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Victorian Will Heffernan can shed the pain of recent Q School heartbreak after leading a group of five Australians to earn their 2020 Asian Tour cards at Qualifying School in Thailand on Sunday.
Contested over 90 holes, eight Aussies were among the top 75 to advance to Sunday’s fifth and final round with Heffernan, Scott Strange, Cory Crawford, Ben Eccles and Kevin Yuan all finishing in the top 35 to secure an international schedule this year.
There was disappointment for Andrew Martin who finished one shot shy of the number required with Rick Kulacz and Dale Brandt-Richards a further shot back in a tie for 40th.
A member of the victorius Victorian team at the 2018 Interstate Series, Heffernan has seen teammates such as Zach Murray and David Micheluzzi make strong early impressions on the professional game as he has fought to secure playing opportunities both in Australia and abroad.
Attending Asian Tour Q School for the third time, Heffernan had to first come through First Stage of Q School – book-ending nine rounds in the space of two weeks with rounds of 77 and 66 – and believes previous Q School disappointments proved important in finishing runner-up to South African Benjamin Follett-Smith.
“I have been to a fair few of Qualifying Schools over the last couple of years and I have gained some good experiences which helped this week,” Heffernan told Asian Tour Media following his 5-under 66 consisting of six birdies and the lone bogey.
“To get my Asian Tour card for this season just means a lot to me.
“It was pretty windy earlier but I made some nice putts.
“It’s been a really enjoyable week. I’ve been playing quite a bit in Asia now and I think I’ve gotten used to the temperature. I feel more prepared this year.”
The last of Scott Strange’s two Asian Tour wins came 14 years ago and as the 42-year-old eyes off a busier schedule in 2020 has noticed a significant change in the playing depth now found in Asia.
“I have been playing in Japan over the last few years and I thought I would try and get my Asian Tour card and give myself an opportunity to play more this season,” said Strange, who shot an even-par round of 71 to finish tied for ninth.
“The playing standards on the Asian Tour have gotten better over the years.
“That’s where it’s going to go. Everything gets better. There are so many kids out here now. The boy I played with (in the third round) is only in his 20s. I think he wasn’t even born when I turned professional.
“When I first came out here, the average age was about 30.”
Asian Tour
Qualifying School Final Stage
Lake View Resort and Golf Club, Hua Hin, Thailand
2 Will Heffernan 71-66-70-68-66—341
T9 Scott Strange 69-69-66-70-71—345
T17 Ben Eccles 70-72-68-68-69—347
T17 Cory Crawford 71-71-66-70-69—347
T23 Kevin Yuan 68-72-69-72-67—348
T36 Andrew Martin 71-69-74-67-69—350
T40 Taewook Koh 70-73-66-70-72—351
T40 Rick Kulacz 73-68-69-69-72—351
T40 Dale Brandt-Richards 68-72-68-72-71—351
T72 Campbell Rawson 68-69-75-70—282
T84 Blake Collyer 71-72-67-73—283
T84 Jack Lane-Weston 70-72-69-72—283
T84 Daniel Gale 74-70-68-71—283
MC John Lyras 75-72—147
MC Matthew Lisk 75-75—150
MC David Gleeson 75-76—151
There’s been much talk of a changing of the guard on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, but David Bransdon and Brad Kennedy aren’t having a bar of it.
The pair, as well as fellow 40-something Richard Green, are all perfectly poised to halt the advance of the youth brigade at Pelican Waters this weekend, holding sway at the halfway point of the Isuzu Queensland Open.
While New South Welshman Jake Higginbottom matched Bransdon’s opening day course-record 63 today, it wasn’t enough to run down the Victorian’s edge.
Higginbottom roared through from +1 overnight all the way to -8 to sit alongside emerging pair Jarryd Felton and Anthony Quayle in a share of fifth with Green.
Talented amateur pair Josh Armstrong, of Canberra, and Jack Thompson, of Adelaide, sit third and fourth at 11 and 10 under, respectively, but they’re spotting a couple of Japan Golf Tour players a start for the weekend on the Sunshine Coast.
Kennedy, one of the hottest golfers on the planet in November and early December, has shown flashes of brilliance in the opening weeks of his 2020 campaign.
And the Queenslander did so again today with six birdies en route to a 68 that added to his opening 65 to leave him 11 under in total.
But it was a great approach that set up a tap-in birdie on the last that preserved Bransdon’s one-stroke lead with the Victorian, a former winner of the T.B. Hunter Cup at Brookwater, signing for a second-round 69 to sit 12 under.
David Bransdon has reclaimed the lead of the #QldOpen with a 3-under second round.
— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) February 21, 2020
Terry Pilkadaris chats with Dave post round ?#PGATA pic.twitter.com/CMfoRl9b54
Bransdon immediately said he’d look forward to playing with Kennedy’s familiar face and more traditional tactics as the youngsters chased.
“I played with Brad last Saturday (in the Queensland PGA Championship) and we’ve played a lot in Japan since I’ve been up there,” Bransdon said.
“The young guys they’ll do what they do … hit it 400 (metres), go wedge it and have a few putts, and we’ll play a different game our way,” he said with a broad smile.
Bransdon said stiffer afternoon breezes made scoring more difficult than his early opening-day barrage.
“It got tricky on the back nine … it was crosswinds and hard to pick,” he said.
“I hit a couple of ordinary golf shots, but overall it was still nice.”
Incredibly, 12 amateurs made the cut which was made at +1 to find the top 50 professionals and ties.
A host of big names missed the weekend action including Deyen Lawson, Ash Hall, Scott Arnold, Aaron Townsend and defending champion Jordan Zunic.
Local amateur Sarah Wilson, just the second woman to play in the Queensland Open, made a run with two late birdies, but came up one short at +2 despite a fine second-round 72.
The first group will tee off at 9:05am AEST while the leading group of Bransdon, Kennedy and Armstrong will take to the first tee at 10:45am.
For the full #QldOpen leaderboard and tee times visit pga.org.au.
The best bits from Friday at the 2020 @IsuzuAustralia #QldOpen ??️♂️
— Golf Australia QLD (@GolfAustQLD) February 21, 2020
David Bransdon owns a one-shot halfway lead at @pelicangolfclub after another cracking day on the Sunny Coast! ☀️? pic.twitter.com/0RcHm1WWo9
Victorian David Bransdon has set the benchmark for the Isuzu Queensland Open with a record-setting round of 9-under 63 in round one at Pelican Waters Golf Club.
The 2015 Isuzu Queensland Open champion fired out of the tees with six birdies on the back-nine, including four straight from holes 13 to 16, followed by a further three on the front-nine to sit two shots clear of South Australian amateur Jack Thompson.
With the flat stick striking hot Bransdon made the most of calm morning conditions on the Sunshine Coast to set the new course record.
“I holed a couple of nice putts early and I hit a couple close and basically the putter was pretty good all day. Then I started hitting a few close ones and holed them as well,” Bransdon said.
“There aren’t a lot of drivers out here for me this week. I’m hitting a lot of hybrids and fairway woods just to keep it in play because it’s more strategic for me.
“They’re fairly wide the fairways but you need to be in the right part of the fairway to be able to attack the green. For my game, hybrids and 3-woods and then my iron play is normally very solid.”
Bransdon’s leading scorecard was not the only thing to highlight the round for Bransdon’s playing group of ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia veterans Jason Norris and Terry Pilkadaris.
Norris made an ace on the 159 meter par-3 6th hole with an 8-iron before closing out his round at even-par.
? Ace alert ?
— Golf Australia QLD (@GolfAustQLD) February 20, 2020
Jason Norris with a hole-in-one on the par-3 6th hole at Pelican Waters with an 8-iron ?
And an ultimate photobomb by Terry Pilkadaris ? pic.twitter.com/XOqJIanxuK
“I witnessed a hole-in-one with Norrey on the 6th so that was pretty cool. The scorer behind the green didn’t see it but we all thought it was funny,” he said.
“We were certainly relaxed. We’ve known each other for a long time so there was a bit of banter here and there.”
Superstitions arose for the 46-year-old prior to the tournament when posing for a photo with fellow Queensland Open winners Michael Sim, Jordan Zunic and Nick Cullen.
Bransdon citied bad luck for his reluctance to touch the T.B. Hunter Cup but it appears to have done little to slow him down.
“I don’t like normally doing that because I’m old and I think it is back luck touching it before you play for it but I’ve touched it before so it’s not a bad thing so maybe it’s a good sign this week,” he said.
“I didn’t expect this. I thought 9 to 13-under was going to win the tournament, I didn’t think 9 was out there in one day.”
Victorian David Bransdon has set the benchmark early in round one of the Isuzu Queensland Open with a record-setting round of 9-under 63 at Pelican Waters Golf Club.
The 2015 Isuzu Queensland Open champion fired out of the tees with six birdies on the back-nine, including four straight from holes 13 to 16, followed by a further three on the front-nine to sit two shots clear of South Australian amateur Jack Thompson.
With the flat stick striking hot Bransdon made the most of calm morning conditions on the Sunshine Coast.
“I holed a couple of nice putts early and I hit a couple close and basically the putter was pretty good all day. Then I started hitting a few close ones and holed them as well,” Bransdon said.
“There aren’t a lot of drivers out here for me this week. I’m hitting a lot of hybrids and fairway woods just to keep it in play because it’s more strategic for me.
“They’re fairly wide the fairways but you need to be in the right part of the fairway to be able to attack the green. For my game, hybrids and 3-woods and then my iron play is normally very solid.”
Bransdon’s leading scorecard was not the only thing to highlight the round for Bransdon’s playing group of ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia veterans Jason Norris and Terry Pilkadaris.
Norris made an ace on the 159 meter par-3 6th hole with an 8-iron before closing out his round at even-par.
“I witnessed a hole-in-one with Norrey on the 6th so that was pretty cool. The scorer behind the green didn’t see it but we all thought it was funny,” he said.
“We were certainly relaxed. We’ve known each other for a long time so there was a bit of banter here and there.”
Superstitions arose for the 46-year-old prior to the tournament when posing for a photo with fellow Queensland Open winners Michael Sim, Jordan Zunic and Nick Cullen.
Bransdon citied bad luck for his reluctance to touch the T.B. Hunter Cup but it appears to have done little to slow him down.
“I don’t like normally doing that because I’m old and I think it is back luck touching it before you play for it but I’ve touched it before so it’s not a bad thing so maybe it’s a good sign this week,” he said.
“I didn’t expect this. I thought 9 to 13-under was going to win the tournament, I didn’t think 9 was out there in one day.”
Amateur pair Thompson, of Adelaide, and Josh Armstrong, of Canberra, each had eight birdies and one bogey en route to opening rounds of 7-under 65.
“I think it’s always nice to get off to a good start. It’s nice to be in this event and play well in the first round,” Thompson said.
“I played pretty solid and a lot of the putts went in so my putting held it together and I chipped in on one of the holes so that always helps.
“I just wanted to back myself in. A bit before when I was just starting to play pro events I would probably get a bit nervous but now I think I’ve settled in and I just take it one hole at a time and have fun. When you’re having fun you’re generally playing pretty well.”
Low scores continued to roll in throughout the day with Brad Kennedy posting a round of 7-under 65, highlighted by a chip-in eagle at the par-five third hole, in the afternoon field.
Returning to the form that saw him lead through 54 holes at last week’s Coca-Cola Queensland PGA Championship, demons from the final round at Toowoomba were out of mind for the Queenslander who finished the day tied in second place alongside Thompson and Armstrong.
“It was one of those days today where I’m semi-motivated in terms of things that happened last week but at the same time didn’t put any pressure on myself and tried to go out there and do what I could,” Kennedy said.
“It was nice to get back and try and shoot a good score after last week and be in the hunt again.
“Hopefully we can get out tomorrow morning it’ll be a bit calmer and we can keep going deep because I’d imagine it’s going to take a fair good score to win this one.”
Form Queenslander Anthony Quayle and new pro Matias Sanchez carded opening 67s to share fourth before being joined by amateur Andre Lautee later in the day.
Round two of the Isuzu Queensland Open will begin at 6:30am on Friday at Pelican Waters Golf Club.
For the round one leaderboard and round two tee times visit pga.org.au.
Golf is full of ironies. The moment that Michael Sim started talking about changing focus to coaching and getting off the touring merry-go-round, he has started playing some of his best golf.
Which leaves him in something of a dilemma.
As the Isuzu Queensland Open begins at Pelican Waters on Thursday, the 35-year-old will be one of the hot favourites to win, having secured the Coca-Cola Queensland PGA Championship at Toowoomba last weekend in a playoff.
For live scores from the #QldOpen click here.
He also won the Western Australian Open late last year on the Ladbrokes Pro-Am Series, even as he completes a bridging course at the PGA of Australia that is meant to lead him into another field: possibly coaching, or a day job as director of golf. As a new father with a wife, Michael Sim is at the crossroads professionally.
Do a couple of wins change his thinking? Not necessarily, because the Australasian tour, the only tour where he has status, goes into a few months of recess after next week’s New Zealand Open at Millbrook resort.
“The reality is that after next week in New Zealand, I potentially won’t play another four-round golf tournament until Darwin (the Northern Territory PGA), in September,” he said. “That’s the hardest part in Australia, and I’m sure most guys here face the same problem. Trying to get a card overseas, I think I’m still good enough to do it but I haven’t been able to.
“That’s why I decided to do the bridging program. I’m halfway through that at the moment. I’ll be completing that. Hopefully, I can play well in the next two events, finish the year off well and that gets me to the final stage of tour school rather than going through first and second stages.
“I still love competing. That shows last week and at the WA Open in October. It’s just a matter of getting the tournaments in.”
Sim is one of four past champions in the field, joining defending champion Jordan Zunic, Nick Cullen (2014) and David Bransdon (2015).
He won the title in 2017, as he continued a late-career resurgence.
An adopted Queenslander, who grew up in Western Australia, Sim was an outstanding amateur and his early success as a professional, where he reached a No. 34 world ranking, had many observers predicting big things for him. They never came to pass, although he has won multiple tournaments on the US secondary tour and he is still playing well.
“I’m married now with a little guy,” he said. “I don’t practise as many hours as I used to, but when I go to the golf course I tick everything off. My golf was good last week. So I’m not too sure what the future holds, but I certainly don’t want to give up playing. It’s just about opportunities and getting starts.”
Pelican Waters is hosting the Open for the first time, and after flooding in Queensland early this year, the course, opened in 2000, has come up beautifully. “The course is really dry,” said Sim. “It’s challenging. I’m not sure what the winning score will be. I think the guys who are members — Charlie Dann, Chris Crabtree, Shae Wools-Cobb — will get an advantage with the winds and the lay-out.”
ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Q-School winner Luke Toomey has enjoyed a strong start to his campaign Down Under that continues at this week’s Isuzu Queensland Open.
After narrowly missing a final round berth at the season-opening ISPS HANDA Vic Open, the former PGA TOUR Series-China competitor will implement lessons learned from the experience at Pelican Waters Golf Club this week.
“I thought my game levelled up and I was right there. I gave myself a chance to make the final day and unfortunately just missed out by a shot but that’s the way golf goes,” Toomey said of his experience at the European Tour co-sanctioned Vic Open.
“It was wicked. It was my first European Tour event. That’s sort of like a milestone in itself for me which is always nice to tick off.”
“It was pretty cool being in the company of players like Haotong Li and paired with Lucas Herbert for the first couple of rounds. I played plenty with him as a junior but seeing him win just a couple of weeks before that just makes it all seem very real and very achievable.”
A strong start to the season on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia could propel Toomey up the Order of Merit leaderboard and give the Kiwi a chance at a his goal of a European Tour card for future seasons.
The experience of playing alongside Europe’s best, the start courtesy of his Q-School win, proved invaluable.
“I think I was right there to be fair. I think one thing that’s recurring no matter what level you are, whenever you’re playing that next level up it’s really easy to pedestal other players. And as soon as you do that it’s like you’re handing the tournament over before you even start,” he said.
“I’ve been reminded enough times I think as I’ve progressed that you have to take that kind of back seat at times in order to take on new knowledge and learn and adopt a growth mindset around it.
“It’d be like being paired with Tiger Woods and being solely in your own world and never taking a moment to learn anything but at the same time you can’t sit back and just be in awe of what’s going on around you. There’s still a job to do and achieve yourself. That was probably a bit mindset goal for me.”
This week Toomey will put his game, and mindset, to the test alongside 132 of Australasia’s best when he tees it up alongside Blake Windred and amateur Ben Stieler at 11:40am (AEST) tomorrow.
With family close by and warm weather on offer on the Sunshine Coast, the opportunity to play was hard to resist.
“My family live about an hour away in North Lake which is the big thing for me this week is just having a week with them because I don’t get to see them all that often,” he said.
“It’ll be a very new challenge this week. I arrived into the airport and walked out the front doors and just about fell over in the heat wave so it’s going to be steamy and sweaty and gross.
“Yet a golf course is a golf course and they all require the same golf shots.”
Round one of the Isuzu Queensland Open will begin at 6:30am on Thursday 20 February at Pelican Waters Golf Club. Entry is free for spectators all week.
In addition to the winner’s share of the $137,500 prize purse, the champion will receive Official World Golf Ranking points and full exemption onto the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia until the end of the 2021 season.
For round one tee times visit pga.org.au.
Fourteen Australians at various stages of their careers begin the Final Stage of Asian Tour Qualifying School in Thailand on Wednesday with one shared goal… job security.
For veterans such as Scott Strange and David Gleeson – a combined five Asian Tour wins between them – it’s a 90-hole examination to prove they can still cut it with the young guys flooding the professional ranks.
Players such as Andrew Martin, Rick Kulacz and Ben Eccles have been in the play-for-pay ranks for a number of years and are still fighting to secure their status on a world tour that would provide some kind of financial certainty.
And then there are the newly-minted pros such as John Lyras, Blake Collyer, Will Heffernan and Jack Lane-Weston, hungry to make their mark on the pro game.
Kiwi pair Campbell Rawson and Taewook Koh will join the Aussie contingent at Lake View Resort and Golf Club in Hua Hin with the top 35 and ties at the completion of five rounds to be granted 2020 Asian Tour cards with status reflecting their finishing position at Q School.
A total of 244 players will play the opening two rounds across the two host courses with the leading 140 players to progress after a 36-hole cut.
Another cut will occur following the fourth round, leaving the top 70 and ties to play off for the 35 tour cards over 18 holes.
At No.606 in the world Gleeson is the highest-ranked Australasian player in the field, unable to keep his card in 2019 despite a runner-up finish at the Sabah Masters in November.
The leader through 54 holes, the now 42-year-old said he hoped a more relaxed approach to his golf would help him to add to his three Asian Tour titles, the last one coming at the Hero Indian Open in 2011.
“I think my game is better than it was back in the past,” Gleeson said. “It’s more complete than back then.
“I played at a very high sort of emotional level back then. That’s what I have been working on, just to relax and enjoy the game.”
Round 1 tee times (AEDT)
Asian Tour
Qualifying School Final Stage
Lake View Resort and Golf Club, Hua Hin, Thailand
11.35am Ben Eccles, Wisut Artjanawat, Amandeep Singh Johl
11.35am* Blake Collyer, Chen Ting-Yu (a), Joonhyeong Jeon
11.55am Campbell Rawson, Panuwat Bulsombath, Veer Ahlawat
11.55am Matthew Lisk, Ian Snyman, Rakhyun Cho
11.55am* Cory Crawford, Sydney Chung, Wynand Dingle
12.05pm* Andrew Martin, Bio Kim, Aadil Bedi
12.35pm Scott Strange, Christoffer Baumann, Abdul Hadi
12.35pm Daniel Gale, Lucas Kim, Seungtaek Oh
12.45pm* David Gleeson, Sarit Suwannarut, Ankur Chadha
3.35pm* Kevin Yuan, Ryuko Tokimatsu, Namchok Tantipokhakul
3.45pm* John Lyras, Sam Kim, Woohyun Kim
4.15pm* Will Heffernan, Ryuichi Oiwa, Hakhyung Kim
4.25pm* Rick Kulacz, Ryosuke Kinoshita, Abhinav Lohan
4.35pm* Jack Lane-Weston, Genki Okada, Pasavee Lertvilai
5.05pm* Taewook Koh, Kartik Sharma, Yin Yongxuan
5.15pm Dale Brandt-Richards, Oscar Zetterwall, Dongeun Kim
* Starting from 10th tee
It was nearly 18 months ago that Jordan Zunic had his name etched into the history books as the winner of the 2018 Isuzu Queensland Open. And the layoff hasn’t deterred his drive to become back-to-back champion.
The New South Welshman returns to the Queensland tournament as reigning champion but will encounter a new course and different challenges than those faced the last time.
As one of 132 professionals and amateurs teeing it up on the Sunshine Coast at Pelican Waters Golf Club this week, Zunic was thrilled to see the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia tournament rescheduled for 20-23 February.
“It’s great to come back and play the event and to move to somewhere different as well up here on the Sunshine Coast, it’s a really beautiful place,” Zunic said.
“I haven’t been up here a lot so I’m just staying down at Caloundra and it’s a stunning part of the world. It should be a really cool week.”
Zunic tied for 14th place at last week’s Coca-Cola Queensland PGA Championship in Toowoomba and over the past year has enjoyed a string of strong results both in Australia and on Europe’s Challenge Tour, including a tie for 10th at the Andalucia – Costa del Sol Match Play 9 event.
Hot, humid conditions and a different type of course greets the field this week but Zunic believes the biggest challenge will be keeping his game consistent.
“I had two really good days and then two days were not so good,” Zunic said of his efforts at the Queensland PGA Championship.
“If I could just put four good days together this week I’m sure I could be right up there again and be in contention which would be great.
“My game is feeling really good and I’ve got my coach up here with me so he’s just fine-tuning and making sure everything’s where it should be. Then it’ll just be a matter of working out a game plan to play the course.”
As a three-time winner on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Zunic enters the event as one of the most successful in the field but will contend with the familiar faces of Richard Green, Jason Norris, Brad Kennedy, Michael Sim and more when he takes to the fairways from Thursday.
The depth of talent in the field, however, will do little to deter the 28-year-old from going after his fourth career title.
“Most weeks you know who you’re playing against but it is best just to play your own game,” he said.
“At the end of the day it’s just you against the golf course and you go out and try and do the best you can each day and hope that that’s good enough at the end of the week.
“My last win was when I won this tournament 18 months ago. It would mean a lot if I could get another win. I’ll go out there and give it a crack.”
The Isuzu Queensland Open will be played at Pelican Waters Golf Club from 20-23 February. Entry is free to spectators all week.
In addition to the winner’s share of the $137,500 prize purse, the champion will receive Official World Golf Ranking Points and will receive full exemption onto the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia until the end of the 2021 season.
It’s the shot Adam Scott believes won him the Genesis Invitational yet it was only 18 months ago that he didn’t have the courage to play it when it mattered most.
His long-range putt at the third hole, draining a birdie putt from 12 feet at 13 and his up-and-down to earn a two-shot buffer at the penultimate hole will all dominate the highlight reels of Scott’s 14th PGA TOUR title yet it was a flop shot that helped the Queenslander to make birdie that signified a major mindset shift.
Winner of the Australian PGA Championship in December, Scott was nearing four years without a win on the PGA TOUR before claiming the trophy for a second time at Riviera Country Club, his first an unofficial win in 2005.
Treading water on the back nine as much of the field fell backwards, Scott pulled his approach shot into the par-4 15th hole left into the bunker and was left with a lie that sends club golfers into conniptions.
Scott himself described the ball as being “plugged” and when he – in his words – “knifed” his third shot from the sand into the deep rough behind the green, he was staring down the barrel of a second Sunday double-bogey.
His first instinct was to try and pitch a shot into the fringe and hope for a 45-foot putt coming back for bogey but instead he channelled his inner Phil Mickelson, opened his lob wedge and let fly.
Known more for the simplicity and beauty of his metronomic golf swing, creativity around the greens has never been a Scott strong point. But as he took pride in the execution of a crucial up-and-down in the heat of battle, revealed the origins of adding such a shot to his repertoire with coach Brad Malone.
“The shot that stood out was deciding to flop the second chip on 15,” said Scott, projected to move up to No.7 in the Official World Golf Rankings as a result of his victory, the third by an Aussie on the PGA TOUR this year.
“About 18 months ago I was fooling around a little bit doing some silly stuff by the green and my coach said, ‘Look, as silly as that might feel and you’re messing around, it actually looks like it’s in a really good position to hit shots from. Just keep fooling around.’
“And that’s kind of evolved into what I’m doing now.
“It’s not very technical at all, it’s just a feeling in my right arm and that was it. It was great last year and my confidence has gone up because I’ve performed better with it.
“I stood there and I wanted to maybe bump it into the fringe, but realistically it was going to be 45 feet past. I thought, Well, you can maybe win the tournament if you hit a great flop shot here, so I thought I might as well just go for it.”
As he nears his 40th birthday in July, winning tournaments – particularly majors – has become Scott’s primary focus.
He is the type of personality who likes certainty and control so the idea of a full swing from just off the green has been something of a misnomer to him.
But as the talent pool in world golf grows deeper and deeper the greatest rewards require a certain level of risk, Scott cognisant of the need to maintain his personality type while being daring enough to play the shots that define tournament victories.
“As I chat about my feelings when I play with my coach, we often talk about just letting go a little bit,” said Scott, who will be among the Aussies teeing it up at the WGC-Mexico Championship this week.
“At times I feel like I’m too loose on some shots, but then there are other moments where I play a little too conservative all the time.
“It’s a fine balance. My first thought was bump it in, it’s safe but I’ll probably make a double (bogey).
“Then I thought, I really want to win this and maybe this shot can do it. I hit a really great shot. It was quite fun.
“I had a little bit of that kind of mindset not just today but the whole week. Not careless, but “what have I got to lose” kind of thing going. Give myself a good chance to get back in the winner’s circle on the PGA TOUR.”
Gold Coast-based Michael Sim has completed the Queensland quinella after dropped shots and scoring miscalculations saw the final round of the Coca-Cola Queensland PGA Championship conclude in chaotic fashion.
After he stormed to the top of the leaderboard with a course record 9-under 61 in the opening round at City Golf Club in Toowoomba on Thursday, Brad Kennedy spent the next 54 holes trying to keep the field at bay.
With a one-shot buffer at the start of the final round, Kennedy picked up shots at the third, fifth and 12th holes to be 15-under and four shots clear of Sim and the chasing pack with three holes to play before disaster struck.
The Queenslander dropped shots at both 16 and 17 to fall to 13-under and stood on the 18th tee with the understanding that Sydney’s Scott Arnold was safely ensconced in the clubhouse on the same score.
It wasn’t until after Kennedy had hit his tee shot into the left rough that he was informed Arnold had in fact posted 12-under and that par would be enough to complete a wire-to-wire win.
It also opened the door for Sim, who was in prime position in the centre of the fairway and needing a birdie to also get to 12-under and keep his faint title hopes alive.
“Walking off 15 I thought any chance of winning was almost gone,” Sim admitted after a par at the fourth playoff hole was enough to defeat Arnold, a close mate who is hitching a lift back to the Gold Coast on Sunday evening.
“Everything just happened so fast. I stood on the 18th tee at 11 (under) and Scott was in at 13. I actually asked Graeme Scott the tournament director whether Scott had finished at 13. He’s a mate of mine and I thought I was gone but he said he’d actually finished at 12.
“Brad was over in the trees and I saw him lay up and I thought, I’ve got a chance here if I hit a good shot and birdie it, which I did.
“I didn’t have my best stuff today – I don’t really think anyone near the top of the leaderboard did. Everyone kept falling away and it was nice to hit a great 8-iron into the last there in regulation and give myself a chance in the playoff.”
After choosing to lay up from deep rough with his second shot, Kennedy three-putted the 72nd hole to miss the playoff entirely, Sim and Arnold trading pars and bogeys from all sides of the 18th hole until Sim prevailed at the fourth attempt with an up-and-down from just left of the green.
Sim’s Queensland Open victory at Brisbane Golf Club in 2017 was his first in eight years and a career that once promised all the highs that professional golf has to offer has been in a state of flux ever since.
Now a father with a young son, Sim won the WA Open in October last year but faced such an uncertain future in tournament golf that he is halfway through completing his PGA of Australia bridging course at Burleigh Golf Club.
It’s a far cry from the young man who went toe-to-toe with Tiger Woods in the final round of the 2009 US Open and his latest win ensures the tentacles of pro golf’s lure remain semi-attached.
“I might go to America and do some pre-qualifiers, I don’t know,” said Sim, who will start next week’s Queensland Open at Pelican Waters Golf Club as one of the tournament favourites.
“I’m doing my bridging program at the moment and I’m halfway through that but I seem to have been playing well since I started my traineeship. I’m not too sure what the future holds.
“There’s a lot of emotion. I never thought I’d be here and to come away with the trophy is just amazing.”
Kennedy finished tied for third at 11-under along with fellow Japan Golf Tour regular Michael Hendry, Dimi Papadatos and Korean Chang Gi Lee with Andrew Dodt (64), Denzel Ieremia (70) and Anthony Quayle (73) a shot further back in a tie for seventh.
A back-nine resurgence has Anthony Quayle within striking distance of leader Brad Kennedy at the Coca-Cola Queensland PGA Championship at City Golf Club in Toowoomba.
Quayle shot a remarkable nine birdies to finish round three 7-under par for a 13-under total and be within one shot of Kennedy, who mustered a 1-under effort today.
Michael Sim, who also shot 7-under, is tied for third alongside Jamie Hook at 12-under.
Quayle’s breakthrough round almost derailed when he was penalised for taking incorrect preferred lie on the ninth hole.
But despite the “brain fart”, the Gold Coast resident made a remarkable recovery to finish outright second.
“For about 10 minutes I was really frustrated and then after that I was able to calm myself down and go alright,” Quayle said.
“The first two days I played nicely tee-to-green, but putted pretty poorly. I have played really aggressively this week. I’ve tried to challenge a lot of the holes. Holes where you can hit an iron or a driver, I’ve opted for the driver, which creates a lot of birdie opportunities.
“I’ve started to gain some confidence over the last few weeks. I don’t think I’ve finished outside the top-20 in three months worldwide now. I feel like that’s what I should be doing.”
Quayle had handy assistance on the bags with his wife, Sophia, filling in as his caddy.
“I had Soph, my wife, come out and caddy today. She hasn’t caddied in a while, let alone on a hilly, water-logged course, so I bet she’s really feeling it.”
As heavy rain suspended play on days one and two, much of the field was forced to complete their second rounds this morning.
Kennedy completed the morning session with a five-shot buffer, but, largely due to a hip injury, was unable to build on his early tournament dominance.
“I pinched something in my hip yesterday afternoon when we finished walking down 18 and am just struggling to get through the ball. That’s why I blocked a couple early because I just wasn’t able to get through (the ball). I’m hoping I could do a bit of rehab tonight,” Kennedy said.
“I just couldn’t get any flow today. I hit a lot of in-between wedges and just never felt I was on top of my game in terms of having the right club or having the right spin control. I made a couple of poor shots early.
“I was proud how I really came back on the back-nine. I had a couple of lip outs, but all-in-all to have the day I feel like I had and still be one shot in front of the lead, I’ll take that. It’s pretty clear what I have to do tomorrow.
“I struggled with the pace of the greens. It looked like they were growing as you were looking at them today. They were quite slow, but held truly.
“I’ve got to get back into controlling my wedges. If I do that and give myself some chances with the putter inside 10-feet, I feel like I will give myself the ability to be there on the back nine. It’s going to be fun and fun for the crowd.
Sim completed the round in sterling fashion, scoring four birdies on the final nine holes.
“I struck the ball pretty well and gave myself a lot of changes. The turning point was the birdie putt on the 10th (hole). I just came off bogey on nine and rolled it in for a 12-foot putt to keep the round going,” Sim said.
“I think this golf course gives you chances if you’re in the fairway. There are plenty of birdies with the soft greens and I felt I just had to keep going.
“It’s nice to come here on a Saturday and shoot a 63 and give myself a good chance for a win tomorrow.”
Scott Arnold had an awful start to the round with a double bogey on the first, but quickly made up ground to finish with seven birdies to be in contention on the final day.
Arnold’s 5-under par performance elevates him to fifth at 11-under.
“It probably changed my mindset a little bit to be honest. I lost two shots straight away and I knew that there are so many birdie opportunities if you play well out here, so I tried my best to forget about it and get into the mentality to lift my game,” Arnold said.
“My game’s been pretty good, but haven’t been able to be consistent. I will have three good rounds and one average round, so tomorrow will be a big test.
“I’ll keep the nerves at a minimum and aim to get to a strong start and build from there.”
Tomorrow’s round 4 action will be broadcast live on Fox Sports (channel 507) and Kayo from 11am-4pm (AEST).
