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Gavin Fairfax defied a frosty start to set a score only Dillon Hart could match at the Power’s Lager Kooralbyn Valley Pro-Am.
Chasing his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win of the year, Fairfax was the best of the morning wave with a round of 5-under 67, Hart making his run late to earn a share of victory, his second in the space of three days.
A regular visitor to the iconic Kooralbyn Valley west of the Gold Coast, Fairfax got a rude shock when he pulled into the car park yet got out to a hot start.
A birdie at his opening hole – the par-4 16th – was the ideal way to warm into his round, adding two more at one and four to be 3-under through seven holes.
A bogey at the dramatically downhill par-3 fifth was a slight setback Fairfax countered with birdies at seven and eight, two further birdies in his final three holes helping to set a score that no one would better.
“It was a fresh start because I played in the morning. I remember getting here and looked at the thermometer on the car and it said 4.5 degrees. She was fresh,” said Fairfax, pictured second from left, with Mark Cooper (Power’s), Kooralbyn Valley Operations Manager Jeremy Parry, Kooralbyn Valley owner Peter Huang and Hart.
“I made a couple of birdies in the first few holes which was nice. Couple of decent saves during the round which kept the momentum going and managed to get a decent score in the end.”
One of the form players on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series, Hart was even par through nine holes after starting his round with a birdie at the par-5 fourth.
It would be a different par 5, however, the par-5 13th, that would turn his fortunes around.
Eagle there was followed by birdies at 17, 18 and two as Hart added to his recent wins at Pioneer Valley and Windaroo Lakes.
“The course was in great condition and I had a chance to get out there this afternoon and try and catch Gavin,” said the Gold Coast-based Hart.
“It was nice to get out there and do that.
“There was a sneaky eagle down there on one of the par 5s that got me going a bit. That got me to 2-under and gave me a chance for the last five to six holes to catch up.”
Fairfax and coach Richard Harris often use Kooralbyn Valley as a training base, Fairfax praising the presentation of the Desmond Muirhead layout.
“I play out here a fair bit actually,” Fairfax added. “Some Mondays I come out with my coach and we do a bit of work out here.
It’s the best I’ve seen it since I’ve been coming out here the past couple of years.”
Fairfax and Hart finished one stroke clear of Redcliffe Pro-Am winner Michael Sim (68) and Jayden Cripps (68), William Bruyeres rounding out the top five with a round of 3-under 69.
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series is at Kooralbyn again Monday for the Queensland Foursomes Championship before moving south into New South Wales for the Gunnedah Kelaher Industrial Pro-Am at Gunnedah Golf Club on Friday.
Brett Rankin couldn’t call on his childhood memories of playing the golf course but used his smarts to navigate his way to a two-stroke win at the Brisbane River Pro-Am.
The first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series event to be played at Brisbane River Golf Club since 1996, 44 players teed it up at the par-66 layout but found its short, twisting holes a unique challenge.
The best score in the morning wave was 3-over par, giving Rankin cause for consideration before teeing off in the afternoon.
A Brisbane native, Rankin recalled playing the course with his primary school best mate, Wayne, and their two fathers at 11 years of age but came with a fresh approach after seeing the morning struggles on the leaderboard.
“I don’t remember the course at all. I remember the clubhouse and that’s about it,” said Rankin.
“It’s a golf course that you have to be very smart with. Being very strategic with your game-plan.
“I saw the scores this morning and saw that everyone was struggling a little bit. Thought maybe everyone was trying to be too aggressive.
“I played very smart today, hit a lot of irons off tees and just hit it where I could see it.
“I saw no one was really doing much so I thought if I kept it simple and made a few putts it might be enough to win the day.”
Rankin went bogey-free in his round of 4-under 62, enough for a two-stroke winner from Windaroo Lakes joint winner Aiden Didone (64) with Will Bruyeres (65) the only other player under par.
A former winner of the NT PGA Championship, Rankin will play the Power’s Lager Kooralbyn Valley Pro-Am on Sunday and the Queensland Foursomes Championship on Monday before heading to Palmerston Golf and Country Club.
“There’s not going to be a lot of rest before NT PGA but I’ll take a few weeks off after,” said Rankin, who returned to the top of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series Order of Merit with his Brisbane River victory.
“The body’s pretty sore at the moment so I just want to try and get through NT, play good, rest up and then start looking after the body a bit.”
For the second event in succession there was also a hole-in-one at Brisbane River, Barrie Manning using 9-iron at the 130-metre par-3 16th, the ball rolling down off the bank on the left of the green, hitting the flag at decent pace and dropping in.
He knew what was required and Queenslander Dillon Hart delivered under pressure to match Aiden Didone at the TruHealth Solutions Windaroo Lakes Pro-Am.
The winding, challenging Windaroo Lakes layout south of Brisbane provided a stern test for the field of 58 players, drizzly conditions only adding to the challenge.
Didone was out in the morning wave and was the first to post 5-under 67, starting his round with seven straight pars before peeling off four straight birdies from the 10th hole to surge up the leaderboard.
“Started off a little slow, parred my first seven holes and then holed a nice long putt on my 10th hole to get me going,” said Didone, pictured left-to-right with sponsor Rob Bruhl from TruHealth Solutions, Hart and Windaroo Lakes Head Professional, Tanner Jackson.
“I went on a bit of a run from there with four birdies in a row.
“Few tough holes to finish but not bogeys today which was really good.”
It was a score that looked like it would hold up for the entirety afternoon until Hart stepped forward.
Having started from the 14th tee, Hart was 2-under and back in the pack with three holes to play.
A birdie at the par-3 11th bridged the gap somewhat but he arrived at the par-5 13th needing an eagle to match Didone’s 67.
“Needed a score on the final hole to win and I managed to do that, so really happy,” said Hart, a winner at Pioneer Valley earlier in the season and runner-up recently at both Grafton and Ocean Shores.
“I hit the ball pretty well but there are a few short game things that I would like to work on. Overall really happy.”
Brett Rankin and Jake McLeod continued their recent good form to earn a share of third along with prolific SParms PGA Legends Tour winner Brad Burns at 4-under 68, Alex Edge and Mitchell Dunbar tied for sixth at 3-under 67, Dunbar’s round bolstered by a hole-in-one with 7-iron at the 151-metre 11th hole.
On Friday the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series breaks new ground with the inaugural Brisbane River Golf Club Pro-Am.
A holed flop shot helped James Conran to storm home over his final nine holes to win the $25,000 Southport Pro-Am on the Gold Coast.
Conran, who learnt the game in Orange and went on to become a member of the NSW men’s amateur squad, shot a 5-under 66 to finish two shots ahead of veteran Tour pro David Bransdon in the latest event on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series.
The tricky Southport layout, short in length by modern standards but protected by an array of water hazards, stood up well as a test for the professionals, with only 13 players in the 59-strong field breaking par.
Conran, 24, pocketed $4490 for his victory.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Conran turned in even-par after an opening nine holes that featured birdies at the 12th and 13th and his only slip-up of the day, a double-bogey at the 18th.
He then played the front nine at Southport in just 31 strokes, including a run of four consecutive birdies from the third to the sixth. The highlight was a flop shot that he holed from behind the green at the par-four fourth.
WHAT THE WINNER/S SAID
Conran said: “The flop shot (at the fourth) had very little chance of coming off but somehow it did and just gave me more confidence to finish off with a few more birdies on five, six and eight. The greens were true and a very nice surface to putt on which helped me see a few putts go in early and I kept it up for the rest of the day.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
65: James Conran
67: David Bransdon
68: Kyle Michel, Andrew Campbell
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series heads up the M1 to the $12,500 TruHealth Solutions Windaroo Lakes Pro-Am on Wednesday.
Photo: Southport Golf Club General Manger Bernadette Lance, James Conran and Southport Golf Club Golf Operations Manager Phil Wolvaardt
Two of the PGA Tour of Australasia’s tournament winners from last summer warmed up for the resumption of the 2023/24 season by being in a group of five players who shared top spot in the Summit Press Printing Coolangatta-Tweed Heads Pro-Am.
Queensland PGA champion Aaron Wilkin and WA Open victor Deyen Lawson shot rounds of 5-under 67 on the club’s west course to figure in the tie with Christopher Wood, Tim Hart and Lucas Higgins.
For Lawson, Higgins and Wilkin it was their second win in this year’s adidas PGA Pro-Am Series, while Wood cashed in his first winner’s cheque and prolific winner Hart recorded his fourth victory alongside his Onsite Rental Mining Town Series title.
Higgins had been knocking on the door in recent events, finishing second in Ballina and third in Yamba.
Only one shot separated the top eight players on the leaderboard, with 22 players cashing in on the great conditions to finish under-par in the latest event on the NSW Northern Rivers swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series.
The last few professional events at Coolangatta and Tweed Heads Golf Club had unfortunately been spoiled by wet weather, but the club was rewarded with blue skies for the 2023 Pro-Am field.
The club’s General Manager, Nicole James, said: “It was great to have the weather we had today. The course and field was amazing. We are very honoured and work very hard to have professional golf here, especially with the traditions of the club. We are very well supported by our members and sponsors.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED
Higgins ate up the par-5s on the Coolangatta-Tweed west course, playing them in 6-under, highlighted by an eagle on the 467m par-5 10th hole.
Wood and Wilkin included six birdies and one bogey in their 67s, while Hart and Lawson went bogey-free.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
Chris Wood: “I played solid, birdied my second last hole and unfortunately managed to three-putt my last. The course was superb.”
Deyen Lawson: “I came to life on the back, birdieing holes 10, 12 and 13. I didn’t make many mistakes being bogey-free. However I left a few putts on the edge.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
67: Lucas Higgins. Deyen Lawson, Christopher Wood, Tim Hart, Aaron Wilkin
68: Kyle Michel, Brett Rankin, Darcy Boyd
69: Brady Watt, Ryan Peake, Brendan Smith, Peter Martin, Gavin Fairfax
NEXT UP
It’s across the border to the Southport Golf Club on the Gold Coast for the $25,000 Southport Pro-Am on Monday
Photo: Major Sponsor Summit Press Printing Trent Willoughby, Coolangatta-Tweed Heads Head Professional Jared Love, Aaron Wilkin, Tim Hart, CTHGC General Manager Nicole James, Lucas Higgins, Deyen Lawson and Chris Wood.
Brad Burns turned around a frustrating run of second places to join Marcus Cain as the joint winners of the Toowoomba Legends Pro-Am at the Toowoomba Golf Club.
The two Queensland professionals finished with rounds of 3-under 68 after making the most of perfect afternoon conditions in the Darling Downs city.
For Burns, it was second win of the year on the SParms PGA Legends Tour, but he has come close many times before in 2023, finishing second eight times.
Cain’s victory backed up his joint win at Mt Warren Park six days earlier.
The best scores in the morning rounds came from Chris Hollingsworth and Mark Boulton who ended up in a five-way share of third on 2-under.
HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED
Both Cain and Burns had four birdies and one bogey in their rounds of 68.
Starting on the 10th tee, Burns turned in 4-under 33 and mixed in eight pars with a bogey on the par-4 13th.
Cain started his day with a birdie on his first hole, the 17th and also was at 4-under when he dropped his first and only shot of the day on the 11th.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
Brad Burns: “It’s a relief. I was stating to think I may not win again. My last individual win was back in February in NZ and I have not been able to greet the judge since”
Marcus Cain: “It is great to just compete again yet alone win. The wins are a bonus.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
68: Brad Burns, Marcus Cain
69: Mark Boulton, Chris Hollingsworth, Adam Henwood, Murray Lott, Steve Conran.
Recent victors Andrew Campbell and Ryan Peake couldn’t be split at the $15,000 Coca-Cola Murwillumbah Pro-Am, sharing the top spot after shooting 5-under-par 67s on the NSW Northern Rivers layout.
For Peake, it was back-to-back victories on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series after a 66 gave him a solo win just down the 25 kilometres down the road at the Ocean Shores Country Club.
Earlier this year, the big-hitting left-hander completed a clean sweep of WA’s north-west swing.
Campbell, from Coffs Harbour, has also enjoyed a successful July, winning the Yamba Pro-Am.
HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED
In cool and dewy morning conditions and playing Murwillumbah for the first time, Peake went bogey-free in his 67 which included a run of three birdies in five holes on the backline.
Playing in the afternoon wave, Campbell’s only bogey for the day came on the long par-four 4th hole but he quickly bounced back with a birdie on the par-five 5th – one of six birdies he had for the day.
WHAT THE WINNERS SAID
Ryan Peake: “The course was fantastic. I thought you could really get the ball rolling well to make some birdies. I just felt really comfortable out there today.”
Andrew Campbell: “This course plays really tight so it was nice to go out there and make a few birdies. I played pretty steady and didn’t really hole too many putts – just made the birdies when I need to.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
66: Ryan Peake, Andrew Campbell
67: Deyan Lawson
68: Nathan Page, Michael Sim, Gavin Fairfax
Photo: Murwillumbah Golf Club Assistant Professional Duncan Crilley, Andrew Campbell, Ryan Peak and Golf Shop Manager Shane Miley.
Big-hitting left-hander Ryan Peake made mince meat of the abundant par 5s to win the Ocean Shores CUB Pro-Am at Ocean Shores Country Club.
A three-time winner on the WA swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series, Peake headed east endeavouring to extend his winning run.
He has contended in recent events throughout Queensland and into the Northern Rivers of New South Wales before breaking through in what he says was “unexpected” fashion.
Peake’s round of 6-under 66 was enough for a one-stroke victory and moved him to the top of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series Order of Merit.
He took full advantage of the unique Ocean Shores layout – the course has six par 3s, six par 4s and six par 5s – playing the par 5s in 6-under par with four birdies and an eagle.
Playing the course for the first time, Peake was excited at the prospect of six par 5s on the scorecard but conceded that they were by no means pushovers.
“I like the concept of the layout. Generally when you’re looking at six par-5s you think, Well, there’s six birdies but there’s not too many par 5s where I hit driver off the deck or 3-wood into and I did that on just about all of them today,” said Peake.
“They’re not exactly easy par 5s but I definitely do like the layout.”
Starting from the seventh tee, Peake missed out on a birdie at his first par 5 at nine but picked up shots on all three three-shotters on the back nine.
He added a fourth at the par-5 first but it wasn’t until he made eagle at the par-5 fourth that he considered being in tournament contention.
“I just wasn’t under the pump today. I didn’t exactly hit everything really close – I had a lot of outside chances and didn’t make any of them – so to get away with the win was a little unexpected,” he added.
“I made a few birdies and got to 3 or 4-under and thought that maybe I just wasn’t hitting it close enough.
“Then I rolled in an eagle putt from 10 foot on four and that got me in the hunt.
“From there I was able to birdie the next par 4 as well.
“I just played solid all day and then finished fast late.”
Now second behind Peake on the Order of Merit standings, Brett Rankin (67) continued his good form with a share of second alongside Matthew Stieger (67), Dillon Hart (67) and Sanctuary Cove Golf Operations Manager Ryan Gailey (67).
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series stays on the Northern Rivers on Thursday for the Coca-Cola Murwillumbah Pro-Am at Murwillumbah Golf Club.
Individual moments of brilliance helped Andrew Campbell and Michael Wright to come from behind and share victory at the two-day Ray White Yamba Pro-Am.
Wind and quick greens added to the challenge at Yamba Golf and Country Club across the two days with Campbell (73) and Wright (75) well back of Round 1 leader Lucas Higgins (66) entering the final round.
Starting his second round with birdies at back-to-back par 5s gave Campbell critical early momentum, an eagle at the par-5 eighth the high point of his round of 4-under 68.
Now based at Coffs Harbour Golf Club, Campbell described the tournament as something of a home game yet didn’t expect to come out on top on Sunday.
“Given how difficult the course was playing, I really didn’t expect to win coming from so far behind,” said Campbell, pictured (centre) with Yamba Head Professional Jamie Corkill (left) and Golf Operations Manager, Chris Durrington (right).
“Playing in the wind is always a good test and starting with two par 5s was definitely helpful in getting off to a good start.
“The eagle on eight was great and then a good up-and-down on 10 enabled me to keep the momentum going for the last couple of holes.”
Runner-up at Blackwater last month, Wright was also surprised to come from so far back to finish alongside Campbell at the top of the podium.
Pleased with his recent run of form, Wright attributed his 6-under par 66 to a hot day on Yamba’s sensational putting surfaces.
“I holed a 15-footer for par on the first hole of the day and that put me in a great mind frame,” Wright said.
“I went on to hole more the 100 feet of putts over the course of the round on greens that were nothing short of superb.”
Like Campbell, it took a shot somewhat out of the ordinary to elevate Wright to the top of the leaderboard.
“The chip-in on the 15th gave me a real boost to get to 5-under and a simple up-and-down on the last for birdie put the icing on the cake,” he added.
Five bogeys and a double-bogey in a round of 4-over 76 saw Higgins drop into a tie for third with Ryan Peake (72-70), Nathan Miller (69-73) and Anthony Choat (71-71).
Yamba continues to be one of the favourite stops on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series with recent improvements adding to the experience.
Updates have included upgrades to paths and general course maintenance that had the course presented at its very best.
Winner of Regional Tournament of the Year in 2016 and 2017 and Tournament of the Year in 2020, Yamba Golf Club also now boasts three TrackMan simulators that are used for lessons and family-friendly social games on any number of courses from around the world.
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series stays on the Northern Rivers this week, the next event the Ocean Shores CUB Pro-Am at Ocean Shores Country Club on Wednesday.
They had 13 birdies and an eagle between them but it was Brett Rankin who edged Tim Hart to take the Dougherty Property Grafton Pro-Am.
Rankin and Hart took the rare opportunity to play together in the same group to put on a show for their amateur playing partners at Grafton District Golf Club.
Starting from the fourth tee it was Rankin who landed the first blow, making birdie at the par-4 fifth.
Hart hit back with birdies of his own at six and nine before Rankin made three straight birdies from the 10th hole to assume control.
After a dropped shot on 13 Rankin made further birdies at 15 and 17 and an eagle on 18 in his round of 7-under 65 and a one-shot win.
Hart finished in a share of second at 6-under 66, Dillon Hart and Bailey Arnott also ending the day one shot shy of Rankin’s winning total.
A winner at Grafton in 2015, Rankin said that playing in the same group as Hart helped to drive him to go low.
“It helped me and Tim today,” said Rankin, pictured with Andrew Brien (Dougherty Property Centre) and amateur winner Henri Arnold.
“We got to feed off each other and you get a bit of a feel for what clubs to select on par 3s and stuff like that. If one of us goes first, you get a sense of how far it is actually playing.
“Having someone else in the group hitting good shots too is good for your own visualisation.
“You start seeing good shots you start hitting good shots. It definitely helps us for sure.”
Hit hard by floods in recent years, the Grafton layout has proved to be a happy hunting ground for Rankin.
Not only does he enjoy the layout but praised the greens as among the best he has played on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series circuit.
“I just remember always playing pretty good here and if I didn’t win I was always top five and might have even had a couple of runner-ups,” he added.
“The course suits my eye and the greens are really good. I find that when I’m putting well it’s on greens that are really quick and these greens are quite quick.
“I think that really suited me today and kind of fell into my hands.”
Michael Wright put up an excellent defence of his 2022 title, finishing in a tie for fifth with Chris Wood, James Conran and Andrew Campbell.
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series moves south on Saturday for the two-day Ray White Yamba Pro-Am.
