Anticipation mounting in Adelaide

L-R Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau – photo Charles Laberge LIV Golf

Not since the days of the Kerry Packer funded Australian Open in the 1970’s has a field consisting of so many major winners been assembled for an Australian stroke-play event when Liv Golf’s Adelaide version gets under way on Friday.

The anticipation amongst Australian golf fans is palpable but based on early press conferences today so too is the case with the participants who sense the hype ahead of the first LIV Golf event in this country.

13 different major winners are included in the 48 man field, three of them, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson De Chambeau amongst the first to appear before the media in today’s introduction to the media.

“I think, yeah, the atmosphere is going to be great,” said Johnson. “I mean, with the amount of fans that will be out every day, I think it’s going to be an awesome atmosphere, and as golfers we love playing in front of as many people as come out and watch. The more people, the better. Yeah, I think it’s going to be a great week.

All three appeared excited to be in Australia, especially Koepka who is here for the first occasion.

“I’ve never been to Australia,” said the recent runner-up at the Masters and four time major champion. “I missed that Presidents Cup because I was hurt. Nice to be here for the first time. It’s always been a bucket list thing for me to do, come to Australia, so super excited, and it should be a good week.”

Johnson has been here on several occasions and although this is a new scenario and environment, the US Open and Masters Champion is delighted to be back.

“Yeah, I’ve always enjoyed coming down here, been down here a few times, played Sydney and played Melbourne twice for Presidents Cup and played in Perth, also, so I’ve been down here a few times, and yeah, really enjoy Adelaide. I like the golf course. I think, like I said, the fans, we’ve got a lot of fans coming out this week, so everybody is excited about the golf being here, and I’m excited to be here.”

De Chambeau played in Australia as an amateur and since and has already developed a passion for the Australian sunbelt style of golf.

“I love the golf courses here,” said the 2020 US Open Champion. “Sand Belt is always fun playing on, firm, fast conditions. I played here as an amateur back in 2016, as well. I’ve always loved it, the people, the golf courses, I can’t say too many more good things because there’s not much more good stuff to say. It’s all there.”

“I think shorter players do have an advantage because the ball is rolling so much. I have to lay back a lot of the times. I can’t just blow it out there and hit a wedge on. It kind of puts me more in a box, which is fine. I’ve just got to have good wedging and putt it really well.”

When asked if the shorter course will be of concern to Johnson given his power game, he responded. “A course like this, it doesn’t matter where you hit it, you’ve just got to hit it in the fairway. For one, it’s Bermuda rough, and it’s spotty but a lot of places it’s pretty deep and it sits right on the bottom. It’s tough to play out of.

“But if you hit it out of the fairway this week, the course obviously it is fairly short and the ball is running. You can get a lot of wedges in your hands if you’re driving it well.

“For me, I think for a lot of the guys, if we’re driving it straight, we’re going to play pretty good around here.”

Koepka was asked if he had been able to process his final round demise at Augusta National.

“Yeah — you just kind of take some time and digest it all. Did a good job of that Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and just kind of relaxed and tried to think about why it happened, why I played bad on Sunday, or Saturday-Sunday, whatever it was.

“I’m always pretty honest with myself, and normally it goes on what I was thinking, what I was doing. It was nice to get to the bottom of it.

“Look, you tell anybody you’re going to finish second in a major, especially where I was six months ago, a year ago, I’m not sure there, so I would have taken that, so it’s tough to really argue with it.

“Then reality, expectations and all that stuff gets thrown in there. But it was a good solid week and I can’t really complain. Gave myself a chance to win, and that’s all you can ask for every time you tee it up.”

The Australians, Cam Smith, Marc Leishman, Matt Jones and Jed Morgan will feature in a media conference on Thursday.

 

 

 

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Another big cheque for Cameron Davis


Cameron Davis – file photo
Sydney’s Cameron Davis has recorded his second top ten of the 2023 PGA Tour year with a share of 7th place at the RBC Heritage Classic at Harbour Town Golf Links at Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.

As was the case at the recent Players Championship where he finished an impressive 6th, this weeks’ tournament was one of the designated PGA Tour events and as such offered a total purse of US$20 million ensuring Davis will earn a cheque for US$607,000.

Davis tied for 3rd place in last year’s RBC Heritage confirming an affinity with the classic Pete Dye layout.

Davis was bogey free in his final round of 68, improving from 9th overnight to share 7th place with three others.

Davis’ good recent run comes after missing five of his first six cuts of 2023 and has him moving up the FedEx Cup points table after a slow start to the year.

“It was a good week,” said Davis. “I would like to have gotten a little more momentum going today and got a little higher up the leaderboard but always nice to finish inside the top ten.

“Hopefully it is the sign of good things to come and now I have a few weeks off before being back at the Wells Fargo in Charlotte (in early May)”

Of the other Australians, Adam Scott was 31st and Lucas Herbert 63rd.

The tournament was won by England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick who defeated Jordan Spieth in a playoff.

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Brett Drewitt moves to 2nd on Korn Ferry Tour Points table


Brett Drewitt – file photo – a return to the PGA Tour now likely

New South Wales golfer, Brett Drewitt, might have narrowly missed out on a second Korn Ferry Tour victory at the Veritax Bank Championship in Arlington in Texas this morning, but by finishing second to American Spencer Levin the 32 year old has improved to second place in the Korn Ferry Tour standings in 2023 and is on track for a return to the PGA Tour next season.

The leading 25 players at season’s end graduate to the PGA Tour, Drewitt looking to return there for the third time having played in 2016 and 2022.

Drewitt began today’s final round with a five shot lead but it took a strong recovery from a slow start to the day to keep pace with Levin’s stunning final round of 63.

2 over through 10 holes, Drewitt birdied three of his next four holes to draw level with Levin but a bogey at the 17th would prove costly as, even though he would birdie the last, he would finish one behind Levin, a former PGA Tour player chasing his first win on either the Korn Ferry or PGA Tour.

Levin bogeyed the final hole at Korn Ferry Tour School last year to miss full playing rights but this win solves those issues.

In now six Korn Ferry Tour starts this season, Drewitt has recorded four top 4 finishes, sweeping him to second on the points table behind Ben Kohles.

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Grace Kim wins just third event as LPGA Tour cardholder

Grace Kim file photo – Sean Haffey Getty / LPGA

In just her third event as an LPGA Tour card holder, 22 year old Sydney golfer, Grace Kim, has today broken through for her maiden win at that level with a birdie at the first extra hole of the Lotte Championship in Hawaii to defeat China’s Yu Liu and Korea’s Yu Jin Sung.

Kim birdied her final two holes in regulation play at Ewa Beach on Oahu to force her way into the playoff and then claim the first prize of US$300,000 with a birdie at the par 5 18th to establish her status as Australian golf’s rising female star.

Having missed the cut at her first start in her rookie year in Arizona in March and finished 59th in the event in LA  later that month, Kim has staged a massive turnaround to contend throughout the weekend and go on to win.

Kim gained access to the LPGA Tour after finishing 5th on last year’s secondary Epson Tour allowing the 2021 Australian Women’s Amateur Champion to graduate to female golf’s holy grail and she has made an almost immediate impact.

“I think just the birdie on 17 was definitely the big momentum changer,” said Kim. “Yeah, just kind of speechless right now. I will let you know that my second shot on that playoff hole, that wasn’t intentional. I kind of got lucky there. So, yeah, I guess it was a good day after all.

“I think the communication between my caddie and I worked really well. Mike, he’s very good. I think he kind of brings me back whenever I think too aggressively or isn’t quite appropriate for the kind of situation.”

Kim has been the recipient of a Karrie Webb scholarship in recent years and she acknowledged the role one of Australia’s greatest ever players has had in her development.

“I mean, I don’t think I have to say much. She’s already helped me out so much from my amateur days. Yeah, I think this win is definitely a credit to her for sure.”

Kim will now play next week’s first major of the year for the women when she tees it up at the Chevron Championship in Houston.

The Gold Coast’s Karis Davidson also had a good week when she finished in 19th place.

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The Masters – golf’s Melbourne Cup


Scottie Scheffler – can he repeat his 2022 win?

They may be seven months apart and on the other side of the world to each other but the Masters and the Melbourne Cup are two sporting events in which Australians, whether they be fans of the respective sports or not, suddenly become experts and enjoy the prospect of picking a winner.

The Melbourne Cup has a much longer history and is very much built into the Australian psyche but the Masters is also an event which provides the amateur pundit the opportunity to pit his or her skills against those of the expert and the extensive coverage allows their investment to be watched with interest.

The 2023 Masters has the added prospect of the golfing world (currently under considerable divide) to unite, at least temporarily, and the prospect of the golfing traditionalists against the newcomers (LIV Golf) adds another dimension to a week which has become one of the ‘must watch’ sporting events.

The respective sides will deny any such battle exists but it is hard to dismiss that the performances of the 18 LIV golfers against the other 70 players this week will be watched with interest by the golfing world and perhaps provide some level of bragging rights for the side that succeeds.

Amongst the 88 man field are five Australians and one New Zealander, Cameron Smith the favourite amongst that line-up as he looks to continue an outstanding record at Augusta National, having recorded three top 5 finishes in six appearances and not having missed a cut since first teeing it up in 2016.

Like others now competing on the LIV Tour, however, Smith’s schedule ahead of his 7th Masters appearance has been considerably different to those of previous years and his capacity to overcome a schedule which has seen him play in just four events in 2023 may yet be a factor in just how he performs.

Smith missed the cut in his opening event of 2023 in Saudi Arabia and then, in LIV Golf events, did well in Mexico when 6th before disappointing efforts in Tucson and Orlando.

His affinity with Augusta National is apparent, however, and he will still start as one of the favourites generally and certainly amongst the Australians.

To a large extent Smith, along with Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson, carry the flag for LIV Golf while, undoubtedly, defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, along with Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm are the headliners for the balance of the field.

Amongst the other Australasians, Jason Day is another with an excellent record at Augusta National having finished runner-up on debut in the event in 2011 and 3rd two years later. In more recent years he has struggled at the Masters, but that has often coincided with illness or injury issues.

Over the last twelve months Day has improved from outside the world top 150 to a point where he is now the second highest ranked Australian after several top ten finishes in 2023 including six top tens in his last seven PGA Tour appearances.

Day has proven he is a big event player having won big titles and on some of the most demanding golf courses and while he might not yet be back to the giddy heights of six or seven years ago he is clearly improving quickly and I expect a good week from the 35 year old.

Adam Scott is of course the only Australian to have won the Masters and will play his 7th event of 2023 when he tees it up on Thursday.

Scott has yet to record a top 20 this year and without a top ten in his last five visits to this event his capacity to contend in 2023 has to be questioned. He is undoubtedly a class player but while his putting has improved considerably in recent times his iron play is perhaps not as precise as previously and as nice as it would be to see him in the firing line this week it is hard to imagine.

Min Woo Lee will play his second Masters after a sterling effort twelve months ago when finishing 14th on debut. He has yet to gain full PGA Tour status but he showed when 6th at the Players Championship he has the capacity to compete at this level and with the benefit of last year’s experience behind him he could do well.

Sydney amateur Harrison Crowe gets his start courtesy of his win at the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship late last year and the former NSW Open champion is clearly one of the bright young stars of Australian golf.

His goal is to make the weekend and be the leading amateur and if he can do that then his golfing stocks will rise even further.

New Zealand is represented by Ryan Fox who in 2022 elevated his standing in the game by finishing runner-up to Rory McIlroy in the DP World Tour standings.

Fox will make his debut at Augusta National and he can view this as a huge learning curve for future years. He has focused his attention on events in the US of late and all things considered he has done well with a top 20 finish at Bay Hill and another other solid showing at the Players Championship.

His powerful game will certainly assist on the par 5’s such as the 8th, 13th and 15th but whether he can ratchet his game back to overcome the subtleties and nuances of Augusta National remains to be seen..

Fox did, however, display a much more refined game in 2022 and as the first New Zealander to play the Masters since Danny Lee in 2016 his appearance will spark much interest across the Tasman.

As for my selections I get no prizes for selecting Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy as a likely winner.

Scheffler just keeps putting himself in contention every week and does have the benefit of knowing he can win the event. In his last ten PGA Tour stars he has been inside the top 4 on a remarkable six occasions. He may or may not win but surely he will provide plenty of interest through all 72 holes.

McIlroy has the burden of winning this event to complete the Grand Slam of major victories and that he has been one of the main critics of LIV Golf, but if he can overcome those distractions then he must surely be in the mix at least on Sunday.

A missed cut at the Players was a surprise but McIlroy played well at Bay Hill and again at the recent Dell Match Play suggesting his game is not far from where it needs to be.

I will also be investing on Jason Day because of the reasons outlined above and a player who might be worth consideration at longer odds is Sungjae Im who finished runner-up on debut in 2020, missed the cut in 2021 when a disastrous 9 at the 15th put paid to his chances and then finished 8th last year.

Looking for a longshot then I will be having a few dollars on Im.

Good luck and what a week it is going to be.

Tee Times

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Near miss for Dimi Papadatos in Chile


Dimi Papadatos – file photo

NSW golfer Dimi Papadatos made an almost dream start to a Korn Ferry Tour campaign when losing a playoff to American Ben Kohles at the Astara Chile Classic in Santiago.

Papadatos, who was making his debut on the Korn Ferry Tour after gaining conditional status via the Tour School last year, recorded a final round of 65 to come from four shots off the 54 hole pace to set the mark for Kohles who was forced to birdie the last to force the playoff.

With two birdies and an eagle in his first three holes, Papadatos had quickly put himself in winning contention on day four and actually took a share of the lead with one hole to play then the outright lead when Kohles bogeyed the 17th two groups behind.

Kohles, though, would birdie the last to take the event into extra time and although both players birdied the first extra hole, Kohles would birdie again at the second and the title was his.

Despite the disappointment of missing out on a win that would have earned him full status on the Korn Ferry Tour this year, it was a form turnaround for the 31 year old two time Vic Open winner who had missed four of his previous five cuts in events in 2023.

As start at the next event on the Korn Ferry Tour schedule in Texas is assured for Papadatos and he now sits in 17th place on the 2023 points table as he chases the possibility of a place inside the top 25 at season’s end to allow a graduation to next season’s PGA Tour.

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2023 Points Table

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Brookes Koepka finds form ahead of The Masters


Brooks Koepka – photo LIV Golf

The focus of the Liv Golf World turns to Augusta National this week following the completion of their Orlando event this morning.

Brooks Koepka won his first tournament in more than two years with a one shot victory over Colombian Sebastian Munoz and heads to Augusta National with his sights set on improving on his runner-up finish there3 in 2019.

Koepka held off a strong final day challenge by Munoz, a winner on the PGA Tour in 2019, but Munoz gained some compensation by being part of the winning team along with Mito Pereira, David Puig and Joaquin Niemann.

South Africa’s Dean Burmester finished in a share of 3rd place with Patrick Reed.

“I feel really good,” said Koepka. “I’ve been playing good for a few weeks, it just hasn’t really shown on the scorecard, making dumb mistakes, and it was nice to come out this week and play mistake free pretty much. That’s kind of what I do leading up to majors just in general.

“I’m very happy to get the win. Unfortunately we didn’t get the team win, which kind of is a little bittersweet, but look, I’m happy the way I’m playing going into Augusta.

“Next week is a big week. I’m playing good, and there’s really no better way to go into Augusta than playing good and get a win.

“I’m very confident. Like where the game is at. Just need to go out and try to rest up for three days, do my usual play nine holes every day and do the homework around these greens, just get a little more adjusted with Augusta.”

The best of the Australians were Cameron Smith, Jed Morgan and Marc Leishman who tied for a disappointing 26th and finished last in the 12 team competition.

Smith was on a roll before dropping five shots in three holes late in his round.

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Breanna Gill’s breakthrough win at Bonville Golf Resort


Breanna Gill -photo and article David Tease Golf NSW

New South Wales golfer, Breanna Gill, won the Australian Women’s Classic – Bonville after a nail biting finish that saw her claim victory at Bonville Golf Resort near Coffs Harbour in a sudden death playoff.

Gill made a three-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to overcome her fellow New South Welsh woman, Danni Vasquez.

The pair finished the 54-holes at Bonville tied at 6-under, just one stroke ahead of Victorian Stephanie Bunque.

Vasquez was the clubhouse leader after she birdied two of the last three holes and Gill and Bunque both needed to make birdie on their last hole to force a playoff.

Gill was able to complete the assignment while Bunque’s birdie putt was agonisingly close.

Having earned the opportunity to perhaps win, Gill made the most of it.

Vasquez was unable to make her 8-foot uphill putt on the first playoff hole, the par-5 18th but Gill snuck her three-foot left to right slider in the lower side of the cup to claim victory.

When the throng of fellow players performed the traditional spraying of champagne on the winner, Gill simply stood there with arms wide open and enjoyed every last drop that fell on her.

“I always thought in my head if I ever got the opportunity to actually win a golf tournament and the girls happen to come running out on the green, I was going to stand there and take it. I wasn’t going to run away,” Gill said.

“If you get yourself in that position, you just take it and it was so special.”

Two rising stars of the golf world produced great final rounds to finish in a tie for fourth position.

New Zealander Momoko Kobori, the winner of last week’s Women’s NSW Open, and Belinda Ji shot scores 68 and 67 respectively to end great weeks.

The pivotal moments in Gill’s final round that saw her claim her first WPGA Tour of Australasia victory were a chip in eagle on the 14th hole and a slippery downhill putt for bogey after she found the water with her tee shot on the 16th.

“I stepped up over that putt and I wasn’t afraid of it and I knew that I wanted to pour that thing into the middle,” she said.

“I threw it a couple of feet out to the right and let it break back I. Perfect pace, perfect line and it just went right in the centre. Very proud of that one and it kept the momentum going.”

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Tense battle results in Power Horan’s National win


Tom Power Horan – photo Australian Golf Media

It was perhaps fitting that two of the most consistent players throughout the season featured during the final stages of the 2022/2023 PGA Tour of Australasia, with Victorian Tom Power Horan edging out John Lyras by one shot after a tense final round battle at the National Tournament over the Moonah Course on the Mornington Peninsula.

With two eagles, four birdies and a bogey in his first twelve holes on day four, Power Horan had moved three clear of the field, one of those eagles coming when holing in one at the 8th.

Lyras, who has been another of the surprise packets of the season would not go away, however, and when he birdied the 13th the margin was just two and when Power Horan bogeyed the 14th the lead was just one.

Lyras bogeyed the 16th and the lead was again out to two but a bogey at the last by the leader saw him win but by the narrowest of margins on what was a fitting final day of the season.

Power Horan finished runner-up to David Micheluzzi on the season long Order of Merit while Lyras finished 5th although Lyras played only seven events compared the 15 by Micheluzzi and the 14 by Power Horan.

Power Horan secured his DP World Tour card for next season by finishing inside the top 3 of the Order of Merit and while Lyras was not in that group, earlier in the year he secured his Asian Tour card and appears to have a very bright future, his runner-up finish at the New Zealand Open an indication of his capabilities.

Power Horan recorded seven top ten finishes in his season including a win at the Gippsland event in December and this victory and now, with his DP World Tour card, he has the opportunity to advance his game even further later this year but in the meantime he can also play Asian Tour events after he, too, secured his playing rights there earlier this season.

Both players also have access to the Korn Ferry Tour Final Qualifying stages later in the year and Power Horan was excited by the prospect.

“That’s always been a dream,” he said of the chances of his playing in America. “I mean Europe’s amazing as well. I mean, my parents are Irish, I’m looking forward to playing a bit more over near my family. But for sure, the States is the place to be, I think.”

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FINAL ORDER OF MERIT

 


John Lyras – photo Australian Golf Media

 

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Elvis Smylie takes lead at National Tournament


Elvis Smylie – photo Australian Golf Media

Budding star Elvis Smylie played one of the rounds of his young life to seize the lead in The National Tournament on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula today.

Smylie’s course record 63 on the Moonah course, with nine birdies and not a single blemish, vaulted him up the field and put him in contention to win his first tournament as a professional.

Long touted as the Next Big Thing of Australian golf, the 20-year-old Gold Coast left-hander rolled in six birdie putts including a couple of bombs on the front nine, then kept it together on the more difficult back nine to post his score, nailing another birdie putt at the tough par-3 17th and narrowly missing a 20-footer for a 62 at the par-4 18th.

He leads by two shots from impressive Sydney professional, John Lyras, and Daniel Gale, who both posted 66 in conditions that were unpleasant with the rolling rain showers, but score-able because the greens were soft and the wind not as strong as Thursday.

First-round leader and Order of Merit champion David Micheluzzi faded to four shots back after a second-round 71.

It was Smylie’s day. A Golf Australia Rookie Squad member and former Australian Boys’ champion, he is at 11-under par overall after opening with a 2-under 70 on Thursday.

Grouped with Lyras and Blake Windred, they formed the hot group of the day. “It was pretty easy to play some good golf out there, watching Elvis today,” said Lyras. “I think it’s probably the best golf I’ve ever seen up close and personal. It was nice to be able to feed off that and keep chasing him.”

Smylie was white hot with the putter, making everything on the greens and using his imagination with former touring pro Mike Clayton on the bag. His 63 lowers the Moonah course record of 66 set by Micheluzzi on Thursday.

“It was weird, I mean everything seemed to go in my favour today,” said the Queenslander, whose mother Liz won four Grand Slams on the tennis circuit.

“I just played really good golf. It got a little bit windy out there which I like. I love the windy conditions. You have to shape your shot and control your ball flight really well. I did a good job of that and made a couple of long putts that I probably shouldn’t have made, but it was a really good day and I’m excited for the weekend.”

Smylie had not played the Moonah course prior to this week, but not surprisingly, it fits his eye.

“I love this style of golf,” he said. “It’s my favourite style, especially when it gets a little bit tricky. I love it when it gets hard, and it definitely separates the men from the boys.”

Smylie is 10th on the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit for 2022-23 and a win this week would push him into the top five, giving him direct access to the final stage of the Q-School on the Korn Ferry Tour in the United States, and potentially the same for the DP World Tour.

But he was philosophical about his position today. “For me it’s about focusing on the little step-by-step things that I’m doing well at and controlling the things that I can control. That’s all noise for me, so for me it’s what I can control and see what happens from there.”

Lyras is a regular on the top of the leaderboard who is still chasing his first win on tour, and he has again put himself in the mix.

In fact the 26-year-old could have gone lower than his 66; he left several putts in the jaws, and made a double bogey 6 at the par-4 sixth hole after finding the deep bunker on the left and leaving one in the sand.

Runner-up at the recent New Zealand Open and again close at the NSW Open a couple of weeks ago – he was in the final group but fell away to tied-eighth suffering with a shoulder injury – Lyras was happy to make himself prominent again.

“You can’t win tournaments from 10 shots behind often. It’s nice to be up the top and close to the lead going into the weekend,” he said.

The National Tournament is the season-ending event on the Australasian Tour with the Order of Merit and all its exemptions to be decided on Sunday along with the $200,000 prize pool.

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