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Kiwi Daniel Hiller will enter the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sports, starting on Thursday, with some advice from his countryās No.1 menās golfer firmly in his mind.
While Ryan Fox is unable to be at Millbrook Resort as he commits to his first full year on the PGA TOUR, his influence remains strong with young New Zealanders such as Hillier, a winner on the DP World Tour for the first time in 2023 at the British Masters.
Foxās tip to Hillier is simple and current for any week on tour ā donāt change anything in his game to suit the golf course, no matter how spectacular the setting.
āThere will be golf courses out there that suit me more than the others,ā Hillier, the world No.150, said.
āI have played pretty well here in the past so if I play my game, and have a solid plan that I can trust and execute, hopefully you will see my name near the top of the leaderboard.ā
In four starts on the DP World Tour in 2004, Hillier has made three cuts with a best finish of T23 at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship.
He was equal 12th in his home open last year, five shots behind the winner, Brendan Jones, after shooting four rounds in the 60s.
āMy form has been OK. I havenāt played my best stuff for the first part of the year,ā he said at todayās pre-tournament media conference.
āI know there is a long year ahead so I am not too fazed how the year has started. It would be nice for everything to click this week as it is obviously an exciting week ahead.
āThe course is pure as always which is great. The rough is up a little bit but I did not spend much time in it today so hopefully I can keep that up.ā
Hillier was part of an interesting practice group pairing on Tuesday, joining rookie Kazuma Kobori who has already claimed three Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia victories this year to lead the Order of Merit and have one hand on a 2024/25 DP World Tour card.
āHe is really impressive to watch and you can see why he has done so well in Aussie this year,ā Hillier said of his countryman.
āYou can see he wants to get his hands on the trophy as well. Iām playing the first two rounds with him as well so we will be seeing a bit of each other.ā
The star NZ duo will be on the Remarkables course on Thursday morning followed by the Coronet layout on Friday afternoon.
Photo: Daniel Hillier at the 2023 NZ Open presented by Sky Sports. Credit: Hannah Peters/Getty Images
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.
US-based Kiwi golfer Tim Wilkinson is on a voyage into the unknown when he tees off in the 103rd New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport at Millbrook Resort in Queenstown this week.
The 45-year-old left-hander is making a return to the game after more than two years out following injury and surgery, choosing to make his competitive return at the New Zealand Open, a co-sanctioned event with the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and the Asian Tour, in partnership with the Japan Golf Tour.
Wilkinson, a former leading amateur, turned professional two decades ago, joining the Nationwide Tour in 2005 and progressing to the PGA Tour in 2008, where he had a meteoric start, finishing third in the Zurich Classic and runner-up in the Texas Open.
The Florida-based Kiwi, who has mixed his professional life on the PGA and Korn Ferry Tours, has been hampered by injuries that have tested his resolve.
His knee issues have been the most debilitating, rendering him unable to swing or workout without pain, choosing to get a full repair done, which has required extended time out. Worse, his surgery was delayed five months because of a covid spike in his home city of Jacksonville.
āIāve lost a lot of muscle and strained an abductor which caused a lot of inflammation for a long time. And thereās no muscle regrowth nor mobility,ā said Wilkinson, who has always prided himself on his fitness regime.
āIāve worked hard on recovery although I still do not have full mobility back by any means. But I need to get going if I want to keep playing. I can do regular activities but not hit balls to the amount required.
āComing back to the New Zealand Open was an opportunity to come home ā itās been five years ā and an opportunity to play competitively.ā
He has not contested the New Zealand Open since 2019 and he was tied for 11th 2018.
Wilkinson has not played the revamped and extended Millbrook Resort course, and is putting no pressure on himself next week.
āI could be pushing it slightly but I just have no idea how I am going to play. I can hit all the balls I want but until I tee it up in a tournament, I have no idea. It will be a good baseline to see how I am playing.
āāFour rounds in the 60s would be good. Play solidly and be composed but I am not getting ahead of myself. But the drive is still there to play at the highest level.āā
Wilkinson will be among the field of 156 players who will all be looking to claim their share of the $2m NZD prize purse in the 103rd New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport which tees off on Ā Thursday at Millbrook Resort, Queenstown.
Live coverage will be available on Fox Sports via Foxtel and Kayo
For more information about the New Zealand Open please visit nzopen.com
A red-hot Peter Lonard produced the first round of 59 in PGA Legends Tour history to score a remarkable victory at the Moama Masters on Rich River Golf Clubās East Course on Friday.
The three-time Australian PGA champion and two-time Australian Open winner collected 12 birdies on his record-setting day and would have posted a 58 had he not bogeyed his final hole, the short par-3 ninth, where he found the greenside bunker.
Feeling some nerves in the moment, the 56-year-old holed a bogey putt from just inside two metres to break the magical 60 barrier for the first time in his career. He had two rounds of 60 more than two decades ago.
Lonardās great day out sent PGA Legends Tour officials searching through their records to establish whether he had become the first player to beat 60 in an over-50s professional event in Australia.
While there have been a number of 60s on a par-64 course and a 61 on a par-67 course, the check revealed that no-one had managed to achieve what Lonard had just completed.
After starting the second day nine shots behind the overnight lead after an opening 3-over 73, the Sydneysiderās 14-shot turnaround was enough to claim the 36-hole Masters by one stroke over John Onions, who closed with a 63 to finish on 7-under.
American Shaquill Mongol and Englandās Ben Jackson had a chance to draw level with Lonard at -8, but they both bogeyed their final hole to drop back to a share of third.
Simon Tooman produced another final-round highlight with a hole-in-one on the 145m eighth hole.
HOW THE WINNING SCORE UNFOLDED
Starting his day on the 10th tee, Lonard picked up six birdies in three groups of two on his first nine (holes 11-12, 14-15 and 17-18).
Another spurt of birdies, three in a row from the second to the fourth, moved him to 9-under-par for the day and he reached double-figures under-par with a three on the par-4 sixth.
Two more birdies on the seventh and eighth holes had him standing at 12-under for his round coming to the last.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
āIt was a bit of a day today,ā Lonard said.
āYesterday I was never playing again, giving up golf and getting a job and today all of a sudden Iām back, I love the game and everythingās happy.
āItās a funny game. Sometimes it gives it to you and sometimes it doesnāt.
āItās the first time Iāve had a 59. Iāve had a couple of other goes at it. I parred the last in Sao Paulo years ago for a 60 and at the Jack Newton Classic at Twin Waters (in 2002) I missed a putt for a 59.
āI didnāt think Iād get another chance of doing it. Itās a nice little thing to happen towards the end of my career I suppose.
āI was very happy to see that last putt go in.ā
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-8: Peter Lonard (73-59)
-7: John Onions (70-63)
-6: Shaquill Mongol (68-66); Murray Lott (66-68); Ben Jackson (64-70)
-5: Mark Boulton (65-70)
-4: Terry Price (70-66); Peter Senior (69-67)
NEXT UP
The Melbourne swing on the PGA Legends Tour gets underway with the Southern Golf Club Legends Pro-Am on Monday followed by Settlers Run (Tuesday), Albert Park (Thursday) and Gardiners Run (Friday).
The New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport has announced that two of the Asian Tour’s most talented players will tee it up at Millbrook Resort between February 29 and March 3.
Jazz Jannewattananond from Thailand and Hong Kongās Taichi Kho will both take to the fairways in Queenstown as part of the Asian Tour partnership. More than 40 Asian Tour players will compete at the New Zealand Open for ranking points towards the Asian Tourās Order of Merit.
Tournament Director Michael Glading is excited to have Jannewattananond and Kho as part of the field and believes both have the goods to take the title.
āJazz and Taichi are fantastic players and itās great to have them come and play in the New Zealand Open. We are quite excited to have them both headline the Asian Tour field,” he said.
āJazz has won seven times on the Asian Tour and is tied seventh for the most wins which shows his quality and ability. Weāre delighted to have Jazz return after his fourth place finish at the 100th New Zealand Open back in 2019. He is one to watch for sure.
āAnd in the last 12 months Taichi collected huge accolades including being the first Hong Kong player to win an Asian Tour event, the first golfer from Hong Kong to play in the Open Championship, and more recently was awarded theĀ Asian Tour Rookie of the Year. Taichi is clearly one of the most talented young players on tour.”
Newly married, Jannewattananond will be hoping to be amongst the top end of the field replicating the form that saw him come close to the New Zealand Open title back in 2019 where he claimed an outright fourth place, only three shots behind eventual winner Zach Murray.
Jannewattananond has been ranked as high as 38th in the world, earning him a place in theĀ 2020 Masters Tournament.
āHaving been to Queenstown before, Iām really looking forward to returning and this time will be extra special as Iāll be bringing my wife with me to experience one of the more beautiful places I have been to in the world,ā said Jannewattananond.
āI remember Millbrook from my time there in 2019. Itās a terrific course and the views are breathtaking. Letās hope I can make it into the winners circle as that would make for a fantastic second honeymoon.ā
Kho had his breakthrough year on the Asian Tour in 2023, finishing ninth on their Order of Merit. His 2023 year was highlighted by a win at the World City Championship in only his fourth start as a professional and becoming the first player from Hong Kong to win on the Asian Tour.
A graduate of Notre Dame University in the USA, he only secured his Asian Tour card last year, and is fast becoming one of the leading players in South East Asia.
āItās not my first time to Queenstown. I was the first alternative in 2023 and travelled down in the hope of getting to play, but didnāt get to start. Queenstown is very beautiful and was one of the most memorable places I have visited. To actually play it this year makes it even more special,ā said Kho.
These two Asian Tour stars will be joined by other prominent Asian Tour players like Travis Smyth (ranked #4 in 2023), New Zealandās own Ben Campbell (#5), Thai star Gunn Charoenkul (who ran sixth in the 2023 New Zealand Open) and American Berry Henson, who returns after a three year absence.
The 103rd New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport will take place at Millbrook Resort in Queenstown between February 29 and March 3, 2024.
For the third time this year, Kazuma Kobori ended a Sunday holding a Webex Players Series Trophy aloft, this time at Castle Hill Country Club after he emerged from a four-way tie for the lead after 54-holes.
Having had less than his best Saturday, Kobori was almost surprised to still hold a share of the Webex Players Series Sydney lead heading into the final round and steeled himself for a shoot-out that ended with a fairly comfortable trip into the clubhouse and a similarity with a legend of the game for the rising star.
Out in the second to last group alongside compatriot Kerry Mountcastle, Kobori birdied the par-3 2nd as his playing partner made bogey, with Harrison Crowe and Jenny Shin, the other two leaders, failing to convert birdie putts at the opening two holes.
At the uphill par-4 next, it was Mountcastle who threw the opening salvo when he holed out for an eagle two from 129 metres and caused Kobori some slight distress.
āIt was really good until he just made it on 3. So that got me a bit rattled to say the least, and then it was good early on, because we were kind of trading birdies, he kind of withered away a bit at the end,ā Kobori said of his playing partner.
The 22-year-old nearly had his own moment of magic at the par-3 4th when his bunker shot hit the flag, leaving a tap-in par. The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia rookie making four birdies in the next five holes to pull in front as the charge of Mountcastle subsided. Croweās own push failing to eventuate, while Shin and veteran Brendan Jones emerged as the most likely to spoil Koboriās hat-trick aspirations.
Turning at 23-under, Kobori would make just one more birdie at the par-4 13th, but was all but assured of the title when he tapped in for par at the 18th for a final round 66 and score of 24-under, with Shin the only player a chance to catch him after birdie at 17, her birdie at the last giving her second alone one back.
āSounds very good to me,ā Kobori said of the three-time Webex Players Series winner moniker. āIt was one of those days where early on it just didnāt really click, but I knew if I just stayed patient, things were going to go my way and they did so I am very grateful.ā
Also grateful was Jones, who although disappointed not to grab the trophy, believes his game and mind are in a good place for his 2024 season on the Asian Tour.
Finally working out his old home clubās front nine, including five straight birdies before the turn, Jonesā charge was halted by two back nine bogeys and missed birdie chances in just his second tournament after a six week break without touching a club.
āDid what I had to do on the front nine, then made a sloppy bogey on 10,ā Jones said during a summation of his final round.
āOverall, two weeks back, 22-under, going to come second or third, thatās a good start.ā
Noting her lack of sharpness, Shin was in good spirits as she hastily signed golf balls for some fans before departing for Thailand and the start of her LPGA Tour season. Her double bogey at the par-3 11th a key moment in her eventual second place.
āItās not too awful, I obviously didnāt know it was a mixed event with men, so I am pretty happy,ā Shin said.
Standing on the putting green watching Shinās attempt to draw level, Koboriās celebrations were fairly subdued, perhaps understandably for someone for whom winning has become a habit of late.
The former amateur star excited to learn his third win in his 10th start as a professional means he has the same win record as Tiger Woods at the same stage of his early life as a pro.
āSounds good,ā he said of hearing the statistic. āProbably need to get a few more wins under my belt, to be in the same conversation as that man, but it feels like I am on the right track.ā
The other professional track Kobori is following is that of fellow SPORTFIVE managed player David Micheluzzi, who like Kobori skipped chances as Tour schools in favour of chasing a DP World Tour card on his home Tour. A card Kobori is almost guaranteed of locking up from the Order of Merit, where he is currently in second with three cards on offer.
āI made a pretty bold call this year not playing Asian Tour Q School, instead committing to other Tours and stuff, so pretty happy with how itās going and then get my world ranking up and it would be pretty cool,ā said Kobori, who for the second time this year will receive bonus points on the Official World Golf Rankings for multiple wins in one year.
More bonus points on offer if he were to become a four-time Webex Players Series winner next week in the Hunter Valley at a tournament his sister, Momoka, lost in a play-off two years ago.
āFour in a row would be good, I will be taking Monday-Tuesday off for sure. Iāll be taking it pretty light, but I donāt think I need to change too much.ā
Also winning multiple Webex Players Series titles this year was Cameron Pollard who claimed a second All Abilities title for 2024, the New South Welshman finishing eight-over with an eight shot advantage over Lochie Smith.
āI have a lot of fun. Turning up playing golf, what more could you ask for. Winning especially is even better,ā he said.
Playing alongside Crowe and Shin in the final group, Royal Canberraās Harry Whitelock produced a mercurial performance to reach nine-under for two days and an 11 shot win over Rachel Lee in the Junior competition. The 16-year-old smiling ear-to-ear with father and caddie Steve after driving the par-4 16th green in front of a large crowd and going one better than last year at Bonnie Doon.
āIt was so much fun today, and yesterday. The pros I played with were awesome, they were so accommodating of me and they really looked after me. It was heaps of fun.ā
It was another day full of birdies at Castle Hill Country Club, as players threatened the 60 mark, but yet again it was the winner of the two previous 2024 Webex Players Series events, Kazuma Kobori, who will enter the weekend on top in Sydney.
After closing his opening round with seven straight birdies, the Kiwi was straight back into it with an eagle at the 1st hole on Friday. Kobori adding six more birdies to sign for a 64 and 15-under total.
The 22-year-old one clear of Kerry Mountcastle (65), Jenny Shin (67) and James Gibellini who had the round of the day, a 10-under 62, to make it a trio at 14-under.
āIt was probably a better round of golf to be honest,ā Kobori said.
āI stayed pretty patient for the most part out there, probably didnāt putt as good as yesterday on the stat sheet, but struck the ball really good. For most part had a pretty stress free round of golf.ā
To watch the now three-time Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia winner go about his business of late has been something of a putting clinic, with Kobori believing his work with the flatstick could prove an advantage over the weekend.
A weekend when a shoot-out is anticipated on a layout Kobori fell in love with the moment he entered the gates.
āI really enjoy this course,ā he said. āI walked up to the course I think it was Tuesday morning and you get courses where you just walk up and go āOkay, I kind of like this placeā.ā
Shin certainly had different feelings given she was unaware the Webex Players Series Sydney was a mixed event as she looks to prepare for her season on the LPGA Tour.
However, she was far more at ease in the format on Friday, even if she made her first bogeys of the week after what she described as a ābrain fartā at 13.
āWay better, felt like riding a bike, I kind of knew exactly what to expect, which is why I think I started off pretty well,ā Shin said comparing her 1st tee nerves from Thursday.
The Korean LPGA Tour winner chasing her first trophy since 2016 on Saturday and Sunday.
āI think a win is a win, and Iāve not won anything since 2016, so I donāt think it matters where I am, a win is always going to feel like the biggest accomplishment,ā she said.
Mountcastle has far more recent memories of a win after his triumph late last year at the Gippsland Super 6.
āIn a way it might have hindered me in terms of raising expectations, but then it also you know that you can go out and win,ā Mountcastle reflected.
āIt means that my good golf is good enough, itās just being able to do it a bit more often.ā
Gibelliniās expectations were also in an interesting place entering the week, having started 2024 with an optimistic mindset.
Missing the cut in two of three starts, Gibellini found magic on his back nine with five birdies in his last six holes for a career best 62 and share of second. A score perhaps more surprising given he is sleeping on the floor of a room packed with taxidermy.
āIf you look at Vic Open, I think I was third last, so I was kind of a bit worried that I thought my game was good after Christmas, but I was bit worried. But this has shored it up a bit,ā Gibellini said.
āI just thought, āKeep doing what youāre doing, keep giving yourself chancesā. Never really tried to push.ā
Perhaps less surprising was Justin Warren nearly matching the low round of the week. The New South Welshman signing for 63 after his birdie chip at his final hole of the day, the 9th, hit the pin and failed to drop and denied him a third 62 of the year.
Overnight co-leader Josh Armstrong is alongside Warren in a tie for fifth on 13-under, with home hope Daniel Gale lurking another shot back.
The low scores of the first two days giving the remainder of the chasing pack plenty of hope including Andrew Evans, Lincoln Tighe and Jeffrey Guan on 11-under, while Harrison Crowe was left with the unusual feeling of disappointment after an eight-under where he missed chances on his last five holes to sit in a six player group on 10-under.
Australia’s Harrison Endycott is relishing the opportunity to play around the world and is taking inspiration from Dylan Frittelliās recent success ahead of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
The DP World Tour returns to Doha Golf Club this week just over 100 days since the last staging of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, as the event enters its 27th year on the schedule.
Frittelli triumphed at last weekās Bahrain Championship presented by Bapco Energies and Endycott, who has similar playing rights to his South African counterpart, is hoping to follow in his footsteps to secure full privileges on the DP World Tour.
The 27-year-old Sydney native won on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2022 to earn a PGA TOUR card and will split his time between America and the DP World Tour in the 2024 season, which started with a tie for 16th in Manama last week.
“Itās great to be able to play over here on the DP World Tour,” Endycott said.
“I havenāt had a load of chances to play over here on this tour, but every time I have, Iāve really enjoyed it.
“Iād like to play a bit of both on my schedule this year. The way golf is, the States does get to some players, especially me, a bit repetitive, and to mix it up with another schedule, this is a global game and to be able to play around the world, itās all I dreamed of as a kid.
“Now Iām in that position where I get to play all around the world, see amazing places and play in all new cultures.
“Iām really excited for this year, Iām going to see all new places that I havenāt seen before and go back to some places that I have seen. Thatās whatās really exciting about 2024.ā
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
The WA Open, which will celebrate its 100th staging in 2024, has been locked in for October 17-20.
The WA Open will take place the week after the WA PGA Championship in Kalgoorlie and forms part of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasiaās Summer of Golf, which builds up to the Australian PGA Championship and Australian Open in November and December.
Mandurah Country Club will host the championship for the first time after GolfWA reached an agreement with Visit Mandurah and the City of Mandurah to bring the event to the Peel region after a 29-year hiatus. Meadow Springs Golf Club was the last club in the region to host the championship back in 1995.
This yearās event will offer a prize fund in excess of $175,000 and will be free for spectators to attend. Tasmanian Simon Hawkes is the defending champion after his thrilling victory at the 2023 WA Open at Joondalup Resort in October.
The WA Open was first staged in 1913 and has a star-studded roll of honour that includes Greg Norman, Gary Player, Terry Gale, Brett Rumford, Stephen Leaney and Curtis Luck.
Victoriaās 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 yearās Order of Merit.
Zunic, who ended up two shots in arrears following a 67 to be -16 overall, went birdie for birdie for Coletta ā 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 Melbourneās 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.
āThis was an 18-hole duel. Fortunately it was my day today,ā said the new champion, who admitted he was nervous last night thinking how about important this Sunday was to his professional career.
āThis is pretty big. Iām pretty emotional inside.
āI know Iām 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.
āHopefully I can continue the trend and roll the dice at the bigger events, the PGA and the Australian Open.
āThis was one of those times when it was my time I guess.ā
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.
āItās been a long time since Iāve been in that position. It was really enjoyable all day,ā Zunic said.
āI played well, but Brett just played better and holed a few more putts down the end there.
āI had my chances and unfortunately they just didnāt go for me.ā
In a menās 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 Queenslandās Jed Morgan who found the spark heās 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.
āThat round has been coming for a little while, probably a little over six months,ā Morgan said.
āIāve been working on some things. Thatās one round in the books.
āIt 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.
āIt was cool to keep pushing because I havenāt had the opportunity to do that for a little while.ā
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.
āI played nicely. Itās starting to come together, more than the first three days anyway,ā Kobori said.
āVery good vibes going into next week (at Webex Players Series Sydney).ā
After starting with back-to-back birdies, joint overnight leader Nick Vokeās 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 Zealandās 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 isnāt 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.
āItās always handy to have local knowledge on a few things and I think thatās what made me comfortable today,ā Martin said.
āIāve only been here three years but Iām here most days when Iām not away for a tournament.
āMe and the boys ā (fellow Tour pros) Josh Younger and Jack Murdoch ā if weāre home, weāll play most Wednesday and Saturday comps and my brother is here as well.
āItās one of the joys of coming down to the Coast from Melbourne and having this sort of lifestyle.ā
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.
āI 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,ā McBride said.
āThe 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.
āA win would be awesome.ā
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 NSWās 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, Greenās day was kickstarted by an eagle on the par-5 second hole.
āThis is a great lead-up for the rest of the year for me,ā 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.
āI 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.ā
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.
āI was pretty tired when I got back from Thailand and then played at Rosebud last week so Iāve been trying to manage my energy levels,ā Zunic said.
āIāve just been doing what Iāve had to and hopefully will get a week off soon.
āIām trying to enjoy myself, not too much pressure on myself which is what weāre all trying to do.
āItās nice to have a round like this one to build my confidence a little bit.ā
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.
āThe goal is to win the actual whole thing (the Order of Merit) and Iām going alright at the moment,ā Coletta said.
āA win out here is paramount really with the double points that are available. Thereās such a premium on our majors like this one.ā
Whartonās 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.
āIt was nice to hole a few putts. Itās been a long time coming,ā he said.
āI seem to hit every green in regulation every time I play and walk off with 34 putts.
āItās been nice today to see a few go in.ā
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
