Adrian Meronk – photo Australian Golf Media
The hot northerly wind which welcomed players to the Victoria Golf Club on Sunday at the men’s and women’s Australian Opens promised to add a different dynamic to proceedings and a sense of pending drama to the final round and almost immediately that would be the case.
Overnight leaders of their respective fields, Adam Scott (men) and Jiyai Shin (women) both dropped shots at the very reachable par 4 first and it was very much a case of game on, not only for their nearest chasers but those perhaps further down the leaderboard who would now feel if they could negotiate their way around an increasingly difficult Victoria Golf Club layout they might find themselves in the hunt for the title later in the day.
Not only did Scott drop a shot, but the man who started the day one behind Scott, Adrian Meronk, birdied to take the lead courtesy of the two shot swing, while the third player in their final group of the day, Min Woo Lee, knocked his tee shot 20 feet from the hole and when he converted for an eagle he was two off Meronk’s lead and one behind Scott.
Shin’s dropped shot at the first allowed the South African Ashleigh Buhai to take the lead by one with Australia’s Hannah Green another three shots back in 3rd place.
Ahead on the golf course, Minwoo Lee’s other half of world golf’s most famed brother and sister combination, Minjee Lee, had birdied her opening two holes to open the possibility of a family double of Australian Open victories.
By the turn however it would be Meronk who appeared to have taken control of the men’s event. He led by three after a birdie at the 9th gave him an outward nine of 32 and following Scott’s bogeys at the 7th and 8th. Min Woo Lee was another shot back.
But the Victoria Golf Club is very much a layout which gives with one hand and takes with the other. A 14-foot birdie by Scott at the 12th was followed soon after by a bogey by Meronk at the 13th and the difference was just one.
The closing few holes at Victoria are full of both danger and opportunity and so the closing stages of the event promised much.
The women’s event was also building to a tense finish. Buhai had led by four at the turn and while Shin remained in the mix it would be Australian rookie and now LPGA Tour player Grace Kim who appeared Buhai’s biggest threat.
By the time the final group reached the 17th tee Buhai and Kim were tied at 11 under par with Shin just one behind. Kim was playing ahead of the final group and parred the 17th. Shin soon after so nearly made an eagle which would have given her the outright lead at that point but the birdie had her in a tie before Buhai, too, would birdie and she headed to the 18th with a one shot lead over Shin with and by three over Kim who agonisingly double bogeyed the last to lose her chance at such a significant win.
With the last playing longer due to a winds change on Sunday, both players were unable to reach the green and when Buhai missed a twenty foot birdie opportunity to seal the win the door was open for Shin to hole an 8 foot birdie putt to force the playoff. She appeared to misread the attempt and the title went to Buhai who became the first woman to win the AIG Open Championship and the Women’s Australian Open in the same year since Yani Tseng performed the same feat in 2011.
Back on the golf course Meronk birdied the short par 4 15th to draw two clear of Scott and when both had parred the 16th there was still two between the pair with two holes to go. Scott had eagled the 18th in each of rounds two and three so the prospect of that was no doubt in his mind provided he safely negotiated the dangerous 17th.
There was a three-shot gap back to Lee and so the outcome appeared to lay between Meronk who owns just two professional career wins and Scott with 31 to his name.
In the end, however, it would be Scott who blinked first. Taking an iron from the tee for safety and position at the 17th, his tee shot finished in the bushes to the right and he was forced to play a provisional. He would eventually take 6 and when Meronk safely made his par the difference between the pair was 3 shots as the pair headed to the 18th tee.
It was about to become five as Meronk would eagle the last to win by five shots, claiming his third title as a professional and his second DP World Tour title after winning the Irish Open earlier this year.
Scott finished runner-up with Min Woo Lee another shot back in solo third place.
In a share of 4th place with a relatively new recruit to the professional ranks, Haydn Barron from West Australia, who not only received a financial boost of A$78,500 so early in his career, he became one of three players along with Min Woo Lee and Spain’s Alejandro Canizares to qualify for next year’s Open Championship.
The leading three players in this event and not otherwise exempt for next year’s edition of the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool clicked their ticket to Hoylake.
Meronk is clearly a player with a bright future. He finished 8th in the DP World Tour rankings in 2022, not only because of his win in Ireland but as a result of several other top tens. The manner in which he overcame Adam Scott and a demanding Victoria Golf Club on day four speaks volumes for a significant future for the 29 year old.
Meronk had contended early before struggling over the weekend at last week’s Australian PGA Championship but this week was a very different story, this time overcoming a slow start on Thursday when three over through four holes and double bogeying his final hole that day for a round of 73 to eventually win in a canter.
“I’m so happy and excited,” said Meronk. “I also had family here, so we spent quality time. It was a great week for me and I’m just very honoured to be here.
Currently 56th in the world ranking the victory will take him close to the top 50 and potentially a place in the Masters in 2023 although the lack of world ranking points in this event might see him just short of that mark.
“Yeah, that was definitely on my mind coming these two weeks to Australia, to improve my ranking and I think that should be enough going forward. I’ll just wait till tomorrow when the ranking comes out, but I think it gives me a good chance to be inside the top 50 and play Masters. So that’s unreal sitting here.”
Meronk has played in Australia previously but on the Gold Coast, Perth and last week in Brisbane so this was his first exposure to Melbourne’s famed sandbelt.
“I obviously enjoy Links. My coach is from Wales, so he kind of prepared me quite well by growing up. Since I came here I love the culture straight away and the turf and the greens are just so pure, and if you hit a good shot you get rewarded for that. So, I really enjoyed it.”
Meronk was asked about the thrill of playing with and beating Adam Scott.
“To be honest, I really wanted to play with him this week. He was always my role model growing up, so it was super cool to play with him. Obviously I didn’t really want to focus on him, just focused on my game, hitting good shots. But to beat him in the final group in front of the big crowds in Australia is just quite unbelievable experience and I’m super proud, that’s for sure.”
Scott also spoke well of the man who stood so tall in their last day encounter.
“Adrian played great.” said Scott when asked. “He played really great. “It’s hard to know off one round but he was very solid today. He looked good. He’s a big guy with a lot of speed in today’s game which seems to be the recipe. We can never put a cap on anyone these days I don’t think.”
“I mean, I was happy with how I played really the last three days, so that felt nice,” added the Queenslander. “It would have been nice to win, but to be honest, I’m looking forward to a couple weeks of not playing golf. I feel like I’ve played a lot.”
Buhai has taken quite some time to realise the huge potential she showed when winning the Women’s South African Open as a 14 year old but this year has certainly done that. Her win in a major at the AIG Open Championship and now this in a last round battle against several major champions will further elevate her standing in the game.
Buhai was full of praise for the Sandbelt experience.
“In terms of Sandbelt golf, I love to be able to flight the ball, windy conditions, so it suits my game really well,” said the now 33 year old. “These courses are just so pure, the best condition we get to play, but unfortunately for us women it is not in a good spot on the schedule.
“Where it was in February when it was co-sanctioned with LPGA is much better because LPGA season has just finished, Q-School hasn’t happened yet, same for the LET, so they can’t really co-sanction with any tours. But it didn’t stop girls from wanting to come down and play this tournament because obviously it has such a great history and being able to play on these courses is just really cool.”
The All Abilities title was won by Englishman Kipp Popert by sevens shots over Canadian Kurtis Barkley.
“It’s been an absolute honour to be here in Melbourne,” said Popert. “I’ve got good family and friends here, so it was nice to play in front of them and the crowds were good, so it was good fun.”
The event brought three tournaments into one and while there were logistical issues and will be no doubt tweaking of the concept in the future, especially in terms of numbers making the cut, there was a good base on which to move forward.
There were four winners this week however. Meronk, Buhai and Popert who were joined by the outstanding Victoria and Kingston Heath Golf Clubs which once again showed why this region of Australia contains some of the game’s greatest layouts.
The huge crowds who turned out to see initially Cameron Smith, Adam Scott and other leading players amongst the men and an even stronger women’s field in terms of depth, were probably also there to witness some very high class golf on a couple of golf’s finest examinations.
SCORES
Ashleigh Buhai – photo Australian Golf Media
Popert, Meronk and Buhai – photo Australian Golf Media
All four Australasians remain alive at LPGA Q School
Su Oh – file photo Australian Golf Media
All four Australasians have made it into the second week of the LPGA Tour Q Series qualifying, the opening 72 holes in Mobile in Alabama leaving all four inside the required mark to advance to week two being played nearby.
The leading 70 of the original 100 players earn the right to move on to the second week.
Another 72 holes will be played this week, the goal of all to finish inside the top 45 at worst and gain or regain playing privileges for the 2023 LPGA Tour.
Su Oh leads the way as she chases a return to the LPGA Tour, the Victorian golfer in a share of 41st place, Queensland’s Robyn Choi 47th, while Queensland’s Karis Davidson and New Zealander Amelia Garvey are tied for 60th
The final 72 holes are played in Dothan in Alabama beginning this Thursday.
SCORES
Meronk, Buhai, Popert and the sandbelt winners at Australian Open
Adrian Meronk – photo Australian Golf Media
The hot northerly wind which welcomed players to the Victoria Golf Club on Sunday at the men’s and women’s Australian Opens promised to add a different dynamic to proceedings and a sense of pending drama to the final round and almost immediately that would be the case.
Overnight leaders of their respective fields, Adam Scott (men) and Jiyai Shin (women) both dropped shots at the very reachable par 4 first and it was very much a case of game on, not only for their nearest chasers but those perhaps further down the leaderboard who would now feel if they could negotiate their way around an increasingly difficult Victoria Golf Club layout they might find themselves in the hunt for the title later in the day.
Not only did Scott drop a shot, but the man who started the day one behind Scott, Adrian Meronk, birdied to take the lead courtesy of the two shot swing, while the third player in their final group of the day, Min Woo Lee, knocked his tee shot 20 feet from the hole and when he converted for an eagle he was two off Meronk’s lead and one behind Scott.
Shin’s dropped shot at the first allowed the South African Ashleigh Buhai to take the lead by one with Australia’s Hannah Green another three shots back in 3rd place.
Ahead on the golf course, Minwoo Lee’s other half of world golf’s most famed brother and sister combination, Minjee Lee, had birdied her opening two holes to open the possibility of a family double of Australian Open victories.
By the turn however it would be Meronk who appeared to have taken control of the men’s event. He led by three after a birdie at the 9th gave him an outward nine of 32 and following Scott’s bogeys at the 7th and 8th. Min Woo Lee was another shot back.
But the Victoria Golf Club is very much a layout which gives with one hand and takes with the other. A 14-foot birdie by Scott at the 12th was followed soon after by a bogey by Meronk at the 13th and the difference was just one.
The closing few holes at Victoria are full of both danger and opportunity and so the closing stages of the event promised much.
The women’s event was also building to a tense finish. Buhai had led by four at the turn and while Shin remained in the mix it would be Australian rookie and now LPGA Tour player Grace Kim who appeared Buhai’s biggest threat.
By the time the final group reached the 17th tee Buhai and Kim were tied at 11 under par with Shin just one behind. Kim was playing ahead of the final group and parred the 17th. Shin soon after so nearly made an eagle which would have given her the outright lead at that point but the birdie had her in a tie before Buhai, too, would birdie and she headed to the 18th with a one shot lead over Shin with and by three over Kim who agonisingly double bogeyed the last to lose her chance at such a significant win.
With the last playing longer due to a winds change on Sunday, both players were unable to reach the green and when Buhai missed a twenty foot birdie opportunity to seal the win the door was open for Shin to hole an 8 foot birdie putt to force the playoff. She appeared to misread the attempt and the title went to Buhai who became the first woman to win the AIG Open Championship and the Women’s Australian Open in the same year since Yani Tseng performed the same feat in 2011.
Back on the golf course Meronk birdied the short par 4 15th to draw two clear of Scott and when both had parred the 16th there was still two between the pair with two holes to go. Scott had eagled the 18th in each of rounds two and three so the prospect of that was no doubt in his mind provided he safely negotiated the dangerous 17th.
There was a three-shot gap back to Lee and so the outcome appeared to lay between Meronk who owns just two professional career wins and Scott with 31 to his name.
In the end, however, it would be Scott who blinked first. Taking an iron from the tee for safety and position at the 17th, his tee shot finished in the bushes to the right and he was forced to play a provisional. He would eventually take 6 and when Meronk safely made his par the difference between the pair was 3 shots as the pair headed to the 18th tee.
It was about to become five as Meronk would eagle the last to win by five shots, claiming his third title as a professional and his second DP World Tour title after winning the Irish Open earlier this year.
Scott finished runner-up with Min Woo Lee another shot back in solo third place.
In a share of 4th place with a relatively new recruit to the professional ranks, Haydn Barron from West Australia, who not only received a financial boost of A$78,500 so early in his career, he became one of three players along with Min Woo Lee and Spain’s Alejandro Canizares to qualify for next year’s Open Championship.
The leading three players in this event and not otherwise exempt for next year’s edition of the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool clicked their ticket to Hoylake.
Meronk is clearly a player with a bright future. He finished 8th in the DP World Tour rankings in 2022, not only because of his win in Ireland but as a result of several other top tens. The manner in which he overcame Adam Scott and a demanding Victoria Golf Club on day four speaks volumes for a significant future for the 29 year old.
Meronk had contended early before struggling over the weekend at last week’s Australian PGA Championship but this week was a very different story, this time overcoming a slow start on Thursday when three over through four holes and double bogeying his final hole that day for a round of 73 to eventually win in a canter.
“I’m so happy and excited,” said Meronk. “I also had family here, so we spent quality time. It was a great week for me and I’m just very honoured to be here.
Currently 56th in the world ranking the victory will take him close to the top 50 and potentially a place in the Masters in 2023 although the lack of world ranking points in this event might see him just short of that mark.
“Yeah, that was definitely on my mind coming these two weeks to Australia, to improve my ranking and I think that should be enough going forward. I’ll just wait till tomorrow when the ranking comes out, but I think it gives me a good chance to be inside the top 50 and play Masters. So that’s unreal sitting here.”
Meronk has played in Australia previously but on the Gold Coast, Perth and last week in Brisbane so this was his first exposure to Melbourne’s famed sandbelt.
“I obviously enjoy Links. My coach is from Wales, so he kind of prepared me quite well by growing up. Since I came here I love the culture straight away and the turf and the greens are just so pure, and if you hit a good shot you get rewarded for that. So, I really enjoyed it.”
Meronk was asked about the thrill of playing with and beating Adam Scott.
“To be honest, I really wanted to play with him this week. He was always my role model growing up, so it was super cool to play with him. Obviously I didn’t really want to focus on him, just focused on my game, hitting good shots. But to beat him in the final group in front of the big crowds in Australia is just quite unbelievable experience and I’m super proud, that’s for sure.”
Scott also spoke well of the man who stood so tall in their last day encounter.
“Adrian played great.” said Scott when asked. “He played really great. “It’s hard to know off one round but he was very solid today. He looked good. He’s a big guy with a lot of speed in today’s game which seems to be the recipe. We can never put a cap on anyone these days I don’t think.”
“I mean, I was happy with how I played really the last three days, so that felt nice,” added the Queenslander. “It would have been nice to win, but to be honest, I’m looking forward to a couple weeks of not playing golf. I feel like I’ve played a lot.”
Buhai has taken quite some time to realise the huge potential she showed when winning the Women’s South African Open as a 14 year old but this year has certainly done that. Her win in a major at the AIG Open Championship and now this in a last round battle against several major champions will further elevate her standing in the game.
Buhai was full of praise for the Sandbelt experience.
“In terms of Sandbelt golf, I love to be able to flight the ball, windy conditions, so it suits my game really well,” said the now 33 year old. “These courses are just so pure, the best condition we get to play, but unfortunately for us women it is not in a good spot on the schedule.
“Where it was in February when it was co-sanctioned with LPGA is much better because LPGA season has just finished, Q-School hasn’t happened yet, same for the LET, so they can’t really co-sanction with any tours. But it didn’t stop girls from wanting to come down and play this tournament because obviously it has such a great history and being able to play on these courses is just really cool.”
The All Abilities title was won by Englishman Kipp Popert by sevens shots over Canadian Kurtis Barkley.
“It’s been an absolute honour to be here in Melbourne,” said Popert. “I’ve got good family and friends here, so it was nice to play in front of them and the crowds were good, so it was good fun.”
The event brought three tournaments into one and while there were logistical issues and will be no doubt tweaking of the concept in the future, especially in terms of numbers making the cut, there was a good base on which to move forward.
There were four winners this week however. Meronk, Buhai and Popert who were joined by the outstanding Victoria and Kingston Heath Golf Clubs which once again showed why this region of Australia contains some of the game’s greatest layouts.
The huge crowds who turned out to see initially Cameron Smith, Adam Scott and other leading players amongst the men and an even stronger women’s field in terms of depth, were probably also there to witness some very high class golf on a couple of golf’s finest examinations.
SCORES
Ashleigh Buhai – photo Australian Golf Media
Popert, Meronk and Buhai – photo Australian Golf Media
Brad Kennedy leading Australian for 2022 in Japan
Brad Kennedy – photo Japan Tour
Australian Brad Kennedy has finished 8th in the Japan Tour’s season ending Golf Nippon Series event in Tokyo and has finished the season in 16th place on the Japan Tour money list and as the leading Australian ahead of Anthony Quayle who finished 19th.
Kennedy earned the equivalent of A$560,000 in his 19 starts this season, recording seven top tens during that time.
Kennedy shot his worst score of the week yesterday, a 71, to slip six rungs to tied eighth on 272.
Another two internationals in the 30-man field this week, Anthony Quayle and American Todd Baek shot 66 and 71 to be tied for 18th and 27th respectively.
American Chan Kim narrowly missed out on a final-hole birdie to force a playoff as Hideto Tanihara surprised himself by overturning a four-shot deficit to end his 12-month winless run on JGTO with a successful defence of his Golf Nippon Series JT Cup on Sunday.
Tanihara, 44, carded five birdies to close with a five-under-par 65 at the Tokyo Yomiuri Country Club for a winning total of 12-under-par 268 which was good enough for him to hold off Kim, Hiroshi Iwata and Daijiro Izumida for a one-shot victory.
SCORES
Adam Scott snatches late lead at Australian Open
Adam Scott – photo Australian Golf Media
The very early starters in excellent scoring conditions on day three of the Australian Open at the Victorian Golf Club certainly had their chances to challenge those well ahead on the leaderboard and while one or two put together solid rounds to improve their standing in the event, the predicted strong warm winds did not eventuate and those out later in the day were able to consolidate and improve their positions.
Adam Scott and David Micheluzzi began the day tied in the lead and three ahead of the field but runs would come from Adrian Meronk, Min Woo Lee and Josh Geary and while the overnight leaders weren’t exactly backing off, the ultimate winner of the event tomorrow afternoon became less and less clear.
Although a stiff breeze was in play all afternoon, the carnage that a strong northerly can bring did not occur. That may happen tomorrow and if that does then there is a lot of excitement in store for the large crowds sure to attend to witness what promises to be an exciting final day.
As it stands at the completion of the third round, Adam Scott produced yet another dramatic finish when he eagled the final hole for the second day in a row and leads the event at 11 under and one ahead of Adrian Meronk.
Scott appeared to be just treading water after reaching the turn in 1 over but a birdie at the 12th, where he hit the most magnificent launched iron from an adjacent fairway to less than a foot, got the momentum heading in the right direction. He would then birdie the driveable par 4 15th, then saved pars at the 16th and 17th before holing from 14 feet at the last to snatch the lead away from Meronk.
“Well, I believe I’m going to do it but without using cliches, there’s no point thinking about my winner’s speech right now,” he said. “I’ve got a long way to navigate my round, get around the course tomorrow, but I absolutely believe I’m going to do it.
“If you don’t believe in it, then you won’t do it. So, I’ve got to go out tomorrow and do much of the same stuff I did today and if I get a couple of good numbers and the putts drop, I know when to challenge and when to hold back a little.”
Meronk is a player good enough to have won the Irish Open in 2022 and in doing so became the first ever Polish player to win on the DP World Tour. The win along with several top tens saw the 29 year-old finish 8th in the DP World Tour rankings this year and cement himself as one of the stars of European golf.
Meronk said last week at the PGA Championship that he had played in Australia previously and although he had options in South Africa he stated when asked that he was keen to return to this country. Chances are he is very happy with that decision.
“I felt like my game was pretty good last week, so I just wanted to keep going to start the new season well, to put some points on the board,” said the tall Polish golfer. “So that was the main reason, plus, I like Australia. I really enjoy my time here.”
He is no doubt liking it even more now and just maybe a whole lot more tomorrow evening.
“Yeah, I love it,” said Meronk today referring to his position. You want to be in this position going especially into Sunday. I feel really good about my game. I got familiar with the course so I’m going to enjoy tomorrow.
Meronk is staying with his Polish cousins who live in Melbourne and only a few minutes from the course making an enjoyable time here even more so.
“We’ve had Polish food for dinner every night. We went to the city yesterday, walked around. Yeah, I’m really enjoying the time in Australia, especially in Melbourne.”
Min Woo Lee finished his day with a round of 65 just before Meronk finished his and at 7 under par he is just four from the lead. His sister Minjee might now be a forlorn hope of winning her first Australian Women’s Open but her brother could still fly the flag for the family.
“It’s a good position,” said Lee. “Obviously you would like to be in the lead, but I’m playing good golf and who knows what’s going to happen tomorrow. I would like to be in the lead, but I didn’t really play as good the first couple of days. But I’m happy to be in the position I am now and hopefully I can put on another show tomorrow.”
Lee shares third place with his fellow West Australian Haydn Barron who represented Australia before turning professional less a year ago. For one so inexperienced he is holding up well under such great scrutiny.
The women’s field is led by Jiyai Shin who bounced back with a birdie at the 17th after an agonising double bogey at the 16th. She leads by one over South African Ashleigh Buhai who was round in 66 today and by three over yet another West Australian in Hannah Green.
“Always I love the playing here,” said Shin. “So it feel like a good play and then I have a lot of friends out here, so they make it so confident to playing and how I’m really lucky to play how cool this is. I’m in that element.”
Men’s and Women’s scores
Cam Smith finally hangs up clubs after a sensational 12 months.
Cameron Smith today – photo Australian Golf Media
Cameron Smith might not have had the dream finish to the year he had planned at the start of this week’s Australian Open but as he left the Victoria Golf Club today having missed the 54-hole cut by what appears will be one or two shots, he can take solace from the fact that part of the success of this week’s event has been his doing.
Even today, when off in one of the first few groups at 7.05, crowds lined the fairways to see if they could witness the 29-year-old staging a rally on day three to get himself back into the tournament but as hard as he tried, things would not fall his way.
He had waited all afternoon yesterday to discover he had just sneaked on the ever-increasing 36 hole cutline of 2 over and thinking he had been unlikely to make it, he headed to the pub for a few beers with mates.
“I wasn’t really expecting it to be honest,” said Smith. “I was pretty quick to the pub and yeah and was probably a few too many beers deep and then I realised we had an early tee time, so I got back on the waters and was a good boy the rest of the night.
“I thought I had it in me today and hit lots of good golf shots, and yeah, just couldn’t really capitalise,” said Smith. I kept kind of hitting good putts to it and just weren’t going in. Yeah, just not my week. But, you know, it is what it is.
“I kind of thought it would take 3 or 4-under, so the strategy I don’t think changed at all, it was just go out there and play some really solid golf. Like I said, I thought I played solid enough, just not enough putts went in.”
Smith is looking forward to a well-deserved break following a year which has netted five victories including his LIV Tour success but events such as The Open Championship, The Players Championship and the Tournament of Champions and the Australian PGA Championship make it a simply phenomenal 12 months.
“I might play with the old boy in a Saturday comp or something like that at Wantima but it definitely won’t be serious. It will just be on the cart, having a good time. Yeah, I’ll probably put the clubs away now for a solid two or three weeks and then get back into it, kind of the new year. Looking forward to next year, I think it will be exciting.”
Smith’s first competitive outing in 2023 is likely to be the Asian Tour’s Saudi International in Saudi Arabia in late January.
Scott and Micheluzzi share Australian Open lead
David Micheluzzi – photo Australian Golf Media
Two late bogeys by first round leader David Micheluzzi in today’s second round of the Australian Open at The Victoria and Kingston Heath Golf Clubs has dropped him back into a share of the lead with non-other than Adam Scott whose second round of 63 at the Victoria Golf Club swept him to the edge of the lead before Micheluzzi’s late hiccups.
Scott’s monster eagle putt at the last took him to 8 under par just before Micheluzzi holed a birdie out of his own over at Kingston Heath to move two ahead but the young Victorian would drop shots at the 16th and 18th to take a share of the lead into the weekend.
The championship now focuses on The Victoria Golf Club after the opening two rounds were played at both courses.
The leading pair is tied at 8 under par and three ahead of American Gunner Wiebe, New Zealand’s Josh Geary and Australian Haydn Barron with a host of further rather unfamiliar names following.
Scott talked after his round about the very strategic approach he adopted around the Victoria Golf Club layout.
“I kind of tempered my expectations on everything, my own ability today and what I can do to the golf course. I really felt like I had to come out here, really not take any chances, not push anything. If it was tricky at all, to play safe. I executed most of the day, so even when I laid back, I managed to put it in a good spot still and take the trouble out and not make any errors.”
Scott also discussed the frustration of yesterday verses the elation of a day out today.
“It’s not the first time I’ve played terrible obviously (yesterday) but it is frustrating because I’m out playing in a tournament, the Australian Open and I want to play well. Yes, it’s frustrating but using the experience, I’ve had plenty of bad rounds in my career and had to come out the next day.
“I also pride myself on kind of not throwing in the towel. I don’t rack up big numbers too often and I also don’t withdraw playing bad, so I’m here to win the tournament this week and it can turn around quick. I have that experience as well and it did today.”
Michezluzzi led the Australian Open at the halfway mark four years ago before finishing 5th and so this experience is not entirely new to him but was asked after his round if he was ready for what promises to be a big occasion tomorrow.
“Yes. Maybe. Maybe not, I don’t know. I’m just going to go out and play some golf. If it’s good enough it’s good enough, if not, won’t stress.
“I know I’m playing good golf going into next year or going into the next couple of events after this. I’ll just keep plugging away at it and if it happens it happens. If not, then so be it, go on to the next one.
“It’s pretty cool. It’s one of the things I’ve dreamed of. Australian Open with Scotty, yeah, yeah, it will be insane. The amount of people that will be there and all that will be pretty cool. I’m just looking forward to it.”
Cameron Smith just made the cut after being in 77th position when he finished his morning round he advanced as a result of the increasing winds throughout the afternoon to finish the opening two rounds in 59th place and ten shots from the leading pair.
SCORES
Hannah Green leads a line-up of major champions at Australian Open
Hannah Green today – photo Australian Golf Media
Australian, Hannah Green, leads the Australian Women’s Open, putting together a second round of 66 at the Victoria Golf Club to be at 11 under par to lead the event by two over one of women golf’s most prolific winner of titles including this one, Jiyai Shin of Korea.
Green leads a stellar line-up of high class women golfers, with two time major winner, So Yeon Ryu, in a share of third place two behind Shin along with this year’s AIG Women’s Open Champion, Ashleigh Buhai, and Australia’s newest LPGA Tour player, Grace Kim.
US Women’s Open Champion, Minjee Lee, is another two shots back and alone in third position.
With four top tens in her last six starts on the LPGA Tour, Green brought some good form to the event and as a winner of a major on the LPGA Tour and a two time winner in Australia earlier this year she began the week as one to watch.
Shin won this event at Royal Canberra in 2013 and she has been twice a winner of the Australian Ladies Masters so she is no stranger to Australian golf fans or courses. That she has won two AIG Open Championships, one of them at St Andrews tells the story of a remarkably accomplished golfer who arrived in Australia with little fanfare.
The Korean has played most of her golf in Japan and Korea in recent years after making the decision to focus her attention in that region following several years on the LPGA Tour. Make no mistake, however, she is a golfer of the highest class.
Shin could well be the holder of the Australian Open Championship for the third time this Sunday.
Green was delighted with the manner in which she finished off her round, playing her final four holes in 4 under par to open up a gap on the field but is aware that the weekend’s changing weather conditions where hot winds are expected to sweep across the Victoria Golf Club are going to provide a strong test.
“Yeah, it’s going to be difficult, because again, the conditions are going to change,” she said. “It’s going to get warm, the wind direction will change and I’m not really sure if anyone’s played it in that direction. I’ve never played it like that. So yeah, I feel like I’ve just got to stay patient and probably not get too worried about what everyone else is doing.
Green also acknowledged the strength in the leaderboard and that the quality of the courses were always going to play a big role in that outcome.
“Yeah, it’s great. I kind of expected it, all of the good players to come out on top, especially playing here at Victoria. Even though I shot a lower score than Kingston, I thought this was a difficult golf course. So yeah, we’ll just see how the conditions pan out come the weekend.”
SCORES
Brad Kennedy leads season ending Japan Tour event
Brad Kennedy today – photo and article Japan Tour
Australian veteran Brad Kennedy showed little signs of discomfort from the pain in his knee as he took a share of the halfway stage lead of the Golf Nippon Series JT Cup after firing a second successive four-under-par 66 on Friday.
The 48-year-old reached the 36-hole mark at eight-under-par 132 in the season-ending ¥130 million event, and was matched by Satoshi Kodaira who also returned a 66.
Defending champion Hideto Tanihara (67) and Aguri Iwasaki (68) were a further shot back where they are tied for the third spot.
American Chan Kim, who was joint-leader at the start of the day, slipped to tied 12th after battling to a 72 while Australia’s Anthony Quayle and American Todd Baek’s challenge seemed to be fast fading.
Quayle posted a 72 for tied 26th while Baek, who is nursing a shoulder injury, shot an improved 70 but still languish at lowly 29th in the 30-man standings.
Kennedy, who finished runner-up in the 2019 edition, gained five shots thanks to an eagle on the par-five sixth and three birdies. His only blemish was on the par-three eighth.
“It was a good solid day, I was more focused on taking care of my knee that I’m actually playing golf,” said Kennedy.
“Getting around the course at the moment is pretty tough, pretty slow walking up and down the fairways pretty slowly. I got some acupuncture treatment, I don’t think there’s any major damage.
“Nevertheless. I’m really happy to be where I am.
“I really enjoyed playing on this golf course, it gives you a lot of opportunities but you also have to be very careful at the same time.
“Course management is very important here.”
Kodaira, meanwhile, overcame a slow start on his front-nine, to storm home with three birdies in his last five holes to keep himself in contention for his eighth win on the JGTO this week,
“I felt I played poorly in the front-nine with just one birdie on six. But in the back-nine, I managed to adjust the way I address the ball and was able to place my shots close to the pin. There was less pressure to make putts there and that helped. If I had started better, I believe my score today will be even lower,” said the Japanese.
When asked about his weekend goals, Kodaira said: “It’s still early and tight at the top. I don’t want to focus too much on the leaderboard. Instead, just play my own game.”
SCORES
Cameron Smith runs out of steam at Australian Open
Smith in action this morning – photo Australian Golf Media
The hopes Cameron Smith held of winning a first Australian Open have appear on the brink after a second round of 73 to go with his opening 71 has him at 2 over par to sit one outside the cutline in a share of 77th place as the afternoon field gets into its round on day two at both Kingston Heath and Victoria Golf Clubs.
With breezes slightly stronger for the afternoon field, scores are expected to be higher but probably not enough for him to come back from where stands now to inside the top 60 who will make it to the weekend.
Smith, who played in the near perfect morning conditions at the Kingston Heath Golf Club, was not about to blame anyone or anything but himself for his poor showing, but there is little doubt that the impact of what was a huge week for him in Brisbane last week, where he wanted to so much to please family and friends and respond to the many requests for his time, has taken its toll.
He conquered that hurdle but it looks as if the impact of his brilliant third PGA Championship win has cost him a chance of that Australian Open which now seems to be the title he wants most, perhaps aside from the Masters.
“All day, kind of similar to yesterday,” said Smith referring to his play. “Just couldn’t quite hit the ball out of the middle of the club face for some reason or another. I think the mind was a little bit foggy, obviously a little bit tired as well, last week being such a big week. Yeah, it’s still there mate, but yeah, just pretty disappointing.
“I think I had a lot of adrenaline going last week, especially out on the golf course. I think the crowds were awesome out there. I obviously had friends and family there, so I wanted to play well for them. I think it’s just kind of all hit me at once and just got a little bit tired. I need to play better than that even when I am tired. That was pretty rubbish out there today. It’s probably the easiest this place is going to get.”
Despite his decision to switch to LIV Golf where the reduced schedule should mean less golf, Smith has played a lot more golf than he imagined this year.
“I can’t wait for a sleep. I’ve played a lot more golf than I thought I would have at the start of the year, so I’m looking forward to four or five weeks off here and just kind of mentally reset I think. The brain’s been going pretty hard the last few months, so yeah, it would be a good time to sit down on a beach somewhere and have a few margaritas.
“Yes, fishing (too). I’m sure I’ll spend a fair bit of time in the gym and stuff looking after my body.”
Smith knows his chances of creeping back into the weekend field are now very minimal.
“Yeah, I’m crossing my fingers. If it stays like this, I don’t think I’m going to be playing on the weekend. Is it at even or 1-over or something? Yeah, even. I don’t think it’s going to go two shots, unless this wind really blows up, but we’ll just wait and see.”
Irrespective of what the next few hours hold for the 29 year old, 2022 has been a breakthrough year for Smith in so many ways.
The Tournament of Champions, The Players Championship, The Open Championship and the Australian PGA Championship along with a victory on the LIV Golf Tour has left Smith with arguably the best record of any golfer in 2022 and although not officially the world number two at least, many think he is that at least.
He now has the chance and time to reflect on what has been an amazing year, from a golfing perspective, a personal angle and of course from a financial standpoint.
Whether the golfing world allows him to play all majors in 2023 remains to be seen, but it might just be that he can continue to plunder the riches of professional golf anyway.
SCORES
Micheluzzi and Kim lead their respective Australian Opens
David Micheluzzi – in action in today’s opening round of 63 – photo Golf Australia
Day one of the historical combined gender Australian Opens is complete and two young Australians lead their respective fields at the Victorian and Kingston Heath Golf Clubs in Melbourne’s golfing mecca, the Sandbelt.
Local golfer, David Micheluzzi, who last week finished 6th at the Australian PGA Championship following a breakthrough victory in the WAPGA Championship a few weeks earlier, leads the men while new LPGA Tour recruit, Grace Kim, leads the women’s field.
Micheluzzi, who four years ago led the Australian Open at the Lakes Golf Club before finishing in 5th place behind Abraham Ancer as an amateur, has been a fine form of late, finishing inside the top ten in four of his last five starts on the PGA Tour of Australasia following a midfield finish at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Today, playing the Victoria Golf Club in the morning field and in the better conditions than those of the afternoon field, Micheluzzi actually began his round with a bogey at the 10th hole but soon settled into a birdie fest. Eight birdies in the next seventeen holes had him at 7 under 63 as he left the course close to midday.
He would hold that lead throughout the opening round and when play finished for the day he led by three over New Zealand’s Josh Geary and local golfer Matthew Griffin, Micheluzzi and Griffin playing the Victoria Golf Club and Geary playing the alternate layout, Kingston Heath.
Micheluzzi explained the background behind his fine start to the event and his recent good run.
“I’ve just gotten better at everything. I feel like my course management’s really good all the time. I know how to think around a golf course. Just hitting it better, just comfortable with playing these events now. I think this is what, our seventh event in the space of nine weeks, so yeah, just being comfortable in the situation. I think everything today just felt good. I actually wanted to keep playing, so I reckon I could have made a whole lot more birdies.”
“Yeah, I think when I turned pro it was scary. It was the first time I’ve actually been scared on a golf course, scared of where I’m going to hit it and if I’m going to hit it in the trees or in the bunker.
“I was worried about what everyone else thought rather than just playing golf. I think the more experience, the better. I think I’ve played enough pro events now that it’s just another round of golf. If I shoot 75, 76 I still go home, Mum tells me to unload the dishwasher, all that kind of stuff. It just feels like a normal round of golf now, which is great.
“But three years ago, when I turned pro, I was so uncomfortable and it showed – the golf was horrendous.”
Grace Kim finished 5th on the feeder tour for the LPGA Tour, the Epson Tour, and as a result earned her playing rights for the LPGA Tour in season 2023.
Today she too took advantage of the gentler morning conditions and with birdies at her first five holes she had the lead despite a bogey at the 6th. She added three more birdies on the way home and her round of 66 has her two ahead of Hannah Green, Japan’s brilliant Jiyai Shin and New Zealand amateur Fiona Xu.
Kim was asked about her fast start and suggested due diligence on the course earlier in the week made her aware of what might be possible.
“When I played on Monday, I played a match with my fiancé and I think I probably had the same amount of birdies on the nine, so I knew it was out there. I felt like a lot of the holes on the front nine, they were short but you could still be penalised, even for hitting a good shot. I just wanted to make sure I was holding on. But yeah, hit a couple of sloppy shots in there, I’m not going to lie, but still really happy with the start.
“I think I got more nervous as the holes went on. I was just like, Where are these birdies coming from? You know those times where it just goes in. I had one of those moments. I was a bit shocked, but yeah, I definitely take it all in. I’m glad I got a good round out of the way, so it’s a good start.
Kim also reflected on the quality of game needed to do well on the Sandbelt courses.
“I think the Sandbelt really shows the good players through. If you hit a bad putt, you’re going to miss it bad and if you hit a good putt, it deserves to go in. Things like that. Playing fairways, greens, making sure you just two-putt, placing yourself right is just so crucial at Sandbelt courses. Missing bunkers. Basically just don’t miss the green. You’ve got to get those contacts right, so you’ve got to be really precise around these and I think that really shows the top end of the field, for sure.”
The event’s leading world ranked female player, Minjee Lee, stayed in touch with a round of 70 to be four from the lead and tied for 9th but given she played in the more demanding afternoon conditions and will likely get better weather in the morning she remains the player to watch.
The leading ranked male player and pre-tournament favourite, Cameron Smith, finished the day tied for 64th at 1 over and summed up his day in a very ‘to the point’ fashion.
“Yeah, that was as bad as I’ve played in a long time, said Smith It was pretty shitty. Obviously I think the course is pretty difficult, the conditions are pretty difficult, but still I need to be better than that.”
SCORES
Grace Kim – en route to her opening round lead – photo Golf Australia