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To be honest, even though I had taught a lot of really good golfers before Jarrod Lyle, it wasn’t until I had spent a few years coaching him that I understood what “it” actually was.
To celebrate what would have been Jarrod Lyle’s 40th birthday, Challenge and the PGA have asked Jarrod’s family, friends, colleagues, and the infinite people he influenced, to share their favourite stories of the affable Tour Professional.
To be honest, even though I had taught a lot of really good golfers before Jarrod Lyle, it wasn’t until I had spent a few years coaching him that I understood what “it” actually was.
If you asked someone who knew nothing about golf to walk the driving range at a tournament and pick the best player, they would rarely get it right and if they did it would probably be a lucky guess.
The reason? It’s not about swing, physical build, etc but rather what’s inside the golfer’s head.
Professional golf, in reality, is a simple game: have one shot less than the cut line and you play the weekend. Have one shot less than everyone else and you win the trophy and a big cheque.
Some players always seem to come up one shot short when it matters, but Jarrod was typically the player who managed to come up one shot better.
I saw this time and time again when Jarrod was still an amateur – he would beat players who looked more athletic and textbook when it came to their games, but when it mattered they couldn’t beat him.
This ability to hit the right shot when it mattered showed itself when Jarrod holed a wedge on the final hole to win the Port Macquarie Amateur by a shot.
This ability also carried on into his professional career where he was building momentum in the toughest tour of all until health stood in the way.
In my mind, there’s no clearer example of how being a winner is so much about what’s in between your ears than when Jarrod made the cut in the 2013 Aussie Masters at Royal Melbourne.
Physically Jarrod had no right to make the cut that week, and for those who followed him in the first two rounds you could see him willing the ball into the hole because in his mind he still knew how to get the job done.
For those who followed him in the final two rounds, we could clearly see that he was spent but he had proved he still had “it”.
So what is the “it” that Jarrod had? Simply, it’s the absolute belief that he could do it. The ability to ignore all those who are happy to be negative and put doubt in a weaker person’s mind.
Most importantly of all the ability to make a decision when everything is on the line and be fully committed to its execution.
Accept when it doesn’t go right, bounce back and do it all again with the same commitment. That “it” is the rarest of all skills, which is why there are so few winners both on and off the course.
Jarrod had “it” right to the end.
The last time I spoke to him was the day he was heading to palliative care. He said to me “I am happy with my decision to stop fighting, I am not happy to leave my girls but I have given ‘it’ everything and got what I got. See ya mate.”
To find out more about Jarrod’s ongoing legacy as part of Challenge – supporting kids with cancer, head to challenge.org.au/jarrods-gift/
Sandy Jamieson is a PGA Professional who coached Jarrod Lyle.
Defending champion Josh Herrero will use the disappointment of missing out at last month’s WA PGA Associate Match Play as extra motivation to win a second consecutive ADH Club Car WA PGA Associate Championship.
To be played across the two courses at The Vines Resort in Perth from August 15-17, the 2021 tournament represents the ninth consecutive year that it has been sponsored by ADH Club Car with players competing for $18,000 in prize money.
Restricted to West Australian Associates only due to border closures, the opening round will be played on the Ellenbrook Course where Herrero will start as an overwhelming favourite to repeat his success from a year ago.
A six-stroke winner at Wanneroo Golf Club, Herrero currently leads the WA PGA Associate Order of Merit with nine wins already this year but revealed that it was a runner-up result at the Associate Match Play that has lit the fire within to make it back-to-back victories.
“I was a little rattled after being knocked out of the WA PGA Associate Match Play by first year Matthew Hollington 2&1,” admitted Herrero, now in his second year at Rockingham Golf Club south of Perth.
“However, I’m feeling good going into it the event and looking forward to playing a 72-hole tournament and defending the title.”
Former host venue for the Heineken Classic and Johnnie Walker Classic, The Vines Resort remains one of Perth’s most outstanding golf facilities and General Manager Wayne Smith has no doubt it will crown a worthy champion.
“The Vines Resort are excited to have the privilege to host the 2021 WA PGA Associates Championship,” said Smith, who was runner-up at the 1994 and 1995 Heineken Classics played at The Vines.
“We are sure that these young and aspiring professionals will enjoy the opportunity to test their games on both the Ellenbrook and Lakes courses.
“We wish all the competitors the best for this important tournament and for their future in the game of golf.”
The PGA Tour of Australasia has today made the decision to postpone the upcoming Tailor-made Building Services Northern Territory PGA Championship to a new date in September due to ongoing travel restrictions in place throughout the country.
Originally scheduled to be played August 19-22 at Palmerston Golf & Country Club, the NT PGA will now take place from September 16-19 provided that the majority of professionals have the opportunity to travel to the Northern Territory to compete.
Visitors from New South Wales, Victoria and South-East Queensland are currently not permitted to enter the Northern Territory, giving the PGA Tour of Australasia with little alternative than to delay the start of the tournament by four weeks.
“While it’s disappointing to need to postpone, with the three largest states in the country currently locked out, a large percentage of our field would not be able to participate,” said Nick Dastey, Tournaments Director Australasia for the PGA of Australia.
“Since the inaugural event in 2016 the NT PGA Championship has been built into one of the favourite stops on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and we want to ensure we continue to bring the high level of golf the Territorians have come to expect.
“The rescheduling to the new September date will hopefully allow this and local golf lovers will be able to enjoy the cream of Australian golf striding the fairways of Palmerston and striving for one of the most unique trophies in all of golf.”
One of few events able to go ahead last year, the NT PGA Championship will remain the first event of the 2021/2022 PGA Tour of Australasia season and will continue to be a great source of pride for the members at Palmerston Golf & Country Club.
“We were very proud to be one of few events that was able to proceed last year and our members and course staff will put on another fabulous event in September,” said Palmerston Golf & Country Club General Manager Matthew Hewer.
“Territorians are used to adapting to changing conditions and while it is unfortunate that we have had to postpone the tournament by four weeks due to travel restrictions it will only add to the level of excitement when the players arrive next month.”
Hannah Green has one eye on an Olympic medal and another on the weather forecast after peeling off eight birdies in a second round of 6-under 65 at the women’s golf competition at Kasumigaseki Country Club on Thursday.
As world No.1 Nelly Korda threatens to run away with the gold medal on a day of low scores, Green and fellow Australian teammate Minjee Lee kept their medal prospects alive, Green climbing into a share of eighth and Lee fighting back late to post 3-under 68 and a tie for 20th.
As extreme heatwave conditions made life difficult for players and caddies alike on the opening two days, it is the prediction of an intense tropical storm on Saturday that has Olympic golf officials fearful that the scheduled 72-hole tournament will not be completed in its entirety.
Green and Lee both took advantage of the ice vests and slushies delivered by Australian captain Ian Baker-Finch on day two but recognise they need all of the scheduled remaining 36 holes to push for a maiden golf medal for Australia.
“I really hope it is four (rounds), I would like two more days to get back up there,” said Green.
“I feel like now that I’ve had a good round I can see what’s capable and there’s no reason why I can’t keep climbing.
“I really hope that this weather stays away and lets us have a 72-hole tournament.”
A brilliant approach shot to six feet at the first hole for birdie set the tone for the front nine for Green, the West Australian able to carry that momentum into the start of the inward nine.
Three birdies in succession from the sixth hole were quelled somewhat by a dropped shot at the par-4 ninth after finding the “gnarly” rough but having shaken the rust from her lengthy layoff in Perth recovered quickly to continue her forward progress.
Her fifth birdie of the round came at the par-4 11th and when she followed it up with a sixth birdie at the par-4 13th the 24-year-old moved inside the top 10 and five shots outside the medal positions.
Another excellent opportunity at the par-4 14th failed to break enough to the right to fall but she converted a chance at the par-3 16th and made it two on the trot courtesy of a sublime wedge to the short par-4 17th.
That saw Green move to 6-under for the tournament and three shots back of those currently positioned to claim an Olympic medal, a clutch up-and-down at the last after her tee shot finished stymied behind a pine tree allowing her to stay within reach.
“It felt like making a birdie, to be honest,” Green said of her par at 18. “Eighteen’s a strong hole and even though they have moved the tee up it kind of brings the water in play. Very happy to make four.
“I felt like yesterday was just a matter of getting the rust off. It was pretty hot yesterday so I felt like it was hard to stay in the moment.
“Today I managed to give myself a lot of opportunities and rolled a couple of really important putts in.
“That gave me some motivation and confidence with the putter.”
Although she was left to rue a number of missed opportunities with the flatstick, like Green she believes she can continue to climb if both rounds are able to be completed.
“If we were playing two more rounds I think I could still be a chance,” said Lee, who was tied for seventh at Rio in 2016.
“They said it might miss us – fingers crossed – but I do need to post some low scores.
“I feel like I could build some momentum, definitely after today. Hopefully tomorrow I can post a better score.”
A par miss from long range was not how Lee had hoped for her second round to begin but she righted the ship and finished strongly to keep those at the top of the leaderboard within reach.
Birdies at six and eight offset her two dropped shots at one and seven to make the turn square with the card, three birdies in a five-hole stretch late in her round allowing Lee to post 3-under 68 for a 3-under total at the halfway mark.
“I had a lot of missed opportunities definitely early in the round,” said the recent Evian Championship winner.
“I couldn’t really get the pace of the shorter putts today for some reason but I finished strong.
“I missed my putt on 10 and 11 and I was a little bit upset with myself for not making them. I just really wanted to make a few and I made three coming in.
“If I can drop a couple of birdie putts early I think that will really open up my round.
“Today’s a start, hopefully I can have a chance tomorrow and the next day.”
The format is flawed. Men and women should compete together.
Professionals who play for millions of dollars every week have no place at the Olympic Games.
For three-and-a-half days everything that is wrong with golf at the Olympics was bandied about yet late on Sunday – to paraphrase Jeff Goldblum’s character in Jurassic Park – golf once again found a way.
At the start of play and indeed deep into the front nine it appeared to be little more than an 18-hole procession for the third-highest-ranked player in the field, Xander Schauffele, to fulfil his family’s own remarkable Olympic story. (Schauffele’s father Stefan was training to represent Germany in the decathlon at the 1988 Games in South Korea before a car crash in 1986 ended his Olympic dream.)
It is said of the most hyped golf tournament on the planet that “The Masters doesn’t start until the back nine on Sunday” yet at the Olympics that forgiving sense of patience was afforded by few until it too came to fruition in the most spectacular fashion.
Shortly after Rory Sabbatini – a South African-born resident of South Florida who married a Slovakian woman by the name of Martina Stofanikova and took up citizenship so that he could help promote the game in the homeland of his wife and stepson – birdied the last to post an Olympic record 10-under 61 and 17-under total, Schauffele stumbled.
A blocked tee shot that necessitated a penalty drop to get back into play resulted in a bogey at the par-5 14th and in the blink of an eye the American and Slovakian flags shared top spot on the leaderboard.
As Schauffele attempted to wrest back momentum the queue for the remaining Olympic medal swelled to bursting point.
The man with the most patriotic hairstyle at Kasumigaseki Country Club – our own Cameron Smith – used a final round of 5-under 66 to raise the possibility of becoming golf’s bronzed Aussie until a bogey at the 72nd hole saw him fall one shot short.
After three days of waiting, suddenly every shot was laced with Olympic expectation. After days of indifference from a distance, Olympic golf was suddenly setting social media alight.
World No.3 Collin Morikawa and Chinese Taipei’s CT Pan used rounds of 8-under 63 to post 15-under alongside Chilean Mito Pereira; local hero Hideki Matsuyama was fighting some short-putt slip-ups and Rory McIlroy transformed from his previous ambivalence into someone who looked as though an Olympic medal was his life’s sole purpose.
A birdie from the bunker at the front of the short 17th and nerve-wracking up and down at the 72nd hole secured gold for Schauffele and Team USA with Sabbatini making good on his one-man Slovakian golf PR campaign with his adopted nation’s second silver medal of the Games.
That left seven players representing seven nations at 15-under par to fight it out for the bronze medal, three major champions, an English veteran and men from Chile, Colombia and Chinese Taipei.
The greatest number of players in one playoff on the PGA Tour is six and after one extra hole we were down to five, Matsuyama and Paul Casey eliminated at the par-4 18th.
Five pars at the par-3 10th were followed by a Sebastian Munoz bogey, a wicked Pereira horseshoe and a McIlroy lip-out at the par-4 11th, leaving the reigning Open champion and Pan to duel for the bronze.
Ranked No.208 in the world and 17th entering the final round, Pan made an up-and-down from front-left of the green as Morikawa’s buried lie in the face made a sand save unlikely to complete a day of Olympic golf that won’t soon be forgotten.
The format and the players who take part will be an ongoing debate but perhaps, just perhaps, the least popular opinion is instead the most accurate: Olympic golf is perfect just the way it is.
Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith scrambled to stay close to par in the opening round of the Olympic men’s competition at a hot and humid Kasumigaseki Country Club.
Leishman started slow with bogeys at the first and third, but strung together three consecutive
birdies on 13, 14 and 15 to finish one-under par.
Smith’s round was halted after 14 holes when lightning hit at 1:55pm local time and suspended
play.
The Queenslander shot three birdies and three bogeys to be even-par at the point, and four pars
upon the resumption of play ensured he finished with a round of 71.
The day belonged to Austrian Sepp Straka who shot a bogey-free round of 63 to lead by two
shots at eight-under par.
The 28-year-old world number 161 stunned the golf world on the opening morning as he made
eight birdies to tie the lowest round shot in the Olympics.
“That’s special,” Straka said.
He headed to Tokyo after he missed the cut in six of his last seven starts on the PGA Tour and
admitted that it has been hard work to get things to click.
“Those first few weeks before Travelers where I missed the cut my irons were bad, but my short
game was really good,” he said.
“So, I worked on my irons a lot and then my short game got bad. So that’s when I missed the last
couple cuts.
“But just changed my putting routine up a little and it worked really well, and my irons have
been pretty good the last few weeks, so I felt pretty good about my game.”
Straka was not the only unlikely name high up the leaderboard.
Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond, ranked 150 in the world, is in second place with a seven-under
round of 64.
Janewattananond was T2 alongside Belgium’s Thomas Pieters and Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz when
his round was interrupted by the weather delay after 15 holes.
However, he made birdie on the 18th to move to outright second.
The 120th ranked Pieters, who finished fourth in Rio, and the 61st ranked Ortiz, both finished
with six-under rounds of 65.
Further down the leaderboard, Leishman lamented his slow start where he regularly found the
rough and failed to sink mid-range putts throughout the front nine.
“It was not the start I was after to be over par there early on. The conditions were fairly easy, but
fought back well there on the back nine,” the Victorian said.
“It’s a really important tournament to get off to a good start because if you don’t finish in the top
three, it doesn’t really matter.
“Every golf tournament you have to be mentally there and not make any silly mistakes, but I
think this one was even more important because of that top three – they only give out three prizes
here.”
However, the second-ranked Australian is optimistic that he can rectify a slow start, just as
Minjee Lee did last week at the Evian Championship.
“I’ve still got that chance, three good rounds and I can try and medal,” he said.
“If I can drive it well tomorrow I feel like there is a low score out there.”
Meanwhile, Smith lost his way after being two-under through eight holes and said he had
struggled with his driver all day.
“Maybe just a bit jetlagged still. Coming from the US just last week probably didn’t help,” he
said.
“Didn’t hit too many fairways, and there’s so many opportunities out here if you hit fairways.
“I struggled off the tee and that’s what really hurt me today, I think.”
Upon the conclusion of his round, Smith headed to the range for an over the phone session with
coach Grant Field.
Leaderboard
A first meeting with the boss can be fraught with trepidation but Blake Windred is bursting with excitement as he prepares to make his European Tour debut at this week’s ISPS HANDA World Invitational in Ireland.
An innovative tournament that sees men’s and women’s tournaments held currently across two courses in the same vein as the Vic Open, the World Golf Invitational is presented by Modest! Golf, the management company headed by former One Direction member and music megastar Niall Horan.
Windred signed with Modest shortly after turning professional in November 2019 and was the recipient of enough tournament invitations to begin to establish himself in Europe.
Currently 32nd in the Road to Mallorca rankings on the Challenge Tour that rewards the top-20 at season’s end with promotion to the European Tour proper, Windred gets a taste of the big time this week… along with some quality time with the team at Modest.
“Last week Niall was saying that we’ll have a couple of Guinness’s in Ireland so that’s going to be pretty awesome,” said Windred, who had three top-six finishes on the PGA Tour of Australasia earlier this year.
“This will be the first time I’ve actually met him other than Facetime and messaging with him, that kind of stuff.
“From Niall to Mark, Jack and Katy, it’s just such a great family feel and I’m going to meet up with all the crew so I’m pretty happy with that.”
Runner-up at the Challenge de Espana last month, Windred is adjusting quickly to the week-to-week demands of life on tour.
The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak put paid to much of his rookie season in 2020 but the 23-year-old Newcastle native is finding consistency in his game as he battles it out against many former European Tour winners now playing the Challenge Tour.
“The level of golf on the Challenge Tour is awesome,” said Windred, who has two top-20 finishes to go with his second placing in Spain.
“There are so many guys out here who are basically main tour guys that just come and play every now and again.
“The last three winners have been basically European Tour players that are in between tours.
“These guys are able to go back every couple of weeks and see their coach, see their family and obviously right now that’s not possible for us Aussies.
“It’s just a bit different but it will be 100 per cent worth it when I am playing on the main tour.
“However long that takes me to get there, it’s going to be worth it.”
The other Aussie men teeing it up in Ireland are rookie Elvis Smylie, Scott Hend, Jake McLeod, Bryden Macpherson, Maverick Antcliff, Deyen Lawson, Dimi Papadatos and Austin Bautista with LPGA Tour regulars Su Oh, Sarah Kemp and Sarah Jane Smith joining Ladies European Tour pair Stephanie Kyriacou and Whitney Hillier in the women’s event.
With the start of the Olympic men’s competition on Thursday the PGA TOUR, Korn Ferry Tour and Champions Tour are all enjoying a week off this week, Peter Fowler and Kiwi Michael Campbell taking part in the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship at Formby Golf Club in England as Hall of Famer Jan Stephenson and former world No.1 in the senior women’s rankings Sue Wooster fly the Aussie flag at the US Senior Women’s Open in Connecticut.
Round 1 tee times AEST
European Tour
ISPS HANDA World Invitational
Galgorm Castle & Massereene, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland
Galgorm Castle GC
4.41pm* Jake McLeod, Robert Moran, Matthew Baldwin
5.25pm Bryden Macpherson, Jordan Wrisdale, Wil Besseling
6.31pm Josh Geary, Ben Evans, Berry Henson
11.09pm Maverick Antcliff, Steven Brown, Francesco Laporta
11.09pm* Dimitrios Papadatos, Dermot McElroy, Grégory Havret
11.31pm Blake Windred, John Murphy, Richard Mansell
Massereene GC
5.25pm Elvis Smylie, Julian Suri, Laurie Canter
6.09pm Deyen Lawson, Darius Van Driel, Dale Whitnell
6.09pm* Scott Hend, Eddie Pepperell, Jack Senior
10.25pm Daniel Hillier, Lee Slattery, Richard McEvoy
11.31pm* Austin Bautista, Eduardo De La Riva Janne Kaske
Defending champion: Jack Senior
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Maverick Antcliff
TV schedule: Live 11pm-4am Thursday, Friday; Live 11.30pm-4am Saturday; Live 9pm-1.30am Sunday on Fox Sports 503.
Olympic Games
Men’s Individual Strokeplay
Kasumigaseki Country Club, Saitama, Japan
9.41am Marc Leishman, Hideki Matsuyama, Corey Conners
9.52am Ryan Fox, CT Pan, Anirban Lahiri
11.14am Cameron Smith, Viktor Hovland, Garrick Higgo
Defending champion: Justin Rose (England)
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Cameron Smith
TV schedule: 8.20am-5pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 8.20am-5.30pm Sunday on Channel 7 and the 7 Plus app
LPGA Tour
ISPS HANDA World Invitational
Galgorm Castle & Massereene, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland
4.30pm* Su Oh, Jenny Haglund, Becky Morgan
5.36pm* Stephanie Kyriacou, Atthaya Thitikul, Linda Wessberg
10.14pm Sarah Kemp, Mina Harigae, Alice Hewson
10.36pm* Whitney Hillier, Gemma Dryburgh, Manon Gidali (a)
10.58pm* Sarah Jane Smith, Min Seo Kwak, Marta Martin
Defending champion: Stephanie Meadow
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Sarah Kemp
TV schedule: Live 11pm-4am Thursday, Friday; Live 11.30pm-4am Saturday; Live 9pm-1.30am Sunday on Fox Sports 503.
Legends Tour
Staysure PGA Seniors Championship
Formby Golf Club and Formby Ladies Golf Club, England
8.54pm Michael Campbell
9.27pm Peter Fowler
Defending champion: Phillip Price
Past Aussie winners: Kel Nagle (1971, 1973, 1975), Peter Thomson (1988), Terry Gale (1996), Walter Hall (1997), Ross Metherell (1999), Ian Stanley (2001), Peter Fowler (2015)
Top Aussie prediction: Peter Fowler
TV schedule:
US Senior Women’s Open
Brooklawn Country Club, Fairfield, Connecticut
9pm Jan Stephenson, Jerilyn Britz, Martha Leach (a)
2.22am Sue Wooster (a), Elaine Crosby, Kathryn Imrie
Defending champion: Helen Alfredsson
Past Aussie winners: Nil
Top Aussie prediction: Sue Wooster
TV schedule: Live 4am-7am Sunday; Live 5am-7am Monday on Fox Sports 503
It’s the tournament that they never imagined contesting let alone winning but the prospect of Olympic gold is now hitting home for Australian pair Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman.
The men’s Olympic golf competition commences at Kasumigaseki Country Club 50 kilometres outside of Tokyo on Thursday morning with 12 of the top 30 players in the Official World Golf Rankings taking part.
At No.28 Smith is one of those and at No.36 Leishman is not far behind, the pair’s mateship – and that of their caddies Sam Pinfold and Matt Kelly – instilling a sense of national pride that they hope will elevate them onto the podium come Sunday.
It’s a position neither ever considered during their formative years in the game but now they have tasted the Olympic spirit and donned the Australian uniform the enormity of what they could accomplish has suddenly hit home.
“The green and gold, the coat of arms on the chest just hits a little bit different,” conceded Smith, whose nationalistic passion has been carved into the side of his now infamous mullet.
“It’s always nice to play for something bigger than just yourself every week.
“Growing up you never really think that you’re going to wear the Olympic uniform with the coat of arms on it.
“It’s pretty special.”
Leishman’s Olympic memories growing up in Warrnambool in regional Victoria centred mostly around swimming, diving and the blue-ribbon 100-metre sprint.
But now that he is a bona fide Olympian Leishman has also been struck by the significance of the moment and what it represents as a measure of success for golfers in the future.
“This is a big deal. If it wasn’t equal to a major, it would be a very, very, very close second,” said Leishman, who partnered with Smith at the 2018 World Cup of Golf in Melbourne where they finished tied for second.
“As a golfer, we didn’t grow up thinking we would have a chance to win a medal so I think as time goes on, this is going to get bigger and bigger and bigger.
“To represent your country is a huge honour and I know we’re both very proud to be wearing this uniform.
“I’m certainly very proud to call myself an Olympian now and I know Cam is as well.
“I feel like we do represent Australia every week but this is just really, really special.”
Australia has history of success at Kasumigaseki Country Club with Paul Sheehan triumphant at the venue at the 2006 Japan Open while Tarquin McManus was runner-up to reigning Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama at the 2010 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.
Both Leishman and Smith have experience playing in Asia – Leishman a winner on the Korean Tour in 2006 – and like what they see at a layout softened by rain associated with the typhoon that brushed past Tokyo on Tuesday.
“I’ve never played a bad golf course in Japan,” said Smith, who hasn’t finished worse than seventh in three starts at the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges in Korea.
“They’re always in such pristine condition. The greens out there are amazing.
“Hopefully the rain holds off and it’s able to get a little firmer and faster for us. I know we both like that. But nonetheless I’m sure it will be a great course.”
“It seems like every bunker has been put there for a reason. They’re all in play,” added Leishman, who has been paired with Matsuyama and Canada’s Corey Conners in the opening two rounds.
“If you are hitting your irons well there will be an opportunity for a lot of birdies. But on the
other hand, if you’re just a little bit off you’re going to have some really difficult putts for birdies and tough two-putts.
“I think there’s going to be a fairly big spread in scores. If you play well you can go low, if you’re not playing well it will get you. Which is good, you should be rewarded for good play and punished for bad play.
“I think it’s a great venue for the Olympic golf and it’s just a pity that we can’t have crowds here because I think it would be really special.”
She was destined for major championship glory but no one ever imagined it would come like this.
Minjee Lee earned her breakthrough major in her 36th attempt at the Aumundi Evian Championship in France, needing a final round of 7-under 64 to force a playoff and then firing a 6-iron to six feet at the first playoff hole to defeat Jeongeun Lee6 and join the greats of Australian golf.
Ever since winning the US Junior Girls championship nine years ago Lee’s upward trajectory always pointed towards major glory yet with each near miss the question of when loomed ever larger.
A third-place finish at the 2020 Women’s Open was the best of her five top-10 finishes in majors to date and at the halfway point at Evian Resort Golf Club an improvement on that record seemed unlikely.
A round of 10-under 61 had given Lee6 a 10-stroke advantage heading into the weekend but Lee began chipping away at the deficit with a 6-under 65 in the third round.
That gave her a record seven shots to make up in the final round and the 25-year-old left her extraordinary run to the last minute, making four birdies in her final five holes to post an 18-under par total.
After a difficult front nine Lee6 needed three closing birdies in succession to match Lee’s total but the West Australian had all the momentum when the pair returned to the 18th tee for the playoff, a tee shot that found the fairway setting up a brilliant approach under pressure for a two-putt birdie and forever bring to an end the question of when.
“I’m speechless. I’ve been waiting for this for so long,” Lee admitted as she came to terms with rewriting history with the greatest comeback in a major in the women’s game.
“I hear so many people say, ‘We really want to you win a major’ and, ‘A major is just around the corner’.
“It’s easier said than done; everybody is so good out here.
“It just feels unreal to have won. Just even in the playoff, and all throughout today, I played really well to get myself in that position and I’m just really happy.
“It’s just really nice to have a major title under my belt.”
In winning her first major Lee joins Jan Stephenson, Karrie Webb and Hannah Green as Australian women to have claimed the game’s most prestigious events and it didn’t take long for the 2006 champion at Evian to pass on her congratulations.
“Actually, she did message me straightaway,” Lee said of Webb, who was on the 18th green to celebrate with Green when she triumphed at the 2019 Women’s PGA Championship.
“Over the years she’s been so supportive of my golf and just me as a person, so it’s just been really nice to have her in my corner.”
Two weeks after younger brother Min Woo Lee’s victory at the Scottish Open, Lee said it was a timely message from her caddie Jason Gilroyed and an astute club choice in the playoff that proved to be the difference.
“Going down the 12th fairway, ‘Gilly’, my caddie was like, ‘You know, you have a chance to win your first major championship, so why don’t you just give it a go?’” said Lee, who was 3-under through 13 holes of her final round.
“I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m trying.’
“I just tried to give myself as many birdie opportunities as I could on that back nine. Because it was warm out it was playing quite short so I had a lot of short clubs in.
“Off the tee (in the playoff) I didn’t hit the best tee shot, but it was good enough because it was on the fairway.
“The second shot I hit 6-iron in but initially the yardage was for 5-iron. But with adrenaline and everything ‘Gilly’ was like, ‘Let’s go 6-iron.’
“Hit a good 6-iron and it was six feet from the hole so it worked out.”
Next for Lee is a quick trip back to Texas in the US to see her brother and then to Tokyo to link with Green as a fellow major winner and a second attempt at an Olympic gold medal.
The senior leadership structure of the PGA of Australia has been confirmed through until 2024 with Australian golf legend Rodger Davis to remain on as Chair and Gavin Kirkman to continue as Chief Executive Officer.
Davis was re-elected unopposed for a second term at the recent Annual General Meeting where the Board also endorsed Kirkman’s contract to continue in his role as CEO for a further three years.
At a time when golf’s popularity is booming yet the ongoing management of the COVID-19 pandemic makes forward planning challenging, Davis said that it was a positive that the PGA could provide a sense of certainty around its leadership team.
“The past 15 months have been obviously very challenging for everyone but golf in Australia has experienced a massive surge in interest and popularity,” said Davis.
“There have been logistical challenges in terms of staging golf tournaments yet our PGA Professionals around the country have gone above and beyond to make golf available in a COVID-safe environment at a time when many sports were unable to continue.
“Like everyone we are hoping that the worst is behind us and that we will return to a full summer of golf featuring both the Australian PGA Championship and Australian Open at the end of the year.
“I’m delighted to serve again as Chair for a second term and hope that myself and the Board of Directors can do our part to build on this surge in interest into another golden period for Australian golf.”
In reappointing Kirkman to the position of CEO, Davis and the PGA of Australia Board believe they have both rewarded his leadership in a difficult time and provided a much-needed sense of stability within the organisation.
It comes during an exciting time in Australian golf, with the PGA and Golf Australia set to move into a shared facility, the Australian Golf Centre, located opposite Royal Melbourne in Sandringham, and promises to reshape how golf is administered.
The alignment of Australia’s two biggest golf bodies will create efficiencies that will benefit the growth of the game at grassroots and professional level.
“Gavin has a long and distinguished history of working within the PGA and he and his team have navigated the past 18 months as well as could be expected,” Davis added.
“He is a proud promoter of our Vocational Members, is working closely with Golf Australia on creating a better overall environment for Australian golf and is actively engaged in the Australian Golf Industry Council.
“Gavin’s global golf relationships with the PGAs and Tours have put our association in a strong position and to think globally and act locally is key for our sport in Australia.
“We’re delighted that Gavin will be leading the PGA of Australia for the next four years.”
Executive of PGA Queensland from 2002-2007, Kirkman spent six years as the PGA’s National Chief Membership Officer before stepping into the role as CEO in March 2017 and was thrilled to have his contract extended.
“I’m a great believer in the important role that PGA Professionals play in the health of golf in this country and overseas and I’m thrilled to continue as CEO of the PGA of Australia for a further three years,” Kirkman said.
“We have a host of outstanding young players ready to take their games to the world and our Vocational Members are working hard at the grassroots level and across all areas in golf to provide new and established golfers with a wonderful experience every time that they visit a golf facility.
“Our close collaboration with the WPGA Tour of Australasia is an exciting initiative with benefits at a number of different levels and we continue to work together and align with Golf Australia on a national strategy for the betterment of the game in Australia.
“Collectively we’re working on a number of industry projects, including engaging more women to play our game and improved opportunities to have careers in golf, strengthening our Tour opportunities for aspiring and existing professional golfers, and building on the success of non-traditional golf, such as driving range, mini golf and simulator golf facilities.
“I have no doubt that we are on the verge of a very exciting and critical time for the game in Australia and I am delighted that I will get to play a part in that.”
