautista, Andrew Martin, Tom Power Horan and Lachlan Barker in the field.
They played against each other as trainees, won the same PGA TOUR event in Las Vegas and now Rod Pampling and Andre Stolz have finished joint winners at the 2023 Sunshine Coast Masters.
One of the most popular events on the PGA Legends Tour circuit attracted a host of iconic names within Australian golf, Twin Waters Golf Club offering pristine playing surfaces in which to showcase their skills.
Stolz and Sanctuary Cove Legends Pro-Am winner Brad Burns shared the lead after day one with matching rounds of 5-under 67, one shot clear of Jason Norris.
A winner in his first start at Noosa, Pampling began the second round two shots off the pace but produced a brilliant 7-under 65 with a grandstand finish to match Stolz’s two-round total of 10-under par.
“It’s always great to be back up here and playing the course and seeing the old guys,” said Pampling, a two-time winner on the PGA TOUR Champions in the US.
“Obviously Andre has been the champion here for a few years so it was nice to tie him.
“It’s good fun just to see everyone. It’s more catching up with the old boys and having fun. Obviously the golf is good which is a bonus.”
Stolz joked that he’d be happy to see Pampling return to Texas given his recent form but was thrilled to have the Queenslander back playing on home soil.
“We played together at Robina Woods when we were trainees – I might have been a year ahead of him – so I’ve known him for a long time,” said Stolz.
“It’s great to see him having a great career and winning again on the Champions Tour this year and great to have him back here playing.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
For much of the second round Stolz seemed on course for a successful defence of his 2022 title.
He holed a bunker shot for birdie after missing the green left at the par-3 17th and stood on the 18th tee with a two-stroke lead.
As Stolz plotted what he thought would be a tournament-winning par, Pampling threw a final Hail Mary.
He lasered a brilliant second shot into just a few feet to set up eagle for the second straight day to tie Stolz at 10-under.
Pampling had a chance to win outright at his final hole – the par-5 first – but would have to settle for par and a shared victory.
Stolz and Pampling finished two shots clear of Norris (68) with Burns (72), Brendan Chant (70) and Murray Lott (69) tied for fourth three shots further back.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
Andre Stolz: “I checked the leaderboard walking to the 18th tee. I’d forgotten what hole Rod was on so I checked the leaderboard and I was two in front. Two minutes later I check again and see that Rod has made eagle.
“I thought the course was playing fantastic, as it usually does. I’ve been lucky enough to play here a lot over the past couple of years so if I’ve half figured out the greens. I don’t think I’ve fully figured them out yet.
“Played pretty nice the past two days which was good because I’ve been struggling with my striking a little bit.”
Rod Pampling: “I needed something special to happen. I didn’t realise that Andre had made birdie on 17 but it was a good number and it came out perfect.
“It was just one of those shots that landed and rolled up nice and close which made it a comfortable putt to tap in.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 Andre Stolz 67-67—134
T1 Rod Pampling 69-65—134
3 Jason Norris 68-68—136
T4 Brad Burns 67-72—139
T4 Brendan Chant 69-70—139
T4 Murray Lott 70-69—139
NEXT UP
The Sunshine Coast Series moves to Maroochy River on Sunday for the 36-hole Queensland Senior PGA Championship to be followed by the season-ending Living Choice Australian Legends Tour Championship at Headland Golf Course from December 20-21.
