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Victorian Simon Hawkes reignited his love affair with the courses of King Island to claim a second Air Adventure King Island Pro-Am.
The fifth edition of a tournament that brings together PGA Professionals and club members to play world-class courses at Cape Wickham and Ocean Dunes attracted teams from Tasmania, Queensland, South Australian, New South Wales and Victoria.
A 36-hole Stableford event for the 25 professionals is played in conjunction with Teams and Amateur events and once again it was Hawkes who emerged triumphant.
King Island locals referred to the 20km/h breeze out of the north-east as ideal conditions and Hawkes took advantage on day one, his 37 Stableford points at Cape Wickham giving him a two-point buffer from Hayden Webb (Settlers Run) and three clear of Cardinia Beaconhills Golf Links Director of Golf Dylan Higgins.
Hawkes found the going a little tougher on day two but managed to fire an even-par 36 points at Ocean Dunes to finish the 36 holes on 73 points.
Cathedral Lodge’s Director of Golf Matt Jager was the only player to threaten Hawkes’ position at the top of the leaderboard, making birdie at nine to turn in 17 points.
Jager then eagled the 12th and birdied the 13th and 15th to further narrow the gap and arrived at the final hole needing a further birdie for 41 points to match Hawkes.
Unfortunately for Jager he could only manage a par at the last, leaving him one point shy of top spot with a tournament total of 72 points.
The inaugural Air Adventure King Island Pro-Am champion, Hawkes said that the wind direction made scoring challenging across the two unforgettable days of golf.
“Whilst we have played here in stronger winds, the wind over the last two days has been really tricky,” said Hawkes.
“The north-east wind is not the prevailing breeze down here so it made the courses play pretty tough.
“I love coming to King Island and playing these world-class courses.
“I had a great team this year. The boys are golf junkies which made it a really enjoyable two days.
“The team at Air Adventure run a great event and one I look forward to playing in each year.”
Two-time European Tour winner Scott Strange will take a one-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round of the Wembley Pro-Am following a brilliant opening round of eight-under 64.
Strange went bogey-free at the Wembley Golf Course’s Old Course in Perth to take a single stroke advantage into the final round, third year PGA Associate Joshua Herrero his nearest challenger courtesy of his seven-under 65 on day one.
PGA Tour of Australasia Tour Development Manager Kim Felton wound back the clock to post six-under 66 in the opening round and will start the second round in a share of third alongside Rick Kulacz.
Beautiful autumn conditions greeted the field of 46 professionals on Saturday for the latest event in the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series and with greens running at 12 on the Stimpmeter players had to be precise with both their approach shots and their putting stroke.
Starting his round from the eighth tee, the cornerstone of Strange’s 64 came in a six-hole stretch from the 10th hole, making birdies at 10, 11, 14 and 15 to push out to four-under early.
He birdied the par-5 first to get to five-under and then picked up shots at three of his final four holes to post the round of the day.
The first round also encompassed a Junior Pro-Am that brought together some of Western Australia’s brightest up-and-coming juniors to play alongside the professionals.
Ewan Westwood from Joondalup Country Club won the inaugural Perron Institute Junior Pro-Am with 40 Stableford points, Nalani Nelson from Lakelands Country Club runner-up with 36 points.
The corporate supporters will join the pros for Sunday’s final round with play to commence at 11.30am AWST.
A stunning second round of nine-under 62 has delivered Jay Mackenzie a two-stroke victory at the CMR Recycling Sarina Pro-Am at Sarina Golf Club south of Mackay.
The third event of the Hidden Valley Whitsundays North Queensland Series and latest in the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series saw Sam Brazel set the standard on day one but it was Mackenzie who emerged from back in the pack, he and playing partner Brett Rankin going toe-to-toe in an absorbing final day pairing.
There were 16 birdies and not a single dropped shot but it was Mackenzie who finished on top, his two-round total of 15-under par enough to finish two clear of Rankin (64) followed by William Bruyeres (66) a shot further back in third spot who went bogey free across the two rounds.
“It was great playing with Rankin today, he really helped push me along as he had seven-under par for his day,” said Mackenzie, the recent WA PGA Championship winner.
“I didn’t make many mistakes and it just kept seeming to go in the right direction.”
Rankin’s spectacular second round extended his lead in the Hidden Valley Whitsundays North Queensland Series to nine strokes, his five-round total of 29-under par establishing a sizeable buffer from Mackenzie and Douglas Klein who are at 20-under par.
The fourth and final event in the North Queensland Series is the Abbot Point Operations Bowen Pro-Am to be held on Sunday.
Friendly fire threatened to take him out of the tournament yet Lismore’s Sam Brazel will enter day two of the CMR Recycling Sarina Pro-Am with a two-shot lead at Sarina Golf Club in North Queensland.
The third leg of the Hidden Valley Whitsundays North Queensland Series, the Sarina Golf Club layout has been inundated by rain in recent weeks which forced five holes to be taken out of play.
It did little to slow Brazel, however, who had six birdies on the back nine alone in a round of nine-under 62 in the latest event of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series.
“I struck the ball decent all day, didn’t find much trouble, hold a putt when I needed to and hit a few close,” said Brazel, who is a partner in the Hidden Valley development just 15 minutes from Airlie Beach and major sponsor of the North Queensland Series.
While Brazel had full control of his own golf ball on Tuesday, the same could not be said for one of his amateur playing partners who was just centimetres from hitting Brazel flush in the face.
“Funny story that,” Brazel added. “My left-handed playing partner had two shanks in a row and one managed to brush the side of my head under the brim of my cap!”
Joost ter Veld and Will Bruyeres are Brazel’s nearest challengers after rounds of seven-under 64, Bruyeres playing the front nine in four-under par to put himself in contention.
“The course was in great condition and I look forward to coming back to Sarina next year,” said Bruyeres, who was bogey-free on day one.
“Hopefully they get some rain to keep it nice and lush, but plenty of time to dry out,” Bruyeres added.
Anthony Choat, Brett Rankin and Jay Mackenzie are all three shots off the lead following rounds of six-under 65 as Rankin moves to a four-shot lead in the Series with a four-round total of 22-under par, Doug Klein (18-under) and Tim Hart (15-under) rounding out the top three.
Round 2 of the CMR Recycling Sarina Pro-Am begins at 8am on Wednesday with Brazel and Bruyeres to tee off in the final group at 11.10am
Click here for live scores.
Michael Sim has claimed the inaugural Godfrey Hirst Joondalup Resort Classic in dramatic fashion, defeating Joseph Ha in a sudden-death playoff at the Joondalup Resort in Perth.
Back where he learnt the game before becoming a top-50 player in the world, Sim’s victory was a popular one amongst those who have followed his journey but Ha made him earn it.
Playing in the second-to-last group, Ha birdied the 15th and 18th holes to post seven-under for the $35,000 36-hole adidas PGA Pro-Am Series event.
Six-under as he arrived to the 18th tee, Sim produced the birdie he needed to match Ha’s total and then used all of his experience and composure gleaned from more than a decade on tour to complete the win.
As driving rain and strong winds buffeted the Joondalup course Ha found the hazard to the right of the fairway with his tee shot in the playoff hole.
That allowed Sim the luxury of playing conservatively by laying up and leaving a wedge shot approach to the green.
Ha found the bunker short right of the green with his third shot followed by Sim leaning on his stellar short game to hit his wedge shot to two metres behind the hole.
Ha’s long-range par putt raced by the whole which gave Sim a comfortable two-putt to claim victory.
After the win, Sim thanked his supporters who had turned out to follow him over the weekend, many of them long-time admirers since his early years playing at Joondalup.
Simon Houston finished outright third at six-under as he continues his strong form in the first four events of the Western Australian swing.
Low round of the day went to Andrew Kelly who shot six-under 66 – including a back nine of 30 – to finish tied for fourth with Michael Long (70) and leading amateur and Joondalup member Tom Addy (68).
After a short break the WA swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series will continue next weekend with the $25,000 Wembley Pro-Am at Wembley Golf Course.
Brett Rankin continued his strong start to the Hidden Valley Whitsundays North Queensland Series but had to share top spot at the Rimex Australia Pioneer Valley Pro-Am.
With the Pioneer Valley Golf Club course in great shape players were able to take full advantage with Rankin among four players to post rounds of seven-under 65.
Outright winner of the Mackay Pro-Am a couple of days earlier, Rankin’s 65 was matched by Anthony Choat, Anthony Johnson and Douglas Klein.
There is a $10,000 bonus pool on offer through the North Queensland swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series and after two events it appears Rankin is the man to beat.
“The swing is feeling great and having some putts drop, it feels stress free at the moment,” said Rankin, who played the back nine at Pioneer Valley in six-under 30.
Like Rankin, Choat made six birdies in his final eight holes to earn a share of victory while Klein went bogey free for his 65.
Johnson wasted no time in making his presence on the leaderboard with four birdies in his first five holes and was delighted to finish on top of the leaderboard.
“It’s been a while between drinks and stoked to get the W here,” Johnson added.
“The course is looking the best I’ve seen in a long time. Well done to all involved.”
A recent graduate of the Membership Pathway Program, Elliot Beel was outright fifth with a round of six-under 66 highlighted by an eagle at the par-5 seventh as Shae Wools-Cob, Tim Hart and Robert Spence finished tied for sixth with rounds of five-under 67.
Next event on the adidas PGA Pro-Am series is the two-day CMR Recycling Sarina Pro-Am starting Tuesday.
A focus on playing mistake-free golf has given New South Welshman Alex Edge a one-stroke advantage heading into day two of the $35,000 Godfrey Hirst Joondalup Resort Classic at the Joondalup Resort in Perth.
The spectacular Robert Trent Jones Jr-designed Joondalup course has not only been presented in magnificent condition but marquees, grandstands and fan activations is giving the tournament the feel of a major event.
The atmosphere has proved to be to the liking of Edge through 18 holes who used a brilliant back nine of four-under on the Lake nine to take a one-shot lead into Sunday’s final round with an opening five-under 67.
Seeking his first win on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series since the Axedale Pro-Am more than 12 months ago, Edge has sought to keep mistakes off his card through the first few events on the Western Australian swing.
His single bogey on Saturday at the par-5 eighth was just his fifth bogey in five rounds and he will need something similar on Sunday to keep a stellar field at bay.
Prolific winner Michael Sim, Joseph Ha, Simon Houston and 16-year-old amateur Celine Chen all posted 68 on day one with veteran Michael Long and Neven Basic a shot further back after rounds of three-under 69.
Edge’s aim of minimal mistakes will be made even tougher in the final round with wind gusts of up to 40km/h expected just as the leading groups tee off.
The final round commences at 7am local time with the final group of Edge, Sim and Chen to tee off at 8.50am.
A second-round birdie barrage has delivered Brett Rankin a three-shot victory at the 2022 PIMS Group Mackay Pro-Am at Mackay Golf Club.
Two shots off the lead when play began on Friday, Rankin peeled off 10 birdies in his second round of seven-under 64 in conditions made challenging by rain squalls and gusty winds.
Only six other players broke 70 on day two as Rankin finished three clear of Doug Klein (66), Tim Hart (69) and Round 1 co-leader Michael Wright (69) with a two-round total of nine-under par.
Another of the Round 1 co-leaders, Sam Brazel, finished outright fourth with a second round of one-under 70 followed by Brad Burns (69) and WA PGA champion Jay Mackenzie (69) who shared fifth at four-under par.
Tied for seventh at the season-ending NT PGA Championship, Rankin has been a prolific winner on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series in recent years and looks set for another productive Queensland swing.
“Really happy with today, it was a battle with the wind, rain and wet conditions,” said Rankin.
“My game is moving in the right direction. I felt quite comfortable here and looking forward for the events coming up.”
Klein’s form was also good to end the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia season and he had seven birdies of his own on Friday to earn a share of second.
“I started a little slow but kicked into gear and just kept pushing through,” said Klein.
Next event in the North Queensland Series is the Pioneer Valley Pro-Am at Pioneer Valley Golf Club on Sunday.
A course record round of six-under 66 has delivered Brady Watt a commanding victory over a stellar field at the D.J. Di Stasio Kwinana Pro-Am at Kwinana Golf Club south of Perth.
Decorated tour players Brett Rumford, Michael Long and Scott Strange, WA Open champion Braden Becker and experienced Australasian Tour players Daniel Fox and Max McCardle all arrived at the picturesque Kwinana layout with high hopes yet couldn’t match the class of Watt.
Despite missing the cut at both the WA PGA and WA Open recently, Watt returned to his former home state with his game in good shape, peeling off six birdies to set a new course record with the redesigned par-3 sixth in play for the first time.
Starting his round on the par-4 second, Watt picked up three birdies in the space of five holes from the par-4 fifth, went back-to-back at 12 and 13 to get to five-under and then closed with his sixth of the day at the par-5 18th.
His flawless round earned Watt a three-stroke victory from Andrew Kelly (69) and Simon Houston (69) with Becker, Fox, Rumford, Strange, Brody Martin and Scott Barr all posting two-under 70 to be tied for fourth.
The next event on the WA swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am series is the two-day Godfrey Hirst Joondalup Resort Classic starting Saturday.
Three players will start the second round with a share of the lead after a day of excellent scoring in Round 1 of the 2022 PIMS Group Mackay Pro-Am at Mackay Golf Club.
The start of the North Queensland leg of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series has drawn a quality field of 33 PGA Professionals with two wily veterans in Michael Wright and Sam Brazel and New South Welshman Andrew Campbell edging one shot clear after day one.
The trio each posted rounds of four-under 67 to be a shot ahead of Brisbane’s Tim Hart (68) followed by Brett Rankin (69), Brad Burns (69) and Jay Mackenzie (69) in a share of fifth.
Beginning his round from the par-3 fifth hole, Campbell picked up birdies at seven and eight but it would be an eagle at the par-5 18th and further birdies at one and three that would see him end the day with a share of the lead.
“Mentally I’m feeling great, when you’re hitting the ball well it makes it easier to shrug of any errors,” said Campbell, the 2017 Vanuatu Open champion.
“Tee to green is really good at the moment and it’s nice to see the putts drop and hopefully they don’t stop.”
Wright carried forward his strong finish to the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia season to go bogey free in the opening round, making birdie at three of the par 5s and the par-3 17th to be tied at the top.
“It was a nice day out today,” said Wright, who was tied for fifth at the WA PGA Championship at Kalgoorlie.
“Course is looking really good considering the conditions this region has had.
“It was really nice to be out with the young fella on the bag and hopefully tomorrow I can keep charging.”
Friday’s final round begins at 7.24am with the last group to tee off at 11.08am.
