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A free drop from a stubborn snake helped Curtis Luck set a new course record and earn a share of the lead on day one of the Sanwell Cottesloe Open at Cottesloe Golf Club in Perth.
Enjoying a rare trip home from his commitments on the Korn Ferry Tour in the US and at the course he called home as a junior, Luck and Braden Becker both established a new men’s benchmark as Kathryn Norris set a new women’s course record.
One of the most popular stops on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series drew a star-laden field not only for the open event but for the Lyndsay Stephen Cottesloe Invitational, a PGA Legends Tour event played in conjunction.
South Australian Jason Norris leads the senior event with a round of 4-under 68 but is three strokes behind both Becker and Luck who set a new course record of 7-under 65 following design changes made by Graham Marsh Golf Design.
Luck had eight birdies in his round of 65 that was aided by an unusual ruling following a wayward tee shot.
“The one tee shot that was in a bit of trouble nestled right in close to a snake,” Luck revealed post-round.
“We tried to get it to move so I could play the shot and the thing was just not budging and ended up staying in the bush that I needed to pretty much stand on.
“Got a nice drop from that which was lucky.
“I haven’t spent a lot of time here over the past seven years which is weird considering I spent pretty much every day here for the first 20 years of my life.
“It’s really nice seeing a lot of familiar faces out there and the home crowds there to watch is awesome.”
In a field boasting current DP World Tour players in Jason Scrivener and Haydn Barron and former DP World Tour winners Brett Rumford, Marcus Fraser and Scott Strange, Becker went bogey-free having gleaned some insight from playing with close friend Cameron John at the WA PGA Foursomes mid-week.
John went on to win at Kwinana on Friday and Becker is hoping to turn their foursomes strategy into his own success on Sunday.
“Playing the Foursomes on Thursday, I learnt a bit of stuff playing with Cam John,” said Becker.
“Obviously we talked about a few things that we should be focusing on, going at flags or going for centre-greens so I kept that in the back of my head.
“I played away from the pins on a few of them and see if I can roll in a couple. I’m good with the putter so if I can give myself half a chance to get things going then we’ll do it that way.”
John is part of a four-way tie for third just one stroke back at 6-under followed by Foursomes champions Josh Greer and Nathan Barbieri and Brett Rumford and Zinyo Garcia, all at 5-under.
While pleased to plunder birdies on Saturday, Becker expects Cottesloe’s coastal setting to throw up some more challenging conditions in the final round.
“I think it might be a bit more like we normally play Cottesloe with the wind in the afternoon so that might be a bit more like we normally like to see it,” he added.
“If we can keep doing the same thing – keep hitting it on the fairway, hit it on the green and hole a couple of putts – we’ll be right back up there.”
Norris is in a tie for 16th after her course-record round of 3-under 69, a mark that could have been one better if not for a lone bogey on the par-4 18th.
Tied for 12th at Kwinana, Norris continued her outstanding recent play with birdies at one, eight, 11 and 16 to be level with Rick Kulacz, Marcus Fraser, Brady Watt, Jordan Doull and John Boulton.
Round 2 begins at 7am AWST with the final group of Becker, Luck and Lachlan Aylen to tee off at 12:40pm.
Victorian Cameron John is starting to make winning a habit, taking out the DJ Di Stasio Transport Kwinana Pro-Am at Kwinana Golf Club on Friday.
Champion at the season-ending National Tournament on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, John led after Round 1 before finishing third at the South West Isuzu South West Open a week ago.
He and close friend Braden Becker were tied for second at the WA PGA Foursomes Championship at Nedlands and he carried that form into Kwinana, posting 6-under 66 to win by two in his fourth appearance at Kwinana Golf Club.
West Australian Ben Ferguson built his 4-under 68 on a run of four-straight birdies to snare second, one clear of James Marchesani (69), Scott Strange (69) and Jordan Doull (69), making his professional debut after representing WA at the Australian Interstate Teams Matches earlier in the week.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Paired with fellow professionals Caleb Bovalina and Jose De Sousa and starting from the par-4 eighth, John took just two holes to get into red figures.
He cashed in a birdie at the 505-metre par-5 ninth and then picked up three birdies in the space of four holes from the par-5 12th.
He continued to take advantage of the three-shotters with birdies at 18 and one and, despite a dropped shot at the par-3 third, got back to 6-under on his round with a birdie at the par-3 sixth.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Obviously had a great day with the boys. I was fortunate to play in an all-pro group with guys that I have known for a long time.
“There weren’t too many tricky situations that I got myself into, which was nice. I managed to hit most of the greens and holed a few putts as well.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Cameron John 66
2 Ben Ferguson 68
T3 James Marchesani 69
T3 Scott Strange 69
T3 Jordan Doull 69
T6 Marcus Fraser 70
T6 Jarryd Felton 70
T6 Brady Watt 70
T6 Andrew Kelly 70
T6 Jason Norris 70
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series continues its WA swing at the ever-popular Sanwell Cottesloe Open this weekend at Cottesloe Golf Club.
Matching socks saluting Collingwood star Nick Daicos proved to be a lucky charm as Josh Greer and Nathan Barbieri claimed the WA PGA Foursomes Championship at Nedlands Golf Club.
Greer and Barbieri were among a group of four players with the unique sock game but it was Greer and Barbieri who emerged victorious, their round of 5-under 67 enough for a one-stroke win.
Legends Tour pair Andre Stolz and Brendan Chant and close mates Braden Becker and Cameron John were eyeing off a possible playoff after posting 4-under 68, only to be pipped at the post.
Alex Simpson backed up from his share of victory at the Wembley Pro-Am to snare fourth with Jayden Cripps with 2-under 70.
For Sydney’s Barbieri, it was a rewarding first look at the former host venue of the Nedlands Masters.
“It was fun; it was a good day,” said Barbieri, he and Greer paired with Haydn Barron and Ben Ferguson and Jarryd Felton and James Marchesani.
“First time at Nedlands. Everyone was raving about how good it was and I loved it. It’s a little bit dinky but it’s fun. It’s a good track for foursomes, I really enjoyed it.
“We obviously had a really good group with the boys and had a little money game going as well, which kept it interesting.”
The WA swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series continues on Friday with the DJ Di Stasio Transport Kwinana Pro-Am at Kwinana Golf Club.
An eagle and three birdies in his final four holes elevated West Australian legend Brett Rumford to a five-way tie at the GMW & Radlink Wembley Pro-Am.
Straight off the plane after a week at the CJ CUP Byron Nelson tournament in Texas, Rumford was shrugging off jetlag as he played his first seven holes of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series event in 1-over par.
Birdies at eight, 10 and 11 brought the six-time DP World Tour champion into the mix but it would be the eagle at the par-5 17th and chip-in for birdie on 18 that saw the 46-year-old post 6-under 66 at the Wembley Golf Course Old Course where he now coaches.
He was one of five players to post 66 along with fellow veteran Daniel Fox, Ryan Peake, Brody Martin and Alexander Simpson.
Rumford wasn’t the only player to close out their round with a birdie.
Bogey-free, Fox made his sixth and final birdie at the par-4 14th, Peake made birdie at the par-4 eighth while Simpson needed birdies at both 16 and 17 to also earn a share of victory.
Dillon Hart, Brady Watt and James Marchesani all shared sixth position just one back with rounds of 5-under 67, Deyen Lawson and Josh Greer among the five players to finish tied for ninth at 4-under.
Rumford is partnering with Scott Strange on Thursday for the WA PGA Foursomes Championship to be played at Nedlands Golf Club.
Western Australian amateur Adam Baillie has upstaged a host of Tour winners to claim the 2024 South West Isuzu South West Open at Bunbury Golf Club.
The reigning club champion at Lakelands Country Club in Perth’s northern suburbs, Baillie followed up a round of 3-under 69 on Saturday with 5-under 67 on Sunday to finish level with Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia regular James Marchesani (68-68) at 8-under par.
The pair squared off in a playoff where Baillie leant on his superb short game to claim victory, Marchesani having to be content with the winner’s prize purse.
Two strokes off the lead after Round 1, The National Tournament winner Cameron John shot 2-under 70 in the second round to finish outright third at 7-under.
Brady Watt (67) and Scott Strange (69) shared fourth spot at 6-under followed by Braden Becker (69), Marcus Fraser (70) and Zach Maxwell, whose 6-under 66 was the round of the tournament.
Third in the Gosnells Open two weeks ago, Baillie is eyeing off a potential move to the US to attend college.
A member at The Vines Resort, and coached by PGA Professional David Harris and Associate Daniel Hoeve, the 21-year-old is proving to be more mentally resilient of late and needed every ounce of it coming down the stretch.
Playing in the final group with John and fellow WA amateur Zach Capelli, Baillie birdied three of his final five holes to match Marchesani’s two-round total.
The next event on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series WA swing is the GMW & Radlink Wembley Pro-Am at Wembley Golf Course on Wednesday.
Royal Fremantle Golf Club amateur Zach Capelli leads a star-studded leaderboard by two strokes entering the final round of the South West Isuzu South West Open at Bunbury Golf Club.
The first event of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series WA swing has drawn a quality field of Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia regulars but it is Capelli who leads allcomers after a superb round of 7-under 65.
He will start Sunday’s final round with a two-stroke buffer from the most recent winner on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, Cameron John (67), while former PGA TOUR winner Andre Stolz (68) shares third with James Marchesani (68) and Englishman David Andrews (68).
Starting from the 10th tee, Capelli was level with the card when he gave back birdies at 11 and 12 with bogeys at 14 and 15 but played his next 11 holes in 7-under par to take top spot through Round 1.
“I got off to a pretty standard start really,” Capelli said.
“I parred the first and then had birdies on 11 and 12 but a couple of bogeys got me back to square.
“Played solid after that. Hit the ball in the right spot and kept myself on the right side of the hole and rattled off a few birdies, which was nice.”
Capelli had seven birdies in total along with an eagle at the par-5 second where he hit 8-iron for his second shot and proceeded to hole the putt.
John shapes as Capelli’s biggest threat, the Victorian shaking off the rust in his first start since his breakthrough Tour win at The National Tournament in March.
“I haven’t played for a while so it feels like it’s all just coming back to me,” said John, who had seven birdies and two bogeys in his round of 67.
“I just hit driver really well. It felt like a day where I had a lot of opportunities. There were probably a few missed ones but that’s just golf.”
After a short break, John said it was an easy decision to travel to Western Australia for the series of Pro-Ams.
“This Perth Pro-Am swing is one of the best,” he said.
“We always play good courses so coming over from Melbourne really is a no-brainer.
“One of my best friends, Braden Becker, he puts me up, so it’s really simple.”
Veterans Daniel Fox, Marcus Fraser and Scott Strange are in a tie for sixth with Kathryn Norris and amateur Adam Baillie at 3-under followed by Becker, Ryan Peake, Ethan Andrews and amateur Bailey Hampson at 2-under.
The final group of Capelli and John tees off at 12:09pm AWST.
Three weeks focusing on the flatstick paid immediate dividends for Bathurst’s Dylan Thompson who went bogey-free in his two-stroke win in the Campbelltown Golf Club Pro-Am.
Campbelltown Golf Club drew a field littered with Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia talent but it was Thompson’s 5-under 65 that shone brightest, two clear of James Conran (67) and Josh Armstrong (67).
Seeking his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win since the Kew Country Club Pro-Am last August, Thompson credited “countless hours” on the practice putting green with his third career victory.
“I hit it well at Yenda and Griffith but putted very poorly,” Thompson said.
“I’ve spent countless hours putting the past few weeks and it showed today.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Starting with birdies at one and four, Thompson was quick to establish his name prominently on the leaderboard.
A string of seven straight pars followed with numerous up-and-downs that would prove crucial in the final wash-up.
The 27-year-old moved to 3-under with a birdie at the par-3 12th but it would be the chip in for eagle at the par-5 13th that ultimately proved the difference.
Conran was the early front-runner with four straight birdies from the second hole but back-to-back bogeys at 10 and 11 would halt his momentum.
Armstrong’s challenge came late with birdies at 15 and 16 but he was unable to find the two more he needed to match Thompson’s 5-under total.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“No bogeys, made a lot of up-and-downs, chip-in eagle and holed a lot of short putts.
“I didn’t hit it into any bad spots at all. I always had a shot. Fairways and greens pretty much. Three birdies, an eagle, it was pretty straightforward golf really.
“Hopefully a few solid rounds in the Pro-Am Series, a few Monday pre qualifiers, see how that goes. No real goals at the moment, just play as much as I can around coaching and working in the shop.
“Hopefully a few rounds come together and I can finish high enough on the Order of Merit to move along next year.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Dylan Thompson 65
T2 James Conran 67
T2 Josh Armstrong 67
T4 Andrew Evans 68
T4 Jason Perkin 68
T4 Andrew Richards 68
T4 Soo Jin Lee 68
NEXT UP
The WA swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series starts Saturday with the $40,000 South West Isuzu South West Open at Bunbury Golf Club.
The PGA Legends Tour will return to Western Australia for the first time in four years as the WA swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series reaches new heights again in 2024.
A shift from its traditional June long weekend slot will see the $40,000 South West Isuzu South West Open start the WA stretch this weekend at Bunbury Golf Club.
It marks the beginning of a run of tournaments worth $275,000 with three Legends Tour events added worth a total of $75,000.
The Lyndsay Stephen Cottesloe Invitational will be played in conjunction with the Sanwell Cottesloe Open from May 11-12 and the veterans will play alongside the youngsters again at the inaugural Mitchell & Brown Spalding Park Legends Open.
The $25,000 Busselton Legends Pro-Am will conclude the Legends Tour’s foray in WA, their return helping to further elevate professional golf throughout the state.
“The Legends Tour boasts familiar names that golf fans throughout Western Australia would love to see play in person,” said Loretta Hughes, WA Tournaments and Membership Services Coordinator.
“We’re thrilled that they are able to return this year and that we will have them play alongside the current crop on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series at both Cottesloe and Spalding Park.”
A few of the names to have committed already to the Legends Tour swing are reigning Order of Merit champion Andre Stolz, current Order of Merit leader Chris Taylor and Australian Senior PGA champion Jason Norris.
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series stretch has also drawn a host of big names.
DP World Tour winners Scott Strange and Marcus Fraser are both locked in to play the South West Open starting Saturday where they will be joined by Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia tournament winners in Cameron John, Braden Becker, Daniel Fox and Rick Kulacz.
Other notable names who will tee it up during the WA swing include DP World Tour player Jason Scrivener, Korn Ferry Tour player Curtis Luck, Jarryd Felton, James Marchesani and Josh Greer.
“With our own home-grown talent and those making the trip across from the eastern states, the quality of golf we will see over the next month will be exceptional,” added Hughes.
“Our host golf clubs and sponsors have done a wonderful job in growing their events to the point where our top players now see the WA swing as an important part of their schedule.”
The GMW & Radlink Wembley Pro-Am at Wembley Golf Course will follow the South West Open on May 8 to be followed a day later by the WA PGA Foursomes Championship at Nedlands Golf Club.
Now playing the DP World Tour, Haydn Barron has vowed to team up again with good mate Ben Ferguson to go one better than their runners up finish last year to Brett Rumford and Scott Strange.
Barron’s home club, The Western Australian Golf Club, makes a welcome return to the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series for the Toro Australia – TQUIP Pro Am on May 13 before play moves five hours north to Spalding Park Golf Club.
The 2024 Mitchell & Brown Spalding Park Open will be the 50th anniversary of arguably the most popular tournament of the swing, and winner of the WA PGA Tournament of the Year in 2023. It promises to be an unforgettable event with the introduction of the PGA Legends Tour over the three days.
Sun City Country Club will host the Total Tree Services Perth Sun City CC Pro-Am for the second year after a very successful return to the schedule in 2023 where players will be asked to wear yellow as the event will incorporate the club’s Doing It For Jarrod fundraiser.
The Sun City Pro-Am was Lyle’s last professional win, his winning score remains the current course record.
The Urban Quarter Dunsborough Lakes Pro-Am will take place at Dunsborough Lakes Golf Club on May 24 before a two-week break leading into the Bennco Karratha Pro-Am in the state’s north-west.
Recent winner of the WA Regional Golf Facility of the Year and 12 months on from all 18 grass greens being in play, prize money at Karratha has increased again to $35,000, a 300 per cent increase in just two years.
The only sand green course on the WA swing, Port Hedland Golf Club will host the two-day Roy Hill Golf Classic Pro-Am from June 15-16 with the Broome WS6 and Carpet Paint & Tile Broome Pro-Am once again completing the WA leg of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series for 2024.
Click here for PGA Legends Tour schedule
Click here for adidas PGA Pro-Am Series schedule
New South Welshman Alex Edge has held off a fast finishing Caleb Bovalina to complete a wire-to-wire win at the 2024 Tasmanian Open at Launceston Golf Club.
Just the second professional winner since Darren Cole in 1992, Edge began the final round with a two-stroke lead, a buffer he increased with birdies at each of his opening two holes.
Given he began the day seven strokes off the lead, Bovalina was not expected to be one of Edge’s strongest threats yet after turning in 4-under surged into contention with an eagle at the par-5 10th to go 6-under on his round.
He would log three straight birdies from the 15th hole in a bogey-free course record of 9-under 63, one shot shy of Edge’s 9-under tournament total.
Bovalina would share second with Kyle Michel (68) as Edge closed out the biggest win of his career with a 3-under 69.
Michel drew to within one with an eagle at the par-5 15th but only briefly, Edge answering with birdie to move two clear with three holes to play.
But rather than his final birdie, Edge pointed to a par at the previous hole as the key moment in a tense final round.
“The previous hole, the tough par 3, we both missed the green and I managed to make my putt and he didn’t,” said Edge, who made a two-foot putt for bogey on the final hole for the win.
“I knew I was a few up then and then he hit a great shot into the par 5. He would’ve had six feet for eagle and I had about 20 feet. I figured that if I holed that, it’d probably be lights out for everyone else, but I didn’t.
“He did and it made it exciting for the finish.”
Bovalina could do nothing but watch on as Edge and Michel went toe-to-toe over the closing holes.
He didn’t consider that he was mounting a genuine charge for the title until he chipped in on 10 to move to 5-under.
“It’s a course that if you hit it straight and keep it on the straight and narrow you can score,” said Bovalina.
“I was 2-under through six and then I birdied seven and eight and when I chipped in for eagle on 10, that’s when I sort of knew I was in for a good day.
“Birdie on 15 – I had maybe like 15 feet for eagle – and then 16 hit a nice shot in.
“Seventeen, I was in the right rough and a bit of a sandy area. Hit a nice shot to six feet and holed the putt and ended up holing a six-foot par putt on the last to keep it bogey free.”
In the Women’s Tasmanian Open, Launceston local Jorjah Bailey produced the round of the tournament to complete a five-stroke win.
Surrounded by family and fellow Launceston Golf Club members, Bailey took a stranglehold on the title with three birdies in her opening five holes, going on to post 3-under 70 for a 2-under total.
Sydney’s Rebecca Zhao (73) was second at 3-over, three clear of Round 1 leader Matilda Miels (75).
It was a dominant win for Cameron Pollard in the Tasmanian Inclusive Championship, his rounds of 76-78 enough for an 18-shot win from Rod Welsh.
The Men’s and Women’s Tasmanian Opens are supported by the Tasmanian Government through Events Tasmania
New South Welshman Alex Edge denied Ash Hall a steak dinner by extending his lead at the Tasmanian Open at Launceston Golf Club.
The second year that the Tasmanian Open has returned to the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series schedule, Edge backed up his 4-under 68 from day one with a 2-under 70 on Saturday, enough to double his lead to two strokes.
Hall delivered the round of the tournament to date – 6-under 66 – to join a logjam in second place at 4-under with Mark Panopolous (67), Kyle Michel (70) and Tim Hart (70) heading into Sunday’s third and final round.
Edge remains the man to beat, though, who overcame the disappointment of his beloved Parramatta Eels going down on Friday night to hold his position as outright leader.
Square with the card after two birdies and two bogeys in his opening seven holes, Edge showed admirable patience on the tight Launceston layout.
After a run of seven straight pars he moved to 1-under on his round with a birdie at the par-5 15th, adding a second two holes later to lead the way at 6-under par.
“Just tried to do similar to yesterday by keeping it in play,” said Edge.
“I found myself in a few awkward positions at times so I had to take my medicine and not compound any mistakes.
“I started getting a few looks when I had wedges in my hand to make some birdies and it was fine.
“This place is not all about power. You can be creative and I think that as long as I’m doing that and chip and putt nicely, then it’ll make it harder for them to get me.”
After a practice round together at Barnbougle Dunes in the days leading up to the tournament, Hall had promised himself a steak dinner on Saturday night if he’d reined Edge in.
That will now have to wait at least 24 hours despite a round that boasted nine birdies.
“I was 2-over through three, so it was good from there. Very good from there,” said Hall.
“I even dropped one on the par-5 10th as well.
“It was a bit of an in-joke. I wanted to get to the lead then we’ll go out to a nice steak restaurant.
“But if ‘Edgey’ is two in front, then no steak for me tonight.
“He is in good form though, I must admit.
“I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing, play aggressive tomorrow and see what happens.”
In the Women’s Tasmanian Open, Jorjah Bailey has moved two strokes clear at her home club thanks to a brilliant back nine in her second round of 1-under 71.
Trailing South Australian Matilda Miels by four after day one, Bailey unleashed a birdie barrage in Round 2 to move two strokes clear.
Starting from the 10th tee, Bailey had three bogeys on the trot early in her round but a birdie at the par-5 15th was a taste of what was to come.
Her second birdie of the day came at the par-5 second, the first of six in a front nine of 5-under 31 and 1-under 71 total.
At 1-over par she leads Rebecca Zhao (75) by two with Miels (78) a further shot back in outright third.
“I got a bit unlucky I’d say on my first nine,” said Bailey.
“Hit into a few trees, had a three-putt, few bunkers, but really turned it around on the front, which was really nice to see.
“I chipped in on the seventh for birdie and then I pitched two close ones up on eight and nine to really seal it with three in a row.”
Playing on her home course, Bailey admitted that there will be an extra sense of expectation in trying to close out the win in front of members and family.
“I’d say there’s a lot of pressure being at your own course,” said Bailey.
“Hitting it really well, striking it well. It all came together on that last nine so hopefully can keep doing it tomorrow.”
Saturday also saw the opening round of the Tasmanian Inclusive Championship with Coffs Harbour’s Cameron Pollard establishing a 11-shot lead with a round of 4-over 76 from Brett Misso and Rod Welsh.
The Men’s and Women’s Tasmanian Opens are supported by the Tasmanian Government through Events Tasmania
