Alejandro Canizares – photo Kirsty Wrice GA

The opening round of both the men and women’s ISPS Handa Vic Opens has been completed at the 13^th Beach Golf Club on the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria, both fields recording an impressive run of scoring on the Beach and Creek Courses being used for the opening two days.

Spain’s Alejandro Canizares was out in one of the last two groups of the day in the men’s field and put together ten birdies in his round of 63 to lead by one over long-time leaders on day one, Matthew Griffin, Travis Smyth, Justin Warren and Jake McLeod, all from Australia.

29 players however are within four shots of Canizares’ lead and 99 players broke par amongst the men and so no player has stamped their mark on the event at this early stage.

Canizares has been a two-time winner on the European Tour but the last of those came more than five years ago and he admits things have been tough over the past few years.

“Yeah, just surprised I played so crap the last three years,” he responded when asked if his play had surprised him. “It’s been complicated.  I got injured three years ago and it took a while, then some other things, and I became a dad a year ago.  Life changes, but I’m getting back to it, I’m starting to work harder.

“I’m still motivated, I still want to play.  I’ve been on tour for 13, 14 years and I still really want to do it.  Still got half of my career ahead of me, I think.”

The son of four-time Ryder Cup player, Jose Maria Canizares, Alejandro mentioned after his round that his father, who was amongst the group of continental Europeans to turn the tide of success for European against the USA, has had a significant impact on his own career.

“If he wouldn’t have been who he was, if I would have been here, so I’ve got to be really thankful for having a dad that has played four Ryder Cups and has played such a high level of golf.  Grew up watching him, motivated, wanting to do the same thing and here I am, so really thankful for all that.”

Haeji Kang – one of leaders in women’s field

The women’s field is headed by recent LPGA Tour first time winner, Madelene Sagstrom of Sweden, and former Australian based Korean, Haeji Kang, who lead by one over Taiwan’s Peiyun Chien, American rookie Hayley Moore and Sweden’s Linea Strom.

Kang spent three years on the Gold Coast at High School there in the mid 2000’s and won the Australian Junior Championship during that period. She was a contemporary of the very successful Amy Yang.

Sagstrom won her first LPGA Tour title in Boca Raton in Florida recently and credits a new found confidence for her continuation of that form.

“Yeah, I think after my first win there definitely added confidence to everything, just knowing that I can compete out here, knowing that I can win on tour.  I think that is definitely helping me out.  It’s also created kind of a little bit of a calmness; just okay, it’s going to be fine, it will all work out, it’s the beginning of the season.”

Sydney amateur Stephanie Kyraciou leads the Australians after her round of 68 left her in a share of 15^th place.

79 players broke par in the women’s field.

Those who played the Beach Course today will play the Creek Course tomorrow and vice versa before the final 36 holes of both events are player over the Beach Course.

Men’s Scores

Women’s Scores

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last year’s champions, David Law and Celine Boutier – Golf Australia – click to expand.

This week will see the Australasian, European, LPGA, LET and ALPG Tours joining forces at 13^th Beach on the Bellarine Peninsula for the ISPS Handa Vic Open, for the second occasion, the event offering a unique and trailblazing format to tournament golf.

While initially an experiment of sorts between the PGA Tour of Australasia, the Ladies European Tour and Australian Ladies Professional Golf when first played in 2013, the format has since expanded to include the LPGA and European Tours and now offers a concept being admired and considered in other areas of the world as a possible solution to improving economies of scale, attracting greater audiences and enticing the corporate dollar.

The Vic Open now brings together not only the Australasian and European Tours on the men’s side of the tournament but the LPGA, the LET and the ALPG also combine to provide just the second event of 2020 for the LPGA and the chance for several ALPG and LET members to play an LPGA Tour event and, potentially, earn an LPGA Tour card.

Prizemoney of A$1.5 million per event is up for grabs with the two courses (The Creek and Beach courses) at 13^th Beach utilised on the opening two days before the event focuses on the Beach Course for the weekend.

After a rather lacklustre effort by many of the leading LPGA players in 2019 to support the event when first involving their members, quoting too many events in a row as part of their concern, there is a greater participation of leading players in 2020 although, on the men’s side, the representation from European based players remains disappointing.

China’s Haotong Li, who won the Dubai Desert Classic in 2018 and the latest Dubai Desert Classic Champion, Lucas Herbert, are the leading world ranked players in the men’s field while, in the women’s side of things, two players from the top ten of the Rolex World Ranking, JeongeunLee6 (7) and Australia’s Minjee Lee (8) will head the field in terms of ranking strength.

The women have the benefit of a follow-up event at next week’s Women’s Australian Open in Adelaide and notable players such as major champions, Inbee Park, So Yeon Ryu, Stacey Lewis and Jiyai Shin are also taking their place. So they should, with the event providing a possible solution to a long held aggrievance by many members of the LPGA regarding the disparity in prize-money between men’s and women’s golf.

When the opportunity arose last year, however, there was a notable lack of effort by many to display their support in the best way possible, although to be fair to them it had been a late decision to include the LPGA.

Australian great, Karrie Webb, will be joined by her fellow Australian LPGA Tour players, Hannah Green, Katherine Kirk, Su Oh and Sarah Kemp.

The men’s Vic Open has struggled in attempting to join forces with the European Tour but as has been the case with the Australian PGA Championship, the difficulty in attracting leading players to a one-off event on the other side of the world without the lure of significant appearance money is proving problematic.

What the association with Europe does offer, however, is the prospect of worldwide coverage of the event through the distribution channels of the European Tour, ensuring the Victorian Government, who have played such a key role in the funding and growth of the event, are kept happy.

Graeme McDowell – Getty Images

Graeme McDowell has won his first European Tour title since the 2014 French Open, holding off a spirited late challenge from defending champion, Dustin Johnson, to win the Saudi International  at the Royal Greens G&CC in King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia.

McDowell, who has won on the PGA Tour in more recent times when successful at the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship in March of last year, took a one-shot lead over Frenchman Victor Dubuisson into the final round.

Although he looked vulnerable through the early stages of his round, the man from Northern Ireland  birdied the 14^th and 15^th which proved crucial, especially when Johnson eagled the last to close within two.

McDowell, whose win was his 11^th European Tour tile, will now move from just outside the top 100 to just inside the top 50 when revised rankings are announced later today. It will be the first time he has been been inside the top 50 since June of 2015.

“I didn’t realise it had been quite that long since I’d won here in Europe,” said McDowell. “I’m very excited. I’m very relieved. This is a difficult golf course this week.

“It’s unusual to win feeling as uncomfortable as I did on a lot of these holes because it was a tough golf course these last two days, especially with tough conditions. The birdies on 14 and 15 were just huge at the time, and it was nice to have a that little cushion coming down the last couple.

“My big goal this year was to be back in the Top-50 in the world, back competing in the big tournaments. I’m very excited that it’s happened a little faster than I expected but hopefully it’s laying some foundations down for having a big year.

“I really feel like I’m moving in the right direction, and it’s weeks like this that really give that you which I can additional effect and hopefully I can use it.

“It’s been ten years since I won a U.S. Open, ten years probably since I played the best golf of my life. I feel like I’m moving back in the right direction. I’ve got my head around what I’m trying to do with the swing and what I’m trying to do with the golf ball again, thanks to Kevin Kirk, who I started working with last August, and Pete Cowen who has been by my side for many, many years. Kenny on the bag there; I have a solid team.

“Life’s settled down. I’ve got a great wife and great family. I’m very happy with what’s going on in my life right now. I feel like the pond, the ripples in the pond have kind of steadied out a little bit now, and I’m in a good place to play some good golf.”

For Johnson it was just his second start of the year after recording a 7^th place finish in Kapalua in early January.

“It was another day where it could have been a lot better,” said the American. “I’m happy with the way I’m playing. It was difficult to putt, though. It was really hard to make putts. I hit a lot of really good shots, and really good chances for birdie.

“I’m pleased with the way I played, but I would have liked to give Graeme a little more pressure coming down the stretch. I had some really good chances. I missed a real short one on 13, a close one on 14, 15, 17. I had all the chances, but I did finally make a nice putt on 18 to finish.”

Thomas Pieters, Phil Mickelson and Gavin Green tied for 3^rd, one shot behind Johnson.

Lucas Herbert and Ryan Fox did best of the Australasians when they tied for 27^th, for Herbert a solid follow up to his breakthrough win last week in Dubai.

Queensland’s European Tour rookie, Maverick Antcliff, has now made all three cuts in his first season in Europe, finishing 52^nd this week.

The European Tour now heads to Australia for this week’s Vic Open at 13^th Beach in Victoria before a one week break ahead of the WGC Mexico Championship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The events under scrutiny this week are the Waste Management Phoenix Open in Scottsdale Arizon and the Saudi International in Saudi Arabia.

 

Lucas Herbert – wins first event – Getty Photos

Twelve months ago Victorian Lucas Herbert finished 7^th at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic which suggested a good year might lie ahead.

Since then, however, there had not been one top ten anywhere – until today that is.

The 24 year old not only recorded his first top ten in the last twelve months, he broke through for his first European Tour title with a playoff victory in the event at the Emirates Golf Club, defeating South African Christiaan Beizudenout with a birdie at the second extra hole.

The win was Herbert’s first on a recognised tour anywhere although he has been close to winning previously having finished inside the top 3 on seven occasions in events in Europe and Australia.

Herbert secures a cheque for the equivalent of $A795,000 and moves from outside the top 230 in the world ranking to inside the top 80.

He becomes the second Australian to win the event in its 31 year history, joining fellow Victorian Richard Green who also won in a playoff when defeating Greg Norman and Ian Woosnam in 1997.

Herbert’s final round of 68 was, along with Bezuidenhout’s, the best of the day and one of only 14 under par on a day where stormy, windy conditions prevailed.

Herbert had teed off over an hour ahead of the final group and perhaps benefited from the slightly earlier tee time but after a bogey at the first hole he played beautifully all day in the increasingly difficult conditions, birdies at his final two holes setting up a lengthy wait to see if the score he and Bezuidenhout (who finished ten minutes earlier) had set would be enough.

“The last ten minutes feel like I’ve been dreaming,” said Herbert in his post event media conference.

“It’s so weird. It’s awesome. It’s just the best thing ever. It is so good. We’ve got a bottle of Scotch at home to celebrate, so I can’t wait to get into that with the boys.

“Last week, I was probably like 20th going into the weekend, and probably like for the tenth time in the last 12 months seemed to just back it out and finish at the back of the field.

“We got really frustrated so put in some really good tactics this week with my mental coach, Jamie Glazier, trying to be positive and a lot of positive stuff. It’s so cliché but it works so much. I felt so confident out there and just felt like good golf was going to come.

“I spoke to him (Glazier) just before the play-off, and we talked about the fact that I hit some really poor shots out there today.

“I know everyone back home is going to be still up, and obviously there’s some pretty awful stuff happening right now in Australia with the fires; and Cam Smith sort of said it a couple weeks ago when he won, and I’d like to say the same thing.

“Everyone around the world is behind us and hopefully we can keep fighting harder than what I did on the first play-off hole. That’s nothing compared to the firefighters and volunteers putting out the fires. Sending all my love back home and hope everyone is well, and thanks for the support.”

Spain’s Adri Arnaus and Dean Burmester tied for 3^rd two shots from the playoff.

Third round leader Ashun Wu and his nearest pursuer through 54 holes Bryson DeChambeau struggled and eventually finished 6^th and 8^th respectively.

New Zealander Ryan Fox finished 30^th and West Australian Jason Scrivener was 58^th.

The European Tour now moves to Saudi Arabia for the Saudi International.