Panopolous and Hart both posted rounds of 4-under 44 at the 12-hole layout to finish one clear of Marcus Fraser (45), Jayden Cripps (45) and Kyle Michel (45) in the first event of the 2024/2025 season.

The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series Order of Merit winner in 2021 and 2022, Hart was shocked to find out post-round that it was 100th tournament win across pro-am and Associate events.

“I didn’t think I was that old,” said Hart.

“If that is the case, that’s awesome.

“That’s something good to look back on and know that my game’s in pretty good stead year in, year out.

“Just going to build off that and hopefully start doing it in bigger events.”

HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED

Playing in consecutive groups, Hart set a cracking pace with birdies at his opening two holes.

He made his only bogey of the day at the par-4 third but picked up shots at six, nine and 11 to get into the clubhouse at 4-under.

Hart would soon have company as Panopolous came in with a score of 4-under in the group behind.

Like Hart, Panopolous birdied the par-5 first and then made birdies at five and six to be 3-under at the halfway mark of his round.

The Concord Golf Club Assistant Professional made bogey at the par-3 ninth but back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11 enabled him to join Hart at the top of the leaderboard.

WHAT THE WINNERS SAID

Mark Panopolous: “Playing here last year definitely helped, understanding where you can hit it and where you can’t. There are quite a few holes where you have to take on the boundary line, so just trying to be aggressively conservative.

“I was talking to a good mate John Lyras this morning and just really working on some pre-shot routine processes to try and get me more into the shot. Just got me a bit more locked into the shot I’m trying to hit, really visualising it and really just trying to be really tight with my routine, keep it repeatable.

“I wasn’t doing it very well so I was happy to listen and try and make it better and obviously it’s worked for me today.”

Tim Hart: “It was nice to go out there and shoot a score. I know it’s only 12 holes but I hit it pretty well and good signs leading into the next few pro-ams at Griffith and Leeton.

“I found something the last six months on tour, done a lot of mental work, mental side of the game just to stay calmer out there.

“I struggled a bit with injuries and stuff the last few years, so it’s good to sort of understand that a bit more and understand my body more.

“Been hitting it a lot better the last few months in the tour events and it’s good to see some results in four-rounders.

“We’ll just use the middle part of this year to play a few more pro-ams and get it all ready for the tour events later in the year.”

LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1        Tim Hart                       44
T1        Mark Panopoulos        44
T3        Kyle Michel                   45
T3        Jayden Cripps              45
T3        Marcus Fraser              45
T6        Alexander Simpson      46
T6        Toby Walker                 46
T6        Dillon Hart                   46

NEXT UP
Two-time DP World Tour winner Lucas Herbert is back home to defend his Neangar Park Pro-Am by Evolution Copy Print Solutions on Thursday and will also tee it up at Friday’s Symes Motors BMW Axedale Pro-Am.

The win at Eynesbury also secures Campbell the national order of merit, even with one event to go tomorrow at Geelong, he cannot be beaten.

Joining Campbell in the playoff was Matias Sanchez and Andrew Kelly, who all shot 4-under in the afternoon groupings. 

All three players made par on the first playoff hole, with Campbell and Kelly getting up and down from tricky positions.

With Sanchez and Kelly both in for par on the second playoff hole, the stage was clear for Campbell to drain his 20-footer for birdie and the win.

Queenslander William Bruyeres and Austin Bautista, who was playing alongside Campbell and Sanchez, finished just back from the leaders at 3-under.

HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED

Starting his day – fittingly – on 18-tee, Campbell got off to a dream start, making birdie on his opening hole.

A double-bogey two holes later however saw Campbell over-par early, but this was his first and only blemish of the day.

Campbell played flawlessly, with five more birdies coming in. Needing one more birdie for the outright win on his final hole, the short par-4 17th, Campbell’s putt just slid by.

WHAT THE WINNER SAID

“Testing conditions out there, just kept playing my game and keeping myself in it, I knew I was up around the lead.”

“It’s pretty sweet to get a victory at any time, but especially here at Eynesbury.”

“Matias was a little bit sneaky, I didn’t realise he birdied the last two to get in the playoff, I was just trying to beat Austin!”

“There was a lot of good golf in the group so it just kept us going.”

“We go to Geelong tomorrow, and we got our last tour event at The National next week, so this is going to give me a heap of confidence going into that week.”

LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN

-4 Andrew Campbell

-4 Andrew Kelly

-4 Matias Sanchez

-3 William Bruyeres

-3 Austin Bautista

-2 Rick Kulacz

-2 Kyle Michel

-2 Chris Wood

NEXT UP

The final Pro-Am series event for the season is tomorrow, with players heading to the MMd Geelong 9-hole Pro-Am.

“I did say that I thought I would win something soon,” admitted Jones admitted, whose last win on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series was at Wynnum Golf Club in Brisbane in December 2017.

That prediction came to fruition less than a week later with a two-stroke victory at the Dallas Building and Maintenance Northern Pro-Am at Northern Golf Club on Tuesday.

After a slight stumble with a bogey at his second hole, Jones put the foot down… and kept it down.

“I gave myself a mission this morning before I teed off that if I do start going well again to just keep going,” he added.

His round of 7-under 65 gave him a two-stroke buffer from good friends Darcy Brereton (67) and Ed Donoghue (67) with Zach Maxwell (68), Gavin Fairfax (68) and Brock Gillard (68) sharing fourth.

HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED

Starting from the third hole, Jones made bogey at his second hole, the par-3 fourth, but he would be back in red numbers shortly thereafter.

One of the longest hitters on tour, Jones made eagle at the 314-metre par-4 seventh and followed it with birdie at the par-5 eighth.

Two further birdies followed at 10 and 11 and he went back-to-back again at 15 and 16, a final birdie at two the exclamation point on what will be a popular win throughout Australian golf.

WHAT THE WINNER SAID

“I’ve been playing really well and getting close.

“I’ve been putting in some work on the game and it’s come to fruition which is great.

“I had about five years off and didn’t play at all so probably the Wynnum Pro-Am back in 2017 or 2018.

“It’s been a while so it’s good to get the trophy.

“I like Keysborough, it’s a good course. It’s got five par 5s which suits me. Have played well there in the past too so looking forward to that, should be a good test.”

LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1          Steven Jones                65
T2        Darcy Brereton             67
T2        Edward Donoghue       67
T4        Zachary Maxwell          68
T4        Brock Gillard                68
T4        Gavin Fairfax                68

NEXT UP

There are just three events left in the 2023/2024 adidas PGA Pro-Am Series season, starting with the Bendigo Bank Dingley Village Community – Keysborough Golf Club Pro-Am at Keysborough Golf Club on Thursday.

An eagle at the par-4 fifth would prove crucial at day’s end, Kivimets’ round of 4-under 63 enough for a second adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win at The Valley Golf Sport and Leisure.

He finished one clear of Martin Doyle (64) and Alex Edge (64) at a layout he admitted is very much to his liking.

“Being a bit shorter probably does play into my hands a little bit,” said Kivimets.

“Sometimes I can be accurate, sometimes not so much but around here, the holes where you need to make birdie I’ve played those quite well.

“Some of the trickier ones where you need to just get it in play and make a par and get out of there, I’ve been able to do that.”

HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED

It took only until Kivimets’ second hole before he collected his first birdie of the day at the par-5 10th.

He gave that shot back with a bogey on 11 but made three birdies on the trot from the 232-metre par-4 14th to climb towards the top of the leaderboard.

He remained patient as he picked off six straight pars and then collected what he conceded was a “bonus” when he holed out for eagle at the 360m par-4 fifth.

From that point it was a matter of holding his round together, a bogey on seven the only backward step as he added to his victory at The Valley in 2020.

WHAT THE WINNER SAID

“It was an interesting round. I’d had a good result here in the past so it was good to come back and see some of the holes and remember some of the shots that I hit.

“I got a good break and made a two on the fifth for eagle which helped calm me down a bit. From there I was just trying to not hit it over the fence really.

“There are only three other courses that I’ve played and had a win on for the Pro-Am Series so it’s nice to come back. First time back since that 2020 event so it’s always good.

“I seem to really like the greens here. Rolled a few putts in and it’s nice to have those good feelings and memories to draw on.”

LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1          Bradley Kivimets          63
T2        Martin Doyle                64
T2        Alex Edge                    64
T4        Tim Elliott                     65
T4        Cameron Kelly              65
T6        Michael Choi                66
T6        Ruben Lal                     66

NEXT UP

With just four events remaining on the 2023/2024 schedule, the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series moves on to Northern Golf Club in Melbourne for the Dallas Building and Maintenance Northern Pro-Am on Tuesday.

The winner at Heidelberg in 2015, Pilkadaris shot a 4-under-par 68 that was matched by Jake Hughes and DJ Loypur on a crowded leaderboard that featured 13 players within two shots.

Ranked as high as 153^rd in the world at the peak of his career, Pilkadaris has missed most of the Australian Summer of Golf after tearing a rib muscle “trying to hit it too hard” in November.

He made his comeback on the PGA Legends Tour earlier this week with a tie for sixth place at Southern Golf Club and then a share of second behind Terry Price at Settlers Run before heading back to the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series.

“I’m old so the body’s not working too well,” he joked.

One of the professionals who took part in the start of the Victorian Pennant season last weekend, playing in the No.3 spot for Kingston Heath, Jake Hughes brought in some hot form, clinching his match 4&3 before playing on to shoot 8-under for the 17 holes he played at The National.

Pilkadaris and Loypur will head to the season-ending National Tournament Presented by BMW on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia starting on March 14.

HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED

All three Heidelberg winners played in the afternoon wave with Hughes teeing off the fourth, Loypur the 10th and Pilkadaris the 17th.

Hughes was -4 after just six holes but bogeys on the 17th and third prevented him from going lower as he finished with six birdies for the day.

Loypur, who also mixed in six birdies with two bogeys, had a chance to win on his final hole. But after picking up shots on the three previous par-5s he played, could only manage a par on the 479m ninth.

The only bogey for Pilkadaris came on the par-4 eighth.

WHAT THE WINNERS SAID

Pilkadaris described his round as “nice and steady”.

“I kept the ball in play off the tee. Heidelberg is quite a tight course and tried to keep the ball below the hole because the greens were quite quick. I thought I had it there (a 67) on my final hole, but it wasn’t to be.”

DJ Loypur was thankful he holed some putts after being “a little all over the place”.

“I had to figure out where I was going out here because I hadn’t been here for a few years. Had a couple opportunities late to make another birdie but missed them unfortunately.”

Hughes said: “I started off hot, but then got into a bit of a lull with pars on two par-5s on the back nine. From there, I cruised on in.

“I’ve been playing solid, getting the handicap down to +5 at Kingston Heath. I’m hoping to get an invite into The National and continuing on in the Order of Merit.”

LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN

68: Jake Hughes, DJ Loypur, Terry Pilkadaris

69: Darcy Brereton, Wade Lowrie, Rick Kulacz, Steven Jones

70: Michael Dean

71: Dylan Higgins, Lachlan Aylen, Toby Walker, Matt Dowling, Alex Edge

NEXT UP

The 2023/24 adidas Pro-Am Series reaches its conclusion in Victoria next week with events at Northern, Keysborough, Eynesbury and Geelong.