The Clubhouse at Royal Queensland – photo Bruce Young
Despite RACV Royal Pines Resort’s increasing success and popularity as the host venue for the Australian PGA Championship over the past seven years, it was today announced at a media conference at Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane that one of Australian golf’s flagship events will head north in late 2020.
The CEO of the PGA of Australia, Gavin Kirkman, advised that the event will return to Royal Queensland Golf Club for the first time since 2001, when Robert Allenby secured the second of two consecutive titles he won at the venue.
The arrangement is the first of a three-year deal involving the respective stakeholders including the PGA of Australia, Royal Queensland Golf Club, The Brisbane City Council and Queensland Tourism and Events.
That Royal Queensland is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2020 no doubt played a role in the decision especially given the significant history the golf club has created in Australian golf.
“We’re incredibly excited to return to Brisbane and the Royal Queensland Golf Club to celebrate a milestone anniversary of one of the country’s most treasured golf courses,” said Kirkman.
“Royal Queensland Golf Club is a rich breeding ground which has unearthed a number of PGA Professionals, including one of the game’s icons, Greg Norman. We look forward to celebrating the club’s history with our flagship event.
“We know Brisbane loves its live sporting events and we look forward to seeing the crowds come out to cheer on our home-grown and international golfers, while enjoying the party atmosphere of the Championship, which will continue to deliver exciting, vibrant and fan-friendly entertainment precincts on course”
In addition to hosting the PGA Championship on two occasions the Royal Queensland layout has also staged the Australian Open three times, the last of those coming in 1973 when American Jesse Snead won.
It has also hosted other PGA Tour of Australasia events including two Players Championships won by Greg Chalmers and Brett Rumford in the late 1990’s.
Perhaps its most significant role in hosting an event, however, came when Arnold Palmer won at Royal Queensland in 1966, defeating Kel Nagle by five shots in the process and winning the grand total of $1600 for his efforts.
The layout has undergone a total redesign since those heady days, the reclamation of some of the existing layout for the use of a second Gateway Bridge in 2005 requiring a major reconfiguration and upgrade carried out by Mike Clayton and his then design team
The par 3 17th at Royal Queensland – photo Bruce Young
The move from the Gold Coast is not a universally popular one, the increasing acceptance of RACV Royal Pines Resort as an end of year finale proving a real hit with players and families although Kirkman suggested the door was not completely closed on RACV Royal Pines or the Gold Coast in future years.
“The decision to move the event to the Royal Queensland Club was to continue to grow and evolve the event but we will continue to talk with RACV Royal Pines and the Gold Coast about future opportunities.
“This is a three-year deal and after those three years all stakeholders will have options,” said Kirkman.
While a specific date is yet to be confirmed for the 2020 event it is likely to be the first week of December, Kirkman explaining why, at this stage, it could not be totally locked in place.
“Our event is co-sanctioned with the European Tour and therefore has to align with their schedule,” added Kirkman.
“Traditionally the Hong Kong Open is played in Thanksgiving week and the week following is where we see it at this stage although those things have to go through the approval process.”
Perhaps surprisingly, there was no mention made of RACV Royal Pines in the press release in conjunction with the announcement but there is little doubting the impact the Gold Coast venue has had on the event, especially having taken over hosting duties at relatively late notice following the breakdown in negotiations between Palmer Coolum Resort and The PGA of Australia in 2012.
Palmer Coolum Resort or Hyatt Regency Coolum as it was more popularly known took over as the venue for the Australian PGA from Royal Queensland in 2002 and played host for eleven years.
Royal Pines played host to the event for the past seven years, therefore, and has seen two Queenslanders, Adam Scott and Cameron Smith win on two occasions at the venue.
During that time the RACV Royal Pines layout underwent a major redesign itself and after a shaky start during a period where the revamp was carried out over two six month periods it has developed into a fine test of tournament golf.
The securing of the PGA Championship provided the catalyst for the changes and has left the Resort with a much more popular and challenging golf course than was the case in its early days.
It can be proud also of the heritage it has already created in Australian golf since its opening in the early 1990’s, having been the venue for numerous Australian Ladies Masters, (eight of which were won by Karrie Webb) but the venue where nearly every one of the modern day greats of the female game has participated including Annika Sorenstam, Lorena Ochoa, Yani Tseng and Laura Davies.
Adam Scott won the first and the last of the Australian PGA Championships at RACV Royal Pines and even if it never does host another, it is a yet another piece of Australian golfing history that RACV Royal Pines can boast.
RACV Royal Pines – photo Bruce Young
Maverick Antcliff’s Solid European Tour Start
Maverick Antcliff – photo China Tour
Queensland’s Maverick Antcliff has made a solid start to his European Tour career, following up a cut made at the recent Australian PGA Championship with a 13th place finish at the South African Open in Johannesburg over the weekend.
Antcliff gained the right to play the European Tour through as a result of leading the China Tour Order of Merit in 2019, having won three events on that tour last year. He also recorded nine other top tens to comfortably head to money earners and earn playing rights for Europe in 2020.
The China Tour has played a key role in Antcliff’s development as a professional golfer having played there in each of the last three years, earning the Rookie of the Year title in 2017 and eventually leading the money list last November.
The China Tour is not to be confused with the PGA Tour Series China, the China Tour run by the China Golf Association after a split with the tournaments run by the PGA Tour in 2017 and one that aligns itself with the European Tour.
The 26-year old Antcliff hails from Beaudesert south of Brisbane and is yet another product of the Hills International College in Jimboomba near Beaudesert where some of the notable alumni include Jason Day, Yani Tseng, Anthony Quayle and Aaron Pike.
On completion of his time at the Hills, Antcliff headed to the US where he attended college at Augusta State before eventually turning professional in late 2016.
Antcliff recorded a final round of 67 in Johannesburg, the third of three similar rounds he produced during the week and earned a cheque for €18,000 (A$29,000).
Although ten shots behind the winner Branden Grace, it was an encouraging week for Antcliff whose next start is likely to be the Vic Open at 13th Beach as his current ranking on the European Tour is likely to preclude him from starts in the next three events in the Middle East.
Min Woo Lee was the next best of the Australians when a shot behind Antcliff in a share of 15th place this week, Jarryd Felton was 62nd, Brett Rumford 66th and David Micheluzzi 69th.
The winner of the event was Branden Grace whose final round of 62 was too much for the defending champion and runner-up at the recent Australian Open, Louis Ootshuizen, who finished alone in second place but three shots from Grace who won his national open for the first occasion.
The winner, Branden Grace, also earned a start at the Open Championship – R&A
Wade Ormsby Claims Second Hong Kong Title
The Champion – photo Asian Tour
South Australian Wade Ormsby has begun 2020 in perfect style with a wire to wire victory at the Hong Kong Open, sharing the lead after day one and then extending it to two on days two and three and eventually winning by four over Ireland’s Open Champion, Shane Lowry, with Thailand’s Gun Charoenkul another shot back in 3rd place, another Thailand golfer Jazz Janewattananond 4th and American Tony Finau 5th.
The four most favoured players heading into the week, therefore, finished inside the top 5 at week’s end.
For Ormsby it was his second Hong Kong title in the last three years having also won in 2017 and his third Asian Tour victory. It also was just his third victory as a professional on a recognised tour, the other two coming at the 2013 Panasonic Open India Indian Open and his earlier win in Hong Kong.
The victory was worth US$180,000 to Ormsby and continues a lucrative stretch having finished 3rd at the recent Australian PGA Championship.
Despite the apparent ease of the win, it was a shaky start for Ormsby in today’s final round, a bogey at the first hole providing an element of doubt to the final result although three consecutive birdies followed and by the turn his lead was extended to five.
Ormsby was understandably proud of what he had achieved, especially given the work he has put in in recent times to take his game to another level.
“I’ve been working my guts out the last 14 to 15 months trying to take my game to the next level,” said the 39-year old, University of Houston graduate.
“At the Australian PGA three weeks ago, losing that one really hurt me so I put a few changes in place. I worked out over the break and to come back here and to get the win so soon, I can’t put it into words really.
“It’s still nerve-racking coming down the stretch you know, like that 18th hole, it can do anything to you but I got the tee-shot in play and hit a weak iron shot into it but anyway. Four on the card and won by four, so I’m very happy. I was playing great, you always got to play the Hong Kong Golf Club the same way.
“I think the game plan was the same. When you get in front there’s no point in changing that, no point trying to play defensive. The guys had to come and catch me basically. I was hoping to win this season but to do it in week two of the year in my first event is special and it will be one I’ll remember forever.
“I have three wins on the main tours in my career and this is my first wire-to-wire. I’m very proud of my play this week. Going through what I went through three weeks ago, that kind of hit me pretty hard. I didn’t even want to know the game for three or four days, but to come back and do what I’ve done this week, like I said, proud of myself and proud of my team.”
David Gleeson and Terry Pilkadaris both had good weeks, finishing the next best of the Australians when they tied for 7th and earned US$21,000 each.
The Asian Tour now moves south to Singapore for the Singapore Open, an event jointly sanctioned with the Japan Golf Tour.
SCORES
Cameron Davis – Doing Things His Way
Seattle based Sydney golfer, Cameron Davis, has a share of the halfway lead at the Sony Open in Hawaii, the second season PGA Tour player producing birdies at the final two holes in his round of 66 to join Brendan Steele in the lead.
Still only 24, Davis is a former Australian Open, Australian Amateur Champion and World Amateur Champion and while it is taking a while for him to find his feet on the PGA Tour he clearly has the potential to develop a very successful career at this level.
Davis, who finished tied for third at his last start at the Australian PGA Championship three weeks ago, regained his PGA Tour status via the Korn Ferry Tour Finals in September and although his PGA Tour form has been disappointing since, he talked afterwards about the learning curve he has been through in his introduction to golf at this level.
“I think just figuring out what your way of doing things is was my biggest thing,” said Davis. “Watching a lot of what other guys are doing out here you get sucked into trying to emulate people.
“Obviously they’re very good and they’ve got what works for them, and you have to figure out what works for you. I think I’ve had a little bit of a struggle with that over the last year. I think I am starting to figure it out. It’s nice to see it’s turning into some good scores here.”
“I’m just trying to — thinking back to the way I used to be when I was a junior and stuff, I feel like the quality of golf I was playing when I was finishing up my amateur career was really good and I was a lot more of a creative shot shaping sort of guy. I loved bending it both ways; not being scared to go after a tee shot here and there and all that.
“I started to get a little bit more — not so much conservative — but definitely taking a safer swing. Like feeling like going towards a stock swing for every shot was what was going to make me more consistent. I was looking to see what would shave scores off and reduce mistakes.
“After trying a couple years of trying to fit that together, it just wasn’t really clicking. Didn’t feel like it was really getting any better as I was working through it.
“Pretty much made a decision, All right, am I going to continue doing it this way in the hope it’s going to come together later on, or do I start playing the game the way that I see it instinctively, which is not worrying about what my golf swing looks like, but caring about where the golf ball is going.
“That’s the direction I decided to go down, and the last few tournaments that I’ve played have been going pretty well.”
Davis and Steele are just one ahead of a group of nine players in a share of 3rd place that group including Queenslander Cameron Smith whose round of 65 was the equal best of the day.
Smith gave some credit to playing until late in 2019 as some of the reason for a better showing than previously in this event, although he has made all four previous cuts at the Sony Open.
“I mean, it’s been pretty close this year. In past years I’ve had three weeks, four weeks off before I get here, and I’m typically pretty lazy when I’m home, eating pies and all that stuff.
“So it’s actually been quite good in the fact that I’ve been able to kind of carry over and I played really well at the Presidents Cup and played again the next week quite solidly.
“Yeah, so it’s (the form) definitely carried over I think more than previous.”
Matt Jones and Marc Leishman are the next best of the Australians in a share of 24th place but only four shots from the joint leaders.
In Form Wade Ormsby Leads Hong Kong Open
Wade Ormsby – photo Bruce Young
South Australian, Wade Ormsby, picked up where he left off when finishing 3rd at the Australian PGA Championship three weeks ago to lead the Asian Tour’s Hong Kong Open at the halfway stage at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling.
Ormsby, who won this event in 2017, followed up his opening round of 65 with a second round 66 and leads by two over India’s S.S.P Chawrasia with Australian Travis Smyth another shot back in a share of 3rd place with, amongst, others the pre-tournament favourite, Jazz Janewattananond.
Ormsby no longer has status on the Asian Tour but is playing the event courtesy of an invitation.
The 39-year old produced several good finishes on the European Tour in addition to his 3rd place on the Gold Coast including a runner-up finish at the Vic Open and top ten finishes in Switzerland and Sweden.
Ormsby has only won two events in his lengthy professional career but appears to have a real liking for the Hong Kong Golf Club layout.
“I wanted to come to a golf course that fits my eyes,” said Ormsby. “I had good vibes around here and I feel like I can get my game in good shape here. I love coming to Hong Kong. I love the golf courses here.
“I guess it’s a good thing being in the lead. You just got to get ahead and get them. I’m obviously playing well. I probably played better today than the way I did yesterday. Two bogeys and one of them was a bad hole but otherwise I played beautifully.”
Smyth is in his second season on the Asian Tour having finished 43rd on the Order of Merit last year. He is playing this event for the first time however and is enjoying the Hong Kong Golf Club’s layout.
“I’m playing good golf and I feel like I got the gist of this golf course now,” said the tall New South Welshman. “So yeah, I’m looking forward to the weekend, You really have to position your ball well here and it’s like how you play golf in Australia too.
“It’s not a bombers’ paradise. The greens are awesome and I feel like I’m putting well so that’s probably the reason why I’m up there on the leaderboard. I just have to try and do my thing and see where I end up at the end of the week. I’m going to play pretty much the same way I’ve been doing.”
Asian based Queenslander, David Gleeson, and Victorian, Terry Pilkadaris, are the next best of the Australians in a share of 19th place and six shots from Ormsby.
Scores
Theegala and Abdulghany win Master of Amateurs
Alyaa Abdulghany – photo Anthony Powter
The Australian Master of the Amateurs Championships were completed Friday at the Victoria Golf Club in Melbourne with America’s Sahith Theegala wining the men’s championship and Malaysian Alyaa Abdulghany the women’s event.
Both players attend college in the US, Theegala at Pepperdine University and Abdulghany at the University of Southern California.
Theegala was one of the leading world-ranked amateurs in this week’s field and despite a final round of 75, which included a horror start to his day, he was able to regain control and win comfortably by four shots.
Beginning the final day four shots ahead, Theegala birdied the short par four first but then, almost inexplicably, dropped seven shots over the next six holes before taking advantage of the consecutive par fives which finish the opening nine the Victoria Golf Club with an eagle and birdie.
Theegala has been a star performer on the Pepperdine team despite sitting out most of the 2018 and 2019 season with wrist injury but he has been in good form in recent weeks winning an event on the collegiate programme just a few weeks ago.
Theegala is a player good enough to have made the cut in an event on the PGA Tour, the Genesis Open.
Sahith Theegala – photo Anthony Powter
Korea’s Jang Hyun Lee finished runner-up just ahead of South Australian, Jack Thompson, who was unable to repeat yesterdays heroics in which he recorded a third round of 64.
The women’s event provided a much closer contest with Abdulghany winning after a playoff against Queenslander Cassie Porter and Chinese Taipei’s Ho Yu An.
Porter led into today’s final round after a round of 62 on Thursday but was unable to finish the tournament off, bogeys at two of her final three holes for a round of 75 proving very costly after Abdulghany took the playoff at the first extra hole.
Abdulghany had birdied the final hole of regulation play while An birdied the 17th and 18th to force her way into the playoff.
Malaysian born but raised in California, Abdulghany, who is in her third season at USC, birdied the first extra hole to take the title.
Australian PGA Championship Heading North
The Clubhouse at Royal Queensland – photo Bruce Young
Despite RACV Royal Pines Resort’s increasing success and popularity as the host venue for the Australian PGA Championship over the past seven years, it was today announced at a media conference at Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane that one of Australian golf’s flagship events will head north in late 2020.
The CEO of the PGA of Australia, Gavin Kirkman, advised that the event will return to Royal Queensland Golf Club for the first time since 2001, when Robert Allenby secured the second of two consecutive titles he won at the venue.
The arrangement is the first of a three-year deal involving the respective stakeholders including the PGA of Australia, Royal Queensland Golf Club, The Brisbane City Council and Queensland Tourism and Events.
That Royal Queensland is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2020 no doubt played a role in the decision especially given the significant history the golf club has created in Australian golf.
“We’re incredibly excited to return to Brisbane and the Royal Queensland Golf Club to celebrate a milestone anniversary of one of the country’s most treasured golf courses,” said Kirkman.
“Royal Queensland Golf Club is a rich breeding ground which has unearthed a number of PGA Professionals, including one of the game’s icons, Greg Norman. We look forward to celebrating the club’s history with our flagship event.
“We know Brisbane loves its live sporting events and we look forward to seeing the crowds come out to cheer on our home-grown and international golfers, while enjoying the party atmosphere of the Championship, which will continue to deliver exciting, vibrant and fan-friendly entertainment precincts on course”
In addition to hosting the PGA Championship on two occasions the Royal Queensland layout has also staged the Australian Open three times, the last of those coming in 1973 when American Jesse Snead won.
It has also hosted other PGA Tour of Australasia events including two Players Championships won by Greg Chalmers and Brett Rumford in the late 1990’s.
Perhaps its most significant role in hosting an event, however, came when Arnold Palmer won at Royal Queensland in 1966, defeating Kel Nagle by five shots in the process and winning the grand total of $1600 for his efforts.
The layout has undergone a total redesign since those heady days, the reclamation of some of the existing layout for the use of a second Gateway Bridge in 2005 requiring a major reconfiguration and upgrade carried out by Mike Clayton and his then design team
The par 3 17th at Royal Queensland – photo Bruce Young
The move from the Gold Coast is not a universally popular one, the increasing acceptance of RACV Royal Pines Resort as an end of year finale proving a real hit with players and families although Kirkman suggested the door was not completely closed on RACV Royal Pines or the Gold Coast in future years.
“The decision to move the event to the Royal Queensland Club was to continue to grow and evolve the event but we will continue to talk with RACV Royal Pines and the Gold Coast about future opportunities.
“This is a three-year deal and after those three years all stakeholders will have options,” said Kirkman.
While a specific date is yet to be confirmed for the 2020 event it is likely to be the first week of December, Kirkman explaining why, at this stage, it could not be totally locked in place.
“Our event is co-sanctioned with the European Tour and therefore has to align with their schedule,” added Kirkman.
“Traditionally the Hong Kong Open is played in Thanksgiving week and the week following is where we see it at this stage although those things have to go through the approval process.”
Perhaps surprisingly, there was no mention made of RACV Royal Pines in the press release in conjunction with the announcement but there is little doubting the impact the Gold Coast venue has had on the event, especially having taken over hosting duties at relatively late notice following the breakdown in negotiations between Palmer Coolum Resort and The PGA of Australia in 2012.
Palmer Coolum Resort or Hyatt Regency Coolum as it was more popularly known took over as the venue for the Australian PGA from Royal Queensland in 2002 and played host for eleven years.
Royal Pines played host to the event for the past seven years, therefore, and has seen two Queenslanders, Adam Scott and Cameron Smith win on two occasions at the venue.
During that time the RACV Royal Pines layout underwent a major redesign itself and after a shaky start during a period where the revamp was carried out over two six month periods it has developed into a fine test of tournament golf.
The securing of the PGA Championship provided the catalyst for the changes and has left the Resort with a much more popular and challenging golf course than was the case in its early days.
It can be proud also of the heritage it has already created in Australian golf since its opening in the early 1990’s, having been the venue for numerous Australian Ladies Masters, (eight of which were won by Karrie Webb) but the venue where nearly every one of the modern day greats of the female game has participated including Annika Sorenstam, Lorena Ochoa, Yani Tseng and Laura Davies.
Adam Scott won the first and the last of the Australian PGA Championships at RACV Royal Pines and even if it never does host another, it is a yet another piece of Australian golfing history that RACV Royal Pines can boast.
RACV Royal Pines – photo Bruce Young
Golf Betting Thoughts for January 9th
As the world of professional golf begins to get back into full swing, I take a look at three events on which betting is available this week.
The Sony Open in Honolulu, the South African Open in Johannesburg and the Hong Kong Open come under the spotlight as we search for a winner to follow up the minimal return secured off Justin Thomas last week at Kapalua.
Is Justin Thomas Headed Back To The Top?
Former World Number One, Justin Thomas’, win yesterday in the opening event of the 2020 golfing year, the Sentry Tournament of Champions, continued what has been a remarkable run of consistency in tournament golf over the past three years for the still only 26-year old.
Thomas moved inside the world top ten for the first time in January of 2017 after his win at the Sony Open in Hawaii, which had come on top of success in this event the week before, and only briefly left that group for three months before winning the PGA Championship in August of that year and has remained entrenched amongst the elite of the game since.
His playoff victory over Xander Schauffele and Patrick Reed at Kapalua on Sunday was his 12th on the PGA Tour, all but two of them coming in the three years since joining the top ten with this week’s victory coming on top of six top tens in his previous nine starts.
He has moved back to #4 in the world ranking and given his remarkable consistency it appears the position as the leading ranked player in the world, which he held for a month in 2018, is certainly within reach.
Thomas has been regularly mentioned in the same breath as Brooks Koepka and Jordan Spieth as the new breed of Americans most likely to rise to the top of the world rankings.
While all three have held that mantle at various stages, that current # 1, Koepka, is overcoming injury at present and Spieth has slipped to 44th in the world, the door is open for Thomas to win again in Honolulu and move closer to Koepka.
If he was to do so and eventually move back to number one it would be just reward for a remarkable run of consistency, perhaps at times unheralded, for Thomas who first joined the PGA Tour in 2015.
Master of the Amateurs Venue Change in 2020
The respective trophies at Victoria Golf Club – Master of the Amateurs
Elite amateur golf for 2020 gets underway next week when the Australian Master of the Amateurs is played at the Victoria Golf Club on Melbourne’s sandbelt, the event being played for the first time in several years away from its long-standing home of Royal Melbourne where it has been played over the last eight years.
The Victoria Golf Club loses little in comparison to its great neighbour however, having long been considered one of the leading golf courses of the famed sandbelt, if not Australia.
First played in 1997, the Master of the Amateurs boasts an honour roll including Jason Day, Brendan Jones and more recently, Aaron Wise, all of whom have gone on to successful professional careers, Day in particular.
Former Australian PGA Champion, Nathan Holman, is also included on the winner’s list as is 2019 New Zealand Open Champion Zach Murray.
Other leading figures of the current game such as Rickie Fowler, Bryson DeChambeau, Tommy Fleetwood, Russell Henley and Andy Sullivan have also played the event prior to joining the paid ranks.
This year’s field has attracted three players from the world top ten in the male amateur rankings namely, University of Florida standout, Ricky Castillo, 2018 Australian Amateur Champion, Keita Nakajima, and England’s, Benjamin Schmidt.
The leading world ranked Australian amateur in the field is Nathan Barbieri who finished runner-up at last year’s Australian Amateur Championship.
Two years ago the event introduced a female version of the Master of the Amateurs to be played alongside the men’s event and in 2020 Tsubasa Kajitani (number 1 in Japan), US based New Zealander Amelia Garvey (Number 1 in New Zealand), Alyaa Abdulghany (number 1 in Malaysia) and Doey Choi (number 2 in Australia) will be amongst the contenders.
The inaugural women’s champion in 2018 was won by Yuka Yasuda who also won last year’s Asia Pacific Amateur Championship and is now considered a future star of women’s golf.
The event is played from Jan 7th to 10th.
Below the par 3 16th at the Victoria Golf Club – photo Bruce Young
Matt Jones Cracks Top 100 For First Time in Three Years
Matt Jones en route to his 2019 Australian Open win – photo Golf Australia
While most of the focus of Australian professional golf in 2019 was on the performances of Hannah Green and Adam Scott in their respective genders, the effort of Matt Jones is yet another well worthy of note.
Jones will finish the year in 99th position in the world ranking, his highest standing since October of 2016 and while still well below his previous best of 41st after winning the 2014 Houston Open, the place inside the top twenty is due recognition of his exploits, especially late, in 2019.
His win at the Australian Open in early December jumped him to 103rd and the subtle variations of the world ranking has seen him prove another few places over the last few weeks.
Jones not only won the Australian Open but comfortably retained his playing status on the PGA Tour by finishing 91st in the FedEx Cup points table.
He finishes the year as the 5th highest ranked Australian behind Scott (18th), Marc Leishman (28th), Jason Day (37th) and Cameron Smith (53rd)