Both Barr and Kennedy made the mad dash from Arizona to tee it up at Sanctuary Cove, Barr having fallen just one stroke short of securing full PGA TOUR Champions status for 2025.

He and Kennedy both shot rounds of 5-under 67 on The Pines Course at Sanctuary Cove to edge Lucien Tinkler (68) by a shot, Barr thankful for a good night’s sleep for his fourth win of the PGA Legends Tour season.

“I felt like I’d probably go OK today if I could get some sleep last night, which I did,” said Barr.

“My game’s really good and hopefully I get some opportunities next year.

“I’m going to have to make them happen but I’m confident where I’m at.”

Kennedy finished tied for 26th at Q School and was grateful for a win at the golf club that he calls home.

“Being a local boy at Sanctuary Cove, I was very familiar with the pins, and there were some really tough, tricky pins out there today,” said Kennedy. “It was nice to see them tuck a couple.

“Actually hitting into the water on 17 and making bogey got me motivated to get myself started and I made four in a row after that.

“It was nice to come and play out here and support Pete and Adam and also the members of Sanctuary Cove and tie for the win.”

HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED

With the Sanctuary Cove greens holding their firmness despite the quantity of rain in south-east Queensland in recent weeks, both Barr and Kennedy took time to adjust.

Barr began his round with a bogey at the par-4 second while Kennedy took seven holes before registering his opening birdie at the par-3 16th.

A bogey followed at the par-5 17th but he responded with a superb birdie at the par-4 18th.

It would be the first of four in succession that would position Kennedy toward the top of the leaderboard.

Barr had no problems finding early birdies, making four in seven holes after his dropped shot on two.

He moved to 4-under with a birdie at the par-4 15th and then closed with a birdie at the first to tie Kennedy’s 5-under total.

WHAT THE WINNERS SAID

“It actually played beautifully. The course was fantastic,” said Kennedy.

“It’s been in this good a shape for the last two or three months, so I’m pretty spoilt out here to be able to practise and use the facility.”

“We had some nice sunshine here and there, but the course was stunning,” added Barr.

“The greens were firm today, which I was surprised when we started out. You got the big bounce off the green, so just had to make an adjustment.

“The pace was good though and even though we had rain, the course was magnificent.”

LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1        Brad Kennedy              67
T1        Scott Barr                     67
3          Lucien Tinkler               68
4          Adam Henwood          69
T5        Peter Lonard                70
T5        Terry Pilkadaris             70
T5        David Bransdon           70

NEXT UP

The PGA Legends Tour now moves north for the three-event Sunshine Coast swing to close out the season, starting with the Living Choice Australia Legends Pro-Am at Headland Golf Club.

The 51-year-old joined the PGA Legends Tour this year after coming through both stages of Qualifying School and is proving to be something of a multi-round specialist.

His breakthrough win came at the 36-hole Moree Legends Pro-Am in September and he has had three top-10 finishes at two-round events since October.

But over two days at Beerwah Golf Club on the Sunshine Coast Weldon had to line up alongside the likes of PGA TOUR Champions member David Bransdon, Australian golf legends Peter Senior and Terry Price and prolific Legends Tour winners Brad Burns and Adam Henwood.

It’s why this latest win was one to savour.

“It’s very inspiring,” Weldon said of the company he is now keeping.

“These guys that I’ve watched and followed their careers in my life and then finally be out here playing with them against them, and then to finish on top against that sort of a field, it’s a special feeling for me.

“It’s up there with my biggest achievements in this sport.”

Weldon trailed Scotsman Dell Bain by two strokes heading into Round 2 but compiled a superb 5-under 67 for a 9-under total, three clear of Nigel Lane (68) with six players sharing third.

HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED

Trailing by two at the start of the day, Weldon leant into that patient mindset from the outset.

Four pars to start kept him in contention before back-to-back birdies at 12 and 13 elevated him up the leaderboard.

A third birdie followed at 17 but he gave that back almost immediately with a dropped shot on 18.

There was no sign of panic, however, as Weldon picked off birdies at three, five and seven to put some distance between himself and the rest of the field.

WHAT THE WINNER SAID

“It’s not just like a one day shootout. You’ve got two days,” said Weldon.

“You can be a little bit patient the first day. You don’t have to come out and fire at everything.

“You can get yourself in the mix and then know what you’ve got to do the next day.

“I do like the multi-round events more than the single round events.

“I’ve been struggling a little bit with my putting of late. I’ve been working hard on it and my short game, chipping, 100-in that sort of stuff. I identified that that was letting me down and the boys are doing it a lot better than I in that department.

“It did click today and great greens, great course and the putts went in. That was the biggest difference.”

LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1          Nigel Weldon               68-67—135
2          Nigel Lane                    70-68—138
T3        Tim Elliott                     68-72—140
T3        Perry Parker                  70-70—140
T3        David Bransdon           68-72—140
T3        Euan Walters                70-70—140
T3        David Diaz                   67-73—140
T3        Dell Bain                      66-74—140

NEXT UP

The PGA Legends Tour heads south to the Gold Coast on Tuesday for the $40,000 Sanctuary Cove G&CC Legends Pro-Am hosted by Peter Senior and Adam Scott, one of the richest one-day events on the calendar.

Joint winner with Adam Henwood at the Gold Coast Senior PGA in his last start, Bransdon this time edged Henwood by a shot, his round of 7-under 65 made up of seven birdies, an eagle and two bogeys.

With two bogeys and an eagle in his opening four holes it was a somewhat mixed start for Bransdon before a hot putter enabled him to come home strong.

“It’s literally just the putter at the moment. I’m putting nicely,” said Bransdon.

“I’ve been hitting it good for a few months and I wasn’t far from a win in the States at the end of the season.

“If I can continue with the upward trend of my short game – which was a little tardy at times this year – I might be in for a ‘W’ next year on the big boys tour.”

Henwood (66) continued his excellent form with a share of second alongside Chris Taylor with Richard Gilkey (67) and Brad Burns (68) rounding out the top five.

HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED

After his mixed start, Bransdon soon settled into his work and went about building a winning score.

He made birdies at 16 and 18 to get into red figures and then played the Noosa front nine in 5-under 31 with birdies at one, two, six, seven and eight.

He made par at each of his final three holes, just enough to hold on for a one-stroke win.

WHAT THE WINNER SAID

“It was a weird day,” said Bransdon.

“Got off to a cold start with the putter and then it turned into a really hot day with the putter.

“The golf course was a lot greener and nicer than last year, and it was a pleasure to play. The greens were rolling beautifully.”

LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1          David Bransdon           65
T2        Adam Henwood          66
T2        Christopher Taylor        66
4          Richard Gilkey              67
5          Brad Burns                   68
T6        Rod Pampling              69
T6        David Diaz                   69

NEXT UP

The PGA Legends Tour is at Beerwah Golf Club Wednesday and Thursday for the Elgin Valley Beerwah Legends Pro-Am and then returns to Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club next Tuesday for the Sanctuary Cove G&CC Legends Pro-Am hosted by Peter Senior and Adam Scott.

Mitchell had four birdies and an eagle in his round of 6-under 66 to share victory with the in-form Adam Henwood at the NewGen Caravans Tin Can Bay Legends Pro-Am at Tin Can Bay Country Club.

Hailing from Western Australia, Mitchell has been a member of the PGA Legends Tour for the past three seasons but said that 2024 could well be his last.

“This is my third year out here and I probably won’t be coming back next year, unfortunately,” said Mitchell.

“Got to get myself a full-time job, buy a house and all that sort of stuff.

“The missus has been awesome for letting me play three years so thank her a lot for that.”

Mitchell and Henwood finished two strokes clear of a group of four players at 4-under, Brad Burns, Peter Brown, Guy Wall and Mark Boulton all posting 68s.

HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED

Starting from the 15th hole it took only until Mitchell’s second hole to get under-par with a birdie at the par-4 16th.

He would stay in red figures for the entirety of his round, adding birdies at the fourth, eighth and 13th holes along with an eagle at the par-5 10th.

Henwood, too, was quick out of the blocks with birdie at the par-4 first only to give it back with a bogey at the very next hole.

He turned 2-under courtesy of birdies at five and eight, added two more immediately after the turn and then closed with birdies at 14 and 18 to match Mitchell’s 6-under total.

WHAT THE WINNER SAID

“I played nicely, hit a lot of good shots, made some good putts,” said Mitchell.

“It was just solid all day. It felt good, which was nice.

“I knew I was sort of heading towards my first win and I just sort of hanging in there I suppose.

“My fellow legends players have been awesome for the last three years, so I’ll always thank them for that.

“You get a lot of guys that make a speech and they say it’s like a family here and it is like a family.”

LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1        Adam Henwood          66
T1        Robert Mitchell             66
T3        Peter Brown                 68
T3        Guy Wall                      68
T3        Mark Boulton               68
T3        Brad Burns                   68

NEXT UP

The countdown to the season finale continues at Noosa Golf Course on Tuesday and then moves to Beerwah on Wednesday for the two-day Elgin Valley Beerwah Legends Pro-Am.

The $40,000 two-day event sponsored by Pimpama City Shopping Centre again drew an exceptional field to Lakelands Golf Club.

In spite of all the recent wet weather, the course was in fantastic condition, the best of the PGA Legends Tour taking full advantage.

Henwood shot 7-under 65 on day one to take a one-stroke lead into Round 2 and followed it with a round of 3-under 69 in the morning wave to set the mark at 10-under.

It looked like holding up for most of the afternoon until Bransdon swooped late, including a birdie from 20 feet at his final hole, the par-4 10th, the toughest hole on the golf course.

“I was trying to hit it close. I had a good number,” Bransdon said of his approach into his final hole.

“I was in the middle of the fairway, 8-iron in, 139 metres, little head breeze and I thought little draw in there. Didn’t quite draw and it actually landed softly, which was unusual today because the greens were quite firm.”

Order of Merit leader Andre Stolz (67) also finished strongly on Friday but had to settle for a share of third alongside Brad Burns (67) with Derrin Morgan (70) and Peter Senior (69) tied for fifth.

HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED

After eight birdies in Round 1, Henwood arrived at Lakelands on Friday with similar intent.

His putter failed to respond, however, and he was 1-over through 10 holes thanks to a double-bogey at the par-4 18th.

A birdie t the par-5 second got him back to square on his round and then he surged forward courtesy of an eagle at the par-5 fifth and final birdie at the par-4 eighth.

Bransdon also did his best work on the Lakelands front nine.

Starting from the par-5 11th, Bransdon was even par through nine holes before unleashing a run of four straight birdies from the par-3 second to instigate his final flurry.

WHAT THE WINNERS SAID

Bransdon: “I was even par after eight holes and went, Maybe we’re playing for second or third. Then I got on a bit of a run and reeled off six birdies in the next 10 holes. I hit 3-wood into that seventh hole that we were playing as a driveable par 4 and made par and went, Here we go. And then I birded eight and then hit a nice shot into nine and missed a bit of a short one. And then I hit an awesome 4-wood down 10, the hardest hole on the golf course, then hit 8-iron to about 20 feet and I popped it in and I went, Wow, there we go.”

Henwood: “I actually played great the first eight holes and then just made the dumbest double on the 18th. I didn’t do anything different. I holed a couple of six-footers and the rest were… I just kept playing. It was just all on putter today mate, and I just couldn’t get it done. But I holed a couple on the last four holes and the eagle putt was nice.”

LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1        Adam Henwood          65-69—134
T1        David Bransdon           68-66—134
T3        Andre Stolz                  68-67—135
T3        Brad Burns                   68-67—135
T5        Derrin Morgan             66-70—136
T5        Peter Senior                 67-69—136
7          Nigel Lane                    67-70—137

NEXT UP

The PGA Legends Tour heads north to the Sunshine Coast on Monday for the NewGen Caravans Tin Can Bay Legends Pro-Am at Tin Can Bay Country Club, the start of the end-of-season run that concludes with the Queensland Senior PGA Championship on December 15.

The par 67 layout and blustery conditions presented quite a test for the PGA Legends Tour regulars, Van Raalte and Cain both posting a two-round total of 2-under-par to edge Adam Henwood, Chris Taylor and Tim Elliott by a single stroke.

Without a win in 2024 to date, Van Raalte credited an improved short-game showing for his return to the top of the leaderboard.

“My short game has been pretty ordinary for a little while,” said Van Raalte.

“Yesterday I actually got it up and down a few times, hit some nice chip shots.

“Been a few guys give me a bit of a hand over time with that side of things so it was nice to actually have a bit of success with it.

“You’ve just got to miss it in the right spot. If you can miss it in the right spot, leave yourself a decent chip shot or a putt, makes it a lot easier.”

HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED

Tied for the lead at 1-under at the start of Round 1, Van Raalte had dropped back to even par after going out in 1-over with two bogeys and a lone birdie.

He stayed level with the card when he traded a birdie on 11 with a bogey on 12, birdies at two of the three par-5s on the back nine elevating him to 2-under at day’s end.

One-over after Round 1, Cain could ill afford any backward steps as he also sought his first win of the year.

Two birdies in the opening three holes was an ideal start, moving to 2-under with birdies at 11 and 14 along with a bogey on 13.

Cain’s round finished with nine consecutive pars, enough to join Van Raalte on the winner’s dais.

WHAT THE WINNER SAID

“This afternoon was pretty blustery,” said Van Raalte.

“The greens were a little bit quicker this afternoon than they were yesterday morning.

“I hit a lot of good shots around the back nine to give myself some nice opportunities and got a couple to drop in here and there.

“Long time since I’ve been in the winner’s circle so happy to be there.”

LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1        Marcus Cain                 68-64—132
T1        David Van Raalte          66-66—132
T3        Chris Taylor                  66-67—133
T3        Adam Henwood          66-67—133
T3        Tim Elliott                     69-64—133
6          Mark Gilson                 66-69—135
7          Nigel Lane                    70-66—136

NEXT UP

The Sydney swing of the PGA Legends Tour continues on Monday with the Lovedale Farm Legends Pro-Am at Castle Hill Country Club to be followed by the Bondi Legends Pro-Am on Tuesday.

The legacy of David Mercer draws icons of Australian golf to Killara each year, 1991 Open champion Ian Baker-Finch, three-time Australian PGA champion Peter Senior, Rodger Davis, Peter Lonard, Mike Harwood and Peter O’Malley just some of the big names to tee it up on Thursday.

No one played better than Barr, however, the now West Australian converting recent good form into a rewarding win at the richest one-day event on the PGA Legends Tour calendar.

“This is the crown in the jewel for our one-dayers, for sure,” said Barr.

Barr had seven birdies in his bogey-free round of 7-under 65 to finish one clear of Senior (66), Lonard sharing third with Adam Henwood and David McKenzie with rounds of 5-under 67.

HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED

Back-to-back birdies at his second and third holes was the ideal start for Barr, who began his round with a par at the par-4 11th.

He went back-to-back again with birdies at 18 and 1 and, after a fifth birdie at four, birdied both nine and 10 to post 7-under, both of which play as par 5s.

WHAT THE WINNER SAID

“Had a great ball-striking day today,” said Barr.

“I holed a couple of nice putts but I hit all the par 5s in two.

“I had a lesson from a mate, Andrew Welsford at The Australian, and it came good today, so I’m very pleased.

“I’d been playing well for a while but a nice little tune-up there was needed.

“I’d been playing well but just couldn’t get it done. I got close at the New South Wales Senior Open but didn’t hole any putts.

“Got it going today and then just full steam ahead.”

LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1          Scott Barr                     65
2          Peter Senior                 66
T3        Peter Lonard                67
T3        Adam Henwood          67
T3        David McKenzie           67
T6        Nigel Lane                    68
T6        Murray Lott                  68
T6        David Bransdon           68

NEXT UP

The PGA Legends Tour is at Roseville Golf Club in Sydney Friday and Saturday for the Roseville Golf Club Mashie & Pro-Am.

With water lurking at every twist and turn of the Central Coast layout, Burge banked on his numbers to navigate his way to a round of 6-under 66 in his first visit to Kooindah Waters.

A former regular on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, Burge is now the Assistant Professional at Wakehurst Golf Club in Sydney, the 50-year-old thrilled to finally get a win in his rookie season.

“I’ve been getting frustrated, shooting even par every tournament we’ve played just about the last 10-15 rounds,” said Burge.

“It was nice to actually make a few birdies for a change.”

Burge’s 66 in the morning wave held firm at the top of the leaderboard, Chris Taylor’s 4-under 68 the best of the afternoon scores with Leigh McKechnie (69) and Scott Laycock (70) finishing third and fourth respectively.

HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED

Early indications were good that Burge’s fortunes were going to turn at Kooindah Waters.

Starting from the 10th tee, Burge busted open with three straight birdies to begin his round, making it four from five at the short par-4 14th.

He made the first of three bogeys on his round at the par-4 16th but turned in 4-under thanks to a birdie at the par-3 17th.

Burge birdied the par-5 first to start his back nine, picked up another at the par-3 fourth and then eagled the par-5 fifth after hitting his 4-iron to eight feet and making the putt to reach 8-under.

Late bogeys at six and eight sucked some of the joy from Burge’s brilliant round but it was still enough to secure a two-stroke win.

WHAT THE WINNER SAID

“Hit the ball really solid and putted solid,” said Burge.

“Had a lot of chances and holed all the putts I should, apart from a couple. Hit a lot of greens and was really focused.

“I didn’t know where I was going, so I had to just use my laser to work out where to hit it and hit it there.”

LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1          Ben Burge                    66
2          Chris Taylor                  68
3          Leigh McKechnie          69
4          Scott Laycock               70
T5        Robert Mitchell             71
T5        David Van Raalte          71
T5        Peter O’Malley             71

NEXT UP

Thursday sees one of the most popular events of the PGA Legends Tour season, the $80,000 David Mercer Senior Classic at Killara Golf Club in Sydney.

Recent additions to the PGA Legends Tour such as Brad Kennedy and Mathew Goggin loomed large but it was McKenzie’s putting that proved the difference.

He had a total of 10 one-putts in his round of 5-under 67 to finish one clear of Peter Lonard (68) as Australian PGA Senior champion Andre Stolz (69) and Kennedy (69) shared third.

HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED

A par at the difficult par-3 second was a steady start to McKenzie’s round.

He traded a birdie at three with a bogey at the par-3 fourth before the putter got hot.

McKenzie birdied three on the trot from the par-5 fifth and then made four pars around the turn to be well positioned at 3-under par.

He went back-to-back with birdies at 12 and 13 and after a dropped shot at the par-4 17th, hit the par-5 18th in two for the final birdie that would ultimately prove the difference.

LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1          David McKenzie           67
2          Peter Lonard                68
T3        Andre Stolz                  69
T3        Brad Kennedy              69
5          Mathew Goggin           70
T6        Adam Henwood          71
T6        Chris Taylor                  71

NEXT UP

The PGA Legends Tour is on the Central Coast on Wednesday for the Kooindah Waters Legends Pro-Am before returning to Sydney for the $80,000 David Mercer Senior Classic at Killara Golf Club.