Minjee Lee – file photo courtesy of Golf Australia
Minjee Lee has begun her 2025 LPGA Tour season by producing the round of the final day (62) to surge into a share of 4th place at the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando.
Lee’s round of eight birdies and an eagle was three shots clear of the next best on day four.
“Yeah, I mean, starting with two birdies is always going to be a nice fast start. Before I started today I was like, let’s just get off to a really fast start and see how low I can do today.
“I just tried to ride the momentum over like the end of the — like the 8th and 9th hole and into the 10th and 11th. So that was nice.
“Having an eagle on 15, it was like the cherry on top. So just hit it really solid and made some really nice putts.”
Lee has a new (long) putter in the bag and the immediate impact was there for all to see.
“There are a lot of putters at the golf club, so I was just feeling around with a few. Not necessarily the long putter was my first choice. I think once I started practicing with it, it was — it was not super unnatural or didn’t feel too weird.
“For me, I think it’s just a little new adventure and see where it takes me.”
Lee also has a new caddy on the bag this season, Mikey Paterson, a former caddy for Karrie Webb and the husband of a friend of Lee’s in Perth Tanya taking over the role.
“Actually with Mikey, he worked for me two weeks last year — no, wait, in ’23, the International Crown and the Founders Cup, so it wasn’t something that was like totally new. He’s been around for a really long time so it’s not like he’s new to caddieing.
“It just feels very easy. We get along really well. His wife, Tanya, is from Perth as well and known her forever and seen Mikey around for a really long time as well.”
Lee finished six shots from Korea’s A Lim Kim, the 2020 US Women’s Open Champion who recorded her third LPGA Tour title with a two-shot win over Nelly Korda.
New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, who was defending her 2024 title, finished a shot behind Lee in a share of 6th place while Hannah Green was 20th.
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Another runner-up finish for Steve Alker on PGA Tour Champions
Steve Alker – file image courtesy of USGA
The first full-field event of the 2025 PGA Tour Champions schedule has resulted in a win for 61-year-old Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez who won his 14th PGA Tour Champions title and took his PGA Tour Champions earnings beyond US$15 million with victory at the Trophy Hassan 11 event in Morocco.
Tied with New Zealand’s Steve Alker through 36 holes, Alker led by one as the pair headed into the closing nine holes but Jimenez’s final nine of 3 under 34 including an eagle at the par 4 17th saw him home by two with Alker alone in second position.
It was Alker’s 15th runner-up finish in his PGA Tour Champions career to go with his 8 wins since playing his first event in August of 2021.
Alker’s runner-up finish follows his 5th place finish at the season opener in Hawaii two weeks ago and the New Zealander moves to third behind Jimenez and Ernie Els in the Schwab Cup standings for the season.
Alker is scheduled to return to New Zealand in two weeks for another tilt at the New Zealand Open title at Millbrook Resort in which he might well put a scare into the field of regular tour players.
Richard Green finished 9th this week, while Greg Chalmers and Scott Hend were the next best Australians in a share of 14th place.
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Herbert shares 4th in LIV Golf season opener
Lucas Herbert in action during the final round – image LiV Golf
Lucas Herbert has finished 4th at the Liv Golf Riyadh event in Saudi Arabia, the Victorian recovering from a slow start to his final round to secure a share of 4th and, in doing so, earned a massive US$900,000.
Herbert began the third and final round in 3rd place but although at even par by the turn, a double bogey at the 10th threatened a good finish to the opening event of the Liv Golf season.
Herbert, though, would put together a strong finish to the playing a stretch of five holes in 5 under through the latter stages of the closing nine to finish at 14 under and three from the winner, Adrian Meronk.
A bogey at his final hole would prove costly for Herbert as he missed out on sharing second place with Jon Rahm and Sebastian Munoz which would have earned him another US$700,000 but it was nonetheless a very positive start to the season for the 29-year-old.
At this stage, Herbert is scheduled to play the New Zealand Open in late February in an attempt to secure the top spot on the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit and this early indication of form in 2025, and that he finished runner-up at Millbrook a few years ago, suggests he will be hard to beat in Queenstown.
Having played the Australian Open and PGA Championships and the NSW Open, which he won, Herbert is currently in 3rd place on the Order of Merit behind Elvis Smylie and Cam Smith, but with Smylie and Smith not entered for the NZ Open, then Herbert has an opportunity to take the title with a win.
Of the other Australasian playing in Riyadh, Marc Leishman shared 13th and earned US$534,000, Ben Campbell playing his first event as a team member finished in a share of 15th and earned US$295,000, Cam Smith was 25th and Danny Lee and Matt Jones shared 33rd.
Liv Golf now heads to Adelaide for the second event of the season starting this Friday.
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Herbert contends in opening LIV Golf event
Lucas Herbert in Riyadh this week – image LIV Golf
Lucas Herbert has made a great start to his LIV Golf 2025 season. The 29-year-old Victorian is in third place and four from Adrian Meronk’s lead at the Riyadh Golf Club in Saudi Arabia.
Herbert’s second round of 8 under par 64 came on top of his opening 68, only Meronk at 16 under and Sebastian Munoz at 14 under are ahead of him as the event heads into the third and final round this evening.
Herbert was part of the winning Ripper Team in last year’s LIV Golf Team Championship but now has a chance to win his first individual title at this level.
Herbert is currently in third position on the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit and will play the upcoming New Zealand Open in late February to try and capture the Australasian Tour’s Order of Merit title but in the meantime, he has this weekend and next week’s LIV Golf event in Adelaide on which to focus.
The leader Meronk won the Australian Open in 2022 by five strokes over Adam Scott and has won three other titles on the DP World Tour.
Other Australians in Riyadh this week are Marc Leishman in 9th place, Cameron Smith 22nd, Wade Ormsby playing as an alternate for the Ironhead team 27th, and Matt Jones 41st.
New Zealand’s Ben Campbell, playing his first event as a member of the Range Goats team, has made a good start to his LIV Golf career to be in a share of 15th place at 7 under.
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Geary and Kanazawa lead Vic Open Championships
Josh Geary – image PGA of Australia
The Vic Open has reached the halfway stage of both the men’s and women’s events at the 13th Beach Golf Links on the Bellarine Peninsula, New Zealand’s Josh Geary breaking clear of the men’s field to lead by two over New South Wales amateur Declan O’Donovan and Japan’s Shina Kanazawa ahead by two over NSW’s Kelsey Bennett in the women’s event.
40 year old Geary, who has often shown a capacity to produce low rounds of golf, added a second round of 65 to his opening 64 and he takes the lead into the weekend when the event focuses on the Beach Course at 13th Beach.
Geary’s only win on the Australasian Tour came when he won the 2013 WA Open, but he has been a prolific winner of titles in his homeland and events in China and Canada. With the New Zealand Open now just three weeks away, finding form after missing the cut at last week’s Webex Murray River event is encouraging.
Geary has recorded several top three finishes in his own national open so he will be keen to repeat and perhaps better those efforts at Millbrook in early March.
Geary shared the best round of the day with his fellow New Zealander Michael Hendry who at 11 under is in a share of 5th place and just four from the lead.
Amateur O’Donovan has previously won the NSW Amateur title and his progress over the weekend over against a field of Australasian Tour professionals will be of interest.
Kanazawa leads the women’s field by two over Kelsey Bennett, the Japanese golfer has not yet won an event on the Japan Ladies Tour or elsewhere but she has several top-five finishes to her name.
Kanazawa added a round of 70 to her opening round of 66 at the Creek Course on Thursday and while at this stage winless in her career, she is facing a significantly weaker field than she faces week in, week out, in Japan and should remain as the one to beat.
Bennett is now a player on the Ladies European Tour and has already recorded two or three top-five finishes there and has won on the secondary tour in Europe.
Bennet finished 4th at the Webex Series Murray River event last week, so, is in good form at present.
Pre-tournament favourite amongst the ladies, Jiyai Shin, is well back in a share of 16th place at 1 under and a massive eight shots from the lead.
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Women
Shina Kanazawa – image PGA of Australia
Ryan Fox begins US campaign at WM Phoenix Open
Ryan Fox – file photo courtesy of The Masters
New Zealand’s Ryan Fox gets his second PGA Tour season underway when he plays this week’s WM Phoenix Open, his second appearance at the most attended event in the game after finishing 41st on debut last year.
Fox gained access to the PGA Tour last year courtesy of his great season on the DP World Tour in 2023 and finished 118th in the FedEx Cup standings which in some respects was mission accomplished in terms of retaining status but perhaps short of where he anticipated.
A disappointing third round of 75 in Phoenix last year cost him a significantly higher finish but three other rounds in the 60’s suggested this is a layout he has a liking for.
After two encouraging weeks in the desert in DP World Tour events, Fox arrives in Scottsdale with some of the holiday rust knocked off his game and ready to get his season underway as he chases a higher standing on the PGA Tour and the chance to play Signature events.
When Fox arrived at this event last year he was ranked 32nd in the world ranking but he has now slipped to 93rd.
Fox enjoys full status on the PGA Tour but in order to access Signature events and some of the major championships he needs to capitalise on the experience he gained in his first season and appears likely to do so.
Without a start at the Masters at this stage, Fox will need to win an event between now and early April or be inside the top 50 in the world ranking in the week prior to this year’s event.
Fox’s best finishes on the PGA Tour in 2024 were when he finished 4th at the Myrtle Beach event and 7th at the Canadian Open.
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Vic Open retains importance despite prizemoney reduction
Jiyai Shin – runner-up last year and current Australian Women’s Open Champion – image Golf Australia
This week’s Vic Open might have lost some of the gloss it has enjoyed in recent years, but it is still very much an important event on the Australasian schedule for both men and women. The tournament is played jointly over the two layouts at 13th Beach Golf Club on the Bellarine Peninsula with separate purses for both men and women.
At one stage an event on the DP World Tour, the Ladies European Tour and LPGA Tour schedules where winners included the likes of Minwoo and Minjee Lee, Mel Reid and Celine Boutier, the event now carries prizemoney of just $A200,000 for both fields but it remains a key event, especially for many young Australasian professionals trying to establish their careers.
The standout in the women’s field is the current Women’s Australian Open Champion Jiyai Shin, one of the female game’s most prolific winner of titles during her time on the LPGA, Korean and Japanese tours and her already profilic success in Australia is likely to be even bettered this week.
Former LPGA Tour player Su Oh is also expected to do well as is the defending champion Ashley Lau of Malaysia, who defeated Shin in a playoff last year and NSW golfer Kelsey Bennett.
The men’s event is headed by many of the recent winners on the Australasian Tour including but also leading available players on the current Order of Merit, Jack Buchanan, Anthony Quayle, Corey Lamb and Jak Carter.
The event is played over the Beach and Creek Courses at 13th Beach on the opening two days but reverts to the Beach Course for the final 36 holes.
Cam Davis shares 5th place at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am
Cam Davis – image courtesy of PGA of Australia
Cam Davis continued his impressive early season form with a share of 5th place at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am this morning.
For Davis, the finish follows top twenty finishes at the Sentry and American Express events in January and the US$755,000 he earned today will move him to 8th place in the FedEx Cup standings.
Davis’ last round of 69 saw him finish four shots behind the winner Rory McIlroy but he continues his steady climb in the game and he will move back inside the top 50 in the world ranking to around 47th place.
Davis produced a miraculous up and down from amongst the tree roots alongside the 18th green to record a birdie and ensure his share of 5th place.
Jason Day finished in a share of 13th, Min Woo Lee 17th and Adam Scott 22nd in the lucrative US$20 million event.
35-year-old, McIlroy, recorded his 27th PGA Tour victory with a two-shot win over Shane Lowry with Lucas Glover and Justin Rose another shot back in 3rd place.
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New caddy new putter leads to 4th place finish for Minjee Lee
Minjee Lee – file photo courtesy of Golf Australia
Minjee Lee has begun her 2025 LPGA Tour season by producing the round of the final day (62) to surge into a share of 4th place at the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando.
Lee’s round of eight birdies and an eagle was three shots clear of the next best on day four.
“Yeah, I mean, starting with two birdies is always going to be a nice fast start. Before I started today I was like, let’s just get off to a really fast start and see how low I can do today.
“I just tried to ride the momentum over like the end of the — like the 8th and 9th hole and into the 10th and 11th. So that was nice.
“Having an eagle on 15, it was like the cherry on top. So just hit it really solid and made some really nice putts.”
Lee has a new (long) putter in the bag and the immediate impact was there for all to see.
“There are a lot of putters at the golf club, so I was just feeling around with a few. Not necessarily the long putter was my first choice. I think once I started practicing with it, it was — it was not super unnatural or didn’t feel too weird.
“For me, I think it’s just a little new adventure and see where it takes me.”
Lee also has a new caddy on the bag this season, Mikey Paterson, a former caddy for Karrie Webb and the husband of a friend of Lee’s in Perth Tanya taking over the role.
“Actually with Mikey, he worked for me two weeks last year — no, wait, in ’23, the International Crown and the Founders Cup, so it wasn’t something that was like totally new. He’s been around for a really long time so it’s not like he’s new to caddieing.
“It just feels very easy. We get along really well. His wife, Tanya, is from Perth as well and known her forever and seen Mikey around for a really long time as well.”
Lee finished six shots from Korea’s A Lim Kim, the 2020 US Women’s Open Champion who recorded her third LPGA Tour title with a two-shot win over Nelly Korda.
New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, who was defending her 2024 title, finished a shot behind Lee in a share of 6th place while Hannah Green was 20th.
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Top tens for Kevin Yuan and Travis Smyth in India
Sydney’s Kevin Yuan – image courtesy of Asian Tour
New South Wales golfers Kevin Yuan and Travis Smyth recorded top tens at the International Series India event at the DLF Golf Club in Gurgaon near New Delhi. Yuan finishing in a tie for 8th, and Smyth sharing 10th in the US$2 million event, the first of several such events in which both Asian Tour regulars and LIV golfers compete.
On a golf course and in conditions where only four golfers finished 72 holes under par, Yuan finished at 1 over and Smyth at 2 over.
Yuan has yet to win on any recognised tour, but he is building consistency in his Asian Tour appearances, including his fourth-place finish at the recent Philippine Open. This was his fourth top-ten finish in International Series events.
Smyth continues to build a good record on the Asian Tour having finished inside the top ten on their Order of Merit in each of the last three years. His only win in Asia came three years ago but he is regularly putting himself in contention and that second victory may well come sooner rather than later.
The tournament was won by American Ollie Schniederjans who held off a brilliant final round burst by Bryson DeChambeau, Schniederjans winning by three.
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Queensland’s Proverbs wins playoff for first Australasian Tour title
Blake Proverbs on his way to victory today – image PGA of Australia
28-year-old Queenslander Blake Proverbs today won his first PGA Tour of Australasia event in seven years as a professional when he defeated 52-year-old Jason Norris after a three-hole playoff at the Webex Series Murray River event at Cobram Barooga on the Murray River.
Beginning the day three and four shots respectively behind the 54 hole leader, Jake McLeod, Proverbs was round in 64 on the par 71 layout while Norris had 63 to force the pair into a playoff which Proverbs eventually won with a par at the third extra hole.
Prior to today’s win, Proverbs had recorded seven top-five finishes on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, but the victory will not only add A$45,000 to his bank account but also move him to 14th on the Australasian Tour Order of Merit and open up the opportunity for further progress over the remaining weeks in the 2o24 / 2025 season.
For Norris, he narrowly missed adding a second win in two weeks for the over-fifty brigade on the PGA Tour of Australasia following the victory by Michael Wright a week ago.
His final round of 63 included two eagles, one from 60 feet on the 10th and his par at the 72nd hole after finding the heavy rough to the right of the fairway was full of merit as he needed to make the 15 footer to ensure he was still alive to join the playoff.
Norris has played well on the Australasian Legends Tour where he won the Australian Senior PGA Championship in 2024. The former winner of the Fiji International as a European Tour event along with several victories in lesser events on the secondary tour in Australia showed an impressive turnaround after missing three consecutive cuts.
17-year-old Thai golfer Colcheva Wongrass highlighted just what a future star she is likely to become by finishing just one shot out of the playoff in the mixed-gender event.
Already a two time winner on the Thai Women’s Tour and a professional since the age of 15, Wongrass gives every indication she will join the growing list of Thai female golfers now competing at the elite level in the women’s game.
RESULTS