Jason Day – Getty Images / PGA Tour
Jason Day has today won his first tournament since the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship and his 13th PGA Tour title overall, emerging from a tense final round battle at the AT&T Byron Nelson in Dallas.
Day began the day two shots off a three-way tie for the 54 hole lead but after four birdies on the way to the turn he was locked in a six way share of the top spot and then edged clear of a very congested leaderboard with five birdies over the closing nine for a round of 62 and a one shot win over Si Woo Kim and Austin Eckroat.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” said Day. “I came into the week after missing last week’s cut, and I was kind of fed up with having to go over like a lot of technical thoughts with my swing. So I just decided I’m just going to go out and just try and play some golf.
“The first three days were great, and then I was really calm. I was saying earlier, I was really calm last night. I woke up, had a great sleep, and just things felt calm.
“For some reason, I just thought that I was going to win the tournament. It’s easy to say that now because I won it, but that’s just — for some reason I just had this sort of calmness about it. I had a really good warmup this morning and felt good.
“It’s weird because when you’re playing golf and you’re in the hunt or around the lead, sometimes there’s moments in your round that you think, oh, it’s kind of not my time.
“I really never had that thought at all this week, even in the last round. I was just kind of plodding along and got a couple early, which was nice, and just felt like you had to press, and funny enough, you have to shoot 9-under to try and win a tournament, which is kind of crazy because I do remember back in the day Charley Hoffman shot 9-under to beat me. It’s nice to be able to finally do that and win one.
“Today however I didn’t really think I about winning until I birdied the 14th and 15th as I knew there were so many guys in contention and so many opportunities remaining (for those behind).
For a range of reasons there was a lot of emotion attached to the victory. “I was in tears for a little bit there, and to think about what my mom went through from 2017 on to her passing last year and then to know that — it was very emotional to go through and to experience what she was going through, then I had injuries on top of all of that going on in my life.
“To be honest, I was very close to calling it quits. I never told my wife that, but I was okay with it, just because it was a very stressful part of my life.
“Ellie (wife), she never gave up on me trying to get back to the winner’s circle again. She just always was pushing me to try and get better.
“Yeah, I don’t know. It feels strange to be sitting here. I don’t know how else to explain it. To go through what I went through and then to be able to be a winner again and be in the winner’s circle is very pleasing, and I know that there’s been a lot of very hard work behind the scenes that a lot of people haven’t seen. But that’s just the competition part of the journey and trying to strive to get better. It’s nice to be able to get my 13th win.”
Day’s work with his coach over the past two or so years, Chris Como, has obviously been a key part of his rebound and he explained how the relationship works.
“When it comes to coaching, it’s not so much about — yeah, it is about the technical aspect and trying to get your game better, but it’s more about a supportive role, knowing that you are doing the correct things and being able to not only visually see the flights that you want and especially on video see the swing change dramatically over the last couple years, for him to be more than just a coach, to be a friend, be someone that can support me in a way that is on a deeper level.
“We’re growing together in regards to like stuff off the golf course. He goes through things just like I go through things.
“We were just talking about this, how golf has led me down a path of trying to better my life off the golf course, whether that’s through the mental stuff that I’m trying to do, the physical stuff that I’m trying to do. It’s funny because when you do go down that journey of trying to better yourself in that sense, once you start to unravel things, it’s like an onion. You start peeling back things and then more things come up and you’ve got to try and connect the dots.”
Day will move close to the top 20 in the world as a result of the win, and while the world ranking does not carry the same significance as was the case prior to LIV Golf, the progress he has made since being outside the top 160 less than a year ago has been stunning.
The victory comes on top of five top ten finishes in nine starts this year on the PGA Tour, a stat further highlighting the consistency that has been building especially over the last eight months or so.
The win and the accompanying US$1.7 million takes his career earnings on the PGA Tour to beyond US$56 million.
After narrowly missing the cut at the Wells Fargo event last week, the bounce back further confirms the amazing amount of work Day and coach, Chris Como, have done in getting his game back somewhere near the level it was when he won his first major (PGA Championship) in 2015 and became World Number One soon after.
Adam Scott also had his chances of a second win the event but despite a near flawless final round of 63 he would finish in a share of 8th place and now he and Day head to next week’s PGA Championship in the sort of form that might well see another major title heading down under, especially with Cameron Smith also a consideration.
Scott summed up Day’s recent progress just a few minutes before the victory was confirmed.
“Well, I think the point he’s at in his career, it’s really all he’s trying to do,” said Scott.”He’s obviously set out and really worked hard on his golf swing the last couple years, and he’s stayed incredibly patient, I think, and chipped away at it and got it to a place where he may not say he’s not satisfied, but it’s looking pretty good.
“The validation of sticking with it, I think, is something at this point that he’ll take a lot out of, and when you’re as talented as Jason, the sky’s the limit, once the confidence comes through winning like that.”
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Powerful finish earns Jason Day his 13th PGA Tour title
Jason Day – Getty Images / PGA Tour
Jason Day has today won his first tournament since the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship and his 13th PGA Tour title overall, emerging from a tense final round battle at the AT&T Byron Nelson in Dallas.
Day began the day two shots off a three-way tie for the 54 hole lead but after four birdies on the way to the turn he was locked in a six way share of the top spot and then edged clear of a very congested leaderboard with five birdies over the closing nine for a round of 62 and a one shot win over Si Woo Kim and Austin Eckroat.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” said Day. “I came into the week after missing last week’s cut, and I was kind of fed up with having to go over like a lot of technical thoughts with my swing. So I just decided I’m just going to go out and just try and play some golf.
“The first three days were great, and then I was really calm. I was saying earlier, I was really calm last night. I woke up, had a great sleep, and just things felt calm.
“For some reason, I just thought that I was going to win the tournament. It’s easy to say that now because I won it, but that’s just — for some reason I just had this sort of calmness about it. I had a really good warmup this morning and felt good.
“It’s weird because when you’re playing golf and you’re in the hunt or around the lead, sometimes there’s moments in your round that you think, oh, it’s kind of not my time.
“I really never had that thought at all this week, even in the last round. I was just kind of plodding along and got a couple early, which was nice, and just felt like you had to press, and funny enough, you have to shoot 9-under to try and win a tournament, which is kind of crazy because I do remember back in the day Charley Hoffman shot 9-under to beat me. It’s nice to be able to finally do that and win one.
“Today however I didn’t really think I about winning until I birdied the 14th and 15th as I knew there were so many guys in contention and so many opportunities remaining (for those behind).
For a range of reasons there was a lot of emotion attached to the victory. “I was in tears for a little bit there, and to think about what my mom went through from 2017 on to her passing last year and then to know that — it was very emotional to go through and to experience what she was going through, then I had injuries on top of all of that going on in my life.
“To be honest, I was very close to calling it quits. I never told my wife that, but I was okay with it, just because it was a very stressful part of my life.
“Ellie (wife), she never gave up on me trying to get back to the winner’s circle again. She just always was pushing me to try and get better.
“Yeah, I don’t know. It feels strange to be sitting here. I don’t know how else to explain it. To go through what I went through and then to be able to be a winner again and be in the winner’s circle is very pleasing, and I know that there’s been a lot of very hard work behind the scenes that a lot of people haven’t seen. But that’s just the competition part of the journey and trying to strive to get better. It’s nice to be able to get my 13th win.”
Day’s work with his coach over the past two or so years, Chris Como, has obviously been a key part of his rebound and he explained how the relationship works.
“When it comes to coaching, it’s not so much about — yeah, it is about the technical aspect and trying to get your game better, but it’s more about a supportive role, knowing that you are doing the correct things and being able to not only visually see the flights that you want and especially on video see the swing change dramatically over the last couple years, for him to be more than just a coach, to be a friend, be someone that can support me in a way that is on a deeper level.
“We’re growing together in regards to like stuff off the golf course. He goes through things just like I go through things.
“We were just talking about this, how golf has led me down a path of trying to better my life off the golf course, whether that’s through the mental stuff that I’m trying to do, the physical stuff that I’m trying to do. It’s funny because when you do go down that journey of trying to better yourself in that sense, once you start to unravel things, it’s like an onion. You start peeling back things and then more things come up and you’ve got to try and connect the dots.”
Day will move close to the top 20 in the world as a result of the win, and while the world ranking does not carry the same significance as was the case prior to LIV Golf, the progress he has made since being outside the top 160 less than a year ago has been stunning.
The victory comes on top of five top ten finishes in nine starts this year on the PGA Tour, a stat further highlighting the consistency that has been building especially over the last eight months or so.
The win and the accompanying US$1.7 million takes his career earnings on the PGA Tour to beyond US$56 million.
After narrowly missing the cut at the Wells Fargo event last week, the bounce back further confirms the amazing amount of work Day and coach, Chris Como, have done in getting his game back somewhere near the level it was when he won his first major (PGA Championship) in 2015 and became World Number One soon after.
Adam Scott also had his chances of a second win the event but despite a near flawless final round of 63 he would finish in a share of 8th place and now he and Day head to next week’s PGA Championship in the sort of form that might well see another major title heading down under, especially with Cameron Smith also a consideration.
Scott summed up Day’s recent progress just a few minutes before the victory was confirmed.
“Well, I think the point he’s at in his career, it’s really all he’s trying to do,” said Scott.”He’s obviously set out and really worked hard on his golf swing the last couple years, and he’s stayed incredibly patient, I think, and chipped away at it and got it to a place where he may not say he’s not satisfied, but it’s looking pretty good.
“The validation of sticking with it, I think, is something at this point that he’ll take a lot out of, and when you’re as talented as Jason, the sky’s the limit, once the confidence comes through winning like that.”
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Sarah Kemp leads LPGA event in New Jersey
Sarah Kemp – image Getty / LPGA
NSW golfer Sarah Kemp has seemingly built off her performance as one of the Australian team which finished runner-up at the International Crown team last week, to share the lead at the halfway mark of the LPGA’s Cognizant Founders Cup in Clifton, New Jersey.
Kemp, who has yet to win on the LPGA Tour and whose best finish to date on that was when runner-up at the 2019 Vic Open, might well have held the outright lead but for a bogey at the 16th hole but her round of 65 has she and former world number one Jin Young Ko ahead by one over Minjee Lee, Aditi Ashok and Hae Ran Ryu.
Kemp’s best finish in an LPGA Tour event in the US was when 4th at the Pure Silk Championship two years ago but she has been playing much better of late.
“I’m sure I’ll go to bed and think about it naturally, and I think I’ll be pretty excited for tomorrow,” said Kemp. “Maybe try and calm my excitement down. Being co-leader going into Saturday at an LPGA event is pretty cool, right?
“So if I can just play it down a little bit and just manage my excitement. Although that’s a really good thing and I think there would be something wrong if I wasn’t excited, but I think I can get a little bit too hyped.”
Kemp was asked if she allows herself to wonder if this or any week could be the week for the breakthrough.
“Yeah, I think about it every week. You know, is this going to be the week. But it’s such a small percent that you win, right? Everyone’s win percentage is real small.
“So, I think if I can just keep doing what I’m doing right now, maybe I’ll get close soon.”
The defending champion, Minjee Lee, would also bogey the 16th to cost herself a share of the lead but she is happy to have started the way she has after a relatively light schedule to date in 2023.
“I actually haven’t really been thinking too much about the defending champion bit, but I mean, I just wanted to have two good rounds to start the week, and I’m in a good position for the weekend. I’m just going to stick to my game plan, hit good drives, hit good shots into the greens, and hit good putts. That’s all that I can control.
“It’s definitely a ball striker’s golf course, so obviously fairways, greens, and the greens are getting a little firmer now, so a two-putt is good and one-putt is a bonus right now. Yeah, I just feel like I was pretty solid all day.
“I think I was rushing a little bit because we were on the clock the last couple of holes, but other than that, I feel pretty good.”
Karis Davidson and Grace Kim are the next best of the Australians, the pair in a share of 22nd place and five shots from the lead, New Zealand’s Lydia Ko 38th but for recent winner, Hannah Green, it was a missed cut.
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Australians begin well in Dallas
Adam Scott – a near faultless display – file photo Australian Golf Media
Australian golfers are well positioned after the opening day of the AT&T Byron Nelson event at the TPC Craig Ranch in Dallas.
Adam Scott is tied for second place and three shots from the lead held by Korea’s S.Y. Noh, Jason Day is another shot back in a share of 4th and PGA Tour debutante, David Micheluzzi is in a share of 10th and just two shots from those in second place.
The event or its equivalent has been good to Australians over the years with Bruce Devlin, Adam Scott, Jason Day and Steve Bowditch having won previously and this week could well see another in line for victory.
Not all of the events have been played at this venue with Craig Ranch only playing host for the last three years.
Scott played early on day one and continued on from where he left off at last week’s event at Quail Hollow with fine opening round including an outward nine of 30 and even though he failed to get up and down at the 15th and took bogey, he birdied his final two holes to finish three back of Noh who was round in 60 to lead by three.
“Yeah, all really good solid stuff, especially off the tee, “ said Scott. ”It’s probably the best I’ve driven it in forever. That was a nice way to start every hole.
“I took advantage of that nicely, certainly out of the gates on some of the long par-4s, birdieing three of the first four holes on that side is a nice way to start. Was happy to keep it going all the way around.
“The game was feeling really good there last week, and getting a result is always good for the confidence, too. Coming here on a course that’s going to throw a lot of birdies out there, getting in that attack mindset was key, and take advantage of the good swings.”
Day whose first PGA Tour victory came in this event in 2010, began slowly with seven straight pars before he birdied seven of the last eleven holes to finish with 64.
“A lot of patience in the first seven holes,” said Day. “It’s kind of hard to be patient sometimes when you’re watching your playing partner shoot 6-under through 6, playing some pretty top-notch golf. It was interesting and sometimes you’ve just got to admire it. He’s been an impressive player since he’s got on TOUR, so it’s nice to be able to watch that.
“But it was good to get kind of a 4-under run in the middle part of my round. I think maybe 20-under or so will win this, so you’re thinking at least five a day would be good, and it was nice to get a couple more than that.
“I feel like I’ve just kind of learnt to just take it day by day, but obviously it would be great to have four more days like this. I know that I’m heading into a major next week, and it would be nice to carry some good momentum into the PGA, especially coming off a missed cut at Charlotte.”
David Micheluzzi – file photo Australian Golf Media
While the performance of Scott and Day was impressive perhaps even more so was the debut round of the PGA Tour of Victorian David Micheluzzi who is playing the event on invite.
Micheluzzi was 1 over par through seven holes before five birdies and an eagle saw him finish with 65 and a share of 10th place.
“Through seven holes it was not looking great,” said Micheluzzi. “But had a couple birdies, 17, 18, then holed a long putt on 2 and then holed a pitching wedge from 123 meters out, so that kind of all of a sudden I was 4-under when I was 1-over through 7 I think it was.
“Then just played solid on the way in. Like I made par on 9 just from a pretty bad drive, but I’m stoked. Anything under par I would have been happy, but 6-under is delightful.”
Micheluzzi was also asked if there were any first hole nerves given it was his first competitive round on the PGA Tour.
“Funny, on the tee it was fine, and then I got on the green and then it kind of kicked in a little bit. Kind of was a little bit nervy on some putts. I missed a few early and then got the feel for the greens and then yeah, just took off.”
When asked what he would takeaway from his first exposure to the PGA Tour, Micheluzzi added; “Yeah, it’s probably something I’ll never forget, and just the run I went on, as well, which I have been doing that of late in tournaments back home and then one in Korea, as well, where once I got running, like nothing could stop me, which was cool. But just got to work out all the little things like the little missed putts here and there. But yeah, I’m just excited.”
Greg Chalmers, Harrison Endycott, Cameron Percy and Min Woo Lee are the next best placed at 2 under and in 65th place in the low scoring event.
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David Micheluzzi’s career takes a big step forward
David Micheluzzi – file photo Golf NSW
26-year-old David Micheluzzi has made some significant career progress over the past twelve months and over the next few weeks he gets the chance to take things to an even greater level with a debut on the PGA Tour and his first start in major golf.
This week he has an invite to play the AT&T Byron Nelson event in Dallas followed by next week’s PGA Championship and, in early June, the Memorial.
All this comes on top of his being crowned the winner of the PGA Tour of Australasia which not only earns him a start at the Open Championship in July, but a DP World Tour card for the 2023/2024 season.
In a media conference today ahead of the AT&T, Micheluzzi outlined his immediate schedule and his excitement for what lies ahead.
“Yeah, first PGA TOUR event, which is very cool. Yeah, just fortunate enough that they gave me an invite. My manager Ben did such a good job, and I’ve also got Memorial coming up with a couple weeks’ time, and just found out I’m in the PGA next week, so first PGA TOUR event, first major in consecutive weeks. There’s a lot going on, but really looking forward to the next few weeks.”
A couple of weeks ago Micheluzzi’s schedule on this trip to the US for the Memorial and US Open qualifying was looking limited but things have fallen into place to ensure a busy few months.
“I’m pretty sure back in the past, the Order of Merit winners usually get Memorial, so that was always kind of on the cards. Then the Byron Nelson was just a — it was just very fortunate enough to get it instead of just coming out just for one, maybe potentially two, because I’m doing a U.S. Open pre-Q, as well. Now I can actually make a trip out of it, and now I’m definitely going to make a trip out of it, which is really cool.
“I think I was in a pretty fortunate boat where I’ve been with my manager just before I turned pro, and he’s based in the States. He works with Sport Five, who managed Jon Rahm and Tom Kim and all these boys.
“I think having the success, he can now say, look, he’s done this over here. Let’s get him some starts. Where I think if I didn’t have a manager, I don’t know of this would be happening. I think I’d just potentially playing a PGA and potentially playing an Open, and that’s it.”
Melbourne’s Micheluzzi is aware that he will face a very different playing environment than he has been used to of late but is happy with his form and is looking forward to the challenge of playing different style of golf to that he has faced of late.
“Yeah, I think my game is feeling great. It’s felt pretty much very similar to how I was playing in Australia a few months back. Courses are very different to back home. It’s all carry and softer greens and all that kind of stuff. But I’m just looking forward to competing with these guys and seeing how I go, really.”
Micheluzzi is also looking forward to the chance to play practice rounds with some of the more established Australians on the PGA Tour.
“Yeah, now it’s like — yeah, next week is going to be very cool. Oak Hill is iconic. It’s such a great golf course. Hopefully we can tee up a couple games with — I’m not too sure, but hopefully a couple Aussie boys.
“I played with Min Woo today. It’s been a while. We played amateur golf together, and it was good to kind of just — really cool. We played amateur golf together, we played Interstate Series together, we played Eisenhowers together, now we’re playing on the same event on the PGA TOUR and next week playing the same event in a PGA Championship. That was a real cool moment.”
Next week’s debut in a major is shaping as one of the biggest moments in his golfing career to date.
“I was speaking to Min Woo yesterday. He said majors are just crazy if you have a lot of people around, and to be honest, I want to treat my first major as — obviously I want it to be special, I want to have a lot of family members and all that around, but at the end of the day it’s a golf tournament, and I feel like I do well when there’s not many people around, like around me, like off course and all that.
“I just want to go in, just me and my caddie, my manager, and just go straight ahead and just play like it’s another tournament, like I say, like the National PGA. Just go out and just cruise.
“I don’t know if my parents are going to surprise me and fly over. I’d highly doubt it because they’ve got a massive trip in Europe later in the year, so I don’t think they’ll be coming. But if they do, it would be pretty cool, but yeah, I just want to keep it as low key as possible and just focus on the golf, and that’s it.”
Micheluzzi will be joined in this week’s field at the TPC Craig Ranch in Dallas by fellow Australians Adam Scott, Jason Day, Aaron Baddeley, Min Woo Lee, Geoff Ogilvy, Greg Chalmers, Cameron Percy and Harrison Endycott.
TEE TIMES AT&T BYRON NELSON
Australians make International Crown Final but lose to Thailand
Stephanie Kyriacou – one of the stars of the week for the Australians image Getty / LPGA
The Australian team of Minjee Lee, Hannah Green, Stephanie Kyriacou and Sarah Kemp have been soundly beaten in the final of the Hanwha Life Plus International Crown teams event at the TPC Harding Park near San Francisco but that they made the final was an achievement in itself.
The Australians graduated from the round robin stage to the semis where they faced the top qualifiers in the alternate group Sweden in Sunday morning’s match-up.
They emerged as the winners and faced the Thailand team of Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn, Patty Tanatavakit and Atthaya Thitikul but it was pretty much one way traffic in the final, with the Thais wining the two singles and one foursome match.
The Australians clean swept the Swedes in the morning before the final but against the Thais it was a different story with Hannah Green and Stephanie Kyriacou losing their singles matches and Sarah Kemp and Minjee Lee losing the one and only foursome match.
Kyriacou was up early in her singles match but was eventually overpowered by Atthaya Thitikul.
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Gabi Ruffels wins second event of Epson Tour season
Gabi Ruffels – file photo Montana Pritchard PGA of America
US based Victorian, Gabriela Ruffels, has won her second Epson Tour victory of the 2023 season and leads the Race for the Card in which the leading ten players at season’s end will secure LPGA playing rights next season.
Ruffels win in the Garden City Charity Classic in Garden City, Kansas, was set up with an opening round of 62 on Friday followed by a round of 64 on Saturday to open up an eight shot 36 hole lead in the 54 hole event and while the joint runner-up Isabella Fierro produced a nine shot swing with a last round of 62 herself, Ruffels had done enough to win by four.
23 year old Ruffels, a winner and runner-up in the US Amateur Championship during her collegiate career at UCLA, has played well in several majors but has been unable to get her LPGA Tour card to date.
Ruffels finished 15th on the Epson Tour money list last year but appears well and truly assured of advancing to the higher level next year.
Queensland’s Robyn Choi was 21st, Cassie Porter 29th and New Zealand’s Amelia Garvey 35th.
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Lachlan Barker claims first Australasian Tour title in PNG
Lachlan Barker – image Australian Golf Media
Until today, South Australian, Lachlan Barker, had a best career finish of 4th in a PGA Tour of Australasia event but at the Royal Port Moresby Golf Club in Papua New Guinea, the 24 year old won the the Papua New Guinea Open, the first event of the new season, following a final round of 67 which included a stunning outward nine of 7 under par 30.
Beginning the final round one shot behind the leader, Queenslander Chris Wood, Barker, was in front by the 4th and the further they went the further he went ahead. He would win by four shots over Victorian Jack Murdoch.
Murdoch birdied the final four holes after dropping three shots in two holes early on the back nine, a double bogey at the 13th threatening to see him out of contention for a top three finish but he rallied for a round of 67.
Murdoch snatched second place, his best finish in a PGA Tour of Australasia event but he now does own an Asian Tour card where he will spend much of this year.
Wood eventually shared third with Michael Wright and Blake Proverbs.
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Australians reach semi-finals at International Crown
The Australian team in San Francisco – photo Getty / LPGA
Despite being beaten by the Thai team in today’s third round of round-robin matches, the Australian team of Minjee Lee, Hannah Green, Stephanie Kyriacou and Sarah Kemp has advanced to the semi-finals of the Hanwha Plus International Crown teams event at TPC Harding Park outside of San Francisco.
Today, Lee and Kyriacou lost to Patty Tavatanakit and Atthaya Thitikul by a narrow one hole margin after Kyriacou had put the pair 1 up with an eagle at the 3rd but by the 12th the Thais had seemingly taken control of the match and led 3 up.
Kyriacou would birdie the 14th and 15th to reduce the margin to just one but although Kyriacou would also birdie the 17th and 18th those efforts were matched by the Thais and they lost at the last.
Green and Kemp also took an early lead in their match against the Jutanugarn sisters, Ariya and Moriya, but the Thais took control through the middle of the round and went on to win 3&2.
That left Australia as the runners up behind Thailand in their group having beaten both Korea and Japan in earlier matches.
In tomorrow’s semi final the Australians will face Sweden (Anna Nordqvist, Caroline Hedwall, Madelene Sagstrom and Maja Stark) who topped their group, while Thailand will face the US side.
The format over the group rounds has consisted of fourball match-ups but in tomorrow’s semis and final the play switches to one foursome and two singles matches.
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Adam Scott just one from pace at Wells Fargo Championship
Adam Scott – file image Australian Golf Media
Adam Scott, chasing a first top ten in seven starts this year, finds himself just one off the halfway lead at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, the lead held by Tyrrell Hatton, Nate Ashley and Wyndham Clark on what is a very congested leaderboard, just one shot separating nine players.
Scott’s round of 68 on the demanding layout saw him recover from an early bogey and edge towards the lead with three birdies.
With this event being one of the newly introduced designated events Scott was asked his thoughts.
“I think it’s great,” said Scott. “Each week we’ve had exciting golf tournaments coming down the finish with a host of top players and also some guys that are not necessarily household names challenging the top players
“I think they have been exciting events, stacked fields. I certainly have had the sense in the players’ lounge or the locker room it’s like major championship golf. You look around and every big name is here. I think it’s been fantastic so far.”
PGA Tour rookie, Harrison Endycott from Sydney, produced one of the best rounds of the day (66) to recover from an opening round of 74 to be tied for 38th at 2 under and six shots from the pace.
Cameron Davis was the only other Australian to make the weekend, the Sydney golfer at 1 under.
Jason Day appeared safely inside the cutline of 1 under late in his round but he found water at the 17th and took double bogey and was unable to birdie the last and missed by one.
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Chris Wood leads in Papua New Guinea
Photo Chris Wood – image Australian Golf Media
Queensland’s Chris Wood leads the opening event of the 2023/2024 PGA Tour of Australasia season, the 32 year old’s second round of 66 at the PNG Open in Port Moresby leaving him two clear of South Australian Lachlan Barker.
Two months ago, Wood also led the New Zealand Open through 36 holes before finishing 6th against a significantly stronger field than he faces this week and so he is well placed to possibly win his second PGA Tour of Australasia event to go with the 2021 Vic PGA Championship.
Yet another client of the Sunshine Coast based coach, Grant Field, Wood has produced 13 birdies in his opening 36 holes and having played this event well previously he enters the weekend with confidence.
“Played well today,” Wood told the PGA Tour of Australasia media. “I hit it better than yesterday, especially off the tee, gave myself more chances from the fairway. The putter remained pretty good,”
“The greens are obviously a bit tricky, you’ve just got to accept that you’re going to miss some short ones and hit a lot of good putts and they’re not going to go in as well.”
24 year old Barker has produced just one top ten in PGA Tour of Australasia events, that coming when 4th at the QLD PGA last year but he has been impressive over the Port Moresby Golf Club layout and now has the chance to improve on his previous best finish.
“Little bit of a different round to yesterday, didn’t quite have it with my long game. But I holed a few very crucial putts towards the end of my round,” Barker said. “Forward progress, that’s what I look at, another round in red figures.
“I know a low one is out there. Nearly had a really low one yesterday, so excited about that, the prospect of going low on the weekend.”
The defending champion, Peter Cooke, from South Australia was disqualified after consecutive rounds of 70 had him well enough placed although the actual reason for his DQ is unknown.
SCORES