Steve Alker – image courtesy of Getty Images 

New Zealand’s Steve Alker has picked up where he left off in 2023 with a resounding win at the opening event of the 2024 PGA Tour Champions season in Hawaii.

Just over two months after winning the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship in November, Alker today won the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai in Hawaii by four over Harrison Frazar with another shot back to the 2023 Charles Schwab Cup winner Steve Stricker.

“I mean, obviously today, you know, I got it done on the putting green for sure,” said Alker. “I made some nice putts. I knew Stricker and Harrison were going to come at me, so just kept the pedal to the metal.

“I knew I had to be aggressive, stayed aggressive and just that mindset, just keep committing
to my shots.”

When asked about his phenomenal run since turning 50 Alker responded; “You know, I think it’s just all about giving yourself chances to win. I think that’s what Langer does so well and Stricker does so well, they’re just in the hunt so often and giving themselves chances.

“Eventually you play well enough and get in the groove and you make a few putts and you’re going to get some victories. Yeah, that’s been key, just give yourself a chance. No. 8 starting the year, it’s a good feeling to win it here at Hualalai.”

The victory sets up a potentially red letter day for New Zealand golf with Kazuma Kobori, his sister Momoka and Mike Hendry contending in the combined gender Webex Series event at Murray River and Lydia Ko two ahead heading into the final round of the opening event of the LPGA Tour season in Florida.

Alker’s 54-hole total of 191 equals the lowest score in the history of this event, Loren Roberts producing a similar effort in 2006.

Alker adds another US$340,000 to his already US$7,297,000 already earned in his 2½ year PGA Tour Champions career and has him again on track for Charles Schwab honours later in the year.

Alker’s win follows two runner-up finishes in the event and is his 8^th victory on the PGA Tour Champions since first joining in August of 2021.

New Zealand golf fans will get the chance to see Alker play the New Zealand Open in five weeks.

Mark Hensby was 12th and Rod Pampling 30th in the 42-man field

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The Australian Amateur Championship men’s and women’s trophies – image Australian Golf Media

Inclement weather and conditions delayed play for more than two hours on day two of the Australian Amateur Championships at the Yarra Yarra and Keysborough Golf Clubs in Melbourne but by day’s end things were back on schedule and a cut made to allow both the men’s and women’s fields to return to Yarra Yarra Golf Club for the final 36 holes.

Overnight leader in the men’s division Kai Komulainen of the Emerald Lakes Golf Club on the Gold Coast lost his lead to New Zealand’s Micthell Kale whose second consecutive round of 67 has him two ahead of Komulainen with another shot back to standout Queensland amateur Quinnton Croker and American Noah Kent.

Perhaps unfortunately now being played as yet another 72 hole strokeplay event, the tournament has lost some of the gloss of yesteryear when match play prevailed but, for the winner on Friday, the title of Australian Amateur Champions will still hold a tremendous significance.

Kale, who was actually born in Queensland but who moved to New Zealand at the age of 12, has not dropped a shot in either of his two rounds at both Yarra Yarra and Keysborough and the runner-up in the 2022 New Zealand Amateur Championship to recent Asia Pacific Amateur Champion Jasper Stubbs has staked his claim to being the second New Zealander in succession to win the event following the victory by Kazuma Kobori last year.

The women’s field is jointly led by 15-year-old Amelia Harris who will have the benefit of a home ground advantage of the final 36 holes at her Yarra Yarra Golf Club, sharing the lead with Japan’s Aina Fujimoto.

South Australia’s Amelia Whinney is one shot back and alone in 3^rd place.

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Matt Griffin – image Australian Golf Media

40-year-old Melbournian Matt Griffin has won his first tournament in almost eight years with a wire-to-wire victory in the Heritage Classic at the Heritage Golf and Country Club in Victoria, recording a six-shot win over South Australian Jak Carter and Queensland amateur Quintonn Croker in the first PGA Tour of Australasia event of 2024.

Griffin, who has been a professional since 2008 after representing Australia in the Eisenhower Trophy, saw his five-shot overnight lead reduced to two through four holes, and in fact, when Carter made eagle at that same hole the margin was briefly just one.

Griffin however would birdie the next and by the time he added three more birdies by the 14^th the already foregone conclusion became even more so.

Griffin, who is the father of two, has struggled to reach the heights of his early career (which saw him win several significant titles) in recent times was such a dominant performer this week, that it now appears some of that previous mojo is returning.

He is a former winner of the Vic and New Zealand Open titles, amongst others, the latter of those coming in 2016 when he birdied the last to overtake Japan star Hideto Tanihara to win his most significant event.

It was 30-year-old Carter’s 5^th top ten on the Australasian Tour since gaining his playing rights at the 2023 PGA Tour of Australasian Q School and he is performing as if his breakthrough win is not far away.

Croker an amateur from the Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane produced his 4^th top ten in a PGA Tour of Australasia event in his last five starts.

Sydney’s Kevin Yuan finished alone in 4^th place, the former Liv Golf player, bouncing back from nine missed cuts in his last ten starts to record a finish more in keeping with his abilities.

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Phoenix Campbell and Rianne Malixi – AMOTA Champions – image Anthony Powter

The Australian Master of the Amateurs Men’s title has gone to Melbourne golfer, Phoenix Campbell, whose final two rounds of 65 and 67 swept him from a ten-shot deficit through 36 holes to a one-shot victory in the prestigious event and added to a stunning two months in which he has won an event on the PGA Tour of Australasia and now a leading amateur event.

The Yarra Yarra golfer who also came from well off the final day pace to win the Queensland PGA Championship in November, began the final round 35 minutes ahead of the final group today at the Southern Golf Club in Melbourne’s sandbelt and after a steady outward nine of 2 under 34 had him closing in on the lead he took control of the event with a final nine of 33 to complete his round one ahead of his fellow Victorian Siddharth Nadimpalli.

Nadimpalli, from the Spring Valley Golf Club, also closed quickly with a final round of 66 after beginning his final round 90 minutes ahead of the final group and actually had the lead before Campbell birdied the 17^th to move one ahead and then par the last to lead in the clubhouse. A bogey at the last proved very costly for Nadimpalli.

Campbell, who also won the Riversdale Cup in Melbourne twelve months ago, has served notice that he is well on track for a successful professional career when the decision comes for him to turn to the paid ranks.

New Zealand’s Zackary Swannick shared the lead through 36 holes but was unable to make any real progress over the final 36 and finished in 3rd place and two shots from Campbell.

The women’s Master of the Amateurs title went to 16-year-old Rianne Mikhaela Malixi of the Philippines who won by a shot over India’s Avani Prashanth, Prashanth just missing a 15-footer from behind the final green to force a playoff.

Japan’s Nika Ito birdied six holes in a row during today’s final round before dropping four shots late in her round to finish two shots from the winner.

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