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THE Australian Women’s Open Golf Championship has received a big boost with news of a new two year naming rights sponsorship deal.

Dr Haruhisa Handa, the golf loving Japanese businessman who also sponsors the Australian Senior Open Golf Championship, has added the Women’s Open to the growing list of worldwide tournaments he sponsors.

The HANDA Women’s Australian Open will take place at the Commonwealth Golf Club in Melbourne from 11-14 March 2010.

Golf Australia CEO Stephen Pitt welcomed Dr Handa and said it would build tremendous excitement for what was already shaping to be a world-class championship.

“This is wonderful news for our championship,” Pitt said.

“Dr Handa has been involved in Australian golf for many years and we’re delighted that our national women’s championship will receive Dr Handa’s enthusiastic support over the coming two years.”

“The HANDA Women’s Australian Open continues to grow.  Early indications are that we will have perhaps the best field ever assembled for this championship. We are equally delighted that Commonwealth has agreed to host a major championship for the first time since 1967,” Pitt said.

Dr Handa’s support of golf was acknowledged further last week when he was made an official Patron of Golf Australia.

An accomplished composer, calligrapher, author, motivational speaker and opera singer, Dr Handa is the Honorary Chairman of the US LPGA Legends Tour.

He is also an advisor to the European Senior Tour and as well as currently sponsoring the Australian Senior Open and Australia Cup, recently announced his intention to sponsor four new events on the European Seniors Tour.

Dr Handa said he was pleased to be able continue his commitment to golf at all levels.

“It is my great honour to ensure the continuation of this significant event on the Australian golfing calendar and to continue my support of women’s golf in Australia,” Dr Handa said.

“I am already a strong supporter of women’s golf in the United States, through my involvement with the LPGA Legends Tour. The addition of the Women’s Australian Open to my sponsorship portfolio highlights my continued commitment to supporting golf at all levels. This includes my ongoing support of International Blind Golf and junior golf.”

Dr Handa has become the most significant personal (non-corporate) contributor to golf in Australia.

Golf Australia also confirmed the prize money for the Women’s Australian Open has increased to AU$600,000.

“We are absolutely committed to taking this championship to greater heights each year and increasing the prize money is an important element of that,” Pitt said.

PETER SENIOR has streeted the field to claim the 2009 Fiducian Australian PGA Seniors Championship at Byron Bay Golf Club.

Senior finished the 54 hole tournament at nine-under par and eight shots ahead of Michael Harwood and Larry Canning.

It was his first major senior Australian golf title and will be a big boost as he heads to the lucrative US Champions Tour in the new year.

Senior has had a major impact since turning 50 in July, recording two seconds and a fourth at his first three outings on the European Senior Tour, being beaten by Michael Harwood in a playoff for the Australian Senior Open title in Perth, and winning the Champions Tour’s National Qualifying Tournament at TPC Scottsdale in the US.

Senior’s Byron Bay win was set up with a superb nine under par second round on Saturday.

His round of 63 was a flawless display of shot making, hitting all the par fives in two shots, and recording a total of nine birdies.

First round leader Michael Harwood was still well in contention on Saturday evening, with a five under par round of 67 under his belt to sit at seven-under par and two shots back from Senior.

From the start of the final day it always seemed to be a race in two, with Michael Harwood the only player within seven shots of the lead. Senior quickly extended his lead to six shots as Harwood dropped four shots in the first nine holes.

Senior’s final round of even par was never going to be headed on a day where strong wind and rain inhibited scoring.

“All in all I played pretty well. From tee to green it was pretty good,” Senior said.

“Towards the end of today the fairways got water-logged, and we were actually pretty lucky to get finished,” he said.

In the difficult conditions, Senior’s 72 was the second best of the day, only to be outdone by equal second place getter Larry Canning (71).

The Fiducian Australian PGA Seniors Championship was the final event of the year and while Michael Harwood did not take the spoils at Byron Bay, he was a runaway winner of the Australian Seniors Order of Merit and also was awarded Rookie of the Year honours at the presentation dinner.

In their first few months opposing each other on the senior golf circuit, Senior and Harwood seem to be building a real arch rivalry.

As Harwood said after winning the Australian Open playoff in October: “It’s great to win an Aussie Senior Open title, but even better to beat Peter Senior cause he is an unbelievable player.”

Final Scores Top 10

Player Name Position Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 TOTAL

1 Peter A Senior QLD 1 72 63 72 207

2 Larry Canning NSW T 2 75 70 71 216

3 Michael Harwood VIC T 2 70 67 79 216

4 Michael A Ferguson QLD 4 77 68 72 217

5 Hugh F. Dolan QLD 5 76 67 75 218

6 David G Merriman NSW T 6 73 72 74 219

7 Garth Domigan NZ T 6 70 72 77 219

8 Brett A. Officer QLD 8 76 72 73 221

9 John T. Clifford NSW T 9 79 69 75 223

10 Craig Owen NZ T 9 73 72 78 223

MICHAEL HARWOOD is continuing his dream debut seniors year and is joint leader of the Fiducian Australian PGA Seniors Championship at Byron Bay Golf Club after the first round.

Harwood and New Zealander Garth Domigan were sitting at two under par after rounds of 70 on an opening day when strong, hot winds firmed the greens and tested a field containing the cream of Australian senior golf.

Harwood and Domigan were the only players to record under-par rounds on the challenging and picturesque northern NSW coastal course.

Harwood is striving to quinella the Australian Senior “majors”, having already won the Handa Australian Senior Open at Royal Perth in October.

Harwood has had a stellar year since turning 50, claiming the European Seniors Tour Rookie of the Year honours after finishing 9th on the Money List.

He won the season ending OKI Castellon Senior Tour Championship in Spain by 3 strokes, his first professional tournament win in 18 years.

In his rookie year on the Australian Legends Tour, Harwood has amassed over $75,000 in prize money, nearly double that of his nearest competitor.

Domigan is hoping to build on his performance last year in the PGA Seniors Championship when he was tied for the lead heading into the final round.

His disappointing final round of 83 saw him drift into eighth position.

Peter Senior is sitting in third position two shots behind the leaders after blowing a promising start.

He jumped out of the blocks early starting his round with two consecutive birdies but could not capitalise, giving the two shots back with bogeys at 3 and 7.

2007 Australian PGA Senior Champion David Merriman made a solid start to the tournament with a one over par 73 while defending champion Noel Ratcliffe struggled with a 77.

Round two of the 54 hole event continues on Saturday with tee times from 6:30am.

Round One Leaderboard

AUSTRALIA’S Stefan Albinski has won the individual 2009 Senior Amateur Championship of the Asia Pacific in Sabah, Malaysia but the Australian team in the Asia Pacific Seniors Championship has been beaten by New Zealand.

The Aussies were defending champions but couldn’t overcome a Kiwi outfit that has had the wood on them in a number of individual and team events throughout the year.

The Kiwis took a two stroke lead into the final round of the 54 hole championship at the Karambunai Golf Course and proved too strong for their cross Tasman arch rivals, eventually extending the winning margin to 8 shots.

A number of the Australian team battled through some illness and heat related disorders thoughout the week but no one was making excuses.

This included Albinksi, who arrived from Hong Kong – where he had added the Hong Kong Seniors title to his growing championship belt – with tummy troubles.

In the final round, Albinski led the Austra;ians with a 74 followed by Greg Corben (77), Denis Dale (78) Ross Percy and Grahame MacDonald (79) and Brian Sams (81). The New Zealanders again carded consistent scores with three 75s (Rodney Barltrop, Ian Donaldson and Eric Brodie) followed by Martin Webber (77) John Sanders (78) and Murray Martin (82).

The Australians, after winning last year, were left ruing a disappointing team result. With the exception of Albinski and a good opening round from Grahame MacDonald the scores were not up to the ability of the players selected.

Denis Dale, writing on the AUSOOM website, said although the greens were tricky and some players struggled physically it was the same for all teams.

“Simply put, this was not the Australian team’s year. Well done New Zealand,” Dale wrote.

In the prestigious individual title section, Albinski beat New Zealand’s Martin Webber by one stroke.
After teeing off in the final round two strokes behind, Albinski played even par golf and had a two stroke lead entering the back nine.

However, a double bogey at 14 followed by a bogey on 15 saw his lead erased and the two rivals were all square playing seventeen.
Showing the class that has helped Albinski to a number of senior titles, he lifted both his game and his concentration and reached the long par 5 in two great shots to take the lead with a birdie.

When both players parred the tricky eighteenth the individual championship belonged to second successive year.
Next year the Asia Pacific Seniors Championship will be held in Thailand in the last week of November. All who make the team will have a chance to reclaim the team trophy and perhaps watch Stefan Albinski make it three in a row.

Leading Teams:
1. New Zealand
2. Australia
3. The Philippines
4. Hong Kong
5. India
6. Taiwan
7. Malaysia

Leading Individuals (not all scores listed):
222 Stefan Albinski 72-76-74 (AUS)
223 Martin Webber 74-72-77 (NZ) 226 Eric Brodie 78-73-75 (NZ)
232 Rodney Barltrop 79-78-75 (NZ)
233 Grahame MacDonald 74-80-79 (AUS)
233 Greg Corben 80-76-77 (AUS)
235 Ian Donaldson 82-78-75 (NZ)
236 Brian Sams 79-76-81 (AUS)
236 Iggy Clavecilla 82-74-80 (Phil)
238 Murray Martin 79-77-82 (NZ)
238 Ross Percy 79-80-79 (AUS)

ROBERT ALLENBY has cruised to a four shot win at the Australian PGA Championship at Coolum with a second straight five under par 66 to finish at 14 under.

Wearing what this year has become a final round tradition for him – a pink shirt in honour of his departed mother Sylvia – Allenby never really gave the field of Australian golf stars snapping at his heals a look in.

Allenby now joins an elite group of Australian goflers with with four or more PGA Championships, including the likes of Kel Nagle, Norman Von Nida and Bill Dunk.

He had already claimed the Kirkwood Cup in 2000, 2001 and 2005, the last time when he bagged the triple crown of Australian golf with wins also in the Australian Open and Masters.

A week after ending a four-year title drought by defeating Henrik Stenson in a play off at the lucrative Nedbank Challenge in South Africa, Allenby’s late decision to add the PGA Championship to his schedule paid handsome dividends as he grabbed five birdies and never surrendered the lead on the final day.

“I did what I had to do, from the first hole to the last hole,” an elated Allenby said.

“I knew I had some very, very tough competitors behind me and I had a lot of respect for them.”

“So I tried to just pace myself, I tried to hit as many fairways as I could, I tried to hit as many greens as I could.”

“And that’s what I did all day, I just felt totally in control on every shot.”

“It’s a nice feeling to win in that fashion … and the birdie at 15 was nice and then obviously the birdie at 17, it’s always nice to come down the last with a four-shot lead.”

“I was pretty consistent but to do it under the gun in the final round, that’s pretty special.”

2006 Australian Open champion John Senden and 2009 Volvo China Open Champion Scott Strange - who finished third last year - had to settle for a share of second at minus-10, Senden closing with a 67 while Strange shot 69 and Victorian Marc Leishman closed with a 68 for outright fourth at nine-under.

One shot further back were 2006 PGA winner Nick O’Hern (67) and rising star Michael Sim (70) in equal fifth, with Rod Pampling (65), defending champion Geoff Ogilvy (71), Stuart Appleby (68) and New Zealander Josh Geary (68) rounding out the top 10 on minus-seven.

Topping off massive year where he claimed three Nationwide Tour victories to earn an immediate promotion to the US Tour, Sim’s result earned him the 2009 Norman Von Nida Order of Merit Medal for topping the money list, which also brought him entry into the 2009 Open Championship.

 ”Obviously this Order of Merit title gets me into the World Golf Championships events in the (United) States and I think my world ranking’s going to get below 50 which is going to get me into the (US) Masters next year,” Sim said.

“It’s been a big season, I’ve had three wins on the Nationwide Tour and I’m really looking forward to an exciting season next year.”

FRESH from his South African victory, three time champion Robert Allenby leads the Australian PGA Championship by a stroke from fellow Aussies Greg Chalmers and Scott Strange after 54 holes.

The final round on Sunday is shaping as a beauty with an ominously looming Geoff Ogilvy, Australian Open winner Adam Scott and young gun Michael Sim just two shots further back.

Still feeling the pinch from his long flight back from winning the Nedbank Challenge, Allenby cashed in on ideal conditions with little wind and overnight rain that softened the greens by signing for a five-under 66 that leaves him on minus nine overall.

With the possibility of thunderstorms on Saturday night, Allenby is unlikely to have it all his own way on the final day with Chalmers (67) and Strange (68) breathing down his neck and Ogilvy (70), Scott (68) and Sim (65) also within striking distance.

Victorian Marc Leishman (66) and 2006 Australian Open champion John Senden (67) also threaten just three shots adrift on six under and Victorians Cameron Percy (67) and Matt Griffin (73) round out the top 10 on minus five.

Having only made the decision to contest the event two weeks ago, Allenby’s choice is close to paying huge dividends after he assumed top spot on the leaderboard. But the 38-year-old also later lamented some missed opportunities. 

“I think every day could have been better, even today,” Allenby said.

“Today was a good day and a good result at the end of today, making a couple of birdies on the last couple of holes was nice.”

 ”I played solid all day … (but) the greens were a bit sticky today, bit grainy, it was probably all of the rain that we had early this morning and definitely slowed up the greens.”

 The $AUD1.5 million  Australian PGA Championship presented by Coca-Cola is the final event on the 2009 Australasian and OneAsia Tours and will determine the Norman Von Nida Order of Merit Media winner and the inaugural OneAsia Order of Merit Champion.

Our (Saturday Evening) Tip: Geoff Ogilvy to storm home.

THE Australian PGA Championship is underway at the Hyatt Regency Coolum with Korean golfer Min-Kyu Han taking an early lead with a course record nine under par 62.

Han shot an incredible 11 birdies on the newly designed layout and is four strokes ahead of Queensland’s Ryan Haller who fired a five under 66 to be in outright second place with five Australians including Stuart Appleby, Scott Strange, Matthew Griffin, Andrew Dodt and Henry Epstein all a further shot back and tied for third place.

All eyes were on 26 year old Han, who is making just his second trip to Australia and his first to play professionally.

Han needed just 21 putts to complete his round, with only back-to-back bogeys at the 18th and then 1st preventing him going even lower. 

“I feel like almost in Heaven,” Han said after his round.

“Its not easy out there.  It’s a very good course.

“Maybe I’m like Tiger Woods today”, he said tongue in cheek. “I don’t know, maybe my body has Tiger Woods brain in there!”

Australian Open champion Adam Scott threatened to shoot a low score, particularly when he collected four birdies to the turn but a mixed run home left him alongside fellow Aussies Greg Chalmers, Stephen Dartnall and Bronson La’Cassie, Kiwi Tim Wilkinson and Shih-ching Chan of Chinese Taipei with 68.

Australian PGA Championship Leaderboard

“It’s about bloody time Adam.”

Those personal words muttered by Greg Norman to Adam Scott after handing his protégé the Stonehaven Cup perhaps best sum up the young Queenslander’s first major win on home soil.

It has been a long time coming and nobody knows that better than Scott.

“It has been close down here before, but I never got over the line. I think that makes this even sweeter and it also being the Aussie Open, just means that little bit more,” Scott said.

Scott had said all week he ranked winning the Australian Open just one rung below winning a major.

To win it at the end of a year he had previously described a “shitty” just further reinforced the bizarre nature of golf.

The American golf media are fond of making lists like “Top ten golfers who haven’t won a major” and in those lists Scott has long come top or near to it.

In fact, lately he has probably slipped on those lists just like he slipped from World No 3 to No 54.

His five stroke victory over a valiant Stuart Appleby on Sunday at the New South Wales Golf Club got at least one of those monkeys off his back.

“An Aussie Open for an Australian, that’s what you want on the shelf,” Scott said.

Referring to the many names of golfing greats on the trophy (including the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Peter Thomson, Greg Norman and Tom Watson) he was obviously checking out on the cup during the presentation ceremony he said:  “I’m very proud to be a part of that group for a lot of reasons, but I think there are only probably a few trophies in the world outside a major that would have a list of guys look like this.”

Given his sometime party boy image, Scott is a surprisingly quietly spoken and reflective person. His Queensland heritage comes to the fore at times when he slips in the occasionally “colourful” expression.

The Queen might of said his year was a “annus horribilis”. He just said it was “shitty.”

And he says people might get the wrong impression at times from his laid back exterior.

“I thought I had a lot of the support from the public and hopefully it helps the message get across that I’m playing my arse off out there and not just throwing in the towel,” he said.

Hopefully for Scott he has now turned a corner.

He knows his game still isn’t fully where he wants but he is confident he is heading in the right direction and it will be back bigger and better than before.

“I am a fairly easy going kind of character,” he said.

“I just cruise along and I pointed that out, talking to you guys (the media) this year, that I cruised along for nine years and thought everything was rosy. I thought I would cruise along and keep winning tournaments like I was and one of them would be a major and that didn’t happen.

“But sometimes you have to get down and dirty, get your hands dirty a little bit, and put in that extra effort. I don’t necessarily show that on the outside. That’s not my nature.”

Asked how it felt to be handed the trophy by Greg Norman, Scott spoke of their close relationship over the years.

“Obviously he is a big supporter of mine and I wish I could have played this well for him at the President’s Cup. We just got beaten by a better team that week,” he said.

“But he is my hero. I have said that all along and he has been so generous to me with so many things and countless bits of advice on the game and just like a lot of other people, this year showing me that he still believes in me and my game and he can see inside that I want it badly, which I can see some people may not see, but he knows me well and he can see that I want it badly and I work hard for it.”

And in the warm embrace Norman offered him, “did he give you a little kiss to the side of the head or whisper sweet nothings?” one perhaps slightly impertinent media representative asked.

“No, he said it was about bloody time.”

The Australian Open is set for a classic finish with Adam Scott and Stuart Appleby facing off against each other in the final pairing at 12.25.

Of course, anything can happen in golf but the two great mates gave a glimpse of what may be to come with a seesawing battle late Saturday at only a slightly more benign NSW Golf Club.

Scott will start the day two strokes ahead of Appleby after carding consecutive birdies on his final two holes.

Scott completed a second-round 66 on Saturday morning to trail by two at the halfway stage.

He led by as many as three shots in the third round before back-to-back bogeys at the 15th and 16th holes saw Appleby draw level.

Appleby was struggling with his game compared to his immaculate performances with a pair of 66’s in the wind affected first two days.

Winning the Stonehaven Cup would be a major boost to either man, with both admitting to basically “shitty” years in the US.

“It’s there for me with a good round tomorrow. For an Aussie it’s like the next major in a sense. It’d mean a lot to me at any point but I think it’d be great coming off a pretty ordinary year, ” a weary Scott said after his 29 holes yesterday.

”I’ve just got to keep my head on and not do anything stupid. We’re a fair way out in front. We could get the gloves off tomorrow and have a bit of a ding-dong. You’ve got to want it badly. It’s great to see us both playing well because we’ve both had shitty years.”

The contest really does shape as a two man battle, with Nick O’Hern sitting alone in third place seven shots behind Scott.

The Open will be televisied from midday on Channel 10 and ONE HD.