Ben Eccles claims first professional win at WAPGA

Ben Eccles – photo Australian Golf Media 

Australian Ben Eccles has today claimed his second PGA Tour of Australasia title nearly eight years after his first when winning the WAPGA Championship at the Kalgoorlie Golf Course in Western Australia today.

This however would be Eccle’s first win as a professional, his win at the 2015 NSW Open coming just prior to a decision to turn professional.

The win this week comes on top of a missed cut at the WA Open at the Joondalup Country Club last week so for the 28-year-old English-born but Victorian golfer, who earlier this year took a lengthy break from the game after several seasons chasing success on the European Challenge and Asian Tours., the success is timely and welcome.

Eccles game had reached a point where it became necessary for him to return to the PGA Tour of Australasia’s Tour School where he regained playing privileges by finishing 17th there.

The win and the $45,000 comes at a time when Eccles needed a financial boost and the confidence and security the cheque and the title will bring may well see the former NSW Amateur Champion loosen the reins.
Not only did Eccles win but after leading by six shots into the last round he eventually won by five from West Australian Haydn Barron with New Zealand’s Kit Bittle and South Australian Lachlan Barker sharing third place another shot back.

Barron surprised many with a fine showing at the 2022 Australian Open where he tied for 4th and earned a start at this year’s Open Championship as a result.

The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia now heads east to South Australia for one of the Webex Series of events at the Willunga Golf Course.

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Matthew Fitzpatrick’s dream win at St Andrews – Ryan Fox joint runner-up


Fitzpatrick with his Alfred Dunhill Links Championship trophy – image Getty Images / DP World Tour 

The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship found a way to get a final result despite the event being hopelessly compromised by bad weather in the At Andrews region, Matthew Fitzpatrick emerging as the winner of both the individual title and pairing with his mother Susan to win the teams’ event.

Reduced to 54 holes and carried over to Monday due to the weather on Saturday and Sunday, Fitzpatrick extended his one-shot 36-hole lead to eventually win by three over New Zealand’s Ryan Fox and England’s Marcus Armitage.

“It’s amazing,” said Fitzpatrick. “Winning is difficult. And for me, like I had a chance a few weeks ago in Switzerland and that one hurt a lot. Felt like I had been playing better than I had in the summer.

“And this week, funny, really. It was kind of a bit of a free-wheeling week and just playing with my mum and trying to enjoy it as best I can and see what happened. Then played really well at Carnoustie and just got on a hot run these last two rounds.

“Doesn’t get better than this. Winning at St Andrews, yeah, it’s just a very special place. We’ve been coming here for a long, long time as well, and yes, it doesn’t get better.

“It was amazing. We (he and his mother) obviously played last year and didn’t quite play so well, and this year, she’s played fantastic, and I playing really solid as well.

“I just think that, yeah, you just couldn’t ask for a better week.”

Fox did remarkably well in his attempt to defend the title he had won twelve months ago when producing a final round of 65 to finish in a share of second place after six birdies in his opening eleven holes opened to door to repeat the heroics of 2022.

Fox was unable to build on that great start but another fine tournament will see him move back inside the top 30 in the world ranking to 29th and, on top of his win three weeks ago at Wentworth and his earlier 3rd place at the Irish Open, continues a lucrative run for the 36-year-old.

Fox has won over €2 million in those three events alone in September and October.

“To be honest I played great today,” said Fox when asked before Fitzpatrick had finished his round. “I think I hit all 18 greens, which is always a nice thing to do around here and I was cold with the putter for the most part. I made a couple through the middle of the round and that was about it.

“I had a couple nice chances on 14, 15, and if they had gone in, things would have been a little more interesting but obviously to shoot 7-under on a Monday with a chance, you feel like you’ve done enough. Obviously, Fitz is playing great. I’m happy.”

The leader of the 2022/2023 PGA Tour of Australasian Order of Merit, David Micheluzzi was the next best of the Australians, earning a cheque for €60,000 (A$100,000) for his share of 14th place. It was the biggest cheque to date in the Victorian’s professional career.

RESULTS

FINAL ROUND HIGHLIGHTS

 

 

 

 

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Sarah Kemp and Sarah Jane Smith do well in Texas

NSW’s golfer Sarah Kemp has produced her equal-best finish in an LPGA Tuor event on US soil when 4th at this past week’s LPGA Benefiting Volunteers of America event in Colony Texas, securing an important cheque of some US$93,000 for her efforts, the biggest cheque of her professional career.

Kemp finished five shots from the leader Hyo Joo Kim, birdies at her final two holes making a significant difference in her pay cheque.

Kemp is having one of her best seasons on the LPGA Tour and is now well inside the top 50 and assured of ongoing status for 2024 and in position to secure a place in the top 60 who make it to the Tour Championship next month.

“Yeah, I’m definitely having one of my better years for sure,” said the 37 year old from the North Coast of NSW. I didn’t play well last week but I wasn’t too worried about it. Yeah, just been playing nice and solid this year. Nothing too crazy. I’ve been putting well.

“I looked at my stats and they were some of the better ones this year than previous years, so just keeping it together and having a better attitude than I have in the last few years. Sometimes I think I have been trying a little too hard and wanting it a bit too bad, which is not a bad thing, but I think it sort of turned around and hurt some of my game at one point.

“So just tried to let it happen versus trying too hard. I think I’ve been doing a good job of that this year.”

When asked her thoughts on the increasing possibility of making it to the Tour Championship and whether it was something on her mind, Kemp would say.

“All the time. It’s all I want to make. It’s my sponsor’s event, so I want to make it for Terry Duffy. They have been so good to me. I just want to make it so bad for them. Hoping with this finish this will get me in the right direction for that.”

Queensland’s Sarah Jane Smith also had one of he39-year-olds on the LPGA Tour for quite some time when she finished in 13th place, her best finish in five years on the LPGA Tour.

Smith has been playing without full status on the LPGA Tour but took advantage to record a confidence-boosting week for the 39-year-old raised on the Sunshine Coast.

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Steve Alker moves to third in Schwab Cup


Steve Alker – file photo courtesy of Montana Pritchard

Steve Alker has today produced his fourth runner-up finish of the season when completing the Constellation Furyk and Friends event in Jacksonville, Florida just one shot from the winner, Brett Quigley.

Quigley needed an impressive up and down at the last to hold off Alker who produced one of the better final rounds to all but catch him.

The finish has moved Alker to 3rd place in the Schwab Cup behind only Steve Stricker and Bernhard Langer with earnings of US$1,856,000 and although well behind the leader, Stricker, it has already been another successful year for the New Zealander.

In addition to the four runner-up finishes, came the win at the Insperity event in April along with a 3rd place finish at the event which started it all for him two years ago, the Boeing Classic in August, and so Alker continues on his remarkable resurgence in the professional ranks since joining the PGA Tour Champions as a qualifier in August of 2001.

“Yeah, the game’s just started coming around, said the 52-year-old.” The ball-striking has been the best the last few weeks it’s been for a while, so tidy that up. This week was just a few more putts here and there, an up-and-down, it was that kind of week. So nice putt there by Quigs on the last, that was a huge up-and-down, so credit to him.

“I had a few weeks off, St. Louis and Sioux Falls, which gave me just time to regroup and get things together. I’ve got some golf courses coming up I like. Richmond obviously I’m defending and home game in Phoenix, so some nice weeks coming up.”

Rod Pampling was the next best of the Australasians when he finished 10th

SCHWAB CUP STANDINGS

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Australians miss PGA Tour cards at Korn Ferry Tour Championship


Rhein Gibson – leading Australian but will now head to Q School in the hope of a PGA Tour return – file photo

The four Australians in this week’s Korn Ferry Tour Championship in Indiana have missed out on a chance to gain their PGA Tour playing rights for 2024, failing to finish inside the top 30 in the season-long race for the right to play at the higher level.

Rhein Gibson finished the season in 40th place, Brett Drewitt, 43rd, Curtis Luck 47th and Dimi Papdatos 67th.

Papadatos did best of the four this week when he finished 14th but he would move only two places to his final 67th position.

Luck was 20th this week, Gibson 36th and Drewitt 60th.

All four will however have another chance with Gibson, Drewitt and Luck advancing to the Final Stage of the reintroduced PGA Tour School in December and Papadatos tackling the Second Stage of that same Tour School in November.

Final Points Table 

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Ruffels LPGA future confirmed Choi narrowly misses

Gabi Ruffels – tops the Epson Tour money list – image USGA

Queenslander Robyn Choi’s share of 14th place at the Epson Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship in Florida has seen her narrowly miss a return to the LPGA Tour via the secondary tour.

Needing to be inside the top ten on the money list at season’s end in order to return to the LPGA Tour in 2024, Choi likely needed a top ten this week to get the job done but despite a desperate late charge in which she finished birdie, eagle for a round of 67 she has slipped to 12th in the overall rankings.

Choi will still have one last chance however when she tees it up in the LPGA Tour’s Q Series in December where the leading 45 players gain their LPGA Tour playing rights.

The only Australian to graduate therefore was Victorian Gabi Ruffels who did it in style with three wins for the Epson Tour season to top the money list and she is expected to be a welcome and successful addition to the Australian contingent on the LPGA Tour.

SCORES

FINAL ORDER OF MERIT

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Simon Hawkes wins WA Open and takes early Order of Merit lead

Simon Hawkes – photo PGA Tour of Australasia

Tasmanian Simon Hawkes is the 2023 WA Open Champion following a tightly fought final round at the Joondalup Country Club north of Perth.

Hawkes, who began the day four shots ahead of the field, had to fight off a spirited challenge from Scottish-born West Australian Connor McKinney, the 2022 Australian Amateur Champion, and South Australian Jason Norris to win his second event on the PGA Tour of Australasia having won the Vic Open in 2018.

Hawkes, currently ranked outside the top 2000 in the world, put together three consecutive rounds of 67 to establish a sizable lead over Norris heading into the final round but managed to hold on to win by two after an outstanding up and down after a lengthy bunker shot at the last led to a final birdie.

Hawkes, who has worked on the construction of the new Seven Mile Beach Course in his home state of Tasmania, collected a cheque for A$31,500 and established an early lead in the 2023 / 2024 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit ahead of NT PGA winner Daniel Gale.

It was a welcome return to contention for Norris who has been playing events on the European Senior Tour this year but who put together several good finishes on last year’s PGA Tour of Australasia including when 10th at the Australian Open won by Adrian Meronk.

For McKinney, the Australian Amateur Champion 18 months ago, this is a continuation of a solid start to his professional career having produced several good finishes in his rookie Australasian Tour season and playing Challenge Tour events in Europe this year.

The Australasian Tour stays in WA for this coming week’s WAPGA Championship at the Kalgoorlie Golf Course.

 

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Australian PGA Tour hopes fade at Korn Ferry Tour Championship

Dimi Papadatos – doing best of Australians this week but PGA Tour hopes all but gone – image Bruce Young

The fate of Australians attempting to gain their PGA Tour cards via the Korn Ferry Tour hangs in the balance this morning after the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship in Indiana reached the halfway stage.

The leading 30 golfers on the season-long points table earn the right to play at the higher level next season but all four Australians in the field have a serious if impossible task over the final 36 holes if they are to do so.

Rhein Gibson entered the event in 36th place in the season-long standings and needed a solo 21st or better if he was to return to the PGA Tour but in 55th place at the halfway stage this week he needs something special over the weekend.

Brett Drewitt began the week in 39th place but has slipped to 42nd following his opening 36 holes, he too in a share of 55th place heading into the weekend. He needs a finish of solo 17th or better if he is to regain the PGA Tour card he had previously.

Curtis Luck began the week in 47th place and needing a solo 4th or better his chances now appear very slim as he is in 33rd place at the halfway stage.

Dimi Papadatos essentially needs to win this week and after a good start on day one, he has slipped a share of 17th and is currently seven shots from the leader.

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Robyn Choi starts well in LPGA Tour card quest

Queenslander Robyn Choi began this week’s Epson Tour Championship Florida in 11th place in season-long standings and, knowing she needed a good solid week to jump inside the top ten, she has begun the 72-hole event well and at the halfway stage she finds herself sharing 15th place with rounds of 69 and 67 at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach.

Whether that will be good enough by week’s end to gain one of the ten LPGA Tour cards for next season remains to be seen but she has made a good start to what is one of the most important events of her career.

Victoria Ruffels, already a three-time winner on the Epson Tour this season and guaranteed graduation to the bigtime next year, is well placed in 4th position after 36 holes and trailing leader Michelle Zhang of China by four shots.

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Harrison Endycott finds crucial late season form in Mississippi

Harrison Endycott – file photo Bruce Young

Sydney golfer Harrison Endycott entered this week’s Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson Mississippi knowing he needed something special in the remaining PGA Tour events he had access to this season if he was to retain his playing privileges for next season.

Endycott has struggled for much of his rookie season on the PGA Tour and has in fact come off a run which has seen him miss his last five cuts in succession.

Beginning this week’s event Harrison was 131st on the FedEx Cup points table and if he is to regain his card for next season he needs to be inside the top 125.

Somehow, after such a difficult run of late Endycott, a member of the Australian Eisenhower Trophy winning team in 2016, put together an opening round of 67 and followed it up with a round of 65 today at the Country Club of Jackson to be tied in 2nd place and one shot off the lead held by American Ben Griffin in the US$8.2 million event.

While it is still early days yet, Endycott has improved to 100th in the standings from his opening 131st.

“Yeah, look, I’ve been putting in some really hard work over the last couple weeks, said the  I think I was dead last in putting in Napa after Friday and it wasn’t like I was putting bad. It felt a lot closer than what it was. They just weren’t going in.

“When the coach rang me and said, what’s going on, I don’t know. Like they’re just not going in. So did some really good work over the last couple weeks. Swing feels great.

“Game has just been trending in the right spot, and it was nice to play well the last couple days.”

“It’s been really frustrating over the last few months, the last few tournaments leading into Wyndham. It just was not happening. So much was going wrong out there. I didn’t feel like I was doing 100 percent a great job off the golf course, too, and just results were kind of taking control of that.

“Having some time off after Wyndham really — didn’t change anything, but practiced a little bit smarter and just getting a little bit better with that has definitely helped.

“I definitely feel like it’s building in the right direction. I was playing some good golf with the guys and it was nice to take some money off some friends last week.

“It’s heading in the right direction, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

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