Peter Cooke has won the 2019 SP PNG Open after an impressive performance at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club in Papua New Guinea.

In his first appearance at the tournament, Cooke started the day with a two-shot lead before going on to win the title by two shots from Jack Wilson with rounds of 71, 65, 64 and 70 for a tournament total 18-under 270.

“I didn’t watch any scores through the whole round today so I didn’t really have any idea where I was at when playing the last few holes,” said Cooke.

“Obviously we had the scoreboard for our group but I kind of had to wait until I’d holed the last putt and just judge by the reaction of everyone and ask a few officials. Once I got the okay and all clear, it was awesome, I’m stoked.”

Winning the SP PNG Open marks Cooke’s maiden win on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia after finishing runner-up at the WA PGA Championship in 2014.

“It’s awesome,” said Cooke. “I’ve obviously waited a long time. It’s what I live for, I love golf and I’ve always wanted to be a pro.

“This justifies a lot of hard work that I’ve put into the game so it’s so satisfying and such a great feeling.”

Maintaining his lead for the duration of the fourth round, an eagle on the par-5 8^th hole helped to extend Cooke’s lead with birdies on the 12^th and 13^th holes helping to seal his fate.

“That was awesome,” Cooke said of the eagle. “I had that putt earlier in the week and left it short. This time I thought, don’t leave it short this time and when it rolled in the middle I was like, you beauty, we’re off, so it was a great momentum getter.”

Holding a four-shot lead on two occasions in the final round, the competition closed in as the tournament came to its conclusion with runner-up Jack Wilson firing three birdies in a row from holes 14 to 16 to bring the margin down to two shots.

Admitting the nerves crept in as he played the final few holes, Cooke was pleased he was able to maintain his composure to close out the tournament.

“The last two holes I bogeyed and I had just two bad distances,” Cooke added.

“I had to kind of choose the long club or the short club and just made a couple of uncommitted swings.

“I honestly was just thinking to myself, ‘don’t do anything silly, and just play smart golf. I don’t have to force anything, I’ve got a couple shot lead’.

“I didn’t let anything get to me for the whole day. Probably just closing the tournament for the first time I might’ve let a few things get to me but I just wanted to stay patient, play some quality shots and I felt like I did that.”

Cooke’s maiden win secures the South Australian an exemption on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia until the end of the 2020 season and opens doors around the world.

“It’s very rewarding and now I know I have what it takes to win,” Cooke continued.

“There are a few things I’ve been working on with my coach Daniel Blackwell, to see them work under pressure was awesome.

“Without sounding too cliché it’s really just part of the process but it’s going to give me some good groups in the tournaments coming up at the end of the year.

“With the exemption that you get from it now I can probably have a look at a Japanese Q-School or something like that. It’s exciting.”

Praising the condition of the Royal Port Moresby Golf Club course, Cooke enjoyed the experience in the heat of Papua New Guinea.

“My friends that have played here told me ‘you should go and play, the golf course suits you’ and my first impressions of the week were wow this place is pretty narrow,” said Cooke.

“As I played a couple of times I got a bit more comfortable with it and a lot of the landing zones suited my eye so it probably does suit me pretty well. I felt pretty comfy out there.

“It was tricky, they put some tougher flags out there and with those pin positions when I got to 4-under for the day I thought it was going to be hard for anyone to go low and it turns out that’s what happened.”

A tournament total of 16-under the card secured second place for Jack Wilson, while a very competitive Jordan Mullaney tied for third place alongside Kade McBride at 14-under the card.

Dale Brandt-Richards, Brady Watt and Blake Proverbs tied for fifth position at 13-under the card.

For final results from the SP PNG Open please visit pga.org.au.

With his win, Peter Cooke moves to 21^st on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit. For the full standings please visit pga.org.au.

The ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia will be back in action at the Tailor-made Building Services NT PGA Championship in the Northern Territory from 22-25 August, 2019.

For the full schedule please visit pga.org.au.

Peter Cooke has rocketed out to a two-shot lead at the SP PNG Open after firing 8-under 64 in the third round at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club.

Starting the day tied for fourth position on 8-under the card, two eagles, five birdies and a lone bogey on the 10^th hole saw Cooke move to a three-round total of 16-under.

Firing eagles on the par-5 9^th and par-5 15^th, the second was the shot of the day for the South Australian.

“On the 9^th hole I hit into the middle of the fairway, slightly into the wind,” said Cooke.

“It was a tricky little shot actually, there was an overhanging tree just off the fairway and I hit this gorgeous little cut under the tree and it fed towards the flag. I holed about a 15-footer there so that was really satisfying.

“The 15^th though was awesome. I was down the left side and blocked out by the trees and just hit this big high cut over the trees and it went to 6-feet.

“It was easily the shot of the day, it was just good fun. That really kept the round going.”

Eagles popped up across the leadboard in round three with second-placed Jack Wilson and big-hitter Lincoln Tighe placing themselves amongst the front-runners thanks to eagles on the par-5 9^th.

Overnight leader Steven Jeffress joined Wilson in second place on 14-under the card, with a steady front-9 and birdies on the back-9 keeping him towards the top of the leaderboard.

Tighe also recorded an eagle on the par-4 11^th to take his round three total to 8-under to tie for fifth position alongside Daniel Fox, while Jordan Mullaney completed round three in fourth place at 13-under.

Not accustomed to holding the lead heading into the final round of an ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia tournament, Cooke believes there will be no added pressure come Sunday if he maintains his relaxed attitude.

“I reckon this is probably the first time coming into a final round or maybe even a second that I’ve lead,” added Cooke.

“It’s no different to if you’re second or third really, I’ve just got to play good golf tomorrow. It’s a nice feeling to know that my golf’s been good enough to get me to where I am.

“It doesn’t hurt being up the top. You’ve obviously got a shot or few ahead of the guys that have to chase you down.

“There might be a little bit of a banner there that you’ve got to perform but I’m pretty fine at the top. If you just let the golf do the talking then whatever happens, happens.”

In the three-year history of the SP PNG Open, two finals have resulted in a playoff with Brad Moules and Cory Crawford coming out on top in the 2016 and 2017 tournaments.

In 2019, Cooke wouldn’t be fazed if it came down to a playoff between him and another player on the 18^th hole but insists he will aim for the outright lead on Sunday.

“I would probably enjoy it, whoever I would have to be in a playoff with or if that happened,” said Cooke.

“I’m sure the crowd would be around and it would be buzzing so the atmosphere would be awesome. I’d probably prefer to have a one-shot lead and knock it in for the win though.”

Keeping to his tournament routine has been key for Cooke who says his preparation will remain the same ahead of the final round.

“I’ll definitely go and hit a few balls and a few putts, the same as I’ve done for the last three days just to keep my feels in check with what I’ve been doing,” said Cooke at the conclusion of the third round.

“I’ll probably go to the gym tomorrow morning like I’ve been doing every morning. I won’t really change a thing. It’s obviously working so I’ll stick to the same thing.”

Once again grouped with Jack Wilson on course, Cooke has made the most of his first time in Papua New Guinea.

“It’s my first time here. I’ve been told by a lot of friends from home who have played this tournament to come up, that the course would suit me and that I’d enjoy it and so far it’s been nothing short of what they’ve said so it’s been great fun so far.”

The fourth and final round of the SP PNG Open tees off on Sunday morning at 9:10am at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club with the leaders hitting off at 11:00am.

Steven Jeffress has once again proven that he has what it takes to contend in Papua New Guinea after firing 7-under 65 in round two of the SP PNG Open to sit tied for first place.

Joining morning leader Jordan Mullaney on 11-under the card, Jeffress played a steady round in the afternoon field as winds picked up around the course.

“I just played solid all day,” said Jeffress. “There were no amazing shots, I just played well; except for the 17^th hole.”

“For the rest of the round I hit the ball nicely off the tee, the iron’s good, I putted nice, I did everything well.

“I hit a great shot into 12 and made a birdie there. I hit an 8-iron into about 5-foot just behind it so that was good to keep the momentum going.”

Pleased to hold a share of the lead heading into the weekend’s play, Jeffress will play rounds three and four at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club with a carefree attitude having already performed well on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia in 2019.

“It’s great to be tied for the lead,” added Jeffress. “It’s what you do; you come up here to win.

“I’ve got nothing to lose; I’ve got enough money enough to be exempt next year so for me I’m not playing for money, I’d like to win the title so it’s good when you can do that.

“I’ll just keep playing my game. Around here and on all golf courses you need a little bit of luck but I’ll keep doing the same thing.

“It all comes down to putting. If you hole a few, you’ll be up there. If you don’t, you’ll fall back. The scores really show how good the course is.”

Sitting amongst the front-runners following the opening round of the tournament, a hot putter was the key to Mullaney’s success in round two which saw him fire eight birdies and two bogeys.

“My round today was similar to yesterday,” said Mullaney. “I got off to a hot start again. I have been putting really well on both days and just kept it together which was good.

“It’s the first time for me being right up the top so it’s great.”

Favouring the front-9 of the Royal Port Moresby layout, it is the back-9 that has worked best for the New South Welshman so far this week where he fired three birdies in a row from holes 15 to 17.

“That for me can be a bit of a tough stretch,” said Mullaney of the tail-end of the back-9.

“There’s a lot of water and you can stuff up those holes pretty easily so it was good to get through with a few birdies.

“I think the front-9 generally is easier but I played a bit better on the back today. I just take it one hole at a time.”

A foggy morning greeted players in Papua New Guinea before temperatures soared and humidity increased to make for tough conditions out on the course.

“It was a little bit dewy this morning so it’s a little tricky around the fringes of the greens,” added Mullaney.

“I made a couple of bogeys from around the edge of the greens which was a bit disappointing. Other than that the course was really good.”

Jeffress and Mullaney hold a one-shot lead over Andrew Campbell in third place on 10-under, while yesterday’s overnight leader Daniel Fox sits tied for fourth place alongside James Anstiss on a tournament total of 9-under the card.

The second round cut was made at 1-over with 52 professionals and three amateurs progressing to the final two rounds.

Round three of the SP PNG Open at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club tees off on Saturday morning at 9:00am local time.

Jordan Mullaney has set the best score of the morning at the SP PNG Open, firing 6-under 66 to lead the field in round two with a tournament total of 11-under the card.

Sitting amongst the front-runners following the opening round of the tournament, a hot putter was the key to Mullaney’s success in round two which saw him fire eight birdies and two bogeys.

“My round today was similar to yesterday,” said Mullaney, who finished round one tied in second place.

“I got off to a hot start again. I have been putting really well on both days and just kept it together which was good.

“It’s the first time for me being right up the top so it’s great.”

Favouring the front-9 of the Royal Port Moresby layout, it is the back-9 that has worked best for the New South Welshman so far this week where he fired three birdies in a row from holes 15 to 17.

“That for me can be a bit of a tough stretch,” said Mullaney of the tail-end of the back-9.

“There’s a lot of water and you can stuff up those holes pretty easily so it was good to get through with a few birdies.

“I think the front-9 generally is easier but I played a bit better on the back today. I just take it one hole at a time.”

A foggy morning greeted players in Papua New Guinea before temperatures soared and humidity increased to make for tough conditions out on the course.

“It was a little bit dewy this morning so it’s a little tricky around the fringes of the greens,” added Mullaney.

“I made a couple of bogeys from around the edge of the greens which was a bit disappointing. Other than that the course was really good.”

“I’ve been up here for the past few years and it’s generally always pretty still in the morning and you get a little bit of wind in the afternoon.”

Firing the equal best score of the day at 6-under 66, Andrew Campbell has joined the front-runners to sit in second position with a tournament total of 10-under the card.

“I played pretty solid all day, didn’t really make any mistakes apart from 17,” said Campbell, who recorded seven birdies alongside a lone bogey on 17.

“I just kept it in play and kept giving myself chances.”

Following a short break from the sport after time in the Philippines, Campbell is pleased with his form at the SP PNG Open.

“After the last couple of days I think it’s back more due to where my headspace is at,” said Campbell of his current form.

“My game’s always been there it’s just by me getting in my own way. I’ve found I’ve been able to get out of my own way this week.”

“I hit a lot of good short shots around the greens, giving myself chances. It was just a solid day.”

As the competition heats up, Campbell believes scores could go even lower following the afternoon field in round two.

“I can see scores maybe getting to 13-under, it just depends how much it blows and there are some good players in the afternoon so you never know.

“It’s going to take another couple of good rounds over the weekend to keep myself in contention. I’m just happy to be back in contention and playing well.”

Brady Watt, Will Heffernan, James Grierson and rookie professional Shae Wools-Cobb  lead the opening round of the SP PNG Open after firing 5-under 67 in the morning field.

Starting from the 1^st tee, a run of two birdies and an eagle from holes 7 to 9 saw Wools-Cobb move up the leaderboard before a fifth birdie on 17 placed the Queenslander into the lead.

“I know I had a really good stretch of three holes which kick-started my round,” said Wools-Cobb.

“It was lots of fun and that birdie, birdie, eagle stretch through 7, 8, 9 was awesome; I played some pretty good golf there.”

In his first season as a Pro on the ISPS HANDA PGA TOUR of Australasia, Wools-Cobb was pleased with his opening round’s score, saying that recent experience in the heat and humidity of Lae proved beneficial when taking to the Royal Port Moresby layout.

“This is my third week in a row that I’ve played in hot conditions so I think I’ve adapted now,” added Wools-Cobb.

“I played in Lae at the Morobe Open last week so I got a bit used to the conditions.”

With a logjam of players sitting just one shot behind, Wools-Cobb believes working on his short-game will improve his results as the tournament moves towards the weekend.

“I’m hitting it pretty well, I just need to hole a few more putts and hopefully I’ll be in amongst it on the weekend.”

Celebrating his birthday in the first round of the PNG Open, Watt was pleased to finish the morning in the lead after setting a goal of 5-under, achieving his score with a birdie on the 18^th.

“The birdie on 18 was nice to finish the day,” said Watt. “I had 5-under in my mind and it was nice to roll an 8-footer in on the last.

“I’m just happy to be playing events for a good two weeks in a row. I played well last week so this week is just a continuation of that really. I’m quite acclimated to the humidity now but it was good fun today.”

PGA TOUR China players James Grierson and Will Heffernan went head-to-head in the final group of the morning to join the leaders on 5-under the card.

Kieran Muir, Jacob Boyce, Steven Jeffress, James Anstiss and Adam Burdett sit tied for second place on 4-under the card with the competition tightening up further down the field.

Teeing off in the tournament’s opening group, New Zealand’s Muir continued his strong China Tour form in Papua New Guinea.

“I played up in China a couple of weeks ago and it was warmer up there so I guess I’ve had a bit of practice in the heat,” said Muir of the weather conditions.

“You can’t win the golf tournament in the first round but it’s nice to start well. I feel like the form is pretty good at the moment.

“I’m happy with where my game is at and I’m pretty confident so I’m looking forward to the next couple of days and just enjoying being here and seeing what it has to offer.”

Muir’s round included six birdies and two bogeys in a great display at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club, which he believes is in the best condition he has seen in recent years.

“This is my third year here and I think it’s as good if not better this year as it has been the last couple of years,” continued Muir.

“It’s not too dry at the moment but it’ll be interesting if it gets windy over the next couple of days so I think if the course dries out it’ll play a lot harder, a lot tougher in the scoring.”

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 SP PNG Open provides a great opportunity for a lot of up and coming players to show us what they’ve got on the big stage, but there are a lot of established players teeing it up in Papua New Guinea that they’ll have to get passed first. Here are the TI’s picks at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club…

JOSH GEARY
He’s quite the invite to the SP PNG Open with a strong resume and some good results already in 2019. TI is expecting Josh to be at the pointy end come Sunday.

CHARLIE DANN
Charlie has started the year off on the PGA TOUR Series – China like a man possessed. He looks to have progressed into professional golf quite smoothly and on the tight Port Moresby layout he looks a good chance to the TI.

JAMES MARCHESANI
James had a slow start to 2019 but things are certainly starting to change with his most recent results. I’m also sure he is most pleased to get out of Victoria for the weekend with his beloved Carlton FC struggling. So the weight may be lifted so to speak.

STEVEN JEFFRESS
Safe to say this bloke is in his element in PNG. Nothing surprises this old timer and that can go a long way with the heat, rain and difficult conditions that PNG can throw at you year in year out. TI does have a slight concern that he won’t have enough sunscreen so TI is just hoping he has the bucket hat packed.

BRETT RANKIN
No stranger to playing well in PNG after winning the Morobe Open at Lae Golf Club last week. Brett is also the type of guy that when he is on he plays well week after week. Hopefully someone feeds him a burger or 15 as well.

Josh Geary is hoping to make the most of a last-minute invite to play in the SP PNG Open in 2019 as he looks to re-gain status on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

Flying into Port Moresby following a three-event stint on the European and Challenge Tours, Geary makes his debut at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club with little knowledge of the course but recent play under his belt.

“I have just spent the last two weeks in Europe,” said Geary. “I played in Morocco at the Trophee Hassan II tournament and then the Challenge Tour last week.

“My game has been pretty good this year. I had a second and seventh in New Zealand and then a ninth in Kenya at the Kenya Open so that was a good start. I just need to get the ball rolling for the year now.”

Starting his year with a tie for second place at the co-sanctioned 100^th NZ Open in Queenstown and a top-10 result at the NZ PGA Championship the following week, Geary presents as one of the marquee players in a strong field of young and established talent assembled in Papua New Guinea.

“I saw some good names here for sure,” Geary added. “There are a lot of young guys who haven’t had much of a chance to get out there yet so yeah I’m sure it won’t be easy with a lot of good players.

“It’ll take some good play to contend I think. My form wasn’t great the last two weeks as I had a few issues with the body but I think it should be alright this week.”

Despite the field Geary won’t let the pressure get to him as he aims for another win on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

“I don’t really feel the extra pressure but there is a little bit I guess,” continued Geary, who won the 2013 WA Open.

“People are watching and expecting you to do well but golf is golf and you never quite know what’s going to happen.

“A win would be nice because at the moment I don’t have status on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

“I’ve only had invites so far this year so a win would actually get me starts for the rest of the season which is what I’m going for.”

Securing a card on Tour is important for Geary who believes having the opportunity to play both overseas and in Australasia is an asset for players looking to play a full season each year.

“There are a lot of pathways available,” said Geary of the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

“The Tour has a lot of starts and the European Tour card for the number one on the order of merit as well as starts at WGCs.

“Being close to home is always good as well. It’s great playing at events in both New Zealand and Australia and overseas like here in Papua New Guinea.”

Playing in the hot, humid conditions at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club will do little to throw Geary off his game as he looks forward to the challenge of the SP PNG Open.

“You get used to it,” said Geary. “A few of these countries that we visit get really hot and as long as you hydrate and eat well you should be alright for energy levels.”

Geary is just one of many players joining the tournament from overseas as players from the PGA Tour – China including James Marchesani, Charlie Dann, James Grierson and Dale Williamson join the field.

Round one of the SP PNG Open tees off at 7:00am on Thursday at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club in Papua New Guinea with Geary joining Australian Josh Younger and Canadian Jordan Pittman off the 10^th tee at 11:15am local time.

Reigning SP PNG Open champion Daniel Gale returns to the Royal Port Moresby Golf Club in 2019 to defend his title following a breakout year as a rookie professional.

Winning his maiden ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia tournament in Papua New Guinea in 2018, the region has been a happy hunting ground for Gale who’s path to last year’s SP PNG Open included Monday qualifying and subsequently winning the 2018 Morobe Open on the Ladbrokes Pro-Am Series.

“It’s really kick-started my career,” said Gale of his SP PNG Open win. “I had no status, no tour card and was relying on Monday qualifying or a walk up start, which I got for this tournament last year.

“To be able to go ahead and win, especially with a bit of expectation on my shoulders after winning the Morobe Open the week before and to do it in the fashion that I did; winning by 9 shots, it was pretty special.

“To know that no matter how the rest of the year went, I was playing all of the big events this year was great.”

The win has propelled Gale onto the world stage, earning the New South Welshman a two year exemption on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and the 22-year-old has certainly made the most of it.

Recording a host of strong results including a ninth place finish at the Australian PGA Championship and a match-play start at the tri-sanctioned ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth tournament, Gale has proven himself to be a strong competitor.

“This year was my first time playing the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth and I’ve watched that event on TV for the last few years thinking it was such a cool tournament,” added Gale.

“To actually make the top-24 and be in the match-play, I was just thinking, I’m there.

“Playing the big events like the Australian Open, Australian PGA Championship and the Vic Open and playing in the same field as top-50 players in the world, knowing I’m competing with and potentially beating them as well is awesome.

“At the Australian PGA Championship I finished tied ninth and beat a strong quality field so definitely winning this [the SP PNG Open] last year really boosted my confidence.”

Returning to Royal Port Moresby Golf Club with a year of professional golf under his belt, Gale believes he is a strong chance of defending his title despite the strong field assembled for the tournament.

“I definitely think so, there’s no reason that I can’t go back-to-back. It’s a new year,” said Gale.

“The golf course will probably be in different condition compared to last year so I’ll have to adapt to that. The way I played the golf course last year, I know how to play it and score well around here so my game plan won’t change much.”

With rains falling in Port Moresby ahead of the tournament, Gale is expecting course conditions to differ compared to previous years but still believes it takes smart, strategic play to win.

“I’ve seen photos that it has been really wet,” Gale continued. “If it’s wet it’ll work in my favour as well because I’m a pretty long hitter.

“You’ve got to do everything pretty well here but definitely you have to ball strike it pretty solidly around this golf course.

“The greens are quite small and sort of a bit of a dome shape so you’ve got to hit your spots, hit your numbers and hit a lot of fairways because if you get in the trees you’re chipping out sideways and most of the time you don’t have a shot.”

Receiving a warm welcome back to Papua New Guinea, Gale is happy to be back at one of his favourite events on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia calendar.

“When I arrived at the airport yesterday there was a guy with a camera already waiting, that was pretty cool,” Gale laughed.

“I’m getting the vibes from last year. Yesterday I went down to the caddy shack to try and find my caddy from last year and they were all saying ‘hey Daniel, welcome back, great to have you back’.

“I’ve received a really good welcome back and it’s great to be here. I’ve got good memories and I’m looking to try and emulate those again.”

The ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia’s 2019 SP PNG Open tees off on Thursday at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club in Papua New Guinea.

Daniel Gale has secured his first victory on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia, running away with the SP PNG Open title in the final round.

Gale shot 6-under in the final round to finish 23-under the card and 9 shots clear from runners-up Braden Becker and Tim Stewart at 14-under the card.

He becomes the first golfer to win the Morobe Open and SP PNG Open in two succesive weeks since Michael Wright in 2009.

This marks Gale’s first win on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

More to come…