Gritty finish keeps Cam Davis’ PGA Tour season alive


Cam Davis – file photo courtesy of PGA of America

Australian Cam Davis has survived a tense battle for survival on this year’s PGA Tour and will advance to the first of the FedEx Cup playoffs this coming week in Memphis.

Davis needed to be inside the top 70 of the FedEx Cup rankings at the completion of the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro today, and a birdie at his 17th hole today and a 12-foot par-saving putt at the last saw him finish in 44th place in the event and 69th position in the FedEx Cup rankings.

Davis had been on the bubble for much of the weekend, and a triple bogey at his 11th hole today threatened to bring his season to a close before the playoffs, but birdies at the 12th, 15th and 17th holes and the par save at the last saw him survive to live another day.

Therefore Ryan Fox, Jason Day, Minwoo Lee and Cam Davis are the Australasians will tee it up in the first of the playoffs, the St Jude FedEx Championship starting in Memphis on Thursday as they chase a spot in the top 50 to advance to the BMW Championship in Maryland the following week and into the top 30 to make it to the Tour Championship in Atlanta in three weeks’ time.

Wyndham Leaderboard

FedEx Cup standings 

/by

Yamashita yet another Japan Major winner – Kyriacou leads Australasians

Miyu Yamashita – image Mark Runnacles LET

Japanese star, Miyu Yamashita, today won not only her first major title but her first LPGA Tour event with a two-shot victory over England’s Charley Hull and Japan’s Minami Katsu at the AIG Women’s Open Championship at Royal Porthcawl in Wales.

Japanese golfers have won two majors in 2025 to go with the two they won in 2024, highlighting that country’s growing presence in the Rolex Rankings.

Yamashita has been a prolific winner on the Japan LPGA Tour, but this is her rookie LPGA Tour season, and, in an impressive first season where she was already featuring as one of the leading rookies, she has elevated her standing in the game significantly.

She is now likely to move inside the top ten on the Rolex Rankings from her current 15th position as a result of her win today.

Yamashita was in or near the lead throughout the event after her opening round of 68 left her one behind her countrywoman Rio Takeda, but it was her second round of 65 that allowed her to take control of the event, and although she was challenged throughout the final 36 holes, she never let the lead slip.

“This has been a goal of mine, something I’ve worked towards my whole life, a dream you could say,” said the champion. “It’s been the result of hard work every single day, making changes, making improvements, and to be able to do it now and call myself a champion is a very special thing.”

Hull began the weekend a massive 11 shots behind Yamashita but finished just two from the winner, recording yet another runner-up finish in majors, her 4th such result.

Stephanie Kyriacou finished as the leading Australasian when she added a final round of 71 to share 8th place and earn a cheque for US$228,000, taking her earnings for the season to US$806,000.

“The 1st hole was quite rough,” said Kyriacou, referring to her triple bogey start.  “It’s not ideal when you hit your second ball OB, onto the beach. I stuck in there, showed some grit, and finished 1-under today. I’m very happy.

“I think it would have been quite easy to throw it in and be like, oh, F this or whatever, but I got something out of my round. I got something out of my day. I’m really proud with how I showed up for the rest of the day.”

When asked to assess her performance in the majors this year, Kyriacou responded;

“I’d say the last two have definitely — I’ve definitely played golf how I’ve wanted to, which is nice. I think sometimes in majors I let it being a major added some pressure. Yeah, I think I’ve learned a lot in majors, which I’ll take into next year. I know it’s a long way away, but even to take into some tournaments in a couple weeks’ time.”

Minjee Lee finished 13th, Lydia Ko 36th and Grace Kim 67th.

Leaderboard

/by

FedEx Cup Playoffs all but finalised


Ryan Fox – leads the Australasians in FedEx Cup standings 

FedEx Cup playoff participants have been all but determined following the completion of round three of the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro in North Carolina.

Adam Scott needed a top-three finish this week if he was to finish inside the top 70 and advance to the first of the three playoffs in Memphis next week, but languishing in 36th place heading into tomorrow’s final round, his PGA Tour season appears over.

Scott has played seventeen events on the PGA Tour this season without a top ten finish, his best being when 12th at the US Open, and he will finish in around 87th place in the standings.

Of the other Australasians in this week’s field, Ryan Fox missed the cut, but his play earlier in the year, including his wins in Myrtle Beach and Canada, has him in 32nd place in the standings, and he will advance not only to Memphis but to the second of the playoff events in Maryland.

Fox will need to play well if he is to make the top 30 to advance to the Tour Championship, but either way, he has found his feet on the PGA Tour.

Cam Davis may well be the unlucky golfer this week in many respects. Davis shares 36th place in this week’s event with one round to play, but he has slipped from 67th to 72nd in the FedEx Cup standings and likely needs a good round tomorrow and a little help from others if he is to advance to Memphis.

Rookie Karl Vilips leads the Australasians this week in 21st place through 54 holes, but irrespective of what he does tomorrow, he will not advance despite a win earlier in the season.

Vilips is likely to finish around 80th in the standings, but a successful first season at this level all the same.

Aaron Baddeley made the cut this week but is well down in the standings, his status on the PGA Tour is again in Jeopardy.

So the likely line-up of Australasians in the opening FedEx Cup playoff in Memphis next week is Ryan Fox, Jason Day, Min Woo Lee and, possibly, Cam Davis.

 

FedEx Cup Standings 

/by

Japanese retain control, Kyriacou’s ace the Australasian highlight

The leader by three Miyu Yamashita – image Mark Runnacles LET

Japanese golfers, led by their second-highest-ranked player, Miyu Yamashita, still control the AIG Women’s Open Championship at Royal Porthcawl, with Yamashita now holding a three-shot lead over fellow countrywoman Rio Takeda following a stunning second-round score of 65.

Yamashita’s round was the best of the day by three shots, opening with consecutive birdies at her opening two holes and playing bogey-free golf for the remainder of her early morning round in which she was, interestingly, paired with Takeda.

Highlighting the domination of the Japanese, Takeda is, herself, four shots clear of the group in 3rd place.

Yamashita has yet to win on the LPGA Tour, but she has been a regular placegetter, finished runner-up at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship last year, and has been a prolific winner on the Japan LPGA Tour.

The leading Australasian in what has been a somewhat disappointing week thus far for the twelve who began the event is Sydney’s Stephanie Kyriacou in a share of 28th place at even par and eleven shots from the lead.

Kyriacou’s cause was aided by a hole-in-one at her 8th hole and an eagle at the last, but in between, there was a mixture of three birdies and five bogeys in her round of 2 under 70.

“I don’t know,” said Kyriacou when asked to describe the shots that slam dunked into the hole. “I’m not tall enough to see over the wall. Yeah, a pretty good shot.

“I didn’t see it go in, which sucked, but the crowd went nuts, and I heard the flag. Didn’t damage the hole, which was surprising, so it was quite clean. But yeah, my first official hole-in-one with no asterisk. Pretty excited.

“I didn’t want to celebrate if it didn’t go in the hole. I thought maybe it hit the flag and just went somewhere, so the reaction is probably pretty cool for a hole-in-one. I just gave a running high five when we got to the green.”

Lydi Ko, Minjee Lee and Grace Kim all only just survived the 2 over par cut and begin tomorrow’s third round in a share of 53rd place.

Leaderboard

Stephanie Kyriacou’s hole in one

/by

Important week for several Australasians at Wyndham Championship


Adam Scott – good start but still work to do – image Australian Golf Media

At the completion of this week’s Wyndham Championship at the famed Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, only the 70 leading players in the FedEx Cup rankings will advance to the FedEx St Jude Championship, the leading 50 then to the BMW Championship and finally the leading 30 to the Tour Championship in Atlanta on August 21st.

For Australasia’s Ryan Fox (31st), Jason Day (36th) and Min Woo Lee (49th), their progress to the next stage at least is assured, but for several other Australians, this week’s event could well bring an end to their season.

Cam Davis currently in 67th place, Adam Scott (85th) and Karl Vilips (83rd) and Adam Scott (85th) all need finishes of varying success to ensure they remain in the hunt for the riches of the FedEx Cup finals, Scott hoping to avoid missing the finals for just the second occasion since 2007.

For him to do so, Scott will need a two-way tie for 3rd place or better this week at the Wyndham Championship, an event he agonisingly missed out on winning in 2021 when losing a playoff to Kevin Kisner.

Today, Scott made a solid start to his task when he opened with a round of 65 to be sharing 8th place, but while his homeward nine of 31 set him up for such a good start, he still has a lot of chasing to do if he is to achieve his goal of making it to Memphis next week.

“I was trying to stay patient. I wasn’t too concerned about a bit of a slow first nine holes as long as I did put it into gear on the next,” said Scott.

“I’m in that spot where I can’t be too patient, I have to have a go at a few things. I was trying to remind myself of that when I was picking targets out there to be as aggressive as I could.

“I’m going to need to get like 20 under to think of anything, so I better not be 1 under through day one or I’m going to leave myself a lot of work, so nice to make a few birdies. And of course, as much as I think about moving on, I’d like to win this tournament, so that’s — it’s a similar kind of scenario for me.

Such is the congested nature of the leaderboard that the round of 3 under 67 by Vilips has him back in a share of 38th place, and so he too, will need a stunning final 54 holes if he is to cap off his rookie season, in which he has won already, and advance.

Cam Davis is 64th after his round of 68 and has slipped to 69th place in the FedEx Cup ranking but a cut made and perhaps a top 50 finish this week should be enough to get him through.

Ryan Fox is 64th after his opening round of 68 and is now in 32nd position in the rankings and has no concerns about making it to next week and likely to the BMW at least.

Leaderboard

/by

Japanese dominate early at AIG Women’s Open Championship


Minjee Lee during round one play – image LET

It is a Japanese-dominated leaderboard after day one of the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl in southern Wales, the leading three players all from the land of the rising sun and six in the top 13 after the opening day.

Eri Okayama and her fellow countrywoman, Rio Takeda, share the lead after opening rounds of 5 under 67 and have opened up a one-shot lead over Miyu Yamashita.

Japanese golfers have won this event on two occasions in its 50-year history, the last being in 2019 when Hinako Shibuno was successful, but the country is beginning to feature in major championships regularly of late, and they have made a great start in the pursuit of another victory.

Not unexpectantly, Minjee Lee heads the large Australasian contingent following her opening round of 70 with Gabi Ruffels and Grace Kim the next best at 1 under 71 to be in a share of 30th place, such is the congested nature of the leaderboard.

“I mean, it was difficult, setup a little differently than what I thought it was going to,” said Lee. “I think the wind will probably get up in the afternoon, and it will be the same for everyone.

“The tees were up a little bit, but some of the holes it made it harder because you couldn’t hit driver off the tee. So you were hitting less than like 3-woods or 7-woods off the tee. Like 10 was up. And maybe like 15 or 16.

“It was 7, one of the holes was kind of tough because usually the right side is okay, but because I went a little bit further right, trying to not go into the bunkers, it was like kind of dead. It was just little things like that. It was playing a little different. The wind was similar to maybe like the first practice day and maybe the pro-am day for me, the Tuesday.

“I don’t think I’m going to complain with a 2-under start. Some of the holes are just beasts out there. Sometimes you’ve got to take what you get and just make a bogey and get out of there and reset, try and make better score on the next hole.

“It’s a major championship. You’re going to make bogeys. Just try to keep your emotions in check and take it one shot at a time.”

Leaderboard

 

 

 

 

/by

12 Australasians tackle golf’s final major of the year

Defending champion Lydia Ko – image LET 

This week’s AIG Women’s Open Championship at Royal Porthcawl in Wales brings to a close the major championship season for professional golf in 2025, with twelve Australasians making the field.

In keeping with the desire of the R&A to take the event to the best course in Britain, Royal Porthcawl on the southern coast of Wales gets its chance to showcase its splendour as one of the finest links courses in the region, the event joining the Senior Open Championship in using this historic layout as one of their venues.

Australians Minjee Lee, Hannah Green, Grace Kim, Gabi Ruffels, Stephanie Kyriacou, Karis Davidson, Cassie Porter, Kirsten Rudgeley and Hira Naveed, will be joined by New Zealanders Lydia Ko, Amelia Garbey and Momoka Kobori, making a numerically strong contingent from our part of the world.

Australians have won the event on five occasions and New Zealand once, Corinne Dibnah, Karen Lunn and Karrie Webb (3) the successful Australians and the defending champion this year, New Zealand’s Lydia Ko who was successful at St Andrews twelve months ago.

Until her win last year, Ko had not been particularly successful in the event for one of her standing, recording just two top tens in her ten previous starts but she held off a strong challenge from world number one Nelly Korda, two time champion, Jiyai Shin, Lilia Vu and Ruoning Yin to win by two.

Minjee Lee has yet to win the event, but there have been five top tens in eleven starts in the event for her and she might well add another name to the list of Australians to take this coveted title.

Ko’s most recent form has been well below her best, missing the cut at the Evian Championship and being outside the top ten in her last six starts in LPGA Tour events, but, as the world number three and defending champion, she deserves respect.

Lee, on the other hand, won three starts ago and finished third behind her fellow countrywoman Grace Kim at the Evian Championship so brings some good close-up form to the event.

The event brings together players from the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour and New Zealanders Garvey and Kobori will fly the flag for the LET amongst the Australasians.

The likely contenders for the title other then those mentioned above include the winner and runner-up in the last two times the event has been played Lilian Vu, the brilliant and seemingly ageless, Jiyai Shin, who has not only won the event on two occasions but after a break of several yeas finished 2nd and 3rd in the last two years, and last year’s runner-up Korda who finished 5th last week in Scotland.

Tee Times 

/by

Scott Hend’s great weekend earns 4th place at Senior Open Championship


Scott Hend – file photo

Queenslander, Scott Hend, has finished in 4th place at the ISPS Handa Senior Open Championship at Sunningdale in Berkshire, heading a group of five Australasians who finished inside the top ten and seven inside the top twenty in the final major of the year for senior golf.

Hend, already on top of the European Legends Tour money list but without status on the PGA Tour Champions, produced the equal best final round of the day following a stunning third round of 64, to move from 36th on Friday evening to record his best finish in a major at this level and four shots behind the winner, Padraig Harrington who continues to impress this season.

Harrington added this title to the US Senior Open at his last start on the PGA Tour Champions and becomes one of only five golfers to complete the Open Championship and Senior Open Championship double, joining Gary Player, Sir Bob Charles, Tom Watson, and Darren Clarke in doing so.

Hend, though, will earn €114,000 and must surely now look to gaining a card to play full time in the US (his family is based in Florida)  after a lengthy career playing globally and a limited career on the European Legends (Seniors) Tour where he has won twice and finished runner-up on five other occasions.

Cameron Percy finished shared 5th place with Ernie Els, first round leader Steve Alker was 7th, Stephen Allan and Greg Chalmers tied for 8th, Richard Green was 13th and Michael Wright 17th in an impressive week for the Australasian contingent.

Results 

/by

Alker leads Hensby at Sunningdale


Steve Alker in action today – image courtesy of R&A / Getty

Steven Alker has been one of the great success stories on the PGA Tour Champions since his debut near Seattle in August of 2021, but in his now ten victories in the over-fifties (including one in Mexico) there has been only one major title.

This week, he gets his chance to add another when he plays the ISPS Senior Open Championship at Sunningdale in Berkshire and he has made the near perfect start with an opening round of 7 under par 63 to lead Australia’s Mark Hensby by one.

The defending champion, Korean K.J Choi, and American straightshooter, Joe Durant, are another two shots back in a share of 3rd place.

Alker has played this event on three previous occasions for a 3rd, 5th and 11th place finish and it again appears that he will be in the hunt for much of the week and possibly on top at week’s end.

“I was just efficient today,” said the 54 year old New Zealander. “Drove it in the fairway when I needed to and iron play was solid and just made some putts, especially on the back nine, just kind of kept things rolling. So I think I bogeyed 7 and after that, I just got a bit of momentum and kept it going. Always need momentum. It’s a nice opening round in the Senior Open, Thursday.

“I remember walking around here on Monday and I recognised about five holes. But I just love the walk. I knew I was coming to a special place with some good vibes. So it’s been a long time (since he has played Sunningdale) but it has not changed much at all.

“It’s hard at our age just to keep it up and maintain our bodies, but just across the board, I probably don’t practise as much as I used to. I don’t grind as much but I might spend more time on the body. Just try and balance everything and keep it in shape. Short game has been solid. Everything has just been, as I said, kind of efficient and consistent.”

Two starts ago, Hensby produced an outstanding week at the US Senior Open where he finished 4th after being in or near the lead for much of the week.

“Yeah, the U.S. Senior Open I learned a lot playing with Pádraig and Stewart the last day. You don’t have to be perfect and unfortunately, we feel like we have to. Pádraig played great the last nine holes, and it was fun to be there and watch and competing, even though I wasn’t in contention the last nine holes.

“I haven’t played here before. But I love the golf course and my game has been kind of trending at times and thank goodness it was good today.”

Rod Pampling, Richard Green, Stephen Allan and Scott Hend are the next best of the 14 Australasians in the field, that group tied for 14th at 2 under.

Leaderboard 

 

 

/by

14 Australasians tackle Senior Open at Sunningdale


Steve Alker heads the large Australasian contingent – file image courtesy of USGA

The major championship in world golf season is drawing to a close, but two events remain with this week’s Men’s ISPS Handa Senior Open Championship and next week’s AIG Women’s Open still to come.

This week at Sunningdale in Berkshire, England, a field consisting of seven former Open Champions, five US Open Champions, five PGA Champions, and three Masters Champions, some of whom have won more than one, line-up for one of the more prestigious events on the over-50 calendar.

Making up the field of 144 players will be 14 Australasians, including, in alphabetical order, Steve Alker, Stephen Allan, Stuart Appleby, David Bransdon, Mark Brown, Michael Campbell, Greg Chalmers, Richard Green, Scott Hend, Mark Hensby, Michael Long, Rod Pampling, Cameron Percy and Michael Wright.

The event has been won only three times by Australasians since its inception in 1987, with Sir Bob Charles winning it twice and the late Ian Stanley winning it in 2001.

Steve Alker will likely again perform well given his stunning success on the PGA Tour Champions including a win and seven top-five finishes this season alone.

Victorian Stephen Allan has won twice on the PGA Tour Champions this season while US based Lismore golfer, Mark Hensby, might also be considered a player from this part of the world to watch this week given his great showing at the US Senior Open where he finished 4th behind Padraig Harrington.

Scott Hend currently leads the Legends (European Senior Tour) Tour’s Order of Merit while Mark Brown is one for one on the Legends Tour after his recent debut win in Switzerland.

 

/by