Stephenson claims wire-to-wire win at Qld PGA Associate Championship

Damon Stephenson is the new Zigrete Queensland PGA Associates champion after a rollercoaster final day at Windaroo Lakes.

The leader after all three rounds, building on his gap to his nearest challengers each day, Stephenson surrendered a four-shot advantage early in the final round before rallying on the back nine to score a one-shot victory – his first in a four-round professional event.

A second year associate pro at nearby Gainsborough Greens Golf Club, Stephenson finished at 8-under-par for the tournament after his closing 3-over-par 76, holing a curling three-metre par putt on the final hole to see off ACT’s Lachlan Chamberlain (73) by a single shot.

Drew Herbert’s best of the day 6-under-par 67 moved him into outright third place, two back.

Stephenson’s hard-earned four-shot overnight lead disappeared within six holes today thanks to a double-bogey and two bogeys and a charge from former champion Jack Wright who went 4-under-par through the same stretch.

“I went out with a four-shot lead, not being complacent at all, but it disappeared really quickly and then it was a mental reset,” Stephenson said.

“It was like ‘okay, we’re tied for the lead. How do we approach this now’?”

While Wright, who had started the day seven behind, fell away on the back nine, Stephenson showed great resilience to birdie 10, 12 and 13 to regain his advantage.

Chamberlain moved back in touch thanks to an eagle on 16 and had a real chance to force a playoff when the leader bogeyed the 17th to see his margin cut to one and then missed the final green with his approach shot.

“I was reading the putt (to win) and I could feel myself getting emotional about it, thinking about making it,” Stephenson said.

“I had to snap back and realise you’ve just got to hit a good putt here. You’ve still got to make it, otherwise you’re going to a playoff.

“I got back in the present and just read it perfectly. It was lightning fast, broke about three cups and it went right in the heart. It was awesome.”

Next on his target list – a bottle of celebratory red wine with his father and maybe a late start at work at tomorrow.

With the support of Brisbane-based concreting company Zigcrete, this year’s championship boasted minimum total prize money of $47,500 and has become one of the most prestigious tournaments for those on the path to becoming a PGA Professional.

Leaderboard

1 Damon Stephenson 74-69-72-76 (284)

2 Lachlan Chamberlain 69-70-73-73 (285)

3 Drew Herbert 72-71-76-67 (286)

T4 Dylan Knox 73-70-69-76 (288)

T4 Justin Morley 71-74-73-70 (288)

6 Jack Wright 70-72-73-75 (290)

T7Jordan Rooke 79-69-71-73 (292)

T7 Campbell Jones 73-75-74-70 (292)

T9 Conor Whitelock 69-77-70-79 (295)

T9 Samuel Reece 74-74-73-75 (295)

Damon Stephenson is one round away from completing an all-the-way victory in the 2025 Zigcrete QLD PGA Associate Championship at Windaroo Lakes.

The leader by two shots following round one and three shots after round two, Stephenson will take a four-stroke lead into Thursday’s final round after shooting a 1-under-par 72 today.

His nearest challengers are fellow Queenslander Dylan Knox, whose 69 was the best score in round three, and ACT’s Lachlan Chamberlain who lost ground with his 73.

Chasing his biggest win as a professional, Stephenson’s steady third round included two birdies and the solitary bogey to move him to 11-under for the tournament.

“I’m in a good position,” the Gainsborough Greens associate professional said.

“I just need to execute my game plan, stick to my process and do what I’ve been doing and hopefully that’s good enough at the end of the week.

“Nothing’s going to change in terms of prep. Just go home, recover, rest up and a bit of a later tee time so a bit more sleep and get back out here tomorrow.”

Knox made his move with a back nine of 4-under 33. After being six shots behind Stephenson following round one, he has four to make up on the final day.

“I was just giving myself a lot of birdie looks and chances and that’s all I can really ask for out there, Knox, a third year associate from Indooroopilly Golf Club, said.

“I’ve really got to compliment my iron play. That’s something I’ve been working pretty hard on and I’m really happy with it.”

With the support of Brisbane-based concreting company Zigcrete, this year’s championship boasts minimum total prize money of $47,500 and has become one of the most prestigious tournaments for those on the path to becoming a PGA Professional.

Leaderboard

1 Damon Stephenson 74-69-72 (208)

T2 Dylan Knox 73-70-69 (212)

T2 Lachlan Chamberlain 69-70-73 (212)

T4 Jack Wright 70-72-73 (215)

T4 Beau Lavery 69-71-75 (215)

6 Conor Whitelock 69-77-70 (216)

7 Justin Morley 71-74-73 (218)

T8 Jordan Rooke 79-69-71 (219)

T8 Drew Herbert 72-71-76 (219)

For the second straight year, Damon Stephenson is the 36-hole leader at the Zigcrete QLD PGA Associate Championship at Windaroo Lakes.

The associate professional at nearby Gainsborough Greens followed up his opening round 67 with a 69 today to be 10-under-par for the tournament, three shots clear of ACT’s Lachlan Chamberlain (69-70).

In last year’s event, Stephenson led by four at the halfway mark before eventually finishing third.

“Everything’s in a good spot,” the 32-year-old said.

“Head feels good, swing feels good. Last year was last year, this year’s this year so it is just going to be about staying present, staying patient and just trying to execute my game plan.”

Stephenson has had 13 birdies throughout the first two rounds but noted the par-5s at Windaroo had not been as gettable as they were in this championship last October.

“A lot of the fives, which were probably iron into last year, are now either a 3-iron hybrid or a 3-wood,” he said.

“It’s more about leaving those approaches in the right spot around the greens to give yourself an easy up and down.”

Chamberlain, with top-10s on his record from both the NSW and Victoria Associate Championships, is on his first visit to Windaroo Lakes but has shown he will be a threat over the final two rounds.

“It’s my first time seeing the course and I’m enjoying it,” he said.

“Getting used to the grain has been a little bit tricky coming from Canberra so that’s been a bit of an adjustment.”

The big move in the second round came from Jordan Rooke who followed an opening 79 with a 4-under-par 69 to climb to a share of 13th place.

Leaderboard

1 Damon Stephenson – 67-69 (136)

2 Lachlan Chamberlain – 69-70 (139)

3 Beau Lavery – 69-71 (140)

4 Jack Wright – 70-72 (142)

T5 Drew Herbert – 72-71 (143)

T5 Dylan Knox – 73-70 (143)

T7 Bronson White – 69-76 (145)

T7 Justin Morley – 71-74 (145)

T7 Minami Inoue – 75-70 (146)

The same 10 Aussie professionals feature in this week’s Australian Golf Power Rankings list with Hannah Green and Marc Leishman the notable improvers as we hit the middle of majors season.

On the outside looking in as some big events loom on the schedules of the elite tours are the likes of Cam Davis, Cam Smith, Grace Kim and Gabi Ruffels.

10. Elvis Smylie (Last week: 8)

After playing all four rounds in a major for the first time in his career at the PGA Championship, Smylie unfortunately missed the cut in the DP World Tour event in Austria and now sits 21st in the Race to Dubai standings.

9. Adam Scott (9)

Majors are on Scott’s mind with the US Open and The Open coming up. He had a horror first round at The Memorial, but fought back to finish T31, his fourth made cut in a row since The Masters.

8. Jason Day (6)

Day had to miss out on The Memorial due to soreness in his left wrist. He’s had just two top-25 finishes in 15 starts and won’t be seen in action again until the US Open next week.

7. Marc Leishman (10)

The LIV Golf Miami champion will be in a confident mood at LIV Golf Virginia, the closest Leishman gets to a home game, after he came through US Open Qualifying to reach his first major since 2022.

6. Minjee Lee (7)

Lee was thereabouts on the US Women’s Open at Erin Hills before sliding in the final round, eventually finishing T22. She’s only finished outside the top 25 twice this season.

5. Stephanie Kyriacou (4)

Coming off the back of T5 and T6 finishes in her previous two starts, the Sydneysider would have been hopeful of challenging at the US Women’s Open. However she missed the cut by three after rounds of 74-75.

4. Min Woo Lee (3)

The Texas Children’s Houston Open champion had another so-so week at The Memorial, finishing in equal 49th. He’s been outside the top 40 in each of his last four events since that breakthrough win.

3. Hannah Green (5)

It was a steady US Women’s Open performance from Australia’s highest ranked golfer. She tied for 12th which was nice improvement on her missed cut at the previous women’s major, the Chevron.

2. Karl Vilips (2)

The PGA Tour rookie, 65th in the FedEx Cp standings, unfortunately missed out on qualifying for the US Open today. He’s back in action at the Canadian Open this week after almost jagging a top-10 finish at The Colonial.

1. Lucas Herbert (1)

A rare setback for our No.1 this week, missing out on qualifying for the US Open. His last tournament appearance was a sixth career win at the International Series Japan on the Asian Tour. Boasts three top-five finishes on LIV Golf this season and will be one of the favourites this week in Virginia.

The Australian Golf Power Rankings is a subjective list developed with input from members of the Australian Golf media team.

Opting for a late change of mind with his putter proved to be a good decision for Damon Stephenson who leads the 2025 Zigcrete QLD PGA Associate Championship by two shots after day one at Windaroo Lakes Golf Course.

Stephenson shot a 6-under-par 67 to lead a group of five players following a round that featured eight birdies, the leader revealing post-round the thinking behind his equipment switch the night before the opening round.

“I’ve been tossing up between two putters this week. I had the Scotty Cameron and the L.A.B. which I’ve been using for about eight months,” Stephenson said.

“I played the practice round with the Scotty yesterday and then woke up this morning and said ‘nah, put the L.A.B. in’. It was a pretty last-minute thing, but I just went back to what was comfortable and putted pretty well for most of the day.”

Based at nearby Gainsborough Greens, Stephenson caught fire on the front nine, with birdies at the third, fourth, sixth, seventh and ninth to turn in just 31 shots.

His back nine started with a couple of bogeys but three birdies in a row from the 13th hole ensured the 32-year-old would be the overnight leader.

“It was relatively stress-free. Obviously pretty good scoring conditions today with no wind and pretty soft,” Stephenson said.

While the Queensland PGA Associates Championships has been dominated by players from the south-east corner of the state, Beau Lavery, from Rowes Bay Golf Club in Townsville, is flying the flag for the northerners.

He is part of the group of four players at 4-under-par following a round that was highlighted by an eagle at the par-5 12th.

Also firing 69s on day one were Bronson White (Noosa), Conor Whitelock (Brisbane), and Lachlan Chamberlain (Gold Creek).

The second round gets underway at 7am Tuesday.

Leaderboard

67: Damon Stephenson

69: Bronson White, Conor Whitelock, Beau Lavery, Lachlan Chamberlain

70: Jack Wright, Caerwyn Ross, Kane Whitelock

71: Justin Morley

Without the benefit of a full practice round as he rested a back issue, Australia’s Cameron Percy has grabbed the first-round lead at the US Senior PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club.

A 5-under-par 67 in Maryland gave Percy a one-shot margin over South Africa’s Keith Horne as he attempts to win his first over-50s major.

Percy revealed post-round that his physiotherapist had advised him to rest pre-tournament, restricting his preparation to a full course walk around Congressional with his caddie, and playing nine holes in the rain on Wednesday.

“On Sunday, it was so wet and I slipped on a rock and made a mess of myself,” the Victorian said.

“I’ve been in the physio Monday, Tuesday for a good hour, hour-and-a-half and then yesterday for another hour. I’m pretty sore right now.

“I didn’t have a practice round, so I was still trying to work out where to go on the course and that, so it was pretty tricky.

“In the weather we had today, I’m pretty happy with a 5-under. It was nasty out there for a while.”

Percy’s bogey-free round was highlighted by an eagle at the par-5 sixth, his 15th hole of the day, where his 4-iron approach finished inside a metre from the cup.

He then moved past Horne into the outright lead with a birdie at the par-4 eighth.

Percy admitted post-round it was the remarkable start by his playing partner, Denmark’s Soren Keldsen, that had helped him to his lead.

“I was really just trying to keep up with Soren. He started incredible,” Percy said.

“He started eagle-birdie-birdie, and could have birdied a few more holes.

“He sort of dragged me along to start with. He was playing so nicely, it definitely helped.”

The next best Australians are Stuart Appleby and Scott Hend, who are in a big group tied for seventh at 2-under-par.

Appleby, who had five birdies in his round, was 3-under before he dropped a shot at the closing hole, while Hend picked up four birdies mixed in with two bogeys on the back nine.

The Senior PGA Championship will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo, starting at 3am on Friday and Saturday and 5am Sunday and Monday.

Australasian scores

1 Cameron Percy 67

T7 Stuart Appleby 70

T7 Scott Hend 70

T24 Brendan Jones 71

T24 Richard Green 71

T24 Mark Hensby 71

T35 David Bransdon 72

T35 Rod Pampling 72

T35 Mick Smith 72

T48 Andre Stolz 73

T71 Michael Wright 75

T71 Steven Alker 75

T107 Michael Campbell 77

Photo: PGA of America

Close to six million Australians volunteer their time within local communities across the country, helping to create stronger and healthier environments, and this National Volunteer Week we celebrate those who donate their time to golf.

Volunteers are the lifeblood of Australian Golf, with around 30,000 donating their time and skills to ensure that our sport can be enjoyed by the 3.8 million Australians who played golf in the past year.

More than 1600 volunteers helped deliver successful Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and WPGA Tour of Australasia seasons this summer.

There were also more than 50 volunteers who assisted at professional and elite amateur events as Tournament Support Officials, helping with refereeing, registration, course set-up, and more.

With more than 30 professional events this past summer, volunteers were required across the country, and they answered the call at every stop.

Volunteers are the backbone of Australian Golf and the success and growth of our sport would not be possible without them.

Golf Australia, the PGA of Australia and the WPGA Tour of Australasia would like to say, “Three Cheers For Volunteers!”

The PGA Legends Tour is proud to announce Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Australia as its official charity partner

Since opening its first House in Australia in 1981, RMHC has provided vital support to families with ill or injured children.

In 2024 alone, RMHC supported more than 69,000 families across the country with accommodation and other essential services that ease the burden during some of life’s most difficult moments.

This partnership will see funds raised at PGA Legends Tour events go directly towards supporting families staying at Ronald McDonald Houses nationwide. Many of these families are in towns and cities featured on the PGA Legends Tour schedule, strengthening the local impact of this initiative.

The PGA Legends Tour players will donate a percentage of total prizemoney to RMHC and encourage its host venues to promote the charity and take donations on the day of events.

PGA Legends Tour co-ordinator Andy Rogers said the Tour and its members were delighted to welcome RMHC as its charity partner.

“It’s a privilege to team up with partner with RMHC Australia, a charity that plays a crucial role in the lives of so many Australian families,” he said.

“Our members are passionate about giving back, and this partnership allows us to make a real difference to families going through unimaginable challenges.

“As we travel the country, we constantly hear first-hand how RMHC has helped families stay together and close to their child’s healthcare needs. It’s a meaningful connection for us, and we’re proud to support their work through our events”

Barbara Ryan, CEO of RMHC Australia, welcomed the partnership and praised the PGA Legends Tour’s commitment

“We are thrilled to partner with the PGA Legends Tour,” she said. “Their support will directly help us continue to provide essential support to families during their most challenging times.

“Together, we can ensure that families can stay close to their children and focused on what matters most – their health and recovery.”

This partnership reflects a shared mission to improve health outcomes and support families across Australia, uniting sport and charity for a cause that touches thousands of lives each year.

Back-to-back weeks of senior major championships will see 12 Aussies and two Kiwis tee it up in the 2025 Senior PGA Championship at famed Congressional Country Club.

Host to the US Open in 1964, 1997 and 2011, Congressional was chosen by the PGA of America to host eight championships across two decades, the first being the 2022 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship won by In Gee Chun.

A week after Michael Wright’s eighth-place finish led the Aussie contingent at the Regions Tradition, Brendan Jones, Scott Hend, Andre Stolz and Wisconsin-based PGA Professional Mick Smith, who qualified for a second consecutive Senior PGA Championship by finishing tied for 13th at the 2024 Senior PGA Professional Championship.

A 15-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour and a PGA TOUR Champions rookie in 2025, this week represents a senior major championship debut for Jones.

He has made five starts on the Champions Tour this season to date, his best finish a tie for 19th at the Hoag Classic.

Battling injury and illness playing on the Asian Tour last year, Jones saw an opportunity to join the seniors circuit in the US that he hadn’t seriously contemplated previously.

“I was injured, I was sick, and then you get to 50 and go, well, this is too hard, going to some of these countries that I’m going to,” conceded Jones, who earned his Champions Tour card at Qualifying School late last year.

“The Japan Seniors is always a fallback for me, but I just thought now’s the time to do something that I probably didn’t see myself doing.

“It’s exciting again. Getting beat up by those young kids on tour, it’s not a lot of fun when you’ve been one of those guys beating up on the young kids.

“Back when I was playing my best golf, every tournament that I turned up to, I felt that I was going to be competitive and I just haven’t had that feeling the last year or so.

“I’m going to be playing with the guys that I watched on TV growing up, which is going to be pretty cool.”

As the reigning PGA Legends Tour Order of Merit winner, Andre Stolz

Details

Senior PGA Championship
Congressional Country Club, Bethesda, Maryland
Past champion: Richard Bland
Past Aussie winners: Peter Thomson (1984)
Prize money: $US3.5m
TV times: Live 3am-6am Friday on Fox Sports 505; Live 3:15am-6am Saturday on Fox Sports 506; Live 5am-8am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.

Australasians in the field

Steven Alker (NZ)
Previous appearances: 2 (2022-2023)
Best finish: 1st (2022)
Last start: T5 in 2023
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 9

Best finish in a senior major: Won, 2022 Senior PGA

Robert Allenby

Previous appearances: 1 (2022)
Best finish: MC (2022)
Last start: MC in 2022
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 0

Best finish in a senior major: 62nd, 2022 Regions Tradition

Stuart Appleby
Previous appearances: 3 (2022-2024)
Best finish: T14 (2024)
Last start: T14 in 2024
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 0

Best finish in a senior major: T3, 2022 Regions Tradition

David Bransdon
Previous appearances: 1 (2024)
Best finish: MC (2024)
Last start: MC in 2024
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 0

Best finish in a senior major: T38, 2025 Regions Tradition

Michael Campbell (NZ)

Previous appearances: 3 (2019, 2022-2023)
Best finish: T55 (2022)
Last start: MC in 2023
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 0

Best finish in a senior major: T41, 2023 Senior Open

Richard Green
Previous appearances: 3 (2022-2024)
Best finish: 2nd (2024)
Last start: 2nd in 2024
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 0

Best finish in a senior major: 2nd, 2024 Senior PGA and 2024 Senior Open

Scott Hend

Previous appearances: 1 (2024)
Best finish: T4 (2024)
Last start: T4 in 2024
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 0

Best finish in a senior major: T4, 2024 Senior PGA

Mark Hensby
Previous appearances: 3 (2022-2024)
Best finish: T8 (2022)
Last start: T67 in 2024
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 1

Best finish in a senior major: 3rd, 2022 US Senior Open

Brendan Jones

Previous appearances: 0
Best finish: N/A
Last start: N/A
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 0

Best finish in a senior major: First start

Rod Pampling
Previous appearances: 4 (2021-2024)
Best finish: T20 (2021)
Last start: MC in 2024
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 2
Best finish in a senior major: T3, 2022 Regions Tradition

Cameron Percy
Previous appearances: 1 (2024)
Best finish: T21 (2024)
Last start: T21 in 2024
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 0
Best finish in a senior major: T11, 2024 Kaulig Companies Championship

Mick Smith
Previous appearances: 1 (2024)
Best finish: T75 (2024)
Last start: T75 in 2024
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 0
Best finish in a senior major: T75, 2024 Senior PGA

Andre Stolz
Previous appearances: 1 (2023)
Best finish: MC (2023)
Last start: MC in 2023
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 0
Best finish in a senior major: MC, 2023 Senior PGA

Michael Wright
Previous appearances: 1 (2024)
Best finish: T17 (2024)
Last start: T17 in 2024
PGA TOUR Champions wins: 0
Best finish in a senior major: T7, 2024 Kaulig Companies Championship

A birdie-birdie finish secured Victorian Richard Green a one-stroke lead at the halfway mark of the Regions Tradition at Greystone Golf and Country Club in Alabama.

Tasked with following a sublime 9-under 63 in Round 1 that matched the low round in tournament history, the Aussie left-hander struggled to convert birdie opportunities for much of Round 2 before a final flurry yielded a round of 4-under 68 and 13-under total through 36 holes.

That is a new 36-hole low since the tournament moved to Greystone in 2016 and gives the 54-year-old a one-shot advantage from Kiwi Steven Alker (67) who, in turn, has a three-stroke buffer from YE Yang (68), Chris DiMarco (65) and Alex Cjeka (69).

Green was 10-under for the championship when he birdied the par-3 10th to start day two but bogeys at 12 and 14 either side of a birdie on 13 brought him back to even par for the day.

Three straight birdies from the ninth hole saw Green return to the top of the leaderboard before taking another step back with a dropped shot at the par-4 sixth.

A silky approach to three feet set up a birdie at the par-4 eighth and then Green finally got a putt to fall on nine from 30 feet.

“It felt a little bit like probably what I should have got out of the day,” Green said of his closing birdies.

“I hit a lot of great iron shots and set up a lot of birdie chances and just missed them all.

“They’re a bit tricky, some of the reads today, so I was pleased to have finished well.”

A runner-up on the PGA TOUR Champions six times, Green is poised yet again to be in contention deep into Sunday.

Admitting that he was unlikely to match his score from Round 1, the three-time DP World Tour winner was content to continue to play well.

“It’s just the law of averages really, with the amount of times you actually do shoot blinding rounds of golf like that,” Green added.

“It’s rare to do that, and then to come and try to do it again, it’s hard to do mentally.

“It’s possible, it’s always possible, but law of averages say otherwise, don’t they.

“I’m happy to have gone out and had a few birdies still and set up a lot of chances. Lots of good signs.”

A frustrating day on the greens saw Greg Chalmers (71) drop outside the top 10 and into a tie for 13th at 6-under, Cameron Percy tied for 18th at 5-under after a round of 3-under 69.

David Bransdon (71) is in a tie for 26th through two rounds and Steve Allan (68) and Michael Wright (71) are tied 32nd heading into the weekend.

Photo: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

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