Published - 1 week By - Tony Webeck
A career renaissance that has gone largely unnoticed now carries an extra element of gravitas after Queenslander Brad Kennedy secured the 2020/2021 ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.
The outbreak of the coronavirus in early 2020 caused significant disruptions to the Australasian tournament schedule but a run of six events in the space of eight weeks ensured the Order of Merit was completed and Kennedy could be pronounced its champion.
Winner of the New Zealand Open in March last year â the final event before the temporary suspension of the season â Kennedy added the inaugural event of The Players Series at Rosebud Country Club to his tally of season victories to go with two top-fives and a tie for seventh at last weekâs Golf Challenge NSW Open at Concord Golf Club.
Published - 4 weeks By - PGA Media
Andrew Martin has won his maiden ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia title with a two-stroke victory over Charlie Dann at #ThePlayersSeries Sydney presented by Cisco Webex.
Starting the final round tied for 14
th at 8-under the card, Martin took advantage of lighter winds than the previous three days to make eagle on the par-4 third hole before adding a birdie at the fourth.
A further three consecutive eagles on holes seven, eight and nine propelled the Bendigo local up the leaderboard to second place as he made the turn.
A birdie at 11 lowered his score further before adding a final birdie at 18 to go to a fourth round total of 10-under and the lead of The Players Series tournament at 18-under.
Philosophical about being run down by such an extraordinary round of golf - Martin scored four eagles in his first nine holes - Dann remained positive about his performance and took pride in delivering his best result in a PGA Tour of Australasia event. He s looking forward to returning to the Sunshine Coast and to playing at Pelican Waters, which is effectively his home course. He ll be joined by a host of Sunshine Coast golfers, including his close friend Shae Wools-Cobb, who also figured strongly in Sydney, finishing tied third after rounds of 64, 68, 70 and 67. Pelican Waters amateurs Chris Crabtree (67), Blaike Perkins (67) and Justin Morley (68) won their way into the field through pre-qualifying on Monday at Pelican Waters, while Noosa teaching pro Jimmy Douris pre-qualified at Virginia.
Frustrated by inconsistent putting for the first three weeks of the Victorian swing earlier in the year, Griffin made a slight adjustment prior to the final round of the Moonah Links PGA Classic, his Sunday 66 bettered only by eventual champion Bryden Macpherson.
A 15-footer for birdie at the par-4 fifth was the only putt of significance on Thursday as he assembled a relatively stress-free 7-under 64.
“I just had to play so well tee to green to have a decent score over those weeks,” said Griffin.
“Even starting today, once I rolled in a couple early you relax a bit with the putter and holed a few through the middle stages.”
Published - 1 month By - Tony Webeck
Rising Sydney star Stephanie Kyriacou claims the lead in her debut in The Players Series, Victorian Matthew Griffin rediscovers his putting touch and Blake Collyer steps out of the organic health food store to post the best round of his young professional career.
Stephanie Kyriacou (8-under, 63)
On the eagle to finish her round
“I hit a really, really good drive straight down the middle and then I had just over 200 to the pin. It was a little bit into the wind off the left and I just felt really good over the ball and hit the best 3-wood of my life to about four foot and then holed it.”