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Even before the 102nd US PGA Championship at Harding Park got underway, Tiger Woods predicted that the heavily foliaged cypress trees would extract revenge on any number of errant shots.
And he was absolutely spot on in regards to the fate of Justin Thomas in round one and Charl Schwartzel in round two.
Both players leaked tee shots towards the guardians of the fairway and even though marshals saw exactly which tree each ball entered, neither were able to find and identify their ball within the allowed three-minute search period and were required to accept a stroke and distance penalty under Rule 18.2.
Even though it is known approximately where the ball came to rest in a tree, this is not sufficient to allow the player to apply the Unplayable Ball relief options of Back-on-the-Line or Lateral Relief since both require the player to use the exact spot of the original ball as a reference point when establishing where to drop.
This meant that returning to the tee was their only option.
Those who watched Schwartzel’s situation unfold would have been forgiven for thinking that he was searching for divine intervention as he borrowed the Chief Rules Official’s binoculars and gazed skywards.
In actual fact he was trying desperately, not only to spot a ball lodged in the branches but also to identify the ball as his through his unique identification mark.
If the ball can be identified as belonging to the player there is no requirement for them to retrieve it from the tree when deeming it unplayable.
On more than a handful of occasions my own binoculars have come to the rescue of players in a similar predicament.
Jason Day suffered a little on the back nine but stayed in the running for another major at the US PGA Championship today.
The Australian, who won this tournament in 2015, woke up with a share of the lead, lost it to China’s Haotong Li before his tee time, regained it with three early birdies, and then lost it again with some travails at the 12th hole.
But this was a day for holding ground and Day, 32, did it nicely with his second-round 69, one-under par.
At six-under overall, he is tied-second behind Li at eight-under going into the weekend after the Chinese player, who played the Presidents Cup in Melbourne late last year, shot a dazzling bogey-free 65 today.
Englishman Tommy Fleetwood posted the day’s low round, a 64, to join Day in second place along with duel defending champion Brooks Koepka, another American Daniel Berger, England’s Justin Rose and France’s Mike Lorenzo-Vera.
TPC Harding Park played much tougher overall, although Day relished it.
“It kind of separates (the field),” he said afterward. “If you have an easy golf course, everyone’s in play.
“With a difficult golf course, the good players who are playing well usually get to the top. I would much prefer playing a difficult golf course and I know we’ll have a difficult golf course going into the weekend. I asked for that, then when I played it, I’m stressed out. But I’m going to enjoy the weekend.’’
Day hit it close on the fourth, fifth and seventh holes for birdies that vaulted him back to the top of the leaderboard.
But his troubles began at the par-four ninth, where he pulled his drive up against a boundary fence, was lucky to get a line-of-sight free drop, but made bogey.
Then after a nice bounce-back birdie at the par-five 10th where he hit the green in two, he made a double bogey six at the par-four 12th hole, one of the most difficult on the course today, after missing the fairway left, pushing his approach right, then taking two chips and two putts to get down.
Day parred his way in from there, leaving great birdie opportunities at the 16th and 17th a few centimetres short of the hole.
“They’re starting to get that purple look to them,’’ he said of the Harding Park greens.
“It’s like a dry, purple look. Once you see that, balls start to bounce on the greens and they get really quick. Once you have that and match it with the winds we had – we had a lot strong winds yesterday, but there were gusts out there – it was difficult.”
Day came in on the back of three straight top-10 finishes and does not appear to have been bothered too much by his back injury this week. He is searching for his first win in two years.
His issues on the back nine were not unusual today. Tiger Woods could not hole a putt of substance until he bombed one on the 16th, and ultimately shot two-over par 72.
Rory McIlroy made a strong run of birdies but took a calamitous triple bogey at the 12th on his way to a 69 that could have been so much better. World No. 1 Jon Rahm (one-under) has been quiet.
Meanwhile Adam Scott was the best of the other Australians, cobbling an even-par 70 to remain at two-under and just outside the top 20 at his first start since the interruption caused by the Covid-19 virus this year.
Queenslander Cameron Smith (69 today) also played well enough to get through to the weekend in 45th place.
Marc Leishman finished two-over after shooting 70-72 to miss the cut narrowly, while Lucas Herbert (three-over) and Matt Jones (five-over) will not make the weekend’s play in San Francisco.
Jason Day has shot a near-faultless opening 65 at 2020’s first major, the US PGA Championship today to take a share of the lead into the second day.
A week after announcing that he had parted ways with his 20-year coach and mentor Col Swatton, Day continued the play that saw him log three top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour at his last three starts.
Although two years have passed since his most recent win, Day came in confident and did not make a single bogey at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco.
At five-under, he is tied with American Brendon Todd, who by chance has an Australian swing coach (Bradley Hughes) and who came in late with his own 65.
They are a shot ahead of a bunch at four-under that includes former world No. 1s Brooks Koepka and Justin Rose at 66 and major champions Zach Johnson and Martin Kaymer. Tiger Woods started nicely with a 68.
As a nice exclamation point for his first round Day hit a five iron to the shadow of the flag stick at the par-four ninth hole and rolled in his fifth birdie of the round to finish.
That came after two good opportunities missed on the seventh and eighth greens, but Day kept his perspective. “Once again, I finally had enough of feeling sorry for myself, and it’s easy to do that in this game because it is so mentally tough,” he told the media afterwards. “You can start blaming everything else but yourself. Sometimes you’ve just got to pull your pants up and just move on, you know.
“I feel like the momentum that I’ve had over the last three starts has kind of seeped into this week. I’m excited about — the funny thing is that every day I’m excited to go back to the golf course and play, whereas before I was struggling to get up and going, ‘oh, do I want to kind of put myself through this again’. To be honest, I’m excited to get out and play every week now.’’
Day appreciated the appearance of the sunshine to help him with his sore back. “I pretty much lather up in Deep Heat and I go — I mean, I try and burn the skin off my back, to be honest. And I feel pretty good, so I’ve been fine.’’
The season’s first major in San Francisco played out to the surreal atmosphere at Harding Park with no fans. As a few of the players have said, it is far from what they are accustomed to.
“I actually miss playing in front of fans because you obviously work off that, especially in a major championship,” said Day. “You work off that energy. Usually it’s buzzing, and it happens from Monday all the way through to Sunday. It’s just a lot of people here. There’s a big buzz going around the golf course.
“And today, we’re used to it by now, but it’s still not the same. I know that we are playing the PGA Championship. It’s a major championship. It’s the first one of the year. It’s still just not the same.”
Day, who is ranked 42nd in the world, won the 2015 PGA Championship, his only major victory. His round today was his first bogey-free round in a major since 2017.
Adam Scott (68) was the best of the other five Australians, making his first tournament start since the Covid-19 induced interruption to the tour. Matt Jones and Marc Leishman both cobbled even-par scores, while Cameron Smith (71) and Lucas Herbert (73) have work to do.
It is the Major championship that has crowned a greater number of Australians than any other.
Known throughout history as ‘Glory’s Last Shot’, the US PGA Championship made the move to May last year yet just 12 months later in a year where nothing is normal it returns to its former August date.
With a rescheduled Masters and cancelled Open Championship the Wanamaker Trophy is the first Major trophy to go on the line in 2020 and there are six Aussies willing to step forward and claim what may well be golf’s largest piece of silverware.
One of those, Jason Day, is seeking a second PGA Championship title five years after his triumph at Whistling Straits but is playing his first without coach Colin Swatton by his side.
The pair made the decision to part ways a month ago and Day has since rattled off three consecutive top-10 finishes, the most recent a tie for sixth at last week’s WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational in Memphis.
Although his troublesome back continues to be an issue requiring ongoing management, Day has been buoyed by a sharper short game in his past three starts.
“I’m very pleased with my short game,” Day said following a second round 67, drawn to play with fellow PGA champions Martin Kaymer and Jason Dufner the first two rounds.
“My short game’s helped me a lot over the last three weeks and that’s usually the strength of my game, which has been nice. It’s nice to be able to see it finally come back.
“Overall, I feel like the game is there. I’m looking forward to getting into the PGA.
“There’s going to be a little bit more pressure and intensity next week, I understand that, but I think a lot of the guys kind of understand what needs to be done.”
Another Australian who knows exactly what needs to be done to win a Major championship is Adam Scott.
After an extended stay at home on the Sunshine Coast during the COVID-19 pandemic, Scott made his way back to the US yet chose to skip the WGC event in Memphis in favour of an early look at TPC Harding Park.
It’s a course with which Scott is the most familiar of the Australians playing this week having played the WGC-American Express Championship in 2005, the 2009 Presidents Cup and the WGC-Cadillac Match Play in 2015 at the venue.
The 2015 Cadillac Match Play was Marc Leishman’s first look at the layout and the Victorian took to it immediately.
He won all three of his first round matches before falling to American Gary Woodland 2&1 in the Round of 16. Five years later he is excited to be heading back to San Francisco.
“I remember I played well,” Leishman recalled. “I love the golf course. I was really excited about that moment this year, and I still am.
“I felt like that the PGA, the British Open and the Masters were three really good opportunities to win majors. It’s now the PGA and the Masters.
“I’m excited to go back there, hopefully play well and leave with a trophy.”
Matt Jones was denied from progressing to the Round of 16 at Harding Park five years ago due to a 20th hole defeat at the hands of South African Charl Schwartzel and has shown an ability to excel in the big moments.
A two-time Australian Open champion, Jones was at the top of the leaderboard midway through the third round of the 2015 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits and is also returning to a venue where he feels comfortable.
“The course suits him. He likes the golf course, which is good. There are certain courses that fit players’ eyes so it suits his game,” says Jones’s coach, Gary Barter.
“He played pretty well there in the Match Play. Dustin Johnson knocked him off 2&1, Schwartzel beat him on the 20th hole and he beat Victor Dubuisson. If he’d beaten Schwartzel in extra holes he would have gotten through to the next round.
“He led the PGA at Whistling Straits after about 43 holes so he’s definitely got some good stuff to draw upon but he’s got to get in contention more than that one time to feel even more comfortable.”
Like Jones, Cameron Smith’s best performance in a PGA Championship came at Whistling Straits and is one of four Aussies in the field this week with a win already to their names in 2020.
Another is Lucas Herbert, the Omega Dubai Desert Classic champion who made his first start in five months at last week’s FedEx St Jude Invitational.
He closed out that tournament with rounds of 69-67 to build confidence heading into this week and his fourth appearance in a Major championship.
Adam Scott
Round 1 tee time (AEST): 6.47am Bryson DeChambeau, Rickie Fowler
Round 2 tee time: 1.22am
World ranking: 9
Last start: MC, Arnold Palmer Invitational
Best finish in 2020: 1st, Genesis Invitational
Best finish in PGA Championship: 3rd, Bellerive Country Club, 2018
Previous PGA Championships: 19
Past appearances at Harding Park: 2005 WGC-American Express Championship (T29); 2009 Presidents Cup (1-4-0); 2015 WGC-Cadillac Match Play (0-3).
Marc Leishman
Round 1 tee time: 7.20am Matt Kuchar, Matt Wallace
Round 2 tee time: 1.55am
World ranking: 19
Last start: T52, WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational
Best finish in 2020: 1st, Farmers Insurance Open
Best finish in PGA Championship: T12, Oak Hill Country Club, 2013
Previous PGA Championships: 9
Past appearances at Harding Park: 2015 WGC-Cadillac Match Play (3-1, lost 2&1 to Gary Woodland in Round of 16)
Jason Day
Round 1 tee time: 12.38am Martin Kaymer, Jason Dufner
Round 2 tee time: 6.03am
World ranking: 42
Last start: T6 WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational
Best finish in 2020: 4th, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Best finish in PGA Championship: Won, Whistling Straits, 2015
Previous PGA Championships: 10
Past appearances at Harding Park: 2015 WGC-Cadillac Match Play (0-3)
Cameron Smith
Round 1 tee time: 6.53am Cameron Champ, Denny McCarthy
Round 2 tee time: 1.28am
World ranking: 51
Last start: T59, WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational
Best finish in 2020: 1st, Sony Open
Best finish in PGA Championship: T25, Whistling Straits, 2015
Previous PGA Championships: 4
Past appearances at Harding Park: Nil
Lucas Herbert
Round 1 tee time: 7.26am Judd Gibb, Mark Hubbard
Round 2 tee time: 2.01am
World ranking: 72
Last start: T49, WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational
Best finish in 2020: 1st, Omega Dubai Desert Classic
Best finish in PGA Championship: T71, Bethpage State Park, 2019
Previous PGA Championships: 1
Past appearances at Harding Park: Nil
Matt Jones
Round 1 tee time: 6.31am Kevin Streelman, Jazz Janewattananond
Round 2 tee time: 1.06am
World ranking: 88
Last start: T59, WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational
Best finish in 2020: T5, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Best finish in PGA Championship: T21, Whistling Straits, 2015
Previous PGA Championships: 5
Past appearances at Harding Park: 2015 WGC-Cadillac Match Play (1-2)
Defending PGA champion: Brooks Koepka
Past Australian winners: Jim Ferrier (1947), David Graham (1979), Wayne Grady (1990), Steve Elkington (1995), Jason Day (2015)
TV schedule: Live 6am-12pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday; Live 5am-11am Monday on Fox Sports 503.
Top Aussie prediction: Jason Day
In the second of our series highlighting the PGA Professionals guiding our Aussie boys at this week’s US PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park, Denis McDade reveals what he and Marc Leishman are working on early in the week and the ideal mindset he hopes to take into the opening round.
The start to Marc’s season was as good as he’s ever had but it just hasn’t quite clicked since coming out of lockdown.
Almost without exception when his game drops off a little bit it will be an old pattern or habit that he’s reverted back into that we need to correct. And normally he will recover pretty quickly.
For example, earlier this year we did some work on his set-up and basic pivot and he was off and running.
The amount of communication during the week of a Major will depend very much on where Marc’s game is at.
This will be a little bit more of a coaching week than normal given that we need to tidy a couple of things up but it won’t be a heavy coaching week because of where Marc and I know he needs to be Thursday morning teeing it up.
Because I’m in Stage 4 lockdown here in Melbourne my role early in the week will be identifying what the one or two minor issues might be because he does feel like he’s pretty close to where he needs to be.
We’ll do a live FaceTime session early in the week. Marc will tell me a time that he’s going to be on the range and his caddie, Matty Kelly, will hold the phone. Marc will have his ear pods in, there’ll be some discussion back and forth and we’ll send a little bit of video.
If it works best to do it at 2am here in Melbourne, then I’ll get up at 2am and do it then.
I need to find a way to make some subtle changes without altering the way he plays his best golf which is being external and reactive. That’s the challenge for me.
If there’s a change that needs to be made, how do we implement that without him becoming internal and thinking about his swing all the time?
If he’s on the first tee on Thursday thinking about his backswing or anything like that, that’s not how he’ll play his best golf.
The task initially is to find the little thing that’s dropped off, do a little bit of work on the range and then take it out to the course.
Marc plays his best golf when he reacts to his image of what he wants to do with the shot. The image of the shot almost creates the movement. If he starts delving into trying to create positions, that is quite internal and totally at odds with the way he plays his best golf.
Once the tournament starts I’m there as a resource to bounce ideas off and act as a cheer squad.
There will be a text message exchange each day but it’s not War And Peace. ‘How was your warm-up? How’d you play? How’s it feeling? Any concerns? Anything I can help you with?’
After each round I’ll look at ShotLink data but often the stats don’t give the complete picture of how he’s playing. The shot he’s trying to hit or the shot he’s struggling with. It certainly provides some baseline figures and then we take it from there.
Marc is at stage in his career where he’s quite autonomous and self-reliant and I’m there as a support.
I will do very little this week in terms of strategy given that I haven’t been on-site at TPC Harding Park but he has and he really likes the place.
Marc nuts out golf courses pretty darn well. If I’m at an event occasionally he’ll ask my thoughts but he and Matty Kelly do a great job around all of that.
The good thing going in is that this is a place that he likes so strategy and comfort with the venue won’t be the issue.
This is one that he’s had circled for a while.
Denis McDade is the Director of Coaching at Yarra Bend Golf and in 2017 was voted as the Australian Coach of the Year. In addition to five-time PGA TOUR winner Marc Leishman, McDade coaches tour professionals Matthew Griffin, Marcus Fraser and Ashley Hall.
The Australian golf community is calling on golf clubs around Australia to dedicate a members’ day to the memory of Jarrod Lyle and help raise much-needed funds for Challenge, a charity devoted to supporting children and families living with cancer.
Because of COVID-19, the campaign has been postponed from August and September to run in October and November, and will culminate in Yellow Day on Friday 4 December at the Australian PGA Championship.
Having been diagnosed with cancer three times throughout his life, Jarrod Lyle understood the hardship that young people and their families face when battling this disease.
For many years Jarrod was an ambassador for Challenge, a not-for-profit organisation that supports children and families living with cancer and aims to lighten the cancer journey for the whole family, 365 days of the year.
“I would like to encourage all golf fans and golf clubs to get behind the #DoingItForJarrod campaign so that Challenge can continue to not only honour all that Jarrod Lyle was, but also continue his mission to support other families living with cancer,” said David Rogers, chief executive officer of Challenge.
“Jarrod truly believed in the work of Challenge and spent all of his adult life supporting Challenge’s mission.”
In Jarrod’s memory, the PGA of Australia, Golf Australia and Challenge united to create a special fundraising event that could be enjoyed by the entire golf community.
This campaign, #DoingItForJarrod, is now an annual event throughout the country and sees many courses and club members swathed in yellow in support of Jarrod and Challenge.
Golf Australia interim chief executive Rob Armour was delighted to assist in keeping Jarrod’s passion and intentions alive.
“Many Australians know Jarrod was a great player, but I think those in the golf community came to learn that he was an even greater champion off the course,” Armour said.
“Working as a united community around the country, there’s no better way for us all to ensure his desire to help those in trouble lives on. We ask all clubs – especially those touched by cancer – to get involved in #DoingItForJarrod again this year.”
All clubs that participate in #DoingItForJarrod in 2020 will be entered into the draw to win an invitation to play alongside golf’s best in the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and European Tour co-sanctioned Australian PGA Championship Pro-Am to be held in December at Royal Queensland Golf Club, incorporating the featured ‘Yellow Day’ fundraiser.
“Yellow Day was a true highlight of the Australian PGA Championship in 2019 and we are excited to turn Royal Queensland into a sea of yellow this December,” said Gavin Kirkman, chief executive of the PGA of Australia.
“It was incredible to see hundreds of golf clubs around Australia support this great cause in 2019 and the PGA is honoured to once again partner with Challenge and Golf Australia to be a part of this important initiative in 2020.
“PGA Professionals working in clubs around the country have thrown their support behind #DoingItForJarrod days and we look forward to seeing them bring their clubs together throughout October and November.”
Creating yellow-themed events, encouraging club members to don yellow and selling Challenge merchandise at your club are just some of the ways you can help raise money. All donations are tax-deductible.
“In 2019 more than 200 golf clubs around Australia participated in the inaugural #DoingItForJarrod campaign, resulting in an incredible $200,000 raised,” said Briony Lyle, Jarrod’s wife.
“With the help of golf clubs around Australia once again in 2020, we hope to continue raising money to support a cause that was so close to Jarrod’s, and my, heart.”
All monies raised through #DoingItForJarrod will go towards a special legacy, Jarrod’s Gift, that has been created by Challenge in Jarrod’s honour.
You can help Challenge by donating directly, or purchasing clothing and pins carrying the Leuk the Duck symbol Jarrod Lyle wore as a Challenge ambassador, by visiting www.challenge.org.au.
To register your club for #DoingItForJarrod in 2020, or for further information, please visit the Challenge website.
Will you be #DoingItForJarrod in 2020?
Ahead of the first major championship of the year – the US PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco – we asked some of our leading PGA Professionals what goes on behind the scenes when preparing a player for a major championship.
Today Gary Barter shares the challenges of coaching Matt Jones remotely during COVID-19, how the practice regime changes and the one part of Jones’s game that needs most attention prior to Round 1 on Thursday night.
There’s no doubt about it, coaching remotely is not as good as being there. Not even close.
Normally I would go over to the US and spend time with Matt six or eight times a year and we FaceTime on the other weeks but it is definitely not as good.
I spoke to Matt on Monday morning and he said that he was 15th overall in putting last week in Memphis, top-five overall in driving but that his iron play let him down.
Going into Harding Park, if you’re driving it well and putting well and he’s a great chipper of the ball, if we can get his irons going well he should be in good shape.
For players at this level, it can be a little thing like distance control. He said last week that he hit his irons solid out of the clubface but he couldn’t control his distance. He felt that some would go 12-15 feet too far and then if there was some wind he might go down from a 9-iron to a wedge because they were coming out a bit hot.
He said that when he got purchase on the ball the ball would jump a little bit.
Players can get spooked by little things that we wouldn’t think you would even worry about.
As a regular golfer, hitting an 8-iron to the middle of the green seems great but if he’s hitting an 8-iron 30 feet past the hole, that’s not too good.
It wasn’t that he was suddenly missing greens or anything like that, it was more around distance control and trajectory with his irons. That’s what he was concerned with. He just couldn’t hit his numbers. I know what that means.
A golf swing is a bit like a Rubik’s Cube. All the sides can be messed up but if you’re good at it you can solve it pretty quickly, as long as you pick the right way to do it.
With Matt, I’ll probably have four or five things that we’ve worked on in the past – whether that’s five years or four weeks ago – and he’ll grab one or two of those things and be good to go.
Matt has reference points and different feels and cues that he uses. I’d be surprised if by Wednesday I haven’t given him something that helps him feel better about his iron play.
A Major week is a different week, there’s no doubt about it, and you can see why the experienced guys tend to do well.
Matt’s definitely got better at managing the week because it is very tiring. Long practice rounds, more press than they normally do, the anticipation and with course set-ups that are pushed to the limit you have to concentrate on every shot for the whole five hours that you’re out there.
The experienced players are really good at limiting their emotional intensity early in the week. It’s about keeping your arousal level low, doing the work, planning out the course and getting ready to go with as little amount of wasted mental energy as possible.
Course strategy in a Major is a lot more exacting so your ball-striking is under the microscope even more. Your trajectory, your distance control, even working out how the ball is going to jump out of the rough.
Ordinarily, if I sat down for dinner with Matt in preparation for a Major there would be a lot more talking about the golf course than there would be at a normal tour event.
You will still have your normal range work and the normal conversation about how the player is feeling, what they’re happy with, what they’re not happy with but on the golf course there is a lot of conversation around strategy.
You’re also really loading up on your short game for a Major. Chipping, putting, bunker play and all the different types of chip shots they might face.
Majors are won on your capacity to recover and keep yourself in the game so when you do hit the good shots you make the birdies and you don’t throw them away on the next hole.
While they are the best players in the world and they know what they’re doing, they’re still not preparing for perfect golf. They’re preparing for the time when they might slightly miss one or end up in the wrong spot that’s not going to put them in a position where they can’t recover.
That’s the non-tangible that the great players have, the capacity to navigate their way around if things aren’t going correctly.
Some players will come in with their ‘A’ game, some with their ‘B’ game and some with their ‘C’ game and it’s about working out how to get the job done with the game you have that week.
For Matt it’s about getting mentally right to perform. He’s got the game, there’s no doubt about it, and he loves the golf course.
Once we get a little bit of work done early in the week I expect he’ll play well.
Gary Barter is the Director of Teaching at The Australian Golf Club. In addition to two-time Australian Open champion Matt Jones, Gary coaches tour players such as Dimi Papadatos, Jake Higginbottom, Blake Windred and Stephanie Kyriacou.
Golf clubs in Australia’s worst bushfire affected regions have received a funding boost, thanks to the generosity of the golf community around the world.
In January 2020, the Australian Golf Industry Council (AGIC) established the 2020 Australian Golf Bushfire Appeal Fund via a GoFundMe Page to raise funds for golf clubs who had been impacted by the fires.
The appeal generated $67,000 which has now been allocated directly to golf clubs impacted by the bushfire season across Victoria, South Australia, and New South Wales, as well as the South Australian Government Bushfire Appeal and Kangaroo Island Mayoral Bushfire Appeal.
AGIC Chair Gavin Kirkman applauded the golf industry for its support during Australia’s devastating bushfire season.
“Our industry was heartbroken at the destruction that was caused by these fires,’’ Kirkman said.
“And now with COVID-19, these communities are facing an even tougher challenge, taking a bigger hit due to the significant downturn in visitor numbers.
“I have no doubt that the monies raised will go a long way in assisting affected golf clubs in their recovery.”
Kirkman said that the funding was in addition to individual fundraising efforts made by clubs and golf organisations, as well as the Melbourne Sandbelt’s initiatives including the Premiers Cup in Victoria, which raised $500,000 through a charity event held at Royal Melbourne Golf Club over the Australia Day long weekend.
The funding breakdown is as follows:
Victoria
South Australia
New South Wales
Kiwi Ryan Fox is spending hours at a time immersed in Assassin’s Creed and other Xbox favourites whilst in the European Tour ‘bubble’ and believes it contributed to his top-10 finish in last week’s resumption at the Betfred British Masters.
The European Tour’s six-week UK swing moves to Birmingham in England this week for the Hero Open where Fox is hoping to build on his tie for eighth at the British Masters, his first four-round tournament since the New Zealand Open in early March.
A 13-stroke win in the three-round Briscoes Wairakei Invitational Pro-Am in June instilled some confidence in the 2019 ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner prior to leaving New Zealand but he credits hours spent on the Xbox for being able to adjust quickly to the United Kingdom time zone.
Fox only arrived into the UK on the Sunday prior to the Wednesday start at Close House Golf Club and was thankful to have something to occupy his time as all players adjust to the strict protocols necessary for the tournaments to go ahead.
“I know it sounds a bit silly for a 33-year-old but it’s a nice way to kill a few hours,” Fox said of his unusual travel item.
“When I arrived today I couldn’t go to the gym because I hadn’t got my negative coronavirus test result back.
“I had to kill four hours somehow and it’s either watch Netflix or play Xbox.
“Last week it probably helped me a lot. If I’d been watching TV or watching something on my iPad I might have fallen asleep and whacked myself a little bit harder with jetlag. But having something slightly more interactive I could at least make it to 8 o’clock, 9 o’clock and then crash and feel like I got almost a normal night’s sleep.
“I was playing Assassin’s Creed. I enjoy those big, open-world games that you just feel like you can get lost in and not think about anything else.
“It’s a nice way to kill a few hours and I certainly killed quite a few hours last week on it.
“It can get a little bit addictive but I’m not complaining at this point because I’ve got three months by myself in a hotel room.”
With games such as Jedi Fallen Order, Far Cry, Fallout 4 and Forza 7 all at the ready, Fox is prepared as best he can be for six weeks spent largely in solitary isolation.
He can eat breakfast, lunch and dinner only in the company of his caddy for the next six weeks, Northern Irishman Chris Selfridge, and everyone has to retire to their own rooms when not on the golf course or dining.
Granted an exemption into the US Open from September 17-20, Fox is facing the prospect of a largely lonely existence until late October.
Englishman Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston made the decision to leave the bubble after just nine holes of the British Masters last week and Fox has no doubt that other players will face similar mental health challenges in the weeks to come.
“Beef came out last week and decided that it wasn’t for him and I’m sure there are other guys who probably made that decision before they even got into the bubble,” explained Fox.
“For the rest of us, there are going to be some people losing the plot after these next six weeks.
“It’s pretty lonely and pretty boring at times. It’s pretty normal out on the golf course but you don’t have all the social side of tour golf that you normally get.
“None of that is happening at this point so guys are stuck with their own thoughts for a while which can be damaging to tour pros at times.
“It’s just a product of the current situation. I think of all of us are certainly hoping it does loosen up slightly in the coming months but for these six weeks at least it’s going to be relatively strict.
“It’s quite strange.”
As for what happens when he completes all the games in his current Xbox library, Fox has his eye on a September release to get him through until he returns home.
“The one I’m looking forward to is Tony Hawk Pro Skater,” said Fox, currently 20th in the Race to Dubai standings.
“They’re redoing 1 and 2 which I remember playing as a kid. I absolutely loved them so I’ll certainly be ordering those when they come out in September.
“A little bit of nostalgia is always good.
“I go between sports and the open-world games where you run around.
“They might take 30 hours to complete the game if you do it half properly. I’m going to have a lot of 30-hour slots to kill over the next few months.”
This year’s Australian Open has been postponed due to uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 105th edition of the Australian Open was to be played at Melbourne’s Kingston Heath in November.
But public health considerations had been the main reason behind making the decision to postpone.
“It’s disappointing to have to come to these sorts of decisions. Given the uncertainty around international travel restrictions and the impact of COVID-19 around the world, we have put the health and safety of all those who bring this tournament to life first,” Nick Dastey, Tournaments Director Australasia, said.
“We will continue to work closely with all stakeholders to find a suitable date early next year.”
Coupled with the pandemic, Golf Australia’s General Manager of Golf Operations Simon Brookhouse said the rescheduling of the major championships, particularly the Masters from 12-15 November, provided challenges in assembling a world-class field.
“Unfortunately, it is not a simple matter of whether or not we could co-ordinate any international stars to visit,” Brookhouse said.
“The uncertainty of the quarantine requirements for any players coming from outside Australia needed to be considered. These requirements would undoubtedly have an impact on our homegrown heroes before they would be able to consider playing, too.”
The decision means the Australian All Abilities Championship, which features the top 12 players on the World Rankings for Golfers with a Disability, will also be delayed as the tournament is played as part of the Australian Open field.
The PGA, Golf Australia and the event partner, Sportfive, and the Victorian Government would continue to monitor the situation and provide updates when any additional information is available.
