McKinney and Xu enjoying their spoils – photo Golf Australia

Article Golf Australia

Connor McKinney did it the hard way and Fiona Xu was in cruise control, nevertheless they have both joined a prestigious list of names who proudly call themselves Australian Amateur champions.

New Zealander Xu had little interest in theatrics as she went wire-to-wire, while West Australian McKinney won by holing a 25-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole that had the crowd at Cranbourne Golf Club, and himself, in raptures.

McKinney could not be separated from South Australian Jack Buchanan and New Zealander James Hydes at ten-under after 72 holes and it looked likely that he had let his chance at victory slip on his first time on the 18th green for the day.

The 20-year-old – who calls Joondalup Golf Club home after his family moved to Australia from Fyfe in Scotland when he was 13 – had the chance to enter the lead on his 72nd hole of the tournament but he was unable to grasp it. His chip from the back of the green looked in for all money before his par putt lipped out.

He was left to agonisingly watch his rivals come in and then he had to immediately pick himself up and implement his learnings from that previous hole.

“I was a little flat but I knew there was a good chance I would get into a playoff. You’ve got to regroup and move forward,” he said.

“I went to the practice green, hit a few putts and put some music on. It was pretty relaxed.”

Heading to the 18th tee, he decided on a different approach. He opted for 3-wood off the tee after his drive on the previous occasion had run through the fairway and into the rough.

It proved to be a wise choice as he found the fairway and then hit the green when his rivals missed.

The biggest test of all was next however, the putt for the win.

“I had a shorter and similar putt in regulation which I missed but I knew the line the second time around even though I was a bit further. I was pretty confident with it and it dropped,” McKinney recalled of his walk-off victory securing putt – watch it here.

McKinney’s confidence was also riding high after he secured a maiden win at the South Australian Amateur Classic.

“The floodgates have opened. I’m pretty confident on course at the moment and I can just let loose,” he said.

Xu is also brimming with confidence as she stands over every shot despite her softly spoken and shy demeanour.

The 17-year-old showed that she is a force to be reckoned with by stringing together rounds of 68, 65, 73 and 71 to finish 11-under par for the tournament.

She was in control for four days and the final round was no different as she stayed composed in the face of strong winds – that pushed scores higher across the whole field – to become the first New Zealander to win the Australian Amateur crown since her idol Lydia Ko in 2012.

“It’s a huge honour to win this tournament like Lydia Ko did. I am very honoured,” Xu said.

“The conditions weren’t too bad on the first nine. I was able to get a few birdies but the second nine was a bit tough. The wind was very strong but I was able to stay calm.”

The victory adds to her already impressive resume that boasts New Zealand Amateur and New Zealand U16 titles as well as runner-up finishes at the Rene Erichsen Salver and the Riversdale Cup in the lead up to this week.

She now returns home, but first she has some celebrations in mind.

“I’m looking forward to seeing my family but before I go home I’ll be going shopping,” she said with a laugh.

She may even have to check extra baggage on the home to fit in her latest piece of silverware and her shopping.

“I’ve got some space in my suitcase still available,” she again said with a laugh.

Queenslander Justice Bosio finished three shots back from Xu at eight-under par in an impressive effort from the teen star, and third place was shared by Victorian Keeley Marx and New South Wales’ Kelsey Bennett at two-under.

McKinney and Xu also become the first Australian Amateur winners in history to take home a cheque following changes to the R&A’s rules on amateur prize money. The pair each pocketed $1,350 for their efforts.

Final men’s leaderboard

Final women’s leaderboard

Minjee Lee has lost the lead she shared after day one of the Chevron Championship, but at the halfway mark of the opening major championship of the year, the West Australian is just four shots from the lead held by Japan’s Hinako Shibuno and in a share of 9^th place.

Also in 9^th place is Lee’s fellow Australian, Gabi Ruffels, who added a round of 71 to her opening 68 to be the joint leading Australian with Lee at 5 under.

Lee began her round well with a birdie at the 2nd but almost inexplicably she would drop five shots in the next six holes to slip well down the leaderboard but she recovered well with four birdies in her last eleven holes to get within touch heading into the weekend.

Ruffels began with a bogey after her encouraging 4 under yesterday but she bounced back from that shaky start to again be in contention over the weekend in this event. Ruffels has been 19th and 15th in her only two previous starts at Mission Hills

Ruffels was asked about just what expectations she has of herself and how best she manages them. “I have expectations, and it’s just learning to manage them that is the big thing.

“It’s just you can have expectations, but you can’t really control the outcome. You just, you know, if you can look at yourself in the mirror day by day and know you’ve done your best, that’s all you can do.

“I feel like I’m hitting it well. Feel like I’m playing well, hitting my lines, and enjoying the time out here with my caddie.

“I feel like every day I’m learning a little bit more about this course and getting more comfortable out here, so, yeah, I’m excited for the weekend.”

Shibuno, a previous Women’s British Open winner, leads the event at 9 under, one ahead of defending champion Patty Tavatanakit, Jennifer Kupcho and Annie Park.

New Zealand’s Lydia Ko is tied for 20^th at 3 under, with Hannah Green at 2 under.

Su Oh and Sarah Kemp will have the weekend off.

 

Lydia Ko – in form and with form in the event with her 2016 trophy

It might have a new title sponsor, but the first major of the year in either male or female golf, the Chevron Championship, will be played this week at its traditional home, the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage in California.

This, however, will be the final staging of the event at Mission Hills as in 2023 the championship moves to Houston, ending a run of over 50 years of this event as a major and non major LPGA Tour title.

The event has been known under a series of names since its elevation to major status in 1983, the most recent being the ANA Championship and its most recent winner being Patty Tavatanakit in 2021.

Australians have won the title on two occasions and New Zealanders once. In 2000 and 2006 Karrie Webb was the champion and in 2016 Lydia Ko won the second of her two major titles to date.

Ko is in this week’s field and will be joined by fellow Australasians, Minjee Lee, Hannah Green, Su Oh, Sarah Kemp and Gabi Ruffels.

Ko won in 2016 but also finished runner-up in 2021 and has played well enough in recent months including a win in Florida in February to be a real chance to contend again.

Lee has played only three events in 2022 but one was when runner-up in Singapore and although she cannot boast a great record in this event, the current world number four, does own a 3^rd place in 2017.

Green has a best of 14^th in four starts at Mission Hills and although she has made a slow start to her LPGA Tour season she performed well in lesser events in Australia earlier in the year.

Oh has a poor record in this event having missed her last four cuts and with a best of 51^st in two others, Admittedly, she is playing considerably better in 2022 including a win at the WAPGA Championship in Brisbane and some solid finishes in LPGA Tour events since but her record at Mission Hills is a concern.

Kemp has played the event on three occasions and has missed the cut twice and unfortunately for the NSW golfer, her form over the last six months hardly gives encouragement for much better.

Gabi Ruffels is not a member of the LPGA Tour, but she earns a start in this event courtesy of her impressive top 20 finish in 2021. Ruffels also finished 15^th in 2020 so this is a golf course that would appear to fit her eye.

Ruffels has played Futures Tour events in 2022 with only mixed success.

Ko and Lee appear genuine chances to challenge for the title, more especially because of their current standing and form.

 

 

Cameron Percy – file photo Henry Peters

US based Victorian golfer, Cameron Percy, recorded his second best ever finish on the PGA Tour when sharing 4^th place at this week’s Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic.

The event was the alternate event on the PGA Tour this week with Dell Technologies World Match Play Championship taking centre stage, but for Percy it follows up a 7^th place finish three weeks ago in Puerto Rico.

In three other events on the PGA Tour this year however, Percy has missed the cut so it has been a case of when he is good he is very good and vice versa.

Percy’s previous best finish since first joining the PGA Tour in 2010 was when beaten in a playoff for the 2010 Justin Timberlake event in Las Vegas when he fell victim to a hole in one by Jonathan Byrd.

The Victorian’s outward nine of 31 today had him contending for the title but he would bogey the 10^th and add only one extra birdie on the way in to eventually finish just two shots from the winner, Chad Ramey.

Percy earns US$166,000 for his effort and gave thanks to his fellow countryman Greg Chalmers for some putting help he received earlier in the week.

“Yeah, at the start of the week if you said I was going to come fourth, I think I’ll take and not play, but played really nicely today.

“I’m rooming with Greg Chalmers and he gave me a putting lesson in the room last night and I putted fantastic, to me. Just was way better today. I just didn’t hit it as good on the back nine, unfortunately. I was just a bit off on the back nine, but still I played pretty nicely, I thought.”

Percy also mentioned that going forward he is keenly anticipating eye surgery in the next couple of weeks to improve that aspect of his game.

“Just the fact that I’ve got an idea what I’m doing with my putting. I’m getting my eyes operated on the next two weeks. I’m going home to get an eye operation so I can see. I’m blind as a bat, so I can’t see the ball once it goes 120 yards. So I’m hoping that might help me as well.”

Greg Chalmers finished tied for 28^th.

Adam Scott – file photo

Adam Scott could have been forgiven for thinking of his afternoon second round match at the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play Championship well before his morning encounter against American Kevin Kisner was over.

After all, 3 up with four holes to play against in his opening round match appeared a near unassailable lead. That was, however, until Kisner unleashed a remarkable finish to win the last four holes and the match 1 up.

Scott raced to an early lead and was 3 up through five holes but by the turn Kisner had kept the match alive by winning the 7th and 9th holes and the margin was just one as the pair headed to the 10th tee.

Scott birdied the 12th and 14th to again move 3 holes clear but then came the remarkable finish of Kisner.

“It was looking a little bleak there coming down the stretch and able to round up some birdies, and eagle 16 was a good way to finish,” said Kisner in perhaps the understatement of the week.

“I wasn’t playing my greatest, wasn’t making a lot of putts early, and turning it around like that to finish was pretty awesome.

“It’s kind of crazy how much good fortune I’ve had at this golf course and this tournament. You know, making that birdie on 15, holing that bunker shot really swung the momentum and I was fortunate here on 18 to leave it in a perfect spot off the tee. So I knew I had the advantage. Holing those putts to win never gets old.”

The shot that caught most attention was his remarkable hole out from a green side bunker for eagle at the 16^th (see video below) but two birdies and an eagle in his last three holes along with a bit of assistance from Scott when he bogeyed the 17^th broke the back of the Australian.

Kisner was still reflecting on the bunker shot long after the match finished. “I told my caddie right before I hit it, I said, we can use that wind to fly it right in the hole I think, and it came out just perfectly and slowed down with the wind, and I couldn’t see it go in, but he said it trickled in like a putt. Those are things you dream about.”

Scott did well to make the round of 16 however and now focuses his attention on The Masters beginning on April 7th.

SCORES