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Veteran Marcus Fraser has survived a major scare in the second round of match play to claim the 2021 Gippsland Super 6 crown at Yallourn Golf Club.
Delivery of the trophy to his children Archie and Lily was Fraser’s first priority after edging Swiss rookie Alessandro Noseda by a stroke in the six-hole final but the possibility of victory looked unlikely after his first four holes of the day.
Having earned a first round bye due to finishing in the top eight of the 54-hole stroke play section, Fraser faced fellow Victorian Andrew Martin in the second round and found himself two-down with two holes to play.
When Martin double-bogeyed 17 Fraser capitalised with birdie to take a one stroke advantage to the final hole, following that up with wins over Josh Younger and Bryden Macpherson to earn a place in the final.
“There was a three-shot swing there and then we both parred the last,” Fraser recalled.
“That was a little bit unexpected. I was nearly packing my bags, two shots behind with two holes to go.
“I played great in my second match and then felt really comfortable out there.”
Fraser’s last win of note came at the European Tour’s Maybank Championship in Malaysia in 2016, the chance to share it with his family adding special significance to his latest win.
“I promised the kids they could see the trophy before they go to bed so I’ll do that,” said Fraser on his 90-minute journey back to Melbourne.
“They see all the ups and downs now of what I do so it’s nice to give them a little treat and bring them something home.
“Sometimes you’re crying out for a break but when it’s actually taken away from you and you can’t do it you actually realise how much you love doing what you do.
“COVID has probably taught a lot of us that once again. I genuinely love playing golf and it’s great to be back out on the course competing. That’s what we do. That’s our DNA, what we love doing.”
First win on Aussie soil since 2003 for Marcus Fraser 👏#GippslandSuper6 #PGATA #PGAProud pic.twitter.com/PxIiYEeL9p
— #ThePlayersSeries (@PGAofAustralia) January 25, 2021
A Swiss native who spent a year at Middle Tennessee State University and last year completed a Bachelor of International Business and Finance on the Gold Coast, Noseda had to get past Ben Eccles, Jason Norris, David Bransdon and Peter Cooke before meeting Fraser in the final.
Coached by 2016 PGA of Australia National Coach of the Year Richard Woodhouse with Italian European Tour legend Giuseppe Cali as a mentor, Noseda was disappointed to fall short in the final yet excited about the work he did through 2020 transferring to the golf course.
“Of course, I’m a little bit disappointed to not have been able to win it at the end but ‘Frase’ played very well, very solid,” said Noseda, whose entire family all contracted COVID in Switzerland and have all since recovered.
“I knew I was playing good, I had confidence. I knew I had practiced well and prepared well during the period of COVID. I felt confident and tried to win, that was my thought.”
In the playoff for third and fourth South Australian Peter Cooke fought back from two shots down to birdie the final three holes and pip Victorian Bryden Macpherson.
Currently undertaking his PGA bridging course so that he can teach at his home club of The Vines Golf Club of Reynella, Cooke credited his result to some help from fellow Aussie professionals.
“I was having some trouble with my clubs and I was chatting to Scott Arnold and he sent me his old ones to see if I’d like them,” Cooke said of putting Arnold’s back-up PING Blueprints in the bag.
“I tried them for a couple of days and they felt amazing so I put them straight in the bag. They performed beautifully.
“Then I played the pro-am on Wednesday with Terry Pilkadaris and he was helping me out with some wedge shots. I pitched the ball beautifully this week so I owe a little bit to Terry too for the tips he was giving me.”
A decade since his British Amateur Championship win, Macpherson recently returned to Australia from the United States unsure of what his tournament future looked like.
Without status on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, Macpherson has been working with former Australian Masters champion Brad Hughes since November 2019 and believes he is now on a path that has eluded him for the past 10 years.
“It’s never been more likely that I’m now in a position where I can play at a higher level more often. Of all the times in my golfing career, where I’m at now has the best chance to be that,” Macpherson explained.
“I read Hugo’s e-book a couple of times and then drove up to South Carolina from Florida and started this journey to try and understand my swing a little better and the golf swing a little bit better.
“I played great the first three rounds this morning and was pretty much in total control of what I was doing. I was a little disappointed that my form didn’t continue all the way through today but that’s just how it goes. Next time it will continue a little bit longer and then the time after that a little bit longer again.
“This is good for me. I have never had a golf tournament where I feel like I can control my ball for 72 holes… and stick to the same thing for 72 holes. That’s a huge thing for me because I’ve never had that.
“It’s good signs.”
It was a disappointing day for Deyen Lawson, the 54-hole leader falling in his first match of the day to Daniel Gale at the first extra hole. None of the top four stroke play qualifiers progressed through to the semi-finals.
The ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia now moves on to Rosebud Country Club for the inaugural event in The Players Series to be hosted by former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy.
The leaders and major movers share their thoughts on round three and preparing for Sunday’s match play knockout conclusion.
Deyen Lawson (70, No.1)
On his mindset in the third round
“The goal obviously was to finish in the top eight for the match play but I still wanted to have the best stroke play score, even though you don’t get anything for it. It’s always good to finish on top.”
On the mindset shift for the match play
“I’ve trying to feel that way every day but this time I actually am starting from scratch. Obviously being match play it’s a little bit different. You play your own game most of the time but then there are times where if they hit it in close or hit it in a position that isn’t good, sometimes par is good or sometimes you have to be really aggressive. Being six holes, anyone can win six holes. Just beat the person you’re playing each time rather than anything else.”
On adopting an aggressive mindset
“Sometimes you can be fortunate and play poorly but the other guy just plays worse or sometimes you can play really well and get beaten by someone playing better.”
On whether the bye is an advantage
“If you had to play the first round and you didn’t win it would be a huge advantage. The guy we’re going to be coming up against, the eight guys who get a bye, they’ve just had a win and have played the six holes we’re going to be playing. It’s good to have a bye but we’re going to be playing a guy who has just won and feeling confident and has just played the six holes. It’s an interesting one.”
On the dangerous players in Sunday’s format
“The guys who played just OK today and just scraped into the 24, they’re going into tomorrow feeling like they’re starting again. If there was a four-round tournament they’re not really going into tomorrow feeling like they can win. They’d be six shots back rather than all starting afresh. Guys like Tim who played well today, he’s going to be feeling good because not only did he get through but he’s not actually five back anymore. He’s got in and we’re all level. Any of the 24 guys now could win, where if it was four rounds there is probably only three or four guys who could win. If I was the guy in 24th spot I’d be feeling bloody great. I’ve just snuck in, let’s start again. The guy who has finished eighth is probably feeling the best. He’s four back but he’s now in the exact same position as me. It’s exciting for anyone watching tomorrow because genuinely anyone can win.”
Tim Hart (64, No.10)
On shooting a course record 8-under 64
“I got out to the course and there was not a breath of wind and the course was looking pretty easy. I knew I had to shoot at least 6 or 7-under to have a chance so absolutely went as aggressive as I could with everything. I still played a couple of holes just with irons off tees because there are a few trees around on some of the holes but for the most part played pretty aggressive. It was good to get those early birdies, get under par and when I get hot I like to keep pressing and lucky enough to do it today.”
On making four birdies in a row before the turn
“It was nice to get on a bit of a roll there and give myself a chance going to the front nine. I started holing a few good putts which I hadn’t done the past two days to be honest. It was nice to see the ball going in and once it starts going in you visualise it better and they started dropping.”
On the opportunity ahead of him on Sunday
“The holes they have picked out definitely play into my game. A lot of drivers in those few holes, I can reach one of the par 4s. You’ve got to be aggressive in a six-hole shootout with anyone. Everyone’s a good player, especially the guys who have made it through. It’s going to be foot to the floor and try and make as many birdies as I can. Definitely a good opportunity coming from the pro-ams. I’ve played pretty well the last week in the pro-ams which has given me a good run into this event. Happy to sneak through and hopefully can get it going tomorrow.”
On what a win would mean for his immediate future
“That’s definitely something that’s on my mind. I won’t let it consume my mind but it’s definitely there. I’ve got to get through the first few rounds to even start thinking about that sort of stuff. It’s definitely a course and a format that I feel pretty comfortable in. I like my chances tomorrow to make a run.”
Daniel Hillier (64, No.3)
On equal course record 8-under 64
“It was pretty awesome out there today. Started off really well with an eagle on 11 and managed to make the turn at 4-under with a pretty weak bogey on 17 from just short of the green. Managed to come back pretty quickly after that and nice birdie on the last to finish off a good day.”
On the friendlier conditions
“The conditions were pretty benign this morning so made the most of that and rolled in a few good putts along the way. Just made the most of a course that was playing relatively easy.”
On the advantage of having a bye for round one of the match play
“It will be nice to have a bit of a sleep-in. Six holes, anything can happen. We just brought the same format in back home in New Zealand which I managed to play quite well at (winning the Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Super 6’s at Manawatu Golf Club) so looking forward to giving it another run this week.”
On the game plan for match play
“The same that I’ve had all week. Relatively aggressive. Nothing stupid but enough to give me some really good chances if I’m hitting the ball well off the tee. Eep doing that and then hopefully if I shoot well I’ll be in that final match.”
On arriving from New Zealand
“I managed to come in on Saturday and luckily for us we don’t have to quarantine on the way here but at the moment two-week quarantine on the way back home. Should be interesting but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. I’ll hopefully play all seven events, it just depends on the quarantine situation back home whether I play NSW Open or not. Should be a good little stint.”
Marcus Fraser (66, No.5)
On bouncing back after shooting 74 on Friday
“It was pretty steady today. Yesterday wasn’t great but managed to sort a few things out today. I didn’t really prepare enough for those kind of conditions. It was my own doing, I just wasn’t sharp enough but felt pretty comfortable out there today. There was a lot of good golf today which was nice.”
On making a push to qualify in the top eight
“Around the turn I gave myself a bit of a talking to to try and get a wriggle on. I really wanted to try and get into the top eight and I made an 8-footer for par on the last so it looks like it’s going to be good enough to get a bye through the first round which is pretty good. I was a couple under and not really doing much wrong but I just wasn’t making anything. Then all of a sudden got going. I hit a poor shot into the 10th hole but after that I made three birdies in a row and got going.”
On advantage of a round one bye
“Because it’s a stroke aggregate for the six holes it’s a bit different from a head-to-head. We’re already playing stroke in the tournament anyway and to go out and play another six holes of stroke is fine. It is nice to get rewarded for playing well the first three days and get that bye.”
On career match play experience
“I played the WGC World Match Play a couple of times. I beat Keegan Bradley the first time I played and then got knocked out by Freddie Jacobson the second round. When I went back and played in Texas it was a round robin and I didn’t make it through that one. It’s nice to have something a bit different, especially in Australian golf.”
On keeping track of the opponent’s score
“Especially the last couple of holes, depending on what the score is, is probably going to dictate your own play a little bit. Especially if you go a couple of shots up with one or two holes to go. It really puts the pressure on that person whose down to make a birdie and try and force an error. Anything can happen in six holes. You can play OK and get bundled out.”
On balance of aggression and course management
“You’re going to have to be aggressive. Over six holes, if you try and play cautiously at some point it’s going to catch you out. You’re going to have to be aggressive and even if you’re out of position try and salvage a par somehow and limit the damage. If you make a double bogey in six holes you’re pretty much gone I’d think. There’s going to be a bit of strategy to it but you’re going to have to be aggressive for sure.”
Maverick Antcliff (64, No.11)
On fighting back from 1-over to shoot 65
“I got off to a start like I have the last couple of days. I just wasn’t putting very well and then hit a few good putts that didn’t go in at 15 and 16 and then holed a nice one on 18 from about 14 feet up the hill. I hit a decent drive down there and only had 30 metres in and I just really wanted to keep it below the hole so I could have a good run at it. Got one at one and two and then had a bit of momentum on my side. It was nice to get on a bit of a run.”
On the conditions
“Yesterday afternoon was tricky. You hit a decent shot and it might pitch pin high, go a couple of yards past and then you’ve got a 15-foot slider down the hill that goes four-feet past the hole. You had to be mentally pretty sharp yesterday, particularly on the greens. It was a different wind too to the practice rounds so you had to pay attention the whole way around. If you weren’t prepared to do that you were going to struggle a little bit. I actually felt like I played a lot better than what I scored.”
On finding confidence with the putter
“I’d been hitting a lot of good shots and I just hadn’t holed much all week. I just tried to keep telling myself to keep doing what I was doing and that things would eventually turn around. Even when the ones that don’t go in are good, solid putts, you gain confidence from that. I was just trying to stick to my process and routine and let the rest take care of itself. It was obviously very nice to get it going when I needed to.”
On when he will return to European Tour
“Those tournaments early on, they struggle to get starts for guys who managed to keep their card. There are a lot of guys getting appearance money and they’re trying to get those fields as strong as possible. I played Saudi last year but this year I think a lot of guys are being paid to play. I’ve got my passport handy if something happens but right now I’m concentrating on playing these events in Melbourne and using them as a warm-up before I head over to Oman and Qatar as my first two events on the European Tour.”
On his recent match play experience
“Probably the US Amateur back in 2015. It’s been a while but you’ve only got to win three of the holes and you’ll be all right.”
On the tactics for a tricky layout such as Yallourn
“Match play is totally different. If you can hit fairways and greens and apply pressure, obviously if they hit a few loose ones or they’re out of position it gets a little bit trickier with the greens being hard and fast. Just applying pressure through good golf and take it from there. You can make a lot of birdies out here so there should be some good matches. All of these guys are good players so you’ve just got to beat whoever is in front of you to make the final.”
Leader Deyen Lawson, 18-year-old amateur Levi Sclater, Geoff Ogilvy and Jason Norris share their thoughts after the second round of the Gippsland Super 6.
Deyen Lawson (70, 10-under)
On following up his course-record 64
“I try and approach very round the same these days whether you’re in front or coming last. Just play my own game shot by shot and no matter how I’m going just try and hit each shot as good as I can.
“I wasn’t playing great but I managed to get a score and give myself some chances. Even if I’d rolled a few more putts in I could have gone a bit lower not hitting it great so that was a good sign.”
On making bogeys on two par 3s
“One of the par 3s was not a great swing and the other was probably the best swing I made all day.
“One of the par 3s I misjudged the wind a little. I actually hit a really, really good shot and just didn’t end up how I wanted.
“The other par 3 I blocked it into the bunker and short-sided myself. I hit a really good bunker shot to eight foot and then lipped out.”
On his approach to the third round
“The top eight are exempt through the first round of the match play so I’d say that’s the goal that everyone’s looking at. At the same time, I’m trying to have a mindset of no matter what tournament it is, what round it is or how I’m going just hit each shot as good as I can. Not thinking about any outside influences. When you’re walking around you can think about stuff like that but if your routine and your process is really good it’s just another shot. If your routine’s good you reset when you get to the ball each time. It’s almost impossible to not think about some things but the better I can do it the easier it will get.”
On playing Blitz Golf Glenelg in preparation
“The early rounds of the Blitz you just need to make sure you get through and then it turns into a match play format. If you get through to the Sunday here there might be times when you have to make a putt to win the hole or halve the hole so you’re going to be a bit more aggressive. Even then if you stick to the process you’re probably going to hit more good shots more often than not. Because the greens are tricky, if you miss it in the wrong spots you can really get penalised pretty easily.”
Levi Sclater (69, 4-under)
On dropping shots on his final two holes
“I pulled my tee shot off 17 and then had to punch one short of the green and didn’t make up and down, just missed the putt. Up 18 I hit a decent tee shot and I was just in the rough. There was a stick right next to the ball that I couldn’t move and when I’ve hit that it came out a bit right. I was short-right of the green and the pin was up the back tier, it was a pretty dead pin. I hit a pretty good chip but had 20 foot for par and almost holed it but finished with a couple of bogeys.”
On making the cut
“I wanted to make the first cut for sure but I just thought I’d see how I go. If I’m going all right then the goal is now to make the second cut.”
On nerves playing first professional event
“I was a bit nervous on the 10th hole – my first hole – in the first round but once I got going and made a couple of birdies it was pretty good. Today was the same. I was less nervous on the first hole today. It took me a few holes and then I made three birdies in a row and that kick-started me for the day.”
On the local support
“I’ve only got Dad here at the course the last couple of days but I’ve been getting a fair amount of messages and stuff after my rounds. People saying well done and stuff like that.”
On preparing for his professional debut
“I thought the more time I put in hopefully the better I can play during the week. I’ve been to Yallourn every day this week but it’s different practising with all the pros and stuff leading up to it.”
On major influence on golf career to date
“I’d have to say my coach, Trevor Pridmore. Sometimes I go out and play holes with him and we play against each other. It took me a fair few years to beat him and finally did that a couple of years ago. He’s been a pretty good help for me.”
Geoff Ogilvy (70, 2-under)
On the difficulty of the conditions on Friday
“Today was super tricky. That was about as tricky a conditions as you’ll ever play in. It’s a lot stronger today. Stronger now than it was for us yesterday morning anyway. And it swirls a lot here because it’s quite hilly and there are a lot of big trees so you were never really sure of where it was going. Frustrating sometimes. You’d hit a good shot and the wind would do something weird to it, but it was doable if you hit good shots.”
On how the format affects his mindset going into the third round
“I hadn’t really thought that far ahead but clearly the job for the first three days is to make the match play. And then the further up you can get you get that bye in the first round which would be a big advantage too. The match play’s the key. You can’t win the tournament if you don’t make it and if you do make the match play you can win the tournament. It’s a strange tournament like that. Normally you’d be eight back and thinking you’ve got a long way to go on the weekend but I’ve just got to make sure I get in the match play tomorrow and then anything can happen over six-hole matches.”
On his approach to the Yallourn layout
“I’ve actually played really conservative. Maybe the old-school golfer in me has been burnt too many times on courses like this. It’s certainly a course that invites aggression. Some doglegs you can take over some trees and drive it near some par 4s. It’s a big advantage if you can pull it off but it’s so firm out here and with the way the wind was, it seemed a bit more prudent to just try and find fairways and find greens and attack it that way. The fairways and greens are immaculate, but as soon as you get off track, it’s very firm and you get those weird bounces and you can be on some sticks under trees, which is all part of country golf.”
On how the layout sets up for match play
“I played quite conservative but coming to the match play I think I would pull driver out quite a bit more. Aggression is worth it if you hit a good shot but it’s fraught with danger. You can get into some really awkward spots. You can get some weird lies around the greens. It’s not hard but they’re not lies that we’re used to having. It’s an adjustment. You can be not far off but be in a really awkward position.”
Jason Norris (68, 6-under)
On the conditions on Friday
“It’s tough out there. It was really hard. The wind was all over the place, you couldn’t judge it with the trees and then the greens were rock hard, bouncy, it’s not easy. There are a lot of trees and it swirls around the trees so you just can’t get an idea of where it’s coming from. If you’re a little bit off here you’re in big trouble.”
On his preparation for the tournament
“I’ve actually been playing all right which is a bit of a surprise because I’ve had six weeks off prior to this. I’m hitting it all right but I haven’t been putting well. I missed three three-footers the last couple of days but just playing solid. In the last five weeks I’ve played 37 holes and hit about 80 balls so it’s good to come out and play all right. I was playing good before then. I’m a believer that if you think right you can still play all right.”
On whether qualifying for the match play enters his thinking
“You do deep down but I was trying not to think about it. I’ve been really good with sticking in the moment and working on my processes again. If you start thinking about that you generally make bogeys and double bogeys. It would be good to have a good score again tomorrow and see how it goes.”
On his struggles with the putter
“It’s the first time I’ve had the yips for a while. I changed to the claw and then I wasn’t missing the three-footers then. I’d been putting well for the past year but just a bit nervy here this week. I four-putted 18 on Thursday and yipped it from three feet on the third today, which wasn’t great. Ash Hall was using the claw and I’d used that in the past so I thought, I like that, I switched to that and I putt pretty good short range with that. I think tomorrow I might go cross-hand from longer range and claw from short range. That’s what I was doing in Fiji and it worked.”
A self-imposed booze ban and blissful ignorance of the birdie barrage he was unleashing has given Gold Coast-based Deyen Lawson a two-stroke advantage after the opening round of the Gippsland Super 6 at Yallourn Golf Club east of Melbourne.
An afternoon of all-out attack ended with an outright leader and a host of spurned contenders in an exhilarating first round, Lawson’s 10 birdies in a course-record 8-under 64 putting him two strokes clear of Dimi Papadatos and Michael Wright.
The first ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia four-round tournament since the NZ Open last February, Victorian pair Marcus Fraser and Ben Eccles led the way in the morning field with rounds of 5-under 67, both of which could have been better if not for late slip-ups on the 328-metre par-4 ninth.
Both Fraser and Eccles eagled the par-5 fifth hole but Fraser’s bogey and Eccles’ unfortunate double kept them from taking sole ownership of the lead ahead of the afternoon wave.
Their 5-under total was under immediate threat from New South Welshmen Papadatos and Nathan Barbieri, the pair starting on opposite nines but both plundering the tight Yallourn layout for five birdies in their opening six holes.
Barbieri got to 8-under with three holes to play in his round but a double-bogey at seven and another dropped shot at eight sent him back to the chasing pack at 5-under.
After five birdies in his opening six holes and an eagle at the 370-metre par-4 10th Papadatos also looked like going low first up but a bogey at 17 offset by a closing birdie at 18 left him at 6-under and two behind Lawson.
After starting with a bogey at 10 Lawson soon found his rhythm, racking up 10 birdies over the remainder of his round to end day one with a handy buffer, crediting a decision to give up alcohol in September and a COVID-induced reality check for his sharper focus.
8-under and the #GippslandSuper6 lead for @diggerlawson 👏
— #GippslandSuper6 (@PGAofAustralia) January 21, 2021
Check out the live leaderboard at https://t.co/usFfht4qR5 📲 #PGATA #PGAProud pic.twitter.com/hFcpam6GgC
“Normally I’d enjoy myself a little bit when I’m home but I’ve stopped drinking completely since September and I feel like when I’m practising I’m a lot more focused,” revealed Lawson, who made the final four of the Blitz Golf Glenelg event on January 10.
“COVID is probably going to make people go either way. Find a job and do that or, for me, it’s made me wake up a bit.
“I was a bit miserable there for a bit but now I feel better than I ever have and I’m ready. Even my coach said last week, now it’s just a matter of getting stuff to play in.
“I’m feeling better and now it’s just a matter of trusting what I’m working on and taking each shot at a time.”
After dropping a shot on his opening hole Lawson rebounded with a birdie at 11 and turned in 33, his back nine of 5-under 31 highlighted by a birdie that may have eluded him in years gone by.
“I didn’t hit a good drive off the par 5, the fifth, and it was going to be a really risky shot to even get it up near the green,” Lawson explained.
“I decided to chip out with a 6-iron to a good number – which ended up being 82 metres, just a little sand wedge – and I hit that to half a foot and nearly holed it.
“I made birdie that way where previously I would have tried a bit much.
“I know roughly what I am in terms of my score but I think not knowing how many birdies I’ve had might be a good thing.
“I do sometimes make eight, nine, 10, 11, 12 birdies in a round and not realise it. If you started thinking about how many birdies you’d had maybe you wouldn’t do it very often.”
Champing at the bit to play tournament golf again, Papadatos was unapologetically aggressive from the outset, yielding a blistering start that was highlighted by holing a 54-degree wedge from 98 metres for eagle at the par-4 10th.
“I couldn’t sleep last night I was that keen to play golf,” said Papadatos, who had to spend a night in a Melbourne hotel self-isolating after driving down from the Central Coast last Saturday.
“I was maybe a little bit aggressive. I felt like I was playing all right and it’s a course you can get after but if you’re a little bit off there’s so much run and trouble that there are heaps of bogeys as well.
“You can make quite a few soft bogeys if you’re a little bit off and that showed up a little bit late in the round.”
Brisbane’s Michael Wright has spent more time fishing with his sons Noah, 14, and Charlie, 12, than playing golf in recent months but dusted off a less than stellar practice round to plot his way to a bogey-free 6-under 66.
“It’s kind of cool to be able to do it at my age,” said Wright, who will turn 47 next month.
“Maybe it’s the relaxed attitude that helped me out there today.
“I hit it quite scratchy in the practice round but that’s golf, you don’t have to flush it in the practice rounds, just get it done when it counts.
“I plotted along there today and then made a couple of nice putts for birdie and then made a good 15-footer for par on the par-3 12th and that felt like an eagle. That kept the momentum going.
“I had a couple more late and then had two harsh lip-outs on the last two holes so it could have been even better.”
For round two tee times visit pga.org.au.
The PGA of Australia will launch a national campaign from next week celebrating the invaluable role of PGA Professionals in the industry.
The campaign – featuring three television commercials and outdoor media – aims to bring to prominence the vast skillset of PGA Professionals and enhance the recognition of the coveted PGA Professional accreditation badge.
“On the back of golf’s pandemic-inspired boom, we have seen thousands of new and returning golfers flood our fairways and facilities. Our multi-channel campaign is targeted to assist first-time golfers to understand who they can turn to for coaching or fitting advice and reinforce to existing golfers the important role and function of PGA Professionals,” said Gavin Kirkman, PGA of Australia’s chief executive.
“The fun, fresh and creative way in which we have promoted our PGA Professionals helps illustrate strongly that our Members are more than just good golfers. They are the heartbeat of the golf industry and are the leading experts in coaching, equipment and club fitting, retail, game development and golf club management.
“To earn the right to wear the prestigious PGA Professional badge, aspiring Professionals must undertake a three-year PGA Membership Pathway Program. Their education and training makes them golf’s most skilled person, so when you see the PGA Professional badge, you know you are getting the very best in golfing advice from a fully qualified professional in their field.”
This campaign sees the creation of a fictional character, Dale the Driving Ranger, who hilariously attempts to give advice to golfers using a series of bizarre coaching techniques. Dale adorns a child-like Sherriff’s badge with the words ‘Driving Ranger’ scrawled over it on masking tape. The ad concludes by illustrating that the only badge that should be trusted is that of a PGA Professional, and acknowledges that they are golf’s only accredited professional coaches.
The outdoor advertising encourages audiences to get a lesson and fitting by a PGA Professional and will be showcased in high traffic locations across Australia.
Some of the golf industry’s leading equipment manufacturers – Titleist, Callaway, TaylorMade, Cobra Puma Golf and Mizuno – have all assisted in widening the reach of this campaign by providing their support.
“These golf brands have been pivotal to bringing this campaign to life,” Kirkman said.
“They – like us – believe that a healthy golf industry is reliant on the success of PGA Professionals. We are proud to unite with these quality brands and thank them wholeheartedly for embracing this campaign.”
The PGA Professional campaign goes live later this month.
One of New Zealand’s pre-eminent sporting events, the New Zealand Golf Open, scheduled to be played at Millbrook Resort and The Hills in February 2021 has been cancelled.
The Chairman of the Organising Committee, Mr John Hart, confirmed the cancellation, due to the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic and the related health and financial risks.
The 102nd New Zealand Open will now be played between 17th and 20th February 2022.
“We are extremely disappointed to have had to come to this decision but the effects of the pandemic, borders being closed, and the financial risk associated with a potential later cancellation due to any further Covid-19 outbreaks means we have no other alternative other than to cancel this event now.”
“With up to 300 international participants coming from offshore (including professional players, amateur players, caddies, and officials of our Tour partners (the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, the Asian Tour and the Japan Golf Tour), we need absolute certainty now in terms of accessibility to New Zealand and this is clearly not possible,” said Hart.
“We would like to thank Millbrook Resort (the tournament underwriter), The Hills, our many commercial partners, both domestic and international, led by our presenting sponsor Sky Sport, Government and the Queenstown Lakes District Council for their support and understanding. Further thanks go to our Tour partners, New Zealand Golf, our professional players, our sold-out amateur field, and our amazing volunteer force.”
“This is not a decision we have made lightly, and we are particularly disappointed for the Queenstown region who have suffered many setbacks during this Covid-19 era.”
“We are very proud of what we have created with the New Zealand Open becoming one of New Zealand’s most recognised and applauded international sporting events.”
“We remain very committed to once again showcasing the very best of Queenstown and New Zealand in February 2022 at a time when hopefully we will all be operating in a more certain and safer environment,” said Hart.
The cancellation of the New Zealand Open follows announcements in the past 10 days of the cancellation of Australia’s four major golf tournaments; the Australian Men’s Open, the Australian Women’s Open, the Australian PGA Championship, and the Victorian Open, all similarly planned for February 2021.
It took a playoff and a stroke of good fortune but Aaron Pike has claimed a popular home-town win at the Tailor-Made Building Services NT PGA Championship at Palmerston Golf and Country Club.
The course where he played his junior golf, Pike was the sentimental favourite going into the final round but had to get past one of his house guests for the week to claim the iconic crocodile head trophy and a second ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia title.
Starting the final round level at the top with New South Wales amateur Nathan Barbieri, Pike’s chip-in for eagle helped to propel him to a four-stroke lead midway through the front nine. He maintained a three-shot buffer until a late surge from Michael Sim narrowed the gap at the top of the leaderboard.
A birdie putt from 12 feet at the par-4 15th got Sim back to within two of his host but it wasn’t until he holed a bunker shot at the par-3 16th that the prospect of winning suddenly seemed possible.
“I looked at the leaderboard at 13 and saw Aaron was at 12 and I was 9 and I didn’t birdie the par-5 13th,” Sim said, his final round of 6-under 65 the best of the day.
“I really thought my chances would be gone but I got a good lie after pushing my drive at 15 and hit a sand wedge to 12 feet and made that one and then I holed out from the bunker on the par 3 16th.
“That got me right into it. Before I knew it I’d gone from 9 to 11.
“I never really thought I was in the tournament until 17 tee.”
An approach shot to eight feet at the final hole set up a third birdie in the space of four holes that would give Sim the clubhouse lead at 12-under, Pike missing his own birdie chance from 15 feet on the final hole to necessitate another trip down the 18th.
Both players failed to find the fairway with their tee shots and when Sim caught a flyer with a 9-iron out of the rough from 136m and ran out of golf course, Pike was left with a relatively simple task to make par and claim victory.
“Winning is always special, winning around here is going to mean that little bit more,” admitted Pike, one of only three players to break 70 in all three rounds this week.
“I had my oldest brother Michael caddieing for me so that’s something that I’m unlikely to ever get the opportunity to go through again.
“I had all my family watching so it does mean a little bit more, I just could never acknowledge that until the end.
“Obviously the playoff didn’t go Simmy’s way but I still had to do my part and had to finish the hole off.”
Forced to come from behind to win the 2018 Victorian PGA Championship at RACV Cape Schanck, Pike said that the handy lead he opened up early in his round brought about a heightened sense of focus rather than adopting a conservative approach.
“If anything it probably made me knuckle down a bit more, purely because I thought with a bit of a lead I could easily lose my focus and get ahead of myself,” said Pike, who narrowly missed birdie opportunities at 13, 16, 17 and 18 that would have sealed the title in regulation.
“It made me stop and realise that it’s one shot at a time, let’s get this going and do what we need to do.
“I made a conscious effort to say to myself that I’ve played this golf course more than anyone else here, I know what to do around this golf course, let myself make the decision, trust the decision and go from there.
“I really forced myself to back my decision making and trust everything that I was doing.”
Despite an unfortunate finish that he described as “shattering”, Sim praised the work Pike has done to clinch a tournament win so close to home.
“Aaron’s been playing well,” said Sim of Pike’s recent wins at Maroochy River and Southport pro-ams.
“I know he’s been working hard on his body and his game, he’s been practising quite hard over the past month or so.
“It’s a credit to him to put it all together this week and have a win on his home course.”
Barbieri recovered nicely from his opening double-bogey to finish tied for third along with Deyen Lawson three shots out of the playoff with Justin Warren (68) and Anthony Quayle (66) finishing fifth and sixth respectively.
Final Scores
201: Aaron Pike*, Michael Sim
204: Nathan Barbieri (a), Deyen Lawson
205: Justin Warren
206: Anthony Quayle
207: Jed Morgan (a)
208: Michael Wright, Jordan Mullaney
209: Lawry Flynn (a), Josh Clarke, Bradley Doherty
* Pike won on the first playoff hole
View the final leaderboard at pga.org.au.
Jarryd Felton has used a run of five straight birdies and survived a late scare from veteran Brett Rumford to claim the 2020 TX Civil & Logistics WA PGA Championship at Kalgoorlie Golf Course and bury the demons of 12 months ago.
Starting the day one shot back of Rumford and Braden Becker, Felton fired an equal course record of 8-under 64 in calmer conditions in the WA desert to claim the 54-hole ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia championship by one shot from Rumford with Daniel Fox third a further five shots adrift.
Birdies at the first and third holes gave Rumford the ideal start to the final round but a double-bogey due to an errant tee shot that went out of bounds at the par-4 ninth – combined with Felton’s hot streak – turned the tournament on its head.
A birdie at 10 gave Felton a two-shot cushion and when he added four more on top of it over the next four holes he had raced away to a five-shot lead and a seemingly insurmountable advantage.
But you don’t win six times on the European Tour without plenty of tenacity and Rumford refused to yield, a chip-in eagle at the last momentarily giving Felton heart palpitations but ultimately one shot shy of forcing a playoff.
Runner-up 12 months ago, Felton saw the 2019 championship slip from his grasp when he dropped shots at 12 and 13 in the final round and recognised the significance of making birdie at both holes to charge further ahead.
“I holed a nice putt on 12 and for anyone who can remember that’s where the disaster started last year,” Felton said.
“I bogeyed 12 and 13 and Darren (Beck) went birdie-birdie. I went birdie-birdie this year to open up my round and really push for the win.
“I holed those two putts and I walked to the next tee thinking that maybe someone was looking after me this year.
“The brain does funny things. It made me remember real quickly about what happened there 12 months ago that’s for sure.”
After a two-putt birdie from 18 feet at the par-5 11th, Felton made putts from 25 and 20 feet respectively at 12 and 13, the flatstick finally catching up to a week of exemplary ball-striking.
“I’ve been playing great all week but I putted horrifically the first two days,” said Felton, who has never finished worse than 10th in seven starts at Kalgoorlie.
“I was 5-under but I honestly think I missed two greens for 36 holes so I struck it unbelievably good.
“I gave myself chances on pretty much every hole and just couldn’t get anything to go.
“It was all to play for today.
“I’ve led here for a lot of the time so it was good to come from behind and put the pressure on the leaders.”
Winner at Kalgoorlie in 2015, Rumford expected his early birdies might be enough to see off the chasing pack and refused to surrender even under the weight of Felton’s charge.
The 44-year-old made up two shots with birdies at 11 and 12 but indecision on the tee of the par-3 13th proved costly.
“I didn’t do too much wrong, Jarryd just outplayed me straight up,” said Rumford, who left his 7-iron into 13 short and right of the green and was unable to get up-and-down for par, coming home in 31 for a final round of 6-under 66.
“I decided to watch the scoreboards today, I was just curious to see how everyone was going.
“I was 9-under, had a one-shot lead after eight and then nine I hit it out of the bounds and made double.
“By the time I got halfway down 10 I was three shots behind so it was very, very quick.
“From that point I just kept pushing. I refused for it to be over. I kept pushing but I was in between clubs on the par-3. That was the only bad swing and it cost me the golf tournament.
“With 10 holes to play you can make a mistake but when there’s six holes to play you can’t.
“At that point I’m miles behind but just refused to give in.”
It was a quick change of fortune too for Fox who picked up four shots in three holes around the turn to push up into outright third position.
“It’s one of those courses that you just don’t want to be under the pump early,” said Fox after bogeys at one and three put him on the back foot.
“It’s a tough golf course to get on the right side of but I made a nice long putt from 30 feet on nine and that just gave me a kick-along.
“I hit it close at the next and then made another long putt for eagle at 11. All of a sudden you’re four shots better off in three holes.
“I don’t feel like I did a whole lot differently, just got on the right side of a couple of putts.”
Much of the field now moves on to Royal Fremantle Golf Club next week for the Nexus Risk WA Open which will also be conducted over 54 holes from Friday October 16 to Sunday October 18.
Final scores
203: Jarryd Felton
204: Brett Rumford
209: Daniel Fox
210: Braden Becker
211: Daniel Hoeve
212: Connor Fewkes (a), Scott Strange, Hayden Hopewell (a)
View the final TX Civil & Logistics WA PGA Championship leaderboard here.
Eighteen-year-old amateur Hayden Hopewell is plotting a final-round magic act after a late Brett Rumford stumble tightened up the top of the leaderboard heading into the final round of the TX Civil & Logistics WA PGA Championship at Kalgoorlie Golf Course.
Desert tornados strong enough to send players to the ground made scoring difficult in round two with Hopewell’s 4-under 68 the equal best of the day alongside fellow amateur Adam Brady, no other player in the field able to break 70.
“There were some strong winds here and there and even a dust tornado on the seventh tee box,” Hopewell said.
“I was halfway down the sixth so I had a front-row seat to it. It was enough to drop you to the deck. You could hear it from halfway down six. It was massive actually.”
Female amateur Maddison Tolchard looked set to join Hopewell and Brady in posting 68 on Friday but three late bogeys saw her sign for an even par 71 ahead of Saturday’s final round in the 54-hole event.
As was the case after round one Rumford and Braden Becker sit atop the leaderboard at 6-under after both posted 1-over 73 with 2019 runner-up Jarryd Felton to play alongside Hopewell in the second-to-last group one shot back of the leaders.
Birdies at 15, 18, 1 and 2 saw Hopewell surge up the leaderboard and again make his presence felt in a professional event and he will begin the final round two shots off the lead.
Winner of the inaugural Junior 6’s Invitational last year, Hopewell followed that up with a tie for 10th at the Gippsland Super 6 and was top-30 at the Australian Open after shooting 7-under in Monday qualifying to play his way into the field.
Now the Royal Fremantle teen nicknamed ‘Houdini’ is ready to press for a maiden win in professional company.
“That was a nickname from when I played footy from the age of eight to 12,” Hopewell explained.
“That came about because I always seemed to be the one who broke free from the pack so that’s where I got my nickname ‘Houdini’.
“It snuck through to golf because when I’m in the bush I always seem to get a gap and find my way out.
“I’ll just try to play some steady golf, hit some strong shots off the tee and hopefully set myself up with some good birdie chances and roll a few in.”
Rumford, the winner at Kalgoorlie in 2015, looked to have a stranglehold on the tournament when he got to 8-under midway through his round before a disastrous five-putt on the par-3 17th brought the veteran back to the field.
A birdie at the final hole ensured he kept a share of the lead through 36 holes but the six-time European Tour winner was left ruing his late mishap.
“It was all pretty steady, steady all day, just hit two really good golf shots into two par-3s, made a double and a triple including my first five-putt since turning professional,” said Rumford, whose double bogey at the par-3 fourth also proved costly.
“It was a suspect pin (on 17), let’s put it that way. I hit a great golf shot and got punished for hitting it straight at the flagstick.
“Don’t get me wrong, the winds were tricky today but the two par-3s I got really unlucky with a lie down in the gully on four and made an easy double and then 17 hit one of the best 5-irons I hit all day and walked off with six from the fringe.
“With that I’ve probably made the golf tournament more interesting than I would have liked.”
Drawing inspiration from fellow Perth local and major winner Hannah Green and with her sister on the bag this week, Tolchard’s impressive round highlights the bright future ahead of her.
Prevented from beginning her college career at Oklahoma State University this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tolchard is simply grateful for the opportunity to play a competitive tournament and test herself against the leading male amateurs and professionals in WA.
“Playing these sorts of events is good just to see where you’re at and it’s a big challenge especially being off the back tees,” said Tolchard, who was runner-up at the 2019 IMG Academy Junior World Championship.
“Obviously you’re hitting a lot longer clubs into greens and being up against the men it’s an extra challenge.
“I’ve played Kalgoorlie once before but that was eight years ago when I was like 10 years old so I don’t really remember the course at all.
“I was coming in quite blind but my sister is on my bag this week and she’s played here four or five times so she knows it a lot better than I do and she’s been a big help.
“The course has been great, I love it.”
Leading scores after Round 2
138: Brett Rumford, Braden Becker
139: Jarryd Felton
140: Hayden Hopewell (a)
141: Daniel Fox, Adam Brady (a)
142: Scott Strange, Daniel Hoeve, Joseph Owen (a)
Veteran Brett Rumford and prolific pro-am winner Braden Becker have defied seven months of tournament rust to share a three-stroke lead after posting scores of 7-under 65 in the opening round of the TX Civil & Logistics WA PGA Championship at Kalgoorlie Golf Course.
A 54-hole tournament for the West Australian contingent only, the 2020 championship commenced on the back of the announcement that Kalgoorlie would remain the home of the WA PGA for at least the next three years.
It is a venue where Rumford tasted success five years ago and where Becker contended in 2018 and the pair have given themselves a handy buffer from 2019 runner-up Jarryd Felton (68) with a further two strokes to Daniel Fox, Ben Ferguson and Cooper Geddes.
Fluctuating winds made club selection challenging across the desert layout and both Rumford and Becker picked up shots late in their round with clever shots from Kalgoorlie’s distinctive red dirt.
Rumford played an exquisite pitch shot from 93 metres to tap-in range at the par-4 ninth while Becker’s sixth birdie of the day came in similar fashion at his final hole, the par-5 second.
“I hit a nice 54-degree wedge out of the desert from 93 metres to the last. How it didn’t go in I don’t know,” Rumford said post-round.
“That finished off the day nicely. The only thing that will taste nicer is the burger I’ve ordered for dinner.”
“It’s something different. We don’t do it anywhere else,” added Becker, whose pitch shot from behind the second green also finished within tap-in range.
“You’ve got to read the lie as to whether it’s firm underneath or if it’s a bit dusty. If it’s dusty the club tends to stall but on the hard stuff it bounces.
“You’ve really got to read your lie which if you can do it, you can get away with it and be reliable on it.”
Making just his second appearance since his two-stroke win at Kalgoorlie in 2015, Rumford said that contending with the desert winds was just as difficult as the unusual terrain found off the fairways.
“The wind made it really tricky today,” he said.
“The strength was one aspect but the winds were turning constantly at least 90 degrees.
“That’s how it was playing from the seventh hole onwards. It was just really, really variable.
“Which is bizarre because we’re in the middle of the desert. What’s the wind buffeting off?
“It definitely adds to the trickery of the golf course.
“It had me literally guessing all day. I was just lucky that I hit the right shots at the right time.”
Becker’s lone bogey of the round came from just 50 metres out at the par-4 10th but he credited the “brain fade” for instigating a run of four birdies and an eagle in his final nine holes.
“I had a bit of a mishap in the middle but it was a good wake-up call to put my head down and make sure I wasn’t losing concentration,” said Becker, who was tied for 15th in this event two years ago.
“I hit a good tee shot and had a 50-metre pitch to the front flag and came out of it. I just hit a bad shot, rushed up, tried to hit it close while my playing partner Hayden Hopewell was getting a ruling so it was just a really soft bogey from 50 out.”
With five birdies and a single bogey at the par-3 13th hole it was a promising start also for Felton who has never finished worse than 10th in six previous appearances at Kalgoorlie.
“I’ve got really good vibes from this golf course and it’s just nice to be out of the pro shop and playing golf again,” said Felton, who has been spending the tournament hiatus working in the pro shop at Gosnells Golf Club.
“Very happy with 4-under because the wind picked up and from the complete opposite way so it threw all the preparation out the window.
“I just played pretty solid all day. I think I missed one green and holed a couple of nice putts so it was just steady for me.”
As a six-time winner on the European Tour Rumford is far and away the most accomplished player in the field but couldn’t help trying to snare the underdog tag heading into Round 2, citing his transition from tour life into that of an accredited PGA Professional at Wembley Golf Complex.
“This is my first event as a PGA Trainee,” said Rumford, who has been teaching at Wembley on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“I’m representing the Vocational Professionals and Trainees of Australia to stick it to these touring pros this week.
“That’s my No.1 goal. That’s my motivation.”
Round two of the TX Civil & Logistics WA PGA Championship begins at 10am AWST.
Round 1 leading scores
65: Brett Rumford, Braden Becker
68: Jarryd Felton
70: Daniel Fox, Ben Ferguson, Cooper Geddes
71: Scott Strange, Darren Garrett, Michael Hanrahan-Smith (a), Jose De Sousa (a), Daniel Hoeve
