McIlroy – enjoys his third Dubai victory – photo Getty Images
Whatever way it is viewed, the final day of the 2023 Hero Dubai Desert Classic became a tournament promoter’s dream.
The two protagonists in a petty spat earlier in the week, Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed, found themselves head to head against each other over the closing nine holes of the event, McIlroy finding it hard to contain his glee when holing a 14 foot sliding downhill left to right putt at the 72nd hole to take the title by one over Reed.
Reed had approached McIlroy, his caddie and his coach on the driving range on Tuesday to seemingly break some ice that had been developing essentially over Reed’s involvement with LIV Golf and McIlroy’s opposition to it and the pursuit of legal action by Reed’s legal team on McIlroy.
While McIlroy’s caddie shook Reed’s hand, McIlroy essentially snubbed Reed and, as he walked away, Reed threw a tee in McIlroy’s direction. It was perhaps more innocent than it was made out to be but clearly became the subject of a lot of media speculation and a source of tension throughout the week.
So to Monday, which had developed into the final day of the event due to weather disruptions earlier in the week.
Reed, playing in the second to last group, began the final round four shots behind McIlroy but through 13 holes he was 7 under for the round and had drawn level with the Northern Irishman. Both players dropped at shot over the closing holes but birdies at the 17th and 18th by McIlroy saw him move ahead of Reed who had drawn level again when he birdied the last.
McIlroy, who needed to make birdie or better at the 72nd hole to win and avoid a playoff, missed the fairway and, in fact, was lucky to not find the water along the right side of the fairway in the landing zone for a long drive. He was unable to get enough club on the awkward lie to allow him to seriously consider taking on the water short of the green and so layed up to 90 yards and then pitched to 14 feet.
Needing putt to win, McIlroy steeled himself and holed the snaking putt to take his third Dubai Desert Classic title.
McIlroy was doing his best to contain his emotions after the win but it was hard to ignore his clear satisfaction in getting across the line and his need to put the much discussed issues aside. It might be a bit much to suggest but it was to some extent a win by the non-LIV Golf fraternity over LIV.
“I think mentally today was probably one of the toughest rounds I’ve ever had to play because it would be really easy to let your emotions get in the way and I just had to really concentrate on focusing on myself. Forget who was up there on the leaderboard, and I did that really, really well.
“I really feel like I haven’t had my best all week but I just managed my game so well and played really smart. Even that second shot at the last there, you know, I was in two minds. I probably could have got to the green but seeing what happened yesterday and what happened last year, giving myself a wedge to try to get up-and-down to try to get the win.
“Just ecstatic that I gave myself an opportunity the first week back out and yeah again as I said I managed my game well. I definitely feel like there’s tons of room for improvement but it’s a great start to the year.
“I feel like I showed a lot of mental strength out there today, and again, something to really build on for the rest of the year.”
Reed is very much a polarizing figure but whatever your stand is on the rights and wrongs of the way he goes about his business that he was able to force McIlroy to birdie the last to win in such a dramatic week tells the story of an incredibly tough character.
Three LIV golfers finished inside the top ten. Reed, Ian Poulter(6th) and Henrik Stenson (8th) added fuel to the fire of an ongoing debate.
Australian Lucas Herbert, the winner of this event three years ago, produced a final round of 66 to finish alone in third position and two from the winner.
Herbert was playing his first event of 2023 after finishing 2022 with a top 10 at the Australian Open after a messy finish to his final round when contending for the title.
Herbert improves form 67th to 53rd in the world ranking.
“Yeah, it’s promising signs,” said Herbert. “It still feels like there’s some work to do and I can get better than what I produced this week. So that’s exciting. You know, to finish third here in this quality field or second or fourth or wherever it finishes, to do that in sort of quality field, I think it’s good signs ahead for 2023.
“I’m happy with that finish. I felt like we were probably almost playing for second going into the day. It’s pretty hard to spot Rory five shots and try and chase him down to win a tournament.”
SCORES
Mike Hendry turns back to clock to lead the Vic Open
Mike Hendry in the zone today – photo Australian Golf Media
New Zealand’s Michael Hendry has made a brilliant start to the Vic Open at 13th Beach on the Bellarine Peninsula, adding a second round of 62 to his opening 66 and, at 18 under, he begins the weekend two shots clear of Gold Coast based Victorian, Deyen Lawson, with another two back to Queensland’s Gavin Fairfax.
Hendry, who has been a regular on the Japan Tour over the last ten years but now without full status there following a disappointing year in 2022 when returning from Covid restrictions, put together ten birdies over the Creek Course layout today to take control in a quest to win his first event since an emotional win in his own national open in 2017.
Lawson recently won his first PGA Tour of Australasian event when successful at the West Australian Open in November but he is without status on any other tour besides his home tour and the opportunity to improve on his current 8th position on the PGA Tour of Australasian Order of Merit could well yield dividends for the 42 year old.
Another shot back and in a share of 5th place are the former PGA Tour player, Australian Amateur Champion and Australian Tour Champion, Mathew Goggin, who has only recently returned to tournament golf after a lengthy period away from the game while involved in golf course development in his home state of Tasmania.
Goggin has also finished runner-up in numerous events including the Australian Open and PGA Championships, the Australian Masters and, on the PGA Tour, the Memorial and Western Opens. Perhaps however Goggin’s best-ever performance was when 5th at the Open Championship at Turnberry in 2009 behind Stewart Cink.
The Women’s Vic Open is being led by Sunshine Coast golfer, Cassie Porter, who at the halfway stage has opened up a five shot lead over Thailand’s Pavarisa Yoktuan.
Porter’s second round of 64 was the best of the week to date, bettering the previous best set of 66 set by herself on Thursday.
Cassie Porter – photo Australian Golf Media
Men’s Scores
Women’s scores
Richard Green makes PGA Tour Champions debut in Morocco
Richard Green – the leading qualifier at Q School gets his chance
Australia’s Richard Green gets his first opportunity to test his wares on the PGA Tour Champions as a cardholder when he tees it up in this week’s Trophee Hassan 11 Championship over the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam layout in Rabat in Morocco.
Green, who was so impressive in winning the PGA Tour Champions Tour School in December after earlier winning the first stage of qualifying, has been a three time winner on the European Tour, a winner of the Australian Masters and several times runner-up in other events and he now gets his chance to tackle the riches of the PGA Tour Champions.
Green has mainly played events on the Australasian Tour in recent times without a lot of success but the manner in which he handled the demanding qualifying process suggests he may well be yet another star from this part of the world on the PGA Tour Champions following the unbelievable success of New Zealand’s Steve Alker over the past eighteen months.
Alker was originally in this week’s field, but the passing of his caddie Sam Workman from cancer earlier this week has seen Alker withdraw.
Other Australasians in the field include Robert Allenby, Mark Hensby, David McKenzie, Rod Pampling and John Senden.
Steve Alker and caddie Sam Workman who passed away this week
Popular Vic Open gets underway Thursday
Two time winner Dimi Papdatos – looking to continue success at 13th Beach
One of the PGA Tour of Australasia’s more popular events, the Vic Open, begins at the 13th Beach Golf Club’s two course facility on Thursday, the event highlighting two separate events for women and men, both playing for separate purses of A420,000.
The figure pales in comparison to the A1.6 million on offer in previous years when jointly sanctioned with the then European Tour but nevertheless the venue and format, which includes the men and women’s events being played concurrently, has proven popular since moving to the Bellarine Peninsula from Spring Valley in 2013.
Dimi Papadatos will defend the title he won by a narrow one shot over New Zealander Ben Campbell, the women’s event won last year by Hannah Green who won her first Australian title as a professional when she took that title by six shots over Gold Coast golfer, Karis Davidson.
For Papadatos, it was his second Vic Open title and his 5th as a professional having previously won in 2017.
Papadatos again embarked on a campaign in Europe in 2022 following his win but there was not a lot to get excited about as he played both Challenge and DP World Tour events but he has an affinity with the layouts at the Creek and Beach courses at 13th beach and might do well again.
It may however be some of the emerging young players who end up as contenders by week’s end and the likes David Micheluzzi, Elvis Smylie, an improving Shae Wools Cobb and Hayden Hopewell might make their presence felt.
Green not only won this event twelve months ago but she would win the following week in a mixed Australasian Tour event (the TPS Murray River) and went on to record several top tens on the LPGA Tour and is currently the 19th ranked player in the Rolex World Rankings.
Green is not in this week’s field however and the women are headed in terms of world ranking by Korea’s Ji Yai Shin, a still prolific performer on the Japan and Korean LPGA Tours. Shin has also an excellent record in Australia having won the 2013 Australian Women’s Open, the RACV Ladies Masters and the Actew AGL event in Canberra. The two time Women’s British Open champion is a formidable force and the event is fortunate to have a player of her standing in the field.
Others of note are last week’s winner of the TPS Murray event, Sarah Jane Smith, TPS Victoria winner, Min Yoon, and LPGA players Grace Kim, last year’s runner-up Karis Davidson, Sarah Kemp, Su Oh and the legendary Karrie Webb.
MEN’S FIELD
WOMEN’S FIELD
Sarah Jane Smith wins first event in 15 years
Sarah Jane Smith – photo Australian Golf Media
A stunning weekend including rounds of 63 and 65 have given US based Queenslander, Sarah Jane Smith, a five-shot victory over Australians Shae Wools-Cobb and Andrew Martin at the TPS Murray River event at the Cobram Barooga OLD Course on the NSW Victorian Border.
It is the second consecutive win by a woman in a TPS PGA Tour of Australasia event following on from the victory of Min Yoon at the Rosebud Country Club last week.
The win provided the 38 year old with her first professional victory since her win in New York on the LPGA Tour’s feeder tour in 2008 and just her second as a professional.
Smith, one of Australian female golf’s best players as an amateur, turned professional in 2004 and gained LPGA Tour status a year later and although she has managed to retain her playing privileges to the LPGA Tour in many of the years since, she is currently without status there and so this win is a great boost as she looks to sustain her professional career.
After a poor season on the LPGA Tour last year after narrowly regaining her playing rights at the end of 2021, Smith made the decision not to attend the Tour School in December and so returned to the Sunshine Coast where she spent time with highly regarded coach Grant Field whose many other clients include Cameron Smith.
“I didn’t feel done at the end of last year, but I knew I wasn’t in the right place for (LPGA) Tour school,” said Smith. “I thought I’d come home, play the Aussie Open, it worked out that I could see Grant, spend some time with him.
“He’s been drumming into me that ‘it’s not over unless I want it to be’. To see everything come together this quickly is incredible. Because I was basically done at the end of last year, unless something changed drastically. I’m pretty happy, a little bit surprised with this.
“Grant gave me one thing that made me feel good all day. He told me to enjoy the (expletive) out of it, but he told me ‘just because you feel different doesn’t mean the skills won’t be the same’. That’s something I’ve felt when I was nervous before, I worried it would go away. I’d hit one bad shot and it would snowball. Today I kept repeating that, reminding myself that just because I felt like that, it wasn’t going to be any different.”
The win is worth A$45,000 to Smith and although she has earnings of close to A$3 million in the US, the money earned today will be both a boost of finances and confidence.
RESULTS
Hillier and Fox make weekend at Ras Al Kaimah Championship
Daniel Hillier – steady start to his DP World career – file photo
Perhaps surprisingly, there were just two Australasians in the field for the Ras Al Khaimah Championship in the UAE, one of them a previous winner at this venue, Ryan Fox, and the other New Zealand DP World Tour rookie, Daniel Hillier, and at the halfway stage of the event, both are tied for 23rd and six shots from the lead.
Fox began his quest to win at the Al Hamra GC for the second time in twelve months at this venue on Thursday with a round of 67 but, although he was well enough placed through eight holes of round two, he dropped four shots in his next three holes to slip out of contention. He recovered with late birdies but the damage was already done and he will need something very special over the final 36 holes if he is to chase down the leaders.
Hillier added a round of 69 to his opening 70 and in just his 5th start as a DP World Tour cardholder after gaining such status via the Challenge Tour in 2022, he has now made all five cuts.
The leaders, current Australian Open Champion Adrian Meronk, Scotland’s David Law and Rasmus Højgaard are tied at the top at 11 under and one clear, Højgaard looking to become the first of a brotherly pair to win the same European Tour title.
Højgaard’s brother Nicolai won this title twelve months ago.
SCORES
Leishman contends in Saudi Arabia Smith misses cut
Abraham Ancer – photo Asian Tour
The top of the leaderboard in the opening event of the 2023 Asian Tour season, the US$5 million PIF Saudi International, is littered with LIV Golf members but there are plenty of others within striking distance who might take an opportunity to grab the riches of one of the Asian Tour’s most lucrative event.
Mexico’s Abraham Ancer leads by one over American Cameron Young but in a share of 3rd place and three shots from Ancer are Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana, Australian Marc Leishman and South African Louis Ooosthuizen.
Leishman’s fellow Australian but not a LIV Golf member, Lucas Herbert, is another shot back in 6th place.
Ten Australians made the cut but one who did not was Cameron Smith who despite improving four shots from his opening round of 73 missed out by two shots on making it to the weekend.
Leishman who has been out of form in recent times played in the stunning morning conditions of day two and took full advantage. The highlight of his second round was a holed shot from the fairway at the 10th.
“Hit a 3-iron off the tee and then had perfect yardage with my gap wedge,” said Leishman. “Hit a good shot, landed about a foot past it, a foot right of it, and spun back into the hole. They’re sort of unexpected, but it’s nice when they happen.
“Yeah, really happy. Yesterday to have two under in that weather was pretty pleasing. Then to come out this morning and to put a low one on the board in more benign conditions was pretty satisfying as well. Happy with the start.”
SCORES
Matias Sanchez leads by three at TPS Murray River
Matias Sanchez – photo Australian Golf Media
Victorian 24 year old, Matias Sanchez, has a three shot lead as the TPS Murray River In Honour of Jarrod Lyle event enters the weekend at the Cobram Barooga OLD Course on the border of NSW and Victoria.
Sanchez, a former (2017) Australian Amateur Champion, has struggled in the professional ranks and in fact had missed two of his last three cuts before this week but his round of 64 today which included six birdies and an eagle gave little evidence of the struggles he has endured of late.
“I’m just holing putts so far this week,” said Sanchez. “I’ve been hitting it really good for a while, but I haven’t been making putts at all in the last few months. To hole some today and yesterday has been very nice,” Sanchez said.
“I’ve been hitting a lot of low balls off the tee and keep it in play. Not doing anything silly off the tee and trying to hit the perfect shot. For me, keeping it in play is paying dividends this week.”
In second place alone at present is Queenslander Shae Wools-Coob, yet another product of the successful Sunshine Coast coach, Grant Field.
Like Sanchez the transition to the professional ranks has not been easy for the 26 year old Wools Cobb and two late bogeys put a dampener on his round to some extent but there have been encouraging signs for him over the first two days.
The improving Todd Power Horan and highly talented Perth golfer, Hayden Hopewell, are next are at 7 under and five from the lead of Sanchez.
Victorian Brett Coletta is next in a share of 5th place with the leading women Sarah Jane Smith and American Emma Talley.
SCORES
McIlroy edges Reed in Dubai Herbert 3rd
McIlroy – enjoys his third Dubai victory – photo Getty Images
Whatever way it is viewed, the final day of the 2023 Hero Dubai Desert Classic became a tournament promoter’s dream.
The two protagonists in a petty spat earlier in the week, Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed, found themselves head to head against each other over the closing nine holes of the event, McIlroy finding it hard to contain his glee when holing a 14 foot sliding downhill left to right putt at the 72nd hole to take the title by one over Reed.
Reed had approached McIlroy, his caddie and his coach on the driving range on Tuesday to seemingly break some ice that had been developing essentially over Reed’s involvement with LIV Golf and McIlroy’s opposition to it and the pursuit of legal action by Reed’s legal team on McIlroy.
While McIlroy’s caddie shook Reed’s hand, McIlroy essentially snubbed Reed and, as he walked away, Reed threw a tee in McIlroy’s direction. It was perhaps more innocent than it was made out to be but clearly became the subject of a lot of media speculation and a source of tension throughout the week.
So to Monday, which had developed into the final day of the event due to weather disruptions earlier in the week.
Reed, playing in the second to last group, began the final round four shots behind McIlroy but through 13 holes he was 7 under for the round and had drawn level with the Northern Irishman. Both players dropped at shot over the closing holes but birdies at the 17th and 18th by McIlroy saw him move ahead of Reed who had drawn level again when he birdied the last.
McIlroy, who needed to make birdie or better at the 72nd hole to win and avoid a playoff, missed the fairway and, in fact, was lucky to not find the water along the right side of the fairway in the landing zone for a long drive. He was unable to get enough club on the awkward lie to allow him to seriously consider taking on the water short of the green and so layed up to 90 yards and then pitched to 14 feet.
Needing putt to win, McIlroy steeled himself and holed the snaking putt to take his third Dubai Desert Classic title.
McIlroy was doing his best to contain his emotions after the win but it was hard to ignore his clear satisfaction in getting across the line and his need to put the much discussed issues aside. It might be a bit much to suggest but it was to some extent a win by the non-LIV Golf fraternity over LIV.
“I think mentally today was probably one of the toughest rounds I’ve ever had to play because it would be really easy to let your emotions get in the way and I just had to really concentrate on focusing on myself. Forget who was up there on the leaderboard, and I did that really, really well.
“I really feel like I haven’t had my best all week but I just managed my game so well and played really smart. Even that second shot at the last there, you know, I was in two minds. I probably could have got to the green but seeing what happened yesterday and what happened last year, giving myself a wedge to try to get up-and-down to try to get the win.
“Just ecstatic that I gave myself an opportunity the first week back out and yeah again as I said I managed my game well. I definitely feel like there’s tons of room for improvement but it’s a great start to the year.
“I feel like I showed a lot of mental strength out there today, and again, something to really build on for the rest of the year.”
Reed is very much a polarizing figure but whatever your stand is on the rights and wrongs of the way he goes about his business that he was able to force McIlroy to birdie the last to win in such a dramatic week tells the story of an incredibly tough character.
Three LIV golfers finished inside the top ten. Reed, Ian Poulter(6th) and Henrik Stenson (8th) added fuel to the fire of an ongoing debate.
Australian Lucas Herbert, the winner of this event three years ago, produced a final round of 66 to finish alone in third position and two from the winner.
Herbert was playing his first event of 2023 after finishing 2022 with a top 10 at the Australian Open after a messy finish to his final round when contending for the title.
Herbert improves form 67th to 53rd in the world ranking.
“Yeah, it’s promising signs,” said Herbert. “It still feels like there’s some work to do and I can get better than what I produced this week. So that’s exciting. You know, to finish third here in this quality field or second or fourth or wherever it finishes, to do that in sort of quality field, I think it’s good signs ahead for 2023.
“I’m happy with that finish. I felt like we were probably almost playing for second going into the day. It’s pretty hard to spot Rory five shots and try and chase him down to win a tournament.”
SCORES
Jason Day back inside top 100
Jason Day – file photo
Jason Day’s share of 7th place at this past week’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in Southern California has seen the 35 year old re-enter the top 100 in the world ranking for the first time since the Players Championship last year, working his way back from outside the top 160 when missing the cut at the Fortinet Championship in September.
Day’s finish at one of his favourite venues over the weekend should see him just inside the top 90 when the rankings are revised later today and while a long way from the giddy heights of world number one in 2016, he is headed in the right direction.
Day’s final round of 68 over a layout where he has won a World Junior Championship and two Farmer’s Insurance Opens improved him from 15th overnight to share 7th place with the in-form Jon Rahm who struggled to a final round 74.
I think the week was nice,” said Day. “I had a lot of good memories from this tournament and the golf course itself, so to be able to come in off last week’s good play and then kind of back it up to this week was nice. So I’ve got a week off coming up and then Phoenix and L.A.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s still not quite 100 percent because there’s some shots like yesterday coming down the stretch, I hit a bunch right. There’s just like I’ve got to kind of work out the tendencies and where does the game go in competition, especially the swing.
“Some of it’s good, some of it’s bad, some of it’s in between, but like you’ve just got to get it in the hole at the end of the day when you play competition and I felt like I kind of managed my game pretty well the last two weeks.”
“I’m really looking forward to taking this next week off just to kind of really smash the swing out, try and get into Phoenix with it — I mean, I’m going to go see Chris (Como his coach) down in Phoenix for a couple days before the tournament, which is nice. It’s always good to have like hands-on work with him.
“You know, it’s all positive stuff. I think the game is moving in the right direction that the whole 2 team wants it to move in. I think it’s a good start to the year, I’ve just got to like kind of take the positives and just keep moving forward.”
SCORES
Women golfer, Min A Yoon, takes Australasian Tour event
The first PGA Tour of Australasia event of 2023 has been won by female golfer, Min A Yoon, the Korean’s final round of 63 earning her a one shot victory over local golfer James Marchesani with a further two shots back to 20 year old Gold Coast golfer, Elvis Smylie, David Micheluzzi and Nathan Barbieri.
It was an intense final round battle with as many as five players tied for the lead early in the second nine with Gold Coast golfer Smylie’s round of 64 giving him the clubhouse lead an hour or so ahead of the final group. Smylie, yet to win an event in his two year professional career, finished runner-up in this event two years ago before turning professional.
Yoon, Marchesani, Micheluzzi and Barbieri were still on the course however and it would be the 20 year old Yoon, ranked 813 in the Rolex World Ranking, who stamped her authority on the event with four birdies and an eagle early in her back nine to open a two shot lead.
Marchesani became Yoon’s biggest threat but he fell one short and finished runner-up on his own with a further two shots back to Smylie, Micheluzzi and Barbieri.
Yoon who plays the Futures Tour in the US without a lot of success, recording not one top twenty in 14 starts there in 2022, earns a very important A45,000 as her 18% of the 250,000 purse.
The event begins a series of events for the PGA Tour of Australasia in Australia and New Zealand over the next two months, the next of those being the TPS Murray River in honour of Jarrod Lyle event beginning this Thursday.
SCORES