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The winner of the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit will be determined at the completion of Sunday’s final round of the Australian PGA Championship
It’s the tournament within a tournament and the rewards are significant.
The winner of the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit will be determined at the completion of Sunday’s final round of the Australian PGA Championship and a confluence of events means that a host of players remain in the hunt to claim a one year exemption on the European Tour, starts in two World Golf Championship events and a place in the field for the famed Dunhill Links pro-am in Scotland.
Named the PGA Tour of Australasia Player of the Year at the Greg Norman Medal awards night on Tuesday night, Kiwi Ryan Fox will carry a $75,000 buffer into the final round and in a tie for 23th guaranteed to add something to his tally.
But Fox’s status on the European Tour earned with his win at the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth in February opens the door for the runner-up on the Order of Merit to assume that exemption in Europe as the leading player not otherwise exempt will be invited to join the European Tour.
Heading into the final round one shot from the lead, a win or runner-up finish could be enough for Wade Ormsby to clinch the Order of Merit crown but, like Fox, he too is already exempt for the 2020 European Tour season.
That brings Victorian Zach Murray into the equation, the New Zealand Open champion more than $16,000 ahead of Brad Kennedy but in need of a low round on Sunday to give his prizemoney total a boost of any significance.
Kennedy, a winner on the Japan Golf Tour last year, sits tied for 31std through 54 holes, the two WGCs and big European Tour events through Japan’s off-season in July and August an enticing proposition for the Gold Coast-based 45-year-old.
Currently 31st on the Order of Merit, Nick Flanagan’s course record 9-under 63 on Saturday puts him in the frame but he would need to win to finish second behind Fox, a win that would come with a European membership category of its own.
The other player to watch is 21-year-old West Australian Min Woo Lee. Sitting 12th on the Order of Merit with $75,739.75 in prizemoney, Lee surged up the leaderboard late on Saturday to be tied for third heading into the final round and would move into second behind Fox if he could finish outright second.
| OOM | Name | Prizemoney | PGA Pos |
| 1 | Ryan Fox | $295,029.73 | T23 |
| 2 | Zach Murray | $220,940.35 | T51 |
| 3 | Brad Kennedy | $204,671.42 | T31 |
| 4 | Wade Ormsby | $153,124.70 | T2 |
| 5 | Aaron Pike | $119,946.67 | MC |
| 6 | Josh Geary | $106,544.03 | T36 |
| 7 | Ashley Hall | $105,927.17 | T45 |
| 8 | Jason Scrivener | $101,134.26 | WD |
| 9 | Josh Younger | $86,747.09 | DNS |
| 10 | Denzel Ieremia | $79,261.91 | T23 |
Australia’s latest major champion Hannah Green has capped an extraordinary 2019 season by receiving the most prestigious award in Australian golf, the Greg Norman Medal.
The West Australian was recognised for her two-win season on the LPGA Tour in the United States at a gathering of the who’s who of Australian golf at RACV Royal Pines Resort on Tuesday evening, host venue for this week’s Australian PGA Championship.
Following in the footsteps of fellow West Australian Minjee Lee, Green becomes the second consecutive female recipient of the award, recognition of her major championship triumph at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship which she followed up with victory at the Cambia Portland Classic.
“It probably wasn’t expected from myself or my peers that I would win a major as my first event and to go back two months after and win another one it just shows that you never know what can happen with golf,” said Green.
As she did at Hazeltine National, Australian legend Karrie Webb was present to help celebrate Green’s latest honour which she hopes to use to further inspire juniors at her home club at Mount Lawley and throughout Australia.
“Karrie’s done a great job to give the scholarship to us so I’d love to do as much as I possibly can, especially to juniors in WA,” said Green, who was a recipient of the Karrie Webb Scholarship in 2015.
“It’s hard for us to go to Aussie Opens, even mens events. I never had that luxury until Karrie took me to the US Open so that’s why I’m so grateful for her showing me as much as possible in one week.
“I’d love to open other little girls’ or boys’ eyes to see what it is actually like on tour.
“When I was young I didn’t really look up to too many people. Probably my dad at the start because he’s the person that plays in my family. He was my first real idol.
“Karrie became my idol when I went to the 2015 US Open. That was the first time I’d ever met her and seen her play in person. I got to know her not as Karrie Webb the golfer but as Karrie Webb the person.
“Since then she’s been an idol and a big sister.”
Gavin Kirkman, the CEO of the PGA of Australia, said Green’s career-defining year has elevated the young star to hero status and will encourage more juniors to take up golf.
“Hannah has had an extraordinary year. To win her maiden major then back it up with another win on the LPGA Tour demonstrates Hannah is a proven champion,” Kirkman said.
“It’s such a thrill to award this prestigious honour to another talented woman. Hannah’s rapid rise has encouraged more people to take up golf. She has paved the way for the next generation of golfers.
CEO of the ALPG Karen Lunn said Hannah was a shining example of how hard work and dedication can pay off.
“Hannah truly deserves this award for all her hard work. She is an inspiration to a new wave of young girls eager to take up golf,” Lunn said.
“Women’s golf, thanks to Karrie Webb, Minjee Lee and Hannah, has never been stronger.”
Since her success, Green’s popularity has soared to new heights, the demands on her time one of the trappings of such fame.
Due to celebrate her 23rd birthday on Friday, Green has recently joined the IMG management stable to coordinate her various commitments, her dedication to the promotion of golf in Australia to continue to be a high priority.
“I’ll definitely say yes to as many things as I can do,” said Green.
“Playing Vic Open and Aussie Open I’ve already got requests to do lots of clinics and media things during both of those weeks.
“I want to make sure that I can do as much as I can those weeks because I love playing at home and that’s the only time I really get to play in front of a home crowd.
“Everyone’s really great in supporting me out on the golf course so I want to give back as much as possible.”
Her commitment to Australian golf will likely include representing her country at the Tokyo Olympics in July next year alongside Minjee Lee, the blazer she tried on during the men’s Australian Open a fortnight ago further motivation to carry her 2019 form into the new year.
“I won’t start my season until February at the Vic Open but I’m more motivated than ever because I now know what it tastes like and I want to have it again,” said Green.
“I’ve been trying on some stuff and filing out some forms so it’s been really exciting. I can’t imagine what it’s like for other athletes competing just for the Olympics.
“I don’t really know that I believe golf should be in the Olympics but if I have the opportunity to represent my country and possibly win a gold medal I’ll definitely want to be there.”
Greg Norman Medal Honour Roll
2019 Hannah Green
2018 Minjee Lee
2017 Marc Leishman
2016 Jason Day
2015 Jason Day
OTHER AWARD WINNERS:
2019 MyGolf Deliverer of the Year
Gary Booby, The Ridge Golf Club
2019 National Trainee Professional of the Year
Joint winners – Ben Pisani, Royal Melbourne Golf Club, and Cooper Eccleston, Victoria Park Golf Complex
2019 PGA National Club Professional of the Year
Jason Roach, Cairns Golf Club
2019 PGA National Management Professional of the Year
Darren Richards, Nudgee Golf Club
2019 PGA National Game Development Professional of the Year
Lachlan Foulsham, Empower Golf
2019 PGA National Coach of the Year
Ritchie Smith, Royal Fremantle Golf Club
2019 ALPG Player of the Year
Sarah Kemp
2019 Ladbrokes Legends Tour Player of the Year
Mike Harwood, VIC
2019 ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Player of the Year
Ryan Fox, NZ
Matt Jones is a two-time Emirates Australian Open champion and that can only feel good.
The 39-year-old Australian joined the likes of Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman and Peter Thomson as a multiple winner of the Stonehaven Cup when he held off South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen by a shot in a magnificent finish to the 104th championship at The Australian today.
It augments the title he won at the same venue – his home course – in 2015. Adding to the sense of déjà vu, he had a similar putt of just more than a metre to win the Open today, and lipped it in via the left edge.
“No, I like to make it interesting,” he said, with the wry smile of a satisfied man. “It couldn’t have been an easier putt, this one. The first one (in 2015) I didn’t really know the read. This one I could hit it as firm as I wanted. It could have hit the right edge and it would have gone in. But I thought I’d hit it pretty soft and just trickle in the left side.’’
He is the 19th man to win multiple Australian Opens, and he was embraced by his family – wife Melissa and daughters Savannah, Saber and Simone – on the 72nd green before an adoring crowd, many of them well aware that Jones is a Sydney boy who made good in America.
“To be on the trophy with Jack and Gary and Greg and Adam (Scott), Rory (McIlroy), Jordan (Spieth); to be able to do it twice is very special and something that I’ll be able to look back on later in life and be very proud of,’’ he said.
In 2015, he had come so close to missing his title-clinching putt that he arched back in utter relief as it dropped. This time, he managed a little fist pump after posting 69, his fourth round in the 60s.
The finish was befitting a storied championship. Jones, who started out with a three-shot lead, had looked unassailable for most of the day, especially once he rattled in a birdie putt from long range on the 17th green.
But Oosthuizen, playing one group ahead, conjured a sensational eagle at the par-five 18th to post 14-under overall, meaning that Jones at 15-under needed to par the last to win. It was the closest anyone had come to him all day.
Worse, Jones had a miscommunication with a reporter and thought that he only needed to make a bogey to win. Then the Australian turned his drive over into the left trap, and his punch shot from the sand hit a tree and dropped down into pine needles below. Calamity seemed possible. Reaching the green, Jones saw an electronic scoreboard that revealed he had to get his ball up and down.
Ultimately Jones did what he had to do. From the front fringe of the green he chipped beautifully, up to just more than a metre, and made the putt.
He’s never been a prolific winner of professional tournaments but in Sydney and in particular at The Australian, he’s a world-beater. He led from partway through the second round until he breasted the tape.
“Something like this has been coming and it’s very special when it’s your national Open and to do it two times in a row is something that’s pretty unbelievable right now,” he said. “But I’m going to build on this. If I can play as calm on the US Tour as I did these four days, I think I’ll have a very good year.”
Oosthuizen was superb, shooting a 66 and proving his bona fides a few days out from the Presidents Cup. Queenslander Aaron Pike (69) and Japanese amateur Takumi Kanaya tied third at nine-under, a full five shots farther back. Veteran Greg Chalmers (67) was in the group at eight-under, along with American Cameron Tringale and England’s Paul Casey.
Jones, Pike and Kanaya all locked up starts in the Open Championship at Royal St Georges next year.
The Australian Open moves to Kingston Heath next year.
FINAL RESULTS
MULTIPLE WINNERS – AUSTRALIAN OPEN
7 wins
Gary Player: 1958, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1974
6 wins
Jack Nicklaus: 1964, 1968, 1971, 1975, 1976, 1978
5 wins
Greg Norman: 1980, 1985, 1987, 1995, 1996
Ivo Whitton: 1912, 1913, 1926, 1929, 1931 (amateur)
4 wins
Ossie Pickworth: 1946, 1947, 1948, 1954
3 wins
Peter Thomson: 1951, 1967, 1972
Norman Von Nida: 1950, 1952, 1953
Carnegie Clark: 1906, 1910, 1911
2 wins
Jordan Spieth: 2014, 2016
Peter Senior: 1989, 2012
Greg Chalmers: 1998, 2011
Robert Allenby: 1994, 2005
Peter Lonard: 2003, 2004
Aaron Baddeley: 1999, 2000 (first win as amateur)
Frank Phillips: 1957, 1961
Jim Ferrier: 1938, 1939 (both as an amateur)
Fred Popplewell: 1925, 1929
Michael Scott: 1904, 1907 (both as an amateur)
Matt Jones 2015, 2019
Matt Jones begins the final round of the 2019 Emirates Australian Open with a chance to claim a second Stonehaven Cup from a three-stroke tournament lead.
Beginning his 55th tournament hole with from 13-under, Jones will want to fire early and extend his lead over the competitive field within striking distance.
American Cameron Tringale begins the day at 10-under, ahead of Japanese amateur Takumi Kanya, Englishman Paul Casey and South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen at 9-under the card.
Aussie favourite Marc Leishman will need to post good numbers to run down the leaders from 7-under the card but if anyone is capable, it’s the man from Warnambool.
As well as the win, Kiwi young gun Denzel Ieremia will also be aiming for a place in the field at The 149th Open at Royal St George’s in 2020.
The leading three players who finish in the top ten and ties at the Emirates Australian Open will earn a place at the prestigious event from 12-19 July.
Watch all of the #AusOpenGolf action at The Australian on channel Seven live from 12pm until 5pm and view live scores at pga.org.au or on the PGA Tour of Australasia app.
Get live updates from the course via our Twitter (@PGAofAustralia) and Instagram (@pgatouraus) and use the hashtag #AusOpenGolf.
Paul Casey has closed his second round at The Australian with four consecutive birdies to take the lead of the 2019 Emirates Australian Open.
A bogey at the third was the only hiccup on an otherwise pleasing scorecard for Casey who completed the second round with a total of 9-under; six strokes better than his overnight score.
“The last four was nice. I’ve not been able to get it close to any flag for about a day and a half and then suddenly the back nine for me, the front nine, the last half a dozen holes, suddenly some really good birdie opportunities,” Casey said.
“I don’t know if it was fully in the zone but it was really nice stuff and it felt really good, so suddenly from a case of sort of bumbling around, just a couple under par, challenging for lead, and in the lead right now; so good stuff.”
After battling difficult, smoky conditions yesterday afternoon the benign morning that greeted the field was welcomed by Casey but the Englishman insists both settings played little part in his overall performance.
“I didn’t really change anything. The strategy stayed the same, continued to hit very similar tee shots to the tee shots I hit yesterday,” he said.
“Still stuck in the bunker on the right on five; it always seems the same, but the outcome was different. But that could be something as simple as I said yesterday, there are variables that do change, such as pin positions, and that was the case a little bit today.”
Low scores were there for the taking in the morning of round two where six players including Casey, Deyen Lawson, Cameron Tringale, Denzel Ieremia and Mark Brown posted best-of-the-day scores of 6-under the card.
Tringale’s efforts elevated the American up to a tie for second place alongside Louis Oosthuizen, Ieremia and Queensland’s Shae Wools-Cobb at 8-under.
Crowd favourite Adam Scott may have done just enough to progress to the weekend with a second round of 4-under.
After struggling through his opening 18 holes, Scott found his groove again following a morning range session that included an adjustment to his stance and swing, enabling him to crawl back from a 4-over overnight score to sit at even-par.
“I adjusted my posture this morning on the range and changed the path of my swing a little bit and it was a good move, because I was really struggling out there yesterday,” Scott said.
“It was better. It wasn’t feeling amazing out there today, it was hard work, but definitely on the right path today.
“Hopefully I didn’t shoot myself in the foot with a bad round yesterday and I’d like to play two more rounds and keep working on this. You never know, I can have a decent result here and then be in good form going into next week and the PGA.”
Following the second round a cut will be made to the top 60 players and ties. The cut currently stands at even par as the afternoon field takes to The Australian layout.
Overnight leader Chun-An Yu went enjoyed a quiet day on course for 1-under and a 7-under two-round total.
For live scores from The Australian Golf Club visit pga.org.au, follow @PGAofAustralia on Twitter or @pgatouraus on Instagram and use the hashtag #AusOpenGolf.
For centuries now, mothers around the world have told their children there would be days like this. For centuries now, mothers around the world have told their children there would be days like this. And for Adam Scott the first round of the Emirates Australian Open turned out to be one of his. Winner of […]
For centuries now, mothers around the world have told their children there would be days like this.
For centuries now, mothers around the world have told their children there would be days like this.
And for Adam Scott the first round of the Emirates Australian Open turned out to be one of his. Winner of the Stonehaven Cup at New South Wales a decade ago, the 39-year old Queenslander needed 75 shots to get himself round The Australian course. Only once did he make a birdie, on the final hole. And five bogeys – two of them on par-5s – represented Scott’s only other deviations from par.
By the end, the former Masters champion was a disconsolate figure. Which was hardly surprising. Already, Scott is ten shots behind the leaders.
“I’d like a full-body cleanse after that,” he said with a rueful smile. “I was out of sorts out there. I lost my rhythm after the first hole. I hit two nice shots there but missed the birdie putt. Then I really struggled on the rest of the front-nine. I hit some really bad drives to the left. And I didn’t scramble. I just didn’t play very well.”
Indeed, this was something of a horror show for one so obviously talented. Only underlining the unexpected nature of the world number-15’s lack of touch is the fact that it comes at the end of a year in which Scott has eight times found his way into the top-ten at PGA Tour events. Two of those were runner-up finishes. So it’s not as if his descent into a spot outside the top-100 is just the latest episode in a sequence of failure, although he did come to Sydney after not playing competitively for four weeks. No one – certainly not Scott – saw this coming.
“I hope this was just rust,” he continued. “I was feeling a bit better towards the end there. But it is hard to put it right back in the slot when you are out there. I need a quick start tomorrow. Starting on the 10th here is a bit easier than starting on the first. Much more friendly. Hopefully, I can get that good start and be in red figures by the end of the day.
“My swing today felt really quick from the top. My thought was to clear my hips but I think I was clearing everything but. I just didn’t have a lot of feeling. This course doesn’t give you a lot of room on your start-lines and I paid the price. I can turn things round though. I have an idea where the ball is going now. My target is to shoot under par for every nine holes over the next three days. And if I throw in one really low nine I might be somewhere near the mark.”
Only exacerbating the 2009 champion’s overall dismay was the presence of Sergio Garcia and Paul Casey alongside him in the high-profile 11.50am starting time. Both broke par, Casey’s bogey-free 68 two shots better than Garcia and a direct contrast to Scott’s travails.
As you’d expect, Casey was the most cheerful at close of play. Given his aggressive style of play, a bogey-free round is not something the world number-14 – he is the highest-ranked player in the field – is known for particularly. But today he did the things top players do to minimise their mistakes. He drove particularly well. And his short game was good enough to rescue any errors in his approach play. Still, he was aware that more than the equivalent of three birdies each day – he made one and an eagle alongside 16 pars – will be required if he is to challenge for the title.
“It was tough out there, but I feel more for those who are right next to the fires,” he said in reference to the smoky-haze that currently hangs over the course. “So you’re not going to hear me complain about it. Apart from stinging eyes it had no effect on our golf.
“The highlight of my round was the shot that led to the eagle on the 14th. Tidy wasn’t it? This is a tricky course though. And the slowest greens I’ve ever putted on down here. Which is fine. The greens don’t have to be that fast on this course because of the amount of pitch on them. But we all struggled with the pace. Plus, you have to put the ball in the right spots. I did a pretty good job of that although I only had maybe three birdie-chances in the first 12 holes. The pin positions were tricky.”
For many others more than himself. Don’t be fooled. The smile that almost never left Casey’s face at the end of his round told its own story. He may be no better than T-6, but he was clearly happy with his play and day. As such he represents perhaps the biggest threat to the six men higher on the leader board.
Japan’s Takumi Kanaya shot the lights out at the Emirates Australian Open today, but he was not the only amateur to shine through the gloom of a hazy, surreal day at The Australian.
Japan’s Takumi Kanaya shot the lights out at the Emirates Australian Open today, but he was not the only amateur to shine through the gloom of a hazy, surreal day at The Australian.
The smoke haze from the dozens of fires still burning in New South Wales came and went through the day, but late in the afternoon Chinese Taipei’s Chun An Yu matched Kanaya’s opening 65 and they will wake up on Friday with a share of the lead.
The conditions were so bad after lunch that Adam Scott, who faltered in an opening 75, said he felt like he needed “a full body cleanse”. Matt Jones, the 2015 national champion who shot 67, said he’d seen nothing like it. But as Scott observed: “It’s the same for everyone and we’re out here playing, so you’ve got to get on with it.”
The conditions were pristine in the morning but when the wind came up and switched to the north-east in the afternoon, The Australian was enveloped in choking smoke. It was meant to have passed, but it had not.
Kanaya and Yu lead by two shots from a cluster of players at four-under 67, including Jones, the hometown hero, another New South Welshman Dimi Papadatos and Queenslander Daniel Nisbet.
Of the bigger names, Queenslander Cameron Smith and South African Louis Oosthuizen were impressive with opening 68s, Marc Leishman was solid with a 69 and Spaniard Sergio Garcia began with a one-under 70, while England’s Paul Casey carded a 68 in the afternoon.
Kanaya won’t be collecting the prizemoney but don’t be surprised if he wins. He recently won the Taiheiyo Masters, one of the biggest tournaments on the Japanese Tour. It’s not an issue for him, although he was anxious afterwards when he pointed out “I have three more days’’.
He has an Australian coach, Gareth Jones, who ran the South Australian elite amateur program before he went to Japan a few years ago. In turn, the Japanese program has been pumping out great players, with Kanaya, an Asia-Pacific Amateur champion already, at the forefront.
He played The Australian in this tournament four years ago, and recalled shooting an 85 in the second round to miss the cut. But he picked up some things even then. “I learned (the) Australian golf style. I just (knew) Japanese golf style before 17 years old.”
Kanaya was near the lead throughout his round after four consecutive birdies on his front nine, starting from the 10thtee. But then two remarkable birdies to close, at the tough eighth and the ninth with a 10-metre bomb, put the exclamation mark on his day.
As for Chinese Taipei’s Yu, he is well and truly familiar with Kanaya’s work. The two of them have competed together on the same amateur stages, with Yu breaking a few records while playing on the University of Arizona golf team.
“I know the course a little bit,” he said. “I played great out there and hopefully tomorrow I can do it again.”
The 2015 champion Jones is the highest profile player in the group at four-under, relishing the fact that he can play at a club he joined in 1995. His highlight came at the par-five 18th, which he eagled with a putt from eight metres that he was still laughing about afterwards.
“If it didn’t go in, it could have gone in the water, the putt was going that firm,” he said. “I didn’t hit a good putt. It hit the back of the hole, popped up and went straight down. Geoff (Ogilvy, who was in the same group) and I both laughed because it was definitely going off the green.”
Jones hopes for better conditions from tomorrow. “I’m not sure what the forecast is, but the smoke’s not good at all. It’s tough to see your golf ball when you’re out there playing, where it finishes. Your eyes do burn. I’ve got that cough like you’ve got something in your lungs, phlegm in your lungs or whatever, but it’s not fun. I hope my kids are inside in the hotel room.”
The second round starts at 6.45am.
Marc Leishman, Round 1, Emirates Australian Open KATHIE SHEARER: Marc, you left a few out there today? MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, I played pretty good, hit some really good shots and hit some stinkers, but coming off a month off you probably expect that. But, happy with 2-under. It wasn’t the ideal start. It would have […]
Marc Leishman, Round 1, Emirates Australian Open
KATHIE SHEARER: Marc, you left a few out there today?
MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, I played pretty good, hit some really good shots and hit some stinkers, but coming off a month off you probably expect that. But, happy with 2-under. It wasn’t the ideal start. It would have been nice to shoot 4 or 5, which would have been, definitely the way I played, I could have done that, but yeah, pretty good start all in all.
KATHIE SHEARER: Your putting good, everything good, other than a bit rusty, as you said?
MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, I feel good over the putter, the short stuff was good. These greens can be tricky. They’re very subtle and hard to read. I was happy with the putter. A couple of iron shots I’d like to have again, but apart from that, I played pretty decent.
Q. What was a good score out there do you think?
MARC LEISHMAN: It depends what the wind does. I think Cam’s 3-under is pretty good. I don’t know what Wade ended up shooting or what’s leading.
Q. Jones is 5 I think.
MARC LEISHMAN: I don’t think anyone will go too much lower than 5-under today. It’s hard when you’re missing greens. There are some tough pins out there, the wind’s tricky. It’s not blowing much but it’s switching a little bit. I’ll say it’s tricky, very tricky out there. Like I say, I’m happy with 2-under. I think I won’t be too far away tomorrow when I tee off, maybe 5 behind, which is nothing on a golf course like this.
Q. Did you find your mind wandering to next week at all while you were out there or not?
MARC LEISHMAN: No, not really, I’m pretty good at staying in the present, I guess. We spoke about it a lot but I guess it’s wandering between shots but my mind always wanders between shots, so it’s nothing new. I like to switch on and off. We probably spoke more golf than we normally would just because of that.
Q. When you’re talking about between shots, what is the stuff you talk about?
MARC LEISHMAN: Stuff that people are talking about outside the rooms, exactly the same stuff – food, beer, bar – normal stuff. It’s nothing. We’re just people exactly the same as everyone else, so it’s normal conversations.
KATHIE SHEARER: Thank you very much, thanks Marc, see you tomorrow.
A birdie blitz has helped John Wade hold a strong advantage following round one of the Sunshine Coast Masters. Wade registered a whopping nine birdies to be 7-under 65 – three strokes clear of second-placed Chris Hollingsworth at the Twin Waters course. Eighty Senior Professionals are taking part in the Ladbrokes Legends Tour events which […]
A birdie blitz has helped John Wade hold a strong advantage following round one of the Sunshine Coast Masters.
Wade registered a whopping nine birdies to be 7-under 65 – three strokes clear of second-placed Chris Hollingsworth at the Twin Waters course.
Eighty Senior Professionals are taking part in the Ladbrokes Legends Tour events which is played at two courses, Twin Waters and Pelicans Waters..
The field swill swap courses tomorrow before the competition is reduced to the top 50 competitors.
Tied professionals who will play the third and final round at Twin Waters on Friday.
Brad Burns and Richard Gilkey had the best rounds of the day at Pelican Waters, both carding 2-under 70.
Ian Baker-Finch, playing at Pelican Waters, while Peter Senior, Twin Waters, both scored 1-under 71.
World number one amateur Takumi Kanaya has shown the professionals how it’s done in round one of the Emirates Australian Open. A superb round of 6-under 65 took Kanaya to a two-stroke lead over the field as the afternoon groups take to the course. The Japanese young gun seemed comfortable around The Australian Golf Club […]
World number one amateur Takumi Kanaya has shown the professionals how it’s done in round one of the Emirates Australian Open.
A superb round of 6-under 65 took Kanaya to a two-stroke lead over the field as the afternoon groups take to the course.
The Japanese young gun seemed comfortable around The Australian Golf Club layout after firing seven birdies and a lone bogey.
“Yeah, I enjoy today, so I shot a 65 today and I play with Jason (Scrivener) and Jamie (Lovemark), so I enjoy it so much,” Kanaya said.
“I had a good start, the front nine but back nine is difficult – second nine.
“I know here is very difficult golf course, to find the ball. I have lucky, should be 30 feet to make par, I make putt..”
Emirates Australian Open 2015 champion Matt Jones returned to the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia tournament in style with an opening a round of 4-under 67.
The Australian Golf Club member held the lead at multiple points throughout the round but named putting as his strength on Thursday.
“I made a few putts for par to keep a round going. If you miss those, then my whole round has a total different ending,” Jones said.
“Sometimes those par putts, 6, 8-foot putts to make par are more important than a 6-foot birdie putt.
“To not lose a stroke I find is far more important than making a stroke.”
Former Vic Open champion Dimi Papadatos and 2019 QLD PGA Championship winner Daniel Nisbet also sit well within reach of the lead at 4-under the card.
Two-time Australian PGA champion Cameron Smith was pleased with a 3-under 68 round to sit alongside a logjam of players including Wade Ormsby, Blake Windred and Jason Scrivener.
“The course always presents a challenge here, but we had pretty good conditions early this morning,” Smith said.
“The greens were quite soft and the greens aren’t overly speedy as they normally are here, so it was pretty gettable.”
For live scores from The Australian Golf Club visit pga.org.au, follow @PGAofAustralia on Twitter or @pgatouraus on Instagram and use the hashtag #AusOpenGolf.
