Niemann – clearly happy with his week’s work – image Golf Australia
Whoever came up with the ridiculously overused and absurd golfing term ‘moving day’ to describe a third day of play in a golf tournament should have been at the Australian Golf Club for today’s final round as he or she might now have a rethink, given that every day in a golf tournament is a day where a potential winner can stake a claim or otherwise.
At the beginning of the day, eleven players were within four shots of the lead and as the day wore on as many as eight had moved themselves into a position where victory was not a remote prospect.
Eventually, it would be the 25-year-old Chilean golfer, Joaquin Niemann, who edged out Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino with a stunning eagle at the second extra hole of a playoff but not before five players either shared or held the lead outright through the final round and several others loomed as possible contenders.
It was a brilliant final day in front of some of the biggest crowds I have seen at an Australian Open for many years, perfect golfing conditions early in the day, giving way to the demands of an increasingly strong southerly wind which began to take its toll after is strengthened when the final group was playing the third hole
By the time the final group of Min Woo Lee, Riyuka Hoshino and Alex Fitzpatrick had reached the 5th tee, Lee, Hoshino and Lucas Herbert were tied at the top at 12 under, but at 11 under were Fitzpatrick, Adam Scott and Ryo Hisatsune, and another shot back were Jason Scrivener, another Japanese star in Yuto Katsugawara, the eventual winner, Niemann and the faltering Patrick Rodgers.
One of the more bizarre stories would have been if Adam Scott had held on to a lead he created for himself when, after starting the day at 8 under par and in the first group out from the 10th tee, he moved to 5 under for the day and into the outright lead when he birdied his 15th hole (the 6th).
Given Scott was to finish at the 9th hole and more than an hour and a half ahead of those in the final group, his ongoing success might have proved embarrassing for tournament organisers.
But Scott would falter at the 7th hole of the Australian layout and his 16th overall when he found the trees and eventually took a triple bogey and while his chances were not over completely, two pars to finish saw him finish at 11 under and seemingly, despite the increasingly demanding conditions, a couple back of where he needed to be.
Niemann was on the correct side of the draw although more than 90 minutes ahead of the final group and he served notice of his intentions with an outward nine of 1 under and then scorching home in 32 for his round of 66 to lead before an agonising wait for the leading group to finish.
Niemann, a former Latin American Amateur Champion and a two-time winner on the PGA Tour before joining LiV Golf in 2022, spent the time exercising, hitting balls and anxiously watching the progress of those still in contention.
Until today’s victory Niemann’s playoff record in professional golf including Liv Golf was not good, having lost three until today but after he and Hoshino had both birdied the first extra hole, Niemann hit a superb second with a short iron to the par five the second time around and converted from 15 feet for eagle and the title of Australian Open Champion.
Hoshino had drawn level with a 35-foot birdie putt of his own at the 17th but after a poor drive at the last in regulation he was unable to produce that one extra birdie to claim the title.
For Hoshino it was his second runner-up finish in succession having finished just behind Min Woo Lee in Brisbane last week.
Herbert’s climb to the top of the leaderboard came to a grinding halt when he triple-bogeyed the 9th after missing the fairway then four putting. He would eventually finish 7th.
Min Woo Lee recovered from an out-of-character slow start to the day and was still in with an opportunity playing the last before a poor drive cost him the chance of the eagle he needed to join the playoff and he finished alone in third place.
Niemann was understandably delighted with the decision he made to come to Australia and having the Australian Open title.
“It means a lot. I wanted to win so bad for a long time. The last one I have is in Riviera, and yeah, I mean this season wasn’t the best season that I play on LIV. I haven’t had a great finish and after the season I kind of start working a lot harder with my coach and all my team and started seeing a bit of results.
“I mean, I wanted to play more golf because I felt like I was kind of like finding my game. It was getting better. I was hitting better, putting better and I was like ‘I want to go out and play and see if it’s true, you know?’
“Yeah, then I had these two weeks in Australia and actually was a really easy decision, I was in Chile, flight from Chile to Sydney which is really good and obviously there are world ranking points, which I think I need a few now and the open spots here this week, so he was you should come out here and play some golf and I was really happy to see some golf.
“Obviously it’s big. I didn’t have a great season on LIV. I found there’s too much going on and I wasn’t hitting it as good as I am right now, I’m used to it. I was not putting as good. I had a few changes on my team as well. So, it was kind of like things were pretty new. I felt like we’re working harder too. I think that also brings some results and I am proud to see all the results coming up.
“So it’s nice to be here with the trophy and obviously I want to play well next season on LIV, I want to win tournaments and I think this is a good test to get ready for next season.”
Ashleigh Buhai – image Golf Australia
In the women’s Australian Open it would be defending champion Ashleigh Buhai who held off a determined final round charge by Minjee Lee whose final round of 69 was the only one under 70 on a very demanding and windy afternoon.
Beginning the final day three ahead of Jiyai Shin, Buhai a former childhood star in South Africa and now a two-time Australian Open Champion along with her AIG Womens’ Open title, played her way through to first twelve holes in even par but when she dropped shots at the 13th, 14th and 17th, she had opened the door for Lee who will rue a costly double bogey at the 13th.
Buhai would hold on but she was forced to make a four-foot out at the last to hold out Lee who was chasing her first Australian Open title.
Jenny Shin and Jiyai Shin tied for 3rd but they were some five shots from Buhai and four from Lee.
“Yeah, I’m very proud to obviously come here and defend my title from last year,” said Buhai. “I’ve never defended professional tournaments back to back although I have as an amateur, very proud. Webbie sent me a message wishing me luck, which was really nice of her.
“Yeah, to do it on this golf course obviously Minjee made a run at me, to do it against her, she played fantastic today. Obviously, I know that everybody was kind of cheering for her, but it was great, there were a lot of South Africans out there too that were supporting me.”
When asked about the crowds and the format of the two events together Buhai would add;
“I played last year and this year the crowds were unbelievable. I think the format having the males and the-all abilities just brings it altogether. They get to see the best of both as well. I think the next best for me was the crowd-wise was the AIG Women’s Open, but walking down 18 yesterday and today, seeing that bank at the course was great.”
And so the second version of the multiple Australian Open being played at the same venue and in the same week is over.
There are still many detractors from the concept suggesting the respective Australian Opens should be stand alone events. Being a traditionalist this writer perhaps has similar views but the numbers at the Australian Golf Club this week don’t lie and the support of an event where Australian golf fans can witness their country’s best players of either gender at the one venue on the same week is, clearly, an attractive proposition.
LEADERBOARDS
Australasians face last chance for PGA Tour cards
David Micheluzzi – looking to add a PGA Tour card to his DP World Tour status – image Australian Golf Media
Six Australians and one New Zealander are included in a field of 166 golfers chasing one of five PGA Tour cards via the PGA Tour’s Q School beginning at the TPC Sawgrass and the Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida on Thursday.
The PGA Tour might be under pressure at present and suffering from recent defections but it is an amazingly talented bunch chasing the right to play there in 2024, one or two of whom have gone through multiple stages just to reach the final.
Seventy-nine players advanced to Final Stage via Second Stage, while the remainder of the field earned direct access to Final Stage through various exemption categories. Of the 521 players who started at Pre-Qualifying (there were eight sites), only two made it to Final Stage.
Australians Brett Drewitt, Harrison Endycott and Rhein Gibson are chasing a return to the PGA Tour, while David Micheluzzi, Thomas Power Horan, and John Lyras, and New Zealand’s Charlie Hillier are looking to secure their place as a rookie.
Micheluzzi, Power Horan, and Lyras earned their right to play the final via the new pathway formed to allow the leading three on last season’s PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit direct access to the Final Stage.
Micheluzzi has been a prolific winner in Australia over the past eighteen months and has earned DP World Tour status as has Power Horan via the Australasian Tour Oder of Merit but a PGA Tour card would be one hell of a bonus.
Endycott has conditional status on the PGA Tour courtesy of finishing between 126th and 150 in last season’s FedEx Cup standings but he can regain full playing rights by securing one of the cards this week.
Drewitt and Gibson are in the field as a result of finishing outside the top 25 on the Korn Ferry Tour but having done well enough to make this field.
New Zealand’s Hillier is in after a good season on the Latino Americas Tour where he finished 5th on their Order of Merit including a win in Brasil
The top five finishers and ties after 72 holes will receive PGA Tour cards for the upcoming season.
The next 40 finishers (and ties) will earn exempt status through multiple reshuffles of the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season in 2024.
All remaining finishers at Final Stage will have conditional Korn Ferry Tour membership and conditional PGA TOUR Americas membership for the 2024 season.
ANZAC Combination takes Grant Thornton Invitational
Jason Day and Lydia Ko – image Getty Images
Jason Day and Lydia Ko formed a formidable ANZAC combination to win the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational in Naples, Florida, the pair winning by one over the Canadians Brooke Henderson and Corey Connors.
Played over 54 holes with the Scramble, Foursomes and Modified Four-Ball being used consecutively over the three days, Day and Ko held off a fast finish by the Canadians to win the US$1 million first prize and end 20-23 on a winning note.
“I mean, it was a fantastic week, said Day. “I think trying to learn Lydia’s game, it was hard. There wasn’t much to learn because she flushes it so straight and she hits a lot of greens and she has a good short game and she putts well.
“I think the second day we really needed to kind of nail the format down because obviously alternate shot is the hardest format, I believe. But walking away from this week, I think it’s been a huge success. I think a lot of the guys have had a lot of fun playing with the women this week, and I think it’s been a great partnership between the LPGA and the PGA TOUR.”
Ko also enthused about the experience of playing in such an event and the opportunity to play with a PGA Tour player in the heat of the battle as teammates.
“There’s normally an Australian and New Zealand rivalry, but that was not there this week. Playing the practice round on Tuesday I think was really helpful for me.
“In ways I think I’m a little introverted, so when I meet someone new and that person happens to be Jason, it’s not like the most comfortable situation to be in. But he kept asking me questions and was so nice that I think it made me feel like five, six days ago wasn’t the first time I had met him and his caddie Luke.
“This week I think every player that’s here, whether it’s the PGA TOUR player or LPGA player, I think we’re here for more than just the prize money and winning. It’s about the growth of the game.”
SCORES
Australians miss out on LIV Golf opportunity
L-R Jinichiro Kozuma, Kalle Samooja and Kieran Vincent – now LIV Golf participants
Australians Jed Morgan and Kevin Yuan have missed out on a return to the LIV Golf Series following the completion of the LIV Golf Promotions event in Abu Dhabi this morning.
Having made it to the final 20 players to play over 36 holes for three LIV Golf spots in 2024, Yuan finished in 11th place and Morgan 19th, neither able to secure places inside the top ten who would secure places in the Asian Tour’s International Series events.
Yuan has missed seven of his last eight cuts in Asian Tour events this season, although his performances in International Series events this past year will see him with sufficient status to play there next season but for Morgan his future playing opportunities are uncertain.
Morgan’s win at the 2022 (January) Australian PGA Championship earned him DP World Tour status for the 2023 season, but by joining LIV Golf in mid-2022 he forfeited that opportunity and would appear to have status on only the PGA Tour of Australasia at present.
The three players earning the license to print money by finishing inside the top three and earning their playing rights on LIV in 2024 are Kalle Samooja of Finland who played the DP World Tour in 2023, Japan’s Jinichiro Kozuma who played the Japan and Asian Tour’s this year and Zimbabwe’s Kieran Vincent who won an International Series event this year and played mainly the Asian Tour in 2023 where he finished 10th on their Order of Merit.
Morgan and Yuan remain alive for LIV Golf return
Jed Morgan – file photo LIV Golf
Queensland’s Jed Morgan produced one of his best rounds of the year to advance to the final 36 holes in the LUV Golf Promotions event in Abu Dhabi, but he will need to repeat the dose tomorrow if he is to gain one of the three 2024 LIV Golf spots on offer.
24-year-old Morgan, the 2022 (January) Australian PGA Champion and Sydney’s Kevin Yuan were the only Australasians to finish inside the top twenty in today’s second round and therefore remain alive to regain his (Morgan’s) place in LIV Golf for 2024 after having played since its inception 18 months ago.
Yuan also played Liv Golf through its early stages in 2022.
Having been relegated from the LIV Golf roster after a season of disappointing results in 2023, Morgan missed the cut at the Australian PGA Championship and then finished 65th at the Australian Open so his return to form is both surprising and timely.
Other Australasians in the field who were attempting to gain access to the final 20 for tomorrow’s 36-hole shootout but were unable to do so were Ben Campbell who missed out after a playoff between five players for four spots after the group tied at 3 under, Zach Murray, Wade Ormsby and Kerry Mountcastle.
SCORES
Australian golfers excel in PGA Tour Champions qualifying
L-R Wright, Allan, Percy and Bransdon – image Cameron Percy
In an amazing result for, and effort by, Australian golfers, four will receive one of the five cards available for next season’s PGA Tour Champions following the completion of 72 holes of the PGA Tour Champions Q School in Phoenix today.
Victorian Cameron Percy was either in, or within one of, the lead throughout the 72 holes, eventually winning by five over Queensland’s Michael Wright whose final 36 holes of 63 and 66 were the best in the field allowing him to improve from 32nd at the halfway stage to finish in 2nd place.
Victorian Stephen Allan finished alone in 3rd place despite a near-disastrous double bogey at his final hole and Allan’s fellow Victorian David Bransdon birdied his final two holes, the finish securing him a place in a playoff with, Raphael Jacquelin and Wes Short Jr which Bransdon won with a birdie at the first extra hole.
All four had also successfully negotiated the first stage of qualifying in order to compete this week.
Percy wins US$30,000 for his efforts but that pales in comparison to what he might earn on the PGA Tour Champions next year after turning 50 in May.
At the urging of other players with whom he holds in high regard, Percy experienced a change of heart before this week got underway.
“I wasn’t going to come (here), I was exhausted,” Percy said. “I was actually going to get ready for the PGA TOUR’s Q-School next week. I was told to go to Q-School here and get my card. It’s so much better than having to Monday qualify. So, I did…and, it has all paid off.”
Two-time Australian Open and PGA Champion Greg Chalmers will rue a final hole bogey, after finishing in 8th place and one shot from the playoff, while David McKenzie finished 12th.
Australasia (including New Zealand’s Steve Alker) will have its strongest representation ever numerically on the PGA Tour Champions in 2024.
Alker, Richard Green, Rod Pampling, Mark Hensby, Stuart Appleby, and now, Percy, Wright, Allan, and Bransdon make a formidable group as they tackle the riches of the tour for the over-fifties.
RESULTS
Choi and Naveed earn LPGA Tour status
Robyn Choi – file photo Golf Australia
Queensland’s Robyn Choi and Perth’s Hira Naveed have survived the gruelling 108 holes of LPGA Tour’s Q Series and emerged as LPGA Tour players in 2024.
Choi topped the 106 participants chasing one of 45 cards available for next season, winning by three shots while Narveed produced a last round of 65 to finish 15th.
For Choi, from the Gold Coast but who attended college in Colorado, it marks a return to the LPGA Tour having played there with partial status in 2019.
Choi has completed another solid season on the secondary Epson Tour but finished 12th for the season in the Race for a Card when she needed to be inside the top ten. She finished 17th in 2022 so she has been rewarded for consistent golf in recent times.
Harveed, born in New Zealand but raised in Western Australia until heading to a collegiate career at Pepperdine University in the US, will play the LPGA Tour for the first occasion, her 15th place finish giving her full status.
LEADERBOARD
Cameron Percy nicely placed in PGA Tour Champions Qualifying
Cameron Percy – file photo Henry Peters
At the halfway stage of PGA Tour Champions qualifying for 2024, Victorian Cameron Percy sits in a three-way share of second place and just one shot behind the leader, Wes Short Jr, at the TPC Scottsdale near Phoenix.
With just five of the much sought after and lucrative cards up for grabs at the completion of 72 holes on Friday, there is a congested leaderboard chasing the right to play for the riches of golf for the over fifties in the US next season.
Percy’s fellow US-based Victorian, Stephen Allan is three shots back in a share of 8th place, Greg Chalmers is in 15th place, David Bransdon and David MacKenzie are 26th and Michael Wright 32nd.
Percy does not turn 50 until May of 2024 but is entitled to attempt qualifying all the same although he will not be eligible to play events until he passes the age milestone
Those players finishing between 6th and 30th get the chance to Monday qualify for events.
Percy has played the PGA Tour on a regular basis with the occasional season on the Korn Ferry Tour since 2010, earning close to US$6 million in that time and, importantly for his chances this week and possible ongoing career on the PGA Tour Champions, he has played competitively up until this week’s event.
Percy’s best finish on the PGA Tour was when runner-up after a playoff to Jonathan Byrd who holed in one to defeat Percy in the Shriners Hospitals for Children event in his rookie season (2010) but he has recorded a win and six runner-up finishes on the Korn Ferry Tour.
LEADERBOARD
13 Australasians attempt LIV Golf Q School
Australian Jed Morgan – gets his chance to return to LIV Golf – image LIV Golf
This Friday the 8th of December sees the first Q School for LIV Golf being run at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club in the UAE with the LIV Promotions event established to provide a means of qualifying for the LIV Golf Series next season and to perhaps convince the world golfing authorities that if LIV has a genuine means of qualifying for their Tour then its quest for World Ranking points to be attributed to its events becomes more viable.
Whether that is the end result or not, the prospect of three LIV Golf cards being handed out at the completion of 72 holes on Sunday is an incentive too good to miss for the 60 players who will enter round one and the 13 more who are exempt from round one but will join the leading 20 players from round one in round two.
With the scores reset after the opening round the leading twenty players will then play 36 holes on the final day to determine who gets the potentially lucrative right to play LIV Golf in 2024 where just for finishing last in each 48-man event, a golfer earns $US140,000 or so.
The 10 Australasians in round one are Lachlan Barker, Austin Bautista, Andrew Dodt, Scott Hend, Brendan Jones, Zach Murray, Kerry Mountcastle (NZ) Ryan Ruffels, Travis Smyth and Kevin Yuan.
They will be joined in round two by fellow Australasians, Ben Campbell (NZ), Wade Ormsby and Jed Morgan.
Morgan, Ormsby and Yuan have all played LIV Golf events previously although Yuan and Ormsby had their contracts cut short as replacements were signed.
The leading three players after 72 holes, earn the right to join LIV in early 2024 while those finishing 4th to 10th gain access to the lucrative Asian Tour International Series events.
Niemann and Buhai Aust Open Champions in closely fought battles
Niemann – clearly happy with his week’s work – image Golf Australia
Whoever came up with the ridiculously overused and absurd golfing term ‘moving day’ to describe a third day of play in a golf tournament should have been at the Australian Golf Club for today’s final round as he or she might now have a rethink, given that every day in a golf tournament is a day where a potential winner can stake a claim or otherwise.
At the beginning of the day, eleven players were within four shots of the lead and as the day wore on as many as eight had moved themselves into a position where victory was not a remote prospect.
Eventually, it would be the 25-year-old Chilean golfer, Joaquin Niemann, who edged out Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino with a stunning eagle at the second extra hole of a playoff but not before five players either shared or held the lead outright through the final round and several others loomed as possible contenders.
It was a brilliant final day in front of some of the biggest crowds I have seen at an Australian Open for many years, perfect golfing conditions early in the day, giving way to the demands of an increasingly strong southerly wind which began to take its toll after is strengthened when the final group was playing the third hole
By the time the final group of Min Woo Lee, Riyuka Hoshino and Alex Fitzpatrick had reached the 5th tee, Lee, Hoshino and Lucas Herbert were tied at the top at 12 under, but at 11 under were Fitzpatrick, Adam Scott and Ryo Hisatsune, and another shot back were Jason Scrivener, another Japanese star in Yuto Katsugawara, the eventual winner, Niemann and the faltering Patrick Rodgers.
One of the more bizarre stories would have been if Adam Scott had held on to a lead he created for himself when, after starting the day at 8 under par and in the first group out from the 10th tee, he moved to 5 under for the day and into the outright lead when he birdied his 15th hole (the 6th).
Given Scott was to finish at the 9th hole and more than an hour and a half ahead of those in the final group, his ongoing success might have proved embarrassing for tournament organisers.
But Scott would falter at the 7th hole of the Australian layout and his 16th overall when he found the trees and eventually took a triple bogey and while his chances were not over completely, two pars to finish saw him finish at 11 under and seemingly, despite the increasingly demanding conditions, a couple back of where he needed to be.
Niemann was on the correct side of the draw although more than 90 minutes ahead of the final group and he served notice of his intentions with an outward nine of 1 under and then scorching home in 32 for his round of 66 to lead before an agonising wait for the leading group to finish.
Niemann, a former Latin American Amateur Champion and a two-time winner on the PGA Tour before joining LiV Golf in 2022, spent the time exercising, hitting balls and anxiously watching the progress of those still in contention.
Until today’s victory Niemann’s playoff record in professional golf including Liv Golf was not good, having lost three until today but after he and Hoshino had both birdied the first extra hole, Niemann hit a superb second with a short iron to the par five the second time around and converted from 15 feet for eagle and the title of Australian Open Champion.
Hoshino had drawn level with a 35-foot birdie putt of his own at the 17th but after a poor drive at the last in regulation he was unable to produce that one extra birdie to claim the title.
For Hoshino it was his second runner-up finish in succession having finished just behind Min Woo Lee in Brisbane last week.
Herbert’s climb to the top of the leaderboard came to a grinding halt when he triple-bogeyed the 9th after missing the fairway then four putting. He would eventually finish 7th.
Min Woo Lee recovered from an out-of-character slow start to the day and was still in with an opportunity playing the last before a poor drive cost him the chance of the eagle he needed to join the playoff and he finished alone in third place.
Niemann was understandably delighted with the decision he made to come to Australia and having the Australian Open title.
“It means a lot. I wanted to win so bad for a long time. The last one I have is in Riviera, and yeah, I mean this season wasn’t the best season that I play on LIV. I haven’t had a great finish and after the season I kind of start working a lot harder with my coach and all my team and started seeing a bit of results.
“I mean, I wanted to play more golf because I felt like I was kind of like finding my game. It was getting better. I was hitting better, putting better and I was like ‘I want to go out and play and see if it’s true, you know?’
“Yeah, then I had these two weeks in Australia and actually was a really easy decision, I was in Chile, flight from Chile to Sydney which is really good and obviously there are world ranking points, which I think I need a few now and the open spots here this week, so he was you should come out here and play some golf and I was really happy to see some golf.
“Obviously it’s big. I didn’t have a great season on LIV. I found there’s too much going on and I wasn’t hitting it as good as I am right now, I’m used to it. I was not putting as good. I had a few changes on my team as well. So, it was kind of like things were pretty new. I felt like we’re working harder too. I think that also brings some results and I am proud to see all the results coming up.
“So it’s nice to be here with the trophy and obviously I want to play well next season on LIV, I want to win tournaments and I think this is a good test to get ready for next season.”
Ashleigh Buhai – image Golf Australia
In the women’s Australian Open it would be defending champion Ashleigh Buhai who held off a determined final round charge by Minjee Lee whose final round of 69 was the only one under 70 on a very demanding and windy afternoon.
Beginning the final day three ahead of Jiyai Shin, Buhai a former childhood star in South Africa and now a two-time Australian Open Champion along with her AIG Womens’ Open title, played her way through to first twelve holes in even par but when she dropped shots at the 13th, 14th and 17th, she had opened the door for Lee who will rue a costly double bogey at the 13th.
Buhai would hold on but she was forced to make a four-foot out at the last to hold out Lee who was chasing her first Australian Open title.
Jenny Shin and Jiyai Shin tied for 3rd but they were some five shots from Buhai and four from Lee.
“Yeah, I’m very proud to obviously come here and defend my title from last year,” said Buhai. “I’ve never defended professional tournaments back to back although I have as an amateur, very proud. Webbie sent me a message wishing me luck, which was really nice of her.
“Yeah, to do it on this golf course obviously Minjee made a run at me, to do it against her, she played fantastic today. Obviously, I know that everybody was kind of cheering for her, but it was great, there were a lot of South Africans out there too that were supporting me.”
When asked about the crowds and the format of the two events together Buhai would add;
“I played last year and this year the crowds were unbelievable. I think the format having the males and the-all abilities just brings it altogether. They get to see the best of both as well. I think the next best for me was the crowd-wise was the AIG Women’s Open, but walking down 18 yesterday and today, seeing that bank at the course was great.”
And so the second version of the multiple Australian Open being played at the same venue and in the same week is over.
There are still many detractors from the concept suggesting the respective Australian Opens should be stand alone events. Being a traditionalist this writer perhaps has similar views but the numbers at the Australian Golf Club this week don’t lie and the support of an event where Australian golf fans can witness their country’s best players of either gender at the one venue on the same week is, clearly, an attractive proposition.
LEADERBOARDS
Not yet the Lees but the Ruffels another golfing family success
Gabi and Mum Anna Maria Fernandez – during one of her US Amateur Championships – image USGA
The sibling combination of Min Woo and Minjee Lee is a much talked about commodity in Australian golf and rightfully so, but the Ruffels family is yet another sporting family capturing headlines.
As I was leaving my hotel in Sydney this morning to head out to the Australian Golf Club I ran into the father of both Gabi and Ryan Ruffels, Ray.
Many will know the name Ray Ruffels as a result of his success as a tennis player during the late 60’s and early 70’s where on three occasions he reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open and in 1977 teamed with Allan Stone to win the Australian Doubles title
Ray was in Sydney to see his daughter Gabriela (Gabi) compete in the Australian Open Golf Championship where she was inside the top ten heading into today’s final round.
Gabi, a winner and finalist at the US Amateur Championship in 2019 and 2020 (the first Australian to do so) before turning pro in 2001, earned the right to play the LPGA Tour in 2024 by topping the Epson Tour Order of Merit this year where she won three titles.
Gabi’s two-year older brother, Ryan, is, as yet, struggling to reach the heights that his amateur career suggested it might, playing on secondary tours in the main as he fought to get to the holy grail of professional golf, the PGA Tour.
Having said that, Ryan Ruffels will next week try and gain access to the lucrative LIV Golf Series via their recently introduced Liv Promotions Qualifying series where three spots are available on next year’s schedule.
Ryan had a substantial amateur career before turning professional in 2016, winning the Australian Boys Amateur Championship and the Callaway World Junior Championship and representing Australia in the 2014 Eisenhower Trophy. He was perhaps a little unlucky not to have won the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship in 2015 when a typhoon washed out the last day in Hong Kong when one off the lead.
Time will tell if their respective heights get anywhere near the amazing success of the Lee family but the sporting prowess of not only Gabi, Ryan, Ray, and the sibling’s mother, Anna Maria Fernandez, herself a winner of five WTA titles, is another great story in the Australian sporting landscape.
Ryan Ruffels seen here with Cameron Davis at the 2015 Asia Pacific Amateur where both finished tied for 2nd