Jason Day – file photo
Jason Day has recorded just two top tens on the PGA Tour in the last twelve months but in his first event of 2023 he has himself nicely positioned at the American Express Championship.
The 35 year old is in a five way share of 3rd place and although five shots from the rookie leader, David Thompson, his improvement is most encouraging.
Day is playing this three course event for just the second occasion in his 15 year PGA Tour career but a second round of 64 over the more demanding Stadium Course layout in Palm Springs saw him improve 24 places to his share of 3rd and although he has yet to play the La Quinta Country Club before the 54 hole cut is made tomorrow, his game appears in fine enough shape to challenge on Sunday.
“It’s nice to be able to get that course out of the way,” said Day referring to the fact that the Stadium Course is typically the most difficult of the three layouts used in the opening 54 holes.
“Got La Quinta tomorrow. So typically, that yields more birdies than these two courses over here. So, but like everyone’s saying, you can’t get ahead of yourself too. Because if you start thinking about it too much you can definitely go out there and just have an average day. So I got to try and stay as focused as possible and just take it as it comes.
“I feel good. I’ve been feeling great actually for a good long while now. So just been kind of seeing myself healthier. I feel like I’m doing the right things. Not only on the golf course, but off the golf course as well. That’s kind of yielded into, I feel like, a better motion at it out here on the golf course.
“Still some of the stuff, the old stuff is in there still, but I kind of got to work through that slowly. Because if I try and press too hard on some of the swing changes the body doesn’t really adapt that quick and can potentially hurt certain areas of your body. But overall this past year to, six months to a year it’s been really, really good for me. So I feel pretty good.”
Day was asked why he decided to play this week when this has not typically been on his schedule.
“Typically in the past I would, if I’m not in Hawaii I would go straight to Torrey. And, I mean, I felt like I was playing like a U.S. Open times a thousand when you go from doing nothing for a month to two months and you go straight to Torrey and you’re playing.
“This way I can come to a tournament like this where typically the conditions are like this and you can kind of see where the game’s at then adjust accordingly going into next week.”
The leader, 23 year old Thompson, is playing his first season on the PGA Tour after graduating via the Korn Ferry Tour last year and will take a two shot lead over Jon Rahm into the final 36 holes.
He has already produced a couple of good finishes in his first few events and joined a select group of golfers to have recorded five eagles in 36 holes in a PGA Tour event.
“I think it has to do a lot with last year,” said Thompson referring to his apparent comfort zone at this level. “Playing on the Korn Ferry Tour and also just playing on some sponsor exemptions out here right when I turned pro. I’m still a rookie, still learning these golf courses, but there is a comfort level to kind of know what to expect at every tournament.
“Watching this tournament for a couple years now I always see the winning score being so low. So, you kind of really don’t have a choice, you just got to keep hitting greens and giving yourself looks and trying to make the putts. I was just fortunate enough to make a lot of putts these first two days. But, yeah, it is easy to stall out, but at the same time, if you just stay present minded and focus on one shot at a time you’ll give yourself a lot of opportunities.”
New Zealand’s Danny Lee is tied for 21st at 9 under and four behind Day, while Harrison Endycott is 34th.
Aaron Baddeley and Cameron Davis are further back and have a task if they are to make the 54 hole cut tomorrow.
SCORES
Encouragement continues for Jason Day
A venue where Day has enjoyed considerable success
He might have bogeyed his final hole on each of the opening two days of the Farmers Insurance Open, but Jason Day has continued his recent and encouraging improvement, finding himself in a share of 10th place and although seven shots from the lead of Sam Ryder he is just four shots out of second place as the event enters the weekend at Torrey Pines.
Day played the more demanding of the two layouts at Torrey Pines (The South Course) on day two and in more difficult conditions than those he faced when on the North Course on day one.
Making the turn at 1 over for the day the 35 year old birdied three holes on his way home before finding the water at the par 5 18th and dropping a shot to record a round of 71.
Day has a remarkable record at Torrey Pines with two victories, a runner-up finish and once 3rd in his previous starts in the event and coupled with his success in a Junior World Championship at the venue, then the his liking for the clifftop layouts outside of San Diego is understandable.
Day has improved his world ranking from outside the top 160 in mid-2022 to now 104th in the world which highlights his recent improvement since building a swing to accommodate the ongoing injury issues he has experienced in his career and, while still a long way from his former number one position, there is a lot to like about the way his game is progressing.
Day was the only Australasian to make the cut with Aaron Baddeley, Danny Lee, Cameron Percy, Harrison Endycott and Cam Davis missing out on the chance to play the final 36 holes.
The leader, Ryder, is ahead by three over Brendan Steele, the 33 year old producing a form turnaround to some extent given he has missed three of his last four cuts and is currently 283rd in the world ranking.
Ryder has yet to win on the PGA Tour so this weeks offers an opportunity to do just that.
“Yeah, it feels great,” said Ryder. “The thing I’ve been kind of telling myself is to just try and embrace it. It’s not a position that I’ve been in a lot, you know, so just trying to enjoy it. It’s kind of why we play, so just trying to look around and enjoy the moment.”
Australasian Tour’s 2023 schedule begins on Mornington Peninsula
Todd Sinnott with the 2022 trophy – photo Australian Golf Media
The PGA Tour of Australasia gets its 2023 schedule underway when the TPS Victoria hosted by Geoff Ogilvy gets underway at the Rosebud Country Club’s Composite Course on the Mornington Peninsula.
The event brings together both men and women competing for the same purse and in the same field.
Victorian Todd Sinnott defends what was his first title in five years and just his second in professional golf when defeating Anthony Quayle and Daniel Gale by just one shot this time last year, overcoming a history of injury and illness to display some of the talent he had displayed as ana amateur.
The rest of 2023 wasn’t so productive but a return to a venue which provided such emotional reward for him might just be the spark the long hitter needs.
The event is the first of nine PGA Tour of Australasia events between now and the end of March, highlighted by the New Zealand Open in early March which carries a significantly higher purse then the others. The introduction of events such as that of this week’s does however provide Australasian golfers in particular the chance to compete before taking their games to the world.
The women were led by Wales’ Lydia Hall in 2022 but with Hall not entered this year, the focus will be on arguably Australia’s greatest ever player, Karrie Webb, LPGA Tour golfers, Stephanie Kyriacou and Sarah Jane Smith and last week’s winner on the WAPGA Tour Cassie Porter.
Last year’s leading woman Lydia Hall – not in this week’s field – photo Australian Golf Media
NSW Amateur Fields Decided
Chris Fan – photo David Tease Golf NSW
The match play fields for both the Men’s and Women’s NSW Amateur Championships have been decided following the completion of 36 holes of strokeplay at the Ryde Parramatta and Pennant Hills Golf Clubs in Sydney.
32 men and 16 women will get their head to head match play encounters underway tomorrow, both fields decided following a playoff to decide the last few places in the knockout phase.
The Avondale Golf Club’s Chris Fan emerged the winner of the NSW Medal after Queensland’s Lincoln Morgan was forced to concede at the first extra hole.
Morgan, the brother of 2021 Australian Amateur Champion and 2022 Australian PGA Champion, Jed, overcame a three shot deficit heading into the final day with a round of 68 but was unable to finish things off in the playoff.
In a ten man playoff for the one final place in the 32 man match play field, it was New South Wales Golf Club’s, Jye Halls, who secured his place with a 3 at the first extra hole.
NSW Medal Results
Amongst the women competing for the NSW Women’s Strokeplay Championship the Gold Coast golfer Haruhi Nakatani ran out a comfortable winner over Belinda Ji of the Concord Golf Club.
Nakatani shared the lead after day one but was one of only two players to break 70 in the women’s field on day two, allowing her to claim a three shot victory.
In a three way playoff for the two remaining places in the NSW Women’s Amateur field it would be Michelle Bang and Charlotte Perkins who survived a three women playoff for two spots with Matilda Miels losing out.
NSW Women’s Strokeplay Results
Min Woo Lee now has Augusta National in sights
Min Woo Lee – file photo
Min Woo Lee has fallen just one short of a third DP World Tour victory when finishing one shot behind the winner, Victor Perez of France, at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in Abu Dhabi overnight.
Lee, who shared the 54 hole lead into the final round at the Yas Links Abu Dhabi, recovered from a slow start to his final round with five birdies in eight holes through the middle of his round but a bogey at the 17th was made even worse as it came just ten minutes after Perez had holed a bunker shot for birdie at the same hole to take a two shot lead to the final hole.
Perez would bogey the last but with Lee and Perez’s playing partner and joint runner-up finisher, Sebastian Soderberg, unable to eagle (Lee) or birdie (Soderberg) the last, they fell one short.
The finish will however move Lee just inside the top 50 in the world and open up the opportunity, should he stay there, to play The Masters Augusta in early April.
The leading 50 players in the world in the week prior to the Masters and not otherwise exempt earn the right to play at Augusta National.
Lee finished 16th on debut at the Masters in 2022, just outside those automatically invited back.
Lee’s fellow West Australian, Jason Scrivener, also recorded a fine finish when he played the final nine in 32 today to finish tied for 7th, which along with his runner-up finish at the Australian PGA Championship leaves him in 5th place in the current DP World Tour rankings.
New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier finished 46th and Ryan Fox 65th after Fox had worked his way into contention with a second round of 66.
The winner, Perez, it was his third DP World Tour victory.
“It feels fantastic,” said Perez. “I thought you always need a bit of fortune and there’s always the deciding shots coming down the stretch that can make or break. To hole that bunker shot on 17 is probably going to be a highlight for a little bit I hope. I’m not expecting the guys not to do incredible shots but yeah, I was delighted with that, and six was enough on 18.
“I was actually able to have a nice break. I decided not to play in December to focus on the season ahead with all the objectives that are coming up with the ten cards for the PGA TOUR. There is the Ryder Cup; there is so much going on.
“Last week was a nice glimpse of where my game was at but again, it’s match play. You have a partner that’s going to help you out. Guido (Migliozzi) bailed me out many of times last week where it made me look good and all of a sudden you’re playing your own.
“To come out and put it together for 72 holes on a tough golf course with the wind, having played only one round with cool weather on Friday morning, yeah, I was delighted with the victory.”
SCORES
Six Australasians earn Asian Tour status
Jack Thompson – file photo
Six of the 25 Australasians who teed it up on Wednesday in the 90-hole Final Stage of Qualifying for this year’s Asian Tour have gained one of the cards which went to the leading 35 players and ties at the completion of 90 holes at the Lake View Resort and Golf Club, in Hua Hin, Thailand.
South Australian Jack Thompson did best when he led the qualifiers with a total of 22 under par to win by two over China’s Zhengkai Bai and Sydney’s John Lyras.
“This is great, I guess it hasn’t really sunk in yet,” said Thompson who had only just gained a start at the Final Stage by earning one of the last places at Stage One. “It has been a long week, I have been here for a fair few days now, it’s a relief and it’s just nice to win. There is always concern coming into an event if you can do it or not.
“I hadn’t really had the best prep coming in. I had hurt my wrist playing a shot in the Vic PGA last year so I could only hit a bucket of balls in three weeks. It slowly got better and better. Swinging the first qualifier I had no idea, then the next round I worked it out and it carried on from there. I am just super stoked.”
New Zealand’s Nick Voke needed something special in today’s final round to make it through and he was able to do just that with a round of 64 to finish 13th along with Queensland’s Douglas Klein.
Gold Coast’s Jack Murdoch finished 27th while Victorian Thomas Power Horan just managed to scrape through after earning one of the two remaining spots available after a nine man playoff.
The news was not so good for Dimi Papdatos, Queensland’s Aaron Wilkin and New Zealand’s Denzel Ieremia who agonisingly missed one of the last cards by just one shot.
A total of 77 players survived the 72 hole cut yesterday and set out today to gain one of the 35 Tour Cards on offer for the 2023 season, which features 11 events in the first 14 weeks, starting with next month’s star-studded US$5 million Saudi International Powered by SoftBank Investments Advisers.
SCORES
Steve Alker picks up where he left off in 2022
Steve Alker – file photo PGA of America Montana Pritchard
If there was any concern about Steve Alker’s stunning 2022 PGA Tour Champions season being an aberration, then his powerful finish to the opening event of 2023 has put an end to any such thoughts.
The New Zealander has finished with a final round of 63 at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hualalai in Hawaii and will finish in a four way share of the runner-up position which, after a slow start to the event on Friday and a stuttering finish to his second round on Saturday, was a reminder of the domination he prevailed over on the PGA Tour Champions last year.
Alker stormed home in 30 including five birdies in his last six holes today to improve from 12th overnight to yet another top three finish and he begins the season with a cheque for US$137,000.
Alker will play the New Zealand Open in Queenstown in early March where many will be keen to see how this long time journeyman but now hugely successful over-fifty phenom will compete against a field of younger Australasian Tour players at the Millbrook Resort but if his consistently good form is anything to go by then he could well challenge for his first New Zealand Open title, after being runner-up on two occasions in earlier years.
The event was won by Steve Stricker who was on 59 watch for much of his second round in the 54 hole event before recording a round of 60 on Saturday and then finishing with a round of 65 today to win by five shots.
Rod Pampling was the only other Australasian in the field and finished tied for 29th.
SCORES
Jason Day begins 2023 well in La Quinta
Jason Day – file photo
Jason Day has recorded just two top tens on the PGA Tour in the last twelve months but in his first event of 2023 he has himself nicely positioned at the American Express Championship.
The 35 year old is in a five way share of 3rd place and although five shots from the rookie leader, David Thompson, his improvement is most encouraging.
Day is playing this three course event for just the second occasion in his 15 year PGA Tour career but a second round of 64 over the more demanding Stadium Course layout in Palm Springs saw him improve 24 places to his share of 3rd and although he has yet to play the La Quinta Country Club before the 54 hole cut is made tomorrow, his game appears in fine enough shape to challenge on Sunday.
“It’s nice to be able to get that course out of the way,” said Day referring to the fact that the Stadium Course is typically the most difficult of the three layouts used in the opening 54 holes.
“Got La Quinta tomorrow. So typically, that yields more birdies than these two courses over here. So, but like everyone’s saying, you can’t get ahead of yourself too. Because if you start thinking about it too much you can definitely go out there and just have an average day. So I got to try and stay as focused as possible and just take it as it comes.
“I feel good. I’ve been feeling great actually for a good long while now. So just been kind of seeing myself healthier. I feel like I’m doing the right things. Not only on the golf course, but off the golf course as well. That’s kind of yielded into, I feel like, a better motion at it out here on the golf course.
“Still some of the stuff, the old stuff is in there still, but I kind of got to work through that slowly. Because if I try and press too hard on some of the swing changes the body doesn’t really adapt that quick and can potentially hurt certain areas of your body. But overall this past year to, six months to a year it’s been really, really good for me. So I feel pretty good.”
Day was asked why he decided to play this week when this has not typically been on his schedule.
“Typically in the past I would, if I’m not in Hawaii I would go straight to Torrey. And, I mean, I felt like I was playing like a U.S. Open times a thousand when you go from doing nothing for a month to two months and you go straight to Torrey and you’re playing.
“This way I can come to a tournament like this where typically the conditions are like this and you can kind of see where the game’s at then adjust accordingly going into next week.”
The leader, 23 year old Thompson, is playing his first season on the PGA Tour after graduating via the Korn Ferry Tour last year and will take a two shot lead over Jon Rahm into the final 36 holes.
He has already produced a couple of good finishes in his first few events and joined a select group of golfers to have recorded five eagles in 36 holes in a PGA Tour event.
“I think it has to do a lot with last year,” said Thompson referring to his apparent comfort zone at this level. “Playing on the Korn Ferry Tour and also just playing on some sponsor exemptions out here right when I turned pro. I’m still a rookie, still learning these golf courses, but there is a comfort level to kind of know what to expect at every tournament.
“Watching this tournament for a couple years now I always see the winning score being so low. So, you kind of really don’t have a choice, you just got to keep hitting greens and giving yourself looks and trying to make the putts. I was just fortunate enough to make a lot of putts these first two days. But, yeah, it is easy to stall out, but at the same time, if you just stay present minded and focus on one shot at a time you’ll give yourself a lot of opportunities.”
New Zealand’s Danny Lee is tied for 21st at 9 under and four behind Day, while Harrison Endycott is 34th.
Aaron Baddeley and Cameron Davis are further back and have a task if they are to make the 54 hole cut tomorrow.
SCORES
Jason Scrivener contending again in Abu Dhabi
Jason Scrivener – file photo PGA of Australia
Perth’s Jason Scrivener, a runner-up in this same event in 2021, finds himself in a share of 3rd place and just one off the lead at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship as the event enters the weekend at the Yas Links Abu Dhabi.
Just a handful of golfers are yet to complete their rounds as a result of darkness setting in but it will not affect the standing of Scrivener.
The 33 year old added a second round of 70 to go with his opening 65 and he trails only Guido Miggliozi and Francesco Molinari.
Two years ago Scrivener finished four shots behind Tyrell Hatton but one ahead of Rory McIlroy in the event, so this golf course certainly suits the eye of the South African born but Perth raised golfer.
Scrivener has yet to win on the DP World Tour but his runner-up finish here and another runner-up finish nearly two months ago behind Cameron Smith at the Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane suggests that breakthrough win is not far away.
He was not all that fussed with his play today but is certainly happy with the position in which he finds himself.
“Not my best stuff today but ground it out for a good score in the end,” said Scrivener. “Looking forward to the weekend. This is what we play for, really, to be in this position and have a chance to win a golf tournament.”
Ryan Fox overcame a slow start on day one with a fine second round of 66 to be just three from the lead as he looks to pick up where he left off in what was such a brilliant season for him in 2022 when he finished behind only Rory McIlroy in the DP World Tour standings.
“Yeah, I think it was a bit of rust,” said Fox referring to his slow start on day one. “I played a fair bit of golf in the lead up to this, but there’s something about tournament golf that’s a little different. I think I was actually doing pretty well to be doing 2-over through seven (yesterday), the couple of shots I hit.
“Made a couple of all world pars yesterday, and I didn’t think I would be talking to you after two rounds, being in contention. It was really nice out there today. Hit a couple of scruffy shots but definitely felt a lot better.
“I just feel like I’m a much better golfer than I was at the sort of start of last year and have got a fair bit more confidence in my game. I know that there’s not as many weaknesses as there was a few years ago. Like yesterday, I hit it awful but I could rely on my short game and my putter, and I couldn’t have done that in the past. It’s nice to see everything turning in the right direction like that.”
Fox shares 9th place with, amongst others, Perth’s Min Woo Lee.
New Zealand’s DP World Tour rookie this season, Daniel Hillier, has comfortably made the cut at 4 under and in 34th place and so all four Australasians in the field have made it through to the weekend in the US9 million event.
SCORES
Four Australasians in Abu Dhabi field
Ryan Fox – file photo PGA of Australia
The DP World Tour begins its regular season events for 2023 in Abu Dhabi this week with the staging of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at the Yas Links Abu Dhabi.
Four Australasians take their place in the field headed by the current world # 28 Ryan Fox who has struggled in this event previously although it was just a few weeks after this event last year that his meteoric run to the number two position on the 2022 DP World Tour began.
With two wins and three runner-up finishes in 2022, Fox reached an all time high of 23rd in the world ranking before finishing the year in 28th place and he begins what promises to be a year of opportunity for the 35 year old who turns 36 this weekend.
As a result of his ranking Fox will get to play several more events in the US in 2023 including the Arnold Palmer Championship and the Masters.
Fox has a best of 19th in six starts in this week’s event so it has not been all that good to him but with the confidence he has built courtesy of such a great past twelve months it will be interesting to see how he performs this week.
Fox will be joined in the field by fellow New Zealander Daniel Hillier who gets to play his third European Tour event as a cardholder, having gained his card via the Challenge Tour in 2022 and played the Australian PGA and Open Championships in November/December.
Perth golfers Min Woo Lee and Jason Scrivener are also in the field.
Lee has missed the cut in two of his previous three appearances in Abu Dhabi and been 35th in the other while Scrivener produced his equal best ever finish on the DP World Tour when runner-up in this event behind Tyrrell Hatton two years ago.
The event carries prizemoney of US$9 million.
Tee Times
Large line-up of Australasians chasing sought after Asian Tour card
Dimi Padatos – the highest ranked Australasian at the Final Stage – photo PGA of Australia
The final stage of qualifying for the 2023 Asian Tour begins this Wednesday and with the Asian Tour’s schedule now providing larger purses than ever before and both direct and indirect links to LIV Golf, a massive total of 25 Australasian are tackling the 90 hole examination in search of one of the 35 Asian Tour cards up for grabs.
The event will take place at the Lakeview Resort & Golf Club in Hua Hin from January 18-22 with a total of 234 players entered to contend for one of those crucial top 35 cards.
Most of the Australasians in the field graduated through the five Sectional stages to get to the Final Stage and so their journey has already been a long one.
Dimi Papadatos, the two-time winner of the Vic Open and current holder of that title, is the highest ranked of the Australasians in the field but whoever manages to secure a card this week they have the chance to play an Asian Tour which carries more money than ever before and events which include the jointly sanctioned New Zealand Open in early march.
The full field list is provided here