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The prospect of a maiden pay day has inspired newly-minted Victorian professional Andre Lautee to a two-stroke lead at the end of day one at the $50,000 Murray Open at Murray Downs Golf and Country Club.
The first of the NSW Open Regional Open Series – and the start of the roadway to the 2023 Play Today NSW Open – current stars and legends of Australian golf were upstaged by a 23-year-old making his tournament debut as a professional.
Lautee mastered the firm conditions of the Murray Downs layout to perfect on Tuesday, firing nine birdies in a round of eight-under 64 to lead WA PGA champion Jay Mackenzie (66) by two with Corowa Golf Club Director of Golf James Gordon a shot further back, tied for third at five-under with Deyen Lawson, Tom Power Horan and Josh Armstrong.
Lautee turned professional after finishing tied 29th at Final Stage of ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australian Qualifying School at Moonah Links in July.
Last week he missed advancing to Second Stage of DP World Tour Q School by just two strokes but left that disappointment behind and took his good form with him to Murray Downs.
The 2019 Victorian Amateur champion and 2020 Australian Amateur Strokeplay champion begin his pro debut with three straight birdies from the 10th tee, his only bogey for the day coming at the 169-metre par-3 15th.
He responded with birdies at 16 and 17 to turn in four-under, picking up further shots at one, four, seven and nine to make a stunning start to his professional career.
“It was awesome. It’s great just to be playing as a pro let alone have such a good score,” said Lautee.
“It’s awesome to be out here.”
Tied for 17th in the same event 12 months ago, Lautee has been a regular visitor to the Murray River throughout his amateur days, calling on that experience to get the best out of the course in Round 1.
“I’ve come back here probably four or five times now, I love it up here,” added the Kingston Heath member.
“It’s tricky. It’s quite firm. The fairways are firm, greens are nice. Some of the pins out there today were a bit tricky but the course was great.
“Just trying to keep it on the fairways around here, that’s the key. If you do that you’ll have a few opportunities to make birdies.”
Fresh from securing their spots at Second Stage of DP World Tour Q School James Marchesani and John Lyras are in a tie for seventh with David Bransdon and defending champion Matt Millar at four-under, two-time European Legends Tour winner Richard Green in the group with David Micheluzzi, Andrew Martin and Edward Donoghue at three-under.
The second and final round begins at 7.15am AEST on Wednesday with the group of Lautee, Mackenzie and Gordon to tee off at 12.10pm.
Click here for Round 1 scores.
Peter Martin’s second round of nine-under 63 was a surprise in more ways than one as he came from two back to win the $50,000 Beachside Hawks Nest Pro-Am at Hawks Nest Golf Club.
Flying in from Queensland the day prior to try and have a practice round, Martin was confined to just walking the course due to the wet weather in the region leading up to the two-day tournament.
He opened with a three-under 69 to be in the mix and then defied an indifferent warm-up on the putting green to post nine-under on day two for a four-shot win.
Martin’s two-round total of 12-under par was four clear of Ben Clementson (67-69) with Doug Klein (67-70), Peter Wilson (68-69) and Tim Hart (69-68) all sharing third place at seven-under.
A two-time winner on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series last year, the 43-year-old had 10 birdies in his stunning second round, pleasantly surprised to see putt after putt drop into the cup.
“It was a bit of a surprise to be honest,” Martin said of his 63.
“I was feeling OK with my swing and stuff but on the putting green I felt like I was battling a little bit before going out there.
“I got off to a nice start to be honest. I birdied two of my first three and I knew I had some shortish par 5s in my last few holes.
“I just allow myself these days to hit a putt on line and if it goes in it goes in; if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.
“The greens got bumpy towards the end – which is only to be expected with the softer conditions – but I just committed to hitting a good putt and they went in, which was great.”
Calling on the mental performance work he has been doing with Jenny Jones at Lakelands Golf Club on the Gold Coast, Martin was not even aware of what he had shot until after inputting his scores at the end of the round.
“I wasn’t looking at the scores and I didn’t even know what I was,” added Martin, who had three birdies in his final four holes in fading light.
“I actually ended up playing the last hole with the pro in the group behind me just so that we could get finished.
“I hit a nice 8-iron in there from 150 to six or seven feet and hit a great putt in the hole. He was like, ‘Good round, what’d you finish?’ And I turned around and said, ‘I’ve got no idea what I’ve had.’
“I just hit the shot in front of me and add them up at the end. Thankfully it was good enough and a nice surprise at the end to see that I’d shot 63.”
The next stop on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series is the $50,000 Murray Open at Murray Downs Golf and Country Club from September 6-7.
Click here for final results and prize money.
Hunter Valley product Corey Lamb has made it three adidas PGA Pro-Am Series wins on the trot, sharing top spot with Andrew Brennan and Brett Rankin at the Local Lawyer & Conveyancer Kew Country Club Pro-Am.
A three-stroke winner the day prior at the 36-hole Better Homes Port Macquarie Pro-Am, Lamb had another outright win in his sights.
Starting his round from the sixth tee, Lamb had three birdies in succession from the ninth hole, getting to four-under with a birdie at the par-3 second.
But a lone bogey at the par-4 third – his 16th hole – saw him finish level with Brennan and Rankin at three-under 67.
“I’m definitely hitting it very well and it’s good to see some results,” said Lamb, who was also victorious at the Gunnedah Pro-Am.
“I made a few pars to start and then went three birdies in a row and then got it to four late in the round.
“Dropped a bogey on 16 which cost me a little bit but it was good other than that.”
It is exactly the form and confidence he was seeking heading into the $50,000 Hawks Nest Beachside Pro-Am starting Friday.
Like Lamb, Brennan had four birdies and a bogey in his round of 67 while Rankin was bogey free, picking up shots at the second, 10th and 11th holes.
Josh Armstrong’s round of two-under 68 earned him outright fourth position followed by David Bransdon and WA PGA champion Jay Mackenzie at one-under 69.
Click here for final scores and prize money.
New kid on the block Corey Lamb has proved again that he is a force to be reckoned with, taking out the two-day Better Homes Port Macquarie Pro-Am by three strokes at Port Macquarie Golf Club.
A last start winner in Gunnedah, the Branxton bomber backed up his opening round of five-under 67 with a blistering front nine on Wednesday to separate himself from the field.
Prolific pro-am winners such as Matt Millar and Brett Rankin, Tour winners such as Chris Wood and Damien Jordan and young talents such as Nathan Barbieri and Lucas Higgins were all in the mix yet it was Lamb who finished well clear.
Less than six months into his career as a professional, Lamb had four birdies in the first five holes of his second round, ultimately finishing three clear of Lincoln Tighe (69-68) with Barbieri (70-68) third, Jordan (69-70) fourth and Michael Wright (70-70) and Ben Paine (69-71) sharing fifth position.
Players were greeted by cold and windy conditions across the two days but there was no stopping the white-hot Lamb who is quickly acclimatising to life as a professional.
“It’s been a fast start and I’m enjoying it so far. See how it goes from here,” said Lamb, who made his professional debut at TPS Hunter Valley in March.
Lamb had three birdies and an eagle at the par-5 12th on day one to lead Millar by one, his fast start in Round 2 all but clinching the win as he made the turn.
“I actually hit it right off the first and got a good bounce back onto the fairway and made birdie from there,” Lamb explained.
“I chipped in on three and holed a good one for birdie on four. It was pretty good after that.
“I played 10 solid and then on 11 missed an easy birdie putt.
“It got a bit rough through the next few holes but managed to make a few pars when I needed them and then birdied 17 which was all I had to do really.”
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series moves south to Kew on Thursday for the Local Lawyer & Conveyancer Kew Country Club Pro-Am before heading for Hawks Nest on Friday for the 36-hole Hawks Nest Beachside Pro-Am at Hawks Nest Golf Club.
Click here for final scores and prize money.
They felt the full sting of the Kooralbyn Valley tail yet Michael Sim and Jack Munro clawed their way back to win the Queensland Foursomes Championship on Wednesday.
Sim and Munro started the 36-hole championship bogey, double bogey, bogey but soon righted the ship to post a round of even-par 72 in Round 1.
They were one of five groups to start the second round even with the card but were the only ones to end the day square at 144, winning by two strokes from the pairing of Harrison Law and Jack Day (146) followed by Curtis Eldering and Robert Spence (147) in third.
Returning to the famed Kooralbyn Valley Golf Club for the first time since 2008, recent rain meant that the Desmond Muirhead design was in great condition and continues towards recapturing its former glory.
It was the breeding ground for champions such as Adam Scott, Steven Bowditch and Andrew Buckle and provided Munro, in particular, with a timely tune-up heading into DP World Tour Qualifying School at Rosebud Country Club next week.
“We knew it was a tough layout playing off the black tees though we certainly made it tough for ourselves early,” said Sim.
“It was great to play on the layout that is much talked about in golfing circles and for Jack – who is heading to DP World Tour Qualifying School next week – it was good to be in contention and feeling the emotions you go through being at the pointy end of the leaderboard.”
It marks the third time that Sim has won the championship having previously partnered with current Singapore National Coach, Matthew Ballard, to victory.
Although runner-up in the main event, Law and Day took out the Queensland PGA Associate Foursomes Championship, taking home bonus prize money of $250.
“It was unexpected to play as well as we did today,” said Law.
“Having never been to Kooralbyn Valley before, the first round had some really key learnings which we were able to capitalise on in the afternoon round.”
Greg Rix and Peter Senior won the Queensland Senior PGA Foursomes Championship with rounds of 74 and 79 for a nine-over par total. This is back-to-back victories for the pair.
Click here for final scores and prize money.
Newcastle’s Corey Lamb has made an instant impression on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series, taking out the Kelaher Industrial Services Gunnedah Pro-Am at Gunnedah Golf Club.
The burly big-hitter from Branxton made his professional debut at the TPS Hunter Valley event in March and recently earned his PGA Tour of Australasia card at Qualifying School at Moonah Links.
Riding high on that confidence and with the prospect of a big summer ahead, Lamb (pictured, left) closed with three birdies in his final five holes for a round of four-under 66 and a two-stroke win.
Heavy rain overnight made the Gunnedah layout play softer than usual, giving the green light for the Professionals to go flag-hunting at every opportunity.
Reigning PGA Professionals champion Jamie Hook (68), Anthony Choat (68), Clayton Bridges (69) and Lucas Higgins (69) all threatened during the course of the day but it was the bogey-free card of Lamb that would win out.
“I couldn’t ask for a better start to my professional career,” said Lamb, the Concord Cup winner in February.
“I’m looking forward to playing as much as I can this year and I’m really excited about what’s ahead.”
In a nice tune-up prior to representing Australia at the Four Nations Cup in South Africa, Hook shared second spot with Choat as Bridges, Higgins, Thomas Pritchard-Davies and Andrew Richards all finished at one-under and a tie for fourth.
The NSW swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series will resume on the North Coast in two weeks with the Better Homes Pro-Am at Port Macquarie Golf Club.
Click here for final scores and prizemoney.
Brett Rankin has gone back-to-back and won his seventh title of the season in taking out the Signature Tours Gold Coast Teams Challenge at RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast.
A four-stroke winner at the two-day Ray White Yamba Pro-Am on Sunday, Rankin had to come from behind to earn his seventh win of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series season in the final event of the Queensland swing.
Two shots back of Blake Proverbs at the start of the third and final round, Rankin was the only player to break 70 on Wednesday and he did so in style.
Three birdies in his first four holes provided the ideal springboard, stellar iron play providing birdie opportunities that he was able to convert.
An eagle from 30 feet at the par-5 15th further enhanced his advantage and, despite a bogey at 17, birdied his penultimate hole to complete a three-stroke win with a closing round of five-under 67 and eight-under total.
“Keeping a close eye on the leaderboard as I started behind, I hit a bunch close after starting the day on the third hole,” Rankin said.
“I holed a 30-footer for eagle on 15th hole and birdied my second last hole as well.
“The course played tough and there were some tough pins. It was a good challenge and a great feeling to have the scores I had hitting my irons as solid as I did.”
Backing up his round of 67 on Tuesday, Proverbs began his round by picking up another shot at the par-4 first.
Bogeys followed at two and six but he was able to keep the heat on Rankin with birdies at nine, 10 and 14.
But the pace would prove too hot up front, a bogey at the par-4 18th putting Proverbs in outright second position with a final round of one-under 71.
Only five players finished the 54-hole event under par, Deyen Lawson (74) securing third place with a total of two-under with Michael Sim (74) and Michael Wright (71) tied for fourth at one-under.
Click here for final scores and prizemoney.
It is her place of employment yet Jordan O’Brien put in a different day’s work in establishing a one-shot lead at the Signature Golf Tours Gold Coast Teams Challenge at RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast.
A rookie professional who was just one back after Round 1 of the Women’s NSW Open in April, O’Brien took every advantage of her familiar surroundings to post five-under 67 to lead Deyen Lawson by one.
A former host of the ANZ Ladies Masters and Australian PGA Championship, RACV Royal Pines welcomed 32 Professionals who are taking part in the teams event over three days along with competing in an adidas PGA Pro-Am Series event.
It is a slightly different format to what the pros are used to but played into the hands perfectly of the bubbly O’Brien.
“We had a lot of fun out there today,” said O’Brien, who completed her first round with back-to-back birdies to surge to the top of the leaderboard.
“Obviously home course advantage made it more relaxing as well.
“I drove the ball solid and putted really well. I’m looking forward to Tuesday’s round.”
Deyen Lawson continued his outstanding recent form to be in second place with a round of four-under 68, highlighted by an eagle at the par-5 12th. In another twist to the top of the leaderboard, Lawson is married to O’Brien’s coach, Ali Orchard.
Fresh from his win at the Ray White Yamba Pro-Am on Sunday, Brett Rankin backed up his weekend efforts with a solid first round score of three-under 69 and tied for third with Gold Coaster Michael Sim.
The second round of the Signature Golf Tours Gold Coast Teams Challenge tees off at 11.30am on Tuesday.
Click here for scores.
Brett Rankin has bounced back from a mid-round slip-up to record a four-stroke victory at the Ray White Yamba Pro-Am at Yamba Golf and Country Club.
A four-stroke leader at the start of the second and final round on Sunday, Rankin eagled the par-5 first for the second time to tighten his stranglehold on the title.
But with Deyen Lawson plundering birdies early in his round and Rankin suffering a double-bogey setback at the par-4 seventh, it suddenly got tight at the top.
Starting from the 14th hole, Lawson was six-under through nine holes to reduce the margin to just two strokes before Rankin steadied.
He birdied the 13th, 14th and 16th holes and – with one eye on the live leaderboard on his phone – cruised to the clubhouse for a round of three-under 69 and a four-stroke win.
“I started with an eagle down the first and I couldn’t have asked for a better start,” reflected Rankin, pictured with Ray White Yamba sponsor Daniel Kelly and Head Professional Jamie Corkill.
“Unfortunately, I made a double bogey down the seventh hole and some guys caught up with their fine playing.
“It was great to use the live scoring leaderboard to my advantage and knuckle down to stay on top.”
Lawson’s equal best round of the day – six-under 66 – earned him a share of second alongside David Bransdon (69) at eight-under par.
Lucas Higgins had five birdies and an eagle to match Lawson’s round of 66 to finish in a tie for third with Michael Wright at seven-under par.
The next event on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series schedule is the three-day Signature Golf Tours Gold Coast Challenge at RACV Royal Pines starting Monday.
Brisbane’s Brett Rankin has produced a stunning round of nine-under 63 to open up a four-stroke lead at the Ray White Yamba Pro-Am at Yamba Golf Club.
Despite the course flooding twice this year the Yamba layout was in outstanding condition, the perfect winter weather providing the 60 Professionals with ideal scoring opportunities.
No one took greater advantage than Rankin who had seven birdies and an eagle to establish a four-shot buffer heading into the second and final round on Sunday.
A five-time winner already in this year’s adidas PGA Pro-Am Series season and fifth on the Order of Merit, Rankin was three-under through his first 10 holes before rattling off a flood of red numbers on the way in.
Having started from the ninth hole, it was a five-hole stretch from the first hole that swung the tournament in Rankin’s favour.
He chipped in for eagle at the par-5 first and added birdies at two, four, five and eight to post nine-under, David Bransdon’s five-under 67 the next best followed by the experienced duo of Sam Brazel (68) and Michael Wright (68).
A winner at Howeston 10 days ago, Rankin credited a hot putter with his fast finish.
“I struck the ball well but my putter just got really hot,” said Rankin.
“I managed to hole some 30-footers for birdie which is what you need to have a score like that.
“I also managed to chip in for an eagle and momentum fed off that.”
Defending champion Damien Jordan posted two-under 70 to be seven shots back in a tie for seventh.
The final round starts at 7am on Sunday with Rankin and Bransdon to tee off in the final group at 12.10pm.
Click here for scores.
