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Par saves early in his round proved pivotal as Murwillumbah’s Lucas Higgins claimed the Abbot Point Operations Bowen Pro-Am by one stroke at Bowen Golf Club.
A six-time winner on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series circuit, Higgins struggled with his ball-striking out of the gates, relying on his putter to keep bogeys off the card.
They would ultimately be the difference between winning and losing by day’s end, his bogey-free 6-under 64 edging veteran Sam Brazel (65) by a single shot.
Higgins and Toby Walker (68) were the only two players from the top 14 not to register a bogey in their round, Higgins grateful not to give up shots straight out of the gates.
“I started off a bit average ball striking-wise,” Higgins conceded.
“Holed a few nice putts early for par at my second and third hole and from there steadied the ship and started to hit it a lot nicer and make a few putts as well.”
Starting his round from the second hole, Higgins picked up shots at five and eight but was only 2-under through his opening 10 holes.
His tee shot at the par-3 12th would provide another surge in momentum as he closed out his round with four birdies in his final eight holes.
“I was 3-under through 11 and then hit a really mint 6-iron on the 12th, the par 3 which was pretty tough,” Higgins added.
“Hit it to about eight feet and then rolled that in. That helped to kick the round on a little bit and get me up there a little bit more.”
Brazel had four birdies in five holes in his round of 5-under 65 to finish one clear of Zach Maxwell (66), Mark Panopolous, Tim Hart, George Worrall, Chris Wood, James Macklin and Andrew Campbell all tied for fourth with rounds of 67.
Brady Watt is making his pay days count, picking up a second victory inside a week at the Urban Quarter Dunsborough Lakes Pro-Am at Dunsborough Lakes Golf Club three hours south of Perth.
Outside the prize money at both Wembley and Capel Pro-Ams, Watt added to his joint victory with Haydn Barron at Sun City with a one-stroke win from Ryan Peake (67) at Dunsborough Lakes.
Injury not only prevented Watt from playing the WA swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series 12 months ago but curtailed the start to his 2023 campaign.
He is now chipping away at any rustiness within his game as he eyes off strong season on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.
“Couple of wins and a couple of missed monies in a couple of weeks… It’s been a weird week but balancing life and enjoying golf again,” explained Watt.
“The more rounds I get under my belt, the better.
“Cottesloe was my second official pro-am for the year so I’m pretty rusty and still trying to figure it out.
“This is like the start of my season so hopefully by October when the bigger events start to come around my form will be a bit sharper.”
PGA Life Member and Dunsborough Lakes Pro-Am founder Len Thomas was present at the end of play to present the trophy to Watt.
Starting his round with a bogey at the par-3 11th, Watt’s familiarity with the Dunsborough Lakes layout ensured it was only a minor setback on his way to a round of 6-under 66.
“I actually bogeyed the first, a par 3, but knowing the configuration of the course I knew I had three par 5s in the next four,” said Watt.
“Got through them and birdied all of them. Kept it out of the water, got my up and downs when I needed to and just had a really good day with my playing partners.
“Guys were really chatty, similar interests and made for a really enjoyable day.
“What’s there not to like about Dunsborough. Just to be down south playing golf again. I sat out last year with an ankle injury so playing and enjoying golf again.”
Cameron Kelly and Daniel Fox shared third place with rounds of 4-under 68, Queensland’s Steve Jones and WA’s Ben Ferguson rounding out the top five one stroke further back.
Former WA Open champion Braden Becker (pictured) shot 1-over 73 at Dunsborough Lakes a day after taking out the Jetline Capel Pro-Am at Capel Golf Club.
Intermittent showers across the picturesque Capel layout took the edge off the normally lightning-fast greens, Becker taking full advantage to successfully defend the title he won in 2022.
Playing with the major sponsors from Jetline, Becker had two eagles and four birdies in his round of 7-under 65 to finish two strokes clear of Pro-Am rookie Jose De Sousa and tour veteran Daniel Fox.
Rick Kulacz, Brendan Chant and Cooper Geddes finished a further three shots back in a tie for fourth at 2-under 70.
A number of activations at the turn, and a shootout after the day’s play provided an entertaining experience for all in attendance.
The final leg of the South-West Swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series takes place at Bunbury Golf Club from Saturday with the $40,000 South West Isuzu South West Open.
Urban Quarter Dunsborough Lakes final scores and prize money
A short game focus within his practice regime has paid immediate dividends for Brett Rankin who won the $50,000 Lexus Townsville Classic at the first playoff hole on Sunday.
Identifying the short game as an area that needed improvement in the wake of the 2022/2023 ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia season, Rankin went to work.
Chipping was a primary area of concern and the time he has invested yielded instant results in the 54-hole tournament’s closing moments at Townsville Golf Club.
Needing to par the 185-metre par-3 18th to secure a place in the playoff alongside Shae Wools-Cobb at 11-under par, Rankin hit his 5-iron left of the green for the third straight day.
But, for the third day in a row, he got up-and-down from a difficult position, a feat he repeated in the playoff to claim victory.
“To test myself on the 54th hole, to try and get up and down to make the playoff, which I did, and then to win it with an up-and-down in the playoff is definitely something I’m pretty proud of,” Rankin said.
“It definitely tested me out. The fact that something I’ve been working pretty hard on the last week, to be tested in the fashion that I was and to pull it off is definitely a big win for me.
“Hit 5-iron at the last like I had all three days, pulled it left like I had every day and I knew how bad it was over there.
“Somehow made four up-and-downs the four times that I played it and that was definitely what won the event.”
Four strokes back of 18 and 36-hole leader TJ King at the start of the final round, Rankin made birdie at the par-3 third and then picked up three shots in the space of four holes before the turn.
Spurned by an experience at the PNG Open in 2017, Rankin monitored the leaderboard throughout the back nine and knew exactly what was required as he neared the end of his round.
“I had my eye on the scoreboard all day. I like to watch the leaderboards,” Rankin explained.
“I had a situation a few years ago in PNG where I didn’t know the leaderboard. I thought I’d won the event but then I found out that I’d lost by a shot.
“Playing the last two holes I knew where I was. I knew if I could birdie 17 that would have been really nice because it would have given me a shot buffer heading to a really difficult last hole and a hole that I haven’t played well at all this week.”
With Wools-Cobb in the clubhouse after a round of 7-under 64, Rankin couldn’t produce the extra birdie he needed to avoid a playoff but his short game came up trumps once again to seal the win.
“I saw what the scores were like after the first round and thought that you didn’t need to do too much here this week,” said Rankin, who shot 65 in the final round for an 11-under total.
“The course is good. It asks a lot of questions strategically. Sometimes I quite like that. You’ve got to have a good game-plan and you’ve got to execute well.”
Coffs Harbour-based Andrew Campbell (64) birdied 14, 15, 16 and 17 to finish outright third one shot out of the playoff as King (72) shared fourth spot with Chris Wood (70).
The next event on the North Queensland swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series is the Abbot Point Operations Bowen Pro-Am at Bowen Golf Club on Thursday.
It was a welcome return for Brady Watt who earned a share of victory with Haydn Barron at the Carine Parkside Sun City Pro Am at Sun City Country Club.
It was a welcome return too to the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series for Sun City, the spectacular golf course matched by the atmosphere as the club hosted its first pro-am since Jarrod Lyle claimed his final professional win six years ago.
Special memories were created on Friday as Watt’s round of 4-under 68 was enough to match Barron at the course where he learned the game as a youngster.
Watt’s round was highlighted by a run of five birdies in the space of eight holes from the 12th hole, Barron needing to birdie his final hole to finish level with Watt.
Destined for The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in July, Barron began his round with a birdie at the par-4 second and closed out his round in the same manner.
Earlier it was West Australian rookie Jose De Sousa who burst to the top of the leaderboard.
Three-under through nine holes, De Sousa picked up another shot at the par-4 seventh to move to 4-under.
A bogey on his final hole would prove the difference, however, as he dropped into a share of third with Rick Kulacz and JeongWoo Ha.
With a five-day break, the next event on the WA Swing sees the players moving to the picturesque South West with the Jetline Capel Pro-Am teeing off next Wednesday.
Four birdies and an eagle in a six-hole stretch has propelled Ben Ferguson to a share of victory at the German MotorWerks Wembley Golf Course Pro-Am.
A quality field of 60 professionals laden with DP World Tour, Korn Ferry Tour, Asian Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia winners took full advantage of the ideal scoring conditions, 41 players finishing level par or better at Wembley’s Old Course.
Ferguson and Scott Strange finished tied at the top with rounds of 7-under 65 but it took something special from Ferguson to do it.
Starting from the 11th hole with back-to-back birdies, Ferguson took a small step back with a bogey at 13.
That dropped shot would soon be forgotten, however, as he made eagle at the par-5 17th hole and then four straight birdies after making the turn.
Bogeys at six and eight dropped Ferguson down the leaderboard but only momentarily, closing out his round with birdies at nine and 10 to match Strange at 7-under.
It was a far less stressful round for Strange, the three-time DP World Tour winner going bogey free to also earn a share of first place.
Just one stroke back in a tie for third at 6-under 66 were Braden Becker and Marcus Fraser with
Michael Sim and Brody Martin rounding out the top five with rounds of 5-under 67.
The Wembley Pro-Am signified the end of their WA tour for a number interstate professionals, many praising the quality of golf courses on the WA swing. Combined with the incredible run of weather over the first week of the circuit, it was a great advertisement for elite professional golf in WA.
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series’ final event in the Perth metropolitan area will be the Carine Parkside Sun City Pro-Am on Friday.
For those wanting to get a glimpse of alternate-shot professional golf, the WA PGA Foursomes Championship will take place at Nedlands Golf Club from midday Thursday.
Rising amateur star Tom Addy used home course advantage to its full effect, upstaging a host of big names to take out the Metal West Recycling Joondalup Resort Classic.
Although unable to share in the $40,000 prize money on offer at Joondalup Country Club, Addy displayed the talent and temperament that marks him as a prospective success in the professional game.
The unique format – adopted for the first time in 2023 – saw the top 40 professionals and four amateurs qualify for the second round where they played Joondalup’s Quarry Nine twice.
An early north-westerly breeze added to the challenge and with an excellent turn out from the public helped to create a big-tournament feel for the players.
Defending champion Michael Sim, WA Open champion Deyen Lawson and PGA Tour of Australasia Rookie of the Year, Haydn Barron, were among those hoping to make a Sunday charge.
Yet the battle for top spot would be largely contained to the final group of Addy, David Bransdon and overnight leader Alex Edge.
Runner-up to Ollie Marsh at the WA Amateur, Addy and Bransdon birdied the second hole to join Edge at 6-under, with Bransdon adding another at the following hole to take the outright lead.
Edge responded brilliantly with four birdies in succession from the fourth through to the seventh hole create a three-shot lead from his playing partners at the turn.
But it was hometown favourite Addy who stepped up on the back nine, birdieing 10 and 11 to get to 9-under, Edge’s bogey at 11 dropping him back into a tie for the lead.
Bransdon was not going away however, and when he birdied the 11th and 14th holes, the Victorian momentarily joined the lead with Addy and Edge on 9-under.
It was short-lived, as Addy made a birdie of his own on 14 to move into the outright lead at 10-under.
When Bransdon (69) bogeyed the following hole, and the birdies dried up for Edge (70), it was Addy (67) who would calmly par the final four holes to claim the title by two strokes
An appreciative cheer from the local crowd reverberated around the quarry as the future star in the making beat a stellar field of professionals, a number with Australasian and international tour wins to their name.
The next event on the WA swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am series is Monday at the GNW Wembley Pro-Am.
A host of PGA Tour of Australasia and DP World Tour winners will headline a week of professional golf in Townsville starting Monday.
Commencing with the PGA Professionals Championship of North Queensland – a qualifier to contest the National Final at The Heritage Golf and Country Club in October – Townsville Golf Club will be witness to some of the most talented players in the country.
Steven Jeffress (2014 Fiji International), Sam Brazel (pictured, 2016 Hong Kong Open) and Chris Wood (2021 Victorian PGA Championship) have entered to play the three-day $50,000 Lexus Townsville Golf Classic starting Friday, May 26.
They and fellow PGA Professionals will share their knowledge with junior golfers from the area at a junior coaching clinic that will take place on Wednesday with a Calcutta to be held on Thursday night ahead of Friday’s opening round that will tee off from 6.30am.
Other functions that golf fans can enjoy include the LEXUS Shootout on Friday, Players Dinner and Q&A on Saturday and final presentations at the end of play on Sunday.
Also entered to play are reigning adidas PGA Pro-Am Series champion Tim Hart, Doug Klein, Jack Munro, Shae Wools-Cobb, Brett Rankin and Michael Wright.
Two star WA amateurs threatened to steal the show but it was New South Welshman Alex Edge who ended Round 1 in front at the Metal West Recycling Joondalup Resort Classic.
Players tested their games across the Lake and Quarry nines at Joondalup Country Club on Saturday but will play the Quarry Nine twice on Sunday in a shotgun start that will ensure a thrilling finale at one of Australian golf’s most distinct settings.
A round of six-under 66 will see Edge start the final round in the final group from the first hole with a one-stroke lead, paired with WA amateur Tom Addy (67), David Bransdon (67) and Ethan Andrews (69).
Edge went to school on Joondalup’s slick greens in Friday’s sponsor day and put his learnings into practice in a bogey-free round.
“The greens were very slick so you had to put it in the right positions. A bit more thinking about there to hopefully leave yourself more uphill putts than the sliders,” Edge said.
“I had to chip one from on the green today because it was diabolical if I’d had to putt it. It was nice to get that one up and down.”
Stellar iron play was a feature of Edge’s round, providing straightforward birdie opportunities at the Quarry Nine’s two par 3s, three and seven.
“I hit a couple of really nice shots on two of the par 3s; it makes life easy when you’ve got a couple of tap-ins because it’s a big-boy course out there,” Edge added.
“The Lake Course is supposed to be easier but if you’re off it can still catch you out a little bit.”
A strong easterly wind added to the challenge in Round 1, WA State representative and Joondalup member Celine Chen all too familiar with the conditions.
She snared the early lead with three successive birdies and then birdies on 10 and 12, split by a bogey on 11, had Chen out in front at 4-under. A late double bogey on the difficult par-3 17th dropped her back to the chasing pack at 2-under and tied for eighth.
Fellow Joondalup member and WA State team-mate Tom Addy is right in the hunt, making the most of his home course knowledge with a round of 67.
Addy was joined at 5-under late in the day by Bransdon who stormed home by picking up five shots in his final six holes, including an eagle at the par-5 18th.
Defending champion and Joondalup favourite, Michael Sim, had to settle for an even par 72 and will have to go low in the final round to catch the leaders.
The unique format that will see the final round played around the Quarry nine twice necessitated a cut to the top 40 pros and four leading amateurs. Four professionals were tied in 38th position, meaning a shootout was required to determine the final two spots on Sunday.
A short 66-metre pitch across the lake onto the 18th green was used as the shootout hole with Brendan Chant, Cooper Geddes, Bruce Parker and Jarred McCosh all hitting their approaches within 12 feet of the cup.
McCosh holed first, Parker narrowly missed and when Chant calmy rolled in his five-foot putt it was left to Geddes to take it to extra holes. Unfortunately for Geddes, the putt slid low and gave Chant and McCosh the final two positions in the final round.
Play commences with an 11am AWST shotgun start for the final round, which promises to provide non-stop action throughout the afternoon.
The re-routing of the nine will see the leader’s final hole taking place across the cavernous quarry, with a large crowd expected to welcome home the winner.
Adding to Sunday’s fanfare will be a Tag Heuer hole-in-one prize at the par-3 ninth/18th.
Any player that can execute the perfect shot will win themselves a Tag Heuer Connected Golf Edition watch valued at $4,000.
A dropped shot on his final hole meant that Aaron Wilkin had to share victory with Marcus Fraser at the DJ Di Stasio Kwinana Pro-Am south of Perth.
The greens at Kwinana Golf Club were true and fast, yielding plenty of birdies and the odd nervy par-save.
The reigning Queensland PGA champion, Wilkin came to his final hole – the par-5 first – needing just a par to claim the win outright.
Yet a bogey – his only one for the day – would open the door for Fraser to finish tied at the top at five-under 67.
With recent changes to the third hole at Kwinana, Fraser and Wilkin (pictured with Dan Di Stasio) also now share the course record.
Starting his round at the par-4 fifth, Fraser began his round with a bogey.
The three-time DP World Tour winner would not record another blemish, peeling off six birdies including a run of three on the trot from the 12th hole.
The early pace-setter was Brendan Chant, who picked up five birdies in his first 12 holes without a dropped shot.
A bogey on the difficult par-4 eighth was costly, dropping him into a tie for third with David Bransdon, Braden Becker and Edward Donoghue who all shot 68.
It was Donoghue who would be feeling the hardest done by.
The Victorian reached his final hole, the par-3 sixth at six-under par before a double bogey five ended his run at the title.
The next event on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series starts Saturday at the Metal West Recycling Joondalup Resort Classic.
Defending champion Michael Sim joins an already stellar field with play to commence at 9am Saturday at Joondalup Resort.
By his own admission it wasn’t great, but Deyen Lawson’s game was good enough to snare a one-stroke win at The Green Lakelands Pro-Am at Lakelands Country Club.
The second event on the WA swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series drew a quality field containing DP World Tour winners and many champions from the most recent ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia season.
Lawson was one of those, flirting with scoring records on his way to victory at the WA Open at The Western Australian Golf Club last October.
Less than 20 kilometres up the road in Perth’s northern suburbs, Lawson’s six-under 66 earned the win by a shot from DP World Tour-bound Tom Power Horan (67), Alex Edge (67) and Darcy Brereton (67).
With the course in immaculate condition and warm, calm weather, low scores were in the offing.
It was Edge who jumped out to an early lead, with two opening pars on the fourth and fifth holes followed by four birdies in a row.
His only bogey of the day followed on the ninth, however Edge steadied with birdies on both par 5s on the back nine to secure a share of second.
Starting from the seventh hole, Lawson’s first birdie didn’t come until the 11th hole, adding two more at 13 and 15 to be three-under through nine holes.
He rounded out the Lakelands back nine with three consecutive pars before picking up birdies at one, four and five to post the number that would stand tall at day’s end.
“I played reasonably solid. I think I was bogey-free,” said Lawson, who will return to Asia either on Sunday or in a few weeks’ time.
“Didn’t feel like I drove it great but just drove it in spots where it was still playable, obviously being a tighter course.
“The ones I did miss were, fortunately, still OK.
“Short game was pretty good, iron play was reasonable, pretty solid all round.”
Scott Strange, Dean Alaban, Ryan Peake and Marcus Fraser were the next best at Lakelands, each shooting four-under 68s.
Recent Membership Pathway Program graduate, Joshua Herrero, momentarily held the lead midway through the day after picking up four birdies and an eagle at the par-5 eighth before three bogeys in his closing four holes saw him sign for a two-under 70.
The next event on the WA swing is the DJ Di Stasio Transport Kwinana Pro-Am at Kwinana Gol Club on Thursday.
