A very happy leader at the halfway point, Kazuma Kobori – image courtesy of PGA of Australia

The impact of Thursday’s afternoon deluge during round one of the BMW Australian PGA Championship has had its ongoing consequences, with round two unable to be completed before darkness brought play to a close at 6.25.

Around 20 players will be required to return to the course early on Saturday morning, but there will be little impact at the top of the leaderboard with 21 of the leading 22 players having already completed their opening 36 holes.

New Zealand’s 24-year-old Kazuma Kobori birdied his final four holes to break clear of a congested leaderboard, his round of 63 moving him one clear of long-time second-round leader Brett Rankin, his fellow Queenslander Anthony Quayle and China’s Wenyi Ding.

Kobiri, who led the Australasian Tour Order of Merit in 2024, has just completed his first season on the DP World Tour and has done so with considerable success for a rookie on that tour.

He has won four events previously on the PGA Tour, one as a 17-year-old amateur in 2017, so this weekend’s task offers a greater challenge than previously, although he did finish an impressive runner-up at the British Masters this year.

“Yeah, that’s pretty cool,” said Kobori when reminded of his strong finish. “I struck the ball really well coming in after I snap-hooked one down the trees on 14. I don’t know, something must have clicked and then started flagging it and then… I was putting well all day, so yeah, rolled a couple in and that was that.

“To be honest, man, I’m just trying to get a little bit better at golf every day. Whether I play on the Aussie tour, I play back in New Zealand, I play DP or I play on the PGA Tour, play majors, I’m just trying to get a little bit better at golf. I feel like today I learned a little bit about my game today and then I’ll use that moving forward.”

When asked just it was he had learned he responded;  I think my good is good enough, but my poor is not quite good enough to crack it.

“I want to get a little bit more consistency, not in results, but more so my processes and what I’m doing more so off the golf course, away from the tournament, such as the gym, practice range, meditation, mental skills, all of that good stuff. Trying to get a bit more control on those things that will allow me to perform better on the course. So I think that’s a big thing that I’ve learned this year.

The opening two days have been quite productive for Kobori as yesterday he was one of two players to record a hole-in-one.

Anthony Quayle was one of the early leaders on day one, and the man who finished 3^rd in this event last year fashioned a round of 66 to move into a share of the lead before Kobori birdied the last soon after.

Quayle has had the benefit of New Zealand caddy Steve Williams on the bag and has been delighted with the positivity Williams brings to the partnership and his preparedness to call his player off a shot if he is not 100% sure of the strategy.

“Yeah, effectively the conditions had changed, and so I suppose he had the courage… I was about to pull the trigger, and he had the courage just to say, mate, sorry, I’ve got to stop you. It’s not that anymore. It’s this. He’s like, trust this. It’s a hundred per cent this. If you hit this, it’ll be good. And then felt like I executed that really well. Adjusted how I was going to hit it initially, and yeah, we finished up pretty close.

“That trait is something that’s so rare. I think he is really putting his neck on the line by doing that. Yeah, I don’t know. It’s cool for a player. For me, I felt like he wouldn’t be doing it unless he was a hundred per cent set, and I felt pretty confident as soon as he did.

“It didn’t feel like there was any doubt. I guess his language and how he sort of delivers the message eliminates any doubt, and I felt like the new plan… it was all a very quick sort of process and the new plan was the only plan and then just executed.”

Rankin has, for most of his career, been a PGA Tour of Australasia player and a successful competitor in pro-am events, although his only win on the PGA Tour of Australasia came six years ago in the Northern Territory PGA Championship.

Rankin has played the Asian Tour this season and feels that he helped in the improvement in his results.

“I’m just a lot more experienced with my game and with golf itself. I think this year’s been great playing Asian Tour. I played a lot of four-day tournaments, so I’m kind of in that routine of playing four days and understanding that it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

“Yeah, cool, I’m leading after 36 holes, but a lot can happen in 36 holes, so it’s like there’s no point getting excited right now. It’s halfway there. I just got to keep doing what I’m doing. Look at the leaderboard. There’s some high-quality golfers up there, so I’m not kidding myself. So I keep doing what I’m doing, keep making birdies. Obviously got to keep going forward if I want any chance to win for sure.

He played well at the Queensland PGA Championship this year and has carried that over into an impressive opening 36 holes here, leading after finishing off his opening round of 64 this morning and then adding a round of 69 soon after.

Ding has played the DP World Tour this season with just one top ten all season, but he played well in two Asian events in recent weeks and added a round of 66 to his opening 67 to be in that share of second place.

Those within three shots of the lead include the likes of Min Woo Lee, Cameron Davis, Daniel Hillier and Marc Leishman amongst others, but with so many players in contention and a golf course offering low rounds the weekend promises much.

Three-time winner of the event, Cameron Smith, missed the cut by four shots.

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Quayle and Williams in action this morning – image PGA of Australia

The morning field experienced perfect conditions for much of their opening rounds of the BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland, a light breeze kicking in mid-morning, making the last few holes a little more difficult, but, overall, given the volatile weather in the region of late, it was a dream opening for the $A2.5 million event.

Lift clean and place rules applied as a result of the stormy weather earlier in the week, and as the morning field completed their rounds, several familiar names were amongst the early contenders.

New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, Queenslander Anthony Quayle, Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen and China’s Wenyi Ding led the way at 4 under, one ahead of a large group just one back at 3 under, including Adam Scott, who, after finding the greenside bunker with his approach to the lengthy par 5 9^th (his final hole of the day), blasted over the green and took bogey.

Others at 3 under from the morning field included 2023 champion Min Woo Lee, New Zealand’s Josh Geary, Spanish golfers, David Puig and Josele Ballester, England’s Alex Fitzpatrick and James Morrison, Queenslander Quinton Croker, West Australian Curtis Luck and South Australian Wade Ormsby.

Quayle is playing his first event as a cardholder on the DP World Tour after gaining his playing rights via the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit last season.

Quayle also had the benefit of the experienced world-class caddy, Steve Williams, on the bag, that pairing coming about following their meeting during the Steve Williams Caddy Clinic at the New Zealand Open earlier this year.

When asked his thoughts on such a good start with Steve Wiliams on the bag, Quayle responded.

“Hopefully that’s the sort of standard every time Stevie’s on the bag. That’d be nice. Next three rounds, that’d be good. And then maybe four more of them next week and we’re laughing.

“I met him (Steve) at the New Zealand Open earlier this year. We did a caddie talk at an event Steve runs with Bruce Young and Michael Glading, and yeah, we got on fairly well. And actually, I said, do you mind if we go grab a coffee afterwards, I’d love to pick your brain. He said, fuck that. I’ll give you my number, I’ll come caddie for you. And then kept messaging each other. And then yeah, a month or two later I just reached out and asked if he wanted to and he was interested.

“I think he’s probably the most positive and clear caddie that I’ve ever worked with. I think he probably has a reputation for being quite intense, but my experience today wasn’t that at all. It was just very direct; this is what we need to do here. You think you can do it? Yep, let’s do it then.

“There was no room at all for any sort of doubt at any point. It just didn’t seem to creep into my mind. Anytime I did make a little bit of a mistake, it wasn’t like he was jumping on me, What are you doing? It was like, yeah, that’s fine mate, everyone makes bad swing time to time. Let’s make a good one on the next one. So it was really good.

“I feel like I’ve sort of strung together a few top 10s and top fives recently, and the game feels really good. It feels like it’s been good without being great, and I’m hoping that Steve can kind of just bring maybe part of that missing ingredient for me these next couple of weeks.

Quayle finished third in this event last year, and, as a winner of the Queensland PGA and Queensland Open Championships in this region, he clearly enjoyed the very warm conditions despite the early morning start, with some of his early childhood spent in Gove in the Northern Territory.

Quayle and Williams during the 2025 Steve Williams caddy clinic in Queenstown

Fox, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour in the US this season, has just completed an eight-week break from the game as he took rest and recreation in addition to addressing some minor injury issues.

“I haven’t played tournament golf in two months,” said the New Zealander. “So the legs are a little tired. It was good. I actually played really nicely today, to be honest. Probably left a little bit out there on the greens, but holed a couple of nice ones as well and drove it good. Hit my irons pretty good. A couple of scruffy chips here and there. But yeah, all in all, really happy.”

“Kind of come out here, feel like I’ve kind of got nothing to lose,” added Fox, referring to the break and his new standing in the game.” “I’m here to try to win a golf tournament rather than playing for a card or anything like that. It’s a nice place to be. And yeah, just kind of felt good out there. Hit a couple of good shots early, I was like, Oh yeah, this is what it feels like again. And yeah, I’ve got a nice group with Elvis and Scotty as well. Two guys I know really well and always enjoy chatting with Scotty. So it was just nice out there.”

The afternoon field will find it more difficult as the breeze continue to build along with the heat and whether anyone can catch or pass those on top of the morning leaderboard remains to be seen, but tournament officials will be delighted to have so many of their marquee players in the mix already.

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Adam Scott during his press conference today – image PGA of Australia

Australia’s finest golfing ambassadors of the modern era, Adam Scott, is not only impressing with the very classy way he goes about his business, but that he is still competing at a very high level despite now being well into his 25th year as a professional.

Adam Scott will tee it up at Royal Queensland on Thursday, chasing a third Australian PGA Championship, having won in 2013 and 2019 at RACV Royal Pines. Those titles, along with a victory at the 2009 Australian Open Championship at the New South Wales Golf Club, two Australian Masters titles and a Johnnie Walker Classic title, make him one of Australia’s more successful players domestically, but he remains keen to build on that legacy despite now being 45 and carrying form of late that is below his best.

“Well, I mean Greg’s resume is incredible,” said Scott when asked how he would like his own legacy to appear when his career is over. “I feel like I’ve had some close calls at the Aussie Open, other than the win. I’ve had some good performances and they just haven’t quite gone my way. And to win multiple Aussie Opens would be a nice thing, and I know it’s only getting probably tougher for me from this point.

“So while I’m healthy and feeling good, I want to make the most of it. We’re here to focus on the PGA this week, but again, to join a great list of guys winning three PGAs will be pretty special as well.”

While his international season has not been a great one by his normal standards, he still believes his game is in good enough shape to be a factor wherever he tees it up.

“I still feel like, by some of the indicators that everyone judges the game by today, I’m relevant. I was in the last group at the US Open this year on Sunday and didn’t have a great day, but I feel like I’ve still got the game to compete at the highest level.

“But everything is a bit of a balance, and managing my schedule and what I can and can’t do is the challenge. And at the moment, I’m kind of a little bit on the back foot with that, not completely controlling everything myself, but it can all turn around quickly in golf, a couple of good weeks and you’re firing again. My focus is on playing and really sharpening that focus to a point where I’m focused on winning tournaments, and that generally takes care of everything.”

“I’m starting to turn into that kind of old golf pro who’s out there. I remember when I turned pro, and I looked at some of those guys who are my age now, and how old I thought they were, and now that’s me. But personally, I feel physically and mentally able to do it still. Fortunately, I’m not in an aches-and-pains phase yet, and I’m really motivated and until I get to that point I’ll at least try and keep competing. I really think I just need to sharpen up my focus a little bit and get back in that winning circle. Hopefully that’s the next couple of weeks, and I can kick on and still have some good golf ahead of me.”

Like Ryan Fox and Elvis Smylie, who also spoke to the media today, a focus for Scott is to make it onto the 2026 International Presidents Cup team where his longtime friend and peer, Geoff Ogilvy, will captain the International side.

“Top of my list with winning tournaments is making the Presidents Cup team next year. A lot has been put into the International team over the last years. We had a tough Cup in Canada, and the team’s been dealt some tough blows the last three or even four Cups. Geoff’s really engaged and taken the bull by the horns for the International players and I really mean, for personal reasons, I’d really love to be on that team.

“Geoff and I have played golf since we were juniors together, and I would love to get my game in shape to make that team and get that International win. I think it’s close, and people might not think it’s that close, but I think it is coming down to… even in Canada it was just losing or winning the last hole a couple of times made the difference. I’ve seen a lot of buy-in from the young guys the last few years who want to play under that International shield. So it’d be fun to make it another time and hopefully be there for a win.”

But first to this week and Scott’s history as a member of Royal Queensland in his amateur days and a good finish here in 2023 after leading early, suggests he could have a good week.

 

Ryan Fox during his press conference today – image PGA of Australia

New Zealander Ryan Fox returns from an eight-week break from tournament golf, excited about being back and ready to take on much stronger fields than he has faced in previous years in Australian events, in the knowledge that he is now the leading world-ranked Australasian in this week’s Australian PGA Championship.

Fox’s two wins on the PGA Tour in his second season as a cardholder there ensured he not only comfortably retained his status on the PGA Tour, he is now in a category which allows him to play not only all the lucrative signature events on the PGA Tour but all of the game’s majors, providing an ease of mind for the now 38 year old and access to untold riches.

As someone who likes to travel with his family, Fox’s success and the security of tenure that he has now earned, has allowed him the luxury of a permanent place of residence for he and his family including his wife and two daughters in Jupiter in Florida, and such security should ensure he builds on his already impressive start in the USA.

Fox will play this week’s Australian PGA Championship and next week’s Australian Open at Royal Melbourne, and no doubt take a break ahead of playing the PGA Tour season’s opening event in Hawaii, but, first, he will tackle a field which this week includes several of Europe’s best, along with Australia’s leading players other than Jason Day.

Fox has won three events on Australian soil, although none since his breakthrough European Tour title in 2019 when winning the Super 6’s event in Perth but, given his significant standing in Australasian and World golf, that could well change this week.

So, after his lengthy break, how is he feeling about his game?

“Very refreshed. It was a really busy PGA TOUR season, and last year I had some forced time off at the end of the year with a bit of a hip injury, and this year was kind of the opposite.

“It was like, well, I’ve got a chance to just take a break, go home, be dad, be normal, and I’m buzzing to be back into it this week. It probably felt like it was a couple of weeks too much.

“I was watching a couple of events on TV going, ‘I’d quite like to be playing that one’, which obviously a couple of months earlier, I didn’t want to see a golf club, but I’m looking forward to this week.”

When asked about the motivation for returning to Australia to play, he responded.

“I’ve always really enjoyed coming back to Aussie and playing. Obviously, this is the first Tour I played when I turned pro, and I would’ve loved to come back last year, but injury kept me out of coming back, and this year it fitted in perfectly.

“I’ve had a chance to have a really, really nice break, but looking at it going forward, I don’t want to take three months off golf and try to go back into early next year and find it again. And obviously, we’re playing two great golf courses the next two weeks, great fields, and I really wanted to be a part of it basically. It was a no-brainer for me.”

With two victories on the PGA Tour this season and the benefits that have brought, what are his goals moving forward?

“Obviously, I’d love to build on it. It’s hard to beat a year I had this year. Other than maybe making the Tour Championship, I ticked every box that I wanted to tick.

I think this year the big one is to be on Geoff’s (Ogilvy’s Presidents Cup) team in September for next year. So that’s something I feel like I’ve missed out on the last couple of years and I’m in a good place.

“I’m in all the big events for next year, so I really want to be a part of that team, and I’d love to make the Tour Championship; that’s another goal to take off. I’m in all the big events next year so contending in one of those would be great. It’s a nice place to be. I know my golf game is good enough to compete with the best players in the world, and I give myself a few more chances with that next year.”

So, with the benefit of his first season behind him in 2024, how has he benefited from playing the PGA Tour for a second season?

“Yeah, this year has been a lot easier than last year. I think we did it the hard way last year. We didn’t really know where we wanted to base ourselves. So we spent a bit of last year trying to figure out where we’d like to go and ended up in Jupiter where most of the TOUR is anyway, but we travelled for I think it was like 20 weeks in a row just dragging kids through airports, hotels and golf courses and that got pretty tiring pretty quickly and this year we made sure we didn’t do that again. We had a base in Jupiter, rented a house there for seven months this year and actually worked really well, knowing the events too.

“So we bought a place in Jupiter, and you’re going to be out there at least for the next three years, which is cool and kind of daunting at the same time. But for the most part, the family enjoyed it last year, that 28 degrees in Florida in the middle of winter, with the kids being able to swim in the pool, they tended to quite enjoy that, and they liked the travelling around for the most part.

“It’s going to get a little different for us this year. Our oldest is going to be school age, so we’ve got a little bit of logistics to work out there, where she’s going to go to school, and how that’s all going to work with travel and stuff like that. But we know we’re going to be based predominantly in the States over the next few years and for the most part, we enjoyed it this year and are looking forward to doing it again next year.”

Given the standing Fox now has in the game, he deserves consideration as a potential contender over the next two weeks. It may be that the rust developed over his eight week break takes a while to wear off, but there is little doubt he is a far more credentialed player than he has been previously when on Australian soil, and the likeable Aucklander will garner more than his share of support from both New Zealanders and Australians.

Minjee Lee – within striking distance at the halfway stage – file photo USGA

The LPGA Tour’s flagship event, the CME Group Tour Championship, has reached a crucial stage at the Tiburon Golf Club on the Southwest Coast of Florida and once again the game’s most dominant player in 2025, Jeeno Thitikul has staked a claim to win yet another title this season.

The defending champion in one of the richest events of the season, Thitikul, has opened up a three-shot lead over another former winner of the event, Sei Young Kim.

Thitikul has been either 1^st or 2^nd in six events this season, has a win on the Ladies European Tour in addition and has established a significant lead in the Rolex World rankings over the dominant player of 2024, Nelly Korda.

When asked to draw a comparison between winning this event and a major title, Thitikul responded.

“I think should be the same,” said the 22-year-old Thai golfer, now in her fourth LPGA Tour season.

“I think like the course condition-wise, definitely I think the major is more like tougher and harder. I think it really depends on like how you play out there in those particular days. Like — in every tournament, I am trying to feel the same as always.

But I like the course conditions, the players, the pressure sometimes I know it’s different, but I’m always trying to stay grounded and be the same.

Thitikul was also asked about the expectations on her coming into the event as the world number one.

“I don’t have expectations about myself, so I don’t think I need to like expect — like manage any expectation from others.

Because when you talk to others, everyone might talk the same and then might think the same because you came here as the world No. 1, but obviously, what number you are has the same chance as everyone else, starting any week.

So this is any week as well. Tomorrow, it’s a new day. Sunday is a new day. Everything can happen with golf.”

Minjee Lee leads the Australasian charge, the Perth golfer five shots from the lead after a second round of 67.

“I mean, I had a pretty nice start,” said Lee. “Four birdies on the front and then one birdie on the back. But I feel like I’m going pretty steady out there. I think for the most part it was pretty solid. Just going to try and clean up my shots a little bit and hope for a really great weekend.

“I’m going to try to do my very best like I do every single week, week in, week out. Yeah, that’s just the way it is for everyone. It’s the end of the year. Yeah, you just got to put all your energy into it and hopefully have a great event.”

That energy needed over the weekend becomes even more important when the carrot of US$4 million to the winner is considered.

Two-time winner of the event, Lydia Ko, is seven shots from the lead after her round of 68 today.

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