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In-form Nathan Barbieri earned his fifth win for 2024 thanks to a bogey-free 5-under-par 66 at the Howeston Pro-Am in Brisbane today.
Barbieri held off three players – Matt Millar, Cameron John and James Conran – by a single stroke as he continues to build towards the new Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season which begins with the PNG Open in August.
The winner of Final Stage of Qualifying School in April has converted that form into two adidas PGA Pro-Am Series victories in Western Australia, the WA PGA Foursomes Championship, plus a runner-up finish in last week’s Redcliffe Pro-Am.
He’s now climbed to No.3 on the National Pro-Am Order of Merit for 2024.
John and Conran threatened to match Barbieri’s 66 as they came to the end of their rounds.
John, the winner of The National Tournament presented by BMW on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia earlier this year, played his final six holes in 6-under-par, while Conran birdied the 12th, 14th, 15th and 16th.
Millar’s round included six birdies and two bogeys.
The shot of the day came from Queenslander Will Bruyeres who aced the 279m par-4 third hole.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
Beginning his day on the 10th tee, Barbieri picked up a birdie on the par-5 12th hole before the highlight of his round, an eagle on the 247m par-4 14th where he hit the green with a three-wood.
He rounded out his opening nine with a birdie on the par-5 18th.
The New South Welshman’s second nine featured eight pars plus a crucial two on the par-3 sixth.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“It’s only my second time here and the last time it was blowing 50kph. It’s an interesting golf course,” Barbieri said.
“I played pretty good all day and didn’t really miss too many greens, holed a few putts here and there.
“Five-under won here last year so I knew it would be around that mark.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
66: Nathan Barbieri (NSW)
67: Matthew Millar (ACT), Cameron John (Vic), James Conran (NSW)
68: Samuel Slater (Qld), Chris Duke (Qld), Caleb Bovalina (Vic)
69: Zachary Maxwell (Qld), Lawry Flynn (Qld); Andrew Kelly (Vic), Christopher Wood (Qld), Lucas Higgins (NSW), Dylan Gardner (Qld)
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series continues its stay in the Brisbane region with the Zigcrete Constructions Windaroo Lakes Pro-Am tomorrow followed by the Breakas Beach Resort Vanuatu Virginia Pro-Am on Thursday.
It came with some unexpected nerves yet Will Florimo’s breakthrough adidas PGA Pro-Am Series victory at the Reside Communities Pacific Pro-Am could not have been more fitting.
Playing at Pacific Golf Club where he is a member and has played pennants in the past, Florimo shot 4-under 68 to edge another outstanding field by a single stroke, Edward Donoghue, Dylan Gardner and Brett Rankin sharing second with rounds of 3-under 69.
Florimo earned status for the upcoming Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season at Qualifying School in April and will start his campaign at PNG next month buoyed by a maiden win at his home club.
Despite the familiarity of the venue, Florimo admitted that he arrived at the course with a sense of expectation.
“I said to my wife this morning, I was actually a little bit nervous playing at home, which was weird,” he said.
“Obviously I’ve had a big year with Q School both here and Asia and obviously my first proper starts the last few weeks.
“This was probably the first one that I’ve actually had a little bit of jitters driving here this morning, so awesome to actually get it done.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
A birdie at the par-4 fourth was the ideal way for Florimo to start his round but he was back to level par one hole later after a dropped shot at five.
Five straight pars followed before Florimo unleashed a back-nine birdie barrage.
He made three straight birdies from the par-5 11th and closed out a back nine of 5-under 31 with two further birdies at 17 and 18.
Conscious of where he stood on the leaderboard playing his final hole – the par-3 third – Florimo hit his tee shot to the meaty part of the green, a three-putt bogey shaving his advantage to a single shot.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“It was playing different to probably what it normally does with how firm and ridiculously fast it is out there,” Florimo said.
“I felt like I knew where I needed to leave it to a lot of those trickier pins. Even 18, I played as a three-shotter par 5. I know that pin, that’s our pennant pin where it was, so I knew where I had to leave the wedge shot and left it 10 feet under the hole.
“Those sorts of ones was where I felt like I had a bit of an edge.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Will Florimo 68
T2 Edward Donoghue 69
T2 Dylan Gardner 69
T2 Brett Rankin 69
T5 Deyen Lawson 70
T5 Michael Sim 70
T5 Cameron John 70
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series stays in Brisbane on Wednesday for the Howeston Pro-Am at Howeston Golf Course before moving on to Windaroo Lakes on Thursday and Virginia on Friday.
Zach Maxwell will target a win on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia after bettering a tour-quality field at the $80,000 Optilease Redcliffe Pro-Am.
The Brisbane native and son of PGA Professional Brett Maxwell, Maxwell delivered a stunning start to his second round to take a stranglehold of the two-day tournament at Redcliffe Golf Club.
Established stars converged on Redcliffe for one of the richest tournaments on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series but Maxwell showed impressive composure to win by one, Nathan Barbieri (65) runner-up for a third time at Redcliffe.
Maxwell began the tournament with a 2-under 69 but played his first five holes in 5-under on Friday, the highlight a hole-in-one at the 134-metre par-3 13th, his fourth hole of the day.
He kept the foot to the floor with a birdie at three and eagle at the par-5 fourth to get to 10-under, enough of a buffer to absorb a bogey at the par-3 seventh and win by one.
“That was really special, especially to have that in a ‘tourny’ round,” said Maxwell.
“I’ve been playing with the Tricolour Concreting guys who have been big supporters of mine for a long time so today was just really special and I’m really grateful.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Four shots separated Maxwell from Round 1 leader Aaron Pike when Round 2 began but he made quick inroads on the deficit.
He made birdie at his opening hole, the par-5 10th, and then added a second in three holes at the par-4 12th.
The hole-in-one on 13 provided a sudden boost and he backed it up with a third birdie at the short par-4 14th.
Six straight pars through the middle of his round kept Maxwell within reach of the top of the leaderboard before his birdie on three and eagle at four propelled him to the front of the pack.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I have a little rule where when I make a birdie I’m allowed to look at the leaderboard,” said Maxwell.
“It gives some good incentive to keep the ego in check, I guess.
“Coming down the last nine holes, I was looking every hole. That’s the best part about the pro-ams and why it’s such a good pathway onto the tour, you get to create environments and create winning pressure.
“I’ve decided with my team to focus on the Aussie season and to only dabble with Asian Tour Q School.
“Being my first year with full status on the Tour, I’ll be keeping my focus here and also pursuing the Asian Tour Q School in Australia at the end of the year.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Zachary Maxwell 69-64—133
2 Nathan Barbieri 69-65—134
3 Aaron Pike 65-70—135
T4 Douglas Klein 72-64—136
T4 Matthew Millar 69-67—136
T4 Gavin Fairfax 66-70—136
T4 Nathan Page 68-68—136
NEXT UP
Pacific Golf Club makes its return to the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series schedule on Monday with the Reside Communities Pacific Pro-Am to be followed by the Howeston Pro-Am on Wednesday.
Two-time runner-up Nathan Barbieri believes he has unlocked a winning formula ahead of the $80,000 Optilease Redcliffe Pro-Am at Redcliffe Golf Club starting Thursday.
The two-day event is one of the richest on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series schedule and has drawn a field to match.
Winners on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia such as Brad Kennedy, Deyen Lawson, Jordan Zunic and Daniel Gale have all returned from international tours to tee it up alongside established names including defending champion Michael Sim, Marcus Fraser, Matthew Millar, Sam Brazel and Aaron Pike and stars of tomorrow including Barbieri, Lawry Flynn and Cameron John.
Barbieri was just months into his professional career when he finished second to Doug Klein at Redcliffe in 2021.
Wins seemed a matter of formality, but it has taken the New South Welshman almost three years to find a formula for success.
Following the heartbreak of failing to retain full playing rights at the season-ending tournament at The National, Barbieri chose to attend Qualifying School a fortnight later to potentially improve his status.
He won, and although not an official tour event, claims it as his first as a pro.
“I count it as a win, I got paid for it,” he said on Wednesday.
It may prove to be a significant moment in his career, given not only did it solidify his place in the biggest events of the coming season but showed what it took to win as a professional.
And he didn’t stop there.
On a stint playing the Pro-Am Series in Western Australia, Barbieri teamed up with Josh Greer to win the WA PGA Foursomes Championship, edged Curtis Luck at the Cottesloe Open and shot 7-under to win the Sun City Pro-Am.
“It was a monkey off the back,” Barbieri admitted.
“Everyone believes they can do it and then once you do it, it’s a great feeling.
“It’s just the confidence it builds for yourself. You know you can do it and you just keep pushing.
“I was playing well at Cottesloe and then I sort of stalled a bit and I honestly said, ‘I’m not letting this happen again.’
“I’ve had it too many times. I just said in the back of my mind, I don’t want this to happen again. I just need to do this. I need to finish it off and get a win.”
Full of confidence in his game, Barbieri also arrives at Redcliffe with good thoughts about the golf course.
He fired matching 65s to finish one back of Sim last year and said the test that the course provides feeds into the way he likes to play the game.
“You’ve got to hit every shot, for sure,” said Barbieri, part of the John Serhan coaching stable.
“There’s nine holes right-to-left and nine left-to-right and there are a couple of tricky greens that are elevated.
“I just find it really enjoyable to play. You can get some low numbers and the field this year is as good as a Tour event so it should be good.”
Given the quality of field and that the start of the 2024-2025 season is now less than a month away, Barbieri is viewing this year’s Redcliffe Pro-Am as a platform to build on over the course of the year.
“I wasn’t going to originally go to Q School but sort of took a chance and backed myself and it came out good,” said Barbieri, who has entered to play the PNG Open from August 15-18.
“Hopefully this season’s a good one, maybe grab a couple wins and push for that Order of Merit spot.”
A hole-in-one 40 years in the making made Anthony Choat’s share of victory at the NewGen Caravans Tin Can Bay Pro-Am one to savour at Tin Can Bay Country Club.
A joint winner at Biloela Golf Club two weeks ago, Choat again had company at the top of the leaderboard as Alex Simpson and Josh Clarke matched his total of 7-under 65.
Surprisingly, all three players were in the morning wave, their clubhouse mark unmatched in the afternoon as Harry Goakes, Dean Jamieson and Aaron Maxwell all posted 6-under 66.
Choat had barely signed his scorecard before video of his first ever hole-in-one hit the socials, the 46-year-old raising his arms to the skies when he found his Titleist at the bottom of the cup at the par-3 13th.
“I was playing with Wade Hooper who is probably a foot taller than me,” Choat said.
“He goes, ‘I think that’s gone in.’ He’s calling it on the tee and I can’t see anything.
“I keep walking, walking, walking, Wade gets his camera out and starts filming.
“As soon as I saw it in, it was a massive release because 40 years of golf and none. I’ve had them flying the hole, bounce off the green, spin back, lip out.
“I reckon I can count 10 that should have gone in so to actually have one go in was just huge.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
The 18th hole was Choat’s first and he began with a birdie.
He added two more at two and three but it was two eagles in the space of four holes that provided the backbone to his score.
The first came with a three at the par-5 10th before the long-awaited ace at 13.
Choat birdied 14 to get to 9-under on his round but made double-bogey on his final hole, the par-4 17th.
Like Choat, Simpson began with a birdie at his opening hole, the par-5 eighth, but it was a stretch of four birdies in the space of five holes late in his round that enabled him to match Choat and Clarke at 7-under.
Clarke took a step back with a bogey at his first hole but accumulated eight birdies from that point, six of which came in his final eight holes to also finish at 7-under.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I didn’t really think a win would come from the morning. It was cold and the ground was wet. There was no wind, but I thought we were losing lots of distance with the wet and cold conditions.
“I actually arrived in Townsville with some form and then it quickly dropped off and I really started to doubt myself. Hanging around with a lot of these young players is really good. They talk about their games a lot and it’s a very open forum.
“Through conversations and positivity of some of the young ones, I’ve felt the need to just keep pushing and pushing and it was the second round at Emerald where I really started to find something and I probably haven’t really looked back since.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 Alex Simpson 65
T1 Anthony Choat 65
T1 Josh Clarke 65
T4 Harry Goakes 66
T4 Dean Jamieson 66
T4 Aaron Maxwell 66
NEXT UP
With a proud history and a record $80,000 in prize money, the Optilease Redcliffe Pro-Am tees off on Thursday with a Tour-quality field to do battle across two rounds at Redcliffe Golf Club.
Connor McDade didn’t believe 5-under was enough yet his morning score could not be bettered as five players joined him at the top of the leaderboard at the Maryborough Pro-Am.
McDade was out in the morning wave at Maryborough Golf Club and despite starting with a bogey, recovered sufficiently to shoot 65 and give the afternoon players something to chase.
And chase they did.
Brady Watt, James Marchesani, Ben Henkel, Bailey Arnott and James Conran all got to 5-under but none would surpass it, joining McDade with a share of victory.
“It’s a good bunch of guys to share it with,” said McDade after his second adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win.
“I honestly kind of counted myself out of it a little bit. I saw there were maybe five or six guys that were within a shot with nine holes to play.
“I’m not really sure how 5-under held up, but it did, so I’ll take that for sure.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Six players ended the day at 5-under but they did so in a variety of ways.
After an opening bogey on three, McDade responded with three consecutive birdies from the fifth hole to get his scorecard heading in the right direction.
Along with birdies at his first and final holes the highlight of Watt’s round was an eagle at the par-4 sixth while Marchesani finished eagle-birdie after finding himself 2-over early in his round.
Conran needed four birdies in his final six holes to join the leaderboard logjam, Arnott had four straight birdies in the middle of his round while Henkel was 6-under through nine holes before also finishing at 5-under.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Kind of just proved to myself again that I can compete out here and compete with some of these players that have played a lot of good golf in their career,” who was the joint winner with Arnott and Henkel at the JET Group Clermont Pro-Am.
“The two wins I’ve had, I’ve been over-par through one hole, so I wasn’t too phased by it. I know that there’s birdies out here, so I just kept doing my thing and saw what happened.
“It’s good to share a win with players such as those guys. They’ve done a lot more than I have in a professional sense… but wouldn’t mind winning an event without Bailey and Ben Henkel there.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1 Connor McDade 65
T1 Brady Watt 65
T1 James Marchesani 65
T1 James Conran 65
T1 Ben Henkel 65
T1 Bailey Arnott 65
T7 Josh Clarke 66
T7 Brett Rankin 66
NEXT UP
Tin Can Bay Country Club hosts the NewGen Caravans Tin Can Bay Pro-Am on Tuesday followed by the $80,000 Optilease Redcliffe Pro-Am starting Thursday.
Even though he hates sleeping on a lead, Christopher Wood completed a wire-to-wire victory in the $60,000 Ian Weigh Toyota Rockhampton Pro-Am by shooting a final round of 67 today.
A tournament best 65 on day one gave Wood control of the three-day event, but he had to hold off a challenge from fellow Queenslander Brett Rankin before emerging as a three-shot winner at 17-under-par.
“I hate it. I’d much rather go into a final round behind than leading,” said Wood who led by a single stroke overnight before being victorious for the second time this year in the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series.
“I’m a bit of a scoreboard watcher. I like to know what guys are doing and sometimes that can distract me as well.
“Bretto put some pressure on me late in round with three birdies in a row. The nerves were there with four or five holes to go so I’m happy to come out on top.”
Anthony Choat (NSW) and Dylan Gardner (Qld) shared third place on 12-under.
HOW THE WINNER’S SCORE UNFOLDED
A consistent winner of adidas Pro-Am Series events since 2013, Wood’s 67 was the equal best round of Friday.
He had four birdies on his front nine with a dropped shot on the par-5 seventh hole and another three birdies on the back, including on the 17th and 18th to finally see off Rankin, who bogeyed the par-five finishing hole after surging with three consecutive birdies.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“It was a really good week. I felt like my game was really nice all week,” Wood said.
“I had a good idea where the ball was going and the putter was listening from time to time.
“For some reason, I saw the lines on the greens really clearly this week, just trusted my stroke and all the practice that I’ve done.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
-17: Christopher Wood (Qld) 65-67-67
-14: Brett Rankin (Qld) 67-66-69
-13: Anthony Choat (NSW) 67-68-68; Dylan Gardner (Qld) 68-67-68
-12: Andrew Campbell (NSW) 70-67-67; Kyle Michel (Vic) 66-67-71
-11: William Bruyeres (Qld) 67-70-68
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series heads down the Bruce Highway to the Maryborough Golf Club Pro-Am on Monday.
An opening eagle and birdie at the last has helped to maintain Chris Wood’s one-stroke advantage through two rounds of the Ian Weigh Toyota Rockhampton Pro-Am at Rockhampton Golf Club.
A Tour-quality field will contend for the $60,000 in prize money on Friday with Wood’s 12-under total one clear of both Brett Rankin (66) and Kyle Michel (67).
Backing up from a 7-under 65 on day one, Wood was 9-under after just one hole on Thursday thanks to an eagle at the par-5 first.
A string of six pars was followed with a birdie on eight and bogey on nine, birdies at 12, 14 and 18 giving him a round of 5-under 67 and the narrowest of leads going into the final round.
“Obviously it’s nice to be on top,” said Wood, the 2020 Victorian PGA champion.
“To be honest, I haven’t been playing a lot of golf lately. I didn’t go out west and play, so I sort of just had a bit of time off, which I felt I needed after such a busy season last year.
“To be up the top of the leaderboard with not much competitive golf under my belt is nice.”
Rankin made his move up the leaderboard early in Round 2, picking up five birdies in the space of seven holes to turn in 5-under 31.
After a bogey on 11 he hit back with birdies at 13 and 14 to play his way into the final group with Wood.
Conceding he was not at his best, Wood said it was his patient approach that enabled him to keep his nose in front.
“I didn’t really feel like I had my A game today, but I just knew that there was plenty of birdies out there,” he added.
“I just tried to give myself as many chances as possible and managed to sneak in a few more coming home.
“Eagle on the first was nice and then to be honest, it was pretty boring after that.
“I had about probably six or seven pars in a row. Had a lot of opportunities, didn’t really convert and then made a birdie on eight, which was nice but then gave it back the very next hole.
“Then really just tried to stay patient out there.”
A mindset of playing “aggressively smart” and a birdie from the fringe on his final hole has earned Queenslander Chris Wood a one-shot lead after day one of the Ian Weigh Toyota Rockhampton Pro-Am.
With $60,000 in prize money on offer a Tour-quality field took to the Rockhampton Golf Club layout on Wednesday, Wood edging one clear with a brilliant round of 7-under 65.
Victorian Kyle Michel (66) is Wood’s closest challenger, the pair both taking full advantage of ideal scoring conditions in the morning wave to set the early tone.
Wood began with a birdie on his opening hole – the par-4 10th – only to give it straight back with bogey at the tough par-3 11th.
It would be his only step backward all day, making five birdies in the space of seven holes around the turn before moving to the top of the leaderboard with a final birdie at the par-3 ninth.
“The birdie on nine was a bit of a bonus,” Wood conceded.
“I holed a putt from about 17 feet just off the right-hand side of the green there, putting up the hill.
“The goal was honestly just to two-putt and get out of there, but to see that drop was quite nice.”
A regular at Rockhampton, the 2020 Victorian PGA champion said he has adopted a different strategy to avoid making some of the same mistakes of the past.
“I’ll just go out there with the same mindset of playing aggressively smart,” he added.
“I’ve kept driver in the bag a little bit this week on a few holes just from previous history.
“I always find I hit it in the same trouble spots as previous years so just trying to eliminate some of the mistakes.
“I know there’s plenty of birdies out there, so just to try and stay patient and add them up at the end.”
There is just two shots separating the top 10 on the leaderboard after Round 1 with Matt Millar, Brett Rankin and James Marchesani among the eight players in a tie for third at 5-under par.
Round 2 begins at 6:50am Thursday morning.
Call it a working holiday or the world’s longest honeymoon, but Darcy Boyd and Danni Vasquez have emerged as the new power couple of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series.
Married for eight months, Boyd and Vasquez have been prominent on the Pro-Am circuit leaderboards throughout the Queensland swing, Vasquez the first woman to win a Pro-Am Series event in five years at Biloela last Saturday.
A Bowen Pro-Am victory is among Boyd’s seven top-five finishes dating back to late May and makes him one of the leading contenders heading into the $60,000 Ian Weigh Toyota Rockhampton Pro-Am, starting Wednesday at Rockhampton Golf Club.
Plans are in place to purchase a caravan and continue their nomadic start to married life for the next 18 months, the New South Wales pair taking full advantage of the unique opportunity that they have been afforded as professional golfers.
“We’ve found that balance of golf being this thing that allows us to travel the country,” said Boyd, the 2020 PGA National Trainee of the Year.
“We love Australia and we want to see it all. Whereas other people would have to quit their jobs to go and do that, we can sort of do both hand in hand.
“You have to be switched on when you get to the golf course, but you also need to switch off and our passion is camping and exploring and going and seeing things.
“We try and do that on our days off or make time to do things away from golf.”
Adds Vasquez, who became a full PGA Member on January 1: “We don’t really treat golf as a job.
“We’re not really that hard on ourselves because we know it’s golf that allows us to do what we love, which is travel around Australia.
“If it wasn’t for golf, we wouldn’t be able to do that.”
Boyd and Vasquez both played the Pro-Am Series last year to limited success, the pair struggling to adapt somewhat to their new environment.
But they are in their element now and believe that having each other for support gives them something of a competitive advantage.
“I see it through good mates and others. It is a big struggle being away for such long periods,” said Boyd.
“Whilst it’s hard for them, it’s also hard for the people at home.
“Sometimes things like relationships are put under stress because of the profession, whereas I’m not in that position, so I’m pretty lucky.”
In addition to having her hubby on hand, Vasquez has played the role of recruiter to bring fellow WPGA members into the Pro-Am fold.
Emma Ash was third at Biloela and the likes of Rhianna Lewis, Sarah Yamaki-Branch, Jordan O’Brien and Kelsey Bennett have all made starts throughout the Queensland stretch.
Their presence has been well received by the tournament hosts and fellow competitors and expanded the support network available to Vasquez.
“The others who have come this year are loving it, which is really good actually,” she said.
“I didn’t know how it would sit but they’re all for it, so I am really happy about that.
“Even the other day at Biloela, (joint winner) Anthony (Choat) was looking at the leaderboard and said to himself that if Danni birdies one of the last three and beats me, he’d be so happy for me, which is nice.
“He said if it was anyone else, he would hate it, but because it was me, he was very, very happy. So that made me feel a bit good.”
And as much as they are there to support each other, there remains a layer of competitiveness between husband and wife.
“We got paired together for the first time ever a few weeks ago and Darcy kept making birdie after birdie, so there’s definitely a competitiveness there,” Vasquez added.
That competitiveness comes with an incentive, too.
“The rule was that whoever has the worst score has to do the cleaning up, but it’s changed now,” Vasquez said.
“Between us we’ve got one motorised buggy and one old push buggy, so whoever has the best score gets the motorised buggy for the next event.”
“I’ve got to start playing better,” added Boyd, “because I’ve now got to push my buggy around Rockhampton for the next three days.”
Boyd has been drawn to play with Rhianna Lewis off the first tee at 11am on Wednesday while Vasquez will tee off alongside Harrison Wills from the 10th tee, also at 11am.
First groups are out at 6:50am.
