A very special moment as Endycott celebrates his PGA Tour status with his father – PGA Tour Getty Images
Sydney’s Harrison Endycott has been one of Australian golf’s quiet achievers in 2022 and when he heads back to his homeland for next week’s Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane he does so as a cardholder on the PGA Tour.
Endycott earned the right to playing rights on the PGA Tour courtesy of a fine season on the Korn Ferry Tour where, by finishing inside the top 25 of the regular season money list, he gained the much sought after card and he has made an immediate impact at the higher level by finishing 12th and 10th in two of his five starts to date and has established a base from which to work when he returns in 2023.
First, however, is this week’s RSM Classic to finish of his year in the US and in a press conference ahead of the event on Wednesday Harrison talked about what his year has meant to him and what lies ahead.
“Yeah, look, (my) game feels like it’s been pretty much in a good spot, it’s just been so much golf. I think after the Australian Open this year it’s going to be my 29th start this year and it’s been — it’s just been a ton.”
Endycott took last week off after missing the cut in Mexico but that was as much about recharging the batteries as it was about indifferent form.
“Just feel pretty rested and ready to go for these next three weeks. No, it’s exciting to be here. First time seeing this golf course. It reminds me a whole lot of 13th Beach back in Australia, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
Endycott finished runner-up at the Vic Open at 13th Beach in 2018 so getting positive vibes ahead of this week’s event might just provide the catalyst for another good week.
“At this stage I have really no expectations just on the fact it’s a big week for Monday. You’ve got two courses to cover, played the pro-am on Monday, learned that golf course. Had to learn Plantation course yesterday. You know, it reminds me so much of like golf on the Mornington Peninsula down in Victoria, so the surroundings is very familiar.
“It’s a nice little change, too, to have some cool weather as well. It’s been so hot the last, actually you could say probably, what, the last three tournaments. Actually, it was hot from Sanderson all the way up to Mexico. Mexico was a killer. Yeah, as you can see, I’ve got a little sweater on right now, so it’s a little different. I know it’s back in the heat the next two weeks.”
When asked what he had learned about himself since stepping up to the PGA Tour, Endycott responded: “Yeah, you definitely learn that your good stuff is really close. Like that’s the one thing, that’s probably the biggest key that I’ve learned. When I’m on and I’m playing well, I’m seeing that name, my name at the top of that leaderboard a little bit and that’s a huge confidence boost for especially a rookie early in.
“Some guys get comfortable straight away, some guys take a little bit extra time. I had no idea how I was going to feel. To see my name, I think I was leading after Thursday in Bermuda and just to see those little tiny one percent wins within yourself, you can go to bed sitting there going, you know what, like if I really work hard at this game and I tidy up the things I need to tidy up, I can go out and win out here, I can go and contend out here.”
Endycott was part of the successful 2016 Australian Eisenhower Team and is excited about the prospect of playing at home once again, especially now as a PGA Tour player.
“I’m so excited to come down to Australia and play, spend some time with my coach and bring my caddie down. I love playing down there. You know, learn something new again down there and try to bring that into the west coast swing. You’ve got a really busy schedule coming up in January, so I want to try to get as much work in as I can in that off season and use that to my advantage down in Australia as well.”
While he would dearly love to be in contention this week it would provide somewhat of a double-edged sword for the 26-year-old.
“Yeah, so we’ve got an interesting one. If we’re in contention this week, we might have a little bit of a dilemma, but don’t worry, I’ll be still trying to rush down. As of right now, we’re flying out of San Francisco on Sunday night straight into Brisbane and we get in Tuesday morning.
“I think right now my route is like Jacksonville-Houston, Houston-San Francisco, San Francisco-Brisbane. So it is what it is. It was nice to use some of — nice to use some AmEx points to upgrade to get home so I get some sleep. That would be rough if I was sitting in economy on the way home.”
The manner in which he has played in 2022 and the strong start to his PGA Tour career suggests Endycott will not be long worrying about the need for an upgrade and covering the cost of a business class airfare is the last thing he will need to concern himself about.
His progress in 2022 has been significant and it will be interesting to see if he can follow up his year to date with a big finish to what has been a breakthrough year for him.
Below: Harrison Endycott interview after winning in Alabama this year
Lydia Ko completes NZ golf’s finest year
Lydia Ko – Getty Images
Lydia Ko has completed a remarkable year for herself and New Zealand golf with a two-shot victory over Leona Maguire at the LPGA’s season ending CME Group Tour Championship in Naples in Florida.
Ko’s win, along with Steve Alker’s domination of the PGA Tour Champions and Ryan Fox’s runner-up finish to Rory McIlroy in the season long European Tour points table, continues New Zealand’s finest collective year in professional golf.
Ko began to day’s final round in a share of the lead with Ireland’s Leona Maguire and although she fell behind with a bogey at the first, she was able finish the opening nine with a one shot lead and with birdies at the 16th and 17th holes she broke two clear and maintained that to the finish.
“I really wanted to play the best golf I can, and there were so many big names that were chasing Leona and I, so I knew that it would be a tough battle,” said Ko. “Especially with how tough the conditions were as well, but I just tried to focus on my game.
“It didn’t matter if somebody made a bogey or a birdie. I just wanted to make my share of birdies, and if I did make a mistake, to know that there was another hole I could recover from.
“This year has been an incredible year. I really could never ask for more to win so early in the season and then to have won in Korea and then win the last event of the year. I couldn’t have drawn it up any better. There has been so many exciting things in my life that’s been going on.
“It will be my last win as a single lady (cheering). So I wanted to do this for my family. This has been one of the most consistent and solid years I’ve had. I’m excited that my photo from winning here in 2014 with the glasses could get updated (laughing). Better photo this year.”
The US$2 million Ko earned for her victory (the largest ever winning cheque in the women’s game) takes her to US$4.3 million for the 2022 season and past Australia’s Minjee Lee who had led for so much of the year as a result of a fine first half of the year including a win in the lucrative US Women’s Open.
Ko finished the season with eleven top tens in addition to her three victories and atop most of the more significant categories, including Race to the Globe, Player of the Year, Money list and Scoring average honours.
Minjee Lee continued a disappointing finish to the year after what had been a brilliant first half. The Perth golfer finished in a share of 33rd this week with her fellow West Australian Hannah Green.
After dominating the LPGA Tour through the first six months of 2022 when recording two wins, two runner-up finishes and one 3rd place, Lee’s form dropped away over the latter stages of the season, recording just one top ten in her last nine starts.
Her win at the female game’s most significant event cannot be underestimated, however, and although a season of two halves, it has still been a fine season both financially and personally.
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Rahm wins in Dubai but McIlroy claims top place in Europe, Fox 2nd
Rahm with his third DP World Tour Championship – photo Getty Images
Jon Rahm completed a third win in the DP World Tour Championship or its equivalent with a two shot victory over Tyrrell Hatton and Alex Noren at the season ending championship in Dubai.
But, in finishing 4th this week, Rory McIlroy confirmed his place atop the DP World Tour rankings with New Zealand’s Ryan Fox finishing this week’s event off strongly to finish 19th in the event to retain his number two position in season long standings and complete a remarkable season, not only for him but for New Zealand golf with Steve Alker winning the Charles Schwab Cup and Lydia Ko on track to win the LPGA Tour Race to the Globe.
Rahm extended his one shot 54 hole lead to two with a final round of 67 after beginning the day with three consecutive birdies and will finish in 3rd place in the rankings behind McIlroy and Fox.
“Hopefully people can stop telling me that it was a bad year,”said Rahm. “Three wins world wide, three wins in three different continents, yeah, it wasn’t a major championship but it’s still a really, really good season. You know, had a second boy this year, a lot of changes at home — it also helps.
“Because of COVID I never got a chance to defend my 2019 title and even though I decided not to come last year, I came with the mentality that, well, nobody beat me in the last two years, so they are going to have to beat me again. I came in with that confidence; a lot of similarities to the past.”
Despite not winning this week, McIlroy was delighted to have officially claimed the title as Europe’s leading player
“It means a lot,” said McIlroy. ”It has been seven years since I’ve last done it. Obviously, this is my fourth one, but it’s been a while. I’ve won three FedEx Cups since the last time I won, which was The Race to Dubai back then.
“I was a model of consistency the whole way through the year. A lot of top finishes. I think my worst finish of the DP World Tour events I played this year was 12th at the start of the year in Abu Dhabi. A really consistent season putting in good performances. Would have been nice to get one win in there at the end of the year here. But Jon obviously played an incredible tournament and fully deserved it. I’m really proud of my year, and excited for 2023.
“One of the things I’m really proud of over the last few years is I don’t feel I have to rely on one aspect of my game. I think if my driving isn’t there, then my putter bails me out. If my putter isn’t there, my iron play bails me out. I feel like when you get to this level, it’s like, okay, how can you make those incremental improvements to get better, and I think my goal has been to just become a more complete golfer and I feel like I’m on the journey to doing that.
“I’m as complete a golfer as I feel like I’ve ever been, and hopefully I can continue on that path.”
For Fox it has been a stunning season with two wins and eight other top tens and he acknowledges the improvement he has made.
“Yeah, if you had given me that at the start of the year, I would have jumped at it obviously. The big goal at the start of the year was to get a win and to get in that Top-50, and I knocked those off pretty quickly this year.
“Probably felt like a year I may have let a couple other chances to win slip. But it’s pretty hard to win out here, and to get a couple is pretty cool.
“It’s just a great experience to be in contention all the time. I started to feel a lot more comfortable in that position than I had in previous years, so hopefully I can build on it a little bit more for next year.
“Probably a little disappointed this week. I probably came in playing nice. Last week, I think it just took it out of me physically a little bit. Felt good out there today but probably took a bit longer than expected to find it.
“You know, considering I had a pretty good chance to win the rankings, obviously beating Rory is pretty hard to do but coming into this week with a chance is pretty cool and probably exceeded my expectations for the year.”
Min Woo Lee finished as the leading Australian when he tied for 12th this week and finished the year in 32nd place and as the leading Australian in the season long standings.
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Aaron Wilkin survives playoff for breakthrough QLD PGA win
Aaron Wilkin enjoying his breakthrough win – photo PGA of Australia
In his nearly seven years as a professional, 29-year-old Brisbane golfer, Aaron Wilkin, has battled away in an attempt to sustain himself in a career where he has shown the occasional glimpses of his capabilities but nowhere near enough to be confident about his future.
There has been the occasional good finish including a runner-up finish in a PGA Tour of Australasia event in Papua New Guinea in his first year in the paid ranks and a couple of top five finishes in China but today might just have been the catalyst for a significant change of future fortunes.
Wilkin won a two hole playoff against talented New South Wales golfer, Justin Warren, to win the Queensland PGA Championship at the Nudgee Golf Club adjacent to the Brisbane airport and not only will the $45,000 be a godsend, so too will the confidence of knowing he can win and win in a tight finish where several players still had chances to win over the closing stages.
Wilkin and Warren finished the 72 holes tied at 4 under and one ahead of the man who lead virtually throughout the event until he double bogeyed the dangerous par 3 final hole, Jak Carter, to finish one shot out of the playoff which would have also given him his first win on the PGA Tour of Australasia.
Both Wilkin and Warren bogeyed the 18th at the first playoff hole but after missing the green the second time around, Warren was unable to match the two putt par of Wilkin’s and the title went to the Queenslander.
“It’s just the monkey off the back,” Wilkin told the PGA of Australia. “I’m definitely good enough, I just needed to do something like this maybe. It lets me know that I can do it.
“I didn’t know four (under) was going to be enough but I thought if I got myself to four (under) I’d be a chance.
“I’ve been in that position before, coming down the last with the lead and I’ve screwed it up so I knew it wasn’t going to be easy for Jak.
“I wouldn’t say I’ve been knocking at the door but I’ve just been wanting to win for a while. It’s good to do it in front of my family and friends.”
For Warren who finished 4th in this event at this venue in January, it was a close call and although the elusive first win on the PGA Tour of Australasia evaded him again, there is an element of class about his game and if he was the break though this summer it would be no surprise.
“One of us had to win, one of us had to lose, either way it was going to be a good result for us so happy to see him win,” said Warren.
“This week was pretty tough conditions, tough course, tough set-up, just pretty brutal but I was really proud of the way I fought back yesterday.
“I had a good back nine and played phenomenal today. I could sit here in hindsight and pick out the ones I left out there and obviously had a putt on the first playoff hole to get it done but the 18th hole with that wind is tricky.
“All I can do is focus on the positives. I shot one of the lowest scores on the course today, I clutched up and stepped up in some tough conditions and was able to put myself in contention and had a shot there in the playoff.”
The PGA Tour of Australasia now joins forces with the DP World Tour for this coming week’s Australian PGA Championship at the nearby Royal Queensland Golf Club where so many of Australia’s current leading players will compete, including Open Champion and two time winner of the event, Cameron Smith and another two time winner, Adam Scott.
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Lydia Ko chasing clean sweep of major LPGA awards
Ko during today’s second round – photo LPGA / Getty Images
Lydia Ko’s brilliant run in recent weeks on the LPGA Tour continued this morning when she established a five shot lead at the halfway mark of the closing event of the LPGA Tour season, the CME Group Tour Championship.
Already leading in the Player of the Year and Race to the Globe standings, Ko added a second round of 66 to her opening 65 to break clear of the chasing pack headed by Hyo Joo Kim.
Ko has finished inside the top five finishers in 11 of her 21 starts this season including her two victories in 2022 and with US$2 million for the winner this week, she has the opportunity to add the money title to her list of achievements with such a rich vein of form.
“I think I stayed really patient out there today,” said Ko.
“Obviously not bogeying the first was a better start than yesterday. But, you know, with the wind direction being pretty similar and the strength being similar, I felt like I knew — I already knew going into the day that it could be tricky, but at the same time because I played really solid in the back nine, I knew that if I did make any mistakes, there were birdieable holes coming in.
“That’s kind of the goal for me this week is not let one hole or one shot phase me. You know, this is the last tournament of the season. It’s my ninth year on tour, so I want to finish the season well and also just want to finish it without any regrets. You know, just playing really freely out there. I think that’s a big key for me.”
Ko explained the improvement in her putting while at the same time keeping that in perspective.
“I think during the times when I wasn’t hitting it as good, my short game improved. So it’s good and bad, but I don’t feel like I’m the best putter in the world. I feel like there is so much room for improvement.”
When asked if she was a better player than was the case when she was number one in the world Ko responded.
“I don’t know about better. I do know that I am more experienced now. Me playing as an amateur on the LPGA, I wanted to make the cut, and it was such a cool experience to play alongside these ladies that I had watched on TV or I would open the Golf Magazine, and they were right there.
“It was a very different perspective. I played less than, like, a full schedule, so it’s just different. I do feel a little bit experienced. Wiser? I don’t know about that either, but I am playing differently. I hit it a little bit further than then.
“I’m sure there were parts then when I was younger and even in 2015 that I was better at both, so some parts that I have improved over that time. But it’s just trying to bring it all together.
“I think everybody has improved, or it’s hard to even keep your card because the level of play is just so good. To win it’s a whole new level.
“Yeah, I do hope I’m better, and I do hope my mom is joking when she says I played better when I was 15, yeah.”
Australia’s Minjee Lee currently leads the money list, much of that because of her win in the very lucrative US Women’s Open but with the richest first prize in women’s golf up for grabs this week, Ko has the opportunity to overtake the long time leader and clean up the significant awards on the LPGA Tour this season.
Minjee Lee added a second round of 68 to move into a share of 10th albeit eight shots from Ko’s lead.
Having won the Annika Major Award at a dinner last night Lee was buoyed by the boost it had given her. “I mean, actually, the video that they played actually gave me goose bumps. So I was, like, oh, that’s just so cool. It just gave me a little bit of inspiration I think coming into today and the rest of the week. It was just really nice.”
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Ryan Fox loses ground in Dubai – Min Woo Lee improves
Matthew Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton – joint leaders through 36 holes – photo Getty Images
At the halfway stage of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai New Zealand’s Ryan Fox faces a mammoth task if he is to have any chance of holding on to his current second place in the DP World Tour standings.
Fox finds himself six shots behind the leader leading into this event, Rory McIlroy, and a massive 13 shots from the leaders Tyrrell Hatton and Mathew Fitzpatrick in the season ending event.
In the projected standings through 36 holes Fitzpatrick has taken over as the potential winner of the DP World Tour rankings and McIlory has slipped to 2nd while for Fox, who entered the week within striking distance of McIlroy, he is now in a projected 3rd place after opening rounds of 73 and 72 to find himself in a share of 37th position in this week’s 50 player field.
An eagle at the 18th hole in today’s second round after an approach to 3 feet at the par 5 has been the only real highlight for Fox over the opening two days and he will need something very special over the weekend it he is to improve his standing in the season long race.
McIlroy is seven shots from the lead at 5 under after a second round of 68 but he will need improvement himself and a little help from Fitzpatrick if he is to claim the title as Europe’s top golfer in 2022.
If Fitzpatrick were to win a second Rolex Series title in Dubai, he would need World Number One Rory McIlroy to finish worse than second. However, if the 28-year-old were to finish runner-up, McIlroy would need to finish the week worse than seventh for Fitzpatrick to end the year as European Number One for the first time.
So there is still much to play for over the closing 36 holes at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
The only Australian in the field, Min Woo Lee, improved with a second round of 67 to be tied for 8th at 6 under and six off the lead.
“I didn’t start very good. I made a double on 4 yesterday,” said Lee. “Other than that hole, I’ve played very solid throughout the other 32 holes. So I’m pretty happy with where I am, and hopefully a couple more birdies on the weekend and get myself up there.”
Also at stake for Lee over the next few weeks is the possibility in this event and events in Australia to force his way into the top 50 in the world ranking which would guarantee him starts in the majors next year and he is very much aware of that.
“Yeah, it’s obviously in the back of my mind, getting into the Masters next year and getting into a few of the majors,” said the Perth golfer. “I’m happy with the way my game is now. I’m not putting too much pressure on myself the last few months and it’s working out.
“I’m out there enjoying. Kids are following, and I was telling my caddie, that was me ten years ago. Just put a smile on their face, and keep playing good golf and hopefully it fixes everything.”
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Three way tie atop the QLD PGA leaderboard
Nick Voke – photo PGA of Australia
Three players have a share of the halfway lead at the Queensland PGA Championship at the Nudgee Golf Club in the eastern suburbs of Brisbane, South Australian Jak Carter, Queensland’s Kade McBride and New Zealander Nick Voke all tied at 6 under and one ahead of New South Welshmen, Josh Armstrong and John Lyras and Voke’s fellow countryman Denzel Ieremia.
The layout is staging this event for the second occasion, the Jim Wilcher designed redevelopment of the historic Nudgee Golf Club into a 36 hole facility completed in 2021. The course still has a lot of maturing to do and players found the windswept course more than a handful but with 36 holes so close to the CBD of Brisbane the Nudgee Golf Club is making its mark.
Carter is playing just his fourth event as a professional but having missed the cut in his last two at the WA Open and the Vic PGA, this has been an encouraging turnaround.
Carter is currently completing a Membership Pathway Programme for the PGA of Australia at the Stirling Golf Club in South Australia and has already won PGA State Associate Championships in NSW and South Australia although this is of course another level again.
“It’s through the Membership Pathway Program that I had the opportunity to play some events,” explained Carter, who is already exempt into next week’s Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland.
“That really helped me leading into Qualifying School. I felt relaxed to head to an event and play something like that, that really helped.
“I’ve certainly learnt that this is where I belong. Which is something that I had felt in the past but to be actually out here and doing it and feeling reasonably comfortable is something that does feel nice.”
Voke is a fine young New Zealand golfer who starred during his time at Iowa State University and, although he has struggled in his two seasons to date on the Korn Ferry Tour, he has at times shown glimpses of his capabilities.
As a result of winning three times on the China Tour in 2018 he played his way to the Korn Ferry Tour where he has recorded the occasional top ten but the past twelve months have been tough for the 28 year old.
Voke is considering tackling the Asian Tour qualifying rather than another year in the US in 2023, the opportunities in Asia now more lucrative then has the case in the past courtesy of that tour’s stronger association with Liv Golf but he knows that a good summer in Australia and New Zealand might change all that.
“If you’re high enough on this Order of Merit some really good doors will open,” Voke acknowledged.
“That’s the beauty of coming back to Australia. I was really looking forward to this. I had probably two events the last two or three months in the States and I knew there was a long stretch of events over here for the summer.
“I was excited because it’s so much more casual, so much more chill, lot more familiar faces, lot more laughs and a bit of banter.”
Kade McBride has also experienced good fortune in China in the past and although yet to record a win on a recognised tour as such, there have been numerous top tens. The Sanctuary Cove based player is an elegant player with a lot more game than his results to date have shown.
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Harrison Endycott heading home after a breakthrough season
A very special moment as Endycott celebrates his PGA Tour status with his father – PGA Tour Getty Images
Sydney’s Harrison Endycott has been one of Australian golf’s quiet achievers in 2022 and when he heads back to his homeland for next week’s Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane he does so as a cardholder on the PGA Tour.
Endycott earned the right to playing rights on the PGA Tour courtesy of a fine season on the Korn Ferry Tour where, by finishing inside the top 25 of the regular season money list, he gained the much sought after card and he has made an immediate impact at the higher level by finishing 12th and 10th in two of his five starts to date and has established a base from which to work when he returns in 2023.
First, however, is this week’s RSM Classic to finish of his year in the US and in a press conference ahead of the event on Wednesday Harrison talked about what his year has meant to him and what lies ahead.
“Yeah, look, (my) game feels like it’s been pretty much in a good spot, it’s just been so much golf. I think after the Australian Open this year it’s going to be my 29th start this year and it’s been — it’s just been a ton.”
Endycott took last week off after missing the cut in Mexico but that was as much about recharging the batteries as it was about indifferent form.
“Just feel pretty rested and ready to go for these next three weeks. No, it’s exciting to be here. First time seeing this golf course. It reminds me a whole lot of 13th Beach back in Australia, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
Endycott finished runner-up at the Vic Open at 13th Beach in 2018 so getting positive vibes ahead of this week’s event might just provide the catalyst for another good week.
“At this stage I have really no expectations just on the fact it’s a big week for Monday. You’ve got two courses to cover, played the pro-am on Monday, learned that golf course. Had to learn Plantation course yesterday. You know, it reminds me so much of like golf on the Mornington Peninsula down in Victoria, so the surroundings is very familiar.
“It’s a nice little change, too, to have some cool weather as well. It’s been so hot the last, actually you could say probably, what, the last three tournaments. Actually, it was hot from Sanderson all the way up to Mexico. Mexico was a killer. Yeah, as you can see, I’ve got a little sweater on right now, so it’s a little different. I know it’s back in the heat the next two weeks.”
When asked what he had learned about himself since stepping up to the PGA Tour, Endycott responded: “Yeah, you definitely learn that your good stuff is really close. Like that’s the one thing, that’s probably the biggest key that I’ve learned. When I’m on and I’m playing well, I’m seeing that name, my name at the top of that leaderboard a little bit and that’s a huge confidence boost for especially a rookie early in.
“Some guys get comfortable straight away, some guys take a little bit extra time. I had no idea how I was going to feel. To see my name, I think I was leading after Thursday in Bermuda and just to see those little tiny one percent wins within yourself, you can go to bed sitting there going, you know what, like if I really work hard at this game and I tidy up the things I need to tidy up, I can go out and win out here, I can go and contend out here.”
Endycott was part of the successful 2016 Australian Eisenhower Team and is excited about the prospect of playing at home once again, especially now as a PGA Tour player.
“I’m so excited to come down to Australia and play, spend some time with my coach and bring my caddie down. I love playing down there. You know, learn something new again down there and try to bring that into the west coast swing. You’ve got a really busy schedule coming up in January, so I want to try to get as much work in as I can in that off season and use that to my advantage down in Australia as well.”
While he would dearly love to be in contention this week it would provide somewhat of a double-edged sword for the 26-year-old.
“Yeah, so we’ve got an interesting one. If we’re in contention this week, we might have a little bit of a dilemma, but don’t worry, I’ll be still trying to rush down. As of right now, we’re flying out of San Francisco on Sunday night straight into Brisbane and we get in Tuesday morning.
“I think right now my route is like Jacksonville-Houston, Houston-San Francisco, San Francisco-Brisbane. So it is what it is. It was nice to use some of — nice to use some AmEx points to upgrade to get home so I get some sleep. That would be rough if I was sitting in economy on the way home.”
The manner in which he has played in 2022 and the strong start to his PGA Tour career suggests Endycott will not be long worrying about the need for an upgrade and covering the cost of a business class airfare is the last thing he will need to concern himself about.
His progress in 2022 has been significant and it will be interesting to see if he can follow up his year to date with a big finish to what has been a breakthrough year for him.
Below: Harrison Endycott interview after winning in Alabama this year
Ko, Lee and Green chasing lucrative CME Group Tour Championship
Minjee Lee holds the trophy which has given her the lead in the money list race – photo Getty Images LPGA
Hannah Green’s excellent share of 4th place at last week’s keeps her in 18th position in the Race to the Globe standings and while she would need something special at this week’s CME Group Tour Championship in Naples in Florida to better her previous best season when 12th in 2019, she has taken her earnings beyond US$1 million and is about to complete another good season on the LPGA Tour.
Green is one of three Australasians to make it into the field for this week’s season ending event and with Lydia Ko leading the points table and Minjee Lee (3rd) there is a lot to play for this week in addition to the richest first prize in women’s golf (US$2 million).
Some of the most coveted awards of the year are still undecided – the Money Title, the Rolex LPGA Player of the Year and the Vare (Scoring average) Trophy – and won’t be until the final putt drops on Sunday.
Though Lee holds a $1.1 million lead over In Gee Chun, there’s too much cash on the line this week, leaving the money title hanging in the balance. The top eight players in official money have a chance to take the title if they capture the CME Group Tour Championship winner’s check.
Lydia Ko leads the race for Player of the Year, but Lee is hot on her heels – just one point behind the New Zealander. Brooke Henderson and Atthaya Thitikul are tied for third just 20 points out of the lead and are still in the running. Ko also leads the tour in scoring average at 69.049 and is well positioned to earn her second Vare Trophy in a row.
Lee’s significant lead in the race for the money title is a result of her win in the lucrative US Women’s Open where she earnt US$1.8 million for her second major victory.
But Ko has been consistent all season and more especially in the latter half of the season which has not been quite so productive for Lee. Ko now leads the Race to the Globe and the Player of the Year categories so the outcome of this week’s event will play a role in deciding several titles but for both players it has been a fine season.
If Ko was to win this week she would claim the Player of the Year and Race to the Globe titles for the third time and take her career earnings on the LPGA Tour to US$16.6 million.
Green has recorded top tens in four of her last five starts this season so is peaking at the right time for a possible best season ever.
Lee has a best of 5th in seven previous tarts in the event, Ko won in 2014 and has a best of 5th in eight other starts while for Green she finished runner-up in 2020 behind Jin Young Ko.
Tee times for Thursday
Lydia Ko with her BMW LPGA Trophy in October – photo LPGA Getty
Has Steve Alker begun a potentially historic treble for New Zealand golfers
Alker during his most significant win in 2022 – the Senior PGA Championship – file photo PGA of America
The third-place finish by Steve Alker behind Padraig Harrington in this morning’s final event of the year on the PGA Tour Champions, The Charles Schwab Championship, was enough for the 51 year old New Zealander to secure the Charles Schwab Cup and in doing so he has kept alive the chances of New Zealand golfers securing the top position on three majors tours in 2022.
While he might have finished eight shots behind this week’s winner, the significant lead Alker had built up as a result of an extraordinarily consistent season saw him hold off Harrington for the season long title.
With Ryan Fox within striking distance of leader, Rory McIlroy, in the race for DP World Tour honours with just this week’s DP World Tour Championship in Dubai to be decided, and Lydia Ko currently leading the Race to the Globe on the LPGA Tour with just this week’s CME Globe Tour Championship to play, New Zealand could well have completed a unique treble by this Sunday.
With Alker winning four times in 2022 including a major victory at the Senior PGA Championship and Harrington winning four events including the all-important US Senior Open, the pair have dominated the PGA Tour Champions this season but it would be Alker who emerged the champion for the season despite Harrington defeating him by eight today.
Alker’s earnings for 2022 (US$3,544,000) are now the second highest by any player in the history of the PGA Tour Champions, only Bernhard Langer earning more previously (US$3,677,000).
Alker won four times, was runner-up four times and on 13 occasions finished inside the top three.
“Yeah, amazing,” said Alker who lives in the Phoenix area. “Honestly, just having friends and family and the support here this week has been amazing. It will come out tomorrow sometime, but amazing. Playing with Padraig today, it was kind of difficult because do I chase him, do I protect. I just tried to play my game as good as I could, but he played amazing and just glad to be champion.”
When asked if there were nerves involved in his last round diel with Harrington Alker replied: “Yeah, sure, a little bit, especially as I said, trying to chase and win the tournament but trying to win the Schwab Cup as well. There was all these scenarios and what ifs. It was hard to keep focus on me and what I was doing, but just glad to have the finish I did, a couple birdies the last five there, so it was good.”
Alker will get to play his own National Open for the first time in several years when he tees it up at the New Zealand Open in early March in Queenstown and there will be a lot of interest in just how he manages against a younger field but given the dominance against some of the game’s greatest names at this level he should do well.
Queenslander Rod Pampling was the only Australian in the field this week and finished 25th in the select 33 player field. Pampling has completed another fine season on the PGA Tour Champions, finishing the year in 19th place in the Charles Schwab rankings with earnings over US$900,000.
SCORES
Ryan Fox sets up Dubai showdown with Rory McIlroy
Fox’s win at St Andrews several weeks ago played a key role in a thrilling finish to the season – photo Getty Images
Ryan Fox’s runner-up finish to Tommy Fleetwood at the Nedbank Challenge in Sun City overnight has set up the juicy scenario of a battle royale between the New Zealander and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlory when the two meet again at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai this Thursday.
Fox’s great week in South Africa has him now just 128 points behind the World Number 1 and a win in Dubai would elevate Fox to Europe’s leading ranked player of 2022, irrespective of what McIlroy is able to do himself.
If he was able to do so then Fox would become the first New Zealander to win the European Tour’s Order of Merit, surpassing the effort by Michael Campbell in 2005 when he finished runner-up to Colin Montgomerie that year.
Fox began the final round at Sun City three shots behind Thomas Detry and Rasmus Hogaard but clawed his way into the lead with five birdies before a missed 12 foot par saving putt at the last cost him a playoff.
Fleetwood, however, would win his first event since claiming this same title three years ago with a final round of 67 to hold off Fox.
“I played great, didn’t miss a shot until 18, would have liked to have played 18 better and make Tommy work a bit harder,” said Fox. It’s an incredibly tough golf course to play down the stretch.
“I felt like I hit good shots, gave myself chances. Our whole group played well, all of us were there or thereabouts with three holes to play and Tommy was the one that held it together. Fair play to him.
“Still, really happy, don’t think I’ve finished inside the top 50 in three starts here, so if you had given me second at the start of the week, I would have taken it.
“I could have done a little bit better, but if you had given me second and closing the gap by a decent amount on Rory at the start of the week, I would have taken it. Still got some work to do – he’s the number one player in the world for a reason.”
Fox added another €650,000 to his earnings for what has been a stunning season taking him beyond €3.25 million to date in 2022 with 2 victories, four runner-up finishes and one 3rd place. His career earnings in Europe are now beyond €7.5 million.
India’s Shubankar Sharma finished another shot back and alone in 3rd place after he bogeyed two of his last three holes to open the door for Fleetwood and Fox.
Of the other Australasians in the field, Min Woo Lee finished 8th this week and added another 122,000 to his earnings. Lee will also be in Dubai for the season-ender where the leading 50 points earners on the DP World Tour rankings assemble.
Lucas Herbert finished 25th this week and will miss out on a start in Dubai as he is in 59th place.
This week’s champion Tommy Fleetwood – photo Getty Images