Josh Geary – image Australian Golf Media
On one of the most demanding days for scoring in Australian tournament golf in recent memory, New Zealand’s Josh Geary and Victorian Su Oh have emerged the winners of their respective Vic Open titles.
Both victories were achieved in very contrasting manners, Geary leading virtually throughout after taking the lead during round two to win by four, while Oh came from seven shots off the lead on the final day to win by one.
In blustery winds which swept the Beach Course at 13th Beach over the final two days, Geary’s final round of 78 was still good enough to see him home by four over Scottish raised but now Perth based Connor McKinney with New Zealanders Kerry Mountcastle and Mike Hendry and NSW’s Austin Bautista another shot back in a share of 3rd place.
So difficult was the scoring in the near 50-kilometer winds that McKinney’s final round of 70, one of the three best of the day, moved him from a share of 23rd overnight to his second place as was the case with Mountcastle who was also round in 70 to improve from 27th to his share of 3rd.
For Geary however, it was the 40-year-old’s second Australasian Tour title, coming nearly 12 years after his first.
“It’s the hardest round of golf I’ve had to play,” the new champion told PGA Tour of Australasia.
“It’s hard enough trying to close out a tournament, let alone in those conditions which meant literally you can make any score from anywhere.
“If you’d asked me if I shot 78 tomorrow if I’d still have a four-shot margin, I’d tell you you’re dreaming, but that’s just how hard it was.
“I’m super happy, obviously, and stoked to get it done.”
Geary has been a prolific winner of titles in his homeland and has won on both the Canadian and China Tours but has perhaps not delivered to the extent his undoubted talent suggested he might when turning professional 18 years ago.
He had his moments on day four, dropping eight shots in nine holes in the middle of his round but he was not alone as he tried to negotiate some of the most difficult scoring conditions he and many in this field had faced.
Geary though was always ahead on day four and although the 54-hole margin of four was reduced to three on occasions, those nearest to him were also suffering and it would be McKinney who would get closest in the end, albeit four from the winner.
Geary moves to 13th on the current PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit and finds form ahead of his own national open in New Zealand in three weeks’ time, an event in which he has several top 5 finishes to his name including when sharing 3rd place last year.
The women’s title went to Su Oh, a former LPGA Tour player, who lost her status there in 2022 and who has struggled with her game since.
A decision to move to West Australian coach Ritchie Smith has seen her slowly but surely rebuild confidence in a game that saw her as one of this country’s most exciting prospects several years ago and winning the Australian Women’s PGA Championship and the Australian Ladies Masters.
Oh began the final day with seemingly little hope of catching the leaders when seven shots off the lead and tied for 10th but on a day where anything would become possible her final round of 74 was good enough to get her close to the lead and as those ahead of her compounded over the final nine holes she ran out the winner by one over Japan’s Shina Kanazawa.
Men’s scoring
Women’s scoring
Su Oh – image Australian Golf Media
Nick Voke adds to home chances of NZ Open success
Nick Voke – all smiles after a tight finish – image Brett Costello PGA of Australia
New Zealand golf has seldom been on such a high as it is at present and just a few days away from its flagship event, the New Zealand Open, its chances of just a third victory in the event in the last 22 years have increased as a result of Josh Geary’s win in Victoria two weeks ago and today’s win by Aucklander Nick Voke in the TPS Sydney event at Castle Hill.
Geary’s win was emphatic, taking the title at 13th Beach by four shots in the most demanding conditions and, today, Voke held on for a one-shot victory over Queensland’s Jake McLeod after leading by four into the final round and by five shots with just five holes to play.
With just two holes to play the difference was just one after consecutive birdies by McLeod at the 15th and 16th and bogeys by Voke at the 14th and 16th.
The seemingly inevitable victory by Voke soon developed into a grim battle for his first PGA Tour of Australasia victory but he managed to hold on to win and in doing so earns A$45,000 and moves to 17th on the Challenger Tour Order of Merit.
Importantly for Voke however is the form he has found ahead of the $NZ 2 million New Zealand Open at Millbrook Resort next week and with he, Geary, Daniel Hillier, Mike Hendry, Steve Alker, Ben Campbell and Danny Lee in the field, the chances of a rare homegrown victory have improved significantly.
McLeod had his chances at the 17th and 18th but was unable to convert as Voke, a former star while attending Iowa State University, held on for a fourth professional win to go with three in China.
Such was the domination of the pair that there was a gap of six shots between McLeod and the 3rd placed Will Florimo, Travis Smyth and yet another New Zealander Tyler Wood.
Cassie Porter, now qualified to play the LPGA Tour but without starts in their current Asian swing, was the leading female when she shared 13th place.
The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia now moves to Arrowtown near Queenstown for the 104th New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport.
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UPDATED ORDER OF MERIT
Hannah Green finishes 4th at Founders Cup
Hannah Green – file photo USGA
Hannah Green tied for fourth place in the opening full-field event of the LPGA Tour season. The West Australian finished the Founders Cup event in Bradenton, Florida, eight shots from first-time LPGA Tour winner Yealimi Noh of the USA.
Green was unable to reproduce the brilliance of her second and third rounds of 65 and 66 but it has been an encouraging week after a 20th place finish at last week’s Tournament of Champions.
Green earns US$89,000 for her placing and appears on track for yet another good season on the LPGA Tour.
At this stage Green is not entered for the opening event of the Asian swing in Thailand beginning in ten days’ time but is entered for the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore the following week.
It was a week of mixed fortunes for the nine-strong Australasian contingent, two of whom Fiona Xu and Cassie Porter were playing the LPGA Tour as card holders for the first occasion.
Minjee Lee tied for 28th this week, Gabi Ruffels 39th, Lydia Ko, Stephanie Kyriacou and New Zealand’s Fiona Xu 48th and Hira Naveed 56th.
Karis Davidson and LPGA Tour debutante Cassie Porter both missed the cut.
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Geary and Oh last golfers standing at windswept Vic Open
Josh Geary – image Australian Golf Media
On one of the most demanding days for scoring in Australian tournament golf in recent memory, New Zealand’s Josh Geary and Victorian Su Oh have emerged the winners of their respective Vic Open titles.
Both victories were achieved in very contrasting manners, Geary leading virtually throughout after taking the lead during round two to win by four, while Oh came from seven shots off the lead on the final day to win by one.
In blustery winds which swept the Beach Course at 13th Beach over the final two days, Geary’s final round of 78 was still good enough to see him home by four over Scottish raised but now Perth based Connor McKinney with New Zealanders Kerry Mountcastle and Mike Hendry and NSW’s Austin Bautista another shot back in a share of 3rd place.
So difficult was the scoring in the near 50-kilometer winds that McKinney’s final round of 70, one of the three best of the day, moved him from a share of 23rd overnight to his second place as was the case with Mountcastle who was also round in 70 to improve from 27th to his share of 3rd.
For Geary however, it was the 40-year-old’s second Australasian Tour title, coming nearly 12 years after his first.
“It’s the hardest round of golf I’ve had to play,” the new champion told PGA Tour of Australasia.
“It’s hard enough trying to close out a tournament, let alone in those conditions which meant literally you can make any score from anywhere.
“If you’d asked me if I shot 78 tomorrow if I’d still have a four-shot margin, I’d tell you you’re dreaming, but that’s just how hard it was.
“I’m super happy, obviously, and stoked to get it done.”
Geary has been a prolific winner of titles in his homeland and has won on both the Canadian and China Tours but has perhaps not delivered to the extent his undoubted talent suggested he might when turning professional 18 years ago.
He had his moments on day four, dropping eight shots in nine holes in the middle of his round but he was not alone as he tried to negotiate some of the most difficult scoring conditions he and many in this field had faced.
Geary though was always ahead on day four and although the 54-hole margin of four was reduced to three on occasions, those nearest to him were also suffering and it would be McKinney who would get closest in the end, albeit four from the winner.
Geary moves to 13th on the current PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit and finds form ahead of his own national open in New Zealand in three weeks’ time, an event in which he has several top 5 finishes to his name including when sharing 3rd place last year.
The women’s title went to Su Oh, a former LPGA Tour player, who lost her status there in 2022 and who has struggled with her game since.
A decision to move to West Australian coach Ritchie Smith has seen her slowly but surely rebuild confidence in a game that saw her as one of this country’s most exciting prospects several years ago and winning the Australian Women’s PGA Championship and the Australian Ladies Masters.
Oh began the final day with seemingly little hope of catching the leaders when seven shots off the lead and tied for 10th but on a day where anything would become possible her final round of 74 was good enough to get her close to the lead and as those ahead of her compounded over the final nine holes she ran out the winner by one over Japan’s Shina Kanazawa.
Men’s scoring
Women’s scoring
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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Men
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.
WM Phoenix Open Tee Times
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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