The Roll Continues for Whitney Hillier

West Australian Whitney Hillier’s recent good form continued in round two of the Hero Women’s Indian Open adding a second round of 71 on day two of the Ladies European Tour event to take a one-shot lead into the weekend at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurugram.

Hillier, who recovered from a double bogey at the 10th with four birdies over her closing nine, leads over Norwegian Marian Skarpnord.

Hillier finished 7th in Spain last week and appears to have found something in her game. She puts some of her performance this week down to the similarities of this week’s layout to her home course in Perth.

“It was a little bit up and down in the middle there but I got it back really well, so I’m quite proud of that,” said the 28-year-old, who loves playing in the heat in India.

“I was two-over after 10 and then I got it back to finish one-under for the day. I hit it close on 17 and 18, where I used the slope quite well.

“It’s funny, I’m from Joondalup Golf Club, which is actually quite similar, shots wise. I just realised that this course has the ‘Lake’ and ‘Quarry’ nines, which is exactly the same as at Joondalup. I’m not kidding, it’s so surreal.”

The other Australian to make the cut was Queensland’s professional debutante, Becky Kay, who is in 31st place after her second round of 77.

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Won Joon Lee tied for 3rd in Japan

Former Sydney golfer, Won Joon Lee, is the best of the Australians at the halfway mark of the Japan Tour’s Tokai Classic in Nagoya, the 33 year old adding a second round of 69 to his opening 70 to be three shots from the lead held by the ever present Shugo Imahira and  Mikumu Horikawa.

Lee has yet to win in five years on the Japan Tour and now five years into his Japan Tour career he will be keen to finally convert several near misses to victory.

Lee is currently 33rd on the Japan Tour money list for 2019 and is therefore clear of any real concern about retaining his status for next season but he will be keen to take advantage of this improved showing.

Brad Kennedy is 31st, Dylan Perry 41st and New Zealander Michael Hendry 52nd.

Lee has won only one event on a recognised tour in his career to date, that victory coming in Korea earlier this year but this week might well offer the chance for the talented Koren born golfer to finally get across the line in Japan.

Joint leader, Imahira, has been a standout on the Japan Tour in recent times and in fact this year is currently in 2nd place on the money list there.

 

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Whitney Hillier Finds Purple Patch of Form

Whitney Hillier – Ladies European Tour

What a couple of weeks it has been for West Australia’s Ladies European Tour golfer golfer, Whitney Hillier.

Last week at the Estrella Damm Mediterranean Ladies Open in Spain she holed in one during her second round of the event in Sitges in Spain which led to a round of 66 and in Thursday’s opening round of this week’s Hero Women’s Indian Open she shared the lead after the opening round.

Her 7th place finish last week was just her 2nd top ten of the season and moved her to 42nd on the Ladies European Tour money list but she has a chance to improve that position considerably after her opening round of 67 in Gurugram.

“I shot five-under today,” said the 28 year old Hillier. “I made six birdies and I bogeyed the first hole, so I actually got that back pretty quickly. Overall I’m really happy with my performance today. I hit my irons well and gave myself lots of birdie chances.

“The course is looking great, as well. Last time I was here it was 2015 and it has changed a lot since then. It is very, very impressive. It’s a beautiful golf course and one of the best in the world, I think.”

Hillier shares the lead with Englishwoman, Meghan MacLaren.

Interestingly Hillier was not the only Australian female professional to hole in one last week. Sarah Kemp produced a similar feat o

n the LPGA Tour in a tournament in Indianapolis.

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Jason Scrivener Starts Well in Spain

Jason Scrivener – file photo

Perth’s Jason Scrivener heads the eight Australians at the European Tour’s Open de Espana in Madrid, the West Australian in a share of 9th place and four from the leader, Kristian Krogh Johannessen.

Scrivener, currently in 57th place in the Race to Dubai Rankings, continues his push to be in the field for the season ending DP World Championship in Dubai in late November but in order to be so he needs to be inside the top 50.

After a solid start to the year Scrivener’s form in recent weeks has been well below his best but this is an encouraging start to an event which could play a role in his fortunes later in the year.

Scrivener raced to the turn in 30 in his opening round but lost momentum with a homeward nine of 37 although his round of 67 has him well placed heading into tomorrow’s second round.

European Tour rookies Jake McLeod and Deyen Lawson recorded rounds of 68 to be tied for 18th, while Dimi Papadatos and Brett Rumford were the next best of the Australians after their rounds of 1 under 70.

Norway’s Johannessen leads by one over Spanish player Adri Arnaus but amongst the group just two off the lead are defending champion Jon Rahm and his fellow Spaniard Rafa Cabrera Bello.

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Golf Betting Thoughts for October 2nd

Jon Rahm – hot favourite to defend his national open title in Madrid.

This week we take a look at the PGA Tour’s Shriners Hospitals for Children event in Las Vegas, the European Tour’s Open de Spain in Madrid and the Volunteers of America LPGA Texas Classic in Dallas.

Click to Listen

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Marc Leishman’s Weekend Magic Earns 3rd Place in California

Two weeks ago Marc Leishman was forced to withdraw from the recent Military Tribute at Greenbrier following an injury caused by a wayward shot from a pro-am partner but he has bounced back in style with a 3rd place finish at the Safeway Open in California.

Leishman’s final round of 65 at the Silverado Country Club was the equal best of the day and improved the Victorian golfer 19 places from his overnight standing to record his equal best finish of the 2019 season.

Leishman only just made the cut on Friday but he stormed through the field over the weekend with rounds of 67 and 65 to finish in outright 3rd place and three shots behind the winner Cameron Champ.

It was a good week overall for the Australians with Cameron Percy continuing his fine start to the season with a share of 7th place and Adam Scott fighting back after leading early then fading on Friday and Saturday before a final round of 68 saw him finish 17th.

For Cameron Percy he has now earned US$377,000 in three events since regaining his PGA Tour card via the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.

Aaron Baddeley and Rhein Gibson finished tied for 33rd.

For the winner, Champ, one of the game’s longest hitters, it was his second victory on the PGA Tour and comes 11 months after his win at the Sanderson Farms Championship which was his second start on the PGA Tour.

Champ birdied his final hole to win by one over Canadian Adam Hadwin, birdies at the final three holes by Hadwin forcing Champ to fight to the end after holding a commanding lead with just a few holes to play.

The 24-year old Californian’s victory was an emotional one as he juggled contention in his home state with the terminal illness of his grandfather.

“Not matter if I win one more tournament or ten more tournaments this will be the greatest win of my career,” said Champ reflecting on the timing of the victory and his close association with his grandfather.

 

 

 

 

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Improved Showing For Sarah Kemp In Indianapolis

Sarah Kemp – file photo LET

After a fast start to the 2019 season had re-established her status on the LPGA Tour, NSW’s golfer Sarah Kemp has struggled on the LPGA Tour since but a 15th place finish at this week’s Indy Women In Tech Championship in Indianapolis is her best finish since a 10th place finish at the Australian Women’s Open and will ensure her status for the 2020 season.

Kemp tied with fellow Australian Su Oh for that 15th placed finish and although the pair finished a massive 13 shots behind the runaway winner, M.J Hur, it was a solid week for both.

Victoria’s Oh has been in good form in the latter half of the season after missing six consecutive cuts earlier in the year and although yet to win on the LPGA Tour she has been twice runner-up and that breakthrough win appears not too far away.

Of the other Australians, Katherine Kirk was 5th and Hannah Green 65th while New Zealand’s Lydia Ko finished 31st.

The winner Hur led from her opening round of 63 and completed her second win of the season and her 4th on the LPGA Tour.

Hur won by four shots over Nanna Koerstz Madsen with Marina Alex another two back in third place.

 

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Perez’s Maiden Win Comes at Home of Golf

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Victor Perez claimed his maiden European Tour title, the Frenchman becoming the first rookie to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews Old Course, just 15 miles from the place he currently calls home, Dundee.

It was a tense battle throughout as the 27-year-old locked horns with his playing partner Matthew Southgate, having both shared a two-stroke lead heading into the final day. Perez was one stroke behind the Englishman heading into the back nine despite a flawless two under front nine.

A dropped shot at the par three 11th meant he dropped further off the pace but a birdie at the par five 14th for the 2018 European Challenge Tour graduate, and a bogey for Southgate, meant a two-shot swing had them level going down the stretch.

Southgate’s missed par putt at the 17th was decisive as Perez edged ahead and two pars at the famous final hole at the Home of Golf earned Perez – who lives in Dundee with his partner Abigail – a career-changing victory as he moved to 17th in the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex.

Southgate could console himself with an important outright second place finish which secures his European Tour card for 2020 season after a disappointing season up to this point.

Tommy Fleetwood, meanwhile, won the team prize in the unique Pro-Am event alongside partner Ogden Phipps II, pipping Rory McIlroy and his father Gerry to the title.

“It’s really hard to describe right now,” said Perez.

“I feel like the emotions were really high all day, and really cold, windy, long day out there. I felt like I was able to battle. Matt played amazing. I was expecting some of the guys to charge, and we were fortunate in a it was a one-on-one battle on the back nine and was able to make that birdie on 14 that really pulled me back, and then just held strong till the end. I was fortunate it was my time today.

“The format is awesome. I think it’s a chance for the amateurs to see from inside the ropes and connect with the players, which is something that they strive and they love to do and chat with us and ask what clubs we hit and why and all these kind of questions. I think it’s really cool that we can give back those people, as well.

“Obviously there’s nothing like a win. The confidence that you get from getting it done, it’s so difficult at this level to win. Being my first year, I’m obviously delighted.”

Ryan Fox was the only Australasian to make the cut but after a fine start to the week he eventually finished in 54th place.

The European Tour now moves to Madrid for this week’s Spanish Open.

SCORES

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Karl Vilips heads Australians at Asia Pacific Amateur

Karl Vilips – photo Justin Falconer Golf Australia

US based Perth golfer, Karl Vilips, has finished as the leading Australian at the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship near Shanghai in China, the 18 year old recovering from a slow start to the event to finish in a share of 8th place in his first appearance in the prestigious event for the leading male amateurs in the Asia Pacific region.

Vilips moved past Australia’s long-time leading player this week, Blake Windred, who struggled to a final round of 76 after sharing the lead into the final day.

Windred was on the back foot early on day four, two bogeys early were followed by a brief fightback before a double bogey at the 9th. He would then drop shots at his last three holes to finish 13th.

Vilips, who later this year will head the International side in the Junior Presidents Cup, is scheduled to play collegiate golf at Stanford University in California in 2020 but he is already accumulating quite a record in amateur golf having won several significant junior events and in 2018 the Southern Amateur Championship.

Windred finished in 13th place while fellow Australians Nathan Barbieri and David Micheluzzi were 18th, Jack Thompson 21st and Kyle Michel 54th.

Harry Hillier was the best of the New Zealanders when he finished 18th.

The winner of the tournament was China’s Yuxin Lin who defeated the defending champion Takumi Kanaya at the second extra hole of a playoff to win the event for the second occasion having also won in 2017 in Wellington in New Zealand.

“It definitely means a lot to me, especially this week, winning at home is certainly huge for me and for China golf, as well. I’m just really honored to be alongside Hideki as a two-time winner,” said Lin, who turns 19 in two weeks.

The 18th hole had proven troublesome for Lin, who played the hole in four over par over his last three rounds.

“I was having a little trouble with the 18th three days in a row. We knew there were extra holes coming up and stepping on the 18th again wasn’t a great feeling for me. And especially that lie off the tee shot, in the first extra hole, definitely not what you wanted.

“But at least everything turned out pretty well, so pretty satisfied,” added the world No. 114, who clinched his first AAC title with an impressive birdie-eagle finish at Royal Wellington Golf Club in New Zealand.

“I didn’t really think about the win. I was just trying to play some good golf out there. I made some mistakes throughout the round but stayed patient the whole time.

“It really matters a lot playing against the best amateur in the world right now, and especially to be able to get that win is definitely huge. Obviously, Takumi is a great player. It gives me a lot of confidence to be able to compete with the No. 1 player in the world in extra holes.”

Lin gets to play the Masters and the Open Championship in 2020 having also played those events in 2018 as a result of his win at the Royal Wellington Golf Club.

It was China’s fourth victory in the event which has been running since 2009.

The winner Yuxin Lin – photo courtesy of AAC Golf

 

 

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Brendan Jones Finishes 9th at Panasonic Open

The winner Toshi Muto – Asian Tour

Brendan Jones has finished in 9th place at the Panasonic Open near Osaka in Japan, a final round of 1 under par 70 giving the 44 year old Canberra golfer just his second top ten of the Japan Tour season although his other was a victory in the opening event of the domestic season.

Jones earned 4.2 million yen (A$57,000) for his finish and moves to 11th on the Japan Tour money list.

Jason Norris 34th, Brad Kennedy 37th and Andrew Dodt 50th were the other Australians to make the cut in the event jointly sanctioned between the Japan and Asian Tours.

The tournament was won in emphatic style by Toshinori Muto who won by four Shugo Imahira, Imahira recording his 10th top ten finish of the season.

Imahira finished alone in second place with another in form golfer, Ryo Ishikawa, one further back.

For Muto, it was his 7th Japan Tour win although his first since 2015. Consecutive weekend rounds of 64 saw him draw clear to win almost as he liked by an impressive margin over two quality players.

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