Fox the pearl of the north

Players hit the “pearl” in the northwest, Broome for another fantastic edition of the Broome Furnishings Carpet Paint and Tile Open and the final event on the WA May/June swing of the Ladbrokes Pro-Am Series.

A favourite stop for all, players enjoyed beautiful weather for the $30,000 two-day event.

Day one provided a good test with strong easterlies making the course considerably tough.

Daniel Hoeve and Brody Martin fired superb rounds of 5-under 67 to hold the overnight lead by one shot over two other WA locals Daniel Fox and Brady Watt.

On day two the wind was up early but dropped off for the players to really take advantage of the Broome Golf Club layout.

Rory Bourke posted a pair of 70’s to be 4-under and outright 6^th. Brody Martin added a 1-under 71 round to his 67 to be 6-under for the tournament and outright 5^th with Braden Becker firing a 67 and Peter Lonard a 66 to share third place on 7-under.

It was then left to the two hottest players on course Fiji’s Sam Lee and WA’s Daniel Fox.

Lee posted five straight birdies from the 2^nd through 6^th hole to join Fox at the top of leader board, eventually signing for a 7-under 65.

Fox also went low on day two, turning in 4-under before having three consecutive birdies from the 15^th to the 17^th to record a bogey-free 65 and close the door on Lee and finish on an 11-under total.

This gave Fox his second multiple round win after securing the Mitchell & Brown Spalding Park Open earlier in the swing and now shooting back to the top of the WA Order of Merit.

“The game felt great today, always nice to have a bogey-free round especially a 7-under 65 to notch my first win in Broome,” said Fox.

“I love coming to Broome it’s one of our favourite stops on tour, I wish we could have a couple more events a year up here.”

Players will now head back east to continue the quest on the Ladbrokes Pro-Am Series, WA will host two more events later in the year to decide the WA OOM title.

Daniel Fox has posted a sensational final round 5-under 67 to overtake overnight leader James Anstiss and secure his second Mitchell & Brown Spalding Park Open title.

The winter weather continued for the remainder of the weekend but the winds had strengthened to test the 33 players making the cut for the final round.

James Anstiss held a four shot lead over his nearest rival Brad Moules moving into the last days play, but it wasn’t going to be easy to secure his biggest win yet in the WA swing of the Ladbrokes Pro-Am Series.

Jumping out of the blocks with two birdies in his first 3 holes and extending his lead to five shots it looked like the title was going to the New Zealander.

Fox on the other hand had also got off to a flying start, making four birdies in his first six holes to put pressure on Anstiss at 10-under par.

Both players had hiccups on the short par-5 9^th with Fox making a double bogey and Anstiss bogeying the 9^th and 10^th.

Bouncing back with consecutive birdies on the 10^th though 12^th holes Fox made his move by to get to 5-under for the day and move to an 11-under total.

He would eventually par the last six holes and have to sit back and watch Anstiss who was still holding a one shot lead with 5-holes to play.

Another bogey stumble at the 14^th hole brought Anstiss back level with Fox with four holes to play and put his destiny in his own hands.

Missing a good opportunity on the par-5 16^th and a par following on 17^th, Anstiss needed a birdie for the win on his last hole, a par for a playoff and anything worse would hand Fox the title.

Unfortunately his second shot finished plugged in the greenside trap and was going to test his great short game skills to get up and down to force the playoff.

A great shot left him with an 8 foot putt to force the playoff, this unfortunately slid past the cup, handing Fox his second title at this event.

Anstiss still held his head high after the finish.

“It was a tough day out there and I’m disappointed I didn’t get the win but I’ll take the positives away from this week and keep pushing. Congrats to Daniel on a fantastic round in tough conditions,” said Anstiss.

Fox, whose nickname on tour is “arrow” referring to how straight he hits his iron shots, relied on these shots on the way to claiming the title

“I knew it was a lot (6 shots) to make up but the wind being this strong makes the course super tricky, so I just hung tough hitting some good solid shots to give myself some great opportunities, knowing that if could get to a 10 or 11 under total it could put some pressure on James,” said Fox.

“I love this place, Chris Clarkson and his team did an amazing job to get the course the way it was through a few awful days of weather. Credit must to go James also, he’s been playing great the whole series and I have no doubt he’s going to be a player of the future.”

The Ladbrokes Pro-Am Series WA Swing now heads further north to the CITIC Pacific Mining Karratha Pro-Am on Thursday 13 June, followed by The Roy Hill Port Hedland Classic on Saturday 16^th and Sunday 17^th, then to the last event of the May/June swing for the Broome Furnishing Carpet, Paint and Tile Open.

Daniel Fox has edged into the lead of the SP PNG Open with a flawless round of 7-under 65 at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club.

No stranger to leading an ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia tournament, the WA Open and QLD PGA Championship winner credited changing up his game plan in the first round.

“I was very clinical today,” said Fox, who sits two shots clear of the field.

“I drove it pretty well up until the last few holes but I managed to keep it together with some good short game.

“I putted much better than last week in Lae where I sort of messed around with a few things just to get the ball rolling and it’s carried over to this week.

“I gave myself plenty of really good looks, made the odd putt here and there and finished with three birdies in a row.”

Firing seven birdies, including three straight on his final three holes through 7, 8 and 9, Fox believes maintaining his composure was what lead to the impressive score.

“If you don’t make bogeys there’s not much you have to worry about,” Fox continued.

“I’m happy to shoot three or four under and not make bogeys rather than shoot 7 or 8 but have three or four mistakes in there.

“It goes more into line with how I’m thinking on the course. If I’m not putting myself under too much pressure then I shouldn’t have too many bogeys but if I’m forcing it then they’ll pop up on the card.

“I’ll be stoked if I can do it again for any one of the next three rounds. I was mindful of it as I was coming in so I was happy to have a clean sheet.”

Holding a comfortable lead over a logjam of players on 5-under the card, Fox believes the level of competition will continue to increase across the weekend if players take advantage of parts of the course.

“I think if you ask everyone in the field, they probably could have had three or four shots better if they got a putt to drop,” added Fox. “I think I just managed to get a couple more.”

“If you have a good round out here you can shoot 4-under, but if you have a few extra putts drop, that’s when you shoot your 6 and 7-unders.

“The par-5s are gettable and there’s so many short par-4s that if you can get a good line on the fairways you can control your wedge shots. If you can do that then you’re going to be within 10 feet.”

Jordan Mullaney and Douglas Klein have added their names to the list of six players including Brady Watt, Shae Wools-Cobb, James Grierson and Will Heffernan, now sitting on 5-under 67. A further 10 players sit tied for eighth place at 4-under the card.

Having played at the Royal Port Moresby Golf Club course for six years, Fox was impressed with its presentation for the 2019 SP PNG Open, a sentiment that has been echoed by much of the field following the first round.

“It’s a little bit different out here to last week,” said Fox. “The grass is a bit more couch in these fairways and there’s a bit of elevation change as well.”

“I’ve played here six times and it’s definitely changed even from Tuesday. The ball is running a lot more and it’s going a heap further.

“I reckon it’s bouncing at least 20 to 30 meters further off its first bounce than what it was even a couple of days ago.

“I made a little adjustment to that but you have to work out how the course is playing because as you get out there it does sort of change around a bit, I was just able to hit the ball in position to not really put myself in harm’s way.

“I laid up a few times where I thought, ‘should I have a go?’ But I decided I’d just keep it simple and it ended up being a good day.”

Fox will join Damien Jordan and Gideon Tikili in the second round of the SP PNG Open at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club where he will tee of the first tee on Friday morning at 7:30am.

The Coca-Cola Queensland PGA Championship presented by Toowoomba Regional Council celebrates its 10^th year of competition at City Golf Club in 2019 and is set to welcome two of its most recent champions back to the tournament.

Reigning champion Daniel Fox is thrilled to return to City Golf Club in strong form following last year’s win, optimistic that he can continue his recent string of strong results.

“It’s quite special,” said Fox.

“Now that I’m coming back to the same course again, where you have had a win has its advantages so I can plot the way I want to go about attacking the course.

“It’s a good feeling; I’m in a bit of form after last week in Perth so I’m looking forward to the opportunity,” added Fox, who finished tied 26th at the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth.

“It’s a bit more of a golf course that will suit me. It’s a bit shorter and you need to be pretty accurate so I fancy my chances.”

Returning as reigning champion will add no extra pressure for the West Australian who enjoys the laid-back atmosphere of the tournament.

“No, not really,” he said of the pressure.

“It’s surprising; it feels like longer than a year ago that I actually won the tournament.

“Last year will still always be there but this year it’s a chance to start something new again for 2019.

“This week here, it’s a bit more relaxing,” says Fox who has competed in two European Tour and ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia co-sanctioned tournaments over the past two weeks.

“It’s a different sort of vibe about the place so I think everything’s sort of a bit more measured.

“It still won’t be easy by any stretch but from my point of view it’s a bit more manageable.”

Fox is not the only player with the advantage of course knowledge in 2019 as 2016 victor Daniel Pearce returns with hopes of adding his name to the winner’s list once again on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

Recording his first professional win at the 2017 Coca-Cola QLD PGA Championship, Pearce went on to finish tied for 5th place at the 2017 Fiji International before starting his year on a high in 2018 with a 6th place finish at the REBEL Sport Masters. This week marks the start of his 2019 campaign.

Following his QLD PGA Championship win in 2011, New Zealander Gareth Paddison has found luck in Victoria, winning the 2012 and 2014 Victorian PGA Championship.

Making it through to the match play on Sunday at the 2019 ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth, Paddison carries form into the 2019 QLD PGA Championship and looks hopeful of another strong result in Queensland.

While the following players won’t be teeing it up at City Golf Club this week, their QLD PGA victories hold a special place in their careers.

Germany’s David Klein has been marred by injury since winning the QLD PGA Championship in 2016, suffering from a disc bulging in his back caused by Schuerermann’s Disease.

Going on to secure his card on the European Tour following his win in 2015, former champion Ryan Fox recently won the largest tournament of his professional career at the 2019 ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth.

Cementing his status on the European Tour for the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Fox has proven to be one of New Zealand’s best golfing exports having recorded a string of strong results since winning in Toowoomba four years ago.

Parramatta local Anthony Summers has focussed on his teaching career since his QLD PGA Championship win in 2014, going on to win events on the Ladbrokes Pro-Am Series most recently in 2018.

Queenslander and 2013 winner Brad Kennedy regularly plies his trade on the lucrative Japan Golf Tour recording his most recent win at the 2018 Sega Sammy Cup.

Having got his 2019 season off to a strong start, Brad Kennedy recorded a runner-up result at the ISPS HANDA Vic Open and a 10th place finish at the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth.

In a change of pace, 2012 champion Andrew Tschudin has turned his focus to caddying for up and coming golf star Cameron Davis on the US PGA TOUR.

Having first caddied for the young Australian when he won the Australian Open in 2017, Tschudin has continued to support the New South Welshman since and will provide his expertise this week at the Peurto Rico Open.

Winning the first QLD PGA Championship played at City Golf Club in 2009, the tournament acted as a springboard for Steven Bowditch who went on to record victories on the PGA TOUR.

Winning locally at the 2010 NSW PGA Championship before turning his focus overseas, Bowditch won the 2015 AT&T Byron Nelson tournament, as well as the 2014 Valero Texas Open and continues to play in the United States.

The Coca-Cola Queensland PGA Championship presented by Toowoomba Regional Council tees off on 21 February, 2019 at City Golf Club, where former champions Darren Beck, Andrew Bonhomme, Kurt Barnes, Andre Stolz, Nathan Green and two-time winner Terry Price also join the field.

For the full list of winners visit pga.org.au.

2018 – Daniel Fox

2017 – Daniel Pearce

2016 – David Klein

2015 – Ryan Fox

2014 – Anthony Summers

2013 – Brad Kennedy

2012 – Andrew Tschudin

2011 – Gareth Paddison

2010 – was not played

2009 – Steven Bowditch

West Australian Daniel Fox has recorded his second ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia victory, taking out the Coca-Cola Queensland PGA Championship presented by Wippells Volkswagen.

Fox finished his tournament at City Golf Club with a round of 5-under 65 to move to 18-under the card, he faced a nervous wait as Canberra’s Matt Millar, playing in the same group, had an opportunity to make a birdie on the 18^th hole and force a playoff.

However Millar could only manage par and finish second once again at City Golf Club.

Steven Jeffress, playing in the group behind, reached the 18^th tee tied for the lead at 18-under the card, but his wayward tee set up what would eventually be a bogey on the last.

Aron Price was the last man able to make a run at a playoff, he required an eagle on the 18th hole but recorded a par making Fox the 2018 champion.

“I was just lucky this week, I navigated through a couple of dry spells through the course of each round and was the last man standing,” said Fox.

“I’m very surprised; I’ve always struggled coming here even though I’ve always said this course does suit my game, I like to hit driver a lot.

“Not to say that with any arrogance but I generally play courses like that because it gives me a shorter club in so I can get an advantage and get the ball in play.”

The City Golf Club always yields plenty of birdies and although Fox had reached 18-under the card, he was by no means comfortable playing his final few holes.

He made a strong charge home recording five birdies which eventually proved to be enough.

“You just never think you’ve got enough, it’s like playing a qualifier; you’ve just got to keep pushing and pushing all the time you’re just never sure,” added Fox.

“I turned in even par and I thought okay well the back-9 is where you can make your score you can shoot really low if you give yourself enough chances.”

After a tough season on the European Challenge Tour in 2017, Fox’s victory today goes a long way to restoring confidence in both himself and his game after he tweaked how he prepares for a round.

“I just got beat up playing over there, you always get pretty excited to go and play somewhere new, I just had a lot of holes in my game, more so in my attitude and my self belief,” an emotional Fox said.

“It was a big learning curve, there’s a lot of really good players outside of our own backyard and it was a wake up call to some things I needed to fix.

“But you’ve got to go through some of those hard times to sort of work out what you need to do. If you win once you sort of think can you do it again so you do get a drive to succeed again.”

For now, it’s on to the Horizon Golf NZ PGA Championship but Fox says he’ll definitely come back to Toowoomba to defend his title.

“I’ll definitely come back, for sure. The only thing better than winning is coming back to try and win again.”

Matthew Millar (ACT) and Steven Jeffress (NSW) finished tied for second at 17-under the card with Aron Price (NSW) in outright fourth at 16-under the card.

Maverick Antcliff (QLD), Callan O’Reilly (NSW), Jake McLeod (QLD), Brett Rankin (QLD) and Darren Beck round out the top-10 at 15-under the card.

For his win, Fox picks up $18,750 and moves to 15^th on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit, to view the full rankings, visit pga.org.au.

The ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia now moves to Palmerston North for the Horizon Golf NZ PGA Championship. To view the full schedule visit pga.org.au.

For full scores from the Coca-Cola Queensland PGA Championship presented by Wippells Volkswagen, visit pga.org.au.

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