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After a six-event qualifying series around the state, all roads lead to Swan Hill, with one of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia’s biggest prize purses on offer this week as the Ford NSW Open heads to Murray Downs Golf & Country Club.
Last played in March 2023, after not featuring last season on Tour due to a change in scheduling, David Micheluzzi was the most recent winner of the Kel Nagle Cup, triumphing on his way to securing that season’s Order of Merit.
With an increased prize fund of $800,000, the return of the NSW Open has seen significant player interest, with star Aussies Cameron Smith and Lucas Herbert making the trip out to the Murray River region, as well as 2006 US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy.
Among the other headliners in the field are all four winners from Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia this year, Phoenix Campbell, Jack Buchanan, Elvis Smylie and Will Bruyeres.
Kicking off a huge three-week stretch, the NSW Open provides a sensational prelude for the BMW Australian PGA Championship and the ISPS HANDA Australian Open.
2023 CHAMPION: David Micheluzzi (Victoria)
PRIZEMONEY: $800,000
LIVE SCORES: www.pga.org.au
TV COVERAGE: The NSW Open will be broadcast live on 7plus and 7two.
*All times AEDT.
Round 2: Friday, 12pm (7plus)
Round 3: Saturday, 12pm (7plus)
Final Round: Sunday, 12pm (7plus and 7two)
THE COURSE
Consistently ranked inside the best 100 courses in the country, Murray Downs is a favourite among the abundance of layouts dotted along the famous Murray River that sits on the border of New South Wales and Victoria.
Once a sprawling sheep station, design duo Geoff and Ted Parslow took to transforming the former farmland in 1991 and produced a magnificent par-71 course stretching to 6,276 metres, which was updated by the brothers in 2009.
Featuring Wintergreen couch fairways, and large Penncross bentgrass greens, the immaculate conditioning at Murray Downs is often a talking point, along with the red sand that fills the large and significant bunkering.
Several forced carries are also synonymous with Murray Downs, none more so than the long par-3 fifth, which, off the tips, can be stretched out to over 200 metres.
Players are afforded plenty of width off the tee, and huge landing areas on the large greens, but with that openness also comes wind, and the abundance of water and sand come into play.
With hot weather predicted in Swan Hill this week, the Murray Downs greens will be rolling fast, just how the Parslow brothers intended the course to be played
HEADLINERS
Cameron Smith — 2022 Open Champion, captain of the 2024 season winning Ripper GC team on the LIV Golf League
Lucas Herbert — PGA TOUR and DP World Tour winner, member of the 2024 season winning Ripper GC team on the LIV Golf League
Geoff Ogilvy — 2006 US Open champion, 2008 BMW Australian PGA champion and 2010 ISPS HANDA Australian Open champion
Phoenix Campbell — 2023 and 2024 Qld PGA champion
Jack Buchanan — Winner of the 2024 CKB WA PGA presented by TX Civil & Logistics and Webex Players Series South Australia
Elvis Smylie — 2024 Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet WA Open champion
Jak Carter — Two-time runner-up this season and fourth on the Order of Merit
Curtis Luck — 2016 WA Open champion, and Korn Ferry Tour player
Moore Park Golf Collective, comprising Golf Australia, PGA of Australia, Golf NSW and Moore Park Golf Club, today announced an ambitious initiative to transform Moore Park South into a vibrant, world-class recreational and golf facility.
The alternative proposal, submitted to the NSW Government during its consultation process in April 2024, supports a growing Sydney and allows for the retention of the much-loved and always busy 18-hole golf course by maximising un-used and under-utilised open space for active and passive recreation and active transport.
The proposal, a testament to the Collective’s commitment to diversity, equality, inclusion and a vision for an innovative and sustainable future, will see several public spaces added to the area, including:
● An adventure playground
● A nature play space
● A dog park
● BBQ and picnic facilities, a fitness trail and terracing located in the best position with spectacular city views
● A football oval
● A skate park and seating
● Half courts and a futsal court
● A BMX pump track and riding zone
● An athletics precinct
● 3 kms of well-connected walking, running and cycling paths
● New environmental spaces for Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub regeneration
● A multi-level 500-space car park cleverly built into the landscape
● A reduced par-68 18-hole public golf course allowing local, state and national competitions to continue
● Mini golf course, a practice putting green and a practice chipping area
● A shortened high-tech driving range with more bays
The bold, city-shaping vision for world-class recreational and golf facilities for a growing Sydney is achieved by transforming undeveloped parkland, enhancing golf, and connecting people to destinations.
Jared Kendler, Leader of Save Moore Park Golf said: “We have been working to ensure the alternative proposal aligns with the Premier’s vision to establish Moore Park South as a vibrant recreational destination for all.”
“By enhancing existing infrastructure and revitalising un-used and under-utilised areas, the initiative aims to create a park that caters to diverse recreational interests in a financially sustainable way that solves the many challenges in the broader precinct.”
“This exciting master plan delivers a minimum of 15 hectares of quality and connected recreational space for play, exploration, relaxing, walking and sports activities for people of all ages and as such is a win/win/win for the Government, the people of Sydney and the visitor economy,” said Mr Kendler.
Damien de Bohun, General Manager of Clubs and Facilities Golf Australia, Stuart Fraser, CEO Golf NSW, and Jared Kendler, Leader of Save Moore Park Course, unveiled the proposal designed to accelerate the Premier’s vision for upgraded infrastructure and more recreational space while preserving the iconic and highly utilised Moore Park Golf Course.
Damien de Bohun, General Manager of Clubs and Facilities, Golf Australia said the proposal prioritises the preservation and enhancement of Moore Park Golf Course, positioning Moore Park South as a park for everyone and the home of public golf in NSW.
“Not only does the proposal incorporate innovative features such as protected recreational areas and well-connected walking, running and cycling tracks, it also offers a 500-space carpark to accommodate the growing influx of visitors and overflow parking for major events in the area,” Mr de Bohun said.
“With golf one of the most popular organised sports in Australia in 2024, this plan addresses the significant demand for golf facilities and ensures that Australia’s busiest 18-hole public golf course remains available and accessible to people from all walks of life, contributing to improved physical and mental health and wellbeing,” he said.
Creating significant employment opportunities in management, events, retail and hospitality, Moore Park Golf Course is also home to a thriving golf academy, where PGA of Australia professionals conduct more than 77 lessons per day, including group classes for children and new Mums and Bubs sessions.
Stuart Fraser, CEO of Golf NSW, said Moore Park Golf Club has been a key community asset for over 100 years.
“Golf NSW believes the alternate proposal provides a win-win solution for the NSW Government and a growing Sydney by offering a multitude of recreational activities, whilst continuing to service the massive demand for publicly accessible golf via an 18-hole course,” Mr Fraser said.
“The proposed recreational hub will truly be the heartbeat of the precinct, and golf industry stakeholders welcome the opportunity to maximise the recreational benefits of the site for the community,” he said.
The Collective is also working to build climate resilience and biodiversity by creating revegetation areas throughout the course for the critically endangered Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub (ESBS). Undertaken with IndigiGrow, a social enterprise from First Hand Solutions Aboriginal Corporation, sustaining people, land and culture through the propagation and growing of native plants, the initiative will promote environmental sustainability and continue conservation efforts.
The Collective encourages residents of Zetland, Waterloo, Redfern, Surry Hills, Kensington, greater Sydney and beyond to support the initiative by signing the Save Moore Park Golf Course petition at www.savemooreparkgolfcourse.com.auto establish Moore Park South as a premier sports and recreation precinct, enriching the lives of Sydneysiders for generations to come.
Phoenix Campbell’s title defence has entered a new realm as Cameron Smith prepares to play the Queensland PGA Championship at Nudgee Golf Club for the first time in almost a decade.
The first of four events that Smith will play on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia this summer, Smith’s inclusion has elevated a tournament that dates back to 1926 to a level not seen since the 1980s when the likes of Greg Norman, Ian Baker-Finch, Peter Fowler and Peter Senior all won in a nine-year span.
Campbell made some history of his own 12 months ago when he became the first amateur to win the Queensland PGA Championship and returns two starts into his career as a professional.
He knows that with Smith in the field, going back-to-back is an even greater challenge.
“It is going to be awesome. I’m super excited,” said Campbell, who was tied second last week at Webex Players Series South Australia.
“I’m hoping to tee it up with him sometime this week, if not the next coming weeks.
“I think it’s great for the event. There’s going to be a lot more people out watching, which will surely lift the event and make it more fun to play in front of people.”
Cameron Smith continues to give back to junior golf, via @TonyWebeck.#QldPGA | @visitbrisbane | @NudgeeGolfClub1 https://t.co/lu43asRKog
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) October 28, 2024
Back in Brisbane for the first time in a month after playing the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Japan, coming through stage one of Korn Ferry Tour School in Florida and finishing top-10 in his professional debut last week in South Australia, Queenslander Quinn Croker is also excited to tee it up in the same event as Smith this week.
Croker was part of the Royal Queensland Golf Club grounds crew at last year’s Australian PGA Championship but now gets to share the fairways with Smith at Nudgee.
“To see him come home, it almost feels like you can test your game against his,” said Croker.
“Obviously it depends on the type of week he has. If he has a very good week, it’s probably going to be better than your very good week. But you kind of hope that maybe Sunday your name’s right next to his and you get to play the final round with him.”
The final two rounds of the Queensland PGA Championship will be broadcast live on both Fox Sports and Kayo with coverage to run from 12:30pm-5:30pm AEDT Saturday and Sunday.
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Phoenix Campbell (Victoria)
PRIZEMONEY: $250,000
LIVE SCORES: www.pga.org.au
TV COVERAGE: Queensland PGA Championship is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
*All times AEDT.
Round 3: Saturday 12:30pm-5:30pm (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
Final Round: Sunday 12:30pm-5:30pm (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
HEADLINERS
Cameron Smith – The 2022 Open champion and three-time winner of the BMW Australian PGA Championship. Smith captained the Ripper GC team to the team title for the 2024 LIV Golf season.
Jack Buchanan – 2024 WA PGA and Webex Players Series South Australia champion. Current leader of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit
Anthony Quayle – Winner of the 2021 Queensland PGA Championship and 2020 Queensland Open
Phoenix Campbell – Defending champion and tied for second in his second start as a professional last week at Webex Players Series South Australia
Elvis Smylie – 2024 WA Open champion and current Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit leader
Rhein Gibson – Two-time winner on the Korn Ferry Tour
Daniel Gale – 2023 Webex Players Series Hunter Valley champion and 2021 Queensland PGA runner-up
A course-record round of 8-under 62 has earned South Australian Jack Buchanan a second victory of the season at the Webex Players Series South Australia hosted by Greg Blewett at Willunga Golf Course.
Ten strokes off the lead after 3-over 73 on day one and five back when he teed off on Sunday, Buchanan played his final 48 holes in 17-under par for a 14-under total.
After a wait of more than an hour, it would prove to be more than enough, finishing three clear of Victorian Phoenix Campbell (64), Hunter Valley’s Corey Lamb (68) and Kathryn Norris (69), who chipped in for birdie on the final hole to cap the best week of her young career.
Norris and overnight leader Brett Rankin (73) both made steady starts playing in the final group before faltering around the turn.
Norris made bogey at both nine and 10 as Rankin made double-bogey at 10 and bogey on 11.
Fast out of the blocks with consecutive birdies at one and two and an eagle from 15 feet at the par-5 fourth, Buchanan soon gained the ascendancy.
Playing six groups ahead of the final group, the 22-year-old kept the foot to the floor.
Despite a dropped shot at eight, he made the turn in 5-under and then added another birdie on 10.
Jack Buchanan claims victory at the 2024 @Webex Players Series @southaustralia after setting a new course record 🏆#WebexPlayersSeries pic.twitter.com/udvwvQB2zw
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) October 27, 2024
He assumed the outright lead with a birdie on 13 to get to 13-under, only to fall back to 12-under with a three-putt bogey at the par-3 14th.
It would be just a slight stumble as Buchanan responded with birdies at 15 and 16 to reach 14-under, making two superb par saves on both 17 and 18 to set a mark that would remain unmatched.
It is Buchanan’s second win in three weeks on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, his win a fortnight ago at Kalgoorlie proving crucial down the stretch at Willunga.
“I think it made a huge difference,” Buchanan said of the confidence he gained from his win at Kalgoorlie.
“I said to my caddie, Patty, on 16 after I hit that iron shot, I said, ‘Kal’s made a big difference to me.’
“Just a little bit of self-belief and knowing that you can actually do it when you need to.”
Conceding that he was not in the best frame of mind when he bogeyed four of his final six holes on Thursday to be 10-strokes off the lead going into Round 2, Buchanan knew he needed a good start to the final round to be any hope.
“Five shots back, I didn’t really know,” added Buchanan, who now moves into top spot on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.
“I said to my caddie, if we start off hot, you never know. That’s kind of what I did and just ran with it.
“I wasn’t overly happy (after Round 1) to be fair. Just a couple of three-putts. I feel like I lost my concentration a bit but hit it flawless since then.
“Just strived to play as good as I could every day.”
Two weeks after his historic G4D Tour win in Spain, Steve Alderson made it consecutive Webex All Abilities Players Series South Australia victories at Willunga, finishing three strokes clear of Wayne Perske with Tom Ryan one shot further back in third.
“I had a lot of local people wanting me to do well and just back up what I did in Spain,” said Alderson.
“I just didn’t want to crash and burn and just be like a one-hit wonder basically.
“It was quite tough coming down the stretch for me. My brain was in overload. I found it hard to hold back the tears on the last couple of holes, but had a big enough lead which helped to just to get the job done.”
In the Webex Junior Players Series South Australia event, Kooyonga Golf Club’s Malachy Marshall added to his SA Boys’ Order of Merit win with a seven-stroke victory over Billy White.
A host of Australia’s best up and coming female talent will be out to join the likes of Hannah Green and Sarah Jane Smith as a Webex Players Series winner at this week’s Webex Players Series South Australia hosted by Greg Blewett.
Returning to Willunga Golf Course in the scenic McLaren Vale region of South Australia for the second straight year, this week marks the first in the five-event Webex Players Series on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.
Not only does it showcase men and women playing against each other on the same golf course for the same prize purse but incorporates the Webex All Abilities Players Series and the Webex Junior Players Series across the weekend.
After stellar amateur careers, Queensland pair Quinn Croker and Justice Bosio will make their respective debuts as professionals while WA Open champion Elvis Smylie will be eager to bolster his position at the top of the Order of Merit.
South Australian hopes will rest with WA PGA champion Jack Buchanan, WA Open runner-up Jak Carter, LET Access Series winner Kristalle Blum and rising amateur stars Amelia Whinney and Raegan Denton.
Play begins on Thursday morning with the final two rounds broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo.
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Austin Bautista (New South Wales)
PRIZEMONEY: $200,000
LIVE SCORES: www.pga.org.au
TV COVERAGE: Webex Players Series South Australia is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
*All times AEDT.
Round 3: Saturday 3pm-6pm (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
Final Round: Sunday 1pm-6pm (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
HEADLINERS
Elvis Smylie – 2024 WA Open champion and current Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit leader
Jack Buchanan – 2024 WA PGA champion
Kristalle Blum – 2021 The Athena champion, 2022 LET Access Series winner
Daniel Gale – 2023 Webex Players Series Hunter Valley champion
Adam Bland – Japan Golf Tour and Canadian Golf Tour winner
Justice Bosio – 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur competitor making pro debut
Jak Carter – Fleurieu local and 2024 WA Open runner-up
The second week of the Western Australian swing of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia heads to Mandurah Country Club this week for the 100th staging of the Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet WA Open.
With names like Ian Baker-Finch, Greg Norman and Gary Player etched into the Roy Paxton Bowl, the WA Open has a long and proud history, with recent stagings often unearthing the next big Australian talent.
In celebration of its 100th year, nine past champions of the event will be in the field at Mandurah. From Tour regulars Simon Hawkes and Braden Becker to overseas based players like Korn Ferry Tour player Curtis Luck and even the likes of three-time champion Kim Felton, all would love to add to their tally.
The tournament has also attracted DP World Tour players Haydn Barron and Jason Scrivener, who despite being two of Western Australia’s brightest stars, have not managed to triumph in their home Open, something they would love to change.
Another two players to watch this week will be youngsters Jack Buchanan and Jordan Doull who battled it out in the playoff last week at the CKB WA PGA Championship presented by TX Civil & Logistics, especially Doull who recently joined Mandurah as a member.
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Simon Hawkes (Tasmania)
PRIZEMONEY: $175,000
LIVE SCORES: www.pga.org.au
TV COVERAGE: The Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet WA Open is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
*All times AEDT.
Round 3: Saturday 4pm-7pm (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
Final Round: Sunday 2pm-7pm (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
THE COURSE
Mandurah Country Club’s original layout was designed by Murray Dawson and opened in the early 1960s as a 9-hole sand greens course, later upgrading to an 18-hole grass green facility with a renovation completed in the late 1990s by Greg Simmonds.
Incorporating new fairway and greenside bunkers, the result is a challenging par-71 known in the region for its pure Santa Ana couch fairways and bentgrass greens.
Trees line the doglegging fairways while the bunkering around the raised greens will pose a threat this week to the players, who would be best to heed the advice of local Becker and keep their approach shots below the hole on the elevated putting surfaces.
A new championship course record was set earlier this year, when Declan Hoskin fired a 67, but word is that many of the players in the field this week have gone very low around Mandurah in social rounds.
HEADLINERS
Jack Buchanan – 2024 WA PGA champion
Jason Scrivener – 2017 NSW Open champion and DP World Tour player
Curtis Luck – 2016 WA Open champion and Korn Ferry Tour player
Braden Becker – 2021 WA Open champion
Haydn Barron – DP World Tour player
Ben Eccles – 2023 WA PGA champion
Jordan Doull – Runner-up at 2024 WA PGA
Will Bruyeres – 2024 PNG Open winner
Dimi Papadatos – Four-time Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia winner
Cameron John – 2023 winner of The National Tournament
Phoenix Campbell – 2023 QLD PGA winner and new pro
A practice round with Adam Scott and a spot in the field at one of world golf’s most feted championships will mark the perfect way for Victorian Phoenix Campbell to farewell the amateur ranks.
The Queensland PGA champion at Nudgee last year and winner of the Master of the Amateurs in January, Campbell will play this week’s Japan Open as an amateur before making his professional debut at the Bowra & O’Dea Nexus Advisernet WA Open at Mandurah Country Club next week.
With an honour roll that boasts Seve Ballesteros, Isao Aoki, Craig Parry and Hideki Matsuyama, the Japan Open is renowned for the challenge it presents.
The famed Tokyo Golf Club will be no different this week, Scott’s guidance in a Wednesday practice round an ideal introduction to what Campbell can expect a Japan Open to throw at him.
Although thrilled to share the experience with Scott, it is not the first time that Campbell has been inside the ropes with the 2013 Masters champion.
“I have met him. I was actually the carry-boarder for the Masters at Huntingdale in 2015,” Campbell shared.
“I met him on the tee, which was the first time I met him. I’m sure he won’t remember that, but I’ll remind him.”
The top Aussie at last week’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, Campbell is one of three young Australians who will turn professional in the coming weeks.
The 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur champion, Jasper Stubbs, makes his pro debut at this week’s WA PGA Championship in Kalgoorlie to be followed by Campbell at the WA Open and finally Quinn Croker at Webex Players Series South Australia the week after.
For Campbell, it represents a chance to create a shared experience in relatively familiar surrounds.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Campbell, who has a two-year exemption on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia by virtue of his win at Nudgee.
“I’ve been preparing the last six to 12 months at least to make the switch. I’m looking forward to doing it on home soil where I feel comfortable and excited to get underway.
“We’ve been overseas the last three months travelling together, so we’ve gotten to know each other really well.
“It’s cool to do it with your peers and know that there’s other people coming along for the ride with you.”
Min Woo Lee will have 19 fellow Australians trying to deny him a successful defence of his SJM Macao Open title on the Asian Tour, David Micheluzzi is the lone Aussie in the field at the FedEx Open de France at Le Golf National and Hannah Green and Minjee Lee resume their LPGA seasons at the Buick LPGA Shanghai event in China.
Round 1 tee times AEDT
PGA TOUR
Black Desert Championship
Black Desert Resort, Ivins, Utah
2:02am* Aaron Baddeley
2:08am Ryan Fox (NZ)
5:35am* Tim Wilkinson
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US7.5 million
TV times: Live 3:30am-11am Friday, Saturday; Live 8am-11am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
LPGA Tour
Buick LPGA Shanghai
Qizhong Garden Golf Club, Shanghai, China
12:26pm Hira Naveed
1:10pm Hannah Green
1:21pm Minjee Lee
Defending champion: Angel Yin
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US2.1 million
TV times: Live 2pm-7pm Thursday, Friday on Fox Sports 503; Live 2pm-7pm Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.
DP World Tour
FedEx Open de France
Le Golf National, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France
6:55pm David Micheluzzi
Defending champion: Ryo Hisatsune
Past Aussie winners: Greg Norman (1980), Robert Allenby (1996)
Prize money: $US2.1 million
TV times: Live 10:30pm-3:30am Thursday, Friday; Live 10pm-2:30am Saturday; Live 9:30pm-2:30am Sunday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Asian Tour
SJM Macao Open
Macau Golf and Country Club, Macao, China
9:35am* Deyen Lawson
9:40am Nick Voke (NZ)
10am Jack Thompson
10:15am* Maverick Antcliff
10:30am Marcus Fraser
10:40am Andrew Dodt
10:50am Justin Warren
11am Aaron Wilkin
11:10am Lachlan Barker
2:30pm* Jordan Zunic
2:35pm Brendan Jones
2:45pm Min Woo Lee
2:55pm Wade Ormsby
3pm* Kevin Yuan
3:05pm Jed Morgan
3:10pm* Zach Murray
3:15pm Scott Hend
3:20pm* Todd Sinnott
3:25pm Doug Klein
3:35pm Denzel Ieremia (NZ), Sam Brazel
3:40pm* Harrison Crowe
Defending champion: Min Woo Lee
Past Aussie winners: Kane Webber (2006), David Gleeson (2008), Scott Hend (2013, 2015), Min Woo Lee (2023)
Prize money: $US1 million
TV times: Live 4pm-8pm Thursday, Friday; Live 3pm-7pm Saturday, Sunday on Fox Sports 507 and Kayo.
Ladies European Tour
Wistron Ladies Open – Taiwan
Sunrise Golf and Country Club, Chinese Taipei
10:12am* Kirsten Rudgeley
Defending champion: Inaugural event
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US1 million
Japan Golf Tour
Japan Open
Tokyo Golf Club, Saitama
8:55am* Brad Kennedy
9:05am* Michael Hendry (NZ)
1:55pm Adam Scott
2:05pm Phoenix Campbell (a)
Defending champion: Akuryu Iwasaki
Past Aussie winners: Craig Parry (1997), Paul Sheehan (2006)
Prize money: ¥210 million
PGA TOUR Champions
SAS Championship
Prestonwood CC, Cary, North Carolina
Australasians in the field: Steven Alker (NZ), Steve Allan, Stuart Appleby, David Bransdon, Greg Chalmers, Richard Green, Mark Hensby, Rod Pampling, Cameron Percy, John Senden, Michael Wright.
Defending champion: Rod Pampling
Past Aussie winners: Rod Pampling (2023)
Prize money: $US2.1 million
TV times: Live 5am-8am Saturday on Fox Sports 507; Live 5am-8am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Challenge Tour
Hainan Open 2024
Sanya Luhuitou GC, Donghai Bay, China
2:35pm* Hayden Hopewell
4:05pm* George Worrall
Defending champion: Ricardo Gouveia
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: $US500,00
Korean PGA Tour
Baeksong Holdings-Asiad CC Busan Open
Asiad Country Club, Korea
9:10am Changgi Lee (NZ)
10:40am* Junseok Lee
1:30pm* Kevin Chun (NZ)
1:40pm Wonjoon Lee
1:40pm* Sungjin Yeo (NZ)
Defending champion: Eom Jae-woong
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: KRW1 billion
Sunshine Tour
Vodacom Origins of Golf – Wild Coast
Wild Coast Sun Country Club, Port Edward, South Africa
Australasians in the field: Austin Bautista
Defending champion: Pieter Moolman
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Prize money: R2 million
A first-time champion will be crowned when the Pampling Plate marks its 20th staging at Caboolture Golf Club starting Monday.
At the course where PGA TOUR and Champions Tour winner Rod Pampling began as a junior, 59 Associates currently undertaking the PGA of Australia’s Membership Pathway Program from Queensland and New South Wales will tee it up in Monday’s 36-hole strokeplay qualifying.
From there, the top 24 advance to three days of matchplay competition with the winner facing the possibility of playing 36 holes four days straight to claim possession of the Pampling Plate.
With the past three winners – Mitch Smith (2021), Dylan Gardner (2022) and Lachlan Wood (2023) – all now graduating to full Vocational Membership of the PGA, it will be a first-time winner who emerges from one of Australian golf’s most gruelling examinations.
Two of the favourites to join the Pampling Plate honour roll will be Jack Wright (Coolangatta-Tweed Heads Golf Club) and Damon Stephenson (Parkwood Golf Club) who have 17 Associate wins between them this year already.
The 2023 runner-up, Dylan Knox (Indooroopilly Golf Club), will be hoping to go one better while Jordan Rooke (Keperra Golf Club) and Zach Ion (Virginia Golf Club) are also expected to go deep into the tournament.
First-year Associates Justin Morley (Southport Golf Club) and Campbell Jones (Pacific Golf Club) will be out to make an impression in their first appearance in an event supported for the past 20 years by the Pampling family.
Not only do the Pamplings provide financial support to the $5,000 prize purse, but Rod’s mum Marge keeps all the players fed by manning the sausage sizzle and providing her now famous home-made biscuits.
Round 1 tees off at 6:45am on Monday morning in conditions that are expected to get extremely hot throughout the day.
Pymble’s William Bayliss shot one of the only under-par rounds on the final day of the $50,000 NSW/ACT Associates Championship sponsored by North Eden Timber to claim the title by seven shots at Tura Beach Country Club.
Bayliss finished at 4-under for the week, the only player to finish under par as the wind got up around the Tura Beach layout.
Starting the final day with a four shot lead, second-year associate Bayliss had The Heritage’s Toby Walker to hold off, and as both players turned in 1-over for the day, it looked as if it could go either way.
Both Bayliss and Walker managed the next four holes in even par, Walker running out of chances to make his charge.
With five holes to play, Bayliss still held a three shot lead, and just to make sure of things, proceeded to birdie all of his final three holes in what can only be described as a commanding victory.
While Bayliss claimed the Tasmanian title last year, this win is vindication for the New South Welshman, who finished runner-up at Tura Beach last year and had a year to think about would could have been. No longer.
The best score of the final day came from Steve Vail with 3 under par, 70, highlighted by an eagle at the fourth, along with two birdies on six and seven.
Vail then went onto birdie all the par fives on the back nine, and went onto finish in a tied for third.
Rounding out the top five in this year’s championship was 36-hole leader Luke Porritt (tied 3rd), and Gold Creek PGA Associate Lachlan Chamberlain in fifth place at 9-over.
The PGA Institute is excited to announce the inaugural “PGA Institute Secondary Schools Tournament,” a Victorian Order of Merit event.
Open to all secondary school students in Victoria, this 18-hole stroke event will feature both gross and nett categories.
Held at the Sandhurst Club Champions course, participants will receive a packed lunch, complimentary buggies, and free range balls.
This event offers a great opportunity for students and parents to enjoy the Sandhurst Club, learn about the PGA Institute, and discover the various opportunities available for to students.
DETAILS:
Title: 2024 PGA Institute Secondary
Schools Tournament
Venue: SANDHURST CLUB
Date: FRIDAY 4th OCTOBER 2024
Entry Fee: $30.00 (inc. GST)
Inclusions: Pre-Round Lunch Pack and Prizes
Eligibility: Secondary School Students
Format: 18 Hole Stroke Play
Tee Times: 1pm Shotgun Start
Registration: 11.30am
GA Handicap Limit: 36.0 (Boys), 45.0 (Girls)
Entries Open: 9.00am on Monday the 8th July
Entries Close: 12:00 on Friday 13th September
Course: Champions
Contact: John Speirs 0409 990 951 [email protected]
Complimentary buggies (limited numbers) & range balls. Entries are via Golf Australia Website at https://www.golf.org.au/events
