Cam Davis plays his tee shot at the par 3 15th at the Lakes this morning – image Australian Golf Media

2017 champion Cam Davis burst from the gates on day one of the ISPS Handa Australian, racing to the turn in his opening round at the Lakes Golf Club in 6 under par 31 and building on that on his way to the clubhouse with a final nine of 32 for his round of 63 to lead by one at the completion of play over both the Lakes and Australian Golf Clubs.

Davis, who was a member of the Monash Golf Club in Sydney during his amateur days before settling in Seattle once established in the USA, looks to add to the Australian Open he won as a 22-year old in 2017 at the Australian Golf Club, and, tomorrow, he gets the chance to play the second of the venues this week and the venue which saw his remarkable win six years ago.

“I made a couple of more nice putts today to get that score heading down, but it was a really solid round of golf,” said Davis.  “I know this place relatively well, so I felt like I had plenty of good memories in the bank to go out and play the course with. That’s by far the cleanest round I’ve ever had around here and without the wind, it was awesome to make the most of the conditions the way they were.”

When asked how this leaves him in regards to contending over the weekend especially given the rest of the week, for him, will be back at the Australian Golf Club, Davis responded;

“Well the start here was a key.  You want to make the most of good conditions out here, because there is the opportunity to go low, so very happy with the start and now it’s just about finding rhythm out there.

“It’s a different golf course, different grass, probably different conditions today, as well for the rest of the week.  So you’ve just got to start all over again pretty much and try and find your rhythm and if you do, get three rounds in a row now at the same place and get used to the sidelines and fingers crossed some more good play.  I’d love to be right up there on Sunday.”

Davis leads by one over PGA Tour player and American Patrick Rodgers who has yet to win on the PGA tour but who has been four times runner-up in events and as a player inside the top 100 in the world, he clearly has the credentials of doing well as the week evolves.

“It’s been a while since I’ve played,” said Rodgers after his round of 64. “I’ve been taking advantage of the off-season over in the States and this was a perfect opportunity to come down here.  I’ve been wanting to do it for a long time. I haven’t been down here since 2014 and had an amazing experience back then, so yeah, it’s great to be back and great to kick off some rust in a nice fashion in round 1.”

16 year old Rachel Lee – image Australian Golf Media

The women’s Australian Open had a surprise early leader in Avondale Golf Club member, Rachel Lee, who only just made it into the field via qualifying on Monday.

Lee nearly missed her tee time this morning after mistaking her 8.28 time for what she thought was 8.38 and she was only reminded while on the putting green by her coach that she needed to get to the tee.

Lee avoided the worst of the weather which hit briefly as she was finishing off her round but she and American Jenny Shin with rounds of 67, lead a high-class field including several major championship winners such as Minjee Lee, Jiyai Shin, Ashleigh Buhai and Hannah Green.

Interestingly Lee suggested a practice round with Jiyai Shin, earlier in the week, assisted her with some thoughts on how to play especially the Australian Golf Club which she tackles tomorrow.

“She was telling me to challenge myself and shape shots, I used them quite a fair bit today and it worked out really well,” said Lee.

Jenny Shin played late in the day and was amongst the last few groups to finish in the women’s field at the Australian Golf Club. Her bogey-free round of 66 was particularly impressive given she played in the afternoon conditions.

Former winner of this title and prolific winner internationally, Jiyai Shin, is alone in second place and one behind the leaders.

Another shot back is Sydney’s Stephanie Kyriacou and defending champion Ashleigh Buhai while Australia’s number one female golfer, Minjee Lee recovered from a slow start to finish with a round of 3 under par 70 and finds herself just three shots from the lead.

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Smith during today’s pro am – image Australian Golf Media

It was a case of getting back on the horse for Cam Smith at the Aust Open today when he played in the Pro-Am as his final preparation for an attempt to win his national open for the first occasion.

Smith went very close to winning the event in 2016 when he was defeated in a playoff by Jordan Spieth as a 23-year-old at Royal Sydney and he looks to get his hand on the Stonehaven Cup to go with his three Australian PGA Championships in addition to the other significant titles he has won worldwide.

Smith arrived at the Australian Golf Club off the back of a disastrous and almost inexplicable week at Royal Queensland last week where he missed the cut by a massive nine shots after a second round of 78.

Not surprisingly, there is scar tissue for Smith after performing so poorly in front of friends and family in Brisbane last week, especially when, as the defending champion and after another successful year internationally, so much was expected.

“Yeah, it was a very frustrating week,” said Smith. “Obviously the game didn’t feel good.  It was pretty upsetting to play like that at home, not only in Australia but in my hometown.  I had lots of friends and family there hoping for another good week, but it wasn’t to be.

“It is definitely a different type of pressure playing at home.  I think you expect to kind of play well because it is home and I’ve always kind of put that pressure on myself and I’d like to think that I’ve had a pretty good kind of Australian career.

“So lots of hard work over the weekend with my coach, Grant. We hit a lot of balls, worked on the right stuff and the game’s feeling pretty good this week.

“The two courses here are pretty challenging, so it’ll be an interesting one, but I just need to go out there and trust and commit to what I’m doing.

“I guess it’s easy to lose confidence with rounds like that, but I’ve been playing pretty good golf the last 7 or 8 months and it’s easy to look at it as just another round, but at the same time, it hurts the confidence a little bit.

“Yeah, like I said, just got to get back to what I know and what I know I can do.  The old saying of one swing can change a round, I think over the weekend it’s definitely changed how I felt about my game.  I’m looking forward to it.

“A couple of weeks ago I was competing to win the Hong Kong Open and I thought I was playing pretty decent golf and a couple of weeks later it was at the other end of the spectrum.  It’s pretty weird how it can change that quickly, but yeah, it’s a crazy game sometimes.  Just as you think you’ve got it, you don’t and then sometimes when you think you don’t have it, you’re finishing in the top 5 or top 10.  So it’s a crazy game.”

Smith gave the impression that while he is happy with the progress he has made with the work put in over the weekend, there is still a level of uncertainty as to where things are at and it won’t be fully tested until he gets a pencil and scorecard in his hand.

“The game’s definitely feeling better than it did last week.  I just need to go out there tomorrow and really commit to what I’m doing.  It’s easy to break back into those habits, so going out there, committing and hitting a few good shots, I think that confidence will build as the week goes on.

“I wouldn’t say my confidence is at 100 percent, but like I said, there’s no reason I can’t go out there and be competitive.  It only takes a few good shots and a few good feels and all of a sudden you’re looking at yourself at the top of the leaderboard.”

When asked what winning his own national open would mean to him Smith had no hesitation in responding.

“It means everything.  I think growing up as a kid you want to win your National Open.  I was fortunate enough to watch a couple of Aussie Opens down here as a teenager and play in a bunch as well.

“So, it’s always created a really good opportunity for me to learn as a young professional and I think just growing up watching it, you want to win it.  Yeah, it’s on the radar.  It has been for a while and I think I’ve been close a couple of times, which makes it – you want it that little bit extra, which sometimes can be detrimental.  But, yeah, I just need to go out there and really commit to what I’m doing.”

Cam Davis – in Sydney today – image Australian Golf Media

Sydney golfer, Cam Davis, continually flies under the radar amongst the elite of Australian golfers at present but there is little doubt that his ever-building record and that he is the 2017 Australian Open Champion at this week’s venue deserve serious consideration when identifying a potential winner of this week’s event..

Even with the likes of Cam Smith, Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee likely to steal the early headlines amongst the Australians in this week’s field, there is little doubting the credentials Davis has to repeat his brilliant victory as a 22-year-old when recording a final round of 64 to win by one over Jonas Blixt and a man who would become a two-time winner of the same event Matt Jones.

Davis’s amateur career was outstanding, winning the Australian Amateur Championship in 2015, the Eisenhower Team and Individual trophy in 2016, and recording two near misses at the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship.

Both his Australian Open victory and the Australian Amateur Championship were won at the Australian Golf Club.

Davis turned professional late in 2016 and has been slowly but very surely building platforms for himself each and every year, beginning first in Canada, then the Buy.Com Tour and in 2019 graduating to the PGA Tour.

He won the Rocket Mortgage event in July of 2021 and has finished inside the top 60 in the FedEx Cup table each year since, in addition to making the Presidents Cup team for the first occasion in 2022.

When asked at last week’s Australian PGA Championship how he assessed his own progress since turning professional Davis responded as follows.

“A big one for me and one that I’m trying to maintain as long as I can is feeling like I’m a better golfer every year and I think I’ve been ticking that box since I was maybe first put a club in my hand when I was four or five.

So, I would say I wish I had accomplished more at this point.  I’m sure everyone’s going to say the same thing, but at the same time, I’m very proud of the fact that I feel like I’m becoming a more accomplished golfer every year.

“I’ve got a little bit more of an idea of how I work.  I think the consistency’s becoming a little bit more noticeable to myself as the years go on, a few more opportunities to win.  A year like last year, I don’t really know how to rate it on a scale, but at the same time, I’m very happy with how I played when I needed to play well and that’s a really good sign for me going forward.”

At the Australian Golf Club today, Davis was again in front of the media and spoke of the joy of returning to a golf course that holds so many memories and is so close to where he grew up.

“It’s always so much fun coming back to a place where you’ve got that many good memories, defining moments in your career.  This place really kick-started my whole professional career.  I would say this is the place that helped me get on the PGA Tour basically.  I think without the week that I had here, the pathway would have been very different for me.

“It’s so fun coming back here, being able to see the places where I hit some shots that were really crucial during that round.  It’s also just a lot of fun because it’s a home game for me.  This is as close as I’m ever going to play to home, growing up about 30 minutes north of here.  So friends and family are going to be here.  It’s a lot of fun.  I love coming back home.”

Davis believes the strengths of his game including his length from the tee and his ability to play wind well will likely be key requirements on the two exposed layouts adjacent to the Sydney airport (both the Australian Golf Club and the Lakes are being used this week).

“I feel like it’s always really windy here.  I feel like I’m a pretty good wind player in terms of shaping the ball around and judging wind conditions.  That’s going to be a huge thing out here, because the greens are a little harder to hold, especially downwind, I feel like I’ve got a good high ball.  Into the wind I feel like I’ve got a good low-ball as well.  I feel like I’ve gotten to the point in my career now where I’ve managed to get better control of all the shots.

“I did grow up here, so just doing that required you to learn how to play the wind, but also hitting the ball a bit further out here is beneficial.  If you do have that length, you don’t necessarily need to use it all the time, but if you do have a drive that can carry some of these fairway bunkers, it can turn the fairway from 20 metres wide to 40 metres wide.  We’ll take these opportunities when we get them, especially when it’s downwind.”

Davis was upbeat about the way has been playing in recent times and hopes that the magic he produced in 2017 can assist him to a second Australian Open victory.

“Since the beginning of the playoffs and just before the playoffs this year, I’ve played some really good golf.  So, I’m hoping that trend leads to another trophy out here, but last time it was a pretty out-of-the-blue week for me.

“I was coming off probably the worst season of golf I’ve ever had and first year as a pro, it was not a great 2017 for me until I came here and, all of a sudden, I turned in some of my best scores I’ve ever had in tournaments.

Hopefully, we can find some more magic.”

Cam Davis with his 2017 trophy

Cam Davis with his Australian Amateur trophy

Lee celebrates the hole out at the 9th for eagle which came at a crucial time in his final round – image AGM

Min Woo Lee is the 2023 Australian PGA Champion following a final round of 67 at Royal Queensland today, giving the 25-year-old West Australian a three-shot victory over Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino.

Lee began the final round three ahead of Hoshino but by the time the pair had reached the 3^rd tee they were tied up at 16 under after Lee had bogeyed the first and Hoshino birdied the opening two holes.

Through nine holes the gap had opened to four shots in Lee’s favour, however, mainly due to a holed pitch and run from 50 metres at the par 5 9^th for eagle and, although Hoshino would birdie the same hole, the margin was four as they headed to the 10th tee.

Despite three bogeys by Lee on his closing nine, Hoshino could do little to bridge the gap and Lee would win his first flagship title in Australia and his 4th victory as a professional by three shots.

The victory will improve Lee to 40th in the world ranking and assure him of a return to Augusta National where he has already shown a capacity to play well having finished 14th on debut in 2022.

“I have always thought I could win but it has taken a little while to get over the hump but two wins in the last month or so makes me very proud of my team and myself.”

“It’s number 1 for sure.  I mean, Scottish was obviously big and Vic Open’s big.  Right now this is obviously the top, in front of Australia, in front of my family.  It was special.  I’ve been waiting for so long to play really well in Australia and I’m glad I did it this week at the Aus PGA.  I’m really happy with the way I played the whole week.

“I knew it was coming, my team knew it was coming, but it was just a when question, so it was nice to get it done.”

As to the confirmation of a return to Augusta National Lee was delighted.

“Yeah, it was kind of in the back of my head if I missed cut the next two weeks, this week and next week, I didn’t know if I was going to make it.  I was really confident in myself and knew if I played well that would solidify itself.

“I’m really excited.  It’s one of the best places on earth for myself. I rate it so highly and it’s the best place to go.  I rank that one the number one Major, obviously the Open’s right behind it, but yeah, Augusta’s a special place.  I can’t wait to go back.”

Lee was clearly relieved after things got a little tight early in the round today but he nominated the chip and run for eagle at the 9th as a key turning point.

The hole out at the 9th was crucial for a swinging momentum at the time and Lee was very much aware of the importance that particular shot played in the win.

“I think that was probably the best atmosphere shot I have ever but at that point it was getting close and I was in a pretty average position off the tee so to chip that in was amazing. I want to see it as it was one of the best shots I have probably hit.”

Rikuya Hoshino – kept Lee honest throughout the final day – image Australian Golf Media 

Hoshino finished runner-up with Marc Leishman producing the best final round (64) to finish in 3rd place, one shot behind Hoshino.

Hoshino was humble in his post-round interview interview and praised the winner and the event.

“I would like to congratulate Min Woo and his amazing play,” said the six-time winner in Japan.  “This was my first time playing in Australia and my first time being here and I had a lot of fun playing in front of such big crowds.

“I was very sharp and achieved a good result so I’ll do my best to win next week as well.”

Curtis Luck recovered from a slow start to his round with a back nine of 31 for a round of 69 and 4th place alone.

The PGA Tour of Australasia and DP World Tour now move to Sydney for this week’s Australian Open Championship at the Australian and Lakes Golf Clubs.

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