Seven Australasians currently exempt for US Open


Cam Davis – his effort at last week’s PGA Championship earned him a debut at the US Open – image PGA of America

The 2023 US Open will be played at the Los Angeles Country Club from June 15th to 18th and as at May 22nd six Australians and one New Zealander are amongst the 84 players currently exempt into the event.

Final qualifying will be played across 13 venues in the UK, Japan and the USA between now and June 5th at which it is possible for more Australasians to make the field.

Those exempt at present are Cameron Smith, Jason Day, Adam Scott, Cam Davis, Min Woo Lee, Lucas Herbert and New Zealander Ryan Fox.

Smith, Day, Scott, Davis, Herbert  and Fox have earned their right to play via their standing inside the top 60 in the World Ranking as of May 22nd while Lee gains his start courtesy of being the leading player on the DP World Tour standing and not otherwise exempt for the event.

The brilliant weekend at the PGA Championship by Davis, when he produced a last round of 65 to finish in a share of 4th, swept him from 68th to 49th in the world ranking and he will get to play his first US Open.

The group will look to add to the names of David Graham, Michael Campbell and Geoff Ogilvy as winners of the event from our part of the world.

Current list of players 

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Brooks Koepka joins major championship elite Cam Davis 4th


Brooks Koepka with major trophy number five – image PGA of America

If the greatness or otherwise of a professional golfer is measured by their record in major championships, then Brooks Koepka’s PGA Championship win at Oak Hill today adds to the already outstanding record he possessed in major championship golf and elevates the 33-year-old amongst the greats of the modern game.

Since 1990, only two other players have won as many major titles as Koepka, namely Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson so he now joins an elite and exclusive club.

Not only had Koepka won four previous majors in the period between 2017 and 2019 but he also has four runner-up finishes to his name at the elite level and but for injury issues his significant record could well have been considerably greater.

One of those runner-up finishes was at the Masters in April where he had also led into the final round before succumbing to a last round of 75 to finish in a share of second behind Jon Rahm.

So, after resolving to take a different attitude into today’s final round than was the case at the Masters where he was protecting his lead rather than attempting to build on it, he either led or shared the lead throughout.

While challenged by Viktor Hovland throughout he was able to take advantage of a Hovland mistake at the 16th and edged clear to win by two over Hovland and Scottie Scheffler, who was one of several players on day four to record a final round of 65.

“I just learned I knew what I did in Augusta,” said Koepka when asked what the difference was this time.

“I spent the whole night thinking about it. I knew what I did and I knew I was never going to come out and think that way again. Didn’t do that.

“I’ve always learned more from the four times I finished second than, I guess, the five times I’ve won now.

“I think failure is how you learn. You get better from it. You realize what mistakes you’ve made. Each time I’ve kind of made an adjustment. It’s more mentality than it is anything. It’s not really golf swing or anything like that.

“You’re going to play how you play, but mentally you can kind of figure things out, and I’m always trying to get better. Just trying to find that different little edge just to poke and try inside my head.

“Really, I think the big key is just being open and honest with yourself, and if you can do that, you’ll be miles ahead of everybody else.

“I felt in control all day. I felt — to be honest with you, probably the one that was settling — what’s the par 5, making the birdie there, I felt like that was a good putt. The other ones were three, four feet. But I think making that 7-footer (at the 4th) just helped build some momentum early.

When asked how this week’s victory rates Brooks thought about it and responded. “This is probably the sweetest one of them all because all the hard work that went into this one, this one is definitely special. This one is probably it for me.”


Cam Davis – brilliant weekend earns him a share of 4th – image PGA of America

Another to record a final round of 65 was Australian Cameron Davis who until this week had played in four major championships with a best of 39th at the 2018 Open Championship, a start in which had come as a result of his winning the 2017 Australian Open.

Today, Davis’ round of 65 moved him from a share of 16th overnight to a three-way tie for 4th and a huge cheque for US$720,000. By finishing inside the top four, Davis will also earn an automatic start at the Masters in 2024, his second appearance in the event after a debut in 2022.

After a bogey at the first, Davis was near flawless from there, adding four birdies and an eagle, the eagle coming after a magnificent tee shot to the driveable par 4 14th and holing a ten foot putt.

“Honestly, felt like I played the same as today all the way through the week,” said Davis. “Didn’t quite keep the momentum going and kept on stumbling right at the finish. Felt like I was under par coming down the last three holes every day and really struggled to get over the finish line.

“But today was nice, especially 17. That one has been really bugging me, and I finally hit a good drive and followed it up with two more good shots. You know, would have been really nice to make that last putt, just have it drop over the front instead of finish up short.”

Understandably, Davis was delighted with such a performance and realises just what this will mean for his ongoing career, especially in the majors.

“To build off this one going into the other majors, every time you have a really good round under tough conditions, it’s just another little positive voice in the back of your head that, yeah, I can do this even when it’s difficult, even when the rough is really deep and the pins are tight and firming up quick and you can still play really good golf and make a score especially toward the end of a major.

“That’s where I want to be. I’d love to win one or more of these for sure. You know, this is just one more step towards that goal for me.

“Yeah, a lot of positive stuff.”

Also recording a round of 65 was Cameron Smith who after a slow start to the event put together weekend rounds of 70 and 65 to finish in a share of 9th.

“Yeah, it’s starting to feel really nice,” said Smith referring to an ever improving game of late. “I think a little bit too much time off with the golf clubs probably has, I guess, kind of delayed how I wanted to start the year. Now it’s starting to feel really nice.

“I’m starting to feel confident with those irons, which when I’m playing good golf, that’s where I feel like I’m at. If I’m in the fairway and I have an iron in my hand, I really feel like I can be competitive out there, and that’s what I’m doing.”

Min Woo Lee tied for 18th after a final round of 71 but in addition to recording his second bast finish in a major he now has special temporary membership of the PGA Tour. He needed only to finish in a tie for 27th or better and so he has comfortably achieved that goal.

Ryan Fox also earned more then a good cheque this week as he too now has special temporary membership of the PGA Tour which suggests he will be playing more on that Tour over the coming months. The New Zealander tied for 23rd which represented his second best finish in 16 major championship starts.

Adam Scott ties for 29th after a final round of 69 and Lucas Herbert 40th.

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Koepka has another 54 hole lead, Min Woo Lee shares 10th


Brooks Koepka leads into the final round of a major again – image PGA of America

Min Woo Lee finds himself in a share of 10th place as the PGA Championship enters tomorrow’s final round in Rochester, New York, the 24 year old West Australian adding a third round of 71 to be at 1 over par and seven shots from the lead held by Brooks Koepka, whose round of 66 has him leading a major into the final round for the second occasion in 2023.

Lee began the day with a bogey in the rainy conditions but by the turn he was back at even par for the round and the tournament and when he added another birdie at the 11th he was under par for the first time for the week and just four from the then lead held by Corey Conners.

A double bogey at the par 5 13th was a shaky reminder of the dangers that lurk at every corner of Oak Hill but, impressively, he was able to par the last five holes for a round of 71 and is well placed to improve on his previous best major finish of 14th at the 2022 Masters.

Lee leads the Australasians by one over Cameron Davis and Ryan Fox, Davis recovering from a slow start to the day to move under par for the round with birdies at the 14th and 16th before consecutive bogeys at 17 and 18th saw him finish with a round of 71 and an eventual share of 16th.

It was a disappointing end to what had been an encouraging day to that point for Davis but he, too, is well enough placed to improve considerably on his previous best major finish of 39th.

Fox has been quite a revelation given his disrupted preparation for the event as a result of pneumonia and the arrival of his second child.

Fox’s round of 71 continued a very impressive week and given that a share of 59th or better this week will earn him special temporary membership of the PGA Tour then he appears on track for a lot more golf in the US.

Cameron Smith’s round of 70 in perhaps the worst conditions of the day saw him improve 21 places to a share of 27th.

Adam Scott added another round of 74 to be tied for 42nd along with Lucas Herbert who was round in 72 today after an outward nine of 39.

Koepka leads by one over two of the 36 hole leaders, Viktor Hovland and Corey Conners, while the third of the leaders after round two, Scottie Scheffler fought back from a horror outward nine of 39 for a round of 73 and at 2 under is still a chance to win a second major title.

Koepka explained when asked what he saw as the difference between confidence and injury recovery when assessing his recent form.

“I think everyone misconstrues the confidence for just the injury. You ask any athlete if they are hurt, and they can’t do something. I mean, imagine if you can’t get out of bed or can’t walk. You’ve got a pebble in your shoe, you kind of start to adjust, and that’s the thing. I just got into bad habits. It’s tough. You can’t play. I came back too soon and played for too long. But look, I moved on from that now, so I’m pretty pleased.”

The issue of his last round demise at Augusta National was raised and when asked as to his mindset now he would say;  “To just never think the way I thought going into the final round. I think that was a big thing for me but other than that I think even having — learning what I learned at Augusta kind of helped today.

“Like I said, I won’t do it again the rest of my career. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t go play bad — you can play good, you’ll play bad but I’ll never have that mindset or that won’t ever be the reason.”

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Min Woo Lee stars amongst Australasians on day two at PGA


Min Woo Lee – just five off the lead after second round of 67 – image file photo Australian Golf Media

Min Woo Lee was the Australasian star on day two of the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club, his round of 67 bettered only by Brooks Koepka’s round of 66 and after an opening round of 73 he now finds himself just five off the 36 hole lead at even par and tied for 10th.

The leaders at 5 under par are American Scottie Scheffler, Norway’s Viktor Hovland and Canadian Corey Conners.

Playing in conditions that definitely favoured the afternoon field on day two as the morning winds died to just a gentle zephyr, Lee took full advantage with a dream start that included four birdies in his first five holes.

After a run which had included three consecutive missed cuts in his last three starts, it was a welcome return for the 24 year old.

“It’s been a while since I was actually really, really proud of myself and the way I handled myself,” said Lee.

“It was a grind out there. There was a lot of par saves that I needed to do just to keep the momentum up, and I did that, and it was really fun. Very gritty out there, which is something that I feel like I’ve been lacking a little bit. It’s kind of nice to just do that, especially at a major championship.

“I mean, I needed something to switch because I feel like I’ve just been playing a little sluggish over the last few weeks a few tournaments. I don’t know what clicked, but I think I just got over it, and I just didn’t like missing cuts and just wanted to play really good today.

“I’m really proud of the way I went. I think just very focused on what I needed to do. A lot of doubt has kind of come into my game. I’ve been switching clubs and switching balls and hitting too much spin and stuff like that. Yeah, it was nice to just — at the end of the day, if you put a good swing on it, hopefully the shot goes nicely. I think that was the mindset today.”

Cameron Davis and Ryan Fox are the next best of the down under brigade, both players tied at 1 over par and in a share of 19th place.

Davis had opened with a  round of 71 but by the turn today he was at 3 over for the event and needing a solid back nine to ensure he would be around for the weekend and inside the likely cut line of 5 over. The conditions for the morning field were demanding with strong breezes buffeting the Oak Hill layout but birdies at his 13th, 14th and 15th holes had him at even par before a bogey at his 17th hole saw him finish with 70.


Cam Davis – inside the top twenty at the halfway mark – image PGA of America

Fox had impressed on day one with a round of 68 but he turned in 37 today and added another bogey at his 13th hole for a round of 73 and a 1 over par total.

Adam Scott had also started with a round of 68 on Thursday which included a gut-wrenching double at his final hole and once again it would be the final stretch that would prove costly for Scott.

After making the turn in even par 35, Scott was still 2 under for the tournament with just four holes to play but four dropped shots to finish with a round of 74 may well prove the difference between contending for the title and finishing midfield.

One can only imagine just how agonising his disastrous finishes on both day one and two mean to the 42 year old.


Adam Scott – another horror finish proves costly – image PGA of America

Lucas Herbert put together a strong back nine to finish with 69 and at 4 over he is one shot inside the cutline and has work this weekend.

Cameron Smith rode the roller coaster to the turn with two birdies, two bogies and a double bogey but managed to steady the ship on the way home for a second consecutive round of 72 and a total of 4 over.

Jason Day fought his way back from 8 over with three birdies in his back nine to be on the cutline playing the 16th, but a very short missed par putt there and a double bogey at the 17th would see him him miss his second cut in three starts with his win in Dallas sandwiched between.

David Micheluzzi and Steve Alker also missed the cut, Alker improving his opening round of 89 by eight shots and perhaps have him in better heart for his defence of the Senior PGA Championship next week.

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Scott and Fox lead down-under brigade at PGA Championship


Adam Scott gets his round underway today – image PGA of America

An agonising double bogey, when playing his final hole in near darkness, has cost Adam Scott a possible share of the first-round lead at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club, but despite the late hiccup the 42 year old is just three from the lead currently held by American Eric Cole.

Cole, however, has four holes of his opening round to play when he returns to the course early on Friday morning and dependent on how he negotiates those remaining holes will determine just how far Scott is from the lead heading into the second round.

Around 30 players are required to complete round one on Friday after a nearly two hour delay to the start of play due to frost would mean all 156 players could not complete their rounds.


Frost delayed the start by nearly two hours – image PGA of America

Scott had been near faultless until a pulled approach at the last left him in an awkward downhill lie in the greenside bunker and perhaps trying to get a little too cute he left the ball in the bunker and was then unable to get up and down from there.

Scott and New Zealand’s Ryan Fox are the best of the down under brigade, Fox playing early on day one taking the early lead and in fact had moved to 3 under when he birdied the 14th before a bogey at the 17th after a wild drive saw him eventually tied with Scott in a share of 6th place with his round of 68.

“First of all, it’s probably pretty surprising as I didn’t have a lot of prep coming in and had four weeks off in the lead-up to this with a few things going on,” said Fox.

“But, yeah, I played — for the most part played pretty solid. There were some pretty scruffy iron shots and my short game saved me. I road a pretty hot putter today, which was nice.

Fox suffered from pneumonia in recent weeks and returned home to Auckland to be there for the birth of his second child and to rest up from the illness.

“At the Masters, I was pretty sick on the weekend. Tried to play Hilton Head. Withdrew from there after nine holes, just feeling awful. Got home and got told I caught pneumonia, which pretty much explained why I felt so bad.

“I had a couple of weeks off just being Dad and trying to recover from that. That took a fair while on antibiotics to get over that. Basically, as soon as I got over that, our daughter was born, which was just over two weeks ago now. Our second daughter was born, Margot. So I had a few sleepless nights and not a lot of practice.

“One of the days I was supposed to go to practice, Auckland flooded for the third time this year. So I think I drive around Auckland 27 kilometers in four hours in chaos. It wasn’t quite the ideal preparation for a major, but I was kind of hoping the fact I needed a break after a busy start to the year and being mentally fresh would have been important this week.

“So far it’s sort of shown that you need to be pretty patient around this golf course and accept that you are going to have a couple of bad bounces, you’re going to get a few bad lies. Yes, sort of nice to come here fresh ask just be able to accept that.”


Ryan Fox – found some trouble today but a fine start nonethless – image PGA of America

Cam Davis is the next best of the Australasians at 1 over and tied for 27th. A double bogey at his 16th hole brought unstuck a fine effort to that point but he is well enough placed on what is a high scoring layout.

The leader, Cole is the son of South African Bobby Cole and former LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year, Laura Baugh. Bobby Cole won numerous events in his homeland but perhaps his most recognised golfing achievement was when leading the Open Championship into the final round in 1975 before finishing one shot behind the playoff between Tom Watson and Jack Newton.

He married Laura Baugh on two occasions, the couple producing seven children with Eric Cole now playing the PGA Tour after gaining his card via the Korn Ferry Tour last year. Cole finished runner-up at the Honda Classic earlier this year.


Eric Cole – the leader still has four holes to play – image PGA of America

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Can Scott’s 23rd PGA Championship appearance be his best?


Adam Scott – in action during practice this week – image PGA of America Maddie Meyer

Adam Scott will play his 23rd PGA Championship when he tees it up at Oak Hill this week and while there have been only six top tens with a best of 3rd (twice) in those previous 22 starts, he enters this week’s event with his game in good enough shape to add another top ten and perhaps something better.

Adding to his chances is the fact that in 2013, when Scott last played the Oak Hill Country Club, he finished 5th behind Jason Dufner and while the layout has been restored to more of its 1920’s origins since, the Donald Ross designed examination might provide Scott with further cause for optimism.

Scott, Jason Day and Cameron Smith appear to hold Australia’s only chances of victory in the event and while it has taken several events for Scott’s game to peak in 2023, it now appears very close to it with top ten finishes in each of his last two starts. With a game built around the sort of demands the brute of a layout that Oak Hill will offer, the idea of a second major title for the Queenslander is not unrealistic.

Scott’s 5th place at the Wells Fargo Championship was particularly impressive on what was a very demanding Quail Hollow layout and after his 8th place finish last week in Dallas he gave an indication as to just where he is at with his game.

“I think you just move a little slower as you’re a bit older, but this is the time of year you want to be playing good. Ideally you kind of start playing really great in March, but it’s six or eight weeks later and there’s still a lot of big golf coming up with the PGA right in front of my mind.”

During the recent Wells Fargo Championship he also sent out signals that his game was coming around when interviewed after 54 holes there.

“Yeah, I feel like last year I really worked hard to kind of climb myself back into a good spot and this year has been slow to get going, calendar year-wise certainly. This is the best performance for three days of a tournament so far, so I’m looking for a really good back half of this season.

Scott, Smith and Day are Australia’s three male major championship winners over the last fifteen years and all three are some consideration in this week’s event but the manner in which Scott has been going about his business of late suggests he could well add a second major title to the one he so magnificently won at Augusta National ten years ago.

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Is there a 6th PGA Championship in line for Australia

A PGA Championship flagstick flag – Darren Carroll PGA of America

This week’s PGA Championship offers a great opportunity for the event to take the lead in regards to the number of different Australians to have one a major title, at this stage five individual Australians have won both the PGA Championship and the Open Championship but on current form there is genuine belief that Cameron Smith or Adam Scott could add to that number.

Throw in the prospect of Jason Day’s improved form of late adding his second win in the event then Australian chances appear good for a great week at the Oak Hill Country Club in the Rochester suburb of Pittsford, New York.

In all, nine Australasians make up a strong representation from this part of the world, Smith, Scott and Day being joined by Min Woo Lee, Cam Davis, Lucas Herbert, David Micheluzzi and New Zealanders Ryan Fox and Steve Alker.

The Oak Hill Country Club has played host to numerous major tournaments including three PGA Championships, three US Opens and two US Amateur Championships, the last of those coming when  Jason Dufner defeated Jim Furyk by two shots in the 2013 PGA Championship.

Both Adam Scott and Jason Day were very much in the firing line in the 2013 Championship, Scott finishing tied for 5th and Day tied for 8th but the golf course has undergone significant changes since that event.

In 2015 the club hired architect Andre Green to restore many of the values and strategies original designer, Donald Ross, had created when first built in the mid 1920’s and the layout will provide a different look to that at the 2013 Championship.

Scott had been essentially treading water in events in the early part of this year but top tens in each of his last two starts suggest he is building towards a big week.

Day won this championship in 2015 a month or so ahead of becoming the world number one and his win last week and his lead up form over the past few months suggests he is heading back to that sort of level. Whether he is yet ready for this against a significantly stronger field than he faced last week is debatable but at his best he can at least contend.

Smith arrives off the back of close calls at the LIV Golf level but as was the case at the Masters where he had an overall disappointing week when 34th, his readiness for this week’s championship is under question. There is little doubting his capacity to contend and, yes, win major championships but despite losing a playoff to Dustin Johnson last week in Tulsa a win would be somewhat of a surprise, albeit a pleasant one.

Lucas Herbert’s form this year has been all over the place and although he won a DP World Tour event in Japan three weeks ago, the standard of player he will face this week is chalk and cheese compared to that he faced in Ibaraki Prefecture.

At his very best, Herbert has shown a capacity to contend near the highest level and a 13th place in this event last year was impressive and if he could repeat that or better then it will have been a great week.

Min Woo Lee missed his last three cuts after a magnificent effort to finish 6th at the Players Championship against a field almost as strong as the one he faces this week. His current form is a concern however and if he can improve significantly on his missed cut in the event last year it will be a solid week for him.

Cam Davis was also 6th at the recent Players Championship and followed that up soon after with 7th place finish at Harbour Town. He keeps getting better and a good showing this week would not surprise.

David Micheluzzi plays his first major championship this week and gave an indication of what sort of game he has when making the cut at last week’s event in Dallas when on debut on the PGA Tour. There is little doubting the talent the Victorian possesses but this week will surely test him to the limit and perhaps provide further evidence of just what sort of future he appears set for.

The two New Zealanders in the field have certainly justified their inclusion through their exploits over the past twelve months or so.

Steve Alker earns the right to play this event courtesy of his win in the Senior PGA Championship last year (an event he will defend next week) and a continuation of that form since. He disappointed, by his standards at least, with a midfield finish at last week’s major event on the PGA Tour Champions, the Regions Traditions Championship.

It will be fascinating to see how the most dominant player on the PGA Tour Champions over the past two years performs against this stronger field and more demanding layout.

Ryan Fox is in the field courtesy of his world ranking of 41st and performed well when playing PGA Tour events by invitation a few weeks ago. He has troubled with pneumonia of late and returned to New Zealand for the birth of his second child so his preparation has been disrupted.

TEE TIMES

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Jason Day – why Chris Como?


Jason Day – file photo

Following his emotional and much anticipated return to the winner’s circle in Dallas on Sunday, Jason Day took time to talk to several of the Australian golfing media about a range of topics including, of course, his second AT&T Byron Nelson victory, but also his return to near the elite of the game once again.

I was part of that group and having witnessed Jason’s development from his amateur days in Queensland and being a long time admirer of him as a golfer and an individual, I was delighted to have him heading back in the right direction after a period wondering just where his future lay.

Ten months ago, Day had fallen outside the top 160 in the world but as a result of his win he is now 20th and while the relative merits or otherwise of the current world rankings could be brought into question, there is little doubt that his elevation in standing is totally justified.

His sharp progress since reaching a point where he was considering the possibility of even giving up the game has been remarkable and comes as a result of swing changes to overcome the significant injury issues that have plagued so much of his career, dedication to the cause and the assistance of a team of supporters including the role his relatively new coach Chris Como has played.

Como was mentored by the likes of David Leadbetter, Mac O’Grady and Hank Haney during his formative years as a coach but since establishing his own business he has achieved a huge profile through his involvement as a teacher of Tiger Woods, Bryson DeChambeau  and now Jason Day.

It was through his friendship with Tiger Woods that Day would meet Como and the Dallas based coach has been a key player in Day’s return to somewhere near the level he was at five years ago and more significantly the form he displayed when winning the PGA Championship and reaching the world number one position in 2015.

I was keen to find out just what it was about Como that had appealed to Day. Day had been blessed with a long time coach, mentor and caddie in fellow Australian, Colin Swatton, since his school days in Queensland but that player caddie relationship ended in 2017 and in 2020 they parted ways as coach and player and Day had been considering options since.

“When Tiger was going through the chipping yips, he invited me out to his place just to go over chipping techniques and stuff like that,” said Day. “Chris had seen a ton of 3D Bio testing of my chipping and was keen to investigate what I thought about in regards to chipping.

“I remember coming out of that meeting with Tiger and Chris thinking there is something about Chris – he was very quiet and listened very intently. You could tell he knew a lot about the game and knew it on a deeper level especially in regards to his thoughts about what the club should be doing and how the body works.

“At the time he wasn’t really working with a lot of guys other than Tiger and a couple of other guys but there was just something about him that drew me to him and that when I talked to him about the golf swing he was very switched on.

“He was really the only guy I reached out to in regards to the golf swing and I think I made the right call in that sense.”

Clearly having worked with essentially one guy since his early golfing days the importance for Day to engage someone with whom he had confidence and the very important player coach chemistry was crucial.

Day’s career has already been significant given his now 13 PGA Tour titles and more than US$56 million in PGA Tour earnings.

The milestones he achieved along the way in addition to the wins have also been a highlight of his career to date. He was runner-up at both the Masters and US Opens on debut, became the youngest player to win on either the then Nationwide or PGA Tours when he won an event on the Nationwide Tour in 2007 and one can only wonder where things might be now if it wasn’t for the injury and, at times, illness issues he has faced.

One can’t but help admire Day’s determination and preparedness to work so hard in order to return to his winning ways but the assistance of a fine team around him including Chris Como in achieving that rebound cannot be underestimated.

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Near miss for Minjee Lee in Founders Cup


Minjee Lee – agonising loss but sharp improvement all the same- photo Getty Images / LPGA

With just a few holes to play, Minjee Lee appeared on track to successfully defend the Cognizant Founders Cup title in New Jersey but a late bogey by her and a strong finishing round by Korean Jin Young Ko saw Ko come from four shots off the 54 hole pace to win at the first extra hole.

Lee three putted the first hole of the playoff and finished runner-up but considering her previous best in four LPGA Tour strokeplay starts in 2023 had been 41st, it was a significant improvement for the 26 year old.

Lee led into the final round by three, but a slow start to her round and a double bogey at the 6th hole had the field closing in on her and with Ko, a former world number one, having won this event on two previous occasions it became a dogfight for the title.

“I mean, apparently this is only my fifth start on tour this year, so it actually doesn’t feel like I’ve only played five events,” said Lee.

“It’s still pretty early I guess in my season and I have a lot more events coming up. So I feel like I could take a lot of positives into, you know, the next couple majors coming up and obviously Mizuho is my next event.

“I mean, yes obviously I would’ve liked to have won, but looking back at my whole year and just kind of assessing where I am — how I did this week, I think a lot more positives than negatives.

“Obviously I’m a little bit disappointed, but I think I can take more of the happy moments into my next — into the next stretch of events and the rest of the year.”

Grace Kim continued her good rookie season when she finished 10th despite a final round of 75, while Sarah Kemp was the next best of the Australians when she finished 13th.

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Cam Smith falls just short in Tulsa


Cam Smith reacts to a final hole birdie in his round of 62 today – image LIV Golf

Cam Smith has been defeated after a playoff against Dustin Johnson and Branden Grace at the LIV Golf Tulsa event, Smith’s final round of 61 just failing to give him the outright win but once again earning him a huge cheque, this time for US$1.81 million.

He shared second place with Grace after Johnson birdied the first extra hole. Johnson had overcome of a triple bogey at the 10th hole in the final round causing him to fall behind but rallied to birdie the last in regulation play and the first playoff hole

“It was obviously really good,” said Smith when asked to sum up his final round. “There was probably still a couple of shots that I left out there that in the end could have been the finishing — the decider.

“Yeah, I mean, it was really good stuff, but still just a little bit disappointing.”

For Johnson it was his second victory in the LIV Golf Series having also won in Boston last year.

For Johnson the victory comes ahead of him heading back east to New York for this week’s PGA Championship and he is pleased with his form ahead of the second major of the year.

Yeah, the game is in really good shape. I feel like I’m doing everything really well right now, so yeah, I’m really looking forward to next week, obviously get up there tonight and get out and get a little practice in tomorrow.

Of the other Australians in the field, Marc Matt Jones was 32nd, Marc Leishman 38th and Jed Morgan again struggling to finish 47th in the 48 man field.

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