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The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia returns to Australian shores this week for the Heritage Classic, the penultimate tournament of the 2024/25 season and a crucial week in the chase for positions on the Order of Merit.
Last year marked the return of the tournament to the Tour calendar after a 10-year hiatus, and it was Victorian Matt Griffin who hoisted the trophy come Sunday.
Opening with an 11-under 61 on the first day last year, Griffin never looked back on his way to posting an astonishing 72-hole total of 24-under par.
Off the back of that win, Griffin’s Order of Merit position in 2023/24 has meant that he is taking up an opportunity on the DP World Tour in Singapore this week, paving the way for a new Heritage Classic winner.
Rain leading up to this week has meant the St. John course at Heritage Golf and Country Club is playing slightly softer so the low scoring is likely to be repeated.
As the Order of Merit battle nears its conclusion, leader Elvis Smylie is back this week to solidify his place at the top and make certain he books himself a place at this year’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
Smylie can seal his first Order of Merit title this week if last month’s New Zealand Open champion and OOM No.2, Ryan Peake is not victorious.
A host of players can elevate their standings over the final two weeks on Tour, with the top-three positions still all very much in the balance.
LAST YEAR’S CHAMPION: Matt Griffin
PRIZEMONEY: $225,000
LIVE SCORES: https://pga.org.au/
TV COVERAGE: The Heritage Classic 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 and BMW Australian PGA Championship winner.
Ryan Peake: 2025 New Zealand Open winner.
Jack Buchanan: 2024 WA PGA and Webex Players Series South Australia champion.
Jake McLeod: 2018 Tour Order of Merit winner.
Phoenix Campbell: Two-time Queensland PGA winner.
Josh Geary: 2025 Vic Open winner.
Anthony Quayle: Two-time Tour winner.
Tyler Hodge: 2025 NZ PGA champion.
Having taken a hiatus from the Challenger PGA Tour in 2024, the Wallace Development New Zealand PGA Championship is back on the schedule and will be contested at Hastings Golf Club on the North Island.
Louis Dobbelaar was the 2023 champion at Gulf Harbour when the championship was last a Tour event, while Waitangi professional, Pieter Zwart finished birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie to win by one stroke last year.
Many Tour stars who played in last week’s New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sports will be back this week, staying on for the two-week Kiwi swing.
With only three events to go in the 2024/25 season, every shot counts with the Chase Still On for the Order of Merit.
2023 CHAMPION: Louis Dobbelaar
PRIZEMONEY: A$175,000
LIVE SCORES: www.pga.org.au
HEADLINERS:
Ryan Peake: 2025 NZ Open champion
Nick Voke: 2025 Webex Players Series Sydney champion
Jack Buchanan: Two-time Tour winner this season
Michael Hendry: Two-time NZ PGA champion
Anthony Quayle: Former Queensland Open and Queensland PGA champion
John Senden: 2006 Australian Open champion
Jake McLeod: 2018 Order of Merit winner
Josh Geary: 2025 Vic Open champion
A massive showdown looms at this week’s New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport at scenic Millbrook Resort, the third major of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season.
Not only is the NZ Open title on the line for the 104th time, it’s also going to be a key tournament in determining who wins the 2024/25 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit (OOM) with 18 of the current top 20 entered and ready to make their move.
With 760 OOM points on offer to the winner, current No.1 Elvis Smylie is no sure thing to leave Queenstown with the same status.
Back on Tour for the first time since the ISPS HANDA Australian Open, Smylie has 1247.56 points, but he can be caught this week by Lucas Herbert (717.06), Jack Buchanan (626.21), Curtis Luck (523.4) and Anthony Quayle (496.54).
A victory on Sunday would also bring Corey Lamb (463.24) and Jordan Doull (399.61) right into the picture for the No.1 spot, and all the rewards that brings, heading into the final three tournaments of the season.
While the OOM winner is once again guaranteed a spot in The Open Championship at Royal Portrush, that same golden ticket will be secured by one player as soon this Sunday with, for the first time, the NZ Open part of the Open Championship Qualifying Series.
The stars of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia won’t have it their own way though. This week’s field includes 60 players from the Asian Tour, headed by last year’s Order of Merit winner John Catlin, who won twice in 2024, as well as 21 entrants from the Japan Golf Tour.
The NZ Open is a pro-am event with the Remarkables and Coronet courses, both par-71s, used over the first two rounds before a composite layout hosts the weekend action.
The weekend layout takes on a new look this year with more holes from the Remarkables course in action. It is a par-71 playing to 6365m.
LAST YEAR’S CHAMPION: Takahiro Hataji
PRIZEMONEY: A$1.8 million
LIVE SCORES: www.pga.org.au
TV COVERAGE: The NZ Open presented by Sky Sports is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
*All times AEDT.
Round 1: Thursday 12.30pm-4.30pm (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
Round 2: Friday 12.30pm-4.30pm (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
Round 3: Saturday 12.30pm-4.30pm (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
Final Round: Sunday 12.30pm-4.30pm (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
HEADLINERS
Elvis Smylie: BMW Australian PGA champion
Lucas Herbert: 2024 Ford NSW Open champion
David Micheluzzi: 2022/23 Challenger PGA Tour Order of Merit winner
Daniel Hillier: 2023 British Masters champion
Brad Kennedy: Two-time NZ Open champion
Nick Voke: 2025 Webex Players Series Sydney champion
Josh Geary: 2025 Vic Open champion
John Catlin: 2024 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion
Ryo Ishikawa: Former world No.29
The start may not have been how he’d dreamt it would go but PGA TOUR debutant Karl Vilips gave a glimpse of what’s to come with a spirited fightback at the Mexico Open.
In a week in which no Australian cracked a top-30 finish on either the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour or DP World Tour, Vilips’ tenacity to even make the cut at VidantaWorld was most noteworthy.
His long-awaited first start as a member of the PGA TOUR – a delay brought on by a back injury diagnosed late last year – began inauspiciously with a double bogey at his opening hole.
A round of 74 on day one made the cut-line a challenging goal, a goal he met resolutely with a superb 6-under 65 that featured a birdie and an eagle in his final four holes of Round 2.
Three double bogeys in a round of 5-over 76 was another reminder of the class of tournaments he is now playing but he again responded positively, posting 2-under 69 in the final round wearing the Tiger Woods Sun Day Red.
Veteran Aaron Baddeley’s tie for 34th led the way for the Aussies in Mexico while Stephanie Kyriacou was the highest-placed Australian at the Honda LPGA Thailand event, shooting 67 in the final round to climb into a tie for 45th.
Photo: Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images
Results
PGA TOUR
Mexico Open at VidantaWorld
VidantaWorld, Vallarta, Mexico
1 Brian Campbell 65-65-64-70—264 $US1.26m
Won on the second hole of sudden death playoff
T34 Aaron Baddeley 67-69-68-71—275 $35,159
T72 Karl Vilips 74-65-76-69—284 $14,280
MC Ryan Fox (NZ) 68-72—140
LPGA Tour
Honda LPGA Thailand
Siam Country Club (Old Cse), Chonburi, Thailand
1 Angel Yin 67-64-64-65—260 $US255,000
T45 Stephanie Kyriacou 69-74-75-67—285 $7,378
T50 Gabriela Ruffels 68-73-72-73—286 $6,214
T65 Grace Kim 74-75-75-69—293 $4,027
DP World Tour
Magical Kenya Open
Muthaiga GC, Nairobi, Kenya
1 Jacques Kruyswijk 69-66-64-67—266 €405,187.35
T31 Kazuma Kobori (NZ) 70-70-73-66—279 €17,518.39
MC Daniel Gale 72-73—145
MC Brett Coletta 73-73—146
MC Danny List 75-72—147
One of Australian professional golf’s oldest events, the Vic Open, returns to 13th Beach Golf Links on the Bellarine Peninsula this week with Brett Coletta and Ashley Lau defending their men’s and women’s titles.
The tournament that spawned the mixed-gender format celebrates its 12th year at 13th Beach in 2025 with men and women, professionals and amateurs, once again playing on the same course, but for separate trophies, with each purse worth $200,000.
And they’ll tackle two different courses – three rounds on the Beach and one on the Creek for those who make the halfway cut. Both are par-72 layouts at the mercy of the winds that come off the adjacent Southern Ocean.
Founded in 1958, the men’s Vic Open has an illustrious group of winners that includes the likes of major winners Peter Thomson, Kel Nagle, Gary Player, David Graham, Greg Norman and Ian Baker-Finch and, in recent years, Min Woo Lee, Michael Hendry and Dimi Papadatos.
Meanwhile, the women’s tournament, founded in 1988, can boast an equally impressive past champions list highlighted by Minjee Lee, Hannah Green, Celine Boutier and Jiyai Shin, the 2023 winner who headlines this year’s field.
Now based predominantly in Japan, Shin is trying complete a rare Australian Open-Vic Open double after triumphing in the national championship at Kingston Heath and Victoria in December, her last tournament appearance.
Her main competition this week may come from LPGA Tour star Jenny Shin, who now spends a good part of the year in Australia.
In the men’s field, there are seven winners from this year’s Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, headed by two-time champion Jack Buchanan who sits in fourth place on the Order of Merit list.
Numbers seven through 10 on the OOM list – Anthony Quayle, Corey Lamb, Jordan Doull and Jak Carter – will also tee it up chasing valuable points as the season heads towards its conclusion in March.
One noticeable change for the players this week is the lengthening of the par-4 15th hole on the Beach Course, with the tees pushed back from where they have been in recent years. It now plays 342m for the men and 292m for the women.
LAST YEAR’S CHAMPIONS: Ashley Lau and Brett Coletta
PRIZEMONEY: $400,000
LIVE SCORES: www.golf.org.au; www.pga.org.au; www.wpga.org.au
TV COVERAGE: The Vic Open is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
*All times AEDT.
Round 3: Saturday 2pm-7pm (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
Final Round: Sunday 1pm-6pm (Fox Sports 503/Kayo)
HEADLINERS
Jiyai Shin – 2024 ISPS HANDA Australian Open champion
Brett Coletta – 2024 Vic Open men’s champion
Ashley Lau – 2024 Vic Open women’s champion
Jack Buchanan – 2024 WA PGA and Webex Players Series SA champion
Jenny Shin – LPGA Tour member
Kelsey Bennett – 2024 The Athena champion
Matthew Griffin – 2024 Heritage Classic champion
Lydia Hall – 2012 Ladies British Masters winner
For the first time in tournament history, extra holes were required to decide a winner of any category at Geoff Ogilvy’s Sandbelt Invitational, with Ryan Peake triumphing over David Micheluzzi at Royal Melbourne to claim the overall prize.
Joined at the presentation by Kayun Mudadana, Caitlin Peirce and Amelia Harris as winners of the men’s amateur and women’s pro and amateur sections respectively, it was all eyes on Peake as he defied a back nine struggle to lift the trophy.
Having jokingly asked members of the following crowd for the best lines off some of The West Course’s tees having last played the course as a 14-year-old, Peake limped into the clubhouse in regulation, including bogeying the 72nd hole after authoring a remarkable start to Thursday’s final round.
Three straight birdies from the first tee were followed by an eagle at the fourth and another birdie at the fifth as Peake made the turn in 6-under on a day when Royal Melbourne member Tom Power Horan equalled the professional course record of 63.
West Australian Peake signing for a 67 and 3-under total before having some lunch as he waited for what he thought was a foregone conclusion of Micheluzzi winning the title.
“Seventeen years ago, I think. So I can’t remember anything,” Peake said of when he last played Royal Melbourne.
“I mean, that front nine was pretty straightforward. What you see is what you get. Obviously, I’d just done everything right, not knowing that I was doing everything right. Just I guess a bit of luck my way.
“Then on that back nine, you’ve got to play this course a bunch of times to know your lines, know what’s good, what’s bad. I made I think three bogeys and a double out of nowhere, and I didn’t really feel like I hit bad shots.
“To be honest, I’m a bit lost for words. I’m still trying to figure it all out myself. I don’t really know what happened there, but you’ve got to expect that when you’ve never played it before.”
Far more experienced around what many consider the best course in Australia, and a previous winner at Royal Melbourne, it was another day of Micheluzzi’s score not necessarily reflecting the quality of his play, with the DP World Tour player 2-under through 16 holes before finishing bogey-bogey to match the 3-under mark and head back for the 18th tee.
Peake finding the fairway, while Micheluzzi’s tee shot missed right and found a sandy lie that resulted in a 60 metre wedge for this third as Peake found the front left portion of the green.
Micheluzzi taking two putts, but unable to send it to more extra holes after his left handed opponent rolled in his second putt to celebrate his first victory as a pro with one hole fill-in caddie Jye Pickin.
“I mean, events turned around really quickly. I guess when you’re in that position, you just expect the best and I guess hope for the worst, but expect the best. And ‘Micha’ being Micha I’m like, ‘Oh, he’s going to make a par,” Peake said of the closing stages.
“I went to the bar and I bought the boys a round of beers and the refs come in and just said, ‘Mate, you’re required for a play-off’.
Peake speaking again of his plan to enjoy the event and Sandbelt as a first priority having spoken with coach Ritchie Smith about how quickly things can turn.
“I mean, it’s a bit of self-belief. I mean, you can only beat who you’re playing against, but I think just in an event like this, like I said, at the start of the week, I really just wanted to embrace the whole, the Sandbelt culture and just really enjoy being out here.
“Even when things weren’t going my way, I was still really enjoying it. I knew what I was here for, but to get an invitation into something like this that not many people get, and then to be able to play some good golf as well.
“My coach, Ritchie Smith, he said I’m pretty much in the same predicament as Elvis (Smylie). It was so close to switching. You just don’t know when, and then Elvis just went bang, bang, bang … He told me after a missed cuts at the Open and PGA. He said, just hang in there. Because it’s so close to switching.”
Peake joking earlier in the week that he would need to win to pay for his pricey Monday night dinner. Perhaps less of a concern when he returns to the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia at the Webex Players Series Perth at Royal Fremantle in early January.
“I’m not too sure what the whole thing is,” he said of the potential cash injection from winning.
“I haven’t looked too into it, but that trophy looks amazing. I think it’s a pretty unique and a pretty special one. So yeah, that’s the only thing I really kind of thought about. If I was to win, I just really wanted that trophy.”
Matias Sanchez finishing third alone on 1-under and one shot ahead of Cam John and Richard Green, with Mudadana on 1-over and taking plenty away from the week.
“It was going to be always tough having never played here, but I started pretty well,” Mudadana said.
“I was two through eight and missed a short part on nine and made bogey on 10. I was a bit on a back foot there, but it’s all right. I had a lot of fun out there.”
Peirce closing out her week with a 70 to finish 6-over for a second triumph since turning pro in November.
“Not really, but it’s nice to get the wins,” she said when asked if she was finding professional golf easy having won a NSW Women’s Open Regional Qualifier in recent weeks.
“It was more being able to play four rounds on four good Melbourne Sandbelt courses. I played it twice as an amateur, so playing it as a pro, I guess the money’s a little bit of a bonus, but the format and the places you get to play is probably the key highlight of it.”
Headed for a drive back to Adelaide tomorrow, Peirce will take only a slight break before teeing it up across the Australian summer and heading for the Epson Tour in America.
It will be a similar story for Harris heading into year 12 with her eyes on the adidas Australian Amateur on the Sandbelt in January before moving to America and the University of South Carolina.
“It feels really great to be able to get the title back. Obviously it feels great playing against really good amateurs, but it’s as special as my first win,” Harris said.
“I think it helps boost my confidence a lot. I hadn’t been playing good as of recent, so I think winning this is really going to help me in my big tournaments.
Tournament host Ogilvy surmising a fourth successful staging of his and “Tournament Director” Mike Clayton’s brainchild having taken in all the action over four days.
“It was unique for me to watch on this year and truly host the Sandbelt Invitational and I have loved the experience,” Ogilvy said.
“The courses and clubs have been magnificent, and our four champions exemplify the word.”
“Hearing Ryan’s words about the event is exactly why we do this.”
Final scores available at www.sandbeltinvitational.com
Now in its fourth year, the Sandbelt Invitational will once again conclude the home golf action for many of Australia’s current Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and WPGA Tour of Australasia players alongside some veterans and rising amateurs.
Created by the Geoff Ogilvy Foundation, the man the foundation is named for, and former touring pro turned course designer Mike Clayton, the event is designed to offer players at varying stages of their careers the chance to learn from one another.
The other main focus of the event is of course to utilise and showcase the magnificent Melbourne Sandbelt and its world-renowned golf courses, with the tournament moving across four venues each year, while also awarding an overall winner, men’s and women’s professional champions, as well as men and women amateur trophies.
2023 CHAMPIONS: Daniel Gale (Overall and Men’s Professional), Robyn Choi (Women’s Professional), Phoenix Campbell (Men’s Amateur), Jazy Roberts (Women’s Amateur)
LIVE SCORES: www.sandbeltinvitational.com and daily reports on all the action from Jimmy Emanuel on www.pga.org.au
THE COURSES:
Almost as big a focus as the players teeing it up, four Melbourne Sandbelt courses will again shine in the lead up to Christmas with the Sandbelt Invitational moving from Commonwealth, Yarra Yarra, Woodlands and The Royal Melbourne golf clubs this year.
Welcoming the event for the first time, Commonwealth Golf Club will get one of its first chances to truly showcase the work of a Renaissance Golf led renovation of Charles Lane’s original work that has restored one of the great Sandbelt venues to past glory.
A regular host of events like the men’s and women’s Australian Opens, adidas Australian Amateur and more, Commonwealth will get things underway early on Monday December 15 before action moves to Yarra Yarra Golf Club.
Another Sandbelt venue to improve under Tom Doak’s Renaissance design group, Yarra Yarra has been a mainstay host venue for this event where the new routing and its highly rated collection of par-3s have regularly impressed players and fans, who can enter all four days for free.
The third day will see another first time host in Woodlands Golf Club, an often overlooked and underrated Sandbelt gem.
Now engaging Clayton, Devries & Pont as advising architects, Woodlands has remained largely unchanged from its typical Sandbelt roots and will no doubt shine this week.
Welcoming the final round for the second consecutive year, The Royal Melbourne Golf Club’s famed West Course will host this year, unlike last year’s final round on the East.
Considered the finest course in Australia by many, the West Course was the work of Dr Alister MacKenzie and largely shaped what the Melbourne Sandbelt is today, with Tom Doak advising the club on its world class course ongoing.
HEADLINERS:
David Micheluzzi – Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner and DP World Tour player
Matthew Griffin – Eight-time winner around the world
Karis Davidson – LPGA Tour player
Su Oh – 2022 WPGA Championship winner and former LPGA Tour player
Tom Power Horan – DP World Tour player
Richard Green – PGA TOUR Champions player
Cameron John – 2024 The National Tournament winner
Jazy Roberts – 2023 Sandbelt Invitational Women’s Amateur Winner
Caitlin Peirce – Former top-ranked amateur and new professional
Ben Eccles – 2023 WA PGA Championship winner
Stephen Allan – 2002 Australian Open champion
The majors may be over for another summer but the 2024/2025 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season remains in full swing with the Victorian PGA Championship at Moonah Links Resort.
The pro-am format that brings the tour’s best players together with golf-obsessed celebrities from the worlds of sport and entertainment on the spectacular Mornington Peninsula has proven to be a popular change.
This year, those stepping out of their comfort zone to share the stage with pro golfers include acclaimed Hollywood actor Michael Pena, three-time Paralympic gold medallist Dylan Alcott, AFL legends Dermott Brereton and Brendon Fevola and Melbourne Storm NRL star, Ryan Papenhuyzen.
They aren’t the stars of this show, though, with the likes of defending champion David Micheluzzi (pictured), Jack Buchanan, Jasper Stubbs and Anthony Quayle all seeking to advance their position on the Order of Merit.
The final two rounds of the Victorian PGA Championship will be broadcast live on both Fox Sports and Kayo with coverage to run from 3pm-6pm Saturday and 1pm-6pm Sunday AEDT.
DEFENDING CHAMPION: David Micheluzzi (Victoria)
PRIZEMONEY: $250,000
LIVE SCORES: www.pga.org.au
TV COVERAGE: Victorian PGA Championship 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)
FORMAT
The tournament will be contested over 72 holes of stroke play for the professionals with a separate team competition called the Victorian Celebrity Amateur Challenge played in conjunction. The field of 120 professionals will be paired with an amateur partner and play one round on both the Open and Legends courses at Moonah Links. The leading 50 professionals and ties will qualify for the final two rounds while in the teams event, the top 24 teams advance to Round 3 which is then pared back to the top eight for the final round. The final two rounds will both be played on the Open Course.
HEADLINERS
David Micheluzzi – Fresh off qualifying for the DP World Tour Playoffs in his rookie season, Micheluzzi was fifth at the BMW Australian PGA Championship and made the cut at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open. Micheluzzi came from six strokes in the final round to beat Ben Eccles by a shot 12 months ago.
Jack Buchanan – Continued his breakout season with a top-25 finish at the Australian Open. Winner of both the WA PGA and Webex Players Series South Australia this season already, Buchanan is currently fourth on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.
Jasper Stubbs – The 2023 Asia Pacific Amateur champion was in contention for Australian Open glory late on Sunday at Kingston Heath. In just his sixth start since turning professional, Stubbs’s tie for third saw him climb 766 spots in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Nathan Barbieri – The winner of Qualifying School at Moonah Links in April, Barbieri started the season with three top-20 finishes, the best of which was a tie for sixth at the WA Open at Mandurah.
Anthony Quayle – Tied for third at the BMW Australian PGA Championship, Quayle has returned home to play the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia as a way of relaunching his international career.
CELEBRITIES
Michael Pena – A passionate golfer, Pena’s Hollywood acting credits include Best Picture Academy Award winning films Million Dollar Baby and Crash along with highly acclaimed films End of Watch, The Martian and Ant-Man.
Dylan Alcott: Three-time Paralympic gold medallist and 2022 Australian of the Year
Dermott Brereton: AFL legend and five-time Hawthorn premiership winner
Brendon Fevola: Carlton great who is a two-time Coleman Medal winner and three-time All-Australian selection
Ryan Papenhuyzen: The Melbourne Storm NRL star was the Clive Churchill Medal winner in Melbourne’s 2020 grand final victory
Simon Marshall: Horse-racing identity who had 15 Group 1 wins as a jockey
RECENT CHAMPIONS
2023: David Micheluzzi
2022: Andrew Martin
2021: Blake Windred
2020: Chris Wood (Feb 2021)
2019: Campbell Rawson
2018: Aaron Pike
2017: Damien Jordan
2016: Ashley Hall
2015: Aaron Townsend
COURSE RECORD
Open Course: 62, Jim Herman (2010 Moonah Classic)
Legends Course: 62, Cameron John, Dimi Papadatos (2020 Vic PGA)
COURSE DESIGNER
Open Course: Peter Thomson, Mike Wolveridge and Ross Perrett
Legends Course: Ross Perrett
Ryggs Johnson, Curtis Luck and Marc Leishman are all going to Royal Portrush in 2025 to play the Open Championship after finishing top-three in the ISPS HANDA Australian Open at Kingston Heath.
Ryggs Johnson, Curtis Luck and Marc Leishman are all going to Royal Portrush in 2025 to play the Open Championship after finishing top-three in the ISPS HANDA Australian Open at Kingston Heath.
For today’s runner-up, Western Australian Luck, it is bonus after a difficult period battling a bulging disc in his neck and nerve issues that impacted his season in America.
“Obviously that (the Open) is a massive perk. The finish wasn’t ideal, but at the end of the day, I was not really hitting balls three months ago so I don’t think I can complain too much.”
Leishman has a good record in the Open Championship, including runner-up (beaten in a playoff) in 2015.
“It’d be nice not to have to do the qualifier, 36 holes in one day at my age is not a lot of fun,” he said.
“Very excited to get back to Portrush. I had a great time there last time, didn’t play great but I really like the course. I can’t wait to get back there and enjoy Northern Ireland.”
PHOTO: Marc Leishman celebrates another birdie during his final round at Kingston Heath. Image: Rob Prezioso
The co-hosts of the first ever joint format Australian Open in 2022, Kingston Heath and The Victoria golf clubs, are the hosts again to the ISPS HANDA Australian Open this week, but this time the roles are switched.
Play will be across both courses on Thursday and Friday, with Kingston Heath to decide the 2024 champions across the weekend.
Both 2023 titleholders in South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann are back, with Buhai vying for an incredible third Patricia Bridges Bowl in a row.
The Australian All Abilities Championship will again be held in conjunction with the men’s and women’s championships. Unfortunately 2023 champion Lachlan Wood has had to withdraw due to illness, meaning a new champion will be crowned this year.
Many of Australia’s stars who play much of their golf internationally have returned to vie for their national title, keen to battle it out on two gems of the Melbourne Sandbelt.
2023 CHAMPIONS:
PRIZEMONEY: $3,400,000 (M & W)
LIVE SCORES: https://www.golf.org.au/ausopen/
TV COVERAGE: All four rounds of the ISPS HANDA Australian Open is live on the 9Network and Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.
*All times AEDT.
Round 1: Thursday, 12pm-5pm
Round 2: Friday, 12pm-5pm
Round 3: Saturday, 2pm-7pm
Final Round: Sunday, 1pm-6pm
THE COURSES
Having played joint hosts in 2022, the first playing of the joint format, Kingston Heath and The Victoria Golf Clubs are no strangers to hosting the ISPS HANDA Australian Open.
Designed in 1925 by Dan Soutar, Kingston Heath also enlisted the help of Dr Alister MacKenzie to consult on its bunkering a year later in 1926, the Heath’s bunkering some of the best in world golf.
MacKenzie’s influence also led to the 15th becoming a world-renowned par-3 that will be sure to provide drama and intrigue as the week intensifies.
Kingston Heath has employed OCM (Ogilvy, Cocking, Mead) as consulting architects for a number of years, and the focus has been to make sure the course remains as close to the vision of Soutar and MacKenzie as possible.
Measuring out to 6638 metres for the men, and 5937 metres for the women this week, Kingston Heath is not significantly long in modern terms but is the longer course of the two.
Without serious length and sitting on a relatively flat piece of land, the bunkering provides the Heath’s primary defence, the course forcing golfers to plot their way around carefully.
Victoria was originally designed by Oscar Damman and Bill Meade in 1927, and like Kingston Heath, has been touched up by both MacKenzie and more recently Clayton.
With more elevation changes than The Heath, Victoria has some more dramatic holes, but the focus is often on the short holes, the same as its co-host.
The first is always a talking point. At 230-metres for the men, it is a par-4 that is reachable for everyone, but a chance of an opening birdie or even eagle can quickly turn into a double or worse with the amount of trouble around the green.
The same can be said for the 15th, another reachable four, where the risk can often outweigh the reward. Closing with a short par-5, an eagle on the last at Victoria can often shake-up the leaderboard at the final hour.
HEADLINERS
Men:
Joaquin Niemann: Defending champion, PGA TOUR and LIV Golf winner
Cameron Smith: 2022 Open Champion, Captain of Ripper GC
Cam Davis: Two-time PGA TOUR winner; 2017 Australian Open champion
Elvis Smylie: 2024 BMW Australian PGA champion and 2024 WA Open winner
Marc Leishman: Six-time PGA TOUR winner, T3 at 2024 BMW Australian PGA Championship.
Lucas Herbert: 2024 NSW Open winner.
Women:
Ashleigh Buhai: Defending champion and multiple Australian Open winner
Hannah Green: 3-time LPGA Tour winner in 2024
Minjee Lee: 2-time major champion
Jiyai Shin: Former world No.1, 2-time major champion and former Australian Open winner
Steph Kyriacou: LPGA Tour player
Jenny Shin: LPGA Tour winner
Danielle Kang: Former world No.2
All Abilities:
Johan Kammerstad: Two-time AAAC winner
Kipp Popert: 2022 champion and world No.1
Simon Lee: US Adaptive Open winner
Ryanne Jackson: 2023 US Adaptive Open winner
Brendan Lawlor: 2023 G4D Open winner
