Returning to Warragul just a month after the Gippsland Super 6 on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, Ferguson recaptured the form that earned him a place in the match play section to come out on top.

His round of five-under 66 gave him a one-shot advantage from Kyle Michel (67) with Lachlan Aylen (68) third and marks an impressive start to his Pro-Am career.

Following a five-day drive across the Nullarbor in his trusty campervan, Ferguson was tied for fifth at the Heritage Helpers Cup Pro-Am on Friday before securing a breakthrough win just 24 hours later at Warragul.

“This is my second pro-am ever, really,” explained Ferguson, who played his front nine in three-under and added an eagle at four and birdie at six to claim victory.

“Played Heritage yesterday, came fifth yesterday and came here and got the win which is pretty exciting.

“It was pretty windy in the morning conditions. Got off to a good start and carried it on into the back nine.

“There were a few scores coming at me in the afternoon but managed to hang on so pretty stoked with that.

“I’ve had a few looks at Warragul. It’s always in great nick and it was in great nick today. Looking forward to coming back here in the future.”

The future is very much part of Ferguson’s thinking in joining the Pro-Am swing.

His second-place finish at the WA PGA Championship at Kalgoorlie puts him 20th on the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit at the halfway mark of the season and with high aspirations for the nine events left on the schedule.

Campervan across the Nullarbor

“I think I’m around 20th on the Order of Merit so looking for a couple of wins in the back half of the season and try and jump up the Order of Merit and do something with it,” he added.

“Definitely about trying to get one of those top three spots and a DP World Tour card. Anyone who is playing the Aussie Tour schedule is looking at trying to get one of those top three spots and the Australasian Tour are providing a lot of great opportunities for us players to get up to one of the main tours.

“I’m still a little bit rusty from coming across the Nullarbor, that five-day drive took a toll on my body. I’ll do three or four days of hard practice and get everything tuned up and get stuck back into it.”

Click here for final scores and prize money.

Played across the Jack Nicklaus Signature St John course, Simpson posted five-under 67 in the morning wave, edging Michael Choi (68) and Andre Kelly (68) for his first win on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series in close to two years.

Based at The Ridge Golf Course and Driving Range in Sydney’s south, Simpson’s win was set up by a positive start and then a strong finish, six birdies and a lone bogey setting him apart from the rest of the field.

“Had plenty of chances and also made a couple of good par saves as well, which helped hold it together,” said Simpson, who will play Saturday’s Warragul Pro-Am before heading to Dubbo for the Western Open starting Monday.

Starting his round from the 10th tee, Simpson made birdies at 12, 13 and 15 before dropping a shot on 18 prior to making the turn.

He followed that up with two pars to begin his back nine and then picked up shots at three, four and six to separate himself from the pack.

Playing the St John course for the first time, Simpson was impressed by not only the layout itself but some of the vistas on offer throughout the round.

“It’s amazing. Thoroughly enjoyed playing it,” he said. “Some of the views from the tees are incredible.”

Matthew Griffin is building nicely heading towards the resumption of the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia at the end of the month finishing outright fourth at three-under 69, two clear of Terry Pilkadaris, Ben Ferguson and Will Bruyeres.

Click here for final scores and prize money.

Starting from the third tee in the morning wave, Smith set the mark early at the Harcourts Langwarrin Pro-Am at Settlers Run and then watched on as challengers came and went throughout the afternoon.

Ultimately it was another player from the morning groups – Melbourne’s Matias Sanchez – who came closest but his five-under 67 would prove to be one short, Smith taking his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win since the 36-hole Griffith Pro-Am last April.

Working full-time at the Oaky Creek Coal Mine and playing his golf out of Tieri Golf Club, Smith was making his first appearance at Settlers Run before heading straight back to work.

“I’ll head back up to Central Queensland to work because I work in the coal mines,” said Smith, who will travel back down to Dubbo for next week’s Western Open.

“Back up to work for a few weeks and then I’ll and play a few tour events in February and March.”

A birdie at the par-3 eighth and eagle at the par-5 ninth provided the cornerstone of Smith’s round, adding birdies at 11, 16 and 17 in an impressive course debut.

“Obviously I enjoyed it. I like the golf course and big thanks to Ryan (McCarthy, Director of Golf) and Settlers Run for putting the day on,” Smith added.

“It’s always good when you have a bogey-free round; it makes for stress-free golf.”

Click here for final scores and prize money.

Returning to the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series schedule for the first time since 2012, experience at the acclaimed Portsea layout proved critical over the two days and Wilson took full advantage.

Champion at Portsea in 2007, Wilson made three birdies and a lone bogey through his first 15 holes to draw level with overnight leader Ben Wharton.

In Wilson’s own words he ‘stole’ a birdie at the par-4 16th to edge one clear, not finding out until he holed a par putt on the last that Wharton’s double bogey on the same hole in fact put him three strokes in front.

That would prove to be the final winning margin, Wilson’s three-under 68 the best of the day in winds that gusted to more than 40km/h.

Wharton (75) and DJ Loypur (69) shared second spot at three-under as Ben Campbell (69) and Simon Hawkes (72) finished fourth and fifth respectively.

The club used a different routing on Wednesday to that which was played for Tuesday’s celebrity pro-am with Wilson showing his vast experience to close out the win and claim the winner’s cheque for $8,987.50.

“It was really tough, really windy,” said Wilson, who will next week travel to take part in Asian Tour Qualifying School. “Kept making birdies and making putts for par when I needed to.

“I got up-and-down on my 13th, the par 3, and then 15 was playing really long. I ended up laying up in a divot which was a bit annoying but made par.

“I birdied 16 which was a really good one to steal there. I saw that Benny was on the same score and thought if I could hit the green there – 17 is a tough par 3 – I should be close to leading.

“I didn’t know that he’d made a double on 16 so I thought I had to make a par putt on 18 to make sure I was one ahead.

“I ended up being a few ahead after that.”

In what was a triumphant return to the calendar for the Portsea Pro-Am, WA PGA champion David Micheluzzi added to the remarkable haul of hole-in-ones with an ace of his own in the second round.

Following on from Daniel Beckmann’s $100,000 hole-in-one that made national headlines and Michael Wright’s ace at No.2, Micheluzzi (72) also made a one at the second, which on Wednesday was playing as the eighth hole.

For Portsea Club Captain Adam Trescowthick, it constituted a strong foundation from which to build on in the years to come.

“It was everything we expected. We wanted a soft relaunch rather than go the full gamut and from the golfing side we got it really well done,” said Trescowthick.

“The whole event is a real marketing tool for the club and we’re on a journey with this new board to make it a great club. We’ve started that and the pro-am is a key part of that.”

“The opportunity next year is to bring all of the local community clubs in, invite them in for a day and let them enjoy the golf. That’s the next step.”

Click here for final scores and prize money.

Making a return to the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series schedule for the first time since 2012, players delivered a day to remember with two hole-in-ones, eagles galore and a round of seven-under 64 that gives Wharton a handy buffer in the $50,000 event.

The big winner financially on day one was Daniel Beckmann (70), whose hole-in-one at the 164-metre par-3 seventh earned a $100,000 windfall courtesy of PGA of Australia betting partner, betr.

But Beckmann’s was not the sole ace in Round 1, veteran Michael Wright (69) also making a hole-in-one at the par-3 second, albeit without the economic reward.

Like Beckmann, Matt Jager picked up three shots across the seventh and eighth holes on Tuesday to sit in outright second at four-under par 67, one clear of fellow Victorians Brock Gillard (68) and Peter Wilson (68).

A former club champion at Portsea, Wharton was thankful for the inside knowledge having not touched his clubs since the Australian Open last month.

“Played really well today. Know the course, obviously, and I’ve had three weeks without touching a club so it was all down to a positive attitude,” said Wharton, who chipped in for eagle at the 256-metre par-4 10th to go with six birdies and a lone bogey.

“It’s amazing to be back here playing. I played here as a kid and when I first turned pro and it’s one of the courses in Victoria where you need most local knowledge I’d imagine, with the undulations and blind tee shots. It was a big bonus.”

Jager, too, has history at Portsea, the family’s holiday home providing handy proximity to a young golfer who now spends most of his time facilitating other people’s golf as Director of Golf at Cathedral Lodge and Golf Club.

“I’ve spent a lot of time down here. My family’s holiday house is on the back of the golf course so used to jump the fence and have a chip and a putt around 11,” said the 2010 Australian Amateur champion.

“I know the course well and that was good today because being Christmas and New Year, haven’t done a lot of practice, it’s fair to say.

“It was a little breezy but managed the ball well off the tee and took advantage of a par 5 late to close out the round with an eagle which was nice.”

One-over through 15 holes after starting from the 10th tee, Beckmann hit a “perfect, flat, drawing 6-iron” into a two-club wind at the 164-metre par-3 seventh, landing it six feet short of the flag before rolling centre cup.

Not that he saw it.

“I couldn’t really see it from the tee,” Beckmann conceded of his first ace in a professional event and sixth overall. “I got my laser from out of my bag and checked it and I couldn’t see the ball but I thought it might be just behind the hole.

“I got halfway down the hill and I could see there was no ball there. Then it kind of sunk in.”

If that was a shock, more was to come.

“I had no idea there was even a prize when I hit the shot. I had no idea there was anything up for grabs,” he added.

“One of my playing partners said to me, ‘That’s gone in!’

“He came up and gave me a hug and I was like, ‘Really? Did it really go in?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, that’s 100 grand. You’ve just won a hundred grand.’

“Once I found out that it actually did go in, I got really shaky.”

Beckmann will begin the second and final round six shots off the lead and in a five-way tie for 10th at one-under par.

Click here for Round 1 scores

Marking a return to the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series schedule for the first time since 2012, the field of 48 Professionals are competing for a share of $50,000 over the course of two rounds at Portsea Golf Club on the Mornington Peninsula.

Beckmann doubled that with one shot thanks to ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia betting partner betr.

One-over through 15 holes after starting from the 10th tee, Beckmann hit a “perfect, flat, drawing 6-iron” into a two-club wind at the 164-metre par-3 seventh, landing it six feet short of the flag before rolling centre cup.

Not that he saw it.

“I couldn’t really see it from the tee,” Beckmann conceded. “I got my laser from out of my bag and checked it and I couldn’t see the ball but I thought it might be just behind the hole.

“I got halfway down the hill and I could see there was no ball there. Then it kind of sunk in.”

If that was a shock, more was to come.

“I had no idea there was even a prize when I hit the shot. I had no idea there was anything up for grabs,” he added.

“One of my playing partners said to me, ‘That’s gone in!’

“He came up and gave me a hug and I was like, ‘Really? Did it really go in?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, that’s 100 grand. You’ve just won a hundred grand.’

“Once I found out that it actually did go in, I got really shaky.”

The ace is the sixth in Beckmann’s career and his first in a professional event, surpassing his hole-in-one playing alongside his father as a 15-year-old at Heidelberg Golf Club in Melbourne as his most significant to date.

Where fellow Aussies such as Wade Ormsby (204 bottles of Glengoyne Highland Single Malt Scotch whisky at the 2021 Scottish Open) and Deyen Lawson ($250,000 BMW 850 M at the 2018 Alfred Dunhill Championship) earned eye-catching prizes for their aces in recent years, Beckmann has a more practical plan for how to invest his windfall.

Hinting that partner Kara might be in line for some new jewellery, Beckmann says the vast majority will be used to fund his pursuit of a career in professional golf.

Runner-up to Scott Arnold at the 2009 Australian Amateur Championship – where he beat Kiwi Ryan Fox in the semi-final – Beckmann’s progression into a pro career was halted by a cancer battle that hospitalised him for two years.

He is now in his fourth year of remission with a renewed sense of purpose… and the suddenly inflated bank balance to back it up.

“It’s definitely going to make the next few years a bit easier playing out here,” said Beckmann, who was forced to skip Asian Tour Qualifying School starting Wednesday due to a lack of funds.

“Playing out here, all you really think about is how am I going to fund my next event or my next three events. How am I going to fly to this event? How much is my hire car going to cost? You think about that stuff every day so this will make all of that a lot easier to deal with.

“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet. And I don’t think it will for a while. Not until I see the number in my bank account.

“I don’t think I’ll really process it until that point.”

With the afternoon groups still on-course Beckmann’s round of one-under 70 puts him in a tie for eighth, three strokes back of Matt Jager (67).

Like Beckmann, Jager picked up three shots on the seventh and eighth holes, making birdie at seven followed by an eagle at the par-5 eighth.

Click here for live scores.

The Castle Hill gun was never headed in the final round, adding a clinical five-under-par 67 to his course-record opening 66 for an 11-under-par two-round total to become just the second two-time winner of the NSW Regional Open Series.

Alone in second place was the series’ other two-time winner, Canberran Matthew Millar, whose final-round five-under effort included two hole-out eagles on a blistering run home on the back nine.

Victorian Kyle Michel and another Sydneysider, Alex Simpson, shared third place at four-under, while James Grierson, Lucas Higgins and Jay Mackenzie rounded out the top five at two-under.

The tournament, however, always belonged to Gale.

After starting the day with a two-shot buffer, it was always going to be a tall ask on the testing Mollymook layout for anyone hoping to catch and then overtake the Round 1 leader.

Gale put the field on notice with a birdie on his opening hole to get to seven-under. A dropped shot on the short par-3 fifth saw him drop back to six-under.

The early round snafu turned out to be Gale’s only blemish for the day, and from there, he put on a clinic with birdies on the sixth, eighth, and 15th, before finishing in style with back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18.

“They say winning is tough, but I was very much in control of my game out there today,” a jubilant Gale said.

“I don’t know what it is about these regional qualifiers, but I do have a good vibe about them.”

Gale exuded an air of confidence all day, and despite knowing a couple of players behind him were making a move, always knew the tournament outcome rested in his hands.

“Through nine, I checked the leaderboard, and I think I had a four-shot lead,” said Gale.

“But on the 13th, I looked again, and Matty (Millar) was only three behind, and James (Grierson) was two.

“I could’ve gone for the green in two, so I just laid up and played smart, aggressive golf.

“I kept it in the fairway and kept it as stress-free as possible.”

Grierson came closest to catching the dominant Gale when he got to within a couple of shots of the lead but was left rueing the lost opportunity to contend for the win late in the day.

“I was in complete control, but misjudged the wind on back-to-back holes, and made bogey every time,” Grierson lamented.

“You can’t do that around here; you must keep the ball in the right spot.”

Gale was the man of the moment however, and when pressed about whether he liked to lead the way to victory or chase someone down, it was clear which approach he preferred.

“I like to lead. It’s what I put in the hard work for. And a five-shot win is pretty convincing argument, isn’t it?”

Trio Snare PLAY TODAY NSW Open Spots

With Gale and Matt Millar already safely into next year’s PLAY TODAY NSW Open, the coveted places in the 2023 Championship went to a brace of players who have already tasted what it feels like to secure their spot via a Qualifying Series event.

Kyle Michel, who finished at four-under, was a relieved man to snare his spot in an event he said will feel like something of a home game.

“I’m from Shepparton, so it’s only an hour or so away from home,” he smiled. “I’m looking forward to Rich River.

“It’s a good finish to the year and it feels good to be playing tournaments again.”

Alexander Simpson grabbed a spot in the 2022 NSW Open in a similar fashion and was thrilled to be heading to next year’s championship.

“Looking forward to playing a bit more next year and this is a good tournament to work towards,” he said.

“I played Rich River a long time ago, so I’ll get down early and familiarise myself with it again, but looking forward to it.”

Despite his travails on the back nine, Grierson ensured he was locked into the field for Rich River with a clutch par on the last hole of the day. Despite securing a tour card in May’s ISPS HANDA PGA Tour Qualifying School, Grierson’s finish did come with a silver lining for the former NSW State team captain.

“It’s always nice. I don’t know where it will break down through the categories next year, so to lock it in now feels beautiful.”

Click here for final leaderboard and prize money.

The next event on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series is the AB Comsure Invitational at Ryde-Parramatta Golf Club on Thursday.

Coming off five straight weeks on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, Murray mustered the energy to make a rare appearance on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series in support of Northern’s resident PGA Professionals.

It took 10 holes for Murray to make his first par but his round of five-under 67 – seven birdies, an eagle, four bogeys and six pars – was enough to edge out Konrad Ciupek (68) and Edward Donoghue (68).

“I didn’t make a par on the front nine and I somehow managed to be four-under at the turn which was a little surprising,” admitted Murray.

Coming off a tie for 11th at the Gippsland Super 6, Murray kept his strong form rolling in the 18-hole shootout.

“I haven’t played too many Pro-Ams in my time but I’m a country boy who loved playing with the members,” said Murray, a product of the Wodonga Golf Club.

“It was great to be out there today with some great Northern members showing me around the course.

“It’s been busy recently, that’s for sure, but I was happy to come out to support Jack (Chrystie, Northern PGA Associate Professional) and Heath (Bensted, Head PGA Professional) today.”

Murray also paid tribute to the course maintenance team who presented the course in spectacular fashion despite flooding caused by recent rains in and around Melbourne.

“I really enjoyed the course,” Murray added.

“It’s amazing to hear that only a few weeks ago the course was flooded again and look at how good it played today.”

The next event on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series is the AB Comsure Invitational at Ryde-Parramatta Golf Club on Thursday.

Click here for final leaderboard and prize money.