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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.
In some ways it wasn’t a fair fight as Ballina boy Jay Mackenzie cruised to a two-stroke victory at the McGrath Estate Agents Ballina Pro-Am.
Playing the course where he first learned the game and where he practises to this day, Mackenzie piloted his way around the Ballina Golf Club like a player who knows every twist in the fairway and every break in the greens.
Because he does.
Mackenzie went bogey-free in his round of 8-under 64 to finish two clear of fellow Northern Rivers product Lucas Higgins (66) and West Australian Brady Watt (66).
“That was about as easy as golf can feel, I think. Playing the home course and knowing everything about the course,” said Mackenzie of the first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series event to be played at Ballina Golf Club since 2014.
And in a warning to his competitors for the upcoming tournaments throughout the Northern Rivers, Mackenzie said he is almost as familiar with those courses.
“Maybe not as confident as I was today but I’ve played all those courses a million times,” Mackenzie said of the tournaments coming up in the next week.
“Looking forward to it, I like the Northern Rivers run.”
Playing in the afternoon wave and in ideal winter conditions, Mackenzie made three straight birdies from the 11th hole but said it was a par save that helped to maintain momentum heading into the turn.
“I hit a pretty average second shot at the 15th right of the green and got that up-and-down to that tough pin which was very nice,” added Mackenzie, the 2021 WA PGA champion.
With his own home pro-am coming up next Thursday at Murwillumbah Golf Club, it was a strong showing from Higgins who had seven birdies and a lone bogey at Ballina.
Deyen Lawson (67) began his round with six birdies in his first eight holes but played his next 10 holes in 1-over to finish tied for fourth with Zach Maxwell (67) and Darcy Brereton (67).
In the lead up to the Pro-Am the golf club ran a raffle with proceeds going to the charity of choice of major sponsor McGrath Estate Agents.
Just over $2,000 was raised and was donated to the Northern Rivers Community Fund, a charity dedicated to improving the lives of those less fortunate either from economic circumstances, mental illness, disability, learning difficulties or drug/alcohol addictions.
Their grants touch on issues such as people’s right to health, employment, higher education, happiness and creative expression, and the challenges of living in a regional community.
The raffle was well supported by Ballina Golf Club members which will in turn help people within their community.
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series is at Grafton District Golf Club on Friday for the Dougherty Property Grafton Pro-Am.
It took five years to win his first but just five days to snare a second as Jake McLeod claimed the Belle Property Mount Coolum Pro-Am at Mount Coolum Golf Club.
On a day in which Toby Walker and Cooper Eccleston both recorded hole-in-ones, it was McLeod’s 6-under 66 that proved to be the day’s best, Eccleston (67) sharing second spot with Craig Goodall (67).
Joint victor with Brett Rankin, McLeod’s win at last week’s Howeston Pro-Am was his first on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series and his first win anywhere since the 2018 NSW Open.
With a taste for the winner’s circle, McLeod used a blistering start to pick up his second on a drizzly day at Mount Coolum.
Starting from the 10th tee, McLeod began his round with two straight birdies and after a bogey at the par-3 14th bounced back in style.
An eagle at the par-5 15th was followed by back-to-back birdies at 16 and 17 for an outward nine of 5-under 31 that was the cornerstone of his round.
“I teed off 10 and got off to a fast start,” McLeod revealed post round.
“I birdied the first couple and then had an eagle a few holes later and then a couple of birdies to back that up. I was maybe 5-under through eight holes which is a good start and then just hung on until the end really.
“I played nicely, just had a lot of pars coming in.”
Not a regular competitor on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series, McLeod paid tribute to the presentation of a golf course that he said set up well for him.
“The course was in good shape. I thought the greens were really nice,” he added.
“A lot of the tee shots out there suited my tee. It’s quite tight so I enjoyed it.”
Walker was the first to make an ace with a perfect 7-iron from 145 metres at the par-3 16th. Incredibly, his hole-in-one came directly after an eagle at the par-5 15th in his round of 3-under 69.
Eccleston’s hole-in-one came at the short par-3 12th with a pitching wedge from 120m and was book-ended by two birdies on either side for a 6-under stretch through five holes.
There was a three-way tie for fourth at 4-under, Nathan Barbieri and Gavin Fairfax both going bogey-free to finish level with home-course favourite TJ King.
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series now moves into the Northern Rivers of New South Wales for a new event, the McGrath Estate Agents Ballina Pro-Am at Ballina Golf Club on Thursday.
Three birdies in his final five holes have clinched Michael Sim a one-stroke victory at the $70,000 Optilease Redcliffe Pro-Am at Redcliffe Golf Club.
The classy former PGA TOUR player was paired with Round 1 leader and defending champion Aaron Wilkin in the final round as a star-studded field jockeyed for top spot on the leaderboard at the richest adidas PGA Pro-Am Series tournament of the year to date.
Reigning WA Open champion Deyen Lawson rocketed into contention on the back of a 10-under 61 on day two that included a back-nine of 7-under 29 but he would ultimately finish two shots shy of Sim.
One shot back of Wilkin (63-69) at the start of Round 2, Sim (64-65) drew level when Wilkin dropped a shot at the par-3 second.
Birdies at three, six and eight gave Sim a one-stroke lead at the turn but he would need to produce the type of play that once made him a top-50 player in the world to maintain his advantage.
A birdie at the par-3 11th was followed by a bogey at 12 before birdies at 14, 16 and 18 sealed his first victory since the Joondalup Resort Classic more than a year ago.
“I was told the score only a couple times today but it was very interesting to know I was tied for the lead with a couple holes to go,” said Sim, pictured with Redcliffe Director of Golf Chris Adnams and Optilease Isuzu sponsors Alan Johnson (left) and Alan Newcombe (right).
“It was great to be paired with Aaron Wilkin in the final group. It gave me a push throughout the day and gave us that tournament-like feel.”
New South Welshman Nathan Barbieri (65-65) went bogey-free for the 36 holes to finish outright second, Lawson (70-61) snared third as Wilkin shared fourth with Aaron Pike (67-65), Charlie Dann (66-66) and Jack Munro (67-65).
As shown by the top of the leaderboard, the field was one of the strongest seen on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series in many years and vindicates the commitment to the event by sponsors and Redcliffe Golf Club.
“Redcliffe Golf Club is very proud to be associated with the PGA and the growth of the Redcliffe Pro-Am,” said club captain Chris Dewer.
“It’s our marquee event of the year and having the professionals here and supporting provides us utmost joy.
“It’s amazing to give our juniors the opportunities they get because of this event.”
The Redcliffe layout was in superb condition across the two days, Sim praising the standard of the putting surfaces in particular.
“What Redcliffe Golf Club have done is nothing short of amazing,” added Sim, whose next event will be the WA Open at Joondalup Resort in October.
“The course was presented beautifully. Absolute credit to Course Superintendent David Scott and his team. The greens were the best we have putted on recently.”
The next event on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series is the Belle Property Mt Coolum Pro-Am at Mt Coolum Golf Club on Monday.
Brisbane native Aaron Wilkin hopes to use a successful defence of his Optilease Redcliffe Pro-Am title as a catalyst to take his game to the world later this year.
Twelve months ago, Wilkin expressed his desire to use his four-stroke win at Redcliffe Golf Club as momentum for a strong season on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.
He broke through for his maiden win on tour at the Queensland PGA Championship at Nudgee Golf Club in November but didn’t carry that form into the bigger events as he had hoped.
The now 30-year-old finished the season 11th on the Order of Merit to open the door to opportunities abroad, opportunities he intends to grasp on the back of another strong week at Redcliffe.
“Because it’s at a time of the year when there’s not much on, you usually get a really good field at Redcliffe,” Wilkin said of defending his title against a field boasting fellow Tour winners Marcus Fraser, Jake McLeod, Jake Higginbottom, Andrew Martin, Deyen Lawson, Aaron Pike and Jack Thompson.
“It’s only two days but you’re still getting a pretty strong field. You’ve got to beat pretty good players so it definitely gets you into tournament mode.
“I get Second Stage in Europe which is first week of November and I should get the Dunhill Links Championship as well in October.
“I went to Asian Q School in January and missed by a shot so I’ve got secondary tour status. There’s a couple of events in Indonesia next month and then potentially smaller Asian Tour events.
“I haven’t played that well since Nudgee to be honest so another confidence booster at Redcliffe would be very handy.”
Although he admits to have not been at his best in recent months, Wilkin gave a reminder at the Ian Weigh Toyota Rockhampton Pro-Am of the ability he possesses.
Eight shots back at the start of the final round, Wilkin opened with a par and then three straight bogeys. He followed that with a birdie blitz of eight holes straight in a round of 7-under 65 to earn a share of fourth.
“I had a chance for birdie on the ninth hole which was probably the easiest of the lot,” Wilkin reflected.
“Confidence can change very fast.
“One day you think you’re on top of it and then then next day you’re not.
“You’ve got to think that no one can beat you and that no one is better than you.
“That’s got to be your mentality. You might not be the best but you’ve got to try to believe it.”
One of the richest pro-ams on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series schedule, total prizemoney at Redcliffe has increased again this year from $65,000 to $70,000.
The shotgun start tees off at 10am on Thursday with Wilkin drawn to play with Jake McLeod for Round 1.
Photo: Travis Hayto/PGA of Australia
There were contrasting emotions as Jake McLeod and Brett Rankin split top spot at the Howeston Pro-Am in Brisbane’s Bayside.
A star-studded field converged on the par-71 Howeston Golf Course with Rankin and McLeod both posting rounds of 5-under 66 to finish out on top.
A former Order of Merit winner, Rankin has lost count of his adidas PGA Pro-Am Series victories but for McLeod it was a first, and his first win of any kind since the 2018 NSW Open on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.
“Five years. That’s too long I reckon,” said a relieved McLeod.
“I haven’t had too much fortune in my time in pro-ams so it’s nice to turn it around.”
The PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner in 2018, McLeod has spent time on the DP World Tour in recent years and played extensively on home soil.
Admitting that he has struggled to find the right mindset to taste success in pro-ams, McLeod relaxed and enjoyed the company of his playing group as he played the Howeston layout for the very first time.
“In my opinion it’s quite different but it’s nice to meet new people and go out there and have fun,” McLeod added.
“I’ve changed my attitude towards it. Really enjoyed my day with my playing partners, getting to know them and trying to show what we can do out there.
“I think it’s good sometimes, to be honest,” he said of not knowing the golf course.
“You don’t really know where the danger is. I just got up on each tee without any worries of left or right and played really nicely.”
A three-time winner already this season, Rankin was the defending champion at Howeston yet teed it up unsure of what to expect.
Battling a slipped vertebrae in his lower back, Rankin struggled on Monday at his home club, The Brisbane Golf Club, but was able to play relatively pain-free at Howeston.
“It’s always good to go back-to-back. I do remember winning here last year in pretty tough conditions so it was nice to play some good golf today,” Rankin said.
“I’ve had a bit of an issue with my back and it’s been a bit of a battle. Didn’t play real well at my home track on Monday so I wasn’t expecting too much today. It was nice to play some good golf and feel pretty good.
“I’ve always seemed to play well here. I don’t know why that is. I chipped it pretty well today and putted pretty good so maybe when I don’t have expectations of holing too many putts I putt well. Maybe that’s the key to my golf.”
The two Darcys, Boyd and Brereton, shared third spot with David Bransdon at 4-under, West Australian Ryan Peake continuing his outstanding season to finish in a six-way tie for sixth at 3-under with Deyen Lawson, Lincoln Tighe, Jake Higginbottom, Lucas Higgins and Matthew Rogers.
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series now moves to Redcliffe Golf Club for the $70,000 Optilease Redcliffe Pro-Am starting Thursday.
It’s a simple formula that has yielded results twice this season already and Doug Klein used it to good effect again to win the Brisbane Pro-Am.
The first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series event at The Brisbane Golf Club in close to a decade attracted a quality field including 18 PGA Tour of Australasia winners, Course Superintendent David Mason and Director of Golf Joe Janison hosting a spectacular day.
No player enjoyed the conditions as much as Klein who bounced back from an opening bogey at the par-4 third to post 7-under 65 and win by two shots from Blake Proverbs (67).
Victorious at Tieri and Clermont during the Onsite Rental Group Mining Towns Series, Klein’s third win of the year was built upon the same game-plan he has employed so effectively throughout the year.
“Just leant on what I know; put it in the fairway, wedge it nicely and hole some putts,” said Klein.
“Been putting really nicely and wedging it pretty good the last six months or so.”
Days out from the $70,000 Optilease Redcliffe Pro-Am at his home club, Klein paid special tribute to The Brisbane Golf Club and the way the course was presented by the greens staff.
“Absolutely postcard day,” Klein said.
“The greenkeeper David Mason had the course playing really nice, the greens were rolling really true. He set the course up really nicely and I had a good group so just enjoyed the day and made some birdies.”
Proverbs eagled the par-5 first as he secured outright second, Aaron Pike, Cooper Eccleston, Ben Ferguson and Dillon Hart sharing third spot with rounds of 4-under 68.
The next stop on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series is the Howeston Pro-Am on Wednesday followed by the 36-hole Redcliffe Pro-Am starting Thursday.
